Apotheosis

This is bad! There's too much Prayer Power! The Black Snake's transformation sent many commoners into a frenzy. Some members of the Huang Family were affected as well, driving the tide of Prayer Power straight to its peak.

An endless stream of Prayer Power gathered around the Black Snake. The dense incense and fire startled Yu Chen.

By now, the Black Snake was more than halfway through successfully transforming into a flood dragon. Not only had it developed several new abilities, its perception and control over the water veins had soared as well. Drawn by the Prayer Power, it stirred the spirituality of the entire Clearwater River—or rather, the thoughts gathered from the people living along Clearwater River, their daily yearning for good harvests, peace, full bellies, and warm clothes.

A large portion of these thoughts gathered within Clearwater River returned to heaven and earth as the river flowed day after day. Yet a small portion remained behind, merging with the river's own spirituality.

Had there been no accident, after millions of years, the Prayer Power continually left behind in Clearwater River would have nurtured its own spirituality and given birth to a Clearwater River God.

But now, all that accumulation had become nourishment for the Black Flood Dragon's continued growth.

Perhaps this power was nothing to a flood dragon advanced in cultivation, but to Yu Chen and the Black Flood Dragon as they were now, it was an immense fortune they could scarcely bear.

Yu Chen in particular. He had projected his power into the Black Snake's body through methods akin to spirit possession and divine invocation, so controlling it was ultimately far less convenient than controlling his own body. Moreover, though his spirituality was pure and lucid, it had not fused with the Snake Shamanic Script. Put plainly, it merely bore certain divine traits rather than true divinity, leaving some flaws in his control over Incense and Fire Prayer Power.

Most importantly, at the instant the Black Snake's transformation into a flood dragon succeeded, the Snake Shamanic Script Yu Chen had projected into its body broke through some limitation. It fused deeply with the Black Snake, blooming with threads of radiance beyond the mortal realm and gradually slipping free of Yu Chen's control.

More and more Prayer Power gathered. The reverse scale at the Black Flood Dragon's "seven-inch" vital spot grew ever more dazzling, and Clearwater River itself began undergoing new changes.

Strands of Sha Qi gathered from every part of the riverbed. This was the lingering resentment of living beings that had died in Clearwater River over the centuries, as well as the turbid and filthy qi produced by the lives and farming of the creatures on both banks. Its quantity was much like that of the Prayer Power—not much, but not little either.

Once it entered the Black Flood Dragon's body, it turned into patterns brimming with dense Sha Qi and negative emotions, converging toward its heart. It merged far faster than the Prayer Power had. Clearly, compared to Prayer Power, these negative emotions suited the Black Flood Dragon better.

Yu Chen, who was helping the Black Flood Dragon suppress its churning bloodline, could sense that the Sha Qi and turbid qi, like sludge, were following Clearwater River's aura into its body and madly corroding its flesh.

If its heart had not long since been cleansed by dense Prayer Power and produced sacred radiance, and if Yu Chen had not continuously restrained the spread of that loathsome aura, then at this very moment, the Black Flood Dragon's heart would likely have fallen and decayed beneath the scouring of turbid qi and Sha Qi.

No! I can't hold this down for much longer... Using the Black Flood Dragon's heart as his foundation, Yu Chen barely managed to suppress the backlash brought by the turbid qi and Sha Qi accumulated by Clearwater River over the centuries. Yet such suppression could not last. Worse still, part of that Sha Qi and turbid qi, linked through the Snake Shamanic Script, was gathering around Yu Chen.

At this moment, Yu Chen's mind rolled through the river along with the Black Snake. Struck by the turbid qi, streams of watery vapor surged around him, transforming into ever-changing mist that roiled up and down. Within it, snake shadows emerged one after another, tangling with the turbid qi.

The snake shadows fell one by one, becoming twisted black silhouettes that slithered through the mist, seeking to corrode Yu Chen's mind.

The Mysterious Ancestor of Heaven and Earth, the root of all qi. Cultivated broadly through myriad kalpas, proving my divine powers. Within and beyond the Three Realms, the Dao alone is supreme...

Sensing the changes around him, Yu Chen silently recited the Golden Light Mantra. Faint golden radiance flowed from between his brows and blossomed from his spirituality. The light carrying Yu Chen's mental force formed a precious wheel that turned slowly, ceaselessly grinding away the evil qi within and without.

