The black canopy boat glided smoothly along the water. Tian Water descended from the far west, flowing eastward from Kunlun Mountain. After passing north of the capital city, it meandered and twisted for eight hundred miles, neatly splitting Mount Dongsan right in the middle.

Legend has it that thousands of years ago, Tian Water was blocked at its entrance to the sea by the descending Tianxuan Mountain. The river surged, turning a hundred miles into a swamp. Later, an unparalleled expert split the sky with a sword, allowing Tian Water to return to the sea.

After the decline of the Green Cloud Taoist Temple and the Slaughter Life Monastery, Tianxuan Mountain lost its name and gradually became Mount Dongsan.

As they entered Tian Water and headed eastward, they covered more than two hundred miles each day. This was because the terrain east of the capital was gentle, causing the water flow of Tian Water to be calm. It wasn't until they approached Mount Dongsan that the water would become turbulent.

After sailing for a while, the sun rose high in the sky. Around noon, the old man who had come with Lord Wang prepared lunch inside the black canopy boat.

Lord Wang returned from the bow of the boat. Standing there, Chen Xuanze and the other three felt awkward to enter and hide from the sun.

The lunch consisted of coarse rice and fish soup—rice from the boat and fish from the river. Although the fare was ordinary, the freshness was its advantage.

As they started eating, Chen Qianqian's expression changed. She pulled Chen Xuanze's sleeve sitting next to her and said, "There's demonic energy in the water."

Chen Xuanze had no doubt about the snake demon's ability to sense demonic presence. Without waiting to consult with Lord Wang, he quickly got up and rushed out of the cabin.

At this moment, the boat was sailing with the current under a clear sky, the sun shining brightly. Within the four to five miles of the river around the black canopy boat, waves as high as ten yards surged forward. In each wave, there was a shadow.

Chen Xuanze focused his gaze, and information kept flashing in his mind.

"Carp demon, forty years of cultivation. Evil, suppress." "Crab demon, seventy years of cultivation. Evil, suppress." "Turtle spirit, one hundred and fifty years of cultivation. Evil, suppress." "Shrimp demon, one hundred and eighty years of cultivation. Evil, suppress." ... The information was dense, numbering over a hundred.

When Chen Xuanze looked towards the front of the boat, facing upstream, he saw waves approaching that were three yards high, and a nearly ten-yard water column suddenly appeared a hundred meters away in Tian Water.

"Earth Dragon Demon, eight hundred years of cultivation. Evil, suppress." This was quite something – fourth rank, eight hundred years of cultivation. This was probably the leader today.

The waves surged to within three yards of the black canopy boat, then strangely returned to calm.

Chen Qianqian and the other two had followed out, standing behind Chen Xuanze. Lord Wang, dressed in a red robe, sat in the boat, alternating between bites of rice, fish, and fish soup. The chewing sounds resonated continuously, showing meticulous eating habits.

The monsters, about a hundred meters away from the black canopy boat, formed a circle and slowly tightened their grip. After a while, Lord Wang finished his meal, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, and said, "Uncle Lü, collect it. Those brats won't eat." The old man who came with him on the boat chuckled and emptied all the food, including the meals for Chen Xuanze and others, into the river right in front of them.

Once Lü, the old man, finished washing the dishes with the river water and returned to the cabin, Lord Wang slowly walked out. By this time, the monsters surrounding the black canopy boat were only about thirty meters away.

"Chen Xuanze, who are these newcomers?" Lord Wang nodded, and Chen Xuanze replied, "Reporting to Lord, an earth dragon with an eight-hundred-year cultivation and no less than thirty water monsters below two hundred years, and no less than seventy water monsters below one hundred years."

Lord Wang chuckled, then looked at Chen Qianqian and asked, "Little snake demon, with the bloodline of the feathered serpent overseeing the cycle of life and death, what do you think is the best way to handle these monsters?" Chen Qianqian, still gazing at the spot where Lü had poured the food, spoke naturally, "All water creatures? Boil a soup! It must taste great!" Realizing it was Lord Wang who asked, she blushed. Lord Wang laughed even more and teased, "So much! Can you finish eating?"

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Seeing Lord Wang in good spirits, Chen Qianqian shyly replied, "Reporting to Lord, I can eat it all." Last time, when she had the Hundred-Snake Feast made from the flesh and blood of her kin in the Beast-Suppressing Hall, she discovered the Demonic Concealment technique, which had effects similar to those of the Slaughter Life Monastery's technique, raising her cultivation. Otherwise, why would it taste so delicious? To Chen Qianqian, the waves around were not monsters but rather elixirs!

Watching Chen Qianqian's embarrassed expression, Lord Wang laughed even more and quipped, "So much! Can you finish eating?" Seeing Lord Wang wasn't angry, Chen Qianqian shyly replied, "Reporting to Lord, I can eat it all." It was then that she realized Lord Wang had asked her. She blushed even more.

