Dongting Immortal Clan

"Splash—"

The moment he broke through the water, fresh air rushed into his lungs, and Chen Changhe could no longer hold back, spitting out mouthfuls of blood on the lake.

His throat felt salty and fishy, ​​and before he could catch his breath, he grabbed his father and swam toward the overturned fishing boat.

"The Long River!"

Chen Dajiang's voice came through.

Upon seeing his elder brother rowing over, Chen Changhe quickly swam over, and the two of them joined hands to pull their father onto the boat.

"father!"

Chen Dajiang exclaimed in alarm and pulled his father upside down against the edge of the boat. Chen Chuansheng's face was already purplish-black, his lips were grayish-white, and blood was still seeping from his calves, turning the lake water crimson.

Upon seeing this, Chen Dajiang immediately tore off a piece of his own clothing to bandage his father's leg injury.

But the wound was extremely deep, exposing the bone, and the cloth strips wrapped around it were instantly soaked with blood.

He quickly bent down, pinched his father's nose, and breathed on him mouth to mouth.

Once, twice, three times.

"Dad, wake up!"

"Wake up!"

……

Chen Changhe gripped the edge of the boat in the lake, panting heavily. His body was about to give way, his moonlight power was almost exhausted, his heart fire was dim, and every part of his body ached.

Just as he caught his breath and was about to climb onto the boat, he suddenly caught a glimpse of movement underwater.

That damned black shadow had somehow broken free of the ice chains and was rapidly rising from the bottom of the lake, faster than before, like a black arrow, reaching the boat in the blink of an eye.

Before Chen Changhe could even shout, the water surface had already exploded.

A sharp claw formed from black energy burst forth from the water, its five fingers clearly defined and covered in scales. It grabbed his calf and dragged him into the water.

"laugh--"

Instantly, excruciating pain struck.

The claws were not physical, but they carried a chilling aura, penetrating Chen Changhe's flesh and drilling into his bone marrow.

He groaned, half of his body went numb, and his grip on the edge of the boat loosened, dragging him into the water.

"The Long River!"

Chen Dajiang turned around in horror, only to see Chen Changhe being dragged into the water.

A string of bubbles remained on the surface of the water, rising up with a gurgling sound.

Suddenly pulled into the water, Chen Changhe choked on some water, then bit his tongue, the sharp pain bringing him back to his senses for a moment.

He forcefully activated the little remaining magical power in his body, and the dim inner fire shone brightly again, illuminating his body and dispelling the cold that had invaded his body.

The black claws were still gripping Chen Changhe's calf, and the chilling aura spread along his calf, causing numbness in his skin and pain in his bones wherever they passed.

As he channeled his magic, white frost quickly appeared on his calves, covering his black claws in the blink of an eye.

The black claws seemed to sense something and were somewhat afraid of Bai Shuang, so they immediately released Chen Changhe's calf.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, he kicked his leg hard, broke free from the claws, and shot upwards with all his might.

Soon, Chen Changhe's fingers touched the fishing boat, and with a quick snap, he pulled himself out of the water and collapsed onto the boat.

"Go! Row faster!"

Chen Changhe roared hoarsely, his voice was hoarse and his body was trembling.

Seeing that he had escaped back, Chen Dajiang quickly picked up a paddleboard and rowed the boat toward the lake shore.

Chen Changhe panted as he watched the lake surface warily.

His pupils quickly contracted.

……

Suddenly, the lake surface behind the small boat exploded.

The dark figure actually poked half of its body out of the lake!

At this moment, the shadowy figure appears even more terrifying than underwater.

Its body was like a giant python, its waist like a water bucket, and its whole body was covered with dark blue scales, each scale the size of an infant's palm, fine and dense, gleaming with a cold, eerie luster in the hazy light of the sky.

The most bizarre thing is its lower body, which is not a solid object, but rather resembles condensed smoke, with black gas constantly churning around its edges.

On its neck, where it had just been struck by the ice spike, a large patch of scales had fallen off, and something seemed to be wriggling beneath its skin.

On its sides, four illusory claws of varying lengths and sizes were clearly visible.

Some were solid as iron hooks, while others were just a blurry black shadow.

Those scarlet eyes were now filled with violence and greed, fixed on Chen Changhe as if they were eyeing their prey.

The black shadow lashed its long tail like a giant whip, slamming heavily onto the small boat.

"Click—"

The ship's planks shattered, and wood chips flew everywhere.

Chen Dajiang shielded his unconscious father as they slid down the tilting plank of the boat.

Chen Changhe lay on the bottom of the boat, his magical power exhausted, and his inner fire reduced to a faint glimmer, like a candle flickering in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment.

