Chapter 504 (3): Sword Immortal In A Sword Immortal's Hand

On a small island that had essentially been flattened...

Lake Lord Yin Hou's colossal body slowly slithered around the entire island.

The water dragons controlled by the godly bodies of the two river gods were brimming with bloodlust as they frenziedly lunged after the young man in azure.

As for the ink-black water dragon controlled by the canal master of Peony Stream, it was currently floating on the surface of the lake beyond the small island. Meanwhile, the physical body of the canal master was hiding in the dragon palace and on the brink of collapse as she sat on a straw mat. Her face was as white as a sheet, and she felt like all of the bones in her body had been pulverized to dust.

Nearby, the two river gods were standing on their respective straw mats with their eyes closed and their minds completely focused. Golden light flowed over their bodies, and water fortune spiritual energy continued to funnel into their bodies from the dragon palace.

Even though their physical bodies were here, allowing them to more easily absorb the abundant water fortune of the dragon palace, the godly bodies of the two river gods and the one canal master were completely fused together with the three water dragons already.

One of the water dragons used its gigantic head to ram the young man in azure.

However, Chen Ping'an blocked this attack with a single palm, completely stopping the colossal water dragon in its tracks.

He smiled faintly and asked, "Do you feel slightly tired now? Then how about I start to attack instead?"

Chen Ping'an retrieved a secret Pure Jade Illumination Talisman of the Lofty Cloud Palace, throwing it into the sky after having already silently recited the corresponding mantra in his mind.

The talisman glowed with brilliant radiance.

It was as if the blazing sun were illuminating the netherworld.

Because Chen Ping'an didn't try to target a large area, the offensive power of the talisman targeting the small island became even more formidable.

The river god water dragon that had rammed into Chen Ping'an's palm was just about to turn around and retreat.

However, as Chen Ping'an took a step forward, his upright palm that was pressing against the head of the water dragon twisted slightly and turned into a hand blade that pushed forward.

Slashing down in a straight line, the water dragon that was being controlled by the godly body of a water god was split in half from its head all the way to its tail.

When Chen Ping'an stood still again, a slightly bigger golden shard had already appeared in his hand.

The physical manifestation of the river god standing on a straw mat in the dragon palace instantly withered away and disintegrated into dust.

The other river god water dragon was initially dazed, after which it turned around and furiously fled in panic. However, several cracks appeared on its head as it violently rammed into the blinding curtain of light formed by the Pure Jade Illumination Talisman. The water dragon suppressed the agonizing pain and attempted to flee through the ground, thinking that it could flee from this area once it burrowed through the mountain roots of the island and arrived near the lake water.

However, its head was struck by a heavy blow the next moment, causing it to slide forward across the ground of the small island and leave a deep ditch in its wake.

Chen Ping'an arrived above the head of the river god water dragon and unleashed a downward punch.

The entire island shuddered, causing large plumes of dust to rise into the air. At the same time, the violent waves that had initially been slamming into the shores started to surge toward the center of the lake instead.

Another golden shard of a deceased river god appeared in Chen Ping'an's hand.

Looking up in the next moment...

Lake Lord Yin Hou was surprisingly nowhere to be seen.

However, this was understandable. Chen Ping'an had been picking the water deities off one by one, so if Lake Lord Yin Hou had chosen to charge into the range of his talisman formation, Chen Ping'an would have unleashed the even more valuable talisman that was on standby inside his sleeve. He would return a serve of the main course to Verdant Bamboo Lake.

Chen Ping'an saw out of the corners of his eyes the small and ink-black water dragon, which was floating on the surface of the lake and playing dead, swish its tail and dash into the lake, giving rise to a huge splash.

Chen Ping'an patted his Sword Nurturing Gourd, instructing Fifteenth to give chase.

He then looked in the direction that Lake Lord Yin Hou had fled.

The blade of Sword Immortal automatically emerged two to three inches from the scabbard on Chen Ping'an's back.

Chen Ping'an narrowed his eyes and looked at the thick sea of clouds continually gathering in the sky above the lake as he commanded in a solemn voice, "Get back inside!"

Sword Immortal returned inside the scabbard with a loud clang.

It seemingly felt a little resentful.

Chen Ping'an swayed slightly backward as a result, but he temporarily didn't plan to argue with the sword on his back.

