Chapter 382: The Vein of the Fierce Dragon

At this moment on the Surging River, besides their boat, there were also fishing vessels, treasure ships transporting ores, dark gold, dark iron, and dark copper, as well as merchant ships carrying goods and passenger boats.

The Surging River boasted abundant water resources, and its fish were plump and delicious. Consequently, many boats plied the river, and numerous ports and docks lined its banks.

However, now the mountains on both banks gradually disappeared below the river’s level, leaving only boats floating on the water. Many vessels came to a halt, and countless people leaned out from their boatsides, peering outwards, wondering what was happening.

Some cultivators also flew up from their boats, gazing at the Surging River in bewilderment.

The Surging River floated in mid-air. The river, tens of thousands of miles long, remained unbroken, instead continuing to flow in the sky, illuminated by the early morning sun and shimmering with colorful light.

A merchant ship carrying goods failed to remain stable, veered out of the river, and plummeted from the sky. The vessel helplessly fell towards the mountains below, becoming smaller and smaller. A moment later, it crashed into a forest. After another moment, the sound of the merchant ship hitting the ground reached the ears of those on the river, a muffled and faint thud.

The merchant ship’s owner quickly jumped out as it fell, and many cultivators helped rescue the other people on board, resulting in few casualties.

Officials from the Eternal Peace Kingdom were on some of the government cargo ships. They immediately ordered cultivators to save people, rescuing civilians from other boats and bringing them to the land below. Some soldiers flew out of the Surging River, heading towards the cities below to seek help and request larger ships for rescue efforts on the river.

“It’s not my doing. Don’t look at me, I didn’t do it.” Qin Mu and the others looked at the old blind man. He shook his head, his expression solemn, and said, “Making the Surging River float in mid-air requires far more powerful magic than mine. I’ve never seen anyone with such immense magical power in my life... Look down!”

Qin Mu and the others immediately looked down. The Surging River had been lifted, flying in the air, its waters now separated from the land below. Originally, the water was somewhat turbid, making it impossible to see the riverbed. But now, all the silt had vanished, as if only the water had been lifted, not the sediment. Consequently, the river water became incredibly clear, allowing them to see the land below through it.

They immediately saw large fish swimming in the river, clearly and distinctly, a truly marvelous sight.

Originating from the Great Ruins, the Surging River was abundant with monsters. Various fish monsters and water creatures, hidden deep in the riverbed, possessed strange and myriad appearances. Qin Mu had lived by the river since childhood and had seen many types of fish monsters and water creatures, but now he encountered many he had never seen before. He surmised they had previously been hidden deep in the riverbed, rarely surfacing, making them difficult to spot.

But now, he could see everything in the river with incredible clarity.

Just then, a chill ran down everyone’s spines. They saw an incredibly vast and long, slippery body undulating as it passed beneath their boat. Its enormous form moved with the current, winding its way westward. Huge scales scraped against the bottom of their small boat, causing it to lurch momentarily before stabilizing again. This massive body swam without creating a single ripple; its scales scraping the boat bottom didn't damage the vessel, only causing some slight turbulence, as if strong currents were hitting the hull. It was a majestic, sapphire-blue flood dragon, incomparably vast.

On the boat, the flood dragons grew excited. Some climbed onto Qin Mu’s neck, while others poked their heads from under his armpit, peering out. “Maha! Maha!” more than ten flood dragons called out towards the river.

Splash. A massive head rose from the water, examining them curiously, then plunged back into the water and swam away. Wherever it passed, the Surging River's water monsters retreated in haste. Some large fish, terrified, fled so quickly that they leaped out of the river, then flapped their fins and fell from the sky. Suddenly, a rain of fish descended from the sky; this event would likely become the talk of the common people below for over ten days.

However, what would likely be even more discussed was the fact that the Surging River had flown into the sky!

“That flood dragon is so huge...” Qin Mu was greatly shaken. This sapphire-blue water dragon was more than ten times larger than the flood dragons on his boat, even at their full size! The power of this sapphire-blue flood dragon likely surpassed that of the Dragon Herder Lord himself. He wondered if the Dragon Herder Lord had raised it, or if it had been summoned from elsewhere.

“This is a water dragon that has achieved the divine realm. Its water control ability is incredibly powerful, terrifyingly so.” The old blind man’s expression was solemn as he faced west, his voice hoarse. “I saw a strange-looking person covered in scales, who is manipulating this divine dragon king to lift the Surging River.”

Qin Mu was slightly startled and said, “Could it be the Dragon Herder Lord from Heaven coming to subdue the dragon veins? I once saw him use a technique to move a river.”

The old blind man tightly gripped his bamboo staff, his face somewhat tense. “Such immense magical power is truly formidable. This fellow must be using the power of the divine dragon king to elevate his own magic to its peak... No, these few flood dragons alone cannot lift the Surging River. He’s also utilizing the Surging River’s own power!”

Qin Mu activated his Nine Heavens Opening Eye technique, looking upstream. However, his technique could only reach the level of the Crimson Cloud Eye, preventing him from seeing the middle section of the Surging River.

The Dragon Herder Lord was likely in the middle section of the Surging River, as that would be the best point to exert force to lift it. Based on Qin Mu's understanding of the Dragon Herder Lord, he did not possess the strength to lift the entire Surging River alone; he must be using the power of the divine dragon king. He was likely at the Surging River’s estuary, asking the divine dragon king to lift the river, while other flood dragons were placed elsewhere, stirring up winds and waves to lift the Surging River section by section.

