Chapter 260: Three Steps Drunkenly Achieve Great Merit

He pulled out a bamboo-shaped magical artifact. Aiming it at Jiang Fan's boat, he flung it with force!

"Jiu—"

A sharp, piercing sound filled the air. A jet-black projectile, leaving an astonishing reverberation in its wake, slammed into Jiang Fan's boat at high speed.

"Bang—"

The moment of impact, the projectile erupted in a tremendous explosion, setting the boat ablaze. The fierce underwater creatures, already encircling the damaged vessel, were immediately drawn to the sound of the blast.

In an instant, large patches of waves churned on the water's surface! Streaks of faintly visible, dark red, ferocious shadows surged rapidly towards Jiang Fan's boat! Looking out, the river appeared to be boiling. The spectacle was immensely powerful.

Fu Chaojun watched Jiang Fan's boat gradually being surrounded and coldly scoffed, "Don't blame me! Who told you not to save me?"

He looked down at Ming Youlian, who lay on the ground, her face ashen. Her right arm had been cruelly bitten off, bleeding ceaselessly. Her chest bore terrifying claw marks, deep enough to expose her internal organs!

"Master, I'll go find someone to save you. You wait here."

Fu Chaojun took a step, intending to seize the chance to get ashore while the Red-scaled Evil Flood Dragons were distracted. However, Ming Youlian grabbed his ankle and weakly pleaded, "Don't leave me."

Despite her extreme weakness, she was still lucid, understanding that Fu Chaojun intended to abandon her and escape. Fu Chaojun felt a surge of urgency and annoyance. If Ming Youlian died, she died; she was old, and her death would be no great loss. But he was a prodigy of his generation—how could he possibly die here?

Nevertheless, Ming Youlian held him tightly, forcing him to reluctantly help her up. He quietly untied the spare wooden skiff from the boat and carefully rowed towards the pier with Ming Youlian.

Meanwhile.

Jiang Fan and his companions found themselves in grave danger. Countless Red-scaled Evil Flood Dragons attacked like lightning, slamming violently into the boat from all directions.

"Bang—"

The boat immediately rocked violently, nearly throwing everyone off their feet! The three women's faces turned ashen; they panicked and screamed repeatedly.

Fortunately, Jiang Fan remained relatively calm. He rapidly issued commands: "Chu Xingmeng, put out the fire!"

"Qin Caihe, Yi Lianxing, scatter the Three-Step Drunk everywhere on the boat!"

He then leaped onto the mast, observing the situation in the water from above. He saw numerous five-zhang-long, dark red giant crocodiles, appearing and disappearing in the water. They had thick scales, and their strong, powerful tails were covered with barbs. Their dim, yellowish eyes gleamed with savagery.

These were indeed Red-scaled Evil Flood Dragons! And, being in their mating season, they were even more vicious than usual, currently ramming and biting the boat furiously, attempting to sink it.

"Thankfully, they're all juveniles," Jiang Fan noted, scanning the area and breathing a slight sigh of relief. If they were fully mature, their bodies would be larger than their boat, capable of biting it to pieces in a single gulp!

At that moment.

Qin Caihe, trembling with fear, had already scattered the Three-Step Drunk everywhere. As the medicinal scent gradually spread, the Red-scaled Evil Flood Dragons in the water were instantly drawn to it. They ceased their attacks and vied with each other to clamber onto the boat, greedily searching for the Three-Step Drunk. Upon finding it, they immediately slurped it into their massive mouths, then continued their search. Many of the Red-scaled Evil Flood Dragons even started tearing at each other before they could get to the Three-Step Drunk!

The three women hid in the cabin, terrified, barely daring to breathe, fearing the Red-scaled Evil Flood Dragons would discover them and smash through the hull. But to their ecstatic surprise, just as Jiang Fan had said, the Red-scaled Evil Flood Dragons that consumed the Three-Step Drunk seemed to fall unconscious after three breaths, slumping to the ground and gradually becoming still. Only a few scattered Red-scaled Evil Flood Dragons were still searching.

