Chapter 55: Severing Claws and Clipping Wings

"Has Daoist Jiang gained anything this time?"

Inside the Zha family's mansion, Zha Liangcai leisurely picked up a white Go piece and placed it on the board.

Jiang Sheng's expression remained calm as he casually dropped a black piece. "Significant gains."

"I intend to settle things with that entity."

Zha Liangcai's hand holding the Go piece froze, a trace of scrutiny crossing his face. "Daoist priest, why has it come to this?"

Jiang Sheng chuckled softly. "Entanglements of cause and effect are never a proper solution when dragged out. Better to make a clean and straightforward end of it. After all, even if that being has monumental connections behind it, what does that have to do with me?"

Zha Liangcai was stunned.

Jiang Sheng's expression told him that he was dead serious and that there was no room for negotiation on this matter.

"In that case, is there anything old man Zha can do to assist Daoist Jiang?" Zha Liangcai asked again.

Jiang Sheng shook his head. "My affairs will not drag Fellow Daoist into them. Just wait quietly in the city."

With that, Jiang Sheng bid farewell and returned to Qingping Mountain.

Zha Liangcai and Zha Liangping watched Jiang Sheng depart from afar. Zha Liangcai let out a faint sigh, saying, "Dongjun is about to lose its peace."

"Big Brother, Daoist Jiang is insistent on moving against the River God. What should we do?" Zha Liangping asked.

Zha Liangcai remained silent for a moment before replying, "Neither side is easy to deal with. What can we do? I would like to stop it, but can it be stopped?"

He sighed helplessly. "One is a proud prodigy of Penglai, and the other is likely a former sect master. When two powerhouses clash, it will be fortunate enough for us just to avoid being caught in the crossfire."

"Haven't you noticed? This lord doesn't even regard the three great Core Formation sects of Qingzhou as anything of consequence."

"He is going to punch a hole through the very sky of Qingzhou."

"Forget it. Tell the family members to reduce their outings. There's no telling when this lord will make his move, so we must avoid being collateral damage."

Zha Liangping nodded upon hearing this, though he still felt a sense of grievance. "It is a pity that our Zha family can only stand by and watch as outsiders in this affair. How wonderful it would be if we could participate."

"Match your actions to your strength, and banish these wild thoughts. Liangping, the clan is entrusted to you; I am going into seclusion for a time." Having said this, Zha Liangcai vanished from before Zha Liangping.

Zha Liangping gazed in the direction of Qingping Mountain, remaining silent for a long while before letting out a soft sigh. "In the end, there is still unwillingness."

With that, Zha Liangping penned a letter and handed it to a family member in the late stage of Qi Refinement. "Deliver this letter to Qingping Mountain without stopping, and make sure it reaches Daoist Jiang's hands. Tell him it is a token of sincerity from Zha."

The Zha family member accepted the order, took the letter, and hurried toward Qingping Mountain.

Five days later, the letter appeared before Jiang Sheng.

After carefully reading through the message, Jiang Sheng's voice was gentle. "Does Fellow Daoist Zha have any other instructions?"

"No others. The Elder only said this is a token of his sincerity," the Zha family member replied respectfully.

A wisp of spiritual fire ignited from Jiang Sheng's fingertips, reducing the letter to ashes. Jiang Sheng smiled and said, "Trouble you to return and tell Fellow Daoist Zha that I accept this sincerity. Tian Mingan, see our guest out."

After Tian Mingan escorted the Zha family messenger away, Jiang Sheng's gaze gazed deep into the Taiping River. "Remaining unshown to this day means his injuries have surely not fully healed."

"You are not in a rush, Fellow Daoist, and neither am I. When the year's end arrives, I will settle things with you once and for all."

With that, Jiang Sheng channeled a burst of spiritual energy to activate the Flowing Light Azure Water Array, and a curtain of light once more enveloped Qingxuan Taoist Temple.

A year passed in the blink of an eye.

The year-end of the 39,829th year of the River and Mountain Calendar was fast approaching.

Having lost the threat of the River God and the vast majority of local gentry, Qingshan County had undoubtedly lived in great peace over the past few years.

Zhang Qingyun practiced light corvées and moderate taxes, and administrative orders were smoothly implemented. The people of Qingshan County lived and worked in peace and contentment, presenting a scene of prosperity.

In contrast, the other counties of Dongjun still held grand River God sacrifices every year to provide incense and devotion to the River God.

Although the slaying of the River God in Qingshan County in previous years had made the other counties extremely envious, they lacked any high-level expert like Daoist Jiang and could only continue sacrificing human lives every year to hold the rites.

Li County was the first to hold the River God grand sacrifice this year.

On the banks of the Taiping River in Li County, the county magistrate led the entire county's gentry, wealthy merchants, and scholars in respectfully burning incense and making offerings of livestock.

Then, according to convention, six pairs of crying boys and girls under the age of six were bound to flower-adorned bamboo rafts and sent out into the Taiping River.

Just as these children under six were about to reach the center of the river, a whirlpool began to slowly widen, and immediately afterwards, a green-faced, fanged River God standing a zhang tall rose from the vortex.

Seeing the River God appear, the magistrate hurriedly led the gentry in prostrating themselves.

The River God sneered, "Starting from this year, the annual human sacrifices shall be doubled!"

Doubled—that meant twelve pairs of boys and girls under six years of age!

The magistrate of Li County was dumbfounded, and the gentry and commoners of Li County panicked.

Why had the price gone up yet again for this River God?

Twelve pairs of children—how many families would be shattered by that?

"What? Do you intend to defy this deity?" The terrifying pressure of the Purple Palace realm radiated from the River God.

That dreadful pressure suppressed all sounds of discontentment. Everyone knelt trembling on the ground, not a single person daring to utter a single word of complaint.

