Pre-Qin Mythology: Starting with the River God

Quanming Enters the Dao Heaven —

Fourteen hundred Daoist auras, combined with the fourth-order aspect of the astrological chart, supported the fifty-six-zhang [Appearance of Minister Yinzi], a colossal one hundred and sixty-eight meters tall, floating on the clouds of the Dao Heaven. Its divine might blotted out the sky, and the surrounding Dao Heaven immortals all retreated, respectfully bowing their heads on both sides, fearing to offend it...

And the Dao is like this.

Its body has no feet, and it is supported by the water that flows from the heavens.

His face was dignified, his eyes closed and he remained silent, yet his eyes held a divine quality.

His robes were dark blue, with intricate patterns, and his arms were wrapped in a water-like ribbon formed from the "Returning to the Elder Brother's Artifact - Cloud Register Book". The ribbon rose and fell around his body, and forty-nine divine statues appeared and disappeared, conveying the sounds of a powerful person's sacrifice and prayers.

At his waist hung a black bird seal, which at first glance appeared simple, but upon closer inspection, it seemed as if mountains were pressing down, causing a sense of awe.

Finally, there was a wisp of moisture suppressed beneath the seal!

That is?

Luo Shui's authority!

……

Such power is quite different from when I first came to Daotian; with the power over the two hundred li of Quanshui and the one hundred and eighty li of Luoshui, this divine might is comparable to that of those high-ranking immortals and gods!

"this……"

A surprised voice came from behind Quan Ming.

Today, Dao Tian summoned all the immortals and gods, and many low-ranking immortals and gods also entered this place. At this moment, seeing that Quan Ming was only at the second level of Dao Tian, ​​yet possessed such power, they were speechless and stunned, looking at each other, not knowing what to say.

Until a tentative question: "Immortal Quan?"

It turned out to be the Tiger Immortal of the Mountain.

Slightly flustered, he still carefully stepped forward and whispered with envy, "Immortal Quan, how are you? Your achievements this time are probably the greatest among all the immortals and gods, even those high-ranking immortals and gods cannot compare."

As he spoke, he stared intently at Quan Ming's Daoist countenance, licked his tiger lips, and felt a deep longing in his heart.

But soon, a look of gloom flashed in his eyes.

"I wonder when we'll have this opportunity. We didn't get such a good fighter jet, and we probably won't encounter one again."

Seeing Hu Xian's dejected state, Quan Ming comforted him, saying, "Hu Xian, why belittle yourself?"

"Everyone has their own path, but... it's just a matter of whether they can see it clearly, know how to exercise restraint, know when to advance and retreat, and dare to fight for it."

Upon hearing this, Tiger Immortal shook his head.

"It seems that Zhang Xian has not seen clearly, does not know restraint, and does not know when to advance or retreat."

"Um?"

Quan Ming was suspicious; what did this have to do with Zhang Xian?

Then Tiger Immortal said with a hint of sadness, "Zhang Immortal... died in this battle."

Quan Ming was momentarily stunned to see the image of Zhang Xian, a composed and melancholy yet gentlemanly old man, in his mind's eye. He was taken aback. Had he really passed away?

Why?

Quanming was not in Quanshui, and Luoshui and Zhangshui never met.

With his primary duty being guarding the Luo River, he hadn't paid much attention to Zhang Xian. Upon hearing of Zhang Xian's death, he could only inquire with Hu Xian.

Tiger Immortal truthfully said, "Zhang Xian, along with Mo Ao and Prince Luo of Jing Mountain, launched a surprise attack on the Emperor's army's supplies. At a critical moment, Mo Ao wanted Prince Luo to increase the chances of victory, but Prince Luo saw clearly that Mo Ao's suggestion was threatening, and he also knew how to restrain himself and knew when to advance and retreat. He did not go too far for the sake of the merits promised by Mo Ao."

"Therefore, in order to complete the Dao Heaven Trial and advance to the third level of Dao Heaven, Zhang Xian requested permission from Mo Ao..."

"In the end, as one might expect, he was killed by the arriving Zhou Tian Ri Shen."

"Moreover, because it was located under the heavens and had no protection from the Dao of Chu, the Sun God captured its soul and completely suppressed it with the secret techniques of the Zhou Rites, causing it to perish on the battlefield."

"..."

Quan Ming remained silent for a moment.

He witnessed the battle through the eyes of Black Crow. Black Crow only followed Prince Luo, protecting him and the Luo people, but did not follow behind Qu Xia. Unexpectedly, he missed the opportunity to save Zhang Xian.

