East River Town had become a vast expanse of water!
The river surged, engulfing the town. The entire settlement of over ten thousand people had vanished beneath the flood.
The water in the town was now more than ten feet deep. Countless people struggled in it before the waves swallowed them, powerless to resist.
The lucky ones clung to dead trees or door panels torn from houses by the flood, bobbing on the surface with the waves.
The dozens of Qi Refining Realm rogue cultivators had long since disappeared. No one knew whether the flood had swallowed them or they had fled elsewhere.
Watching the River God come ashore, Zhang Qing was still deathly pale, but the fear had left her eyes. She glanced at her close friend, whose fists were clenched tight, and whispered, "Retreat. Fight as we withdraw toward Qingping Mountain. Preparations have been made there."
Xu Xiao gritted her teeth and nodded, urging the silk handkerchief toward Qingping Mountain with Zhang Qing aboard.
Naturally, the River God spotted Xu Xiao and Zhang Qing. Standing on a silk handkerchief above that boundless expanse of water, the two were far too conspicuous.
"Disciples of the Moon-Embracing Sect?"
The River God grinned savagely and raised his pronged spear. Endless water vapor rose into the air, forming a dense cloud of water needles that rode the wind toward Xu Xiao and Zhang Qing.
The water needles showered down like a torrential downpour, so densely packed that a single glance inspired despair.
Without hesitation, Xu Xiao took out a talisman and activated it. A glasslike dome of light instantly enveloped her and Zhang Qing.
The dense barrage of water needles struck the glasslike dome with a chorus of clinks and clangs. Ripples spread across its surface, but it did not shatter, continuing to shield the two women securely.
The River God was hardly surprised. As an inner disciple of a Golden Core Realm sect in Qing Province, and a personal disciple of a Purple Mansion Realm elder at that, it was only natural that she had a few trump cards.
He did not care that his first strike had failed. His main purpose here was to establish his might. Besides, actually killing Xu Xiao and drawing that Purple Mansion Realm elder here would do him no good. The River God did not want to expose himself yet. He still needed to lie low; a show of might was enough for now.
As for how he would establish that might, naturally, he would use the lives of the tens of thousands of mortals in Qingshan Town and the other five towns!
Once he flooded half of Qingshan County, its people would naturally regard him with boundless fear and reverence. The other twelve counties of Dongjun would no longer dare harbor any improper thoughts, either.
With that thought, the River God stopped paying attention to Xu Xiao and Zhang Qing and instead directed the flood toward the other towns along the river.
The people of the towns along the Taiping River in Qingshan County watched helplessly as the river began to surge. The experienced elders knew a flood was coming, but before they could flee, river water dozens of feet high came roaring toward them. A moment later, it submerged their towns.
By now, the entire stretch of Qingshan County along the Taiping River had become a vast expanse of water. The surging flood continued spreading toward the interior around Qingshan Town, while countless people fled farther away, crying and screaming.
As the first people to receive the news returned to the county seat, the gentry and wealthy merchants of Qingshan County Seat also learned that the River God had flown into a rage and flooded several towns.
They were frightened out of their wits. They hurriedly ordered their servants to shut the city gates and seal every opening, lest the flood engulf the county seat as well.
Meanwhile, the people of the towns in Qingshan County's interior hastily gathered their families and rushed toward Qingping Mountain.
When a flood came, staying in the county seat was of little use. Only sheltering on a mountain was safe.
The River God controlled the flood, swallowing village after village and town after town along the way. Watching these mortals kneel and beg for mercy or scatter in flight filled him with delight.
He did not drown everyone. He needed these mortals to provide faith; drowning a portion of them was enough to cow these ignorant fools whose lives were worth no more than weeds.
He even deliberately drove the river water along behind them, watching the mortals flee blindly toward Qingping Mountain.
"Run, run. You'll drown in the end anyway." Grinning savagely, the River God raised his pronged spear. Vast clouds of water vapor churned and fell as a torrential downpour.
Though it was the depths of winter, heavy rain poured down. The icy water steadily drained people's strength and warmth. Even Xu Xiao had to raise a barrier of magical power to ward off the damp, chilling rain.
Watching the mortals who could run no farther kneel in the mud, repeatedly kowtowing and begging his forgiveness, the River God felt the power of incense within him grow a little stronger.
In that moment, an understanding dawned upon him: this was precisely how he should keep mortals in constant fear and reverence.
Suddenly, a scorching surge of spiritual power came howling from behind him at an angle, interrupting his thoughts.
Turning his head, he saw a burly man with disheveled hair, an open shirt, and bare feet raising a heavy sword and cleaving viciously toward him amid boundless fiery energy!
The newcomer was none other than Wenren Jie.
"I knew you'd be lying in ambush!"
The River God casually raised his pronged spear to block. Water vapor billowed as the spear, suffused with water spiritual energy, collided with Wenren Jie's blazing heavy sword.
Metal rang against metal. The powers of water and fire eroded and consumed one another; vapor rose and flames burned. Vast swaths of rain evaporated, creating an empty pocket amid the downpour.
Just then, a green bamboo cane darted in from the other side like an arrow, striking at a devious angle.
The attacker was Qiao Xuan.
Facing Qiao Xuan, who possessed foundation establishment late stage strength, the River God grew much more wary.
Qiao Xuan's green bamboo cane thrust forward like a jade-green arrow, vicious and cunning, piercing layer after layer of air with a shrill hum.
The azure spiritual power burning upon it vibrated in spirals, as though nothing could withstand its piercing force.
A moment later, the River God curled his left hand, condensing layer upon layer of water barriers before him. Qiao Xuan's expression remained unchanged as he drove his green bamboo cane straight through them.
At this display, a flicker of surprise appeared in the River God's golden, slit-pupiled eyes.
