Pre-Qin Mythology: Starting with the River God

Like soaring freely!

The curtains were drawn when thunder roared!

Clouds and wind...

Thunder and rain...

Heaven and earth send it off, shining as brightly as the sun and moon, descending upon the water, where mist and colors all bow down to welcome the Lord of the Clouds.

……

Such a grand display?

Quan Ming looked at Yun Zhongjun entering his water palace with a puzzled expression, but still stepped forward politely and said, "Greetings, Yun Zhongjun."

Yun Zhongjun blushed slightly, looking somewhat helpless, and chuckled, "These past few days I've been in the Jing Mountain range, using wind and clouds... to set up that barrier array. The clouds around me are connected to the mountain range, and the wind around me is connected to the water veins; at this moment, the clouds move and shine, and the wind rises and gains momentum. Only when the barrier is fully set up can my divine power return to me... At this moment, I am somewhat presumptuous, and I hope Lord Zhaoyang will not take offense."

As he spoke, Yun Zhongjun pulled out a wisp of wind from his divine power. This wind carried the scent of the land beyond Chu, with a faint earthy smell.

Lord Yunzhong said, "I saw this strange wind in the north. It should be an anomaly in the fortune of Yong Kingdom. Therefore, this wind brings with it a sense of energy, telling me that they are observing this..."

"This wind can predict the invasion of the Yong Kingdom."

"But... this is the only time... Yong Guo Dao Tian has discovered me and is on guard. Next time, I may not be able to catch the next wisp of energy."

Quan Ming listened to Yun Zhongjun's refined yet unrestrained words.

The confusion in my heart dissipated.

The gods and immortals exert their divine power to influence the mortal world, and the mortal world will also influence the gods and immortals. This is unavoidable, and we can only adapt to it.

After catching that wisp of energy, Quan Ming invited Yun Zhongjun to take a seat.

Inside the main hall, Quan Ming used the power of the Water Palace, employing 1,400 Daoist rhymes to unleash the "Art of Mind Formation," expanding the heavens and earth and transforming it into a paradise to accommodate the divine power emanating from the assembled immortals and gods.

Thus, the seven seats in the main seat are now filled.

Seated in order are: Lady Xiang, Lord Xiang, Nine Phoenixes, Quan Ming, Lord Yun Zhong, Shao Siming, and Goddess of the Han River.

At the bottom, the Tai Sui Divine Envoy is the first on the right, followed by the various venerable lords of the third level of the Dao Heaven, the chief deities of the second level of the Dao Heaven, and the mountain spirits and water immortals of the first level of the Dao Heaven...

"play music."

Quan Ming then used his ability to "enlighten his subjects" to temporarily transform many river fish into dancers and musicians, ordering them into the palace. Dressed in splendid attire, they held various musical instruments, and after a few chimes, they played elegant music, their slender waists swaying as they performed graceful dances...

"Ladies and gentlemen... please."

Quan Ming then gestured to Feng Hua, and soon a large number of temporarily enlightened servants brought various dishes and fine wines into the palace.

All the vegetables are spring produce, and wine is a rare treat.

These were delicacies prepared by Quan Ming's subordinate spirits during this period. All the immortals and gods were delighted upon seeing them and tasted them.

Then, Feng Hua stepped forward and roasted a lamb over the fire in the center of the hall.

Then he distributed the minced meat from the cauldron to everyone.

The bell was struck and music was played.

They ate from the array of tripods.

Even the gods and immortals rarely witnessed such a banquet. For a time, the guests were all delighted, chatting and laughing.

……

……

Outside the Water Palace, Red Ball, who should have been working in the kitchen, cautiously peeked out from the stone gate. Upon seeing the green-haired turtle that had tricked him into searching all over Zhaoshui with some grand secret about the 'Cloud Dream Celestial God,' he was furious and angrily exclaimed, "You dare come looking for this immortal!"

The green-haired turtle, its head tucked in, chuckled a few times, and said obsequiously, "Great Fish Immortal, this time it's for real! I sensed the location just now, and this time we're sure to find the location of that great secret!"

Big secret...

The Heavenly God of Yunmeng did not rely on the Dao Heavens of various countries, but only on his own cultivation in the Yunmeng Marsh, and thus reached the secret of the eighth level of the Dao Heaven.

This is a great opportunity for these spirits and monsters to defy fate and rival the gods!

Red Ball puffed out his cheeks and huffed, but he still couldn't resist the temptation. He said, "...If you lie to me again this time, I won't let you off the hook. I'll make you experience what it's like to be stuck in the mud for three months!"

As he spoke, he angrily slapped the green-haired turtle with his fin.

