Chapter Thirty-Two: Fury Floods the Six Strongholds

Donghe Town had been transformed into a vast expanse of water.

The river surged, overwhelming the town, and the settlement of over ten thousand people was entirely submerged. The water in the town reached a depth of over ten feet; countless people struggled in the torrent, only to be helplessly swallowed by the waves. The lucky ones clung to withered trees or wooden door panels ripped from ruined houses, bobbing up and down upon the surging currents. The dozens of loose Qi-refining cultivators had long since vanished, whether swallowed by the flood or having fled elsewhere.

Watching the River God approach the shore, Zhang Qing, though deathly pale, no longer showed fear in her eyes. She looked at her best friend, who was clenching her fists tightly, and whispered, "Retreat. Fight while retreating toward Qingping Mountain. We have preparations there."

Xu Xiao gritted her teeth and nodded, channeling her spiritual energy into the brocade handkerchief to carry Zhang Qing toward Qingping Mountain.

The River God naturally spotted the two women; atop the vast, flooded plain, the two of them stepping on the brocade handkerchief were far too conspicuous.

"Disciples of the Lanyue Sect?" The River God sneered. He raised his trident, and infinite water vapor rose into the sky, transforming into a dense swarm of water needles that, aided by the wind, lunged toward the two women.

The barrage of needles descended like a torrential downpour, a sight so dense it invited despair. Xu Xiao did not hesitate to draw out a talisman and activate it; instantly, a glaze-like barrier of light enveloped her and Zhang Qing. As the needles struck the barrier, a series of tinkling sounds rang out. Ripples danced across the light, but the barrier held firm, shielding the two women.

The River God was not surprised. As inner-sect disciples of a Golden Core sect in Qingzhou, and one of them being the direct disciple of a Purple Mansion elder, it was only natural for them to have a few trump cards. He did not mind the failed attempt; his primary goal for this excursion was to establish his authority. Moreover, if he were to kill Xu Xiao, drawing the ire of that Purple Mansion elder would not be beneficial. The River God did not wish to expose his full strength just yet; he still needed to lie low. Establishing his authority for now was enough.

As for how to establish that authority, he would do so with the lives of tens of thousands of commoners in Qingshan County’s six towns.

Once half of Qingshan County was flooded, the people would surely be filled with awe, and the remaining twelve counties of Dongjun would not dare harbor any improper thoughts. With this thought, the River God stopped paying attention to Xu Xiao and Zhang Qing, instead maneuvering the floodwaters to surge toward the other towns along the bank.

The commoners in the towns along the Taiping River watched in horror as the water began to churn. The experienced elders knew a great flood was coming, but before they could flee, the river, now several feet high, roared forward and swallowed their towns.

By now, the entire Taiping River bank in Qingshan County had turned into a watery kingdom. The surging floods continued to spread into the heart of Qingshan Town, and countless commoners cried out as they fled toward higher ground.

As the first group of people who received the news reached the county seat, the gentry and wealthy merchants learned that the River God had grown angry and flooded several towns. Terrified, they immediately ordered the city gates to be shut and all passages blocked to prevent the county seat from being submerged.

Meanwhile, the commoners in the heart of the county dragged their families along as they raced toward Qingping Mountain. There was no point in staying in the county seat when the flood arrived; only the mountains offered safety.

The River God controlled the floodwaters, swallowing villages and towns one by one. He felt immense pleasure watching these commoners kneel and beg for mercy, fleeing in all directions. He did not drown everyone; he needed these mortals to provide him with faith. Drowning a portion was enough to terrify these commoners, who were as cheap as blades of grass. He even deliberately drove the floodwaters behind the fleeing people, watching them dash mindlessly toward Qingping Mountain.

"Run, run! You will all be drowned in the end anyway," the River God sneered, raising his trident. A massive amount of water vapor surged, descending as a torrential downpour.

Though it was the dead of winter, the rain fell cold and biting, sapping the people's strength and body heat. Even Xu Xiao had to maintain a barrier of spiritual energy to resist the damp, chilling rain. Watching the commoners who could no longer run kneeling in the mud, kowtowing and begging for his forgiveness, the River God felt the power of the incense within him grow slightly stronger. In the depths of his consciousness, he realized: this was how it must be—the mortals must be kept in a constant state of awe.

Suddenly, a scorching wave of spiritual energy whistling from behind him interrupted the River God’s thoughts. Turning his head, he saw a disheveled, barefooted man with his chest bared, raising a heavy sword and hacking toward him with infinite fiery energy. The man was Wen Renjie.

"I knew you would lie in ambush!" The River God casually raised his trident to block. Water vapor surged, and the trident, imbued with water-spirit energy, collided with Wen Renjie’s flaming heavy sword.

Instantly, the sound of clashing metal rang out. The forces of water and fire corroded and incinerated each other; steam rose, flames roared, and a vast amount of rain was evaporated, creating a vacuum in the air.

At that moment, a green bamboo staff thrust forward from the other side with cunning precision, like an arrow. The attacker was Qiao Xuan. Facing Qiao Xuan, who possessed the strength of the late Foundation Establishment stage, the River God became much more vigilant.

