Primordial Era: The Great Serpent of Yunmeng

Chapter 67 The Suffering of the First Emperor

Qi deliberately revealed the Water-Controlling and Divine Staff, which was a way for them to save face in front of outsiders, since Hongjun might come.

After all, being scolded by a colleague of the same level and being scolded by a boss are two different things that people find acceptable.

Outside the Yunmeng Marsh, Qi stood on the water holding the Water-Controlling Divine Staff, coming to welcome these earth deities who were called water gods but were actually gods of wealth.

Ignoring the expressions on the faces of Zu Long and the others upon seeing the Water-Controlling Divine Staff, Qi extended an invitation:

"Gentlemen, please enter the marsh."

After speaking, Qi turned and left without waiting for their response.

Zulong had a premonition about this situation but didn't care. He turned to look back at the group but was almost overwhelmed by their behavior.

You are all born holy beings, how can you be so shameless as to do such an unsightly thing?

All eight hundred water gods had their eyes shining with spiritual light as they frantically recorded the water patterns of Yunmeng Marsh. Several of them had even gone into the water to sense the fluctuations in the current with their hands.

These people were the Four Rivers Water Gods and the Three Rivers Water Gods. The other water gods were tempted, but some were too ashamed to admit it, since their behavior had already been shameful enough.

Zu Long thought to himself, no wonder Qi Lian didn't want to say another word. If he were in this situation, he wouldn't want to stay any longer either.

Being watched by over eight hundred innate deities with eyes shining with spiritual light was a scene that even Hongjun, let alone Qihe and Zulong, had never witnessed before.

These water gods no longer cared about the dough; since there were so many people, everyone was busy making it. The real important thing was to remember the water patterns.

If they fail to obtain the flow data of Yunmengze, they can rely on these water ripples to reduce a lot of calculations when they return. By simply remembering a little more, they can save several eons of effort.

As Qi flew ahead, more than eight hundred innate saints followed with their bright eyes, which put considerable psychological pressure on Qi.

As everyone entered the prayer hall and took their seats, the banquet naturally began.

Qi and Zulong, the water gods of the four rivers and three streams did not appear at the banquet. The water gods at the banquet were entertained by Di Jun and Fuxi.

Qi and the others arrived at the pavilion in the center of the pond. Besides them, Taiyi and Nuwa were also present in the pavilion.

"Gentlemen, I don't need to elaborate on why you've come here. As the head of all water systems in the world, how should you deal with your actions? You should all know the importance of Yunmeng Marsh."

Pray that your voice is calm.

Zu Long himself looked troubled.

After a long pause, the First Emperor finally spoke:

"Fellow Daoist Qi, this matter is indeed our fault, but we are truly unaware of the events at Yunmengze."

"Don't tell me this. I'm too lazy to listen to your attempts to shirk responsibility. Whether I go out or not, as long as Yunmeng Marsh remains undisturbed, there will be no worries about floods in the world."

"Having done such a stupid thing, why aren't the local governments providing basic social security taking any action? Or are they already aware of it but choosing to do nothing?"

"Desiring to accomplish great things, yet only seeking immediate gains, resorting to trickery and deceit, forgetting one's roots and responsibilities, disregarding the weight of authority, and abusing one's power!"

After scolding them angrily, Qi asked them a question.

"How are the powers of the gods, earth deities, and divine beings exercised, and what are their responsibilities?"

Everyone remained silent, and even Taiyi and Nuwa dared not utter a sound.

"The celestial gods are in charge of the weather and celestial phenomena, regulating the yin and yang energies of heaven and earth. They are the three powers of heaven, manifesting their forms and moving about, acting according to the seasons and changing as the times change."

"The Earth God governs mountains, rivers, and all things in the earth, nurturing all living beings. It is the way of the three realms, hidden and unseen, emphasizing stillness and automaticity. It does not exert its power unless there is a calamity."

"The divine beings are in charge of the changes in heaven and earth, and have the ability to change the world. They are responsible for maintaining the balance between heaven and earth, and for the sake of humanity, they must seek change and put it into practice."

"You are both earth deities and divine beings, what have you done?"

