The True Lord has arrived

Chapter 245 The River God Appears Divinely
Xu Zhilan stammered, "No, nothing."

For some reason, her heart suddenly started pounding, her face flushed red, and she almost dared not look up at the young Taoist priest.

The wedding procession tried to slip away quietly, but then they heard the young Taoist's calm voice:
"It seems that I have not yet asked you to leave."

The dozen or so people froze on the spot, not daring to move.

Zhou Yan's gaze swept over the area and he noticed that Xu Zhilan's legs were bound with rough hemp ropes, firmly securing her to the ancient sedan chair—obviously to prevent her from escaping midway. He flicked his finger, a streak of light flashed, and the ropes snapped in two.

"Come down."

"Yes... thank you, Daoist Master."

Kaiming straightened his clothes from behind the rock and calmly walked out. He looked at the Water Demon lying on the ground, curled his lip, and couldn't believe how this thing dared to do that.

Who gave him the courage?

Then I noticed the head of the white-haired sorceress.

Kaiming seemed to be deep in thought:
"...Sharp and decisive, the decision to act is stronger than before."

"Was it the battle with the Lord of War that caused his nature to lean towards decisiveness and ruthlessness? Was the killing intent in his bloodline awakened..."

The training course for military commanders has yielded remarkable results!

Those who survived all said it was great!
Zhou Yan looked at Kaiming, whose voice rang in his ear: "I know you have many questions and confusions, but this is not the right place to talk. Let's send these people away first, and we'll talk about it later."

“They are just ordinary people in this world, with limited knowledge and suffering from floods. They are easily bewitched by these sorceresses and shamans. Now that you have killed this water demon, if you claim to be a Taoist priest from the Supreme Pavilion, performing the work of slaying demons and eliminating evil.”

“They won’t be grateful to you; instead, they’ll resent you for cutting off their ‘lifeline’.”

"As long as the interests remain, it won't be long before new 'water gods' and sorceresses emerge."

"It would be more effective for them than simply to persuade them to stop, to call themselves the water god and then issue an order in the name of the water god to stop such behavior."

“Teach according to aptitude, and choose words according to their nature.”

"That is the most effective."

Kai-ming, who is usually easygoing, was unusually calm and clear in his analysis at this moment.

Zhou Yan nodded slightly, agreeing with his judgment.

On the other side, Xu Zhilan wanted to get off the sedan chair, which was just a few wooden planks, but because of the strong anesthetic, her legs were weak and she almost fell to the ground. Zhou Yan reached out and helped the girl up.

Another middle-aged man knelt on the ground, trembling as he said:
“This, this Taoist priest.”

Kaiming, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, frantically gave Zhou Yan meaningful glances.

Hurry, hurry up!

'Once these guys have labeled you, the rumors will change once you go back—'

Zhou Yan noticed Kai Ming's gaze. He picked up the three-pointed, double-edged sword that had been reforged and tempered with the help of the true essence of the War God, turned around, and walked towards the surging river.

Kaiming coughed lightly, facing the bewildered crowd.

He knew that these people had not committed any evil intentionally, but had been misled. However, the people in the ordinary villages and towns here were limited by the times and regions, and needed to be punished and guided at times.

Kaiming put his hand to his lips, coughed, and said without changing his expression:
“My lord is the water god of this land of Sichuan. He once subdued dragons and tigers, and his merits are immeasurable. However, he was in seclusion to cultivate recently. I never expected that such an arrogant monster would come out, seize the water palace, and do things to bewitch the people.”

"Today, the divine sage has manifested!"

"Exterminate the evil spirits and their accomplices, and sweep away the evil influences. From this day forward, you shall obey the divine decree of my Lord, and shall no longer engage in lewd sacrifices, nor shall you offer human sacrifices to harm the innocent!"

The middle-aged man cowered and asked tremblingly, "And who are you...?"

Kaiming said, "Me?"

His eyes darted around, and he thought that if we were talking about age, he could probably be Zhou Yan's ancestor. He had watched Ji Xuanyuan grow up. Kaiming was one of the three gods of Kunlun, with a long lifespan. Time and seniority meant nothing to gods.

Kaiming felt that he couldn't beat this kid and it wouldn't be good for him to gain an advantage.

But we can't afford not to take advantage of it!
So this was actually quite a sight to behold, but the unshaven scholar in the blue robe clenched his fist, coughed lightly, and said without changing his expression, "Me? I'm his older brother!"

His seniority isn't high, but it's not low either.

Perfect, perfect!
Zhou Yan did not notice Kai Ming's subtle actions. He stood by the river, watching the water surge past, and a faint ripple appeared deep in his eyes. This was not a supernatural power like Kai Ming's Dharma Eye that his true body possessed, but rather a Buddhist technique.

Zhou Yan saw the resentment and unwillingness surging in the river, and he saw figures, including the 'water god's wife' who had been murdered over the years, as well as those whose lives had been drowned and swallowed by the so-called water god demons who stirred up the water system.

Their fear and resentment flowed in the water, almost solidifying into a tangible force, becoming extremely intense.

On a night when the yin energy is extremely heavy, it may even condense into a form, transforming into a water ghost, and drag innocent people into the water. Then, the resentment in this place will increase and become heavier.

