Chapter 157 The Formerly Foul Waters

Zhang Tao was fast asleep when he heard the loud knocking at the door.

He stood up to open it. The Taoist priest's pupils suddenly contracted as he saw a woman sprawled on the ground outside, covered in mud, with traces of blood on her body. Tears streamed down her face as she cried, "Please, save my daughter..."

He shuddered and woke up completely, quickly helping the woman inside.

Then, he strode outside.

He discovered that almost no one was left in the entire village.

He felt increasingly uneasy and hurried toward the Huai River.

…………………

The sacrifice had already begun, extremely solemn and grand.

People with cloth sacks over their faces stood by the shore, holding torches that illuminated the night. A bamboo raft carried the sacrificial offerings to the center of the Huai River. Wei Yuan sat calmly cross-legged on the raft, drifting with the surging current. Sacrificial wine and the five domestic animals followed behind. Local dialects were sung loudly.

The general meaning was an invocation to the great and mighty Huai River Water God, asking him to accept the offerings of the faithful, to restrain his anger, and to protect them with favorable weather. Ancient tales of gods and immortals were praised. Amidst the misty water vapor and incense smoke, something was slowly appearing for the live sacrifice.

Waves surged.

The faithful by the water all knelt down.

When Zhang Tao and the other Celestial Master Mansion disciples arrived, they sensed that aura, and their expressions changed instantly.

A spirit of the land…

The vast current parted. Ordinary mortals could only vaguely see the surging water vapor and sense the powerful aura. The Huai River Water God appeared arrogantly. He had been waiting for the foe who had harmed his divine servant, but he had not appeared.

Therefore, he needed to use thunderous means to restore his own prestige.

To avoid being looked down upon by other aquatic creatures.

Even now, there were many opponents lurking in the Huai River, many monsters coveting his territory. If he failed to display enough strength, he might face a joint attack from them.

Moreover, he needed to replenish his servants.

He had asked for young boys and girls, so why was it a young man?

Displeased, his icy eyes stared at the village, suppressing the desire to devour everyone. He planned to swallow the sacrifice first, but suddenly sensed something was wrong. The rapid current that should have dragged the sacrifice to the bottom suddenly calmed.

He looked down in astonishment, meeting a pair of calm eyes.

For some reason, his heart suddenly turned cold.

Wei Yuan sat cross-legged on the bamboo raft, his movements calm and peaceful. The surging waves subsided, as if the most obedient subjects were surrounding the youth. The people on the riverbank noticed the abnormality, looking up to see the waves had completely calmed.

The moon was above, reflected in the water.

The intense oppressive aura suddenly decreased.

Zhang Tao stared at the man he had only briefly spoken to, feeling the spiritual energy around him begin to rise.

The being hidden in the water restrained his inner horror, and because other monsters were present, he forced himself to maintain composure, saying slowly, "Who are you, daring to come to my domain…"

Wei Yuan said, "This is not your domain."

The so-called Water God's expression changed slightly, and he thought of a possibility, saying:

"Are you a monster who once occupied the Huai River? Or a mountain and water god sealed away in the past? But now is different from before. This place is mine, the Huai River's water veins are mine. I have the power of the Huai River, so how can you be my opponent?!"

Wei Yuan replied, "I am not a god."

He looked at the water and said, "The Huai River once belonged to Ying Long from Kunlun and has been occupied by various beliefs. For thousands of years, countless monsters have relied on the power of this great river, but in fact, it should not have been a source of power. Rather, the Huai River submits to someone."

"So strictly speaking, he is not a god, but a ruler, not the Water God of the Huai River, but the Lord of Huaiwo. The Huai River is his subject."

The Huai River as a subject?!

The so-called Water God hidden behind the water felt a sudden jolt in his heart, suddenly thinking of the most ancient myths and legends.

His expression changed slightly. He feigned anger and suddenly raised his hand, causing the Huai River to surge violently, stirring up huge waves, as if turning the entire Huai River over to crash down. At the same time, Zhang Tao finally saw the Water God's true form behind the water.

He looked like a Dragon King, with a dragon's head and a human body, wearing luxurious imperial robes.

At this moment, he raised his head and roared angrily, the surrounding water swirling and surging, vast and majestic, displaying the characteristics of the River God and Water God lineage to the fullest, inspiring awe. Wei Yuan's brow revealed the mark left by Wu Zhiqi. He took a slight breath and pressed down on the bamboo raft.

Thus, the waves subsided.

However,

He wanted to see the upper limit of the authority that Wu Zhiqi had briefly granted him.

He thought of Wu Zhiqi's loud laughter in his dream.

Thus, the talisman between his brows became clearer, and his pupils turned into pure gold due to the mobilization of divine power.

