Taming the Flood
Located on the southern slope of Qixia Mountain, in Qinghe Commandery City.
The county town was built against the mountains and beside the water, with majestic city walls and bustling markets. Since the Qing Dynasty established its rule, it has been one of the most prosperous places on the coast of the South Sea.
At this moment, this ancient city, with a history of thousands of years, has become a vast expanse of water.
The waters of the Heavenly River poured down from the white streaks of the heavens, like a ten-thousand-foot-high hanging river, its force overwhelming and its roar echoing across the land.
The city walls of the prefecture have been mostly submerged. Countless people have retreated to the high ground in the city. Houses have been flooded and farmland has been destroyed. In the vast expanse of water, only the rooftops and tree canopies remain floating on the surface.
Su Yao stood in the Great Void, gazing at the vast ocean below, his face as calm and composed as still water.
The Nine Heavens Auspicious Cloud Banner was already unfurled in his palm. The banner's surface was covered with layers of rosy light, like feathers, with black feathers as the base and rosy light as the pattern. He unfurled the banner into the air, and a Rainbow Clouds poured down from the banner's surface, like a ten-thousand-foot brocade spread out, covering the entire area of Qinghe Commandery City and the surrounding hundreds of miles.
Above the light screen, Rainbow Clouds swirled, keeping the cascading waters of the Heavenly River several feet away.
However, the water of the Heavenly River is the source of the Kan Water, vast and boundless, and every inch of the light screen is enduring immeasurable impact.
The Auspicious Cloud Banner trembled slightly. Although the rosy light had not dissipated, Su Yao clearly sensed that this Spirit Treasure could not withstand the immense power of the Kan Water for long.
A purple shadow surged forth from the Great Void.
Zilin landed beside Su Yao, the Purple Gauze Umbrella already open in her palm. The Three Yangs patterns on the umbrella surface suddenly lit up, and a purple-gold light curtain descended from the umbrella surface, like a giant purple-gold wall, superimposed on the Rainbow Clouds curtain of the Auspicious Cloud Banner, blocking another layer of the Heavenly River.
But the moment the water of the Heavenly River touched the purple-gold light curtain, the purple-gold color spread and dissipated rapidly, like ink entering water. The nature of Kan Water is to benefit all things without contention, but once it gains momentum, it becomes dangerous, and nothing can resist it.
Although Purple Qi is the orthodox form of the Immortal Dao, it is formed by the combination of blue and red, and the Three Yangs yangs. In front of Kan Water, it is like a raging fire meeting a cold pool, and is gradually "melted" away.
Zilin's expression changed slightly. He felt the Purple Gauze Umbrella in his hand trembling violently, and the Three Yangs patterns on the umbrella surface flickered. Originally, he had ten parts of Law Power, but when it fell onto the light screen, only five parts remained.
"Kan Water overcomes Purple Qi." Su Yao's eyes flickered slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "You should stop now and protect me."
Zilin did not hesitate. She closed the Purple Gauze Umbrella, and the purple-gold light faded, while the Three Yangs patterns on the umbrella surface dimmed slightly.
She retreated several feet behind Su Yao, concealed her Purple Qi, and shifted her aura to a defensive stance.
Just then, four streaks of light broke through the sky from the direction of Qixia Mountain.
As the light faded, four figures landed in front of Su Yao.
Liu Yunhe landed first, dressed in a green robe; Han Ziyi followed closely behind, his blue robe fluttering in the wind; Li Siyi wore a yellowish-brown long robe; Zhang Ziyan wore a dark gold Daoist robe.
The four of them bowed in unison. "Abbot!"
Su Yao nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the four people before settling on Liu Yunhe's face.
Liu Yunhe cupped his hands and said, "Master, Xuejie Radiant Fire fears the Kan Water, so she stayed behind to guard Qixia Mountain. Qingzhu ordered her and many other Purple Mansion beings in the mountain to guard the thirty-six secret realms of Qixia Mountain. He also ordered us to come and retrieve the treasure."
Upon hearing this, Su Yao asked, "What treasure did you take?"
Liu Yunhe, and a lush green vine staff appeared in his palm. The staff was entirely green, as if it had been twisted together by an ancient vine, and the surface was faintly visible with rings like annual rings, each ring slowly turning, full of vitality.
"This staff is called the ' Mountain-Coiling Staff '," Liu Yunhe said. "It embodies the wondrous principle of 'vines entwining ten thousand fathoms' from the art of Gathering Wood, allowing it to take root in the earth and entwine around mountains. It is a Spirit Treasure for stabilizing the earth and securing the soil. It is perfectly suited for fixing riverbanks and stabilizing the earth's veins."
Su Yao nodded slightly.
Han Ziyi forward, holding an object in each hand. In his left hand was a small, dark blue cauldron, its body engraved with water patterns, and a faint shimmer of water flowing from its mouth, with the sound of water murmuring faintly audible. In his right hand was a small, bluish-gray inkstone, its inkwell containing a pool of unfathomable clear water, like a deep pool solidified within it.
"Master, this cauldron is called the ' River-Gathering Cauldron,' capable of collecting water from thousands of rivers; this inkstone is called the ' Guixu Inkstone,' capable of calming waters and guiding them back to their source. Both are Spirit Treasure of the Fu Water, and their use in collecting the waters of the Heavenly River is exactly what is needed."
