The world is like a prison, my body is holy

Chapter 248 Northern Expedition
The following day, Wang Wen led six thousand aquatic demon soldiers northward to the Yellow River in a grand procession.

Along the way, Wang Wen, clad in black lacquered armor with mountain patterns and carrying a bright silver-plated spear, rode his black Qilin, leisurely walking on the river surface.

Beneath the river's surface, the three lords of the water palaces commanded over six thousand bizarre and ferocious aquatic demon soldiers, screeching and cawing as they swarmed upstream...

The enormous commotion stirred up white waves like raging torrents on the river, and a dense, demonic aura gathered in the sky above the river, forming a large, low, oppressive black cloud that followed like a shadow.

Wherever the massive demon army passed, the mountains and rivers changed color, passing ships hurriedly docked in fear, and countless birds and beasts whimpered and huddled in their nests, trembling.

The journey of just 300 li by water took Wang Wen and his water-savvy aquatic demon soldiers two full days and one night.

This amount of time was sufficient for the news of Wang Wen leading his troops to attack the Yellow River God to spread throughout the cultivation and secular worlds of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Even the Hunkun Zhenren at the foot of Huangshan Mountain called with his Water Mirror Technique on the first night, asking Wang Wen if he needed any help, saying that the three old guys should be able to make it in time if they rushed over overnight.

Yes, Master Hunkun didn't ask Wang Wen a single question about why he suddenly attacked the Yellow River God; he only asked if he needed help.

Wang Wen declined his senior's offer of help, only asking him to look up information about the ancient god of the Huai River.

Even after the Water Mirror Technique was removed, he chuckled to himself. His senior brother was getting on in years, but his inner fire was burning brighter than that of many young people!

On the afternoon of the second day, Wang Wen received a reply from the Hunkun Master.

Just as he was talking with his senior brother, Bai Zimo came out of the water to report that the scouts had discovered that the Yellow River God had gathered a large number of aquatic demon soldiers and stationed them at Banzhu in Xingyang.

Wang Wen responded with a curt "Understood," dismissing Bai Ziming. A strange glint appeared in his eyes as he muttered to himself, "It's Wuzhiqi... I should have known."

According to the information consulted by Hunkun Zhenren, the ancient water god of the Huai River was Wuzhiqi.

Wuzhiqi is one of the very few ape deities in the Taoist mythology system. Some scholars in later generations even claimed that Wuzhiqi was the earliest source of the image of the Monkey King...

It was only after hearing this name that Wang Wen recalled that when he fought Zhi Baiqing in western Hunan, Zhi Baiqing had indeed revealed his zombie form, which resembled an ape.

However, Zhi Baiqing's true form was too grotesque. Although he thought it looked like an ape, he subconsciously assumed it was a mutation caused by a zombie transformation and did not associate it with an ape.

Of course, you can't blame him for being ignorant. After all, one is named Wuzhiqi and the other is named Zhibaiqing. Who would have thought that they would be father and son?
Wang Wen had also experienced many supernatural events in the Great Zhou Dynasty. He himself had been a god for a long time and could now be considered a mid-level deity.

But Wuzhiqi was the first deity from a mythological story he encountered...

Although it was only an indirect contact, he still felt a subtle sense of astonishment.

How can I describe that feeling?
It's as if he's flipping through a thick history book and suddenly realizes that he himself is becoming a part of history.

"Junior brother, with a formidable enemy at hand, why aren't you focusing on fighting them? What are you doing investigating this?"

After hearing Bai Zimo enter the water, the Hunkun Zhenren on the other end of the Water Mirror Technique asked a question.

After a moment's thought, Wang Wenlue revealed Zhi Baiqing's identity to his senior brother without reservation, adding a piece of evidence at the end: "When I fought him in Xiangxi, he did indeed reveal his zombie form, which is enough to prove that this matter is most likely true!"

Like Wang Wen, Master Hunkun was stunned for several breaths before asking in a low voice, "Junior Brother, he has actually joined your ranks... shouldn't that be a good thing?"

Wang Wen nodded thoughtfully: "There shouldn't be any problem here, but I don't know... if there are any other backup plans."

Zhi Baiqing had sworn an oath to Heaven to serve him. If it wanted to rebel, it wouldn't be able to get past the Heavenly Lord.

Master Hunkun understood immediately, covered his hairline with his hand, gestured to show the image of a bald head, and gave him a "you know what I mean" look: "Junior brother, are you talking about... um?"

Wang Wen couldn't help but nod, "That's what I mean."

Master Hunkun also fell into deep thought for a moment.

The water in this pool of the Great Zhou is not deep.

At least those who have cultivated to the level of Wang Wen and Hunkun Zhenren are already able to wad through the Great Zhou as easily as a small pond.

