The Journey of Immortal Cultivation-Chapter 657 - 373: The Unlucky Canglong
Ning Xiaoxian saw it acquiescing and did not continue to trouble it, but simply swam above its big head, then rode on the neck of Canglong. The creature was completely round and its scales slippery, leaving no place for her to grasp. She looked around discontentedly, then reached out and grabbed its gaping gills, pointing towards the North with one hand.
It was only after she dived into the water that she realized the scarcity of time, and despite her excellent swimming skills, she couldn’t compare to the native inhabitants of the lake; so she simply grabbed this Canglong to serve as her ride. What could she do when, amidst the many demon beasts, Canglong was the only one she could recognize?
If this big guy under her feet knew that it was nabbed to be a draft beast for this reason, who knows if it would knock itself unconscious against the bottom of the lake.
It was not stupid. Seeing this person point towards the North several times, it understood her intention. Forcing down the massive itch in its gills, it started moving in the direction she indicated. After all, with a streamlined body, its speed was at least seven or eight times faster than Ning Xiaoxian’s.
This was the method devised by her and Changtian. Hidden Stream had tight defenses around the valley and the Forbidden Land, so since the land route was impractical, they switched to the Waterway to sneak near the True Form of Ba Snake undetected by gods and invisible to ghosts. He remembered that the underwater network at the bottom of the lake was also intricate. If followed upstream, it could at least penetrate more than two hundred li deep into the North, approaching the central part of the True Form of Ba Snake.
Hidden Stream was aware of this flaw, but since it was located in the forest, there were no water demon beasts in the Sect. To patch up this missing link, they stocked the waters with numerous demon beasts, many of which were rare species from Ancient Times. If anyone else were to dive in, they would likely be torn apart, skin and bones included, in less than a few breaths.
Speaking of which, even if an intruder was so powerful that the trained beasts could not take them down, these beasts would at a minimum surface to seek help from Hidden Stream. Thus, for someone like Ning Xiaoxian to brazenly pass through by showing their fangs and feigning the tiger’s might, was simply beyond Hidden Stream’s imagination.
"I’m smart, right? With this fellow as a substitute, we can save at least two hours’ time!" she transmitted pridefully. Changtian knew her temperament, indulged her with praise, and then said, "Stop, turn to the right!"
To the right? They had already left the scope of Blue Lake and entered the underground waterway, so she confidently lit the way ahead with glow grass. Seeing only a left-facing Waterway in front of them and pitch-black soil on the right, where was the path? But she trusted Changtian implicitly, so the hand on Canglong’s gill temporarily became the steering rudder, forcing it to swim to the right.
Canglong was puzzled. Why rub against the wall on the right side, ignoring the wide waterway on the left front? Yet, the temporary master on its back was urgent, so it clenched its teeth, shook its massive body, and kept burrowing against the rock wall.
Did it not eat enough, exerting so little strength? Ning Xiaoxian was displeased and increased the pressure in her hand. Canglong shuddered, ramming its huge head against the rock wall with force.
With a thud, its head was rattled, but the dirt wall dropped many small rocks, seemingly loosened.
There was an effect!
Changtian explained, "The waterway on the left leads directly to the head of True Form of Ba Snake. At this time, most of Hidden Stream’s people are probably investigating near the head and tail of Ba Snake, so if you present yourself, wouldn’t you be caught red-handed? There was originally a path on the right, but subsequent flash floods brought down mud and silt, blocking the Waterway on the right. If you have this Canglong break it open, you can swim to the middle of Ba Snake’s body!"
Ning Xiaoxian urged Canglong to strike again with a shake of head and wag of tail. This big creature, having lived for over two thousand years, had formidable strength and exerted all its energy. Before its mortal body could hit the rock wall, it thought with a heavy heart and rage that this person was too indifferent to the life of a Dragon. If it didn’t work this time, it would turn around and flee upstream, preferring to die in the hands of that female Canglong rather than stay here as unpaid labor.
Thankfully, this time, Heaven finally heard its inner plea. Another dull sound ensued, and though the impact was even more violent than before, Canglong’s head broke through as if cracking an eggshell. The rocks and mud that had blocked the path for tens of thousands of years blew apart from its brute force, revealing a round hole three meters in diameter!
Peering through the gap, indeed, there was a quiet waterway.
