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"Yingying?!" The Black Carp anxiously swished its tail and looked at its River God.

He Qinglan pursed his lips. "The River God's power alone cannot fully restore the Source Spring Spirit Pearl. It needs the river's creatures and vegetation to complement it."

"Yingyingying!!" There's Black! Black is a river creature!

He Qinglan glanced at this lone seedling within a hundred li. "You alone aren't enough."

He turned his gaze toward this stretch of river, littered with trash and bare ground. "Clear water must flow again, the river must teem with life, and vegetation must flourish... Only then can the Source Spring Spirit Pearl slowly be repaired."

"Ying..." The Black Carp instantly became listless. Even its little head, which had only recently gained intelligence, understood how difficult this would be.

This river had long since lost all other living creatures. If it had not guarded the Source Spring Spirit Pearl year after year, receiving a trace of the River God's Origin Power and gaining intelligence to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, it likely would not have lasted until the River God arrived.

This place was filthy and foul-smelling. Forget a river full of life and flourishing vegetation—even the water that had finally begun flowing again because of the heavenly rain and the River God's arrival turned from colorless spring water into polluted water as it passed through this area.

What were they supposed to do? This was enough to worry a fish to death, yingyingying!

The palm-sized Black Carp anxiously swam several circles in the River God's little water tank.

He Qinglan extended a slender finger and lightly flicked its little head. "Do not panic."

"Though it is difficult, now that I have awakened, it will get better."

Though all kinds of garbage along the river had piled up into mountains, several areas upstream produced wastewater, the vegetation on the banks had long withered, and there were no living creatures in the river.

None of that should have been difficult for a powerful River God to resolve. With a wave of his hand, he could...

Thinking this, the River God prepared to mobilize the Spiritual Power within him and clear away some of the garbage by the river first. Then, to his shock, he discovered that his Spiritual Power was empty.

His! Spiritual! Power! Was! Empty!

An expression of utter disbelief appeared on the River God's face. He was the strongest River God in all of Huazhou, the Qinglan River God who could face the Fire God and Thunder God head-on and beat up the Rain God—yet he had no Spiritual Power?!

He had merely traveled east from the snowy mountains to this place, shattered five of his life-bound spirit pearls, nearly dried up his true river form, and repaired one spirit pearl...

He Qinglan pressed his lips together, and a faint glimmer of grievance passed through his deep blue eyes.

Fine.

The situation really was a little bad.

Then... then he would conserve his strength for now. He would recuperate for a few days and recover his Spiritual Power first.

"Yingying?" What's wrong, River God?

He Qinglan gloomily poked the Black Carp. "Nothing. I am merely somewhat tired. Rest for now. Tomorrow... you will restore the Qinglan River with me."

Then the River God wanted to find a clean place to close his eyes and rest, to absorb some of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

But there was filthy garbage everywhere. He could not find a single clean spot in this stretch of river.

The River God clutched his chest. "..." This is infuriating, yingyingying!

Thus, furious beyond measure, the River God did not rest that night. He found a relatively clean spot and picked up garbage in the rain all night.

Fortunately, although the River God's Spiritual Power had diminished greatly and he could not clear the garbage from an entire area at once, he could use the rainwater from the sky to control part of the current and sweep away, then gather, some of the garbage. However, this water was water without a source; it had not become his river water, so controlling it was slightly troublesome.

Still, it was better than picking up garbage one piece at a time.

After a long night, when the clouds dispersed and the rain cleared, He Qinglan had finally used the current to clear a patch of land about half the size of a football field. This patch was relatively high compared to the surrounding riverbank, so the night's rain had not pooled there.

The garbage swept together by the current had also been piled at a garbage heap a hundred meters away, making this small area look much tidier and cleaner.

He had only just awakened, his strength was overdrawn, and his true form had been severely damaged. Even someone as powerful as the River God was beginning to struggle.

Moreover, He Qinglan keenly noticed that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth in this area was so thin it was outrageous. After an entire night, his Divine Power had probably recovered by no more than a hair's breadth.

He could barely even maintain his immaculate, formless divine body.

He Qinglan: "..."

Thus, the Black Carp, which had been swimming around in the pure River God's water, watched in shock as its River God closed and opened his eyes—and suddenly, his entire appearance changed!

The water spiritual power around him had been restrained to the utmost. His hair, which had previously only been shortened somewhat, and his clothes, whose style had merely been altered, instantly became utterly ordinary, drab, and even less eye-catching.

If the River God had previously looked like a deity descended into the mortal world, transformed into a handsome young nobleman, then now he had gone from a young nobleman to an unkempt but beautiful poor boy!

Yingyingying, its incomparably beautiful River God!!! Yingyingying, he had actually fallen to this state!!!

The Black Carp was still going yingyingying when it quickly discovered its River God looking at it with pity. He casually pulled a large lidless tin can from the garbage mountain, and before the Black Carp's stunned fish eyes, washed it, then poured both it and the River God's water into the can!

Plop!

The Black Carp, having fallen into the tin can, was still completely bewildered.

No, it was a carp that had gained intelligence and become a spirit. Had it actually fallen so low as to live in a tin can?!

Then its River God sighed and patted the can. "My Spiritual Power is insufficient, so I must conserve it. I can only let you suffer a little."

"Besides, I have now sealed away most of my power and taken on a mortal body... A mortal body is rather heavy."

Two streams of hot tears suddenly poured from the Black Carp's fish eyes. "Yingyingying!!!"

Black Carp isn't suffering! You are the one suffering, my lord, yingyingying!! My noble River God has become a beautiful, poor, miserable human, yingyingying! You are still so beautiful, but Black Carp's heart hurts so much!!

Then, tears streaming as it went yingyingying, the Black Carp sat in the tin can and watched eagerly as its River God conjured a pair of drab gloves and tongs, then continued picking up garbage.