Just like now, when Wang Wen heard that the Yellow River God was provoking him, he didn't need to waste too many brain cells. He could just gather his troops and deal with that long snake!
However, if this world also hides many hidden plans and spies of the upper realm forces, then the struggle becomes extremely complicated, like a small pond with an underground river connected to it.

Heaven knows where this underground river leads, and how many enormous creatures lurk within it...

Super powers like the Heavenly Court and Mount Ling, which span numerous worlds, possess incredibly deep and terrifying foundations. If they were to casually produce a pair of three, they could potentially become the kings and queens of the Great Zhou Dynasty today.

In the ancient times, when immortals and mortals lived together and powerful figures were everywhere, a character like Zhi Baiqing would at most be an enthusiastic spectator.

But it has managed to survive until today and has somehow become a Tier 0 version!

Even someone like Wang Wen, who could be considered a "chosen one" and a trendsetter of the times in every aspect, was far inferior to Zhi Baiqing in terms of hard power.

"Junior brother, what do you say..."

Master Hunkun suddenly swallowed hard, and asked in a low voice with some suspicion, "Could those demons and monsters in the various forbidden areas also be a backup plan left behind by the higher-ups?"

Wang Wen was startled and swallowed hard. Then, with a particularly serious expression, he said in a deep voice, "Senior brother, you'd better pray that your guess is wrong..."

When many high-ranking masters of the three talisman sects were trapped in the Black Bamboo Valley of Sichuan, he had a fleeting glimpse of it in the Water Mirror Technique.

Even now, recalling those enormous and ferocious figures, which were like giants, still makes him feel uneasy...

Even Master Hunkun was speechless.

The three sects of talismanic arts closed their doors and mountains for a period of time this year. Firstly, the expedition to Sichuan and Chongqing last year resulted in too many deaths and injuries, and they needed to close their mountains to recover their strength. Secondly, they were accumulating strength to guard against those forbidden zones.

The two brothers, burdened with worries, withdrew from the Water Mirror Technique, both feeling immense pressure.

They say that if the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up, but what if you are the tall one?

Before long, Wang Wen, who was walking on air, saw a similarly dense and impenetrable cloud on the horizon. The Yellow River, we've arrived!
"Speed ​​up the march!"

He probed the water with his divine sense, and at the same time, the sound rang in the ears of the three masters of the water palace.

The three masters of the water palaces received the order and accelerated their pace. The demons howled and roared, arrogantly stirring up waves two or three zhang high in the middle of the wide river as they went upstream.

Wang Wen gazed at the demonic cloud, gently clamped his legs around the Ink Qilin, and sent a divine thought to Zhi Baiqing, who was leading the army underwater: "Later, you will lead the vanguard and directly challenge that long serpent. Don't hold back, show all your strength and give us a good morale boost!"

He paused for a moment, then continued, "There's no need to worry about those heretics in the north. I've got everything covered!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Zhi Baiqing’s powerful voice rang in his ears: “This subordinate obeys!”

In the blink of an eye, two thick, demonic clouds were within arm's reach.

Without Wang Wen giving an order, Zhi Baiqing charged towards the Yellow River demons. His immense power created a wave several meters high on the water, which crashed heavily onto the place where the Yellow River demons were stationed.

"Oh!"

A muffled, loud bang came from the bottom of the water. The thick demonic clouds above the Yellow River demons seemed to be shattered by a hurricane. The surging waves and mud on the river surface were mixed with a large amount of blood and corpses.

A massive, bronze-cast-iron-like body rose from the riverbed and instantly transformed into a terrifying demon, over ten feet tall, with arms reaching past his knees, bone spurs growing from every joint, and a body spewing forth intense, fiery stench, its mouth filled with chaotic, crimson-red, black-toothed fangs!
It stood in the middle of the river, but the surging water only submerged its calves...

Faced with this colossal, imposing physique, even Wang Wen, an ally, couldn't help but look up and mutter to himself, "Holy crap!"

While he was thinking to himself, he was also a little proud. Back in western Hunan, he had dared to charge at this physique!

Even Zhao Zilong is not as brave as him!

"I am Zhi Baiqing, the Water Lord of Taihu Lake! You long worm, do you dare to fight me to the death!"

Zhi Baiqing, now in his true form, glared with a pair of scarlet eyes like red lanterns, pointed to a certain body of water in front of him, and roared angrily.

"Boom..."

The water exploded, and a four-clawed dragon with horns on its head, yellowish-brown scales all over its body, and a waist as thick as a water vat burst out of the water. It roared in shock and rage as it charged toward Zhi Baiqing: "This is too much! This is too much!"