Su Yao nodded.
Li Siyi stepped forward, holding a large, earthen-yellow seal in her palm. The seal was engraved with five mountain-like patterns, and its body was thick and steady, like a miniature mountain condensed in her palm.
"This seal is named ' Mountain-Subduing Seal,' a Spirit Treasure of the Wu Earth element, meaning 'mountains suppressing the earth.' It can suppress the land and water, and stabilize the mountain's foundation and veins. It can be used to suppress the veins destroyed by the Heavenly River, thus ensuring the city's survival."
Su Yao nodded.
Zhang Ziyan stepped forward and took out a dark gold box from his sleeve. When the lid was opened, there was a jet-black bead inside, and a deep body of water could be vaguely seen inside the bead, like a dark lake that had sunk to the bottom of the earth.
"This pearl is called the ' Sunken Abyss Pearl,' Spirit Treasure of the Fu Water lineage, capable of containing the water of an entire region. Although not as vast as the River-Gathering Cauldron, it surpasses it in purity, capable of collecting the essence of Kan Water water from the Heavenly River."
Su Yao examined the four Spirit Treasure one by one, then his gaze swept over the four people, and he slowly spoke:
"This place is now in your hands. Liu Yunhe will use the Mountain-Coiling Staff to secure the riverbank, Li Siyi will use the Mountain-Suppressing Seal to stabilize the earth's veins, Han Ziyi use the Mountain-Subduing Seal River-Gathering Cauldron and the Guixu Inkstone to collect the waters of the Heavenly River, and Zhang Ziyan will use the Abyss -Sunken Abyss Pearl to collect the essence of the Kan Water. Each of you will perform your duties and cooperate with each other."
The four bowed in unison. "We will respectfully obey the Abbot's decree."
Su Yao then turned to Zilin, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment, and whispered:
"Zilin will protect you. I'm going up the mountain to find Qingzhu."
Zilin met his gaze, nodded slightly, and said nothing more.
Su Yao didn't linger. With a swift movement, golden light appeared Golden Light Across the Land, transforming it into a streak of pure white light that shot towards the gate of Qixia Mountain. In just a few breaths, he disappeared into the clouds.
Zilin stood in the Great Void, watching the departing streak of light. After a moment of silence, she turned around and looked at Liu Yunhe and the other four.
"Let's get started."
All four agreed in unison.
Liu Yunhe took the lead, Mountain-Coiling Staff southeast of Qinghe Commandery City. The staff, suspended in mid-air, expanded in the wind, instantly transforming into a hundred-zhang-long emerald vine that slammed into the earth. The giant vine spread out from the staff, like thousands of green snakes, wrapping around and fixing the riverbank southeast of the county town inch by inch. The riverbank, loosened by the waters of the Heavenly River, was gradually reformed and solidified under the vine's entanglement.
Li Siyi followed closely behind, tossing the Mountain-Subduing Seal into the air. The seal transformed into a massive, earthen-yellow seal about ten feet wide, its surface suddenly illuminated by five mountain-like patterns, resembling five earthen dragons coiled around it. The giant seal crashed down, anchoring itself to the earth's veins in the northwest of the county city. An earthen-yellow light curtain emanated from the seal, stabilizing and solidifying the earth's veins within a radius of dozens of miles.
Han Ziyi then suspended the River-Gathering Cauldron in the Great Void, mouth facing upwards, and water ripples appeared. The water of the Heavenly River poured down and fell into the mouth of the cauldron, like hundreds of rivers flowing into the sea, and was collected by the body of the cauldron. At the same time, he placed the Guixu Inkstone next to the cauldron, the clear water in the inkstone pool connected with the mouth of the cauldron, and "suppressed" the water of the Heavenly River that had been brought into the cauldron into the depths of the inkstone pool, so that it would no longer surge.
Zhang Ziyan held the Sunken Abyss Pearl in his palm, and with a surge of his Law Power, the deep water within the pearl suddenly lit up, like a bottomless abyss opening its mouth.
The Kan Water of the water from the Heavenly River was drawn by that ethereal light, flowing like countless streams into the sea and disappearing into the pearl.
Each of the four wielded Spirit Treasure and Divine Ability powers, gradually gathering, suppressing, and redirecting the waters of the Heavenly River.
Zilin stood in mid-air, her Purple Gauze Umbrella resting diagonally on her shoulder, her gaze sweeping across the surrounding area, taking in all the spiritual energy of the Great Void within a radius of hundreds of miles. Although she had not yet made a move, the Purple Qi around her was as deep and serene as an abyss, ready to strike at any moment should anything change.
Below, the people of Qinghe Commandery City watched the four figures suspended in mid-air and the gradually receding floodwaters. Some knelt on the ground and kowtowed, while others wept with joy.
Amidst the vast ocean, on a high ground in the county town, a child pointed to the sky and shouted in a childish voice:
"Mother, look! The immortals are helping us collect the water!"
The woman looked up and saw four streaks of light crisscrossing in mid-air, their colors flickering, gradually drawing away the waters of the Heavenly River. Her eyes welled with tears; remembering the legend, she pulled the child into her arms and whispered:
"They are the Qixia Temple..."