Unsheathed

Chapter 143: Fantastic Oddities (4)

Could it be that a true Confucian Sage has come to my Great Water Palace? Not only that, but it seems like he's not just an ordinary Confucian Sage, like the mountain master of a certain academy.

The great river god was gritting his teeth so tightly that they were about to shatter.

His posture was extremely rigid, and his entire body was tightly wound. He had been a dominant force in the northern region of Yellow Court Nation for centuries, yet at this moment, he was having to clench his fists tightly and slam them heavily down onto the armrests of his chair just to suppress the urge to fall to his knees and kowtow for mercy.

Yellow Court Nation was nothing more than one of Great Sui Nation's subsidiary nations, so there was no way that this uninvited guest was a local cultivator. The great river god knew all of the powerful cultivators of Yellow Court Nation like the back of his hand, so he knew who he could afford to mess with and who he had to suck up to.

This was one of the keys to the safe and prosperous reign that the great river god had enjoyed over the past few centuries.

There were 72 academies of Confucianism, and the mountain master of every single one of them had to have been at least a 10th tier cultivator to have been considered qualified for their role.

Almighty cultivators of the Upper Five Tiers were often extremely enigmatic and reclusive, so these academy mountain masters, who were generally 10th tier cultivators that were relatively closer to mortal empires, were already worthy of being referred to as Confucian Sages by the mortal empires. Aside from that, there were also Arhats of Buddhism and terrestrial gods of Daoism, both of which were also respectful titles used by the mortal empires.

This small group of cultivators at the top of the pyramid were like the deity statues worshiped in temples. They certainly transcended far beyond the average person, but at the same time, they weren't too distant, and they were still close enough that prayers and worship could reach them. As for the immortals of the Upper Five Tiers who were concealed above the clouds, there was simply no way to find or reach them.

The great river god's eyes were gradually becoming bloodshot, but he was still doing everything in his power not to blink as he scrutinized the deity visage behind Cui Chan intently. From his perspective, he was seeing an authoritative elderly man in a pristine white robe standing atop a divine altar.

The old man's entire body was giving off scintillating radiance, and every single ray of light radiating from his body seemed to be imbued with the paramount principles of the Great Dao.

Upon closer inspection, one would be able to see that each ray of light was comprised of countless vanishing golden characters that were linked together, denoting the rules and etiquette that had to be observed by Confucians.

The deity visage wore a tall hat and a loose-fitting robe, with sleeves that were as wide as the wings of a bird, swaying on their own despite the lack of wind. There was a glowing jade pendant hanging from his waist, and it was particularly eye-catching, like a miniature full moon.

There was no mistaking it, this really was the aura of a Sage!

During his lifetime, the great river god had come from a privileged background, so ever since he was a small child, he had learned many secrets that were unbeknownst to the average person. Thus, he was able to identify the signs of a Sage, and that made him even more terrified.

If another cultivator of the Middle Five Tiers had been in his place, perhaps they would've regarded this as some type of illusion designed to trick and swindle.

Finally, the great river god blinked, and he was forced to shift his gaze elsewhere due to the stinging pain in his eyes. At the same time, tears began to slide down his face from the sharp stinging sensation, but those tears quickly dissipated. He was naturally unwilling to display any fear or timidity in the face of all of his guests.

He had made it to this point over the course of a long cultivation journey, and he wasn't able to climb to this position solely thanks to his good fortune and exceptional aptitude for cultivation. If he didn't also possess outstanding mental fortitude to support his natural gifts, then he would've most likely already been flushed away by the turbulent water of the Cold Food River.

He had been taught in the past that when it came to learning the knowledge of sages, the more effort one invested, the more difficult the task would seem, and that when it came to the deity visages of sages, the more one looked up at them, the taller and mightier they seemed.

At this point, the rules established by the sages of Confucianism were becoming more and more complex and meticulous, and certain rituals and traditions had virtually been set in stone. Gone were the days of the ancient Shu Nation, which was too far in the past for historical records to be kept.

At the time, there had been many flood dragons across the ancient Shu Nation, and these flood dragons obeyed no one. It was said that the most powerful sword immortals of ancient times liked to go after these flood dragons to hone their swordsmanship, and they took pride in collecting prized flood dragon scalps.

