By the Tongtian River (Part 1)

Cold.

Boundless cold wrapped around his consciousness, as if he had sunk into the abyss of Ten Thousand Years Mystic Ice. Bone-piercing chill penetrated flesh and reached his marrow. Every struggle to awaken only brought deeper numbness and stabbing pain.

Cheng Xi felt like a stubborn stone abandoned in an icy current, his consciousness floating and sinking at the edge of chaos. Moon Goddess's cold starry eyes, the shattered illusion, the whisper of "The sect leader wishes to see you," and the fleeting phantom of Biyou Palace in the depths of consciousness... These fragments flashed and intertwined repeatedly in the cold darkness, like a chaotic nightmare.

After an unknown amount of time, a faint warmth, like the first spark lit in the darkness, struggled to pierce through the heavy frost.

It was the Jianmu Fragment.

That gentle vitality, though faint as a candle in the wind, flowed with exceptional tenacity through Cheng Xi's depleted meridians. Like a trickling stream, it melted the frozen layers little by little and awakened the dormant life within him. Waves of numb itching and dull pain came from the wound at the Ghost Gate Acupoint on his back, which had been "baptized" by the Sky-Severing Sword Intent. It was a sign that new flesh was stubbornly growing, while the remaining ghost qi had been completely purified. What alarmed him even more was that the nascent sword intent which had erupted at the critical moment between life and death, tearing open Moon Goddess's illusion, had actually settled within him like a brand! It was weak, yet carried a peculiar property of "breaking delusions." It faintly occupied the depths of his sea of consciousness, forming a delicate balance with Jianmu's vitality and the heaviness of Breath Soil.

[System energy restored to 2%... Core functions restricted... Passive scan activated... Environmental analysis: high concentration of water spirit qi... Unknown higher-dimensional energy field detected...]

The system's prompt turned like rusted gears, laboriously conveying information from the outside world.

Water spirit qi?

Cheng Xi suddenly opened his heavy eyelids.

The piercing daylight made him squint instinctively. After a moment of adjustment, the scene before him gradually became clear.

There was no dense forest of Mount Li, nor any icy killing intent.

Yan Lingji and he were actually lying on an incomparably vast riverbank!

The riverbank was covered in smooth, rounded multicolored pebbles polished by the current, gleaming with a warm luster beneath the sunlight. The air was filled with water vapor so dense it had almost solidified—fresh, pure, and carrying an indescribable spirituality. Every breath seemed to cleanse his lungs and nourish his parched meridians.

And before them was a river.

No, it could no longer simply be called a river!

It was as broad as a vast ocean, with the opposite bank nowhere in sight! The water was not muddy yellow, but a deep, pure, flowing azure! Like melted sapphires, it refracted billions of dazzling flecks of gold beneath the sun. The current appeared tranquil, but the depths contained heart-palpitating, majestic power. It surged silently onward, raising one deep whirlpool after another before quietly settling. A faint glow of rosy auspicious light hung over the river's surface. Immortal cranes could be vaguely visible spreading their wings, while spirit fish leaped through the waves, creating a peaceful scene of an immortal realm.

Across the river, clouds and mist coiled around one another, while the outlines of mountains were faintly discernible. They were unimaginably lofty and distant, as though they connected to the end of the heavens. A vast, ancient, boundless aura spread from those mist-shrouded mountain shadows, Enveloping the surrounding lands.

[Environment confirmed: unknown giant water body... Water spirit concentration: Primordial grade... Energy field intensity across the river: beyond scanning limit... Related information retrieval: highest match—Tongtian River (ancient legend)...]

Tongtian River?!

Cheng Xi's heart shook violently! The legendary boundless waters separating the Primordial Earth from the overseas immortal mountains? How had they ended up here? Moon Goddess? No, if she possessed such means, why would she have gone to such lengths to intercept and kill them? Was it the Space Power triggered when that Qingping Sword Sheath erupted at the end? Or... Lord Tongtian's power?

He abruptly turned to look beside him.

Yan Lingji was still unconscious, her face pale, but her aura had stabilized considerably. She held the Qingping Sword Sheath in her arms without realizing it. Its surface was dull and lusterless, its cloud patterns withdrawn, as if it had exhausted all its spirituality and became a piece of ordinary jade. Yet Cheng Xi keenly sensed that the imprint of Lord Tongtian's Sky-Severing Sword Intent within the sheath had not vanished. Like a sleeping giant dragon, it lay concealed even deeper. Where the sheath touched her body, an extremely faint Dark Gold pattern carrying a primitive, blazing aura flashed beneath her pale skin, vanishing so swiftly it seemed like an illusion.

