Dragon General Ao Lan: This River Might Not Be Big Enough for You

Above the Azure Mystic River.

After Ao Lan finished speaking, she felt somewhat nervous.

She knew what kind of being stood before her.

A Primordial Giant Beast capable of fighting Shen Ni.

Even if his presence was peaceful now, the aquatic patrols of the Azure Mystic River would be utterly unable to stop him if he truly made a move.

But duty bound her, and there were some things she had to make clear beforehand.

The Azure Mystic River was an important waterway in the eastern Primordial World. Its waters were broad and its course long, and a great many aquatic beings lived within it. There were also many cave abodes and cultivation grounds established by the Dragon Clan long ago.

The Grand Void Sky Whale before her was over a hundred thousand li long.

If he sank straight into the Azure Mystic River, the mere act of entering the water would be enough to unleash terrifying waves.

What's more, there were quite a few Primordial Water Spirit Veins beneath the riverbed.

If a body of that size pressed down on them, many fragile veins in the earth would likely collapse on the spot.

As the Patrolling Dragon General of the Azure Mystic River, Ao Lan naturally could not pretend she had seen nothing.

After hearing her out, Lu Yuan thought she made quite a lot of sense.

He slowly lowered his head and looked at the surging river beneath him.

From the perspective of an ordinary being of the Primordial World, the Azure Mystic River was indeed magnificent. Its waters stretched thousands of li across, mist curled along its banks, and abundant Primordial Spiritual Qi rose continuously from it.

But in Lu Yuan's eyes,

The river was indeed too narrow to accommodate even one of his giant fins.

If he really burrowed into it,

His body would probably fill the entire river channel.

"I wasn't planning to get in the water."

Lu Yuan looked at Ao Lan and explained casually, "It's usually more convenient for me to swim through the Sea of Clouds. When I pass through here, I can just go straight over it."

Ao Lan was visibly taken aback.

She had been prepared to do her best to persuade Lu Yuan to take another route if he insisted on entering the river.

She hadn't expected the matter to be resolved so easily.

"You're willing to pass high above the river, fellow Daoist?"

Ao Lan hurriedly sought confirmation.

Lu Yuan nodded.

"Of course. There are so many living beings in the river. If a body like mine went in, they'd probably all suffer for it."

Hearing that, Ao Lan finally breathed a complete sigh of relief.

She gradually looked upon Lu Yuan more favorably as well.

According to the rumors, this Grand Void Sky Whale could devour the Fierce Sha Qi that filled the sky, and his body was unimaginably powerful.

She had worried that he might have a violent temper.

Now that she had actually spoken with him, Lu Yuan was clearly very reasonable.

At least in this matter, he had no intention of using his strength to force the Dragon Clan into submission.

Ao Lan lowered her head slightly.

"Then thank you for your understanding, fellow Daoist."

Lu Yuan adjusted his body slightly.

His two enormous fins slowly folded inward, and the vast shadow that had covered the river gradually moved higher into the sky.

As the giant whale rose, sunlight returned to the river below.

The aquatic beings that had been fleeing in panic finally began poking their heads out from the riverbed.

An old turtle at the Mysterious Immortal Realm slowly rose to the surface.

He looked up at the giant beast's true body, which blotted out the clouds. His mouth hung open for a long while before he could not help murmuring, "I've lived all these years, and I've never seen a living creature this enormous."

A Golden Immortal Flood Dragon beside him wore an equally complicated expression.

"So this is the being who can fight Beast Emperor Shen Ni."

The old turtle shuddered at those words and hurriedly looked up again.

The shock in his eyes grew even deeper.

He could fight Shen Ni?

The old turtle had only known that the newcomer was enormous.

Now that he knew his true identity, how could he dare discuss him as casually as before?

Ao Lan noticed the stir among the aquatic beings below. She immediately restrained her presence and signaled the patrolling soldiers to restore order.

Lu Yuan had already risen of his own accord.

There was naturally no need for the Azure Mystic River to remain on alert.

The Black-Armored Flood Dragon finally relaxed.

He came to Ao Lan's side and said quietly, "General, this fellow Daoist Lu Yuan is quite easy to talk to."

Ao Lan nodded lightly.

"Powerful beings have different temperaments too. In the future, when you encounter an expert of unknown origins, ask questions and get the facts straight first."

The Black-Armored Flood Dragon hurriedly assented.

Meanwhile,

Lu Yuan did not leave immediately.

He had only intended to pass by the Azure Mystic River, but after stopping here, he discovered that the Water Spirit Qi below was quite dense.

Deep in the river, in particular, he could faintly sense several Primordial Spirit Veins of decent quality.

Though this Qi fell far short of the flesh and blood of a Chaos Demon God, it had the advantage of being very gentle.

Lu Yuan was currently in the process of slowly digesting the Demon God Origin.

A burning sensation still occasionally appeared within his body.

If he could absorb some gentle Water Spirit Qi in moderation, perhaps it would make his flesh feel more comfortable.

With that thought,

Lu Yuan lowered his head and looked at Ao Lan.

"The Water Spirit Qi in your Azure Mystic River is quite dense."

A hint of a smile appeared on Ao Lan's face.

