You, this wild Taoist priest, dare to look down on me? I can summon the wind and rain when I rise up, and when I'm angry, I can flood the riverbank for dozens of miles. Within a radius of 30 miles, every year people offer sacrifices to me, and every year they pray to me. Do you know this, little Taoist priest? The carp spirit in the river seems to have been provoked by Chen Jing's calm tone and words.

  Chen Jing furrowed his brow and said coldly: You have obtained the opportunity but not calm your mind to cultivate, instead you stir up trouble and falsely claim to be a divine spirit. Truly, you do not know the height of heaven or the thickness of earth.

  The carp spirit said with a carefree attitude: I, the river god, have killed even the river god, what's there to fear? That day, I thought you, this little Taoist, were already dead. Otherwise, why would I have let you onto the shore? Hurry up and leave, or else I'll stir up the waves and flood that River God Temple.

  Chen Jing's hand tightened slightly on the hilt of his sword, and the blade quivered, but then returned to stillness. He said nothing more, just gazing out at the vast river.

  Under the beautiful scenery, there is often a fatal danger, and the carp spirit is hidden in this picturesque river.

  All things have spirits, grass, trees, fish and insects, flowers, birds, beasts and stones all have the possibility of attaining Tao. There are carps in the river that become spirits, it's not surprising at all.

  The sky brightened up, and Yan Luoniang came to the River God Temple with a group of children again, wanting to hear Chen Jing tell some stories about immortals, and wanting Chen Jing to perform magic for them to see.

  Chen Jing asked them if they had seen any monsters.

  His words had barely left his lips when they all fell silent.

  Chen Jingru narrowed his eyes and continued to ask: You all know that there is a carp spirit in the river, don't you? Although he said "you", but his eyes were fixed on Yan Luonang.

  Yan Luoniang looked at the great river below the River God Temple, then looked at the River God statue, and only then replied: I know.

  At once they all looked at Chen Jing and nodded, saying they had seen him before.

  But then a little child whispered: Father said it's not a carp spirit, but a river god.

  In an instant, one by one they stopped speaking again.

  Seeing them like this, Chen Jing would naturally know that they had become carp spirits and river gods.

  It is not a river god, but a carp spirit. If it were a river god, it would not require the sacrifice of one boy and one girl every year.

  Yan Luoniang suddenly raised her head and looked at the river god statue that had already lost half of its body, her voice was not heavy, but there was a deep resentment in her tone.

  Chen Jing was slightly startled, yesterday evening he heard the carp spirit mention the annual sacrifice, he thought it was a sacrifice of three animals and six domesticated animals, but unexpectedly it was a human sacrifice. A killing intent suddenly surged up in his heart. He made an excuse to practice, letting everyone leave. And he sat in the River God Temple with spiritual energy to temper his sword body, he decided to kill the carp spirit, then leave, which would be eliminating a harm and also repaying kindness.

  The moon is bright and white, the sky and earth are covered with silver frost. As night falls, the people in front of the river are awakened by the surging waves, at first they don't care, thinking it's just raining, but after listening for a while, they realize it's not that simple. In the midst of the turbulent waves, there is an ear-piercing whine and a strange, eye-catching din.

  "This is the River God's wrath." Many people thought immediately.

  Some of the bolder ones came out to look for high ground towards the River God Temple, and saw a person standing in the moonlight in front of the temple, with one hand moving in front of his body as if writing or painting in mid-air. On the river surface, there was a fish about the size of a fishing boat that was flipping over. Above the fish, a sword hovered with a faint white glow, wandering in the moonlight, and the sword was like a bird preying on fish, stabbing down from high altitude, retreating, and then stabbing again, extremely agile.

  And the giant fish in the river, under the sword light, set off huge waves and instantly shrunk back into the water.

  They didn't know that it was Chen Jing, but at this time they were all frightened or worried in their hearts, afraid that Chen Jing would provoke the carp spirit and make a big wave to flood their village. They were afraid of returning home, but deep down they still hoped that Chen Jing could really kill the carp spirit.

  The fight continued until dawn before it ended, and no one dared to enter the river to fish for a whole day on the second day.

  Until noon, Yan Luoniang arrived in front of the River God Temple. She looked at Chen Jing sitting on the ground with his eyes closed and meditating. When Chen Jing opened his eyes, she immediately asked excitedly: "So your magic is real!" Then she pointed to the sword on Chen Jing's knee and said: "This sword can also fly, like lightning."

  Chen Jing smiled and said: The people in your village all let you come ask what.

  Yan Luoniang's look of surprise immediately disappeared, and she lowered her head slightly, saying in a low voice: Everyone asked me to ask you, who won last night.

  Chen Jing was not surprised at all and smiled: No one won last night.

  Yan Luoniang hummed a sound, sat for a while, wanting to speak but stopping herself. Chen Jing had already closed her eyes. She stood for a moment before turning around and running down the riverbank.

  Chen Jing quietly sat and cultivated his spirit, using his vital energy to nurture his sword.

  At night, under the moonlight as frost, a person stood in front of the River God Temple, waving his hand, and a streak of light burst out, shooting straight into the river.

  Another night of surging waves and billowing waters.

  The next day, Yan Luoniang rushed over early in the morning and asked directly: Who won and who lost?

  There is no win or lose. Chen Jing replied.