The water vapor camouflage on his face dissipated, transforming into an ancient mask.

He closed his eyes—

The Lord of Huaiwo still exists in the world.

In that instant!

The vast Huai River system, stretching over a thousand kilometers, with fifty-eight tributaries, four first-level tributaries with a drainage area of over ten thousand square kilometers, sixteen tributaries with a drainage area of over two thousand square kilometers, and twenty-one tributaries with a drainage area of over one thousand square kilometers.

The entire Huai River system stopped flowing at that moment.

This was not by force, but by divine authority, compelling it to stop.

Including ships, including flowing fish, including the large-scale hydropower facilities that modern humans rely on the water flow, stopped in that instant, living beings froze, and those huge creations stopped operating. Wei Yuan only supported it for a moment, and had the urge to vomit blood, or rather, beneath his mask, blood had already flowed from the corner of his mouth, but it was enough.

After an instant, the water system began to flow again.

But this sudden stop in the entire water cycle system had already caused a huge impact. The Huai River, stretching for thousands of kilometers, erupted with a roar that sounded like thunder, yet under the control of divine authority, it did not cause the world-flooding situation of ancient times, but it was therefore even more magnificent.

In an instant, more than one hundred and eighty cities along the Huai River sensed the difference.

The Huai River transformed into spring thunder.

Spanning two thousand *li*!

And at the place where this impact erupted, Zhang Tao and the others blankly saw towering columns of water erupting from the river surface, saw pillars of water soaring into the sky, the violently surging Huai River, and the extremely calm bamboo raft, forming a scene full of tension.

They saw the so-called young tourist, with his back to them, raise his eyes.

The imposing Water God staggered back a few steps, his expression seemingly frozen. When he saw that he had directly lost control of the Huai River, he opened his mouth, then actually knelt on the water surface, his body trembling, unable to speak.

The youth's voice was calm, saying indifferently:

"Come out."

Thus, the sound of water breaking was clear and continuous.

One by one, the monsters wreaking havoc in the nearby Huai River system floated to the surface, then knelt on the water, wearing clothing imitating the water gods of ancient legends, their foreheads touching the water, looking either majestic or charming, exuding a similar aura to the River Gods and Earth Gods.

Magnificent and vast, inspiring awe.

Zhang Tao was extremely horrified, unable to speak. The River Gods and Water Gods could subdue the monsters in the water, relying on the river to run rampant, calling themselves gods. But the so-called Water Gods before them had all submitted. From the looks of it, with just a slight nod, these Water Gods with profound Dao cultivation and powerful strength would instantly submit.

Was this not a water-based divine court?

Then he saw the youth lower his head.

Wei Yuan lowered his eyes, saying silently, "What should I do?"

He listened to the words in his ear and nodded knowingly.

He raised his hand.

The Huai River rose, transforming into blades, sweeping across the river, the monsters and Water Gods kneeling on the river surface froze, then were all cut down, turning into their original forms, then sinking into the water, washed away by the current.

The stench of blood instantly became extremely strong, making one's scalp tingle.

But Wei Yuan could hear Wu Zhiqi laughing loudly.

Only now was the water truly clean!

Previously, the Huai River was filled with miasma.

Wei Yuan sighed, suddenly seeing a patch of emerald green rising and falling in the river. Slightly surprised, he waved his hand, and the water pulled it up, revealing a Warring States-style jade dragon. Judging by its appearance, it was no different from the so-called River God and Water Lord from before. A faint trace of blood remained on it, but it had already lost its spirituality.

He thought for a moment, put away the jade dragon, turned around, and stepped forward, walking on the water, wearing an ancient mask, his golden eyes indifferent, water vapor flowing around him, vaguely resembling a wide robe, the appearance of an ancient water god.

The villagers were all terrified.

Wei Yuan ignored them, but looked at Zhang Tao and the others, making his tone peaceful, saying, "The affairs here are human affairs. You can handle them yourselves."

Zhang Tao took a slight breath, performed a Taoist salute, saying, "Thank you, Honored God."

His voice paused, then added, "I don't know the Honored God's name. We should offer sacrifices in return."

Wei Yuan said, "No need. I am just tidying up the filth in the home of an old friend."

He saw that these villagers had been sacrificing to the evil god’s things, and there were many jars of strong liquor. A stream of water wrapped up the jars, and he nodded slightly, already reappearing on the bamboo raft. Water surged, dividing the path ahead. Since he had come to the Huai River, he should naturally meet Wu Zhiqi’s true form.

Wei Yuan quickly disappeared.

Zhang Tao recovered after a long time, looking at the water surface, speechless for a moment.

On the river, the Water God who was supposed to receive the live sacrifice had himself become a sacrifice.

ps: Second update today…