Isn't Qi Jingchun dead? The Sage that's currently presiding over Jewel Small World should be Ruan Qiong, the Militarian cultivator who defected from Wind Snow Temple. In that case, who is this?

It was clear to the great river god that this unwelcome guest hadn't come here with friendly intentions.

However, this was his territory, so even if he were being confronted by the gods themselves, he certainly wasn't just going to kneel down and accept his fate.

With that in mind, the great river god forcibly suppressed his fear, and he took a deep breath before raising his left fist slightly, then gently brought it down upon the armrest of his chair. It was a casual gesture, but it caused the entire Great Water Palace to shudder violently. At the same time, massive waves began to sweep over the section of the Cold Food River that directly neighbored the Great Water Palace, crashing forcefully into the river's banks.

Everyone in the hall also shuddered involuntarily, and the longswords within the scabbards of the two young swordsmen were displaying a particularly strong reaction, screeching and struggling incessantly in an attempt to fly out of their scabbards.

However, Cui Chan remained completely unmoved, and the deity visage behind him was as still as a mountain.

He raised his head slightly to look up at the great river god before him, and there was a derisive sneer playing on his lips.

Even though the Great Water Palace was situated next to the river, wide water passageways had already been burrowed deep into the earth beneath the palace. Hence, it was closely interconnected with the fortune of the Cold Food River, thereby making it a large formation in itself.

It couldn't compare with the protective formations of some of the top-tier cultivating sects or the protective formations of the imperial capital city, but as long as the great river god remained in his palace, this place would essentially serve as a personal small world that responded to his beck and call.

This was far from the norm, and the great river god's peculiar bloodline was an integral reason behind why he was able to achieve this.

Generally speaking, a qi refiner would only be able to accomplish such a feat after reaching the 10th tier. For example, any 10th tier qi refiner of the three teachings and Militarianism would possess an immense geographic advantage if they were able to remain in their own territory.

The academies of Confucianism, the monasteries of Buddhism, the temples of Daoism, and the ancient battlefield of Militarianism... These all served as the territories of the qi refiners following those respective teachings, and anyone else that entered those territories would be forced to conform to the rules established by those presiding over said territories.

The hall had become so silent that even a pin drop could be heard, and the atmosphere had also become quite peculiar.

The great river god was able to see the deity visage behind Cui Chan, but everyone else in the hall was still completely in the dark, feeling quite perplexed about the current situation. In their eyes, the white-robed young boy had swaggered into the palace before making some extremely insolent remarks, yet the great river god seemed to have suddenly fallen into a daze.

Could it be that this insolent young boy actually came from an immortal clan or sect that had close ties with the Great Water Palace? Was that why he dared to be so arrogant and insolent?

The effeminate man had already emerged from behind his table, and his intention was to capture Cui Chan, but he had stopped cold in his tracks. As a cunning water snake spirit who had been serving the great river god for many years, he had learned just how valuable the skill of observation could be, and he could already sense that something wasn't quite right.

Meanwhile, the great river god continued to remain silent. That tap on his armrest produced quite a stunning spectacle, but it seemed that it was only a gesture meant for intimidation, almost as if the great river god were too afraid to actually directly confront the boy.

Meanwhile, the young boy remained standing on the spot with a cocky expression that was almost challenging the great river god to punish him, and that only served to further exacerbate the strange nature of the situation.

Finally, the great river god broke his silence, smiling as he said, "May I ask for what purpose you've come to visit my Great Water Palace?"

Just now, he had drawn upon the power contained within a section of the Cold Food River to test out the authenticity of the deity visage behind Cui Chan. As a man of extreme pride, he simply couldn't bring himself to bow his head to someone else while on his own territory without at least verifying that the visitor really was as powerful as they appeared.

If that deity visage had wavered even by the slightest degree, then the great river god would've instantly smashed Cui Chan's head to bits for attempting to swindle and embarrass him on his own territory.

However, the deity visage remained as still as an immovable mountain, and he quickly realized that the boy standing before him truly was the real deal.

On the path of cultivation, courage was most definitely a required quality, and one should have the resolve to rise up and grow stronger in the face of adversity and powerful enemies.

However, at the same time, it was just as important to be adaptable and be aware of one's own limits.

Cui Chan clasped one hand behind his back while holding his other fist in front of his abdomen, putting on an extremely punchworthy display of insolence as a cold smile appeared on his face. "You've already attacked me once, so it's my turn now, right?"