Chen Ping'an reached forward and grabbed the Pure Jade Illumination Talisman. There was one disadvantage with the large majority of immortal talismans, and this was the fact that they were easy to activate but much more difficult to deactivate. Once the talismanic core was activated, one could only watch on helplessly as the spiritual energy of the talisman dispersed into heaven and earth. Cultivators could only slow down the process of the talismanic core breaking apart and the spiritual energy flowing away, but they couldn't completely deactivate the talisman once it was activated.

However, the Pure Jade Illumination Talisman was good in the sense that it could last for a long time upon being partially deactivated. Even though it had already become something akin to a dilapidated house that leaked wind and rain, it could still presumably last for at least ten days without any issues.

Chen Ping'an naturally had methods to force the lake lord of Verdant Bamboo Lake to obediently climb ashore and engage in business with him, but this would take some time. In any case, it was much more likely that the lake lord would voluntarily approach the shore to negotiate with him. Evildoers who lived for long and enjoyed lofty positions often weren't stupid — this was a very disappointing realization.

As for Fifteenth, it simply trailed behind the canal master of Peony Stream and didn't attempt to kill her.

Chen Ping'an would have more leverage in his negotiations with the lake lord if he were aware of the approximate location of the dragon palace.

Chen Ping'an turned around and looked up at the sky, asking with a smile, "Why have you rushed over here, Old Granny? Are you afraid that I can't swim and won't be able to return to the dock?"

Old Ancestor Fan Weiran was absolutely fuming right now. Lake Lord Yin Hou had actually run away and was using her to divert this young man's attention! If it weren't for him detecting her imminent arrival, this young man who possessed incredible power definitely wouldn't have stopped attacking and abandoned his pursuit of Lake Lord Yin Hou.

Just then, Lake Lord Yin Hou had still dared to talk about the friendship between Verdant Bamboo Lake and the Treasure Basin Immortal Realm? In the next one hundred years, Old Ancestor Fan Weiran wanted to see whether Verdant Bamboo Lake ran deeper or whether the Treasure Basin Immortal Realm possessed loftier immortal techniques! Her junior sister was coincidentally unable to advance to the next cultivation tier anymore, so she could lead some disciples here to have a stand-off with these lowly beasts and spirits of Verdant Bamboo Lake for the next one hundred years!

She looked at the young man who was speaking politely, yet his hand was hidden inside his sleeve and pinching the talisman that was exuding a terrifying might. A small hint of its golden glow was also clearly visible.

Fan Weiran came to a hovering stop above the shore of the small island, glancing at the vermilion gourd hanging by the waist of the young man as she said with a faint smile, "Sure enough, you really are a sword immortal. Not only that, but you're quite young as well. This is truly very astonishing."

Chen Ping'an grabbed his Sword Nurturing Gourd and took a swig of water, after which he wiped his mouth with his hand and chuckled, "That Brother Du Yu of mine told me about bucket loads of evil deeds committed by Verdant Bamboo Lake while we were making our way over here, but he displayed sincere admiration whenever he mentioned the Treasure Basin Immortal Realm. With this in mind, I won't blame Old Granny for your actions tonight. Otherwise, observing such an entertaining show requires some payment."

Fan Weiran chuckled coldly in her mind.

However, she suddenly noticed the young man staring intently at her, and he said in a slow voice, "So, please piss off now."

Fan Weiran's expression became dark, with her sleeves suddenly bulging and billowing loudly in the wind.

However, she immediately smiled and said, "There's much time in the future, so here's wishing Young Sword Immortal a smooth and safe journey through the region. If you wish, you can visit the Treasure Basin Immortal Realm as a guest as well."

Chen Ping'an asked an extremely strange question, inquiring, "Is your ancestral hall very sturdy?"

Fan Weiran was able to tell that this wasn't a good-intentioned question, but since she had already made up her mind, she didn't hesitate any further as she replied with a faint smile, "You'll know when you see it in the future, Young Sword Immortal."

She then flew back to the dock.

Chen Ping'an glanced up at the pitch-black sea of clouds that was yet to dissipate.

Apart from the attacks from Lake Lord Yin Hou's true body which had felt relatively acceptable, the weak attacks from the three remaining water dragons had genuinely been unable to temper and improve his physique.

Chen Ping'an put away his Sword Nurturing Gourd and stood there for a moment longer before tapping his foot and dashing away from the small island. He sprinted across the surface of Verdant Bamboo Lake, transforming into a streak of azure smoke as he lightly trod on the water and made his way to the dock.

