Chapter 61 Weight of Five Thousand Years

　　In the real world, Wei Yuan, who had been lying peacefully, suddenly sat up. He subconsciously raised his hand to cover his nose and face, still able to remember the feeling of that huge pottery pressing on his face, a dull ache. Wei Yuan couldn't help but grimace:

　　"That monkey..."

　　He was already awake, and he could still feel a faint pain.

　　The monkey definitely hadn't held back at all.

　　This was the weight of five thousand years of resentment.

　　Wei Yuan raised his eyes. There was a water deity talisman between his eyebrows, and he had barely managed to suppress the anomaly in his pupils. This was not really power, but represented some kind of qualification, and after all, it was only external, and was slowly dissipating. Wei Yuan clenched his fist and looked at the time.

　　Less than three minutes had passed.

　　Exchanges at the level of thought in dreams differed from the flow of time in reality, sometimes faster and sometimes slower.

　　Wei Yuan looked at the distance. Quan City was in Jiangnan Province, but now the location of the Tianshi Mansion was Turtle Mountain in the Huai River, several hundred kilometers apart. If he went there in person, even taking the high-speed rail would take several hours. He didn't know if the situation there was critical.

　　If he was late, the disciples of the Tianshi Mansion might be killed.

　　Wei Yuan paused for a moment, turned around and walked quickly into the inner room of the museum. The water ghost who was fishing was idly fiddling with his fishing net, and the Qijia Army soldier’s spirit was trimming the soul-nurturing wood that served as his vessel. Everything looked ordinary. The water ghost greeted Wei Yuan, saying, "Hey, Wei, you're here?"

　　"The cola is running out again."

　　Wei Yuan pulled them both over directly.

　　First, he told them about the danger the Tianshi Mansion disciples were facing and the matter of sacrificing young boys and girls. Both the lazy water ghost and the Qijia Army soldier’s spirit, who had fought to the death, changed their expressions drastically. Leaving aside the former, the latter could directly enrage anyone. The water ghost gnashed his teeth, and the soldier's spirit rose to his feet, his aura stern, saying:

　　"Does the general want us to help?"

　　Wei Yuan said, "No, I want you to go first. I'll come later."

　　The Qijia Army soldier’s spirit was stunned and said, "But Turtle Mountain is more than a thousand miles from here."

　　Wei Yuan said, "A water spirit general can naturally return in ten days."

　　……………………

　　Wei Yuan pressed his brow.

　　He held the Eight-Sided Han Sword, its blade slightly raised.

　　Wuzhiqi had temporarily granted him some of the authority of the Water Lord of the Huai River, similar to the mountain and river deities enfeoffed by later dynasties. However, Wei Yuan was not a spirit monster or a natural god, and he only had a superficial understanding of this usage. Therefore, he used the means of the Tianshi Dao's ritual, pointing at the two ghosts, stepping the Steps of Yu, and chanting:

　　"...Grant you the golden armor of the Huai River Lord's Mansion, and bestow upon you the Ren Water Demon-Slaying Sword for patrolling the river..."

　　"And allocate to you ten thousand water essences and three thousand vortex soldiers."

　　These incantations, similar to opening an altar, could not be performed by monks like Wei Yuan who had not received official recognition. This required mobilizing the foundations of various Taoist schools, but now he simply spoke, and it became real. The two ghosts, who had originally died tragically, were instantly enveloped in water vapor, donned armor and helmets, and raised their hands to hold their swords.

　　They looked upright and proper, clearly Yin Generals nurtured by true Taoist methods.

　　However, the so-called water essences and vortex soldiers did not exist.

　　And just like the seal in Wei Yuan's hand, it was only a temporary blessing that would naturally dissipate over time.

　　The two ghosts looked at each other in surprise, and then understood Wei Yuan's meaning. The Qijia Army soldier’s spirit and the water ghost were originally formless souls. In this situation, they gained the ability to travel through water. There was a Luo River flowing around Quan City, and the two ghosts relied on this temporary blessing to leave the museum in broad daylight and plunge into the water.

　　Then they directly merged with the water flow.

　　The previous ten thousand water essences and three thousand vortex soldiers now manifested.

　　They were not real soldiers, but rather control over the water, moving at an extremely fast speed towards Turtle Mountain in the Huai River. Wei Yuan thought for a moment and sent a message to the Tianshi Mansion disciples saying, "Wait," to prevent them from losing their will to persevere. He also went out.

　　When he went out, he saw an ancient mask in the museum. He held the mask in his hand and headed towards the Luo River.

　　………………

　　Zhang Tao sat leaning against the side of the boat, his breathing rapid and weak.

　　The magic tool, the Bagua Plate, in his hand had already shattered, and the clothes on his body were stained red with blood. The boat barely continued forward, but behind the boat, the water ghosts transformed from the seven pairs of young boys and girls, carrying a strange red sedan chair, were still following slowly.

　　Their faces, swollen and green, were covered with thick white powder, and their cheeks were painted with red rouge.

　　They wore strange, creepy smiles on their faces, staring intently at the people on the boat.

　　The old man who had been steering the boat had already collapsed on the boat due to extreme fear, his face pale.

