Chapter 421: 423 Evil Swamp Ghost
Lizard Water Monsters had weak vision, something Zhu Minglang was well aware of.
If the Lizard Water Monsters wandered near the villages, seeing the Dragon Lanterns danced by the villagers, they would mostly likely assume that there was a True Dragon guarding the village or town and would not dare to approach.
Of course, such a Dragon Lantern Dance would probably only be effective against Lizard Water Demons with a cultivation base of less than five hundred years. Those more spiritually advanced lizards would most likely realize in their battle of wits against humans that the Dragon Lantern was just a decoy.
However, very often, it was the lesser demons with less than five hundred years of cultivation that posed a great threat to the common people. They would burrow into ponds, hide among the reeds, or even sneak into the pens, and sometimes, when residents got up at night to check why the livestock were acting strangely, would swallow a person whole.
So, this Dragon Lantern Dance was quite useful after all, at least it could reduce the pressure on the guards.
Wiping out a large group of Lizard Water Monsters and guarding a city against a large group of Lizard Water Monsters are two different concepts.
The Lizard Water Monsters naturally knew there were powerful Dragon Shepherds at the city gates. They might circumvent those and attack other areas, spreading out to assault the city, which was already composed of several towns.
Zhu Minglang couldn’t be in multiple places at once; he could only defend a specific area. As for the lesser demons that creeped into the city from strange places, Zhu Minglang simply had no way to deal with them. Therefore, ensuring the safety of every household, guarding was truly crucial.
Even if the guards were weak, they could at least inform the Dragon Shepherds of the exact location of the little demons. Otherwise, in this pitch darkness, if the Lizard Water Monsters slipped into ponds, thick grass, or underneath barns, being several ranks stronger would also be meaningless.
“Go find some reliable people, organize and light the Dragon Lanterns, tell them our people from the Dragon Taming High Court are here, they shouldn’t panic, and most importantly, don’t leave the city!” Zhu Minglang said to Chen Bai.
Zhu Minglang had never imagined that the Yan Clan would kill all the guards.
And when they were killing the guards, Zhu Minglang had just entered a shop to buy some hemostatic ointment.
When he came out, the Yan Clan’s people had killed everyone and left.
Otherwise, Zhu Minglang would have definitely gone to intervene.
How could he let a city be without guards? Those guys completely failed to realize that the Lizard Water Monsters were eyeing Yellow Leaf City voraciously.
A group of insane rulers, once the matters of Yellow Leaf City were dealt with, Zhu Minglang would definitely have to square things with that Yan He with the whip!
…
“Little Qingzhuo, go to the sky and root out those Demon Spirit Level Lizard Water Demons, just kill them outright,” Zhu Minglang summoned the Azure Phoenix Azure Dragon.
The Azure Phoenix Azure Dragon took to the air, its blue feathered brilliance shining conspicuously and splendidly in the night.
Unfortunately, the cultivation base of the Azure Phoenix Azure Dragon hadn’t reached the Monarch Level, otherwise, the dragon’s Monarch Level might would have been able to directly deter the eager Lizard Water Demons.
For now, the Azure Phoenix Azure Dragon faced a daunting task; it had to quickly kill all the Lizard Water Demons with over a thousand years of cultivation.
Demon Spirits possessed intelligence, and they must have already been aware of the situation Yellow Leaf City was in. They would command those groups of Lizard Water Monsters to disperse and begin invading each town, and once such Demon Spirits were involved, those lesser demons would keep flooding into every part of Yellow Leaf City non-stop—even if they knew a Dragon Lord Level creature was protecting it, they would use all kinds of methods to continue their attacks.
“`
The Azure Phoenix Azure Dragon floated in the sky, its brilliant Azure Phoenix sacred feathers providing a glimmer of safety to the anxious and troubled inhabitants of the city.
If Yellow Leaf City had been fully enclosed within its walls, the guardianship of the Azure Phoenix Azure Dragon would have made things easier. Unfortunately, the city was spread out with its districts quite dispersed, and within it were breeding ponds and ditches, with Yellow Leaf Grass growing as densely as reeds.
The ponds and medicinal fields split the town into several parts, making it impossible for the Azure Phoenix Azure Dragon to tend to everything.
Zhu Minglang was now standing at the city gate. The bodies of the guards lay unattended to this moment, the whole city likely without a single person of authority, truly scattered and disorganized in every sense.
“Heiya, it’s up to you now. No matter how many Lizard Water Demons come, don’t let them breach this gate!” Zhu Minglang called out for Little Black Dragon.
Little Black Dragon stood at the city gate, which was nothing more than a half-arc leading to a high slope, forming no full enclosure for protection. This significantly increased the difficulty of defending the gate.
Fortunately, there were several Dragon Shepherds within Yellow Leaf City. They were dispersed across the high slope to prevent the Lizard Water Demons from climbing up, allowing Zhu Minglang and Little Black Dragon to focus solely on guarding the gate.
On both sides of the road outside the city gate were wetlands, overgrown with wild Yellow Leaf Grass and Winter Reed Grass. People had been cutting them down during the daylight hours, but the plants grew back incredibly fast…
The weather was cold, the night dark and intense. The Yellow Leaf Grass and Winter Reed Grass stood taller than ripe wheat sheaves. It was uncertain whether it was the wind rustling them or something swiftly passing through, as they began to sway in large patches, casting an uneasy air.
A bloody scent drifted over, not just from the slaughtered guards near the city gate, but also from some of the farmers who hadn’t returned from their work at dusk. They had all met their end.
“Gua!!” It was unclear what kind of strange bird it was, but a cry rang out, followed by a flock of dark birds erupting from the mournful Yellow Leaf Grass, scattering in fright towards other places.
From the grass outside the city gate, several Lizard Water Monsters with eyes glowing coldly rushed out. As they nibbled on the remains of the farmers, they looked discontentedly towards the well-lit city, as if they had already sensed the scent of living human flesh and blood.
Zhu Minglang had already captured their demonic aura.
But he also noticed another peculiar presence near the Winter Reed Grass. Invisible to the naked eye, Zhu Minglang could clearly sense them crawling and writhing…
“Apart from Lizard Water Demons, what other spirits or monsters do you have here?” Zhu Minglang frowned and asked an official beside him.
“What do you mean by that? Did you see something else?” the elderly official inquired.
“The stench of rotting corpses and thick mud, this aura isn’t from the Lizard Water Monsters,” Zhu Minglang said gravely.
The elderly official’s face immediately changed as he looked in the direction Zhu Minglang pointed.
Suddenly, a ghostly shadow burst out from the Winter Reed Grass. It climbed up the city wall as nimbly as a boneless monkey and, in the blink of an eye, burrowed into the courtyard of a farmhouse that had extinguished its lights.
The speed was astonishing; without closely watching that area, one would have no idea that something had infiltrated the edge of the city!
“It’s an Evil Swamp Ghost!” the elderly official screamed in terror.
Evil Swamp Ghosts, a type of swamp evil spirit, were said to be transformed from those who accidentally fell into swamps and died. Carrying extremely terrible grudges, when someone carelessly stepped into the swamps, they could grab at their ankles, frantically dragging them into the mire to drown them alive…
This creature was more than ten times more terrifying than the Lizard Water Monsters!