When Chen Ping'an jumped onto the dock, he saw that Old Ancestor Fan Weiran and the cultivators of the Treasure Basin Immortal Realm had already taken their leave.

Only Du Yu remained standing there suited in his Divine Dewbearing Armor, holding the hilt of his saber in one hand as he acted as a door god for Chen Ping'an's bamboo case, bamboo hat, and hiking pole.

"You're showing this much faith and loyalty?" Chen Ping'an commented with a smile.

Du Yu furiously wiped his face with his hand. His face felt slightly stiff because of the wind and rain, but he immediately rubbed his hands together and put on a dazzling smile after he wiped his face and relaxed his muscles.

He did indeed want to speak obsequiously and praise Chen Ping'an, but he was unable to think of a praise befitting of the situation no matter how hard he racked his brain. He felt like the words of praise in his mind were all unworthy of this mighty senior's peerless aura and might.

Chen Ping'an gently unrolled and flattened his rolled-up sleeve, following which he put on his bamboo hat, slung the bamboo case on his back, and pulled the hiking pole out from the dock.

Du Yu was just about to move, but he quickly realized that his legs were bloody numb as well.

He had worked diligently as a small door god from the Ghost Axe Palace, so he should at least be commended for his hard work even if he weren't commended for his merit, right?

Mighty Senior, you're an old immortal from the pinnacle of the mountains with an extremely astute gaze, so you definitely have to vaguely remember what I've done for you tonight!

Chen Ping'an walked away from the dock, and Du Yu hurriedly deactivated his Divine Dewbearing Armor and had it transform back into a Militarian armor pellet which he put inside his sleeve. His footsteps were nimble and swift like the wind as he caught up to Chen Ping'an and asked in a quiet voice, "Senior, what should we do now that we've successfully pushed back the numerous water deities of Verdant Bamboo Lake and shooed away the group of cultivators from the Treasure Basin Immortal Realm? Should we target the temples of the two river gods, or should we head over to Imperial Accompanying City to fight for the valuable treasure?"

"We?" Chen Ping'an asked with a smile.

As for the accuracy of saying that he had pushed back the numerous water deities, Chen Ping'an couldn't be bothered correcting Du Yu and explaining these matters to him.

Du Yu chuckled and didn't appear troubled or embarrassed at all.

However, it was still necessary to maintain a balance and not take things too far, so Du Yu didn't waffle on about anything else afterward.

Even so, Du Yu couldn't help but ask after walking for a while, "Senior, are we making our way to the water goddess shrine of Algae Stream's canal master?"

Chen Ping'an nodded and replied, "I plan to rest there for a few days and wait for the lake lord to come ashore to discuss business with me."

Du Yu nodded in response and didn't dare to ask any further questions.

After returning to the water goddess shrine, they saw that everyone had already fled following the death of Algae Stream's canal master. Regardless of whether they were ghosts or living humans, not a single one of the canal master's subordinates or maidservants remained in the shrine.

Chen Ping'an arrived in front of the internal residence with the golden plaque reading "Flowing Rivers Never Dry" hanging above the door, and he placed the golden plaque inside his minimization treasure. Even though the canal master of Algae Stream was already dead, this unique plaque had still produced some water fortune spiritual energy and was very likely the most valuable item in the entire shrine.

Chen Ping'an took off his bamboo hat and bamboo bookcase and sat on the bottom-most step, after which he instructed Du Yu to start a campfire in the courtyard.

Chen Ping'an started to practice standing meditation.

It was necessary to rest and recuperate after intense battles, or else it would be a long-term hidden danger if he suffered any lingering side effects.

In addition, Chen Ping'an also needed to use an internal observation technique to see whether the water fortune golden python and the water fortune turquoise snake, both of which he hadn't fully performed initial refinement on, could truly benefit his water palace.

Du Yu sat cross-legged beside the campfire and carefully stole a glance at the mighty senior's sitting posture. He didn't have many thoughts, and he simply felt like the cultivation of immortal techniques wasn't simply about assuming the correct form.

In any case, he surmised that this was definitely an extremely profound cultivation technique taking into account the mighty senior's lofty status. This was definitely a cultivation technique that he wouldn't be able to master even if the mighty senior patiently taught it to him.

A streak of brilliant light sliced through the night sky and disappeared into the mighty senior's wine gourd.

Du Yu silently told himself that all of these strange and wonderful things weren't odd at all.