Chapter 83

Listening to the gurgling river, the riverbank was silent. As the coolness passed through his mind, Zhen Bao gradually recalled what had happened before he fainted. He traced back his memories, piecing everything together in his heart...

The monster he encountered in the canyon river was shrouded in black smoke, using human eyes and hands to disguise itself as a multi-eyed, multi-handed creature. However, Zhen Bao knew that those eyes and hands were merely bound by a dead aura, not the true form. Later, after it rapidly withered, he vaguely remembered something inside, a withered-like thing, like a fierce tiger covered in scales, with eight heads on its back, eight legs on either side, and eight tails behind, which was none other than the appearance of Tian Wu.

Although it was just a fleeting glimpse, Zhen Bao clearly remembered the appearance, confirming its identity. As for whether it was the true form or a manifestation of yin souls, it didn't matter much...

The *Record of Divine Spirits* states: "All great spirits, ancient beasts, demons, and mountain spirits, if damaged, can regenerate as long as a single piece of flesh, bone, or tooth remains. Using this as a root, they can condense their souls into form, absorb the yin energy of heaven and earth, and transform the intangible into the divine..."

He speculated, "Could it be that this Tian Wu, as the old man once said, has become my divine servant? But, I didn't subdue it, I don't have a divine talisman to bind it, and why is it speaking in my mind... This doesn't seem right!"

While Zhen Bao was pondering the origin of the creature, the voice in his mind, which had been silent, suddenly spoke angrily. However, this time it was much more cautious: "What did you do to me just now?" The voice was very low, even though it was angry, it didn't dare to shout, clearly having learned from its previous loss.

Zhen Bao, hearing the voice, had an idea: "Hmph, if I don't know, do you know? I'll just test you and see how you respond..." He decided to act as if he knew nothing: "Oh! I really don't know what happened! You ask me, who should I ask?"

— Do you know the details?

"You don't know?" The voice sounded surprised: "Then, what just happened...?"

"What just happened?" Zhen Bao interrupted: "I don't know what happened. I just heard you babbling a lot, making a fuss and screaming. Weren't you putting on a show?"

— It seems you really don't know! Very well, I'll have to force you a bit more and see.

"I put on a show? I was..."

"Rubbish!" Zhen Bao suddenly interrupted: "Blaming me for everything. This is so annoying. It's really boring! Don't talk to me. Go back where you came from, and don't follow me—go, go. I don't want to tangle with you anymore!" He waved his hands as if shooing away an invisible fly.

— If you say so, if you have a way, you would definitely leave, right? Otherwise, you'll make things difficult for me... If you can't, then it's my turn to take control!

"Leave?" The voice was taken aback, then complained angrily: "Do you think I don't want to leave and just want to stick to you? If I had a way, I would have left long ago..."

"You can't leave?" Zhen Bao feigned confusion: "Why can't you leave? Isn't this just an excuse?" He was full of sarcasm: "One moment you're a water god, the next you have great powers, and now you say this? Clearly, you're just trying to stick to me!"

— You really can't leave? Fine, let me test you again.

"I stick to you? Pah! I was just fine in the Nujiang River, finding souls of those who deserved it, and was about to cultivate my true form, but then I met you..." At this point, it seemed to recall something terrifying, and its tone changed: "...What are you, why did your blood make my whole body decay and wither?"

The question Zhen Bao had heard a few times before, but since he didn't know, he didn't think much about it, just changing the subject: "What I am is none of your business. You just need to stop talking in my mind. Why say so much?"

"I... I... sigh!"

— Fine! I have no choice! It's my turn to make a move...

"Can't leave, huh?" Zhen Bao suddenly snorted: "If I'm not wrong, you can't leave now, trapped in my body! Not only that, but you're also under my control, forced to be connected to me, right?" Saying this was a huge risk, just to test Tian Wu's true intentions, so he had rambled on before, and now he focused on Tian Wu's reaction.

As expected, Tian Wu's voice faltered, though it tried to hide its fear: "What... what are you saying..." It looked around, trying to stay calm: "Ha, ha, are you joking?"

Zhen Bao felt reassured!

He laughed coldly, his tone suddenly becoming very firm: "Your original intention was to enter my body, take over, and destroy me, right? Who knew that after entering, you couldn't leave and were instead controlled by me, unable to escape, right?"

"No!" Tian Wu suddenly became agitated, shouting fiercely: "That's not true, I'm a water god, a divine being!"