Part of the golden light followed the connection between Yu Chen and the Black Snake, falling upon its body. It stirred the Incense and Fire Prayer Power and steadied its mind, preventing it from losing reason beneath the impact of the turbid qi and becoming a ferocious beast that knew only wanton destruction.

Under the triple connection of Incense and Fire Prayer Power, the Golden Light Mantra, and the Snake Shamanic Script, the mingling of Yu Chen's and the Black Snake's auras became even closer. The Snake Shamanic Script Serpent floating in Yu Chen's mind was also affected by the Snake Shamanic Script projected into the Black Snake's mind. Under the assault of the Prayer Power and turbid qi from both banks, it underwent a subtle transformation.

Yu Chen could sense that if he wished, he could immediately turn to the divine path with the surrounding Incense and Fire Prayer Power and seize the position of Clearwater River's Water God before the Black Snake could react. Or he could abandon his body and, at the moment the Black Snake was about to succeed, seize its body—claiming the flesh it had cultivated for five hundred years and taking the local Water God's position as a flood dragon.

Facing these temptations, Yu Chen steadied his mind, cut away his jumbled thoughts, and calmly suppressed the changes in the Black Flood Dragon's body.

Yet although Yu Chen gave up the chance for apotheosis, some changes still slipped beyond his personal control. The Golden Light Mantra, for instance, involuntarily absorbed and neutralized the beliefs of shelter, guardianship, and blessing within the gathered Prayer Power, transforming them into a thin veil of golden light that shrouded both the Black Flood Dragon and Yu Chen.

This is... Yu Chen was somewhat startled, but before he could react, the Black Flood Dragon suddenly spoke. "We're here!"

Through the Black Flood Dragon's eyes, Yu Chen saw the stone bridge where the Snake-Slaying Sword had once been. Facing that bridge, Yu Chen and the Black Snake chose together to control the current and watery vapor, supporting the Black Flood Dragon's body as it slid over the bridge.

The enormous serpent body appeared in midair. Faint golden patterns covered its black scales, releasing beams of golden light that shone through the dense mist curling around it. Like sunlight breaking through dark clouds, it drew every eye and appeared incomparably sacred.

That holy posture, coupled with the flood carrying the giant serpent over the stone bridge without harming the bridge itself, sent the tide of Prayer Power, which had begun to recede, soaring back to its peak amid the commoners' cries of astonishment. This time, names like Dragon King and flood dragon spilled continuously from their mouths.

The instant the Black Snake rushed over the stone bridge and entered the river, an unseen power descended from the heavens and merged into its body. It directly washed away the somewhat muddled demon qi upon it, along with the remaining turbid qi and Sha Qi. It absorbed the Incense and Fire Prayer Power within its heart, turning it into an overbearing force imbued with sacred aura.

The Snake Shamanic Script and power Yu Chen had projected into the Black Snake's body were instantly swallowed by that overbearing force. Yet at the instant they were devoured, a spiritual gleam abruptly flashed before Yu Chen's eyes. The Snake Shamanic Script Serpent in his mind suffered a powerful impact, specks of dragon nature rose within it, and the entire shamanic script underwent an obvious change.

Beyond that, the golden-finger system unfolded of its own accord, emitting a faint treasure glow. The bamboo slips flipped over and turned directly to the end. The words recording the contents of the Yu Chen Golden Slip Elixir Book leaped without pause. Among the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiend Arts, Pray for Rain, Borrow Wind, and Command Wind each emerged with faint pale-white spiritual light, wisps of pale-white mist flowing around them.

The Earthly Fiend Arts of Exorcise Gods, Forbid Water, Spread Mist, Pray for Clear Skies, Enter Water, Conceal the Sun, Tread Water, and Invite Immortals also changed. Flecks of pale-white radiance flashed and vanished, and gray specks seemed to have appeared upon the black text.

Unfortunately, the auras of Pray for Rain, Borrow Wind, and Command Wind were too weak. Their thin radiance could not condense independently at all. The Earthly Fiend Arts of Exorcise Gods, Forbid Water, Spread Mist, Pray for Clear Skies, Enter Water, Conceal the Sun, Tread Water, and Invite Immortals could not even stabilize their radiance, much less remain unaffected.

However, these changes in the Earthly Fiend Arts triggered changes in the talisman water.

For a moment, the Snake Shamanic Script Serpent, the talisman water of the Earthly Fiend Arts, and arts such as Pray for Rain, Borrow Wind, and Command Wind formed the faintest connection, as though they were about to nurture something.

But just as the auras of the three were about to merge together, Yu Chen's vision went black.