The green-haired turtle pursed its lips and tucked its head even lower, plunging the area into complete darkness. Only the mottled fluorescent spots on the inner wall of its shell converged to form a guiding line.

"No, no, I have the bloodline of Luo Gui in my veins!"

"You know the Luo Turtle... It's the auspicious beast that brought the Luo Shu (Luo River Book) during the legendary Yu the Great's flood control efforts."

"With this bloodline, I am a natural expert at finding veins underwater."

Upon hearing about the Luo Gui bloodline, the red ball scoffed, "Do you know that I now possess twelve Daoist auras? Considering my cultivation level as a human spirit, that's 120 years of cultivation... Hmph, your Luo Gui bloodline is no match for my ordinary little carp bloodline!"

"……this."

A look of envy flashed in the green-haired turtle's eyes.

Clearly... clearly just a few months ago, this little carp only had one Daoist aura protecting it, while he had three. He only addressed the red ball as "Great Immortal" out of respect for the Water Mansion, but now...

Twelve Paths, who knows how long he'll have to stay in the cave cultivating.

The green-haired turtle didn't answer the red ball. Instead, it burrowed through muddy areas and river rocks, bypassing places with surging currents, and emerged with its head covered in water plants.

"We've arrived...we've arrived..."

Suddenly, he pointed excitedly into the distance and exclaimed, "This is it! We really found it... Hey!"

"...Found it?"

The red ball transformed back into the boy's body, looking ahead.

He had searched for so long without any news, but found it so easily today. Red Ball was unsure if it was real or not. He stopped in his tracks, hesitant to go forward.

Because in front of us is the boundary between the Zhaoshui River and the Zhangshui River.

As a subject of Lord Zhaoyang, he naturally had the protection of Zhaoshui. But once he left Zhaoshui, what could he do with his twelve Daoist auras? Therefore, he had long ago decided that he would never leave Zhaoshui before reaching the level of one hundred Daoist auras.

"Why aren't you leaving?"

The green-haired turtle, puzzled, looked back and remained where it was.

Red Ball had clearly learned Quan Ming's temperament, and now he spoke his doubts directly, stating that if Green Turtle did not explain, he would never go there, much less help Green Turtle.

At this moment, the green-haired turtle also realized that this place was already the border of Zhaoshui.

He scratched his head...

The reason for cooperating with Hongqiu was to use Zhaoshui's authority so that he could be confident of entering the land left behind by the Yunmeng Heavenly God.

Unfortunately, the secret realm was right in front of them, and if they missed this opportunity, they didn't know when the next one would come.

At this point, the green-haired turtle could only tell the truth: "To be honest, we were able to find this place today thanks to Lord Yunzhong... Lord Yunzhong's mist stirred up the water veins of this area, which allowed me to sense it through my turtle shell... But to enter, we still need the authority of the Zhaoshui River to protect us, otherwise even if we have a hundred or a thousand Daoist auras, we would probably die in the secret realm."

"...Can you mobilize Zhaoshui's authority?"

Mobilize Zhaoshui's authority!

Red Ball's eyes widened like a fish's. He yelled, "Why didn't you say so sooner? If you had, I wouldn't have believed you!"

He wielded power over Zhaoshui... a sliver of power.

Without authority, he would be unable to command the spirits within the Zhao River. Therefore, Lord Zhaoyang bestowed upon him some authority. However, Lord Zhaoyang sensed the use of this authority. It was fine when he was protecting shipping during wartime, but now, if he were to use it, he would likely face questioning.

Can……

After searching for months, his target was now right in front of him. If he gave up, how could he possibly achieve success in his cultivation and avenge his blood feud?

I remember the long-horned water snake that killed my clan...

Red Ball gritted his teeth.

……

hum!

Quan Mingben, who was at the banquet, raised his wine glass and was about to drink when he suddenly sensed something. The figure of the red ball flashed in his eyes. He realized that the red ball had mobilized the power of the Zhao River at the confluence of the Zhao River and the Zhang River.

Ok?

Quan Ming was surprised; why was this kid here during the banquet?

Puzzled, he drank the wine, not knowing how much, and secretly used the power of Zhaoshui's authority to sense that the red ball had entered an unknown place after mobilizing its authority. There was also a tortoise beside it, which needed Zhaoshui's protection to be safe. Quan Ming agreed, lest the boy die outside.

As for where he went, he still needs to get a deeper understanding.

But suddenly, he found that his senses were blocked.

"boom!"

At that very moment, the Zhao River suddenly trembled, and the entire water palace shook violently. The immortals and gods who had been smiling, raising their cups, and watching the dance and music inside the palace suddenly became clear-eyed and all looked outside the water palace at the place where the Zhao River and the Zhang River met...

……

……