Zhang Chen possesses the eleventh-tier Sun True Flame; he might not claim he can help others succeed, but if he intends to sabotage someone else’s plans, it’s definitely possible.
Causing the Yellow Heaven Dao and the Innate Water God to clash is a good idea, distracting the Innate Water God lest he turns his focus on Zhang Chen.
It should be known that Zhang Chen’s mother hails from the Shen Family, and the Shen Family blood runs in his veins.
Zhang Chen quietly sits in the mountain practicing alchemy, merely observing the actions of those below.
Outside the city, Zhou Qiucheng and the Innate Water God are engaged in a fierce battle, while inside the city, preparations for the grand divine enthronement ceremony are underway.
Approximately three hours later, suddenly a brilliant blue light bursts skyward from Jinling City, and a strange ripple spreads through the heavens and earth.
"Natural Divine Spirit!" Zhang Chen, having already cultivated into the Primordial Spirit, senses the change in the operation of the laws of heaven and earth at the first instant.
"By the decree of the Great Virtuous Master, Gu Mingyue is hereby appointed as the Yangtze River Water God; honor this command!"
A sound echoing in the boundless void spreads throughout the heavens and the earth, as the next moment, immeasurable divine light converges towards Jinling City.
"Thief! How dare you steal my Authority of Water Element! I will fight you to the death!" The Innate Water God outside Jinling City immediately goes frantic.
The Yellow River and Yangtze are the two great water veins of the Divine Land’s human territory, with the Yellow River running through the northern land and the Yangtze River through the south, commanding the water vein authority of the Divine Land. Once the other’s authority of the Yangtze River Water God is enthroned, his own authority will be significantly weakened.
"Yellow Heaven Dao actually dares to play so big, having the capability to decree the Yangtze River Water God?" What shocks Zhang Chen is their ability to appoint a Yangtze River Water God, knowing that enthroning a natural god is no simple matter, requiring vast faith as support.
The Yangtze traverses the southern ten thousand-mile land; Zhang Chen unabashedly remarks that relying solely on Jinling City’s faith to enthrone a Yangtze River Water God falls far short.
"It seems the entire wealth of Yellow Heaven Dao would be emptied, consuming all faith spread along the Yangtze’s banks... even insufficient, mobilizing faith from the Yellow River banks, even drawing on faith from the territory of Prince Pingbian’s Mansion, to possibly achieve the goal." Zhang Chen’s eyes reveal caution; the Yellow River Water God is at least an eleventh-tier divine spirit, possibly entering the twelfth tier, with Yellow Heaven witnessing the emergence of another supreme being following the Great Virtuous Master.
Sure enough, as the decree falls, an overwhelming amount of faith emerges from nothingness, transforming into a miraculous talisman decree, merging into Gu Mingyue’s body, then light bursts from Gu Mingyue’s being, blue light transforming into strings penetrating the heavens from all directions.
"In the Yangtze River domain, Gu Mingyue’s strength can reach the twelfth tier, but outside the Yangtze River domain, on land the adversary may have the eleventh-tier cultivation. If he were to go to the northern land, far from the Yangtze River domain, maintaining a tenth-tier cultivation would be a stretch." Zhang Chen’s Primordial spirit quickly deduces the information across the heavens and earth.
This is also the disadvantage of a natural god, whose strength is closely tied to their territory, diminishing sharply the farther they venture from their appointed domain.
Simply, Gu Mingyue can draw upon the Yangtze’s power on the river and its tributaries, achieving twelfth-tier cultivation. Leaving the river for land in the southern region with the Yangtze’s water veins radiating, he can maintain eleventh-tier cultivation. Traveling from the south to the north beyond the reach of the Yangtze’s radiation, his cultivation will diminish drastically; maintaining tenth-tier cultivation would still be commendable.
"This enthronement drains a whole cycle’s worth of Incense Faith accumulated by Yellow Heaven Dao, even exhausting the incense faith from Prince Pingbian’s territory," Zhang Chen sighs softly.
Before he can even target Yellow Heaven Dao’s faith, they have already consumed their amassed Cause and Effect Force.
After Gu Mingyue received the decree, he transformed into a streak of lightning and rushed towards the Innate Water God’s skull outside the city: "Innate Water God, cease your reckless acts in our human territory; let’s see how I subdue you today."
Gu Mingyue’s voice is filled with excitement; now with eleventh-tier cultivation and the Authority of Water Element within, he has no fear of Weak Water’s power. Watch as his lightning penetrates Weak Water effortlessly, soaring into the clouds.
"Minion, you dare seize my authority; you’re doomed today! Even if the Celestial King comes, it’d be useless!" Upon spotting Gu Mingyue, the Innate Water God furiously roars, and their encounter ignites fierce hostility, engaging in a battle turning the sky dark, obscuring sun and moon.
The Innate Water God’s authority being divided, it’s no longer complete, now falling from quasi-twelfth-tier to thoroughly eleventh-tier. If he contends with Gu Mingyue within the Yangtze River domain, the Innate Water God would likely no longer be an opponent." Zhang Chen sighs lightly, reflecting deeply in his gaze.
