He hammered for a long while, finally driving the Wuyou Sword completely into Lord Dragon-Rearer's skull. The sword pinned Lord Dragon-Rearer's old skin to the body that was about to emerge from it. The dragon head no longer dared to writhe violently, seemingly afraid of disturbing the divine might hidden within the sword. It could only shed its skin slowly, yet the Wuyou Sword held it fast, preventing it from slipping free or forcing its way out. "You again, you clumsy little brat. .

.

" Lord Dragon-Rearer opened his mouth and spoke in a faint voice. "I will kill you. I swear I will kill you. .

. " Shen Mu circulated his vital energy and sent mud and sand swirling into Lord Dragon-Rearer's mouth and nostrils, silencing him. Then he took out the last bit of Three-Break Powder he had left, wrapped it in vital energy, stuffed it into the god's mouth, and resumed searching him from head to toe. "Even if it can't kill you, it can make you shed one more layer of skin! " Shen Mu rummaged over and over, searching for the True Dragon's Nest.

Lord Dragon-Rearer's nearly rigid body trembled continuously at the bottom of the river.

As the saying went, one should take a man's life while he was ill; the poison of the Three-Break Powder was truly formidable. It made his ruined body produce a series of cracking sounds as his flesh, divine body, and soul all began to break apart.

He had not finished shedding his skin and had not yet completely separated from his old body, so the new body was poisoned as well, leaving him in utter misery. Shen Mu felt around Lord Dragon-Rearer's body and pulled out a dragonhide drum, dragon horns, a claw staff, a short dragon-bone flute, and all sorts of strange objects, yet he still could not find the dragon lair of the True Dragon Lord. "Strange. That fellow must have hidden it on his own body.

There is no way he would have thrown it away. .

. " Shen Mu took out the Heavenly Emperor Jade Tablet and tried to establish a connection with the dragon lair, but strangely, the tablet gave no response. He urged the Heavenly Emperor Jade Tablet again and again. The writing on its surface shifted, yet it still failed to reveal the lair's location.

Just then, he suddenly sensed something unusual in the currents around him and his heart tightened. The river was turbid, and mud and sand had been stirred up by the water, making it difficult for him to see very far.

Shen Mu swiftly swam to Lord Dragon-Rearer's forehead, gripped the sword hilt with one hand, and cautiously surveyed his surroundings. Another current rushed past him. He remained perfectly still and saw an enormous dragon body, its scales dark green, each one larger and more imposing than his own body.

It was a flood dragon, most likely one Lord Dragon-Rearer had raised, drawn here by his aura.

This flood dragon was incomparably powerful, stronger even than an ordinary sect-master-level existence. Shen Mu was absolutely no match for it. His eyes flickered. With his other hand, he took out the short dragon-bone flute he had just found on Lord Dragon-Rearer's body and quietly used his vital energy to draw the surrounding water through it.

He intended to use the Dragon-Controlling Art to establish a connection with the flood dragon and bring it under his control. At that moment, a sudden roar erupted inside his head.

His skull throbbed with unbearable pain, and his ears rang. Lord Dragon-Rearer was using the last remnants of his spirit to attack Shen Mu's mind, nearly knocking him unconscious. Shen Mu cried out in pain, only to see Lord Dragon-Rearer beneath him writhing with all his might.

The movement shook the Wuyou Sword violently and dragged it forward, cutting even through Lord Dragon-Rearer's scalp. "He swallowed such a huge amount of Three-Break Powder and can still shed his skin? My poison really is inferior to Grandpa Alchemist's.

If the poison had been refined by Grandpa Alchemist, Lord Dragon-Rearer would die even after shedding his skin a dozen times! " Shen Mu hurriedly tried to pull out the sword, but he had hammered it in too deeply and could not free it in such a short time. Then he saw that Lord Dragon-Rearer had already forced one dragon head out, with the Wuyou Sword still embedded in its forehead.

Shen Mu stood atop Lord Dragon-Rearer's head, both hands wrapped around the hilt, with Lord Dragon-Rearer's two enormous eyes directly beneath his feet. Those eyes were open now, staring at him.

Lord Dragon-Rearer's face was ashen, a sign of the poison he was desperately suppressing.

Behind Shen Mu, an enormous dragon head emerged, its body coiling through the water. The dark-green flood dragon opened its jaws, revealing savage, razor-sharp teeth. Shen Mu's eyes darted from side to side.

Quietly, he gripped the Heavenly Emperor Jade Tablet, then abruptly turned it behind him. The dark-green flood dragon's gaping maw had already reached above his head, and the fangs along its upper jaw had come within a hair's breadth of piercing his skull. Shen Mu held the Heavenly Emperor Jade Tablet high, his legs trembling, while Lord Dragon-Rearer beneath him continued to writhe and force his way out.

"D-d-d. . .

" Shen Mu opened his mouth, hearing his own teeth chatter as bubbles streamed from his lips. "D-don't move. .

. Be good. . .

D-d-don't. . .

" The dark-green flood dragon's jaws stopped. Slowly, it retreated, its gaze settling on the Heavenly Emperor Jade Tablet in Shen Mu's palm. "Maha. .

. " The flood dragon slowly lowered its head.

Shen Mu let out a breath of relief, then planted one foot on Lord Dragon-Rearer's eye and snarled, "You nearly got me killed!

Now tell me, where did you hide the True Dragon's Nest? I have hundreds of different poisons here. Believe me, I can grind you to dust!

" Lord Dragon-Rearer stared coldly at him and continued writhing outward. Suddenly, his forehead cracked open again with a sharp snap, and another dragon head emerged.

The poison Shen Mu had administered meant that shedding his skin only once could not dispel it; he needed to shed it a second time.

"Maha, maha!

" Behind Shen Mu, the dark-green flood dragon shrank in size and swam to his shoulder. It rested both claws on him, opened its mouth, and made Shen Mu pause in surprise. The True Dragon's Nest was inside the flood dragon's mouth. "You sly bastard.

You really are sly! " Shen Mu's heart bloomed with delight as he gave Lord Dragon-Rearer a thumbs-up.