The Dragon Herder Lord was skilled in the art of dragon veins, adept at mobilizing their power. In addition to summoning the divine dragon king, he had also summoned other flood dragons. Most crucially, he had likely mobilized the power of the dragon vein itself, using the inherent strength of the Surging River’s dragon vein to lift this massive river, spanning tens of thousands of miles, into the sky.

The Surging River was very ancient, having been a dragon vein since the Kaihuang Era and hiding many secrets. The dragon vein of this great river was likely close to maturing and transforming into a dragon.

The power of the Surging River’s dragon vein itself was extremely formidable; if the Dragon Herder Lord could mobilize its power, he could indeed lift this dragon vein!

“Is he planning to take away the Surging River’s dragon vein?” Qin Mu muttered.

The old blind man shook his head. “No. He intends to divert the dragon vein, transforming it into a malevolent dragon vein, thereby altering the entire Eternal Peace Kingdom’s destiny and fortune.”

Qin Mu was slightly startled, quickly took out the Dragon Herding Scripture, and carefully flipped to a page. This page detailed various dragon veins, with one section discussing how to alter dragon vein paths to change destiny and fortune. However, it specifically mentioned altering the destiny and fortune of an entire dynasty, an entire continent!

“He intends to draw the Great Ruins into Eternal Peace Kingdom!” Qin Mu exclaimed.

According to the Dragon Herding Scripture, the consequences of the Dragon Herder Lord’s actions would be immense. By merely altering the Surging River’s course, he could use the river’s flow to draw the great malevolence of the Great Ruins into Eternal Peace! If he succeeded, the Eternal Peace Kingdom would gradually transform into a place like the Great Ruins, and when night fell, darkness would invade!

“A truly remarkable fellow.” The old blind man’s eyes were empty sockets, yet he seemed to have already pinpointed the Dragon Herder Lord’s location. He gripped his bamboo staff tightly and tapped it lightly on the river surface, saying, “A thousand-mile embankment can collapse due to an ant's nest. He only needs to slightly alter the dragon vein’s course, and he can use the malevolent dragon vein to summon the dark powers of the Great Ruins, completely corrupting Eternal Peace Kingdom’s fortune. This person’s research on dragons is exceptionally profound; his mastery is astounding.”

With a gentle flick of his bamboo staff on the river surface, the boat beneath their feet shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, heading straight for the middle reaches of the Surging River. The immense speed made the boat creak and groan, unable to bear the strain and threatening to fall apart at any moment.

The boat finally disintegrated, sending countless splinters flying. Qin Mu, Ling Yuxiu, and the others were about to activate their magical power to run across the river surface when, unexpectedly, the river beneath their feet suddenly churned, and enraged dragons roared. Massive water dragons soared from the river surface, dragging their forms along, carrying them wildly across the water, hurtling forward with a roar!

The old blind man, gripping his bamboo staff, stood on a dragon’s head. Qin Mu, Si Yunxiang, and the others nervously looked to both sides, seeing tens of thousands of dragons galloping and roaring on either side, rushing forward like lightning!

“This Surging River is the old blind man’s territory!” As the Surging River beneath their feet sped along, the old blind man’s robes fluttered, and his killing intent surged. “Moving the Surging River—did you ask me, the Dragon King?”

The water dragons galloped, surging westward. After traveling an unknown number of miles, the old blind man suddenly lifted his bamboo staff and slammed it down. The river surface for hundreds of miles trembled violently, and the Surging River, like a long dragon struck in the waist, its midsection heavily impacted, involuntarily began to descend towards the ground!

Meanwhile, at the bottom of the Surging River below, the Dragon Herder Lord moved with a serpentine, dragon-like gait, raising his hands and unleashing torrents of wild magical power to lift sections of the Surging River. At the same time, a massive stone beast, dozens of yards tall, flew up from the riverbed, caught by his magic, and tossed into the foothills nearby. This was the Dragon Herding Technique from the Dragon Herding Scripture. He had come from downstream, clearing the way, and along the Surging River's bottom, he had encountered many submerged river-suppressing beasts. These beasts were crafted by officials of the Eternal Peace Kingdom, inscribed with various runes and markings to suppress dragon veins and prevent floods caused by their tremors.

The Eternal Peace Kingdom also had many extraordinary individuals who could identify dragon veins and ordered skilled craftsmen to create river-suppressing beasts to subdue them. Normally, with these river-suppressing beasts in place, the Surging River’s dragon vein would remain docile. But now, by removing these beasts one by one, he could completely unleash the dragon vein’s power.

Besides the river-suppressing beasts, the Surging River also contained various strange and bizarre items brought downstream by the current. They were highly peculiar, and the Dragon Herder Lord tried his best to avoid them to prevent unnecessary trouble. The closer he got to the Great Ruins, the more of these strange things there were. In the Surging River within the Great Ruins, there were even stone statues suppressing the river, which he absolutely could not lift. His goal was not to take away the Surging River, nor did he need to lift the entire river; he only needed to alter the dragon vein’s course, turning it into a malevolent dragon vein.

Just then, the Surging River in mid-air suddenly pressed down. The Dragon Herder Lord was startled and pushed his hands upward. Suddenly, the river water above transformed into a colossal pillar and slammed down!