Chapter 283 The Might of the Water Lord

　　Before Wei Yuan could continue questioning,

　　it seemed a sudden incident had occurred. The Tian师府 disciple's communication was abruptly cut off, leaving only silence. Wei Yuan looked at the new account and didn't try to call back.

　　If the other party was in danger, contacting them again might distract them, leading to a more perilous situation.

　　He steadied himself, a trace of astonishment lingering in his mind.

　　Using primitive blood sacrifices to venerate the Huai River God.

　　But the former Huaiwo Water Lord was still sealed.

　　Da Yu and the seven divine generals from Kunlun Mountain, along with Ying Long Gengchen, sealed Wuzhiqi.

　　According to the rules of the Age of Gods, Gengchen became the second generation Huai River God.

　　However, no matter the version, Gengchen, a Kunlun divine general who once aided Xuanyuan in defeating Chi You, could not possibly commit such an act as offering living sacrifices.

　　The Tian师府 had a friendly relationship with him, and now that a Tian师府 disciple was seeking help, Wei Yuan would naturally do his utmost. However, facing the possible Huai River God, even if it was a false god or evil deity, he had no good solution. The Heavenly Maiden was in seclusion, and Nü Jiao was already old and in the Qingqiu Kingdom.

　　After much thought, he saw no other way.

　　Wei Yuan pondered for a while, sighed, and had no choice but to lie back down on the bed.

　　Even if he was unwilling to face Wuzhiqi, he had no other choice.

　　Gathering his thoughts and breathing rhythmically, Wei Yuan quickly entered a dream. Relying on the Guan Guan's long feathers to stay lucid, he actively constructed the image of the Huaiwo Water Lord Wuzhiqi in his dream. A white-faced, blue-bodied ape appeared, a pair of golden eyes quickly gaining their brilliance, then looking at Wei Yuan with a hint of surprise.

　　"You dare to come back?!"

　　Immediately, Wuzhiqi raised his hand to grasp the Huai River water system manifested in the dream.

　　Preparing to continue the previous routine.

　　Wei Yuan took a step back and said, "Wait, Water Lord, I have something to discuss with you."

　　Wuzhiqi laughed loudly, "Why aren't you calling me monkey?"

　　"Weren't you enjoying calling me that just now?"

　　He lashed out with a weapon formed from the water veins, shattering Wei Yuan's dream body directly. Only then did Wuzhiqi dissipate the water system, sit cross-legged on the ground, and say, "For you to take the initiative to see me in a dream, it must be no small matter. I was in a rare good mood just now, so speak."

　　Wei Yuan re-condensed his dream body, muttering inwardly that even after being imprisoned for five thousand years, Wuzhiqi's thinking was still direct and sharp. He immediately composed himself and recounted the general situation, hiding his relationship with the Tian师府 and emphasizing that an evil spirit had seized the name of the Huai River God to perform sacrifices.

　　After finishing, he looked at Wuzhiqi.

　　Wuzhiqi supported his chin with one hand and said, "I see, so?"

　　He stretched his body, a hint of indifference on his face.

　　"What does the death and sacrifice of humans have to do with me?"

　　Wei Yuan said, "But you are the Huaiwo Water Lord, and an evil spirit has taken your name."

　　Wuzhiqi couldn't help but laugh several times and said, "Huaiwo Water Lord, that title is already something from thousands of years ago. After me, it probably went to Gengchen. If anything is ruined, it's his reputation, not mine. Hahaha, on the contrary, I hope his name becomes more and more infamous, the more unbearable the better!"

　　"If you're talking about this, it can only make me happy."

　　Wei Yuan said, "…Gengchen is indeed the Water Lord of the Huai River, but he is no longer here."

　　"Or rather, he was gone a long time ago."

　　"And in the temples along the Huai River, Wuzhiqi was still being worshiped until the Song Dynasty."

　　Wuzhiqi's movements froze, his golden eyes looking at Wei Yuan.

　　Wei Yuan raised his hand and created a sculpture in the dream. This was his dream. After seeing Wuzhiqi in a dream before, he had also searched for Huai River mythology online, so he could manifest it here.

　　Among them was the discovery of Wuzhiqi's statue near the Yellow River tributaries in the Central Plains, sometime after the Ming Dynasty and the early years of Hua country. Several large characters were engraved on the back: "Made in the first year of Jianzhong in the Great Song Dynasty, in the third month." He said, "According to historical records, in the Yellow River and Huai River basins a thousand years ago, the Huai River Lord being worshiped was still you."

