One night, fifty li south.
In the early morning, clouds and mist filled the entire jungle. Lin Zhao set up camp not far from a stream, took out the tent he had prepared from his pack, set it up, and then started a pot of soup to simmer over a low heat. Wang Yue had returned to the octagonal shrine to warm her spiritual energy. After preparing everything, Lin Zhao went offline, the time being four in the afternoon.
He frowned and went straight downstairs, only to see Wang Ju and Xiao Juzi picking vegetables downstairs, preparing dinner for everyone.
"Brother Lin Zhao!"
Xiao Juzi smiled and stood up.
"Did the teacher not assign homework today, Xiao Juzi?"
"Yes, after dinner."
"Okay."
Lin Zhao didn't have much time and said, "Sister Ju Zi, help me stir-fry an egg fried rice, and make it quick. I'll eat and sleep for a while. I have a mission recently and can only rest in my spare time. I'll have to go online and get busy again after three hours of sleep."
In the game "Tian Xia," the ratio of real-time to game time is 1:4. One day in the game is six hours in reality. Therefore, Lin Zhao's 12 hours of rest in the game only equated to 3 hours in reality, and this was the only way to maximize his time.
In fact, accompanying Wang Yue south to Furong State was inherently thankless. There might not even be any final plot rewards. Most players would likely not have taken this path, but Lin Zhao was different. He didn't treat "Tian Xia" as just a game. He had experiences that others didn't, and he truly treated the game as his second life.
It was precisely because of this that Lin Zhao was the biggest beneficiary in "Tian Xia." Although it wasn't his intention, it was the ultimate result.
"Got it."
Wang Ju stood up and smiled, "It will only take a few minutes."
"En!"
An egg fried rice was indeed quick, done in a few minutes. Lin Zhao wolfed it down, returned to his room, set his alarm, and went straight to sleep.
...
Around seven in the evening, he woke up to the sound of an annoying alarm. Lin Zhao put on his clothes and rushed out of his room, then sprinted upstairs, astonishing Chen Xue, Shen Xingchen, and Luo Man at the top of the stairs.
"What's going on?" Shen Xingchen asked, her beautiful eyes wide open.
"Going online, doing a mission!"
As Lin Zhao sprinted towards the game pod, he waved his hand at the people behind him and said, "It will probably be like this for the next few days, don't mind me. Sister Xue, you seem to have lost weight recently, eat more!"
"Ah?!"
Chen Xue leaned against the railing, her pretty face blushing slightly.
"???"
Shen Xingchen looked surprised. That guy was actually paying so much attention to Chen Xue's figure, and didn't even glance at her more? This was unacceptable. She'd have to go and report him to Ah Yan later!
...
"Whoosh!"
Lin Zhao logged into the game. The soup in the temporary camp was still warm, so he took out two flatbreads and ate them with the venison soup, wolfing them down. It was easy to get hungry in reality if you didn't eat, and it was the same in the game. Players had a hunger value and couldn't go without eating for too long. Many players directly bought flatbreads and bread in the main city to eat, but Lin Zhao, who considered himself the God of Cooking of Snow Domain Heavenly Pool, still had to maintain some sense of ritual. Moreover, the soup brewed in the game was indeed delicious, and drinking it often made people happy, which in turn led to faster breakthroughs.
Beside him, Wang Yue, being a soul, naturally didn't need to eat. She simply hugged her knees and watched Lin Zhao eat with a smile. After eating, night had officially fallen, so they continued on their way with Wang Yue.
Thus, a few days later, in the early morning, Lin Zhao and Wang Yue finally arrived at a surging great river, the Xiujian River. However, the Xiujian River no longer had the River Godess Lin Xingchu, nor had the countless Summer Clan heroic souls in the Xiujian River disappeared. Instead, traces of demon cultivators could be seen in the forests on both sides.
Suddenly, a terrifying feeling surged through Lin Zhao's heart. He immediately raised his hand and pointed at the bamboo basket behind him: "Go in."
Wang Yue floated into the octagonal shrine within the bamboo basket, while Lin Zhao dodged several steps to the side, hiding behind an ancient tree. His body sank, concealing his entire figure in the darkness of the night.
Just ahead, the waves became turbulent, and the river flowed with a faint golden glow. Soon, a figure glowing with a faint golden light emerged from the river. It was a beautiful woman, wearing a long green dress, holding a pale golden long sword. She radiated a surging water essence, but this water essence was far inferior to that of her aunt, Lin Xingchu.
Moreover, Lin Zhao recognized this woman. Her name was Fuping. She was a water god under Lin Xingchu and a subordinate of the River Godess. However, at this moment, this Nascent Soul stage water god had become the strongest guardian of the entire Xiujian River. She was covered in many injuries, with terrifying wounds on her shoulders and legs. Demonic energy permeated the wounds, and she had to face the enemy again before they had even fully dissipated.
