The world is like a prison, my body is holy

As evening fell, Liu Zhi'en, holding an imperial edict, returned to the mouth of the Banzhu River with Wang Wen.

Just then, Ao Qing and Bai Zimo, who had just returned victorious, along with Zhi Baiqing, who had been clearing the lower reaches of the Yellow River, led their troops back to the mouth of the Banzhu River. The timing was perfect.

Standing to the side and behind Wang Wen, Liu Zhi'en saw three towering waves, two or three zhang high, surging towards them from the upper and lower reaches of the mighty river. They collided at the river mouth in front of them, and three armies of demons and monsters with bright flags and bizarre shapes leaped out. The waves splashed violently, but not a single drop of water overflowed the riverbank...

"See the General!"

More than six thousand demon soldiers bared their fangs and claws, howling and shouting in unison. Their ferocious and arrogant aura swept over the land like a torrential rain, scaring Liu Zhi'en so much that her face turned pale. She subconsciously squeezed her legs together, feeling that these monsters had ill intentions no matter what.

But Wang Wen knew that these demon soldiers were indeed expressing their respect to him.

He waved his hand with a smile: "Thank you all for your hard work. I'll let you run the household and host a feast later, so everyone can eat their fill."

"Quack quack..."

Hearing this, the numerous demon soldiers became even more excited, shouting and yelling. Some crab demons even danced and swung their large pincers, diligently stepping on the faces of their "comrades" and running around.

Compared to the treacherous nature of the human heart, these foolish little demons and monsters are indeed simpler; their joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness are all written on their faces...

But this uproar caused Liu Zhi'en to get goosebumps all over her body and almost feel physically uncomfortable.

"All right!"

Wang Wen gestured to stop the demon army's jubilation, then said seriously, "Let's get down to business... Who won this battle?"

His gaze swept over Ao Qing and Bai Zimo.

With a smug look on his face, Ao Qing strode forward, his hands clasped, and loudly proclaimed, "Reporting to the General, in this battle, this humble general led his men to behead 15,000!"

Bai Zimo stepped forward dejectedly, clasped his hands, and said, "Reporting to the General, in this battle, this humble general led his men to behead 11,560 enemies... This humble general has failed to live up to the General's expectations!"

Zhi Baiqing stepped forward at the opportune moment and said in a serious tone, "Reporting to the General, I am far inferior to General Ao and General Bai. I have only beheaded a little over nine thousand people. Please punish me, General."

Although the outcome was predetermined, the process still had to be followed.

After this battle, the Yellow River aquatic creatures, which had once flourished in abundance, were completely wiped out!
Along the entire Yellow River, from its source at Qingtang to its mouth at the Bohai Sea, not a single powerful demon could be found. Even if there were a few that had escaped, they had been terrified by the ruthless slaughter by the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion and would not dare to cause trouble again anytime soon...

This is exactly what Wang Wen wanted to see.

This battle on the Yellow River was initiated by Huang Jiao declaring war on the Huainan Demon-Slaying General's Mansion. The Huainan Demon-Slaying General's Mansion was forced to mobilize all its demon naval forces to march north and meet the attack. The commotion on both sides caused a great stir throughout the entire cultivation world of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

It can be said that the entire cultivation world of the Great Zhou Dynasty is watching this battle closely!
As the rising star of the cultivation world in the Great Zhou Dynasty, and the most outstanding double-flower red stick among the human race, if Wang Wen loses this battle, then without a doubt, the entire landscape of the cultivation world in the Great Zhou Dynasty will undergo tremendous changes!

Even if the peerless swordsman Zhang Yong later intervened and killed Huang Jiao, he still couldn't suppress the restless mountain kings in various places...

But since Wang Wen won this battle, then without a doubt, human cultivators will continue to dominate the cultivation world of the Great Zhou. Those mountain kings, no matter how restless they are, must obediently cower and lie low, carefully keeping their ambitions hidden!

Why is it that humans can monopolize fertile lands and the finest cultivation resources, can shout and kill demons and monsters, and readily condemn all cultivators outside of humanity as heretics? Even though most demons are clearly being attacked and killed by humans, they still yearn to transform into human form and integrate into human society...

Could it be that the human body is the so-called "innate Dao body" most suitable for cultivation?
Bullshit!

Of course, it's because the human race has a strong enough fist and many powerful figures!

When humans set the rules of the game, all non-humanoid things will be degraded as evil, heretics, food, or tools.

However, if the demon race sets the rules of the game, then the human race will also be reduced to evil forces, food, and tools.

From Wang Wen's perspective, this battle was equally significant.

The Yellow River God was the first named and powerful demon king he defeated.