He had no choice but to coat his left hand in water spiritual energy and physically seize the green bamboo cane, stopping its tip, laden with terrifying spiritual power, beside his waist.
Before the River God could breathe a sigh of relief, Young Master Kongxu and Xu Xiao also moved.
From front and rear, Young Master Kongxu's Jade Water Sword and Xu Xiao's Empty Moon Sword unleashed two blasts of Sword Qi, striking together at the River God's exposed chest and unguarded back.
This had clearly been arranged in advance!
"Hmph!"
The River God took both blasts of Sword Qi head-on with his body, then unleashed his power. Waves surged outward around him, forcing Wenren Jie and Qiao Xuan to retreat.
After driving the two back, the River God lowered his head to inspect the deep sword wound on his chest. Yet his blue, fanged face showed not the slightest surprise or fear.
He raised his head and looked at the four of them with a savage grin. "You four foundation establishment cultivators dare come seeking death?"
Rubbing the wound on his chest with his left hand, the River God stared at them with cruelty filling his eyes. "That really hurt. Little girl, did you know I'd already planned to spare you? Yet you came looking for death yourself."
"Now the Moon-Embracing Sect will have one fewer inner personal disciple."
As he finished speaking, under the astonished gazes of Xu Xiao, Wenren Jie, and Qiao Xuan, the sword wound on the River God's chest began to heal. In the blink of an eye, it had returned to its original state.
"Did you really think a pack of foundation establishment cultivators could hurt this god?"
"Die!"
The River God suddenly erupted into motion, riding a wave straight toward Xu Xiao. His right arm raised the pronged spear high before smashing it down with the weight of countless tons of surging water.
Wenren Jie's eyes widened. He stepped directly in front of Xu Xiao and unleashed all his spiritual power, swinging his heavy sword to meet the pronged spear and its terrifying fluctuations of spiritual power.
With a boom, the pronged spear collided with Wenren Jie's heavy sword. Wenren Jie felt as though he were blocking not a spear, but a small mountain!
His arms began to tremble, and his heavy sword cracked under the unbearable strain. Wenren Jie could feel the bones in his arms groaning.
A moment later, Wenren Jie was smashed down into the mud, and his heavy sword was utterly destroyed.
His arms trembled uncontrollably. His thick limbs were covered in split wounds, blood constantly seeping out.
The River God gave Wenren Jie no chance to catch his breath. He raised his pronged spear and brought it down like a falling meteor, carrying boundless water vapor, plainly intent on killing Wenren Jie first.
"Not good!"
Qiao Xuan and Xu Xiao acted together. A stream of azure spiritual power swept Wenren Jie to the rear, while Xu Xiao met the River God with her sword. Each swing of the Empty Moon Sword sent out streaks of icy sword light.
"You overestimate yourself!"
The pronged spear crashed down like a mountain, throwing up waves hundreds of feet high.
River water weighing countless tons swept in every direction with unstoppable force, instantly engulfing everything nearby.
Seeing the surging waves approaching, Xu Xiao dodged in time and escaped injury.
She pulled away and retreated swiftly to the other three, gripping the Empty Moon Sword as she watched the River God warily.
She appeared unharmed, but the rapid rise and fall of her chest revealed that the exchange had clearly drained considerable strength.
To confront the Purple Mansion Realm head-on from the Foundation Establishment Realm was already an immensely difficult feat.
How could there be so many prodigies in the world capable of slaying foes above their realm?
The power of the Purple Mansion Realm was simply not something an ordinary foundation establishment cultivator could withstand.
Never mind the four of them—even another ten could not withstand a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator attacking with full force.
They had exchanged blows for only a short time, yet the River God still seemed to be at full strength, while one of them was already injured. If they kept fighting, they would likely all meet their end here.
Enduring his injuries, Wenren Jie swallowed a medicinal pill. "Why haven't Wang Tianfang and the others come yet?!"
Standing beside Wenren Jie, Young Master Kongxu sneered. "They took the goods and ran. You still expect them to come here and die?"
"A pack of bastards! I—" Before Wenren Jie could finish, a sharp pain tore through his abdomen.
Looking down at the Dharma Sword that had pierced his dantian, Wenren Jie turned an astonished gaze toward Young Master Kongxu.
Young Master Kongxu still wore a gentle smile, but it looked false no matter how one viewed it. "My apologies, Fellow Daoist Wen. I have no desire to throw my life away."
"You traitor!" Wenren Jie's face filled with fury, but he could not muster even a trace of magical power. With his dantian destroyed, he could not even detonate himself.
"Yes, but so what? In the end, I'm the one who won!" As Young Master Kongxu spoke, a layer of deep-blue spiritual light covered his left hand, and he pressed it directly onto Wenren Jie's head.
The deep-blue, freezing spiritual energy erupted. Wenren Jie's head shattered like a melon frozen in bitter winter, wisps of cold still trailing from it.
"Traitor!"
"You're courting death!"
Shocked and furious, Xu Xiao and Qiao Xuan attacked Young Master Kongxu together, only to be blocked by a wave the River God cleaved toward them. Young Master Kongxu, meanwhile, leisurely retreated to the River God's side.
In the blink of an eye, one of the four was dead and another had turned traitor. Only Xu Xiao and Qiao Xuan remained.
The River God grinned savagely, his eyes brimming with cruelty. "Now, what help do you have left?"
The second chapter, still three thousand words. Six thousand words a day—a wholehearted show of sincerity~ Please bookmark, recommend, vote with monthly tickets, and keep reading~
Dear readers, if you enjoy Lin Yuan's book, please help recommend it. If you have any thoughts about the plot, you're welcome to discuss them with Lin Yuan.
(End of chapter)
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