　　It was as if he knew very well what would happen if these water ghosts caught up. Zhang Tao covered his chest and struggled to sit up. At this moment, he suddenly regretted that the talismans he had brought on this trip were too few, but then he thought that even if there were more, it seemed that it would not be enough.

　　He had notified the uncles of the Tianshi Mansion.

　　He had also informed the senior who had warned him that there might be a problem with the Huai River.

　　But he also knew in his heart that this was like grasping at straws. Whether it was the Dragon Tiger Mountain Tianshi Mansion or the senior who was wandering somewhere, it would be difficult for them to help, because the distance was too far, and their reach was too short.

　　Now he could only try to hold on for a while longer.

　　If he was lucky, he might have a chance to live. If he was unlucky, he would have to kill a few water ghosts.

　　Zhang Tao raised his hand and activated a talisman, chanting in a low voice. The talisman ignited without wind and flew towards the water ghosts in front. The other Taoists were also unwilling to die here and threw out talismans one after another. But then the water ghost suddenly let out a sharp cry, the surface of the Huai River surged, and a vortex appeared. A huge wave exploded, directly engulfing all the talismans.

　　Then it crashed down heavily.

　　The entire boat shook violently, and Zhang Tao directly fell into the water. His senior brother pulled him back, saving him from falling into the water on the spot. He gasped for breath, and when he looked up, he saw the talismans floating on the water, all of them had stopped burning, and some had even been interrupted halfway through activation.

　　Zhang Tao stared at the talismans and finally let out a miserable laugh.

　　The other party's cultivation was far higher than theirs.

　　Could it be that today he could only become a water ghost? Could it be that an evil god was being nurtured in this Huai River?

　　Just as his heart was filled with despair and his mind was involuntarily lost, the young boys and girls who had been following behind the boat suddenly screamed and jumped up from the surface of the water, pouncing on the boat in front. Zhang Tao was only distracted for a moment and had already fallen into danger. He gritted his teeth, thinking that instead of letting them climb onto the boat, he might as well open his arms and take these water ghosts down with him, to buy time for his fellow disciples.

　　As soon as he exerted his strength, he realized that these water ghosts, seemingly small, were actually very strong. He couldn't even push them away. Zhang Tao lowered his head and saw the green, swollen faces with strange smiles, opening their mouths, their teeth all sharp, falling towards him.

　　It's over...

　　Zhang Tao felt despair in his heart.

　　A clear sword chime.

　　Suddenly, the movements of the two water ghosts froze.

　　When they looked up, they saw several water ghosts lying on the boat. The water ghosts transformed from the seven pairs of young boys and girls had already been killed, and were now fleeing in panic as if they had seen something that could never appear in this era, being chased and killed one by one. And two golden-armored generals had appeared in front.

　　One was fair-faced and beardless, with a dignified appearance, and the other had a full beard and a solemn air.

　　Both were wearing golden armor and red robes, holding long swords, and possessing themselves in the swirling smoke. They looked like souls, but they had no ghostly feeling, but rather an upright aura. The water flowed around them, and a hazy divine light shone behind them. Zhang Tao stared blankly at this appearance that only existed in Taoist scriptures.

　　"Guardian Yin Gods?"

　　"How could there be guardian generals in this Huai River?"

　　At this moment, the other Taoists frantically pulled Zhang Tao back. His hands and feet were stiff. With a clatter, his phone accidentally fell to the ground, and the screen lit up, displaying a simple unread message. Zhang Tao subconsciously looked at it.

　　"Wait..."

　　The message was from six minutes ago.

　　His thoughts froze, his mind went blank, and a ridiculous idea arose in his heart.

　　……………………

　　Wei Yuan used an invisibility spell to avoid the eyes and ears of ordinary people, and then walked into the Luo River.

　　He planned to take a shortcut from the Luo River to the Huai River and go to Turtle Mountain.

　　Seven pairs of water ghosts, a child sacrifice, and the sedan chair they were carrying.

　　These were obviously just appetizers.

　　The real target was still hidden.

　　Wei Yuan thought of Wuzhiqi's laughter. Simply solving the water ghosts of children would obviously not satisfy him. The water in front of him naturally parted, and he stepped towards the Huai River. The surrounding water embraced him, allowing him to breathe in the water. The water no longer blocked his vision, and Wei Yuan's speed increased.

　　The creatures in the water sensed the destination of the "Water God."

　　Schools of fish gathered.

　　These fish gathered in the hundreds and thousands, like a huge beast, supporting Wei Yuan beneath him. Then, as the water flow became wider and wider, there were more and more fish in the water. From a distance, it almost looked like a cyan dragon lurking in the water.

　　Wei Yuan stopped walking. He sat at the "dragon's head."

　　After thinking for a moment, he put the ancient mask on his face.

　　The water flowed against his body, turning into white rapids. The water flowed along his arms and body, pulling back like wide white sleeves. He closed his eyes and opened them again, acting on behalf of the Water God's authority. His pupils were briefly transformed into a vast, boundless gold by divine power.

　　Surveying Ji Province with abundance, crossing the four seas without end!

　　Acting on behalf of divine authority.

　　When he put on the mask, he had to add another layer of meaning.

　　Starting from the Age of Gods, separated from the human world for five thousand years, the ancient great demon, the Water Lord of the Huai Vortex, patrolled the East once again!

　　ps: Second update, slightly fewer words...