Lord Wang continued to look at Wang Qingxuan and asked, "Little Taoist, what do you think?" Wang Qingxuan hesitated. According to the practices of his Qingyun Sect, they would undoubtedly kill them. But Lord Wang's question indicated a deeper meaning. As he hesitated, Lord Wang's expression changed back to its usual cold demeanor. Then, he sternly scolded, "Don't always think about the Heaven's condemnation on your Qingyun Sect. Remember, kill when necessary. How about this? Do you think the decisive killing spirit of your Qingyun Sect has been worn away over the years?" After this admonition, Wang Qingxuan woke up and responded loudly, "Lord, this disciple understands. When these monsters dare to block the way, they shall be killed!" Ignoring others, he sat cross-legged on the deck. With closed eyes, he chanted a scripture with increasing volume.

"In chaos, an axe cleaves through, distinguishing the clear and turbid. The Great Tao encompasses three thousand paths, each leading to the Qingyun. The Qingyun condenses the clear aura of heaven and earth, governing all things, protecting the mortal realm, and sweeping through the universe. For those who commit evil in this world, their sharpness will be dulled, their bodies untangled, their bones crushed, and they will be turned to dust. Dust returns to the Qingyun, to heaven and earth..."

Initially like the buzzing of mosquitoes, then resonating like the tolling of a great bell, and finally penetrating the soul with an aura of slaughter. The hesitant voices rolled out, and the approaching waves towards the black canopy boat inexplicably slowed down.

In the midst of this, Chen Xuanze listened in fascination, unconsciously sitting down like Wang Qingxuan. Unlike him, Chen Xuanze didn't use any finger techniques; he simply moved his lips quickly.

"Compassionate one, in the east of Yama, there is a mountain called Iron Enclosure, its mountain is dark and deep, devoid of sunlight or moonlight. There is a great hell named Extreme Without End, and another hell called Great Avīci. There is also a hell named Four Corners, and another hell..."

In the midst of this chanting, Chen Xuanze's recitation of the Soul-Calming Scripture gradually mixed with Wang Qingxuan's voice.

On the river surface, the mist slowly condensed above the black canopy boat, forming a bizarre statue nearly ten feet tall. With a mixed crown, a robe, a staff in the left hand, and a rosary in the right, with eight arms wrapped around a long sword.

Blue and gold intertwined.

The waves slowed down, showing signs of dissipation.

Lord Wang, in a red robe, watched with a twitching mouth. The people recruited by the Beast-Suppressing Hall were quite something. They managed to create such a strange figure that was neither divine nor human nor ghost by skillfully enhancing the power of the condensed figure.

Lord Wang was somewhat shocked, and the power of the Qingyun Scripture from Wang Qingxuan, combined with Chen Xuanze's unidentified scripture, could actually rival the fourth-rank Divine Movement Realm of Daoism!

Thirty meters away, a water sword nearly ten feet long swiftly flew out from the water column formed by the earth dragon demon, directly piercing the chest of the eerie figure.

Lord Wang did not intervene, and he watched as the condensed figure of water vapor was shattered. The scattered water vapor created a myriad of colorful lights, each containing the two colors of blue and gold.

After the eerie figure was shattered, Chen Xuanze and Wang Qingxuan both spat out blood simultaneously, then gradually regained consciousness.

Watching the listless two, Lord Wang cursed, "Who taught you to play your lives recklessly? Do you think I don't exist? Suppressing demons is only necessary when there's no other choice. What? Do you think I can't handle them after all these years?" Wang Qingxuan lowered his head in shame. Just after being scolded by Lord Wang, he impulsively started reciting the Qingyun Scripture.

Chen Xuanze felt somewhat wronged. Listening to Wang Qingxuan's scripture, he unconsciously recited along without realizing he was using the Soul-Calming Scripture.

Seeing Chen Xuanze's aggrieved expression, Lord Wang added, "You can only use what belongs to you. How much do you understand this scripture? After I finish off this group, you'll transcribe it a hundred times on the boat!"

Chen Xuanze then realized he had been played by the Soul-Calming Scripture, not the other way around. Just as Lord Wang finished scolding them, Lü, the old man, came out from the cabin holding a long package. Unwrapping it, there was a three-foot green blade emanating waves of cold air and a steel spear divided into two sections.

Lord Wang reached out and took the long sword, saying to Lü, "Uncle Lü, let me do it." As soon as he said this, Lord Wang soared into the air.

Standing in mid-air, he didn't look at the approaching water column but spoke to the four little guys on the boat, "The confidence of the Beast-Suppressing Hall in suppressing demons comes from strength!" After saying this, the three-foot green peak turned from an inverted grip to a standard grip. With the sword pointing straight down and following the sword, he descended. The expected water splashes did not appear. Lord Wang knelt on the water's surface with one knee, and the Autumn Water Sword entered the river water. With the sword as the center, a cold white light flashed.

The endless waves solidified in place.

In the frozen waves, water creatures were encased, one by one.

The most conspicuous was the long corpse of the earth dragon in a thirteen-meter ice pillar. A red line ran from its head to its tail.

Dead with unblinking eyes.

If they had known that Wang Qingzhi had reached the third rank, even if it killed them, they wouldn't have hurriedly come to their deaths with young and old.