Some people had wanted to try their luck here, hoping to snatch a small advantage and believing that whatever floated up from beneath the river was some rare treasure.
There had been no treasure. Instead, they had dredged up an enormous Blood Skull.
Fresh blood had gushed from it, its stench soaring into the sky.
That very day, those fishermen had fallen ill and died for no apparent reason.
By the time the strange occurrences began, several days had already passed.
The Blood Skull had stained the riverwater near the shore red.
A strange white mist had also risen over the river. It appeared harmless, but after several cultivators tested it, they discovered that they seemingly could not get out.
The boats that left each day would circle around and return to the riverbank, as though they had encountered a ghostly wall.
Yet strangely, even when several Foundation Establishment lineages sent people over, they had been unable to resolve it.
As the days passed, goods were stranded here, and those who entered the mist and returned would die at night.
The cause of death was drowning.
Such examination results left many cultivator coroners greatly shocked and bewildered.
Some boats no longer dared to depart, afraid that disaster would befall them at any moment.
Countless people in Spirit Terrace County now had a dark cloud hanging over their heads.
"What should we do? What in the world are these ghostly things?"
"It seems unaffected by Spiritual Power attacks."
At the foot of Spirit Terrace Mountain.
"When did this bone appear?"
"My lord, my lord, it was discovered several days ago by an old fisherman selling fish..."
After hearing the plea for help and understanding the situation, the figure of a green-robed youth appeared before Bai Shoucai.
Lu Qing frowned slightly. No ominous situation had appeared in his mind, meaning this place clearly posed no lethal threat to him.
But he could not say whether it was because his cultivation had risen and these things were useless against him, or for some other reason.
Still, letting the river remain blocked was no solution.
More than half of Spirit Terrace County's prosperity depended on this commercial water route.
Though this place was somewhat remote, several chambers of commerce, auction houses, and branch offices still operated here.
Since even several lineages had failed to resolve it, they could only brace themselves and request an audience at the foot of the mountain.
Lu Qing was also stationed here. He had originally thought he could cultivate in peace, yet instead of a beast tide, this strange incident had appeared.
Lu Qing transformed into wind, swift as a shadow. With a sweep of his sleeve, he quickly brought the entire group to the city gate.
Standing atop the city wall, he gazed into the distant mist and bloody river.
"What were the results of your attempts?"
he asked.
Bai Shoucai hurriedly answered from the side, "Reporting to Immortal Master, we sent people into the mist. But after those people came out, they all said they had merely been circling in place. After making a round, they somehow returned."
"And the blood river—it was caused by that bloody bone. But our strength is too meager. We gathered the power of all the Foundation Establishment cultivators in the city and attacked it, yet that bloody bone did not move at all. With no other options, we came to seek Immortal Master's aid."
"Bloody bone, river mist..." Lu Qing seemed about to grasp a fleeting sense of familiarity in his mind.
"Blood Bonehead, Dajiang River mist..." Lu Qing's mind seemed about to grasp a fleeting sense of familiarity.
Several onlookers in the crowd muttered complaints under their breath.
They believed their voices were very quiet, yet Lu Qing still heard them clearly.
"Eerie?"
A trace of thought flickered through his eyes.
A trace of thought flashed through his eyes.
Eeries possessed sparse power, only some inexplicable obsession.
"Over the years, within your memories, what was the greatest incident that has occurred in Spirit Terrace County?"
The expressions of several people shifted slightly.
The expressions of the few people changed slightly.
The mist had blocked the lifeblood of these lineages, but for Lu Qing, it was not a certain-death situation.
"My lord, hiss, this..."
"An event from within several hundred years that could transform into an Eerie..."
"I can't remember. This river occasionally had vendetta killings too..."
After hearing them out one by one, Lu Qing suddenly thought of something. He looked toward that bone, its skull-like shape obvious.
Yet his gaze was sharp. With a sweep, he saw the protrusions on either side of the skull.
This thing did not look much like a Human Cultivator.
Lu Qing's thoughts shifted. "No cultivator ruled this river before?"
"Hiss, Immortal Master Lu, I think I remember now. I heard my forefather say that this river was not previously called the Spirit Terrace River, but the Dragon King River. They said that ten thousand years ago, a Dragon King lived here. Countless tributaries, rivers, and lakes upstream and downstream all fell under that Dragon King's jurisdiction. But later, some unknown change occurred, and no one heard any further news of that Dragon King..."