At this moment, the authority of the Innate Water God is scattered, no longer fearful!
Even when facing the Innate Water God, Zhang Chen would not fear it.
As the two conversed, Zhang Chen looked at the alchemy furnace before him. Accompanying his alchemy, the furnace underwent a marvelous transformation.
"During the process of alchemy, there seems to be a mysterious change happening. This change appears to contain some peculiar power; astonishingly, it’s nourishing my alchemy furnace, rapidly repairing the damaged innate restriction within it." Zhang Chen stroked the furnace, eyes filled with a curious gleam, as if some incredible transformation was occurring during the alchemy process.
"How could the alchemy process nourish my furnace? What transformation is taking place here, which makes the innate restriction within my furnace repair and even revive?" Zhang Chen’s eyes were filled with curiosity.
As countless thoughts flickered in Zhang Chen’s mind, amidst a misty drizzle, a voice came from afar.
"How could anyone come to such a secluded place in the back mountain?" Upon hearing the voice amid the rain, Zhang Chen instinctively looked in the direction of the sound. However, the torrential rain cut off his view, allowing him to only vaguely see two figures opposite him.
The two figures were holding umbrellas, standing silently between the cliff steps overlooking the thousand-foot abyss.
Fortunately, Zhang Chen possessed a Blood Dao skill: Ultrasound. Activating the skill, the distant voices penetrated the rain curtain.
"Shen Ling, what are you trying to achieve? Now that the situation has reached this point, we have become the clowns being watched by everyone, the laughingstock of the whole academy. Are you satisfied now?" Zhang Gaoqiu’s angry voice spread through the rain.
"Wuwuwu... Zhang, I only wanted you to marry me, is it that difficult?" Shen Ling’s sorrowful voice spread in the rain: "I have only you left now."
"But do you know, I now have nothing? Climbing the Little Princess is my only chance to change fate. As long as I cling to the Little Princess, I can soar, with the Crown Prince’s help, I can qualify for the Zhang Family Patriarch’s competition. Do you understand what this means to me?" Zhang Gaoqiu was even more sorrowful than Shen Ling, his grief contained repressed anger: "You’ve stirred up such a commotion, are you trying to ruin me?"
"Wuwuwu... Zhang, I never thought that way, I’ve already given you my body. If you don’t want me, whom else can I marry? My life is ruined." Shen Ling’s sobbing echoed between Heaven and Earth.
"Shen Ling! I’ve already told you, you have a marriage contract with Zhang Chen, you two are bound by parental decree and matchmakers’ words. Just come back to Kyoto with me, let the elders decide for you to seek a prosperous marriage, why continue to entangle with me? Do you know, in three years the family will divide. If I don’t ascend to the position of Patriarch, how miserable would I be? Of the wealth of the vast Zhang Family, I would only share in a few shops, and by then, I wouldn’t be the admired Eighth Young Master, but merely an ordinary person. Now that I have a chance to change fate, can I give it up?"
"Why don’t we live as an ordinary couple, peacefully for a lifetime, what’s wrong with that?" But Shen Ling did not listen, she just stood there questioning with a sob.
"I seek to rise to the pinnacle, even if shattered to pieces, I will never live in mediocrity." Zhang Gaoqiu’s voice was full of determination.
"Then what about me? What am I supposed to do? Since you don’t want to marry me, why did you bother me?" Shen Ling asked Zhang Gaoqiu, her voice choked with tears.
Hearing this, Zhang Gaoqiu fell into silence. What could he do? He felt helpless too.
"I’m giving you three choices now." Zhang Gaoqiu extended three fingers, pointing at Shen Ling: "First, we sever all ties, I would compensate you, and from then on, you’d be my ordinary cousin. Second, after marrying the Princess, I’d support you outside, you’d be my secret lover. Third, I’ll take you back to Kyoto to request the elders to uphold your marriage contract with Zhang Chen, you’d marry Zhang Chen. I can see that Zhang Chen is a good man and worthy of being with."
"Choose among these conditions yourself." Zhang Gaoqiu’s voice was serious, leaving no room for Shen Ling to refuse.
"I, a Shen Family woman, will never be a concubine, nor will I ever marry Zhang Chen. If you want to sever ties with me, it’s impossible!" Shen Ling stared at Zhang Gaoqiu, her voice gentle yet stubborn.
"What are you going to do?" Zhang Gaoqiu was completely impatient.
"I will ask the Little Princess to return you to me! I don’t believe it—if I stir things up, the Royal Family can still tolerate this marriage." Shen Ling’s voice was full of determination.
"You... Do you really have to be so resolute, not considering me?" Zhang Gaoqiu’s voice was filled with disbelief.
"Zhang, as long as I can be with you, even if stirring up great scandals, even if disgraced and pointed finger by thousands, I will never regret it! As long as I can be with you, even if costing my life, costing Shen Family’s reputation, I wouldn’t hesitate." Shen Ling’s voice was full of stubbornness, her gaze full of tenderness looking at Zhang Gaoqiu.