As soon as Huang Jiao emerged from the water, a strong, pungent stench, like that of a basket of dead seafood that had been covered and exposed to the scorching sun for two days before the lid was suddenly lifted, filled the entire area.

"Bang."

Zhi Baiqing waved his hand, which was bigger than an eight-immortal table, and slapped Huang Jiaojiao's head away, which was spitting saliva.

Huang Jiao circled in mid-air, opened its blood-red maw, and spewed out a jet of water as turbid as the Yellow River, shooting towards Zhi Baiqing.

Zhi Baiqing remained unmoved, the "burning" corpse energy on his body condensed into a stream, and he went to meet it.

Two powerful energies met in mid-air, spraying yellow-green liquid in all directions like welding.

What is clearly a liquid substance, upon landing, produces a series of violent roars like boulders rolling down a mountain. Yet, with each drop of liquid that falls, all the surrounding flowers, trees, snakes, insects, and rodents wither, decay, and rot in the blink of an eye.

Seeing that his "Yellow River Heavy Water" technique was ineffective against Zhi Baiqing, Huang Jiao shut his mouth, withdrew the heavy water, and roared as he rapidly circled around, "Hurry, hurry, as the law commands!"

In an instant, a dense bolt of lightning descended from the sky, striking Zhi Baiqing with lightning speed.

Caught off guard, Zhi Baiqing was struck by these bolts of lightning, causing him to cry out in pain. His body crackled and popped, and even the fiery, corpse-like aura surrounding him flickered and swayed as if doused with ice water, as if it might be extinguished at any moment...

Seeing this, Huang Jiao immediately became even more vigorous in its circling, constantly chanting incantations and exerting its thunder magic as it tried its best, roaring loudly, "Hurry, hurry, as the law commands!"

In an instant, the Yellow River demons, who had been routed by Zhi Baiqing's sudden attack and were now fleeing in disarray, surfaced one after another, their faces bruised and swollen, waving their tattered battle flags and rusty weapons, and loudly cheering for their king.

On the other hand, the arrogant aura of the aquatic demon soldiers on the side of the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion, which had been clattering and howling, visibly diminished. They looked at each other in bewilderment, and then all looked at Wang Wen in mid-air, not knowing what to do.

But Wang Wen simply stroked the mane behind Hei Erniu's head with a leisurely air, observing the scene with a cold expression.

When Zhi Baiqing's screams grew increasingly hoarse, almost unable to conceal the pleasurable "groans" within, Wang Wencai finally couldn't stand it anymore and transmitted his voice, "Alright, you've had your fun, get back to work. How long are you going to keep up this act with such a second-rate piece of trash?"

This guy's acting was truly lifelike.

If Wang Wenruo hadn't personally struck this guy with lightning, he almost would have believed it...

In fact, as soon as the yellow dragon appeared, he had already figured it out. The strength of this yellow dragon was already very close to that of a demon immortal, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that it was only one step away from becoming a demon immortal.

This is evident from the fact that it has shed all its demonic form and is only one toe away from becoming a true five-clawed yellow dragon.

But if one is just one step away from becoming a demon immortal, then one is still not a demon immortal, but still a demon king.

With Zhi Baiqing's strength, beating an ordinary rogue immortal would be like a father beating his son. But beating this thing that isn't even a demon immortal, if he doesn't pee his pants after three punches, then his kidney stones must be big enough!
Well, Wang Wen also found it somewhat difficult to understand...

This thing's cultivation is only one step away from becoming a demon immortal, and its divine position is only one step away from becoming the River God. Instead of honestly hiding and getting through these last two difficulties, why is it showing up and causing trouble now?

"It's rare to encounter a mixed demon who wields lightning magic so skillfully; I couldn't resist..."

Bathed in the thunder, Zhi Baiqing chuckled sheepishly, his tone reluctant to part as if he were saying, "It's rare to find a technician with such excellent skills."

In fact, they are not far apart. As the saying goes, Yin gives rise to Yang and things will turn into their opposite when they reach their extreme. The weak zombies are most afraid of thunder. Even just hearing thunder can terrify them. But once a zombie has cultivated enough power, ordinary thunder magic becomes a health-preserving project that can refine the corpse body and corpse energy, comparable to a regular Da Bao Sword!

Upon hearing Zhi Baiqing's mocking laughter, Huang Jiao knew something was wrong and turned to rush into the water.

But as soon as it moved, Zhi Baiqing, who had no chance to enjoy himself, moved slightly, and his towering body instantly disappeared from the spot. Apart from Wang Wen, none of the other demons could even see the afterimage.

What's most abnormal about Zhi Baiqing isn't its indestructible defense, nor its towering physique, but its incredible speed, which is completely disproportionate to its size!
Unless you have absolute strength to crush it, it is practically unsolvable!
(End of this chapter)