Zhurong Bloodline? Those dark gold patterns... Cheng Xi recalled the dark gold giant claw that had torn open space within the stone cavern, and the doubts in his heart deepened.

"Mm..." A weak groan overflowed from Yan Lingji's lips. Her long eyelashes fluttered several times before she slowly opened her eyes. Her flame-like gaze was initially dazed, but it was instantly filled with vigilance as she abruptly sat up!

"Where... is this?" She Looked Around. When she saw the vast Tongtian River and the immortal mountains shrouded in mist on the far bank, her eyes filled with shock and confusion. "We... escaped? Where is that woman in white?" She instinctively tightened her grip on the sword sheath in her arms.

"I don't know." Cheng Xi's voice was still hoarse. He struggled into a seated position, feeling the strength slowly recovering within him and that settled sword intent that broke delusions. "Perhaps the sheath's final power sent us here. This place... the water spirit qi is terrifyingly dense. Across the river may be the legendary overseas immortal mountains."

"Overseas immortal mountains?" Yan Lingji murmured. Among the fragmented memories of her Wu Clan inheritance, there seemed to be vague records of this isolated land, filled with mystery and unknown dangers. She lowered her head to look at the Qingping Sword Sheath, her fingers unconsciously stroking its cold surface. "It... seems to have fallen completely silent." Her voice carried a trace of imperceptible loss and unease. This piece of sword sheath had saved their lives several times in the secluded valley and on Mount Li.

"Silence does not mean uselessness." Cheng Xi gazed deeply at the sword sheath. "Lord Tongtian wishes to see me, and this place is near the immortal mountains... Perhaps it was meant to be a signpost pointing here." He recalled the words, "The sect leader wishes to see you," and the phantom of Biyou Palace before his consciousness sank.

Just then!

Rumble—!

The tranquil, vast surface of the Tongtian River suddenly erupted in towering waves without warning!

It was not wind-driven surf. The river itself seemed to possess life as it violently arched upward! It formed a colossal watery peak hundreds of zhang tall and dozens of li wide! At its summit, azure river water spun and condensed wildly, instantly Turning into a towering—Water Giant!

The giant's entire body was formed from flowing, incomparably pure azure river water. Its features were indistinct, yet it emitted a vast, majestic, ancient aura so oppressive it stole one's breath! It seemed to be the embodiment of the Tongtian River's will! Beneath its feet, the once-rushing river instantly became gentle and calm, as if ministers were prostrating themselves before their sovereign.

An indescribable, terrifying pressure descended with a crash, like the entire sky collapsing! It enveloped the whole riverbank! The air became as viscous as mercury. The crushing pressure instantly made Cheng Xi and Yan Lingji struggle to breathe, their bones groaning under the unbearable burden as the little strength they had just recovered was forcibly pressed back into their bodies!

[Warning! Ultra-high-dimensional energy lifeform detected! Energy level: ??? (beyond comprehension)! Attribute: pure Primordial Law of Water!... Assessment: innate water deity/River God (projection)!... Extreme danger!...]

River God! An ancient innate water deity! A supreme being who governed the Tongtian River! Even a mere projection possessed enough power to leave mortals with their souls Scattered!

"Mortals!" A grand, icy voice devoid of all emotion, like countless roaring waves at once, rang directly through the depths of Cheng Xi and Yan Lingji's minds. It sent their seas of consciousness churning and their souls trembling! The Water Giant's indistinct "gaze" swept over the tiny pair like substantial currents.

"This is the Tongtian River, the heavenly chasm separating the mortal world from the immortal domain. Without an immortal destiny or decree, none may trespass!" The voice was like a heavenly law, containing an unquestionable power of rules.

"You are tainted with the turbid qi of the mortal world, and you bear... an alien fire source." Its gaze swept across Yan Lingji. "And... Sky-Severing Edge." Its gaze fell upon the Qingping Sword Sheath. "You disturb the tranquility of my river domain!" A minute fluctuation entered the River God's voice, as though he was somewhat surprised by the sheath's presence and... instinctively repelled it. Water and fire were naturally incompatible; that was a fundamental law of heaven and earth.

"To cross this river, you must endure my Three Tribulations!" The Water Giant slowly raised a huge hand composed entirely of flowing river water and pointed toward the sky.

"The first tribulation: Weak Water Soul Sinking!"