Seeing this, Jiang Fan leaped down, thrusting his black sword forcefully into a Red-scaled Evil Flood Dragon's eye, piercing deep into its skull. Then he gave a forceful twist. The unconscious Red-scaled Evil Flood Dragon died instantly.

The three women, witnessing this, immediately caught on. They quickly pulled out their own magical artifacts and, mimicking Jiang Fan, began stabbing the Red-scaled Evil Flood Dragons in the eyes. One after another, the creatures convulsed and died on the spot.

Before long, all twenty-odd Red-scaled Evil Flood Dragons that had boarded the ship were slain, filling the three women with wild elation.

Yi Lianxing exclaimed in astonishment, "Junior Brother Jiang, what kind of spiritual medicine is that? It's incredible!" As a disciple of the Spirit Beast Sect, her knowledge of medicines for spirit beasts far exceeded that of ordinary people. Yet, she had never heard of such a miraculous pill — one that could instantly incapacitate such ferocious Red-scaled Evil Flood Dragons.

Jiang Fan had no time for explanations. "Drag the bodies into the cabin; we'll collect their materials later!" he instructed. "Keep scattering the Three-Step Drunk. There are still more Red-scaled Evil Flood Dragons!"

In truth, his greatest concern was the formidable Red-scaled Evil Flood Dragon that had left Ming Youlian's fate unknown. If it appeared, the boat would need to be defended. He had to eliminate all the juvenile Red-scaled Evil Flood Dragons before its arrival, otherwise everyone would be in peril.

Everyone immediately complied.

Before long, the boat was once again swarmed with Red-scaled Evil Flood Dragons. Chu Xingmeng, meanwhile, steered the vessel, rapidly heading towards the pier.

The Red-scaled Evil Flood Dragons continued to be lured by the Three-Step Drunk, leaping onto the boat to feed. The outcome was the same as before: after falling unconscious, they were all killed with a single sword thrust. This process was repeated five or six times.

Finally, the area around the boat became completely quiet. Not a single Red-scaled Evil Flood Dragon remained. On the boat, the deck and cabin were piled high with their corpses. Blood stained the vessel, and large amounts of blood flowed into the water, dyeing half the river's surface red.

Soon after, they reached the pier. Jiang Fan, whose heart had been tightly coiled, finally relaxed. For some unknown reason, the formidable Red-scaled Evil Flood Dragon had not pursued them.

The three women, survivors of a harrowing ordeal, embraced each other and cheered. Who would have thought they would make it ashore alive? Yet, they knew full well that their miraculous escape was not due to luck. It was because Jiang Fan had been leading the expedition! Without his commands and the efficacy of his Three-Step Drunk, they would have long become food for the Red-scaled Evil Flood Dragons.

Yi Lianxing gazed at Jiang Fan with admiration, unable to help but sigh, "I finally understand why the Sect Master holds Junior Brother Jiang in such high regard. Junior Brother Jiang is indeed very captivating."

Qin Caihe teased, "Well, then you'll have to get in line. There are many women enchanted by Junior Brother Jiang, aren't there, Junior Sister Chu?"

Chu Xingmeng's face flushed. With wide, innocent eyes, she weakly protested, "Junior Sister Qin, if you're talking about yourself, just say so. Why drag me into it?"

Jiang Fan, the subject of their jest, was busy guiding the horses ashore. Hearing their teasing, he grumbled good-naturedly, "Are you all done with your work, then?"

The three women exchanged knowing smiles and quickly lent a hand. Some managed the carriages, while others dragged the Red-scaled Evil Flood Dragon carcasses.

It took a full half-hour before they successfully moved everything onto the shore. Yi Lianxing wiped the sweat from her forehead, looking at the perfectly intact convoy and the more than fifty valuable beast corpses. Her spirits lifted. "It's finally over!" she declared.

But Jiang Fan calmly stated, "Over? Not yet!"

His voice turned cold, and his gaze sharply fixed on a spot not far from the pier. Yi Lianxing followed his gaze.

Her eyes immediately blazed with fury! For she saw a person—the very person who had set them up, nearly causing their demise in the river!