Chapter 28: Another Act of Great Benevolence, the Strongman's Golden Armor

Luo Zhou blew the bone whistle, and Uncle Cheng Yu arrived with his men.

Looking at the chaotic scene, he was utterly astonished.

There was no curse-killing at all; it was a complete outpouring of spells and bombardment. Water splashes could be seen erupting from miles away, which had ultimately slain the Crocodilian Dragon.

This level of strength was terrifying!

Luo Zhou smiled and said, "Clean it up!"

"What are you looking at? Can't I make progress? Can't I cultivate a few spells and divine abilities?"

The crowd began to clean up, loading the mangled remains of the Crocodilian Dragon into the wagons.

While searching for spiritual materials, everyone quickly found a batch of Pure Water Grass.

As a type of spiritual material, a single stalk of Pure Water Grass was worth eighty shattered spirits. There were a full thirty-six stalks, providing extra income.

Uncle Cheng Yu assumed Luo Zhou wanted to return to Cuiling City.

To his surprise, Luo Zhou said, "Let's go. The next Crocodilian Dragon!"

"Ah, you want to kill two today?"

"Yes. I tested my newly awakened divine ability; the curse didn't trigger. Let's continue."

Uncle Cheng Yu was overjoyed, and the group set off for the next hunting ground.

As for the dead scout, he had sought his own death, so no one cared about him; he wasn't even mentioned.

In truth, scouts held an immortal profession known as "Dead Spies," but those were ordinary people who had not received the teachings of Dean Zhao.

They headed toward the next hunting ground.

It was sixty-three miles away.

Despite the toil, everyone was happy, as it meant they could claim a larger share of the profits.

This was also an old hunting ground where Dead Spirits existed, though not many—only six.

Then they would strike, showing no mercy!

This time, Luo Zhou once again used the divine ability "Turning Rivers and Seas."

No one dared to stay behind and peek anymore.

Four strikes of the "Turning Rivers and Seas" divine ability killed the Crocodilian Dragon.

Spiritual materials were discovered here as well, providing another windfall of extra income.

Luo Zhou checked his condition; feeling no fatigue, he continued.

They moved toward the third hunting ground.

After traveling a full seventy miles, even the horses were struggling to run.

Uncle Cheng Yu immediately contacted others to switch men and horses and send the Crocodilian Dragon back...

He possessed a certain level of organizational ability, which earned a slight nod of approval from Luo Zhou.

However, once they arrived, Luo Zhou began to shake his head.

This was a newly opened hunting ground. The Crocodilian Dragon had not yet eaten any humans, and there were no Dead Spirits in the vicinity.

If they hunted here, there would be no "Punishing Evil" rewards.

This Crocodilian Dragon was too clever; it had chosen a perfect position right at a major thoroughfare.

Many travelers would surely pass by, and the dragon would certainly be well-fed, perhaps even eating many people.

But it was doomed!

By occupying such a prime location to ambush travelers, the government would inevitably intervene and exterminate it.

Hiding in the shadows to secretly establish a hunting ground would have kept it safe.

But being so conspicuous and occupying a main road meant certain death!

Sometimes, being too clever is not a good thing.

Regardless, it would have no chance. Even if Luo Zhou hadn't killed it, travelers would have died because of it.

If he hadn't encountered it, he would have let it be; but since he had, he had to act!

Even if it meant consuming True Qi with no direct profit, he had to kill the dragon.

Again, four strikes of the "Turning Rivers and Seas" divine ability killed the Crocodilian Dragon.

As expected, this was a new hunting ground, yielding no spiritual materials.

Uncle Cheng Yu couldn't help but ask, "Shall we continue?"

"How many are left?"

"Only one last one!"

"We must eliminate evil completely. Let's go, kill it!"

The last Crocodilian Dragon also had a Dead Spirit. This time, Luo Zhou did not use a divine ability, but instead used a single "Dragon-Slaying Thrust" to kill it!

After the kill, he pierced its seven orifices to create the illusion that it had died from a sorcerer's curse.

It was already evening. Having traveled four to five hundred miles in a single day, everyone was exhausted.

Luo Zhou was the same and headed straight back to the city.

The Dragon Tooth Gang would no longer sell the slain Crocodilian Dragons; they intended to venture into the restaurant business to produce and sell their own meat.

But Luo Zhou was not optimistic about them!

They were like that clever Crocodilian Dragon—occupying a main road seemed like it would make big money, but in reality, they were blocking the wealth of others.

