The divine manifestations began at the Gongwei Division.

Bottom of the Huanhua River.

The black dragon, which was seven or eight zhang in size, churned up the sea and slammed its claws down on Zhou Heng's body.

Zhou Heng rolled around in the water several times, his feet sinking deep into the riverbed, and slid backward several feet before finally regaining his balance.

The silt at the bottom of the river was churned up, and everything was muddy.

Zhou Heng muttered incantations, and a thin layer of gas separated him from the river water, allowing him to breathe freely even at the bottom of the river.

Magical arts, water-repelling spell.

Zhou Heng shook his sore and numb arms and a smile appeared on his face.

"Just as I thought."

He stared at the churning river ahead and muttered to himself.

"If it were a mid-level third-grade demon, it would not be able to be driven by Yao Lie at all."

"We're both seventh-rank officials, what can you do to me?"

Zhou Heng held his sword horizontally in front of him and stomped his feet hard on the riverbed.

Amidst the churning river mud, he charged towards the black dragon like an arrow released from a bow.

The black dragon was agile, and its only two front claws reached forward.

This demon-slaying captain killed Yao Lie, and his strength is indeed terrifying.

It was injured while traveling along the river, and its cultivation level dropped from the sixth rank to the seventh rank. The injury has not yet healed.

If they were to fight this demon-slaying captain on the water, it would be hard to say who would emerge victorious.

But at the bottom of the river, in the water, is his home ground.

Here, a mere martial artist's strength is reduced by at least 30%.

As long as I keep him occupied, it won't be long before he suffocates on his own.

Even a seventh-rank martial artist cannot hold their breath for an extended period!

With immense confidence, it thrust forward with its only pair of front paws, carrying boundless killing intent.

Zhou Heng remained expressionless, his eyes reflecting the two ferocious and terrifying claws.

He wielded his sword and fought fiercely.

The immense power cultivated from the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill and the Mysterious Tiger Overlord Body was fully unleashed in this single strike.

One is a dragon born from a different species, and the other is a human genius who has mastered the Xuanhu Overlord Body.

The two forces collided underwater.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment.

Immediately afterwards, a deafening sound rang out, and the river water rippled visibly, rapidly spreading outwards.

The river surface instantly seemed to boil.

The warships and pleasure boats were all pushed away by the waves and drifted into the distance.

Xue Zhiwei and Chen Zhaowu stared intently at the river, wishing they could jump into the water and lend Zhou Heng a hand.

But they all knew in their hearts that if they jumped down now, they would not only fail to help Zhou Heng, but would also become a burden.

Lower-rank cultivators are severely restricted in water.

Although Xue Zhiwei was a celestial official, she had never cultivated water-based celestial arts, so she was helpless in the face of this situation.

"Lu Zi'an!"

Xue Zhiwei called out loudly.

The Ghostwood Sword pierced through the air and hovered in front of her.

Xue Zhiwei tore off a piece of her skirt, bit her finger, and quickly wrote a few words on it.

"Go to the prefectural capital of Qizhou immediately, find the Qizhou Garrison Commander, and order him to come to our aid as soon as possible."

Xue Zhiwei said.

The commander of the Imperial Guard in Qizhou is a top-tier expert with a fifth-rank cultivation level.

The events in Dajin County were not worth the personal intervention of such a powerful figure.

It's different now.

No one expected that a dragon was hidden in Dajin County!

The dragon is a unique species. It can reach the sixth rank of cultivation upon adulthood, and can even break through to the fifth rank after successfully traversing the river.

Xue Zhiwei wasn't sure if the black dragon had reached adulthood, but what if it had?

If the other party becomes an adult, they will definitely be no match for them.

Lu Zian, possessing the Yin spirit body, could fly through the air and escape at an extremely fast speed when attached to the Ghost Wood Sword.

The tip of the Ghostwood Sword moved up and down twice, as if nodding in agreement.

The next moment, it roared away and disappeared into the night sky in the blink of an eye.

Xue Zhiwei's expression turned serious as he looked back at the river.

"Zhou Heng, you must hold on."

She murmured to herself.