Before the words had faded, the River God's giant hand pressed downward!

Splash—!

A stream of water, visible to the naked eye and an eerie dark gray, broke free from the Tongtian River like an Evil Dragon escaping its restraints! This dark gray current emitted a terrifying aura that made even the soul feel withered and dragged into ruin! Ignoring the distance through space, it instantly appeared above the riverbank and Turned into a dark gray "rain cloud" covering several li!

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!

Countless fine dark gray threads of rain carried soul-eroding, bone-corroding power. Like billions of invisible venomous needles, they poured down upon Cheng Xi and Yan Lingji! This rain was not physical; it acted directly upon the soul! Once touched, one's mind would become clouded at best, while at worst, one's soul would sink and remain forever in the abyss of Weak Water!

"Guard your minds!" Cheng Xi roared hoarsely! He fiercely activated the nascent sword intent that broke delusions in his sea of consciousness! Though weak, it possessed the quality of severing falsehood and revealing one's true nature. At that moment, it formed an extremely thin yet incomparably resilient pale golden film of light over his and Yan Lingji's body surface!

Yan Lingji also felt that sinking force piercing straight into her soul, and unyielding will erupted in her flame-like eyes! She forcibly activated the remaining Wu fire within her. Blazing white flames rose across her body surface, attempted to use the heat of fire to burn away the coldness of sinking! Yet the Zhurong Bloodline within her seemed to be stimulated by the Weak Water aura. Those hidden Dark Gold patterns appeared once more and began to fluctuate violently, while a blazing aura far more ancient and savage than her own Wu fire faintly seeped out!

Pop, pop, pop!

The dark gray Weak Water rain fell upon the pale golden light film formed by the sword intent that broke delusions, producing dense sounds of dissolution! The light film fluctuated violently, flickering unsteadily. Cheng Xi's face instantly turned deathly pale, his sea of consciousness seeming to be struck by a heavy hammer as the nascent sword intent let out a cry of unbearable strain! Meanwhile, the blazing white Wu fire over Yan Lingji's body swiftly dimmed under the Weak Water's erosion. Her own power simply could not contend with this Primordial Water Calamity! Worse still, the savage heat stirred from the depths of her bloodline was surging faster and faster beyond her control, as if it might break free at any moment!

"Argh!" Yan Lingji let out a pained muffled groan. Her body violently trembled, and the Dark Gold patterns beneath her skin writhed like living things. Her eyes alternated between clarity and being swallowed by frenzied golden-red flames!

Trouble from within and without! Before the Weak Water Soul Sinking tribulation had even been overcome, the power of Zhurong hidden within Yan Lingji—or rather, some power related to Zhurong that had been corrupted or intensified—was about to erupt out of control under the River God's Water Tribulation!

Cheng Xi was frantic! His sword intent that broke delusions was on the verge of collapse, and Yan Lingji was close to losing control! At that critical moment—

Buzz!

The silent Jianmu Fragment in his arms seemed to sense its master's ultimate danger and the savage heat within Yan Lingji. It suddenly erupted with unprecedented emerald green radiance! It was no longer merely gentle life energy, but a vast vitality carrying primordial majesty and the power to suppress all things!

The emerald green light instantly merged into the light film of Cheng Xi's sword intent that broke delusions! That thin film abruptly solidified and thickened. Resilient green hues flowed through the pale gold, temporarily stabilizing the Weak Water's erosion! At the same time, a cool and vast life force poured through the sword-intent film and forcefully entered Yan Lingji's body!

This vitality containing Jianmu's origin was like sweet rain falling upon a volcano on the verge of eruption! It did not forcibly suppress that savage heat. Instead, carrying a wondrous power of harmonization and comfort, it swiftly permeated, wrapped around, and soothed the frenzied power in the depths of Yan Lingji's bloodline! The surging Dark Gold patterns seemed to have been infused with a clear stream. Their restless frequency visibly slowed, while the frenzied golden-red flames gradually faded from her eyes, restoring their flame-like color, though they now held deep exhaustion and lingering fear.

The Weak Water rain continued to erode them, but with the powerful support of Jianmu Vitality, the light film of sword intent that broke delusions, though on the verge of collapse, stubbornly held firm!

A trace of extremely slight surprise seemed to pass across the indistinct face of the River God's projection, formed from azure river water. Clearly, these two tiny mortal beings—especially the sword sheath containing Sky-Severing Sword Intent and the Jianmu Vitality erupting now—had exceeded his expectations.