　　"At least, a part of it was you."

　　Wuzhiqi's expression was first surprised, then he noticed the difference, slowly frowning and saying:

　　"But I have never received any sacrifices."

　　"This statue is wrong."

　　Wei Yuan sat cross-legged, pondered for a moment, and said:

　　"Could it be because the legends of the divine system have been tampered with?"

　　"What did you say?"

　　Wei Yuan made the dream manifest one piece of information after another, saying: "Water Lord, you were sealed very early, so you don't know that a divine system called Buddhism once entered Shenzhou in ancient times and has established itself until now…"

　　Wuzhiqi interrupted with a frown, "Impossible, the gods on Kunlun Mountain would not allow it. They occupy the heavens, while the four seas and mountains are controlled by the Earth deities of Shenzhou. Foreign divine systems have no foundation. Even if Da Yu expelled other races and alien beasts from the human world for the sake of the human race, they could not possibly establish themselves."

　　A possibility suddenly surfaced in Wei Yuan's mind. He looked up at Wuzhiqi and said:

　　"Kunlun Mountain has not appeared in the world for a long time."

　　"So it is very likely that from the Tang Dynasty to the Song Dynasty, Gengchen also left the Huai River. The Huai River water system lost its lord. When he left, he entrusted the Huai River to you, allowing the common people to worship Wuzhiqi again, but instead, he was taken advantage of."

　　"According to records, the Confucians of the Southern Song Dynasty believed that 'worldly monks subdued Wuzhiqi', and later records stated that 'the Buddhists believed that Wuzhiqi was the Water Mother subdued by the Monk Sengqie of Sizhou'."

　　"And Sengqie was a famous monk from the Western Regions who entered the pass during the Tang Dynasty."

　　"Claimed to be an incarnation of the Bodhisattva Guanyin."

　　Wuzhiqi gradually quieted down as Wei Yuan displayed the historical records.

　　After a long time, he slowly gazed at Wei Yuan:

　　"That Bodhisattva Guanyin, is he a deity of Western Buddhist teachings?"

　　Wei Yuan also had enough speculation in his heart. He nodded, feeling a hidden surge in his heart. He used to regard these as ordinary legends, but after experiencing the Age of Gods, looking back, he could perceive the differences and feel a subtle sense of fear.

　　The real legend is that Da Yu subdued Wuzhiqi, but the subsequent legend is that Sengqie subdued Wuzhiqi.

　　Then, the final version is 'Sengqie subdued the Water Mother of Turtle Mountain.'

　　Wuzhiqi is the Lord of the Huai River, forever linked with Da Yu, one of the latter's greatest achievements.

　　And Da Yu is a figure that cannot be avoided in the myths of Shenzhou, passed down from generation to generation, which, from the perspective of the cultivation world, means that Wuzhiqi himself is a symbol of the Age of Gods in Shenzhou. His name and existence possess mythological characteristics and legends, a force that cannot be ignored.

　　After Gengchen left the water system, Wuzhiqi's power reappeared in the Huai River along with the legend of King Yu. King Yu controlled the waters and suppressed the Huaiwo Water Lord Wuzhiqi. King Yu controlled the waters, and the Huaiwo Water Lord was naturally Wuzhiqi. These are the two essential points of the legend.

　　At this time, Wuzhiqi's sacrifices were rebuilt, but they were misdirected.

　　This force was prevented from pointing to the real Wuzhiqi, but instead remained in the Huai River area. Afterwards, there was a legend of Sengqie subduing Wuzhiqi, guiding this mythological characteristic of the Age of Gods into Sengqie. Then, after hundreds of years, Wuzhiqi transformed into the Water Mother of Turtle Mountain, thus separating from the myths of Shenzhou.

　　And completely transferring this power and mythological characteristics to Sengqie.

　　And Sengqie is the incarnation of the Bodhisattva Guanyin.

　　Overall, it is a foreign divine system that devoured the legend of Wuzhiqi and successfully established itself in Shenzhou.

　　And the most direct evidence is that the place where the so-called Water Mother of Turtle Mountain committed evil was Turtle Mountain, where she was suppressed. And Turtle Mountain was originally the location of Wuzhiqi's palace, the place where he was suppressed by King Yu and the seven divine generals, along with Ying Long Gengchen.

　　Stealing the beams and pillars, substituting plums for peaches.

　　Wei Yuan was shocked.

　　He thought of the legend that Wuzhiqi was the prototype of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Sun Wukong.

　　And Sun Wukong has a golden hoop representing restraint on his head.