One wrong move, and they would face total collapse.

However, this was not something Luo Zhou could manage; as long as there was income, he was satisfied.

In the past, for a normal Crocodilian Dragon hunt, Luo Zhou would receive about three to four thousand shattered spirits.

For four Crocodilian Dragons, despite some being mangled, the total including the spiritual materials came to seventeen thousand shattered spirits.

Cheng Wanli was quite generous and gave a significant amount.

This business could continue.

The problem now was not with him, but whether they could find the hidden hunting grounds of the Crocodilian Dragons.

Luo Zhou went home, satisfied.

But he was even more satisfied with the "Punishing Evil" rewards at midnight.

As midnight arrived and the time came, a crowd of figures approached with a rustling sound.

Sixteen Dead Spirits—treasure hunters who had been torn to pieces—appeared before Luo Zhou.

The Crocodilian Dragon's "Punishing Evil" rewards did not arrive all at once, but in batches?

They touched Luo Zhou one by one, and as if a heavy burden had been lifted, they slowly reverted to their original forms as treasure hunters before their deaths.

Luo Zhou looked at them and lit three sticks of incense!

The liberated treasure hunters looked at Luo Zhou with gratitude, offering thanks, bows, and salutations.

"Everyone, congratulations on regaining your freedom. Go now, return to the cycle of reincarnation, and begin a new life!"

The many treasure hunters slowly dispersed, returning to the cycle of reincarnation!

"Luo Zhou, sensing the plea of the Dead Spirits: evil has been committed, and it has been punished!"

"Punishing Evil: the man-eating Crocodilian Dragon has been slain. This is good; it deserves a reward!"

"The reward for punishing evil and rewarding good is complete. Awarding reward!"

Essence, Qi, and Spirit slowly entered his body.

Essence tempered the body...

Water-Ripple True Qi flowed into his dantian.

Crocodilian Dragons were beasts; they had no cultivation methods and relied entirely on biological instinct, so their amount of True Qi was extremely small.

Upon entering his body, the nine strands of Water-Ripple Qi quietly transformed into eight strands of Tide Qi.

One strand of Water-Ripple Qi had dissipated during the transformation.

Luo Zhou nodded, only to find another batch of Dead Spirits walking in.

This time there were only six; this was the second Crocodilian Dragon.

The procedure was the same: sending the Dead Spirits into reincarnation.

Essence tempered the body, and spiritual energy entered. This time, it was five strands of Tide Qi.

As for Spirit, the experiences of a Crocodilian Dragon were meaningless.

Then another batch of Dead Spirits entered—the fourth Crocodilian Dragon.

Essence tempered the body, and spiritual energy entered. This time, it was four strands of Tide Qi.

At this point, Luo Zhou's internal spiritual energy was

Eleven strands of Heaven-Erosion Qi, eleven strands of Earth-Borer Qi, nine strands of Heavy Water Qi, eighteen strands of Heaven-Water Qi, and twenty-seven strands of Tide Qi!

Luo Zhou nodded, thinking it was over!

Unexpectedly, in a trance, Luo Zhou seemed to hear countless people cheering!

"Luo Zhou, acting not for his own gain but with a single-minded intent to strike boldly and protect all living beings.

Invisibly, he has changed the fates of others, changed Cuiling City, and even changed the fates of tens of millions. This is Great Goodness!"

"Great Goodness! Heavy reward!"

Luo Zhou was stunned; a second "Great Goodness" had actually appeared.

He had simply not wanted innocent passersby to die, yet it turned out to be Great Goodness!

Did the passerby whose fate was changed go on to save millions in the future?

Luo Zhou felt a power descending from the heavens, pouring into his body.

Countless shouts echoed in his mind!

In a vision, Luo Zhou saw himself striking, "Turning Rivers and Seas!"

"Soul..."

"Turning Rivers... Turning Seas..."

Luo Zhou's Hinomatsu Warrior appeared, and from his body, two figures gradually split off!

They were both warriors, but they were several times more powerful than the Hinomatsu Warrior!

"Rewarding Goodness!"

"Rewarding the River-Turning Warrior and the Sea-Turning Warrior!

Rewarding the unification of the River-Turning and Sea-Turning Warriors: obtaining the hidden mysteries of the Thirty-Six Warriors, and the Golden Armor of the River-Turning Sea-Turning Warrior!"

(End of Chapter)