Lin Zhao hid in the forest, watching Fuping from afar, but did not show himself. He knew that showing himself now would be useless. After Man Yuan and Liu Bai had flattened the Xiujian River and defeated Lin Xingchu, the entire Xiujian River was no longer under the control of human deities. It had become a chaotic region where demons, ghosts, spirits, and humans coexisted. The Snow Domain Heavenly Pool was also helpless in this matter and could not offer assistance. After the demon race implemented the "Worldly Domination" strategy, a large number of demon cultivators had infiltrated the Xiujian River area. This was a problem that the human court and the immortal sects could not solve for the time being.
"Still not giving up!?"
A sound like muffled thunder echoed in the sky, followed by a surge of demonic energy. A giant figure almost completely obscured the starlight within several miles. Then, it transformed into an old demon in a gray robe standing on the Xiujian River, facing the water god Fuping from a distance. This old demon was a Star River stage cultivator, one realm higher than Fuping, which explained why Fuping was so injured.
"Hmph!"
The old demon's true form appeared behind him: a mantis shrimp demon covered in sharp spikes. His mastery of water was profound, which was likely the biggest reason he was competing with Fuping for the Xiujian River's water essence. He looked down condescendingly at the petite river god in front of him and sneered, "Lin Xingchu is already dead. Do you shrimp and crab soldiers still want to cause trouble? Fuping, I'll give you one last chance. Bow down now and become my concubine, and you won't lack incense offerings. Otherwise, you'll likely only have the fate of your golden body shattering and your soul perishing."
"The Goddess would never die!"
Fuping gritted her silver teeth, her water essence flowing all over her. "I will also never become your concubine. Give up on that idea. Even if you kill me, I will never bow down."
"Hmph, stubborn fool, you're practically courting death! What a shame for such a beautiful face!"
The ten-realm mantis shrimp demon roared, opening his sleeves as if opening a pair of large pincers. Fuping, on the other hand, raised her sword and channeled golden water essence, enveloped by the form of a pale golden water dragon. She once again clashed with the ten-realm mantis shrimp demon. For a time, half of the Xiujian River surged skyward!
In the water, Fuping's sword strikes landed on the mantis shrimp demon's body, but could only leave sword marks on its thick, hard carapace. Conversely, the ten-realm mantis shrimp demon's attacks became increasingly fierce. Many tricky attacks left gruesome wounds on Fuping's golden body.
If the battle dragged on, Fuping would surely be severely injured.
Lin Zhao's brows furrowed, and he held his breath, remaining in the forest without a sound, making no move. Acting now would not be of much help. The gap between them was too great, something that an eighth-realm Golden Core sword cultivator like himself could not bridge. Moreover, there might not be only one ten-realm demon here; there could be even stronger ones.
After all, according to the legends, after Lin Xingchu was killed in the water-fire tribulation, the deities in the Xiujian River were almost massacred. Below the River God Temple, two eleventh-realm water gods were killed by demon cultivators, and many tenth-realm deities had their golden bodies shattered. It could be said that the deities of the Xiujian River, from Lin Xingchu downwards, were almost wiped out. Now, only Fuping was left, struggling to survive, which was extremely difficult.
"Brother Lin Zhao."
Wang Yue's soul stood in the octagonal shrine and said softly, "Are you really not going to help?"
"En."
Lin Zhao nodded. "It's not time to help yet. You don't need to worry about this. I'll handle it. We might be staying at the Xiujian River for a while."
"Okay~~~"
After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the river water churned, and Fuping's green dress was almost torn to shreds. Covered in wounds, she plunged headfirst into the rapid river water. The mantis shrimp demon frowned. He didn't know Fuping's cave dwelling location yet and could only find a way to deal with her next time. Thus, the mantis shrimp demon also turned and left. Diverting a section of the Xiujian River's water essence was not something that could be rushed; they had to wait for a better opportunity.
...
In the early morning, Lin Zhao set up a pot by the river and was cooking a pot of chicken soup.
As the chicken soup bubbled and hissed, he quickly set up a simple table and sat down properly. He took out his Thousand Cavalry Rolling Snow and a stack of golden talisman papers, and then began to draw talismans with great concentration by the Xiujian River. He was drawing not just any talismans, but Breaking Evil Talismans, which could inflict great damage on demons and ghosts. These talismans had an innate suppressing effect on demons, ghosts, and monsters, making them ideal for killing demons.
Not long after, he didn't even notice that the chicken soup was already cooked. Lin Zhao fell into a state of complete absorption, just like the sixteen-year-old boy of the past. His resolute face exuded a sense of calm. Every stroke was incredibly natural and unrestrained. For a time, the cinnabar on the Breaking Evil Talismans seemed to come alive, transforming into streaks of golden cavalry and soldiers that charged into the Xiujian River ahead. The baptism of the killing aura from the depths of the Xiujian River made countless spirits and deities dwelling in the river's depths feel uncomfortable.
Deep in the river, in an unremarkable cave dwelling.
"It's happening again?"
The wounded water god Fuping suddenly relaxed her brows, revealing a smile. "He's finally here again... bringing the heavenly aura of the Sage of Military Affairs with him..."
Thanks to "Zhiyun Xiaobao Kuai Zhangda" for the sixteen-realm Emperor Lord! Thank you, thank you, the first sixteen-realm in this book!