“Where’s Fu Juan? Why isn’t she here?” Tushan Yi’s tone held a trace of regret. Pity she couldn’t see the person she wanted to at this moment. She had to say meaningfully to Jiang Yiguang, “Think about it. Among the Fierce Demons of the Mountains and Seas, who would better fit the new concept formed by the Eight-Headed Giant Serpent devouring Bashe?”
“Nine heads… could it be Jiuying? No, she’s already revived. Then it’s—” Jiang Yiguang sifted through the database in her mind, rebuilt in less than half a year. Her eyes widened suddenly, and she gritted her teeth, squeezing out two words: “Xiangliu!”
“Gonggong’s minister was named Xiangliu. He had nine heads and fed on nine mountains. Wherever Xiangliu rested, it became marshes and streams. Yu slew Xiangliu; his blood was so foul that no grain could grow… Xiangliu had nine heads, a human face, and a serpent’s body, which was green.”
Tushan Yi watched Jiang Yiguang with a smile and posed a new question: “We received data from the Dao Court. Eight years ago, when the Dongying Onmyoji caused chaos, the waters of the Yellow River erupted. Was that a coincidence?”
“If you wish to enter the Mountains and Seas, you may. Go, behead that foreign god who covets my Shenzhou, and use his divinity to temper yourselves.”
Hearing Tushan Yi’s casual words, Jiang Yiguang’s eyelid twitched violently. Could slaying gods really be simpler than entering the Mountains and Seas?
A fierce look flashed in Tushan Yi’s eyes. She said, “Previously, Fu Juan only borrowed the Sun-shooting Arrow to observe. Now, our Azure Hill will gift you this Sun-shooting Arrow, representing the glory of Yi.” The Sun-shooting Arrow, once aimed at the Great Sun Golden Crow that illuminated Shenzhou, would now make that filthy sun-shadow coveting Shenzhou fall as well!
After Tushan Yi’s image vanished, Jiang Yiguang pondered for a while alone, then pulled out her phone and relayed Tushan Yi’s words to Fu Juan.
Tushan Yi’s attitude was unwavering. It seemed that to go North of the Red River, they’d first have to deal with this calamity. But from the meaning in Tushan Yi’s words, was the revived Great Sun God of Dongying actually weaker than the Fierce Demons of the Mountains and Seas Realm? Then again, thinking of Dongying’s origins, Jiang Yiguang felt it was only natural. With such a shit-stirring stick present, when the Mountains and Seas revived in the future, Shenzhou probably wouldn’t be able to wholeheartedly deal with the Four Evils, would they?
After receiving the message, Fu Juan fell into deep thought.
The Dao Court’s loathing for Dongying’s transcendent forces had already peaked. But Shenzhou’s Mountains and Seas were reviving. To suppress the rifts, the Dao Court couldn’t spare the manpower for the moment. As for sending the younger generation of disciples… they didn’t have the confidence that the juniors could trample Dongying’s divine power. This led to a stalemate. Dongying, with a hypocritical face, apologized profusely, practically begging to commit seppuku. Shenzhou felt like swallowing a bone, unable to resolve it yet. If Azure Hill sent the Sun-shooting Arrow, then after that great sun withered, Dongying might be quiet for a while, right? But even with the Sun-shooting Arrow, it would be hard to fully replicate Yi’s shot. Before that, what else needed to be done?
Her curled fingers tapped lightly on the wooden desk, producing a crisp series of “thock-thock-thock” sounds.
Three Little Paper Dolls were gathered around the phone, craning their heads, muttering “Eight years ago.”
This was the first major turning point in Fu Juan’s life.
Eight years ago!
Fu Juan suddenly froze. She picked up her phone and scrutinized the information regarding the “Yellow River Uprising.”
Because of this incident, when suppressing the Ghost King, Aunt Jiang had returned late. The formation reversed, devouring flesh and blood. Her parents perished, and her legs were ruined, the outcome unchangeable.
The Ghost King Mausoleum was orchestrated by Dongying’s Onmyoji. Why wouldn’t the Yellow River Uprising be the same?
Fu Juan took a deep breath and sent Tao Junran a request to investigate the case files of “Eight Years Ago, the Yellow River Uprising.” In less than five minutes, Tao Junran replied with an “OK.”
Footage from eight years ago appeared on the screen.
At that time, the Yellow River erupted. Torrential rain lasted a week. The dikes completely collapsed. Although the government evacuated the residents in time, collapsed houses, flooded fields and crops… the losses were still immeasurable. This was the scene visible to ordinary people. Fu Juan flipped rapidly, her gaze finally settling on a photo showing a white, dragon-shaped creature amidst the clouds.
Xuanzhen Dao Court recorded this white dragon’s name: River Earl Bingyi.
The Yellow River was Shenzhou’s native territory. This deity had also remained in Shenzhou, though his divinity was equally suppressed.
Was the Yellow River’s rampage instigated by someone, or did He actively stir it up after reviving? After all, this River Earl didn’t have a good reputation in the High Antiquity Era either. He was Gonggong’s subordinate, stirring up boundless waves across the land of the Mountains and Seas in the era of Emperor Yao. He also had a notorious lust, daring to abduct even Great God Fuxi’s daughter, and later had one eye shot blind by Yi…
The two words “River Earl” still made Fu Juan’s mood plummet. She steadied herself and continued reading.
Because water is closely linked to life, for thousands of years, Shenzhou’s sacrifices to the River Earl had never ceased, persisting despite repeated bans in the new century. This meant the Mortal Realm’s power couldn’t slay the River Earl, only temporarily sealing Him within His water palace. But this wasn’t a long-term solution; it required constant attention from the Dao Court. This matter had always been handled by Aunt Jiang. But this year, Aunt Jiang’s whereabouts were unknown. And the Dao Court clearly hadn’t taken it seriously! There was absolutely no record of reinforcing the seal.