"The Azure Mystic River is one of the major waterways in the east. Many Primordial Spirit Springs flow into it along the way, so its Water Spirit Qi is naturally more abundant than in most places in the Northern Land."

As she said this, her tone clearly carried the Dragon Clan's pride in its own waters.

Lu Yuan sensed it for a moment, then continued, "Has the Dragon Clan always watched over this river?"

"That's right."

Ao Lan nodded.

"Our Dragon Clan now governs many waterways in the east, and the Azure Mystic River is an important water route leading to the Eastern Sea. Naturally, we need to station people here to patrol it over the long term."

"Besides guarding against attacks by ferocious beasts, we also have to keep the channel clear and maintain the flow of Water Spirit Qi. All of that falls under my responsibility."

After listening, Lu Yuan found that reasonable enough.

The Dragon Clan had an innate ability to control water.

Having them manage rivers, lakes, and seas was indeed more suitable than entrusting them to ordinary beings of the Primordial World.

But he soon noticed that, as Ao Lan reached the end, a hint of helplessness seemed to flash across her face.

Recalling the Water Spirit Qi he had just sensed, Lu Yuan gradually grew puzzled.

He released his Divine Sense again.

It slowly probed down along the Azure Mystic River's waterway.

The Primordial Water Spirit Qi in the river was indeed very pure overall.

But farther downstream,

Things were noticeably different in certain places.

In particular, in a deep bend of the river that stretched for tens of thousands of li, the once-clear Water Spirit Qi was mixed with a large amount of gray-black turbid Qi.

That turbid Qi was terribly cold.

Its presence was also especially familiar.

Lu Yuan brought his Divine Sense a little closer and recognized it at once.

Fierce Sha Qi.

And there was quite a lot of it.

He continued to observe.

He soon discovered that a great deal of black mud had accumulated at the bottom of the bend. In some places, it had even formed dark red crystals.

These things continuously released Fierce Sha into the surrounding water, and most of the spirit fish and spirit turtles that had once lived near the bend had already migrated elsewhere.

Only some stronger aquatic beings remained, using Restraining Patterns to barely maintain the flow of Water Spirit Qi nearby.

Lu Yuan's eyes gradually lit up at the sight.

This taste...

It really is familiar.

Though it could not compare to the Sha Liquid in the Myriad Sha Abyss, it still counted as a decent supplement for him now.

Lu Yuan slowly raised his head and looked at Ao Lan again.

"Is there a place downstream where Fierce Sha has silted up?"

Ao Lan had still been describing the Azure Mystic River, but her expression changed instantly at his words.

"You noticed it too, fellow Daoist?"

Lu Yuan nodded.

"It's quite obvious. The farther downstream you go, the denser the Sha Qi gets."

Ao Lan could not help letting out a soft sigh.

"Alas, the matter is indeed rather troublesome."

She looked downstream, her tone gradually growing serious.

"The Fierce Sha of the Northern Land seeps eastward through Underground Turbid Veins year-round. The lower reaches of the Azure Mystic River happen to connect to one of them, so a fair amount of Turbid Sha accumulates at intervals."

"Once that Sha Qi settles on the riverbed, it slowly erodes the Water Spirit Qi. Many aquatic beings nearby have suffered because of it, and we've been trying to clean it up all these years."

Lu Yuan's gaze shifted at this.

"How is the cleanup going?"

Ao Lan smiled bitterly.

"The results have been limited."

"Ordinary Turbid Sha is manageable, but the deposits that have been there for years have gradually condensed into Sha Crystals. They're connected to the rock layers beneath the riverbed, making them very difficult to remove."

"Some years ago, several of us Water Generals joined forces and spent hundreds of years clearing out a portion, only for quite a lot more to seep in from underground not long afterward."

After hearing this, Lu Yuan gradually understood.

No wonder the Sha Qi had accumulated so densely in that bend.

Although the Dragon Clan excelled at controlling water, they had no particularly efficient way to deal with Fierce Sha mixed into the waterway.

That was especially true of the Sha Crystals, which had already penetrated deep beneath the riverbed.

If they forcibly dug them out, they could easily damage the Water Spirit Veins instead.

But for him,

These things didn't seem so troublesome.

Lu Yuan looked once more at the dense Turbid Sha downstream.

A familiar hunger slowly surfaced within him at that moment.

He thought it over briefly, then finally spoke.

"Ao Lan, since you want to clear out that Sha Qi, would you like to let me give it a try?"

Ao Lan looked up sharply.

"You want to help, fellow Daoist?"

Lu Yuan gazed at the black mud and Sha Crystals on the riverbed that were continuously releasing Fierce Sha, his tone perfectly natural.

"I happen to be able to absorb some Sha Qi. If you have no use for it, you could let me eat it."

Ao Lan's expression became quite a sight.

She turned to look downstream along the Azure Mystic River.

Then she looked back at Lu Yuan's enormous mouth.

It took her quite a while to finally react.

"Fellow Daoist, can you really swallow that Turbid Sha directly?"

Lu Yuan nodded.

"I can try, but you'll have to move the aquatic beings nearby away first, so they don't get swept in with it."

Ao Lan's heart gave a sudden jolt at his words.

She had realized that

A solution might really have appeared for the trouble that had plagued the Azure Mystic River for years.