He watched as the dark figure opened its massive maw once more, a dark vortex swirling within it, and suction began to gather.

This time.

He knew he couldn't escape it.

……

Chen Dajiang saw it too.

He saw the monster emerging from the bottom of the lake, its massive jaws wide open, about to deliver a fatal blow.

He saw his father lying on the deck, his face ashen.

He saw that his younger brother was soaking wet, his face was deathly pale, and he didn't even have the strength to lift his hand.

He saw everything.

An unprecedented rage surged up in my heart, bursting from my chest, burning down to my throat, to my eyes, and to every part of my body.

That wasn't ordinary anger, but a survival instinct that erupted when cornered.

A sharp pain shot through his chest, and a raging rage transformed into crimson flames that burned across his body.

That fire was not a real flame; it had no temperature and no smoke. It was formed from his blood and qi, the heat of his body, and the potential bursting forth from his life.

The fire burned his whole body, made his eyes blaze, and filled him with uncontrollable rage!

"ah--!"

Chen Dajiang roared, his voice like thunder echoing across the lake.

Instead of retreating, he advanced and suddenly grabbed the oar pole.

That was the only weapon he could find. He gripped it tightly with both hands, raised it high, and slammed it down hard at the dark figure emerging from the lake.

"Brother, you mustn't!"

Chen Changhe's eyes were bloodshot, and he shouted hoarsely.

That beast is incredibly powerful. My elder brother has never mastered any magical abilities; how could he possibly be its match?

Chen Changhe tried to stop him, but he couldn't muster any strength. His internal magical power was almost depleted, and his inner fire was dimming and about to go out.

More importantly, the shadowy aura was still lingering within him, causing him unbearable pain and making his body stiff.

Chen Dajiang had already jumped into the air.

He held the oar high above his head, like a mighty club, drawing an arc in the greyish-white light.

The anger in his heart burned away all the messy thoughts in his mind.

At that moment, he had only one thought in his mind.

Kill this beast!

……

"Bang--!"

The oar struck the dark figure on the head.

It was perfectly positioned, right between the two scarlet eyes.

A dull, loud thud came, like a drum being struck with cowhide.

The black energy surged violently, exploding in all directions from the point of impact.

Immediately, the dark shadow let out a sharp screech, which made Chen Dajiang's eardrums ache and his brain feel like it was about to split open.

Its body twisted violently, and large clumps of dark blue scales fell off, revealing even more black mist.

A hint of "confusion" appeared in those scarlet eyes. How dare a mortal attack it?

Immediately, the shadowy figure became even more enraged, and its sinister aura swept across the lake like a whirlwind.

Chen Dajiang swung his oar, lost his balance, and fell into the water.

The intense heat within him was instantly swallowed by the lake water. He struggled for a moment, but found that his limbs felt as if they were filled with molten lead, and his body sank uncontrollably downwards.

The shadowy figure, wounded by the blow, became even more ferocious. It temporarily abandoned its prey, Chen Changhe, and used its long tail to coil towards Chen Dajiang.

"Big brother!"

Seeing this, Chen Changhe was terrified and rushed to the side of the boat, trying to grab Chen Dajiang.

He tried his best, but his inner fire was almost extinguished, and he could no longer arouse his magic power. His originally jet-black and shiny hair had turned gray without him even noticing.

He knew his body had reached its limit.

……

"Splash!"

Just then, the sound of oars breaking through the waves was heard.

Chen Changhe looked towards the shore.

A small boat parted the reeds and sped towards them like an arrow, with two people standing at the bow.

One was Chen Xiaohu, who looked anxious and rowed the oars with all his might.

The other person was tall and wore a straw raincoat and bamboo hat. His face was solemn. He was none other than Old Zhang, the godfather whom he had just worshipped that morning.

The old man glared with eyes as wide as bells, looking somewhat like an angry Vajra. Without saying a word, he reached down from his waist and pulled out a throwing knife wrapped with cinnabar and yellow talismans.

"evildoer!"

"How dare you act so violently!"

Old Zhang's words thundered like spring thunder, his voice echoing across the lake.

The yellow talisman-wielding flying knife shot towards the dark figure in the lake like lightning.

The shadowy figure seemed wary of the throwing knife; its scarlet eyes showed panic. It immediately abandoned Chen Dajiang and plunged into the lake.

As if it possessed a spirit, the throwing knife also followed and shot into the water, stirring up a wave.

Before long, a scream and a howl rang out; it was the beast that made the sound.

After that, there was no further movement on the lake.

Only a broken piece of ship timber remained floating on the water.