Chapter 365: Breaking into the Dragon Palace! Crown Prince Ao Ang! Shrimp Soldiers and Crab Generals! Ruthless Strikes!

As he was still pondering this, the group had already arrived before the Dragon Palace. It was a dazzling palace of gold and jade, with painted beams and carved rafters, luxurious beyond comparison. Before the gates stood stern-looking shrimp soldiers and crab generals armed with spears and sabers.

A burly armored man, upon seeing the fish demon accompanied by this group, narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

“Halt! River Patrol General, why have you brought strangers trespassing into the Dragon Palace?” the burly armored figure barked coldly, his Fangtian Halberd[1] gleaming with icy light.

The fish demon gave a bitter smile. “These exalted immortals have come in admiration of the Dragon Lord’s name, seeking only to pay him a visit.”

The armored man’s tiger eyes bulged in rage. “Insolence! How many lives do you think you have, to dare bring outsiders into the Dragon Palace? Clearly, you harbor treachery! Seize them all!” he roared furiously.

Li Yanchu’s eyes flashed with divine light, and he immediately discerned this brute’s true form: a crab demon, reeking of murderous baleful qi. Clearly, he was no righteous sort.

“How arrogant!” Daoist Spiritual Master Ling Song’s voice thundered coldly.

He flicked a talisman, the Central Five Mountains Talisman, without any chanting or visible incantation. Wherever the azure talisman-light passed, the lesser demons were reduced to dust, and their souls were utterly annihilated.

Then, the burly armored crab demon swung his massive halberd. A razor-sharp water saber surged forth, hurtling straight toward Daoist Spiritual Master Ling Song!

But Daoist Spiritual Master Ling Song extended two fingers like a sword and said, “Swift!”

A ray of sword-light shot forth, shattering the water saber instantly. Its momentum did not falter, and in the blink of an eye, the sword-light appeared before the burly crab general.

Clang!

He swung the heavy halberd to block the sword-light, then glanced down in horror. The flesh between his thumb and forefinger had split open; blood poured freely. Seeing this, he pulled a Triton's trumpet[2] from his bosom and crushed it with both hands. In an instant, a strange, shrill keening howled through the Dragon Palace.

“How dare you make trouble in the Dragon Palace, you human cultivators are courting death!” the burly armored man sneered.

Boom!

He saw one of the young Daoists among the group throw a punch through the air. Before anyone could react...

Bang!

The Daoist’s chest bones shattered; blood spurted like a fountain and he was sent flying backward. A scorching surge of vital energy severed his life force in an instant.

Daoist Spiritual Master Ling Song stared in shock, then turned to Li Yanchu.

“This demon spoke insolently and offended my Daoist predecessors, he must be executed!” Li Yanchu answered matter-of-factly.

Daoist Spiritual Master Ling Song’s gaze softened. “Alright.”

No wonder they’d placed this crab demon at the gate; he had a ferocious temperament and radiated murderous qi through and through. If the fish demon had been the gatekeeper, Ling Song’s Central Five Mountains Talisman might have opened the Dragon Palace gate and let them all in!

Earlier, Li Yanchu’s single punch had already felled the burly armored man, earning him two thousand merit points. He looked to the fish demon and grinned. “Your colleague carries a heavy murderous aura.”

The fish demon, puzzled, forced a smile. “He’s always been bloodthirsty. He’s an unforgiving type, so they set him to guard the gate.”

As they spoke, chaos erupted within the Dragon Palace. A youth wearing a golden crown and robes of unspeakable finery strode out at the head of a group. Killing intent shone in his eyes; he gave off the chilling impression of someone who regarded human lives as nothing.

“Who dares offend the Chu River Dragon Palace?” the youth demanded coldly.

The fish demon whispered a warning, “This is the Dragon Palace’s Crown Prince, those brides were toyed with and killed by him.”

Li Yanchu nodded slightly. From his bearing and face, there was no doubt that this was indeed the Crown Prince.

Master Benxin’s gaze was sharp as he spoke, “Since you call this place a Dragon Palace, you should act rightly and protect the waters and the people. Why abandon the proper path and slaughter virtuous women?”

The Crown Prince sneered. “You old shaven-headed monk, do you have a death wish? You actually dare to blame me over a few girls and summon bad luck upon myself!”

Several figures flew over: two young men who looked alike, clearly sons of the Dragon King, and a beautiful dragon princess. The four of them glared at the intruders with hostile expressions, their powerful auras radiating outward and chilling the air around them.

From inside the Dragon Palace strode a burly figure with savage features, gripping a heavy, broad-backed nine-ring saber. His eyes gleamed with ferocity.

The Dragon Palace itself held no water, and it looked just like an ordinary palace. Quite different, Li Yanchu thought, from how it was shown in

Journey to the West

, where bubbles floated everywhere.

“This Chu River Dragon Palace... is surprisingly well-founded,” he muttered with a frown.