Seeing that they did not respond, Qi spoke again.

After hearing this, the group was filled with shame and their heads were almost touching their chests.

"As a local deity, do you admit to abusing your power for personal gain, violating the principles of the Three Realms, and engaging in water-diversion?"

Qi looked at the group of people.

The crowd struggled to speak:

"recognize."

"As the head of all water systems in the world, influencing all living beings in a region, and with numerous water gods under its jurisdiction, now that this has spread to the primordial world, it has failed to fulfill its supervisory responsibility. Do you admit this?"

"recognize."

"As a primordial deity, you colluded with humans and gods, failed to fulfill your responsibility to educate all living beings, betrayed heaven and earth, and deviated from your duties. Do you admit it?"

"recognize."

Finally, instead of looking at the other water gods, Qi spoke alone to the Ancestral Dragon:

"This matter arose because of the Dragon Clan, and was orchestrated by you. The energy of the four seas has been damaged, and you have disregarded even a single region. Do you acknowledge this?"

The First Emperor nodded and said:

"We acknowledge that this is the responsibility of the Dragon Clan."

Qi then said:

"You are truly the master of all the water systems under heaven. Whether you knew about the Yunmeng Marsh or not, whether it was a conspiracy or there were genuine fools involved, it is still your fault. Do you admit it?"

"I admit it. I am the master of all the water systems under heaven, and I have committed this wrongdoing by turning a blind eye. Whatever the reason, I am responsible."

Seeing this, Qi said nothing more, but simply took out the Water-Controlling and Divine-Subduing Staff, placed it on the platform, and said:

"Accept the punishment himself."

Qi then fell silent, rose, stepped back, and stood to one side.

Taiyi and Nuwa turned green with rage, wishing they could just disappear on the spot.

They regretted coming here, not expecting things to escalate to such a high level, especially since several of them were already at the pinnacle of innate divine power.

Qi and the others were both earth deities and water gods, so naturally they weren't worried about these things. But they were afraid that if they stepped out of this door, they would be silenced!

Zu Long and the others had no time to care whether Taiyi and Nuwa were present or not; their eyes were fixed on the Water Control and Divine Subjugation Staff.

They could sense that the Water-Controlling Divine Staff seemed to exert a special suppression on them, but having made a mistake, they had no choice but to accept it.

Finally, the Ancestral Dragon gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, dissipated his protective aura, and took a step forward.

The Water-Controlling Divine Staff seemed to sense something, its body surrounded by spiritual light, and it flew towards the Ancestral Dragon on its own initiative.

With a single strike, the ancestral dragon was forced back to its original form, a colossal dragon hundreds of millions of feet long crashing down beside the pavilion in the center of the pond.

The dragon's scales shattered, and golden blood seeped from its wounds.

The Water-Controlling Divine Staff was raised high once more and smashed down on the dragon.

The dragon was instantly covered in blood and flesh, with parts of its broken body exposing its bones.

This scene stunned everyone; even Qi had never imagined that the Water Control and Divine Subduing Staff would be so powerful.

Seeing the Water-Controlling Divine Staff raised once more, Qi was about to retract it when the Ancestral Dragon shook his head to stop him.

The Water-Controlling Divine Staff fell again, and the Ancestral Dragon was struck so hard that his bones were torn apart. He had already transcended the realm of the Heavenly Venerable God, but now he was on the verge of collapse.

Another blow from the staff caused Zu Long's realm to plummet, making him no different from Yuan Feng and the others.

As the fifth blow landed, a golden dragon of destiny flew out from the Ancestral Dragon's body and took the blow in its place.

The golden dragon, struck by the staff, lost its golden luster, its scales shattered, and its aura became weak and listless.

After this strike, the Water-Controlling Divine Staff ceased its attack and returned to the stone platform.

After a moment, the Ancestral Dragon recovered and transformed back into human form. He slowly stood up, his face pale and a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth.

"The First Emperor will remember this mistake and never repeat it."

The First Emperor spoke to the Water-Controlling Divine Staff.

The people present looked at each other in bewilderment.

(End of this chapter)