If left unchecked, sooner or later more innocent people will suffer calamity here. Zhou Yan slowly exhaled.

If you haven't encountered it, you can ignore it.

Having witnessed such a thing, how can I pretend it didn't happen?
Kaiming had already spoken, and the dozen or so people there subconsciously looked at the young Taoist priest. The young Taoist priest, with graying temples and wearing a dark blue Taoist robe, was carrying a specially made weapon that was the most dangerous weapon in the Tang Dynasty.

A long-handled Mo Dao (陌刀), with three points and two blades.

Lift it up, then slam it down hard.

The reforged and tempered sword rested against the ground at its end, and in an instant, a golden ripple spread out. This was a Buddhist technique, yet the young Taoist used it casually.

Kaiming only knew that Zhou Yan was related to Fuxi and Nuwa and knew Nuwa's unique top-level transformation techniques. He did not expect that this young Taoist was actually a practitioner of Taoism, Buddhism, and military strategy!
Military tactics, honed through the training of the Master of War, have reached an extremely high level, and the power of Buddhism is no less formidable.

The Garbhadhatu Mandala barrier unfolds directly.

This is a supreme supernatural power in Buddhism, built upon the foundation that the spiritual nature of all sentient beings is one and equivalent to that of all Buddhas. It is also a gradual and progressive method of cultivation, tracing back to the cause of sentient beings' attainment of Buddhahood.

In an instant, the golden light enveloped the entire water system, and the resentment, hatred, unwillingness, and fear left behind by the innocent victims were all captured by the young Taoist priest within it.

"........."

Zhou Yan held a three-pointed double-edged sword in one hand, and held the other hand upright in front of him, forming a Taoist hand seal. His voice was clear as he chanted the Taoist Rebirth Mantra.

The great supernatural powers of Buddhism trace back to the many grievances and resentments, and then use the Primordial Chaos Realm of Taoism to deliver all the souls.

Such extraordinary phenomena could be seen with the naked eye. Upon witnessing such a scene, the members of the wedding procession immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed, no longer doubting what Kaiming had said about the true identity of the young Taoist.

"A deity, it really is the Water God!"

"Thank you, immortals, for descending to earth and vanquishing the demons!"

"Thank you, Immortal, for descending to earth and slaying the evil spirits!"

Zhou Yan lowered his hand and looked at them. The respect these people had for him at this moment was probably the same as their fear of the sorceress and the water demon. There was no essential difference between the two.

The young Taoist lowered his eyes, calming the ripples in his heart, and said in a calm voice:
“All those who sacrifice human lives are evil gods, and I will surely exterminate and destroy them. After you return, live in peace and prosperity, and do not cause any more trouble.”

"Yes Yes!"

Xu Zhilan gritted her teeth, looked at Zhou Yan, and wanted to plead for her not to go back. Zhou Yan said, "This woman has a karmic connection with me, so she will stay by my side for now as a servant. You should not worry about her and turn back quickly."

"Yes Yes."

The crowd felt as if they had been granted a pardon and quickly left.

Xu Zhilan breathed a sigh of relief and was about to perform a grand ceremony of worship when Zhou Yan helped her up. The young Taoist said, "In any case, it was I who killed that sorceress. You are the so-called wife of the water god she chose. Your situation will not be good after you go back."

"If the young lady has other relatives, she can go and seek refuge with them later."

"This humble Taoist priest can give you a ride."

Xu Zhilan bowed and said, "Thank you, Immortal."

Zhou Yan said, "I am not some immortal. I am a disciple of the Taishanglou Temple."

Kaiming said, "But they're not much different from immortals."

The young Taoist priest said, "I only have a little bit of Taoist skill."

Kaiming stroked his chin: "It was just fighting against Chi You, the Lord of War."

Zhou Yan said, "At this moment, I am barely able to protect myself."

Kaiming cheerfully said, "So, let's forget about offering ourselves in return."

The veins on the young Taoist's forehead bulged, and a hand descended from the sky, tapping Kaiming's head. Zhou Yan's lips twitched, and his tone was gentle: "You really want me to hang you up there?"

Mouth Cannon Kaiming then spoke up to beg for mercy, saying, "Alright, alright, let's go first, let's go first, this is not a place to stay for long."

Zhou Yan wasn't angry, but he felt that this guy's mouth was really not honest at all. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Okay, wait for me a moment."

He walked directly to the water's edge, transformed into a fish, and leaped into the water. The surface of the water was turbulent, and the sounds of clashing swords could be faintly heard. The waves surged and blood was visible. A moment later, the water was torn apart, and the young Taoist emerged from the water, his robes fluttering as before.

“This water palace feeds on people. I will go down and wipe out all the demons in this water palace, killing them all.”

Kaiming couldn't help but exclaim inwardly, "What a bloodthirsty nature!"
His expression remained unchanged as he said, "That's good, it saves us the trouble of sending a message."

"Go, go!"

Riding the clouds, he brought them back to the village. He first sent Xu Zhilan to stay with Consort Shen, then had Zhou Yan come to a quiet place. After a moment of silence, Kaiming felt it was time to take out the jade book and said:
"I have a few things to give you."

(End of this chapter)