It's not that Zhi Baiqing and Ao Qing are nameless or faceless, but rather that they are either homebodies or regional demon kings, unlike the Yellow River God, whose territory spans the entire Great Zhou Dynasty. In terms of strength, influence, and reputation, he is enough to rank among the top three demon races in the world!
Wang Wen's destruction of it was a powerful deterrent to all demons and monsters in the world.

This was also a stern warning to all the demons and monsters in the world: 'Yes, my reach isn't long enough to cover every aspect of the Great Zhou right now, but don't get too cocky. If you mess with me, I'll wipe you all out in one go!'

He showed no regard for good or evil, and wiped out all the aquatic creatures of the Yellow River in one fell swoop.

This is all to make an example of someone!
……

"It seems that Ao Qing has won..."

Wang Wen smiled and glanced at Bai Ziming and Zhi Baiqing: "Are you convinced?"

Without hesitation, Zhi Baiqing replied, "I am completely convinced!"

Bai Ziming hesitated for a second, but still nodded and said, "This humble general is willing to accept defeat!"

"Excellent! I like demons who can accept defeat!"

Wang Wen nodded, turned his head and pointed at Ao Qing, saying to Liu Zhi'en behind him, "Eunuch Liu, announce the decree!"

Amidst the astonished and inquisitive gazes of the demons, Liu Zhi'en, trembling, tried her best to stand tall and walk to Wang Wen's side.

Wang Wen gently patted his shoulder and transmitted his voice, "Relax, cheer up, don't embarrass your family... I'm here!"

With just four words, Liu Zhi'en suddenly perked up like a cock injected with chicken blood.

He pulled out the imperial edict from his robes, slowly unfurled the scroll, and shouted in a high-pitched voice: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Ao Qing, a valiant general under Wang Wen, the Prince of Weiwu, Grand Tutor, and General Who Subdues Demons in Huainan and Pacification Commissioner of Huainan, is upright and righteous. He has rendered great service in the battle to quell the demons of the Yellow River led by the Prince of Weiwu, benefiting all the people. Therefore, Ao Qing is hereby granted the title of River God of the Yellow River and the title of Grand Master of the Silver Seal. It is hoped that Ao Qing will not forget the kindness of the Prince of Weiwu in nurturing him and will make new contributions... This is the imperial decree!"

Wang Wen stared at Liu Zhi'en in utter bewilderment: "Holy crap, this is the 'corrected document' you were talking about!"

Liu Zhi'en took a moment to give him a smug yet humble look: 'Your Highness, is this document neat and legible?'

After the imperial decree was read, a dazzling beam of dark yellow light descended from the sky and landed on Ao Qing.

Ao Qing looked up in a daze, and his body completely reverted to its original form—a four-clawed azure dragon with a single horn on its head!

"Awooo..." He looked up and shouted, and the single horn on his head, which looked like a rhinoceros horn, fell silently. A pair of pink, furry deer antlers grew on both sides of his forehead at a speed visible to the naked eye.

At the same time, the eerie and sharp aura emanating from him dissipated as if melting snow in spring, replaced by a majestic, grand, righteous, and peaceful aura as heavy as a mountain.

Even the fishy stench emanating from him, identical to that of the yellow dragon, transformed into a light, refreshing sandalwood scent in the blink of an eye…

The four-clawed azure dragon, bathed in a dark yellow light, circled joyfully.

As the primordial yellow light dissipated, it plunged headfirst into front of Wang Wen, transforming into a majestic and robust man in a warm blue light, wearing a purple civil official robe and a black gauze hat. He knelt before Wang Wen and kowtowed, saying, "General, your kindness in giving me a second chance at life is etched in my bones and engraved in my heart. I am willing to serve you for all eternity, to hold your horse and put on your stirrups, to repay your heavenly grace!"

The six thousand aquatic demon soldiers present all stared blankly at Ao Qing, who was bowing deeply to Wang Wenxing. Their eyes showed no contempt or disdain, only deep envy.

This is a prestigious title that countless demons dream of but can never attain!

If kowtowing could earn them official titles from the human race, then they could too...

With the official title conferred by the human dynasty, he was no longer considered a demon or monster, and was worthy of the title of a true god!
Even Ao Qing himself did not expect that Wang Wen would obtain an imperial edict of official recognition for it!
It thought that things were the same as before, except that it had brought the navy of Hongze Lake to take over the Yellow River and started to take over the position of River God from the beginning, trying to prove its position as Water Lord.

With this official document, it overcame the most difficult hurdle in proving its position as the River God of the Yellow River; the rest was just a matter of time.

It will take at least five years, or as little as two years, to surely obtain the position of River God of the Yellow River!
This is why so many demons crave official recognition from the human race.