Lu Qing's eyelid twitched. What the hell? He had merely harbored a suspicion, yet he had never expected this strange thing to be connected to some Dragon King.
Throughout the ages, what existence associated with the word dragon had ever been simple?
Lu Qing suddenly felt a chill run down his back. He even wanted to decisively begin closed-door cultivation today and not emerge for less than a year.
But the skill in his mind had still not appeared, which somewhat steadied his heart.
This thing clearly did not seem human, but saying it was that Dragon King from ten thousand years ago was absolutely impossible.
The records of this place at the Profound Heaven Dao Academy had been written down by generations of stationed cultivators.
At the mention of it, Lu Qing quickly recalled those thick records of stationing.
One entry stated: An Immortal Mansion was once suspected to have emerged, yet it proved to be a floating illusion.
"Could it really be that Dragon King?"
"Heavens, the Dragon King's cultivation was heaven-reaching. Can Spirit Terrace County withstand it?"
Some people were deeply worried.
The people from several lineages also wore grim expressions.
Lu Qing naturally sensed their state of mind.
But he did not speak now. Instead, he focused all his attention on that blood-red bone upon the river's surface.
His hand moved, and an invisible breeze swept across everyone's faces. Several guards watching over the city shuddered. "Why does it suddenly feel colder?"
They did not know that the Killing Formation had flown over their heads.
Lu Qing controlled the formation with his thoughts. "Have your people return."
He gave the order.
The people beside him froze, then quickly realized that Lu Qing was about to act.
There were still many cultivators by the riverbank, along with some Rogue Cultivators who were unafraid of death and had gathered there to watch the excitement.
"Come back quickly!"
"Return to the city! Return immediately!"
Lu Qing controlled the formation.
Though it was called waiting, it took only a few breaths.
They were all cultivators. Seeing the familiar important figures atop the city wall, along with the green-robed Immortal Master standing before them, how could they not know that he was about to make a move?
In an instant, countless figures swiftly retreated into the city.
Lu Qing ignored the voices around him. His expression changed slightly, though nothing showed on his face.
Lu Qing's eyes flickered, because after the cultivators had left, the Calamity Avoidance Talent appeared in his mind once again.
He had originally believed that the opportunity he had obtained last time had already offset the previous divination. It was not strange for a new divination to appear here now.
What was strange was why it had appeared at this particular moment.
Could the connection behind this thing truly be that old Dragon King from ten thousand years ago?
Yet the divinations in his mind were rather unexpected.
[Slightly Ominous Hexagram: Remove the Eerie scourge and leave the Blood Skull behind. Turmoil will arise afterward; hidden dangers lurk, Cause and Effect become entangled, and escape proves impossible. Slightly ominous.] [Calming Hexagram: Remove the eerie scourge, seal the Blood Skull, and sink it beneath the river's water mansion. Turmoil will arise afterward, with slight entanglements. Calming.] [Calming Hexagram: Remove the eerie scourge and destroy the Blood Skull. No entanglements, no turmoil. Calming.]
In that brief instant, Lu Qing immediately made his choice.
There was definitely something wrong with this Blood Skull. Something very wrong.
The Cause and Effect behind it was not something Lu Qing could withstand now.
He flung out the formation in his hand, then struck toward the riverbank with his palm. It was Thousandfold Waves.
It was perfectly suited for this place.
The river's surface had been calm as a mirror, but suddenly, palm wind surged forth like layer upon layer of waves, each wave higher than the last. In the end, the overlapping waters rose high and instantly engulfed all the mist.
Rumble—crack—
The Gale Formation was operating.
The sounds of eerie devouring and destruction rang out without end.
In cultivation, one should not stand beneath a crumbling wall.
Holding to that principle, Lu Qing controlled everything from afar. To ensure that the Blood Skull died completely and cleanly, after striking with his palm, he condensed several water arrows from Spiritual Power in midair.
Screech—!
Endless water arrows transformed into a rain of arrows, piercing through their target in a single shot.
This string of actions seemed complicated, yet it took no more than a single thought.
With such a massive commotion, the river immediately began to roar.
Rumble—rumble—
It was as though countless river waves had transformed into savage flood dragons, howling and roaring in fury!
The shock made the ground within the city tremble for several moments.
When Lu Qing did not act, that was one thing. But once he acted, his killing intent was icy and fierce, wind and thunder erupting together. Many cultivators clutched their ears tightly as the roar of the waves shook their eardrums with pain.
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