It would take at least an hour for Lü Zi'an to arrive from Dajin County to Qizhou Prefecture, and for the garrison commander to arrive as well.

Zhou Heng, can you hold out for an hour?

…………

Bottom of the Huanhua River.

The Dragon Sparrow Blade stirred the river water and clashed with the Black Dragon's claws once more.

Whoosh!

Water splashed everywhere.

A look of surprise flashed across Black Dragon's face.

In the first collision, Zhou Heng was beaten so badly he was scrambling to his death.

Why was it that this time, the other side was able to fight it to a standstill?

The opponent can actually manipulate the river water; he's not a pure martial artist.

Zhou Heng coldly swung his sword.

The river water behind him surged, as if driven by the force of the blade, and slammed violently onto the black dragon's body.

Even with the Black Dragon's powerful body, it was slammed and rolled backward by the giant wave.

The Secret of the Rising Tide in the Azure Sea.

Zhou Heng cultivates the Azure Sea Tide Technique, which increases his power by 30% in places with water, and can even control the rise and fall of tides.

That is to say, he is only a ninth-rank celestial official now; otherwise, under the Azure Sea Tide Technique, a single giant wave could severely injure the black dragon.

Right now, they've only barely managed to repel the black dragon; they haven't been able to inflict any damage on it.

"Trying to play with water in front of me? Trying to teach a fish to swim!"

The black dragon was overturned several times by the waves, and in its anger and embarrassment, it roared.

Before it could finish speaking, a sudden sense of alarm arose in its heart, and all the scales on its body bristled.

A figure came riding the waves, his long sword slashing down on its head.

The immense force jolted it so hard it felt dizzy, and it seemed as if it saw rings of stars before its eyes.

The black dragon intended to retaliate, but its mind went blank for a moment.

In just that one instant.

Zhou Heng had already unleashed countless lightning-fast strikes.

Each strike landed precisely on the black dragon's head.

The blade clashed with the hard black scales, like the forging of iron, sparks flying everywhere, and the dull sound even traveled through the thick river water to the surface of the river.

"Aww—"

The black dragon roared in agony, its body twisting and turning, churning the riverbed and plunging the world into darkness.

Zhou Heng placed his feet on the dragon's head, held the Dragon Sparrow Blade upside down with both hands, and thrust it downwards with all his might.

puff.

The black scales, which had finally developed cracks after enduring dozens of blows from Zhou Heng, shattered with a resounding crash.

The Dragon Sparrow Blade plunged straight in, reaching the hilt.

The black dragon's body suddenly stiffened, its enormous eyes filled with disbelief.

It is unwilling to accept this.

If it hadn't been injured beforehand, and if it hadn't fallen to the seventh rank, how could a mere martial artist have possibly killed it?

The immense power of blood and qi flowed through the blade into the black dragon's head, instantly turning its brains into a paste.

The light in the black dragon's eyes gradually disappeared.

The several-meter-long body sank straight down.

[You slay a heavily wounded dragon with your blade, facing danger head-on and overcoming a deadly crisis with extraordinary courage, earning the reward: the magic spell "Summon Rain".]

A flood of memories exploded in Zhou Heng's mind.

He seemed to have regained his memories, recalling everything about the magic of summoning rain.

Summoning rain is half of the Heavenly Gang Immortal Arts' ability to summon wind and rain.

Because it's only half, it can only be used when there's wind.

This rain-summoning technique can not only be used to pray for rain, but it can also imbue raindrops with offensive power, making each raindrop a small sword.

Within a radius of several feet, it is within the attack range, and it is least afraid of being surrounded and attacked.

The only downside is that you have to wait for the wind to come.

However, this is not a weakness of the magic, but rather a weakness of Zhou Heng himself.

Once he learns the other half of this immortal technique, he will be able to master the true Heavenly Divine Immortal Technique and command the wind and rain!

Zhou Heng suppressed his turbulent thoughts, feeling that the immortal power within his body was almost unable to maintain the water-repelling spell.

With a push of its feet off the riverbed, it shot towards the surface of the river, dragging the black dragon's tail behind it.