　　The golden hoop comes from the Sengqie prototype, the Bodhisattva Guanyin.

　　Is this some kind of metaphor?

　　This is not just a legend, or rather, Wei Yuan could have regarded it as a mere legend, but when it is introduced into the ancient Age of Gods, it represents the invasion of mythology.

　　Moreover, the god who was wantonly distorted, whose own power was seized, and who was even transformed from a Water Lord who ravaged the earth into the so-called Water Mother, suppressed by monks, and who may therefore be unable to escape the seal for a long time, is right in front of him.

　　He silently closed the historical records and looked up at Wuzhiqi, whose aura had turned cold.

　　Wuzhiqi's golden pupils stared at Wei Yuan and slowly said, "Unseal me…"

　　Wei Yuan shook his head and said, "I can't."

　　"This time, an evil sacrifice has reappeared in the Huai River. No matter what the source is, it represents that someone else has set their sights on the power and legend that originally belonged to you, wanting to steal your mythological characteristics."

　　Wei Yuan gazed at Wuzhiqi, "I want to save people, and you want to protect your power."

　　"We can cooperate."

　　Wuzhiqi roared, "Cooperate? How do you know me?!"

　　"I know."

　　Wei Yuan met Wuzhiqi's gaze and paused:

　　"Because you and I are both beings from the same myth."

　　"Because I also lived in the Age of Gods on this land. Or, even if your legend is distorted and your mythological foundation is occupied by a foreign divine system, is the Water Lord who stirred up Shenzhou still able to remain indifferent?"

　　"The one who defeated you was Yu the Great of Shenzhou, Ying Long Gengchen who fought Chi You, and the seven divine generals from Kunlun Mountain, not the monk from the Western Regions."

　　Wuzhiqi stared at Wei Yuan, "An aggressive tactic?"

　　Wei Yuan said, "Just stating the truth."

　　"What a 'stating the truth'!"

　　After a long exchange of glances, Wuzhiqi suddenly laughed, but his golden pupils were cold. He heavily pressed his palm on the top of Wei Yuan's head, and Wei Yuan heard the roar of the ancient Huai River water system of Shenzhou, surpassing the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, flowing into the sea, from Tongbai Mountain to Yunmeng Marsh, even the huge water system of the Xiang River, vast and majestic.

　　"Kill them all!"

　　Wuzhiqi raised his palm, and a mark on Wei Yuan's brow disappeared.

　　In his palm, however, appeared something resembling an official seal. Even though it was slowly disappearing, there was still a special aura, reminding Wei Yuan of the decree recorded in historical records that conferred the title of Mountain and Water God to local deities.

　　But how could Wuzhiqi possibly do this?

　　Wei Yuan finally realized a neglected issue.

　　Even if it is called the Huai River.

　　Subconsciously regarded as a river.

　　But the Huai River is not a simple river. Even after being managed by Da Yu, it still had a length of thousands of kilometers, a basin area of nearly 300,000 square kilometers, the third largest water system in Shenzhou, with fifty-eight tributaries capable of nurturing river gods.

　　You should know that in ancient times, some ancient wells connected to water veins could nurture the so-called Well Dragon King.

　　The Huaiwo Water Lord is not the divine position of a certain water god.

　　It is the monarch of an entire water tribe divine system.

　　And the seal that is slowly dissipating in his hand.

　　The decree of the Huai River God of the Age of Gods, acting on his behalf.

　　………………

　　"I once said, an eye for an eye. Today you seek this decree, you know what to do."

　　"Inform those so-called water demons that the Huai River Water Lord is still here."

　　Wuzhiqi's golden pupils gazed at Wei Yuan, and chains began to appear on his body, obviously triggering changes in the seal due to the use of power. It was also clear that this ancient water god was extremely angry.

　　Wei Yuan nodded solemnly.

　　Just as he was about to leave, Wuzhiqi, who had used his power, suddenly spoke:

　　"Yuan."

　　Wei Yuan subconsciously looked up.

　　But he saw the white-faced, blue-bodied ape suddenly raise his hand, and a black shadow flew straight towards his head. Looking again, it was a huge pottery jar. He didn't know when this monkey had secretly hidden it. Wei Yuan's expression froze as he was hit, seeing stars, and hearing Wuzhiqi, who was about to disappear from the dream, laugh wildly:

　　"Five thousand years, hahahaha, my mind is clear!"

　　"Go, tell the world, the Huaiwo Water Lord still exists in this world!"

　　ps: Thank you to Doctor of Fighting Specialization for the generous reward.