Stone Fairy!

At the same time on the water surface,

Turbid waves surged into the sky, splashing water everywhere.

Waves surged one after another, accompanied by a muffled roar.

The wind howled, blowing the waves into a misty spray that covered the entire river surface, making everything invisible.

The large ship rocked violently in the waves.

Soon, streaks of azure light emerged from the surface of the large ship, spreading along its hull and enveloping the entire ship in a faint azure glow.

At the same time, dense runes appeared on the surface of the ship, slowly flowing across it.

After the runes lit up, the large ship stabilized.

"Lord of the City." A general staggered to Xie Tian's side, his voice low and filled with barely concealed nervousness.

"That Taoist priest."

Xie Tian stood on the attic, his hands gripping the railing tightly, his expression shifting constantly.

Xie Tian stared at the spot on the water where Dao Zhen had disappeared, unsure of what had happened underwater.

A faint golden light was emerging from underwater; he didn't know if it was Dao Zhen's magic or something else.

So Xie Tian turned his head and looked at Xie Ning standing beside him.

"Ning'er, what do you think?"

Xie Ning's gaze was also fixed on the water, his brows furrowed slightly.

She was also a little worried. Although Dao Zhen's cultivation was profound, she didn't know what the bottom of the river was like.

That green snake has lived for hundreds of years and has the potential to transform into a dragon. If we were to fight underwater, it's hard to guarantee that I wouldn't suffer a loss. But the situation is unclear now. If I were to act rashly, not only would I not be able to help, but I might also negatively impact Dao Zhen.

Xie Ning took a deep breath and suppressed her unease.

"Let's wait and see," Xie Ning said calmly.

Xie Tian nodded slightly, said nothing more, and turned his gaze back to the water.

The rain is still falling, and the waves are still surging.

Suddenly,

"Look!"

A soldier standing at the bow of the ship suddenly raised his arm, pointed into the distance, and his voice trembled.

"It's...it's that island!"

Everyone's eyes followed the finger he was pointing at.

Through the rain, on the gray, misty surface of the water, a blurry outline is slowly emerging.

It was a small island, about a hundred feet in circumference, with a temple visible in the center.

At that moment, the island was drifting towards the direction of the large ship.

Xie Ning's pupils contracted slightly.

"I never imagined... the rumors were actually true." Xie Tian stood beside her, his gaze slightly narrowed, and muttered to himself.

"An old turtle carrying a temple."

Under the tense gazes of everyone, the small island sank into the water and disappeared.

Riverbed

Daozhen stared at the wisp of mysterious light. He didn't actually know what it was. There was no record of such a thing in the Taoist temple's collection of books, and his senior brother had never mentioned it to him.

But strangely, the moment I saw it, a name naturally came to mind—True Nature.

As this glimpse of true nature emerged, the attraction grew even stronger.

The green snake's reaction was the opposite of Dao Zhen's. The green snake's whole body trembled slightly, feeling that the wisp of mysterious light was extremely dangerous and should not be touched.

"Can you take this thing away?" The green snake flicked its tongue, its voice slightly strained.

Upon hearing this, Dao Zhen did not hesitate. He raised his right hand and gently beckoned to the wisp of mysterious light.

That wisp of true essence slowly drifted toward Daozhen, and then landed steadily in Daozhen's palm.

The moment it touched Daozhen's palm, its true nature suddenly contracted, transforming into a blue pattern that imprinted itself on Daozhen's right wrist.

The lines were very fine, like a winding river, shimmering with a faint bluish light on Daozhen's fair skin.

As the true nature entered the true hand of Tao, all the strange phenomena disappeared.

The golden light receded, slowly gathering and shrinking back into Dao Zhen's body.

One by one, the ancient seal characters that had been floating in the air dimmed and disappeared back into the stone slabs and pillars. The wandering murals also gradually came to a standstill, their colors fading and returning to their original state.

The riverbed returned to its previous tranquility, with only the glowing stones still shining.

On the altar, the dragon statue suddenly emitted a muffled sound.

"Click."

A crack spread down from the top of the dragon statue's head, through its brow, and all the way to the base.

Then, with a crash, the entire dragon statue shattered.

Dark blue pebbles were scattered on the altar, and from among the pebbles, a fist-sized ball of blood-red light emerged.

The blood-red light was spherical, entirely crimson, yet it emitted a five-colored glow, which flowed and intertwined on its surface, making it both magnificent and mysterious.

The green snake's scales bristled, and excitement flashed in its eyes. Without hesitation, it lunged toward the ball of blood-red light, its small body drawing a green arc in the water.

The green snake opened its mouth and swallowed the ball of blood in one gulp.

As blood seeped into its belly, the green snake's body stiffened abruptly, its scales standing on end as if being forced open from the inside by something.

The green snake's body writhed violently in the air a few times, then suddenly fell silent.

The green snake opened its mouth and moved its body, as if sensing the changes within its body. Its scales reattached, and their color seemed a little darker than before, with a faint dark blue sheen.

"This one is mine now." The green snake turned its head and looked at Daozhen, a hint of smugness in its eyes.

Daozhen understood its meaning and couldn't help but smile.

"This is yours."

Dao Zhen had no intention of competing for it. The power contained in that blood-red light was incompatible with him, but instead resonated subtly with the aura of the green snake.

Besides, he didn't come here today to compete for any treasure.

Having obtained true nature, nothing else matters.

Daozhen looked around to make sure he hadn't missed anything, then prepared to leave.

"Are you leaving?" Green Snake's voice came from behind.

Daozhen stopped and turned around.

The green snake floated in the water, its small body curled up in a ball, its eyes fixed on him without blinking. The hostility in those eyes had long since vanished, replaced by a complex emotion that Dao Zhen couldn't quite understand.

"Hmm." Daozhen nodded.

"I want to go out too." The green snake hesitated for a moment before asking, "Can I come with you?"

Daozhen was slightly taken aback: "You're not staying in Heihe anymore?"

"No." The green snake shook its head, its tail swaying gently in the water. "After swallowing that ball of blood, I seem to have gained some memories."

The green snake's voice became somewhat low: "I cannot transform into a dragon in the water."

"I want to go down to the ground and take a look."

Daozhen looked at it and remained silent for a moment.

"if......."

The green snake suddenly twisted its body, its scales stood up abruptly, a cold glint flashed in its vertical pupils, and its entire body tensed up like a fully drawn bowstring.

"That old turtle is here."

The green snake's voice was cold and urgent.

Daozhen also sensed it; a chilling demonic aura was rapidly approaching.

Looking out.

The aquatic plants were shaking violently, the fish were scattering and fleeing, and an invisible sense of oppression came from afar, pressing down the aquatic plants, churning the mud and sand, and even making the water flow stagnate.

Then, a colossal creature slowly emerged from the dark waters, its limbs as thick as stone pillars, stirring up turbulent currents with each stroke.

As it drew closer, its enormous body gradually shrank, but even so, when it came close, it was still about ten feet in diameter, like a huge black millstone.

Those emerald green eyes first looked at the green snake, and then fell on Dao Zhen.