The River God smiled with satisfaction. This was how it should be; they ought to fear him and revere him!

Looking at this dense sea of kneeling creatures, a strange emotion welled up in the River God's heart. This feeling was so wonderful that it made the River God feel utterly exhilarated.

Yet before the River God could revel in his triumph, a flash of azure light abruptly appeared at the edge of the sky.

The sound of sword hum was like a dragon's roar. The azure light, which had been far away at the horizon the previous second, arrived directly before the River God in the next.

Caught completely off guard, the River God had no time to react before his head was cleanly severed by a single flash of azure light.

Only then did the distant rumble of thunder reach their ears.

"Ah!"

"The River God has been killed!"

The commoners and gentry of Li County watched in terror as the River God's ferocious head was sliced off by a streak of azure light, and the crowd immediately began to stir in turmoil.

The next moment, thunder burst forth, and the azure light split into three, tearing the River God's body to shreds.

Only then did a figure in azure robes and a jade crown appear in the sky.

"The River God has been slain by me; from this day forth, you have no need to make any more sacrifices."

Having spoken, the Daoist departed into the distance amidst the azure light.

The gentry of Li County looked at one another in dismay. Amidst the dead silence of the crowd, the magistrate shouted, "What are you staring for? Quickly bring the children back!"

Only then did the young men snap out of their daze, hurriedly wading into the river to bring the children still tied to the rafts back to the shore.

The children wept as they threw themselves into their parents' arms, while everyone else watched with heavy, aching hearts.

Someone shouted, "That was Daoist Jiang of Qingping Mountain!"

For a moment, the people of Li County fell to their knees one after another, kowtowing endlessly in the direction where the Daoist had disappeared.

The slaying of Li County's River God was only the beginning.

Merely a day later, news came from Ping County, right next to Li County, that Daoist Jiang Sheng of Qingping Mountain had slain the River God with a single sword stroke during the grand sacrifice, announcing that Ping County would never need to worship the River God again.

Soon after, news arrived from Leliang County as well: Daoist Jiang Sheng had fought the Taiping River God and dispatched him in a mere two moves!

In the span of three days, three Purple Palace River Gods were slain!

Such news instantly sent shockwaves through the entire Dongjun!

Never mind the astonishment of the Dongjun Governor, even the Zha family and the various Foundation Establishment clans found it hard to believe.

Slaying three Purple Palace beings in three days running—just what realm had Daoist Jiang's strength reached?

As the news of the three counties' River Gods being slain spread, the remaining counties of Dongjun naturally lost enthusiasm for their worship. Even within the commandery city itself, the faith and incense dedicated to the River God plummeted drastically.

This was only the most natural thing in the world. When facts proved that the River God was nothing more than a hollow facade with little threat, easily slain by others, the divinity of the River God vanished.

A River God devoid of divinity would never command the awe of the common people.

Having lost consecutive avatars one after another, the River God—none other than the former Qing云 Sect Master Sun Chang—was now driven to the brink of fury.

The reason he hadn't sought revenge against Jiang Sheng earlier was that he had planned to endure temporarily until his Incense Core Formation was successfully completed.

Yet in the short span of three years, Jiang Sheng was already capable of effortlessly slaughtering his Purple Palace avatars!

Three years ago, he had clearly needed to buy time, exhausting Jiang Sheng's magic power before finally risking his life in a desperate struggle!

The speed of Jiang Sheng's progress filled Sun Chang with dread.

And Jiang Sheng's actions struck directly at the River God's most vulnerable spot.

He was currently at a crucial juncture requiring incense, yet Jiang Sheng had publicly slaughtered his avatars to shatter his myth. How were the people of Dongjun supposed to provide him with incense after this?

"Damned Jiang Sheng! Damned Penglai Daoist!"

"And that Zha family! They actually turned a blind eye to all this! Is the Zha family planning to rebel?!"

Sun Chang roared in furious rage within his luxurious mansion. The fluctuations of his Pseudo-Core realm pressure caused the entire River God's dwelling to tremble violently, kicking up wave after wave across the surface of the Taiping River.

Yet his Incense Core Formation was on the verge of completion, and Sun Chang was truly unwilling to interrupt his grand scheme by rushing out at this moment.

However, sending his underling ants out to obstruct Jiang Sheng accomplished nothing at all.

Over the past two days, Sun Chang had sent men to try and impede Jiang Sheng or stir up rumors throughout Dongjun.

Yet in the face of Jiang Sheng's formidable strength, those methods had vanished like mud pouring into the sea, unable to raise even the slightest ripple.

Sun Chang had even considered having Zha Liangcai step forward to block Jiang Sheng, but Zha Liangcai happened to be in seclusion, and the entire Zha family had closed their doors to all visitors.

How could he not realize that the Zha family was clearly intending to sit back and watch the tigers fight from the mountain?

"Damn it, damn it, they all deserve to die!"

Sun Chang roared in fury. He had gradually regained his human form, and the pseudo-core in his abdomen was acquiring a smooth, flawless luster; but a pseudo-core was not yet a true Golden Core, and he was utterly reluctant to fail at the threshold of success.

Just as Sun Chang raged, another wave of fluctuations washed over him—evidently yet another avatar had been eliminated by Jiang Sheng, along with the destruction of the River God's dwelling at that location.

That made five! Five avatars and arrays destroyed!

Sun Chang's patience finally reached its absolute limit. If he did not show himself now, Jiang Sheng would likely destroy all his remaining avatars and arrays, and what would he use to perfect his Incense Core Formation then?

Yet at that exact moment, a clear, resonant voice echoed from high above the Taiping River:

"Is Fellow Daoist still not coming out?"

"Could it be that after enduring and lying low for fifty years, Fellow Daoist's disposition has become no different from a tortoise in a shell?"