Qiao Xuan’s bamboo staff was like a jade arrow, sharp and ruthless, piercing through layers of air with a piercing whine. The green spiritual energy burning upon it vibrated in a spiral, as if capable of piercing anything. The next moment, the River God gripped the air with his left hand, condensing layers of water barriers before him. Qiao Xuan remained expressionless, channeling his energy to pierce straight through the barriers.

The River God’s golden, vertical pupils showed a hint of surprise. He was forced to cover his left hand in water-spirit energy and physically grasp the bamboo staff, stopping the terrifyingly powerful tip just inches from his waist.

Before the River God could catch his breath, the Void Young Master and Xu Xiao moved. Attacking from front and back, the Void Young Master’s Clear Water Sword and Xu Xiao’s Empty Moon Sword unleashed two sword auras, pinning the River God and aiming directly for his exposed chest and undefended back. It was clearly a well-laid trap.

"Hmph!" The River God took the two sword strikes head-on with his body, then erupted with power. Water waves surged around him, forcing Wen Renjie and Qiao Xuan to retreat.

Having pushed them back, the River God looked down at the deep sword wounds on his chest. His green-faced, fanged expression showed no surprise or fear. He looked up at the four of them and sneered, "You four Foundation Establishment ants dare to seek death?"

Stroking the wounds on his chest with his left hand, he stared at them with cruelty, "That really hurt. You girl, you should know, I had originally intended to spare you. But you came seeking death yourself. Now, the Lanyue Sect will have one less inner-sect disciple."

With that, under the shocked gazes of Xu Xiao, Wen Renjie, and Qiao Xuan, the sword wounds on the River God’s chest began to heal, recovering completely in the blink of an eye.

"Did you truly think a bunch of Foundation Establishment cultivators could hurt me? Die!"

The River God erupted, riding the waves to lunge at Xu Xiao. He raised his trident high, bringing down the force of ten thousand tons of water. Wen Renjie’s eyes widened, and he threw himself in front of Xu Xiao, unleashing all his spiritual energy and swinging his heavy sword against the trident.

With a boom, the two weapons collided. Wen Renjie felt as if he were blocking a mountain, not a trident. His arms trembled, and his heavy sword emitted an unbearable cracking sound. He could feel the bones in his arms groaning. The next moment, Wen Renjie was smashed into the muddy ground, and his heavy sword was completely destroyed.

Wen Renjie’s arms trembled incessantly; his thick arms were covered in gaping wounds, and blood seeped out continuously. The River God gave him no chance to breathe, raising his trident like a falling meteor, carrying infinite water vapor to strike again, clearly intending to execute Wen Renjie on the spot.

"No!" Qiao Xuan and Xu Xiao struck simultaneously. A green wave of spiritual energy pulled Wen Renjie to the rear, while Xu Xiao met the River God, her Empty Moon Sword unleashing cold sword beams.

"Overestimating yourselves!"

The trident descended like a mountain peak, stirring up waves dozens of feet high. The crushing weight of the river water swept in all directions, swallowing everything in an instant. Watching the waves surge, Xu Xiao dodged just in time, escaping injury. Retreating to the side of the others, she gripped her sword, watching the River God warily. Though she appeared unharmed, her rapidly heaving chest showed that the previous maneuver had consumed much of her strength.

It was inherently difficult for Foundation Establishment cultivators to challenge the Purple Mansion stage. How many heaven-defying prodigies could truly overcome a higher realm? The power of the Purple Mansion realm was not something ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators could resist. Even if ten more had joined them, they would not have been able to withstand the full might of a Purple Mansion cultivator.

The battle had lasted only a moment, and while the River God remained at full strength, they had already suffered one injury. If they continued, they would likely all die here.

Wen Renjie gritted his teeth and swallowed a pill, "Why haven't Wang Tianfang and the others arrived yet?!"

The Void Young Master stood beside him and sneered, "They took the items and ran. Did you really expect them to come here and die for you?"

"A bunch of scoundrels... I!" Before Wen Renjie could finish, a sharp pain erupted in his abdomen. Looking down to see a sword piercing his Dantian, he looked at the Void Young Master in shock.

The Void Young Master still wore a gentle smile, though it appeared incredibly fake. "My apologies, Friend Wen. I have no desire to die in vain."

"You... traitor!" Wen Renjie was filled with fury, but he could not muster a shred of spiritual energy; his shattered Dantian left him unable to even self-destruct.

"Yes, but so what? In the end, I am the winner!" As the Void Young Master spoke, his left hand, covered in a ghostly blue glow, pressed directly onto Wen Renjie's head. A blast of cold, blue spiritual energy exploded, and Wen Renjie’s skull shattered like a frozen fruit in the dead of winter, trails of cold mist drifting from the remains.

"Traitor!" "You're courting death!"

Xu Xiao and Qiao Xuan, in a fit of rage, attacked the Void Young Master together, but were blocked by the water waves unleashed by the River God. The Void Young Master retreated gracefully to the River God’s side. In the blink of an eye, of the four, one was dead and one had betrayed them, leaving only Xu Xiao and Qiao Xuan.

The River God sneered, his eyes filled with cruelty. "Now, what other help do you have?"