Around them, shrimp soldiers and crab generals began shifting into formation, vaguely arranging themselves into a coordinated battle formation.

“Attack!” Daoist Spiritual Master Ling Song barked coldly.

He struck first, sending forth a Central Five Mountains Talisman.

Boom!

At that moment, it exploded into chaos. Both sides, already on edge, immediately clashed with Daoist talismans, Buddhist prayer beads, sabers, spells, treasures. Immediately, the battle turned fierce and frenzied.

At this time, the old beggar engaged the burly warrior. He pulled a handful of earth from his robe and stuffed it into his mouth.

At once, his aura surged, and every movement carried power that restrained demonic qi, forcing the burly warrior into an awkward, disadvantaged position.

Meanwhile, Fang Qinglan crossed swords with the beautiful dragon princess. The woman’s attacks were vicious, her twin swords flashing as her movements flowed like water. Their duel was intense, neither yielding even a bit.

In contrast, Li Yanchu, who possessed the Sun Veil, barely stood out in the chaos. A Dragon Palace general wielding twin copper hammers charged at him with his men, murderous intent blazing. These were demons who never valued human lives; now that intruders had stormed their palace, their fury knew no bounds!

The fish demon’s lips twitched.

What’s going on here?! Why didn’t one of the Dragon Princes step forward to deal with this young Daoist?

This hammer-wielding general was far stronger than himself, yet still nowhere near a match for a Dragon Prince. Against this young Daoist... he probably couldn’t last long. Given time, he’d be in mortal danger!

So be it!

If that young Daoist got tied up fighting, he could seize the chance to slip away.

After all, as a traitor who had sold out the Dragon Palace, the fish demon knew death awaited him if he stayed. His mind was already racing for an escape plan!

But then, his eyes went wide. That hammer-wielding general had barely rushed in with his twin hammers whistling like thunder, each weighing a thousand catties. Just then, the young Daoist didn’t even spare him a glance, when the saber at his waist slid just three cun from its sheath.

Then, there was a flash of steel, and the ferocious general’s head flew, his body collapsing separately.

Splurt!

Blood gushed like a fountain. Watching this unfold, the fish demon felt a chill throughout his body as though he’d fallen into an ice cave.

“Is this bastard even human? How can he be so savage!?”

As terror gripped him, he noticed the young Daoist turning to look his way with a cold, unyielding expression.

“Immortal... senior...” The fish demon’s heart sank with a heavy

thud

.

Li Yanchu sneered coldly, “To be a monster like you... utterly despicable!”

The fish demon was shocked and furious. Was this a case of burning the bridge after crossing it?!

“Immortal Master, I am willing from this day forth to do good deeds, accumulate merit, and safeguard this region. I beg you, spare my life, for I have already forsaken darkness for the light!”

His reaction was quick, as he knew full well this young Daoist now bore the intent to kill!

“You say this as though you doubt me. For that, you must die!”

Fish demon fell speechless at his words, and Li Yanchu threw a single punch.

Bang!

The fish demon’s head exploded, his body dropping lifeless in an instant. He had once shown disdain at the sacrifice of a mere bride, and Li Yanchu remembered his cold, callous face vividly.

Turning around, Li Yanchu swept his gaze across the Dragon Palace’s demon soldiers, his eyes flashing like cold lightning. With that, terror gripped the horde.

1. The Fangtian Huaji (Fangtian Halberd) is called a “painted halberd” because its shaft was often decorated with colorful patterns. It is an ancient weapon that combines the features of a ge (dagger-axe) and a spear, allowing both thrusting and horizontal striking.

The term “painted halberd” has existed since ancient times. During the Tang dynasty, the poet Wang Wei mentioned it in

Yanzhi Xing

: “Painted daggers gleam in the cold daylight, banners and large flags disappear in the yellow dust.” Another Tang poet, Wei Yingwu, in

Gathering with Scholars in the Rain at the Prefecture Study

, wrote: “The guards brandish painted halberds, and the feast is suffused with a refined fragrance.”

By the Yuan and Ming dynasties, the terms Fangtian Ji, Fangtian Huaji, and painted halberd were considered variations of the same type of ornamental halberd. During the Ming and Qing periods, people commonly abbreviated “painted halberd” or “painted-shaft halberd” to refer to the Fangtian Huaji, which eventually led to it being conflated with the Fangtian Ji.

Famous generals in Chinese history known for wielding the Fangtian Huaji include Lü Bu and Xue Rengui. Lü Bu, a celebrated general of the Three Kingdoms period, is particularly remembered for the legendary “Shooting the Halberd at the Gate of the Encampment.” Xue Rengui, a renowned general of the early Tang dynasty, gained fame for his feat known as “Three Arrows Settling the Tianshan.”

Here is a reference

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2. Charonia tritonis, common name the Triton's trumpet, the giant triton or pū is a species of very large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Charoniidae, the tritons. Reaching up to two feet in shell length this is one of the biggest mollusks in the coral reef.

Here is a reference

image

. ☜