It's all about timing and fate...

Quan Ming shook his head, and with a look of fear and lingering apprehension, Hu Xian entered the center of Dao Tian, ​​to the ancient battlefield. He found a corner around the battlefield altar, slightly restrained his divine power, and quietly took his place.

He did not inquire who had taken control of the Zhang River.

In any case, the matter is already settled, and the book of investiture is in the hands of the King of Chu, so we will know about it soon.

The Zhang River and the Zhi River meet.

I just hope it's not some idiot bothering him.

hum...

One by one, the immortals and gods entered the arena with their divine power. Soon, Xiangjun and Xiangfuren entered to avoid a repeat of the last time when Shaosiming entered early, causing the immortals and gods to panic.

As luck would have it, this position is right above Quan Ming's.

Quan Ming greeted Xiang Jun and Xiang Furen. The two gods, seeing Quan Ming's divine power, returned the greeting. Xiang Furen spoke softly, "In less than half a year, Immortal Quan has already taken control of three hundred and eighty miles of water. His influence is immense, and the breadth of his divine authority is no less than the Xiangxi waters that I currently control."

—The land of Hunan, with its three rivers and four streams—

The three parts of Hunan are: western Hunan, central Hunan, and southern Hunan.

The four rivers are water bodies: Xiang River, Zi River, Yuan River, and Li River.

At this time, the State of Chu only controlled parts of western and central Hunan, with the remainder in the hands of the Yelang Kingdom and the Nanyue tribes. The waters in the territory were limited to the complete Li River and part of the Yuan River among the four rivers of Hunan.

Today, Lady Xiang controls the Lishui River, one of the three rivers and four streams of Hunan.

The Lishui River is over 500 li long, running through western Hunan, south of the Yangtze River, connecting southwestern Chu with Yunze in the Yunmeng Marshland, and then flowing into the Yangtze River via Yunze.

The State of Chu used this river to control the Xiangxi region, deploying troops to suppress the Nanyue tribes that frequently invaded.

Its importance is even greater than that of the water!

However, judging solely from the length of the waterway, Quan Ming's waterway can indeed rival the power of Lady Xiang's waterway.

"Lady Xiang is too kind."

"Xiangxi is an important region, as it is the source of gold and copper for the Chu Kingdom. As a result, the Chu Kingdom's military equipment is well-equipped, which is incomparable to that of other regions. Moreover, one cannot advance to a high-ranking immortal god simply by considering water. You are a fourth-level immortal god of the Dao Heaven, so there must be a reason for this."

Upon hearing this, Lady Xiang smiled warmly.

Xiangjun was also satisfied.

They flattered each other and lived in peace. After a few words, the conversation turned to the country of Yong.

Regarding the Emperor's promise to Yongbo: If he kills Quanming and Luo Shizi, he can be promoted to the rank of Shanggong Tianming.

This is also a troublesome situation.

The emperor was not making a mountain out of a molehill, but rather doing so to stabilize the moral order of the various states.

Quan Ming and Luo Shizi both chose to return to Chu for the sake of the people's peace and stability; there were reasons for their actions, and each had their own motives.

But so what?

Under the Zhou Li system, no matter how immoral the monarch was, the people had to endure it.

How could one possibly follow the immortals and gods back to Chu just to survive?

To prevent a recurrence of the cases of Quan Ming and Luo Shizi... the emperor then offered a heavy reward to kill Quan Ming and Luo Shizi as a warning to others, so that all the gods and immortals of the various countries would know that the only consequence of such an act would be death and the annihilation of their spiritual power, thus upholding the Dao of the Zhou Dynasty!

Therefore, in the eyes of the emperor...

Quan Ming and Luo Shizi are doomed!

Of course, in the eyes of the King of Chu, Quan Ming and Prince Luo must be protected.

The high-ranking immortals and gods of Chu were also aware of this situation, and at this moment they were willing to grant this request in order to befriend Quan Ming.

"The Immortal of Power..."

Thus, Xiangjun proposed to Quanming, "The immortal of Zhangshui is dead, and Zhangshui is now vacant... Its waters are also close to Luoshui. Why don't my wife and I propose to Daotian that we exchange Zhangshui for Luoshui, and that you take over the Zhangshui area and merge it into Quanshui? In this way, having an immortal guard the Luoshui area will give you an extra shield, so you won't have to face the Yong Kingdom head-on?"

……

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