  On the third night, the moon was fuller, and the sky and earth were as bright as day. The silver light spread out, and the moon's halo was like frost.

  The sound of the river waves crashing against the shore grew louder, and from time to time, strange laughter and faint sword hums could be heard coming from the river. In the distance, on higher ground, there were even more people watching. Almost all the villagers along the riverbank, regardless of age or sex, had come to watch.

  Only in the sky, a sword-like divine spirit appeared and disappeared, flashing and uncertain. One moment it was in front, the next it was behind, sometimes seeming to split into two, other times stretching out a long beam of light that slashed down.

  The river's surface was turbulent with waves several feet high, a huge fish was swimming erratically in the river, churning the water.

  The sky had not yet brightened, and the battle had just ended when Yan Luoniang arrived.

  Chen Jing saw her slightly evasive gaze and his heart sank slightly, only to hear her say: The clan leader asked me to ask you, how confident are you that you can win the battle.

  Chen Jing didn't answer. The carp spirit's magic was profound, and he had been cultivating for over a hundred years. If he hadn't been unable to use any magical techniques, Chen Jing wouldn't have been able to engage in a magical battle with him for so long.

  Yan Luoniang looked at Chen Jing, who didn't say a word, and continued: "The clan leader said that if you've recovered from your injuries, please leave. She gazed at Chen Jing, and although his expression didn't change much after she spoke these words, she somehow felt that he must be very uncomfortable.

  She knew that Chen Jing was thinking of the only demon in the river who could stir up trouble, but even after three days of trying his best, he couldn't do it. If she were the tribe leader, she would never have told him to leave.

  Chen Jingwei closed his eyes and sighed after a while, his voice somewhat suppressed.

  He knew what everyone was worried about, and he had wanted to behead the evil carp spirit earlier, but unfortunately his magical powers were not enough to do so. After fighting for three days with all his might, he still couldn't achieve it, and continuing to fight would also be futile.

  When Yan Luo ran down to the River God Temple, Chen Jing wrapped his sword in the tattered clothes he had worn before and stood in front of the temple, gazing at the turbulent river surface. He felt a strong fishy smell from the river wind, sighed silently, and turned around to leave.

  Suddenly, a faint mist rose from the River God Temple, growing thicker and thicker. Chen Jing furrowed his brow and stopped in his tracks. From within the thick fog, an old man emerged from the River God statue, holding a staff as tall as himself made of dark wood, wearing clothes identical to those carved on the statue. His hair was white, and he looked like he could be blown away by a gentle breeze.

  The old man shouted: Chen Gongzi, slow down.

  Chen Jing stood in the moonlight, looking at him in surprise. The old man said again: "Why did Master Chen leave in such a hurry?"

  I won't leave, what else can I do? Chen Jing felt a special aura from him, not the calmness of a cultivator, nor the demonic energy, but the kind that made him feel like he was seeing the mountains and rivers, the grass and trees.

  He suddenly thought of the gods in the world, only the gods of mountains and rivers would have such an aura. This made him think again of the vengeful spirits besieging the city gate of Qianluomen, but the river god was much higher than the city god.

  Is the carp spirit causing trouble in the river, and will Master Chen just stand by and watch as it brings harm to humans?

  Chen Jing turned his head to look at the river and said: I heard that the River God was killed by this carp spirit back then, my cultivation has only been for three years, how can I resist the carp spirit's hundred-year magic?

  The old man in the temple of the river god was slightly stunned, then sighed, but did not speak for a moment. Chen Jing looked up at the moon in the sky and saw that it had already sunk to the west. He turned around and walked towards the dark riverbank.

  Just then, a voice came from the River God Temple behind him: Chen Gongzi, are you willing to protect this land and water?

  Chen Jing stopped and turned back to look, only to see the old man standing at the gate of the River God Temple. That body which seemed like it would be blown away by a gust of wind had an unexpectedly heavy feeling to it.

  If he had the ability, he would naturally be willing to protect his hometown. Chen Jing replied and turned around to leave again.

  Chen Gongzi slowed down his pace. I think you also know what kind of person I am. I only ask you, are you willing to accept the River God's edict and protect the water and soil of this region?

  Chen Jing stopped again, and the old man continued to say: "I am the river god of this Xiu Spring River domain. One hundred years ago, I was injured by a fierce alligator, and it wasn't until fifty years later that I slightly recovered. However, I was defeated once more by the carp spirit in the river. As for today, I fear that I will never recover again. I want to pass on this position of river god to you, Chen Jing. Please accept this imperial seal as a token of my appreciation for your village's kindness."

  Chen Jing couldn't help but think of a book he had read on Mount Qianluo, which said: According to legend, three thousand years ago, the Heavenly Emperor of the Heavenly Court divided the gods and immortals of the world, determined their ranks, and issued imperial decrees as proof.

  Could this be true? Chen Jing thought to himself, but only smiled slightly and said: If I were to obtain a divine position, my whole life would be subject to the constraints of the imperial edict. I cultivate the Dao of Immortality. As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around and was about to leave.

  The old man in the temple of the river god quickly said: "I have one more word, Chen Gongzi slow down."

  An old man said to Chen Jing, standing on the riverbank: "If you attain spiritual immortality, you can live as long as heaven and earth. Cultivating the Tao is at most cultivating longevity, there is no difference. Moreover, the Tao is difficult to achieve, why does Master Chen abandon what is near and seek what is far?"