A dark look appeared on the great river god's face.

The water snake spirit was finally unable to rein in his temper any longer, and he strode forward with his back facing the great river god as he raised his maces and screeched in a furious voice! "How dare you! I can't allow an insolent little brat like yourself to act as you please in the face of our revered great river god!

“Master, even if you're going to punish me for this, I must smash this insolent brat's head open and devour his brains along with the golden jade elixir in my cup!"

The great river god's expression darkened even further as he scolded in a stern voice, "Our esteemed guest must be treated with respect. Stand down and return to your seat at once, Qing."

Not only did the water snake spirit not follow the great river god's orders, he sped up even further as he strode toward Cui Chan. "Your kindness is being taken advantage of here, Master! This insolent brat needs to learn some manners, so allow me to teach him a lesson in your stead!"

After hearing the great river god's orders, the water snake spirit immediately understood what his true intentions were. Given the great river god's violent tendencies, if he really wanted to stop the water snake spirit from confronting the young boy, then he would've already swatted the water snake spirit straight out of the palace with a sweep of his sleeve.

Instead, he was putting on this disingenuous display by referring to the boy as an esteemed guest, and it was clear what he actually wanted.

The water snake spirit felt himself to be quite fortunate. That carp spirit had managed to curry the favor of the great river god by killing that itinerant cultivator, but if he could defend the great river god's honor in front of all of these guests, then he would surely receive a handsome reward.

Despite the great river god's violent tendencies, he had always been quite generous as well, and the water snake spirit was expecting at least a large vat of golden jade elixir as a reward for his efforts.

Unbeknownst to the water snake spirit, the great river god was intentionally sending him to his death in order to verify for a second time that Cui Chan was indeed as powerful as he appeared to be.

All of the guests in the hall were filled with intrigue and anticipation, wanting to see what was going to happen next. Prior to this, the ceremony had been extremely boring and uneventful, but that was certainly no longer the case.

Even if the white-robed young boy were merely bluffing and had no power to back up his insolent words, it would still be quite a spectacle to see one of the great river god's subordinates claim the life of this cocky young brat.

"The accumulated earth forms a mountain, serving as the origin point of wind and rain."

This entire time, Cui Chan couldn't even be bothered to spare a glance at the water snake spirit, and he suddenly began to recite a passage of poetry in a casual and lackadaisical manner, as if he were placating a teacher who had instructed him to recite the passage as an assignment.

However, as soon as his voice trailed off, a serious look suddenly appeared on his face, and in the blink of an eye, he had transformed from a lackadaisical young boy into an extremely solemn and dogmatic scholar, giving off an immense aura of righteousness.

He then raised a foot before stomping it down in a forceful manner as he continued, "The accumulated water forms an abyss, giving rise to flood dragons!"

The deity visage behind Cui Chan emulated his movements, also raising a foot before quickly stomping down onto the ground.

In this instant, the great river god found himself completely immobilized, and it was a struggle for him just to draw breath. There was a horrified look on his face, and he desperately wanted to beg for mercy, but he couldn't spit out even a single word.

It was as if he had encountered a natural predator, as if no matter how far he progressed in the path of cultivation, he would still be completely powerless in the face of such a formidable foe, unable to do anything aside from accept his own fate.

The words "giving rise to flood dragons" was like a thunderclap that had erupted right beside the great river god's ears, reverberating over and over again. It was as if someone had thrust a finger directly into his heart before stirring it up into a frenzy, sending waves of uncontrollable emotions surging throughout his entire body.

At the same time, the coiled golden dragon embroidered onto his chest suddenly began to frantically swim around as if it had sprung to life, and the azure robe was serving as the lake that it was swimming in. However, the dragon was swimming around in an extremely frenzied and erratic fashion, fueled by pain and insanity, displaying none of the casual poise and composure one would expect to see in a flood dragon in water.

As the golden flood dragon swam around frantically, its original bright golden coloration gradually began to fade. At the same time, golden threads were constantly peeling off the azure robe before drifting down onto the ground, where they were reduced to ashes.

Cui Chan smiled as he took a step forward, then raised his foot once again. "To think that a little pond insect like you would dare to test me repeatedly! You tested me twice just now, so I'm going to stomp on your Cold Food River and split it up into three segments! Let's see how you're going to rule over the lakes and rivers now!"