With the rise of my family, I can summon the Daoist Soldiers' Nest.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Lin Tie had already organized the townspeople to begin reconstruction work. A team of guards also remained behind—including a third-rate martial artist and a dozen or so unranked martial artists—to assist with the town's defense and repairs.

Meanwhile, a group of men, escorting Zhao Sanpao and his two men, headed towards Linjiawu along the waterway they had come from, intending to hand them over to the Baron for disposal.

The remaining guard team, numbering about seventy or eighty people, including seven third-rate martial artists (Lin Qiang was among them), continued along the main stream of the Wushui River towards the next town to carry out the mission of clearing out the monsters.

They had been traveling for most of the day, and the number of monsters was not large; most were low-level creatures, so their journey had been relatively smooth. As the river rounded a bend, the outline of the next town could be vaguely seen ahead.

"Let's all give it our all and try to reach Sangyuan Town tonight so we can rest there!" Lin Qiang shouted from the bow of the large ship, boosting morale.

However, no one noticed that beneath the water's surface, a massive shadow nearly three zhang long was awakened by the sound of bamboo poles striking the water, and was quietly accelerating, rapidly approaching the fleet.

"Boom!" A loud explosion erupted from beneath the foremost ship, causing it to lurch upwards. The wooden planks at the bottom groaned under the strain, before being lifted by an irresistible force.

The river water was smashed open as if by a giant hammer, splashing everywhere. The boat flipped over in the air and crashed back into the water, then capsized. The seven or eight guards on board were caught off guard and fell into the water, their screams and the sound of choking on water mingling together.

Everyone stared intently and saw a dark green giant shadow nearly three zhang long breaking through the water's surface; it was a serpentine monster.

Its head was broad and flat, its crimson vertical pupils were fixed on the fleet, and its blood-red maw suddenly opened, emitting a stench and a chilling aura.

"Fire all crossbow bolts!" Lin Qiang shouted upon seeing this.

The remaining ships immediately closed in, and dozens of crossbow bolts rained down on the anaconda.

However, when the arrows struck its hard scales, they only made a crisp "clanging" sound and bounced off without even breaking a single scale.

The monster paid no attention, its tail sweeping across like a steel whip, sending a small boat drifting sideways by several feet.

The two second-rate martial artists who accidentally fell into the water on the boat didn't even have time to struggle before it darted close with lightning speed, biting their necks. Before they could even scream, they were dragged into the deep water, their blood quickly spreading into a dark red stain.

Only then did everyone realize that this was no ordinary monster.

With its size, speed, and scaled armor, it's clearly a second-rate demonic beast!

Lin Qiang made a decisive decision: "Five third-rate captains, go into the water and fight!"

"Yes!" The five third-rate captains responded in unison, grabbed their swords, and leaped into the river.

They were good swimmers and immediately froze the python. However, the monsters in the water were far more difficult to deal with than those on land.

Its body is as agile as a swimming fish, and its entanglement and strangulation power is amplified several times in the water. Every time it flicks its tail, it can stir up waves that are ten feet high, forcing people to stagger.

What's even more terrifying is that its scales gleam with an eerie light underwater, making them difficult to harm with swords and blades. Only attacks on its eyes, throat, and soft scales on its belly offer a chance to break through its defenses.

A captain attempted to flank and attack its throat from behind, but the python suddenly turned around, its tail wrapped around his waist, and slammed him hard against the rocks at the bottom of the river. With a "crack," the captain groaned and spat out a mouthful of blood, but still clung tightly to the snake's tail and refused to let go.

Another captain seized the opportunity to leap onto the back of the swarming python and slashed its spine with his sword, but only left a shallow cut on its scales. The monster thrashed wildly in pain, throwing him into the water, and he was nearly hit in the face by the snake's tail.

The five of them attacked together, using both fists and footwork as well as close-range weapons, but they were constantly suppressed by the monster's agility and defense. They could only stir up waves around it, but could not pose a fatal threat.

Just as they were locked in a stalemate, the five of them suddenly felt a numbness in their limbs. Their fingertips lost their strength first, and then it spread to their arms, waist and abdomen. Even their swimming movements became sluggish. The monster was actually spitting poison!

Its venom mixes with the water, forming a pale blue-green poisonous mist that quickly permeates the area.

The chill and numbness seeped into their bodies along with the water flow, and the captains' offensive immediately faltered.

"Poisonous! Get ashore quickly!" someone shouted urgently, their voice trembling. The five struggled to break free from the monster's grasp and swam with all their might towards the nearest boat.

However, how could a monster let go of its prey that was already in its mouth?

It seized the opportunity when everyone's backs were turned to it, and with its gaping maw, it precisely bit the waist and abdomen of a captain, dragging him into the deep water.

The man struggled to swing his knife at the snake's mouth, but only managed to make a shallow cut before the beast's strangling force constricted him, causing his bones to crack. He quickly fell silent and was swallowed whole by the snake.

The other four people desperately climbed onto the edge of the boat and looked back. They saw the monster swimming in the poisonous fog, and a string of bubbles rising to the surface of the water. The captain's figure had completely disappeared.

Under Lin Qiang's command, the fleet immediately turned around and retreated along the original route.

The monster did not pursue them, but simply swam in that area of ​​water, its enormous serpentine shadow appearing and disappearing among the waves.

After the four third-rate captains who went into the water came ashore, the numbness in their bodies gradually subsided after a while.

It seems that the monster's poison only has a paralyzing effect and is not fatal, otherwise they would be too weak to stand here by now.

Six third-rate captains gathered on the large ship where Lin Qiang was, surrounding the bow, their gazes fixed solemnly on the waters in the distance that had been occupied by demonic beasts.

After a moment of silence, a martial artist spoke first: "In the water, it can only suppress us third-rate martial artists, so it should be a second-rate demonic beast. It's just unclear what kind it is. Most demonic beasts are mutated, and there are too many kinds."

Another third-rate martial artist turned to Lin Qiang, his tone hesitant: "Manager Lin, what should we do now? Crossbow bolts are useless against it, and its scales are too hard."

Even underwater, it couldn't defeat so many of us martial artists, but it swims too fast; apart from a few of us, the rest of us couldn't keep up if we went into the water. It also spews poison; going in is too risky.

Lin Qiang glanced at the crowd and saw that they already showed signs of wanting to back down.

After all, a third-rate captain had just died in front of everyone. This direct experience of death made these people, who were originally daring to fight and kill, begin to cherish their lives more.

They are of high status and used to enjoying life. Although they were carefully selected and those who were completely afraid of death were eliminated, they will still instinctively weigh the pros and cons when faced with such a life-or-death situation.

Seeing this, Lin Qiang said fiercely, "If it uses poison, we'll use poison too. Have the boats throw poison into that area of ​​water to force it out or poison it."

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up.

This method eliminates the need for everyone to risk their lives in the water, yet still poses a threat to the monsters, greatly increasing the chances of killing them.

The team leaders exchanged glances and all agreed that it was feasible; at the moment, it was indeed the safest and most effective countermeasure.