The Primordial World.
East Victory Divine Continent.
Inside a gently flowing river, Chen Tong floated on his back like a corpse.
[Beep! Host detected. The Strongest River God System has been successfully activated!] [Distributing the Newbie Gift Pack...] [Distribution successful. Would the host like to claim the Newbie Gift Pack now?]
Chen Tong's eyes snapped open, and he couldn't contain his delight.
"Claim it!"
[Beep! Newbie Gift Pack claimed successfully. Congratulations, host! You have received a Three Thousand Years of Cultivation reward!] [Congratulations, host! You have obtained the Invincible River God Domain!] [Congratulations, host! You have obtained the Primordial Diary!]
As the system finished speaking, a beam of golden light shot into Chen Tong's body.
In an instant,
the world changed color. Violent thunder exploded, and a gigantic water dragon rose from the once-calm river!
At its center, Chen Tong radiated golden light as the spiritual energy of heaven and earth poured into his body.
Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation, Void Refinement, Mahayana, Tribulation Crossing, Mortal Immortal!
Chen Tong's cultivation surged all the way from that of an ordinary mortal, breaking through to the Mortal Immortal realm!
Mortal Immortal!
That was a realm that meant he had officially set foot on the path of cultivation!
It was leagues better than his previous frail mortal body, which couldn't even kill a chicken!
The "Strongest River God System" certainly lived up to its name. The rewards it gave were incredible!
Chen Tong felt as if he had endless power within him. Delighted, he remembered the other rewards and silently asked in his mind, "System, what is the Invincible River God Domain?"
[Beep! The Invincible River God Domain is this system's number-one feature!] [As long as the host is in a river, lake, or sea, the domain can be activated. Even if a Saint comes in person, they won't be able to harm the host in the slightest as long as he stays in the water!] [And as long as the host completes the tasks issued by the system, the River God Domain's range will continue to expand until it covers the entire Primordial World...]
Hearing this, Chen Tong sucked in a sharp breath.
Good heavens!
That was incredible!
A Saint could destroy a world with a single thought, yet even they couldn't do anything about this River God Domain!?
And its range could keep expanding. When that happened, wouldn't those troublemakers be left staring helplessly from a few kilometers away?
Didn't that mean that even if he encountered an opponent he couldn't beat, he could just hide in a river and leave them helpless?
The more Chen Tong thought about it, the more thrilling it seemed. He was practically bursting with excitement!
A moment later,
he remembered that the Newbie Gift Pack had also included a Primordial Diary! If the River God Domain was already this powerful, just how heaven-defying could the diary be!?
"System, what does this Primordial Diary do?"
With a thought, a thick diary appeared in his hands.
The notebook was wrapped in the Power of Chaos and Void. Even so, Chen Tong could still sense the surging power within it. This thing was definitely no ordinary treasure!
[Beep! The Primordial Diary was formed from the countless powers of chaos and Pangu's will when Pangu created the world. As long as the host writes in it, he can obtain cultivation and all kinds of rewards.]
"Holy crap! As expected, anything made by the system is top quality! But why can't I open it?"
Chen Tong tried to pry the notebook open, only to find a terrifying seal over it.
If he tried to force it open, he could already tell that the power would instantly erase him!
[Beep! The Primordial Diary has been sealed by chaos. The system requires 500 years to undo the seal. Please wait patiently, host.]
"Five hundred years? System, are you messing with me?"
The system didn't respond.
Chen Tong wore a miserable expression. He'd obtained such a heaven-defying treasure, only to have to wait 500 years before he could use it. Wasn't that a total rip-off!?
"Fine, fine. It's only 500 years. As long as I don't go looking for trouble and stay hidden in the River God Domain, who can do anything to me?"
With that thought, Chen Tong stopped fretting. He put the Primordial Diary into the system inventory and began to slowly pass the next 500 years.
Although his cultivation had already reached the Mortal Immortal realm, he understood that in the whole Primordial World, his level was still as pathetic as a nobody's! In a world filled with powerful figures, he was nowhere near strong enough!
So Chen Tong didn't dare go wandering around during those 500 years.
Though he was invincible within the River God Domain, he couldn't guarantee there'd be water everywhere.
What if he happened to be out of the river one day and got accidentally stepped on by some powerful passerby? Who would he even complain to?
The system issued plenty of tasks, but Chen Tong only dared to accept simple ones that he could complete in the water.
He'd help people retrieve things that had fallen into the river, rescue a few unlucky souls who'd fallen in, and so on. There was no way he'd leave the water!
It had to be said: during those 500 years, Chen Tong took caution to the extreme!
This was safe and reliable, but the rewards those tasks gave him were pitifully small. As a result, his strength barely improved over nearly 500 years...
He hadn't even gained half as much as the newbie reward had given him!
Absurd!!!
One day, Chen Tong was wandering aimlessly in the river as usual!
Suddenly, he saw an iron rod drop straight down, landing right in front of him.
"What's this..."
The moment Chen Tong picked up the iron rod, the system's voice rang out.
[Beep! Updating system tasks...] [Ultimate Task: Alter the Journey to the West!] [Side Quest 1: Give the Golden Cudgel to Sun Wukong!]
"It's finally here!"
After keeping his head down for so many years, Chen Tong was starting to get restless.
Alter the Journey to the West!
When he heard the ultimate task, a subtle, almost mocking expression appeared on Chen Tong's face.
In his eyes, the so-called journey to the West to obtain the scriptures was nothing more than a game of chess involving all living beings!
It was just a tool for the various factions to compete for power and status!
The Heavenly Court, the Western Teachings, Thunderclap Monastery... Which of them didn't devour people without even spitting out the bones?
They wanted all living beings to be their pawns?
Hmph!
I, Chen Tong, refuse to play along!
On the riverbank, a monkey in rough hemp clothes crouched by the water, scratching his head and ears.
He was none other than the Handsome Monkey King, Sun Wukong, who had just returned after completing his studies at Mount Fangcun.
Unfortunately, as he passed through this place, he had accidentally flung his trusty iron rod into the river.
There was something strange about this river. Even Sun Wukong didn't dare enter it lightly.
Just as Sun Wukong was at a loss, a figure suddenly emerged from the river.
"Young monkey..."
"Did you drop this Golden Cudgel..."
"Or this Silver Cudgel..."
"Or this ordinary iron rod?"
Before you continue