Seeing the last line, Fu Juan’s expression drastically changed, her eyes seemingly frozen with frost.
After sending a message to Tao Junran, she packaged the data and forwarded it to Jiang Yiguang. She opened the weather forecast and looked at the national precipitation map. Her gaze fixed on the Yellow River basin, colored deep blue—it wasn’t like the past, where a thunderous crack suddenly stirred violent winds and waves. Instead, it rose slowly amidst relentless rain, like countless times before when the Yellow River’s water level rose unnoticed. But this time, there would probably be no end!
That night, the Wei River, Luo River, Fen River… began to surge. In the endless misty rain, the ethereal threads of water slowly turned into fine needles, then into bouncing beads. They connected, smashing onto the ground like pale long spears. The gradually rising water levels exceeded the warning lines. The rivers roared and twisted, like wildly dancing flood dragons, arrogant and terrifying.
Within the water curtain shrouding heaven and earth, a white-robed figure holding an umbrella watched the surging currents. In one eye, brimming with divinity and shimmering with golden light, a strange smile appeared. With a flick of His sleeve, the rushing waters erupted with a boom, crashing toward the heavens like enraged dragons. Mid-swell, the waves seemed blocked by some strange power, slamming back down with a bang. But the smile on the white-robed figure’s face didn’t diminish. He continued to idly manipulate the currents, striking the invisible seal again and again. The sound of the collisions gradually diminished. Yet the river water was fierce and magnificent, rushing with the roar of thunder.
“Unending torrential rain, the Yellow River overflowing…” The news anchor’s voice was faint, almost drowned out by the roaring tide.
Jiang Yiguang, who had been covering her mouth to yawn, suddenly stiffened. She instantly dismissed her drowsiness and stared intently at the almost pitch-black screen. Not long ago, she had received Fu Juan’s message, patiently flipping through those files and listening to Fu Juan’s conjecture about the Yellow River. The scene before her was gradually matching Fu Juan’s speculation, only it was happening far too quickly! The official channels wouldn’t mention supernatural matters, but at this moment, the Dao Court cultivators were probably all prepared, right?
“River Earl Bingyi…” Bai Ze, nestled on the sofa, drawled, a strange smile appearing on her face. “Didn’t those fox cubs from Tushan tell you to hunt Dongying’s divinity? Given your cultivation, I’m afraid that’s very difficult. But now, when you doze off, someone’s offering a pillow… Why not borrow the River Earl’s divinity and clash it against theirs?”
Jiang Yiguang rubbed her forehead, exasperated: “Are we even capable of dealing with the River Earl?”
Bai Ze nodded earnestly: “You can.” Seeing Jiang Yiguang look over in astonishment, Bai Ze shrugged and mercilessly exposed the River Earl’s dark history. “In the High Antiquity Era, the River Earl was a homebody with little skill but outrageous lust. Didn’t the scholars of Shenzhou write? ‘A fish-scale house, a dragon-scale hall, purple shell gateways, pearl palaces’ . Of course, this ostentation isn’t the main point. There’s also that incident, ‘Yi shot the River Earl,’ ‘blinding his left eye.’ Naturally, ‘and taking his wife, the Luo River Goddess,’ is fake, belonging to the romantic imaginings of scholars.”
“In short, he was the shame of the High Antiquity gods, pathetically weak.”
In just a few days, Bai Ze had fully integrated into modern society and seamlessly adopted its jargon to disparage people.
Yet Bai Ze’s disdain for the River Earl didn’t ease Jiang Yiguang’s concerns. Even the weakest deity was still a deity. Witness the Yellow River storm He stirred—a calamity capable of destroying cities.
Jiang Yiguang sighed with a complicated expression: “In the end, he is a god.”
“So what if he’s a god? Don’t harbor too much awe or illusion. Gods can also die.” Bai Ze’s gaze swept over Jiang Yiguang, then she said in a matter-of-fact tone, “Look at Xuanyuan. Didn’t he also rely on a mortal body to slay the Five Direction Divine Thearchs and ascend to the Heavenly Thearch’s throne? The ‘Emperors’ of the Mountains and Seas Realm changed hands many times. In the past, there were many gods with imperial titles in the Mountains and Seas, like Emperor Shu, Emperor Hu, Emperor Hundun… After these Ancient Emperors vanished, there were the Five Direction Divine Thearchs like Azure Emperor, White Emperor… But what of it? Either they submitted, or they were slain by Emperor Xuanyuan. After him, only one single Divine Thearch remained in the Mountains and Seas Realm.” Toward the end, Bai Ze, lost in reminiscence of the past, sighed deeply. Millennia had passed in a flash.
“Look at you. You studied under the same teacher as Emperor Xuanyuan, practice the same sword technique—roughly counted, you’re practically junior and senior apprentice siblings. How can you lack the courage to slay a single vile dragon?” Bai Ze sighed loudly.
Jiang Yiguang shuddered at Bai Ze’s audacious “roughly counted” connection. Although her moral standards weren’t particularly high, she wasn’t so shameless as to reach this level. And this relationship—could just anyone claim it? She nodded in admission: “Yes, I’m a coward.”
Bai Ze glanced sideways at Jiang Yiguang and scoffed: “Would you refrain from investigating just because you’re afraid?”
Jiang Yiguang: “…”
She wouldn’t.
She could be afraid, but she would no longer shrink back.