"Water god?" Zhen Bao mocked, his tone even harsher: "If you were a water god, would you need to stay in that broken place? To be honest, I'm a disciple of the Yin-Yang Master, and I understand your kind..."

He was about to count off the reasons on his fingers when he suddenly felt a burning sensation at the scar on his abdomen, a force surging uncontrollably. He looked down and saw the area around the scar turning red, the scar pulsing, and his heart seemed to beat in sync, faster and faster...

His heart raced, almost ready to burst, making him restless, his senses chaotic!

It almost drove him to scream and run madly!

Zhen Bao couldn't afford to think about it. He quickly sat down by the river, forming a lotus finger seal, trying to calm himself. Despite his efforts, his heart didn't calm down, still racing! Zhen Bao remained unmoved, focusing his mind, and the long cultivation on Kunlun Mountain finally paid off...

He remained calm, undisturbed, and gradually regained his composure!

In the midst of the burning sensation, a coolness suddenly arose, just like before. Even though the force in his abdomen tried to block it, the coolness was gradually extracted, circulating through his body along the Ren and Du meridians—into his heart, like a dam across a raging river, gradually calming the chaos!

Once the coolness was extracted, the burning and agitation in his abdomen decreased, melting away like snow in the sun, disappearing without a trace!

Zhen Bao took a deep breath, sighing in relief, and finally stood up, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"You... you did it again!" Tian Wu suddenly shouted: "What do you mean?"

"Can't I?" Zhen Bao gritted his teeth: "You can use tricks, why can't I? To be honest, I don't believe in this evil today, and I'm determined to fight you!"

Zhen Bao now understood that the coolness must be a power of Tian Wu, and since it was attached to him, it had somehow become a force he could control—

Even so, why should he fear?

Tian Wu, not a good-natured being, didn't show weakness but became even more agitated. Suddenly, it transformed into a black smoke, surging out of Zhen Bao's abdomen, forming a vague shadow in the air, and the river water rushed toward Zhen Bao!

Zhen Bao took a step back, stomping on a large rock and blocking the attack with his hands, then began to channel the force from his abdomen again... At first, he was not very skilled, but after a few tries, he gradually mastered the technique.

Without relying on anything else, he could use his clear mind and the incantations that sensed his inner self to borrow the power, as if it followed his thoughts, moving freely!

With the same power being contested by both, Zhen Bao always had the upper hand. No matter how Tian Wu changed, it was ultimately neutralized by Zhen Bao, not only failing but also becoming exhausted and weakened!

Throughout the day, Tian Wu tried dozens of methods, but the outcome was always the same. From morning to night, Zhen Bao, though hungry, no longer tangled with Tian Wu...

He lay by the river, panting heavily, sweat pouring down his forehead, but still speaking: "Come on! Hah, I want to see what else you can do, keep trying, and see if I'm afraid or not!"

Tian Wu grunted but didn't argue, its voice so weak it was barely audible, clearly too exhausted to struggle further.

Was it giving up?

Zhen Bao's heart moved, and he sat up, laughing: "Cough, cough, if we keep fighting, you won't be able to do anything to me. Why don't we talk and see if there's another way to solve this, what do you think?"

"Talk?" Tian Wu groaned: "What's there to talk about? I'm just a water god trapped under the Stone Gate Ferry, seeking a chance to achieve enlightenment. You won't let me out, so I'd rather fight to the death—don't be too pleased, once I recover, I'll fight you again!"

"Stop fighting!" Zhen Bao panted: "Fighting just uses your cultivation and power, leaving me unharmed. You're just killing yourself, which is useless—what I'm curious about is, does your cultivation really require absorbing yin energy from the world, or is there another way?"

This question made Tian Wu 'ah' in surprise, as if thinking about something. Suddenly, it shouted happily: "Yes! Yes! There is another way! Hahaha, you've reminded me! Yes! There is another way!"

Without waiting for Zhen Bao to respond, it muttered to itself: "Your destiny is unique, clearly connected to the yin and yang. You might have great fortune. If you can cultivate to become a Vajra Immortal and master the ghostly yin, I can also achieve my goal—human life is only a hundred years, but it takes me a thousand years to achieve enlightenment. Even if you fail, I won't have wasted too much time, but if you succeed, I'll have a shortcut. Haha, excellent, excellent!"

This left Zhen Bao completely confused. (To be continued. Please search for Piaotian Literature for better and faster updates!)