In an era where humans set the rules of the game, the conferment of titles by humans is equivalent to a letter of recommendation submitted by humans to the Heavenly Dao. As long as the conferred titles are not foolish enough to cause trouble during the "probation period," the Heavenly Dao will usually acquiesce to the conferment of titles by humans.

Wang Wen bent down to help his capable general up, and patted its increasingly sturdy shoulders with a smile: "Don't just remember my kindness, son. You also have to be grateful to the hundreds of millions of people of the Great Zhou. I only helped you onto your horse so that they could send you to godhood!"

He paused, then turned to look at the six thousand aquatic demons who were gazing at him expectantly, and said in a resounding voice, "I have seen and remembered all your efforts and contributions. Work hard, do good deeds, and do the right things, and I will guarantee you all a bright future!"

The more than six thousand aquatic demon soldiers were all thrilled, crawling all over the ground and shouting in unison, "Great General is mighty! Long live the Great General..."

Liu Zhi'en stood to the side, grinning from ear to ear as she watched the scene unfold, completely oblivious to the monsters' presumptuous words.

……

Emperor Tianqi was not the only one who was shocked and put on hold by the news of the Yellow River Battle.

Ao Hei, the "Black Dragon King" who had recently defeated the White Snake King and completed his great undertaking of dominating the Yangtze River, was now sitting on pins and needles in his cave. At times he regretted that he should have swallowed that White Snake King so soon, and at other times he thought about abandoning his base in the Yangtze River and fleeing to another place...

The most heartbroken person after the defeat and death of the Yellow River God was not Emperor Tianqi.

Rather, it is the water god of the Yangtze River, the foremost of the four major rivers.

For several days in a row, it dreamed of the terrifying scene of endless layers of "King" banners blocking the gate of its own water palace.

On this day, an old tortoise that stood upright stood on the main hall of the Water Palace, looking flustered as it held a tortoise shell and shook it incessantly, but it dared not pour out the copper coins inside.

"Shake, shake, shake! The fire's already raging, and you're still clinging to your broken shell and shaking it..."

Ao Hei had just sat down in the chair when he stood up agitatedly again, his head sometimes transforming into the head of a ferocious black dragon, and sometimes into a burly, bald, black-skinned man with a square face and prominent ears: "Will you fight or retreat? You damn well better say something!"

All the dragons in the world revere the former Four Seas Dragon Kings. Not only do they all acknowledge the surname Ao of the Four Seas Dragon Kings, but this one has even copied the configuration of the former Four Seas Dragon Palaces exactly.

The old tortoise, urged on by Ao Hei, had no choice but to grit its teeth and pour the contents out of its shell, even though it knew the divination within was unclear.

Then a series of crisp "clinking" sounds were heard, and three copper coins slid out of the tortoise shell and shattered into eight pieces the moment they hit the ground.

At this moment, not only did the old tortoise, who was proficient in the Plum Blossom Divination, change his expression instantly, but even Ao Hei, who knew nothing about the principles of divination, felt his heart sink...

However, it still forced itself to ask, "Old tortoise, does this divination signify mutual destruction?"

The old tortoise shrank back shakily, thinking to itself, 'You can tell fortunes...'

"To put it more positively, this is a state of primordial chaos, where everything is possible."

It stammered.

Upon hearing this, Ao Hei's expression immediately improved, but he still pressed on, "What if we take the worst-case scenario into account?"

The old tortoise looked at him, somewhat exasperated, thinking, "Even with the divination like this, you still can't understand it?"

Ao Hei: "Say something!"

Old Tortoise: "To put it bluntly, it means that God has not given us a way out. Whether we fight or flee, we will not escape death!"

"Pfft."

Ao Hei plopped heavily into a chair, rubbing his bald head vigorously and muttering to himself in a daze, "I haven't done anything heinous or despicable, so why is this happening?"

"Report~"

Just then, a little demon with a small flag stuck on his back rushed into the main hall, knelt down and shouted: "Your Majesty, Huang Liu reported overnight that Ao Qing of Hongze Lake has been officially appointed as the Yellow River God by the Great Zhou Dynasty. He shed his demon form at the mouth of Banzhu River and transformed into a four-clawed blue dragon."

"What makes Ao Qing the River God?"

Ao Hei was furious upon hearing this: "Why did he receive an official title from the Great Zhou Dynasty? Isn't it just because he found a good master and became a dog for that evil star surnamed Wang... huh?"

Suddenly its eyes lit up, and it turned around sharply to look at the old tortoise.

The old tortoise stared blankly at it, its beady eyes slowly brightening, and even its dull heart began to stir!
'yes! '

The two demons exclaimed in unison, their eyes meeting with a sense of shared understanding and mutual respect.

He, Ao Qing, would be a dog for that Wang guy...

We can do that too!
As the saying goes, once the thought of surrender arises, the world suddenly seems vast and boundless. (End of Chapter)