Just as the old patriarch forced me to my death, I achieved the unity of Dao and fruition.

Within Yunzhou, a large river flows from west to east across the entire territory; this river is called the Canglan River.

The river is a hundred miles wide and its waters are vast. Almost all of the dozens of waterways, large and small, in Yunzhou are connected to it.

The Qinghe River in Qinghe County, where Gu Changjin had previously stayed, was just a tributary of the Canglan River.

In peaceful times, such waterways would be enough to sustain countless people along the riverbanks.

Unfortunately, this is a world rife with demons; the deeper the water, the more demons there are.

In the middle of the Canglan River, there dwells an ancient demon who has lived for countless years.

The people along the river call him the River God of Canglan.

In the records of the Demon Suppression Bureau, it is referred to as the Azure Water Lord.

His cultivation at the True Martial Realm was just one step away from becoming the legendary Great Sage of Demons.

However, it lacks that destiny. No matter how long it lives or how much blood it consumes, it can never overcome the final limitation of heaven and earth.

However, the True Martial Realm was enough for it to run rampant in Yunzhou. Even the guardian of Yunzhou in the past could only restrain it.

As long as the Canglan Water Lord doesn't truly overthrow several cities along its banks, the Demon Suppression Division rarely ventures deep into the Canglan River to fight it head-on.

Over time, the so-called "River God Festival" came into being.

Every year, people are sent along the coast, ranging from several thousand to tens of thousands.

In some places, death row inmates or purchased slaves were used.

But in remote villages and towns, there are not so many rules.

You can only go by lottery. If you get drawn, you're out of luck. You have to go whether you want to or not.

Tonight, the Canglan River, stretching for hundreds of miles, has been completely overturned.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A wave of water thousands of feet high shot into the sky.

Above the crest of the wave, a massive black shadow loomed in and out of sight, while the surrounding forces of heaven and earth converged wildly, and dark clouds pressed down from all directions.

At that moment, the entire Yunzhou seemed to hear a roar of extreme anger.

"Human powerhouse! We have no grudge against each other!"

"I merely consumed a few pieces of blood!"

"So you intend to sever my bloodline and take my life?!"

The sound rolled on, crossing the Canglan River and passing through city after city, almost resounding throughout the entire Yunzhou.

Countless people looked up at the same time in the night.

Deep within the Yunzhou Prefecture, in the tower guarding it, the Yunzhou True Man suddenly opened his eyes.

"The Azure Water Lord?"

He stepped to the window, looked in the direction of the Canglan River, and his brows furrowed instantly.

Who is fighting this old monster?

That person was at the same True Martial Realm level as him!

Moreover, the other party has the advantage of controlling the waterways in the Canglan River, so even if he personally takes action, he may not be able to capture them.

At the same time, Cao Xuan and several other ninth-tier demon warriors from the Yunzhou Demon Suppression Division also looked up.

All of them could feel the demonic aura that almost enveloped half of the state.

"The aura of a True Martial Realm expert?!"

"Has someone tampered with the Azure Water Lord?"

Cao Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly; of course, they didn't know exactly what had happened.

They had no idea where Gu Changjin had gone.

Upon hearing Canglan Shuijun's words "human race," a strange feeling arose in the hearts of the group at the same time.

The people who did it... they wanted to help, and they really wanted to help.

Even though he knew that it was extremely dangerous for someone with only a ninth-level cultivation to get involved in the True Martial Battle, a surge of impulse still welled up deep within his soul.

This impulse came without any reason, yet it was as natural as breathing.

The major families, sects, chambers of commerce, various cultivation forces, and high-level martial artists living in seclusion in Yunzhou.

At this moment, everyone was alarmed, and all eyes turned to the Canglan River.

"Who's gone mad? Why would they dare to storm the lair of the Azure Water Lord?"

"Could it be that the Guardian Master has made a move?"

"That's not right, the aura of the Guardian Master is still in the prefecture."

"Who could that be? Does Yunzhou have such a powerful figure?"

Those powerful figures were guessing, but the millions of people along the river reacted completely differently when they heard the voice.

In a small town, an old man in his sixties was sitting in front of his door mending fishing nets.

Upon hearing the words "Canglan Water Lord," the person immediately stopped what they were doing.

He knew that voice all too well.

Twenty years ago, the River God of Canglan was enraged and flooded thirty miles in one night. His two sons died in that flood.

Thirteen years ago, the town held a river festival, and his eldest brother's granddaughter was chosen by lottery. She was only fifteen years old!

She was wearing red clothes and was pushed into the river alive.

Last year, a demon under the command of the Water God of Canglan patrolled the river and, finding the offerings not fresh enough, dragged more than twenty young people away from the village.

No one dared to interfere, and the local government even made them send another batch of offerings to avoid "the wrath of the Water God".

How many bloody creatures will it devour?

The old man's lips trembled as he listened to the righteous voice in the sky.

For demons, they might really just be a few blood sacrifices.

But those "blood offerings" are other people's sons, daughters, wives, and fathers—living human lives.

Just as the entire Yunzhou was alarmed by the Canglan Water Lord.

A hearty laugh suddenly rang out from the Canglan River.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

The laughter was not as gloomy as that of the Azure Water Lord; on the contrary, it was extremely clear and cheerful.

At the same time, as that voice rose, the demonic aura that filled the sky was forcibly dispersed.

The next second, Gu Changjin's voice traveled along the power of heaven and earth, spreading across both banks of the Canglan River, and then continued to spread throughout the entire Yunzhou.

"No enmity or grudge?"

"I've been eating people for so many years."

"In your mouth, it all boils down to a few blood sacrifices."

The Water God of Canglan fell silent, and then the river churned even more violently.

Gu Changjin didn't give it a chance to continue speaking.

The Demon-Suppressing Blade was drawn.

Clang!

A sword's cry resounded throughout the heavens and earth.

"Remember this!! I am Gu Changjin, the Demon Suppressor of Yunzhou!!"

"Tonight I wield my sword not for any sect, not for any noble family, not for any king or general, but only for the ordinary human people in Yunzhou who still want to live."

"You demons have been feeding on humans for far too long, so long that you've come to believe it's perfectly natural."

"After tonight, there will be no more demons in Yunzhou! I said it!!"

Gu Changjin's voice wasn't loud, but every word he uttered was clearly audible to everyone.

Along the riverside villages and towns, some people stopped what they were doing, some came out of their houses, and some were holding their newborn babies, staring blankly in the direction of the Canglan River.

Over the years, the Demon Suppression Division has killed demons for merit, aristocratic families for resources, and martial artists for cultivation.

The lives of ordinary people like them seem to have never been important.

Even if hundreds or thousands die, people will still be reborn. Even if a whole village dies, people will still move there a few years later.

Even in the eyes of truly important figures, they are merely numbers within the larger picture.

But today, for the first time, someone has spoken so clearly.

He drew his sword for them, for all living beings under heaven!

Gu Changjin's voice rang out again, resounding throughout the heavens and earth, and echoing in everyone's hearts.

"Canglan Water Lord, didn't you ask me why I should kill you?"

"With this Demon-Slaying Blade in my hand! And with the fact that you've eaten people!"

boom!

The words fell.

A crimson blade of light, stretching for hundreds of miles, cleaved the entire Canglan River in two, exposing the riverbed to the moonlight for the first time.

Throughout Yunzhou, countless ordinary people listened intently to that voice.

A moment later, someone knelt down first, though it's unclear who it was.

It's not about kneeling before demons to beg for a way out, nor is it about kneeling before noble families or kings.

He simply kowtowed deeply towards the direction of the Canglan River.

Tonight, finally someone has drawn their sword for them.