"Ah!!!"
The River God clutched her greasy face, trying to shield herself from the bewildered gazes of the fishermen.
She was a god! A River God who had come riding the waves to protect this land!
She let out a piercing scream, and countless droplets of water condensed, shooting forward like arrows, their thunderous roar echoing across the sky!
Shen Yi moved with agility, staying within a foot of the River God.
His slender fingers struck out in mysterious patterns, severing the meridians wherever they touched, dispersing the demonic energy.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The River God's graceful figure gradually swelled, almost bursting out of her green robe, becoming as stout as an ox.
Having already lost most of her essence to the flood dragon and exhausted herself defeating two Jade Liquid Realm lieutenants, Li Mujin was on the verge of collapse.
She, too, was deeply drained.
Now, with her meridians sealed by the profound martial technique of "Severing Meridians and Capturing the Dragon," even the rain arrows she had summoned could no longer be maintained, dissipating silently in the air.
Shen Yi delivered a fierce kick, sending her massive body flying like a broken sandbag, crashing into the gilded statue and causing the temple to tremble violently.
The beams collapsed, and thick dust filled the air.
He turned slightly, catching the black blade that had fallen from the air.
Then he strode into the River God Temple, grabbing the River Demon by the back of her neck and slamming her onto the altar.
The River Demon trembled, her hands gripping the edges of the collapsed altar, trying to push herself up with arms that had lost most of their feeling.
Shen Yi stepped on her shoulder, pinning her back onto the table.
Feeling the cold aura behind her, the River Demon was nearly scared out of her wits:
"You can't kill me! I carry a dragon fetus in my womb!"
"I am destined to be the Dragon Consort of the Yangchun River!"
"I am the River God of Shuiyun Village!!! Save me!!!"
Hearing her desperate cries, Li Mujin, already dazed, almost fainted.
Countless fishermen gathered outside the temple, holding torches, staring in disbelief at the bloated figure on the altar.
This was the deity their ancestors had worshipped for centuries.
The master who had sent three hundred children into the river to serve her.
Now, she lay helpless on the altar, crying out in fear, begging for someone to save her.
"Save the River God! Kill the hounds of the government!"
The village chief, holding his son's corpse, wept bitterly, his eyes filled with hatred.
He had only one son!
The old man shouted hoarsely, "Kill!!!"
His resentful voice tore through the silence of the night.
Immediately, a dozen young men threw down their torches, gripped their fishing spears, and charged forward in a frenzy.
In the past, they had driven away the officers of the Demon-Suppression Bureau time and time again with such ferocity.
This was the anger of the seventy thousand people of Shuiyun Village.
Even a Jade Liquid Realm lieutenant would have to retreat before such fury.
"..."
Shen Yi seemed not to hear them.
He picked up a sharp wooden stake and without hesitation drove it through the River Demon's back, nailing her to the altar.
As the River Demon screamed, he glanced back, extending his left hand.
His fingers slowly opened, revealing a black waist token swaying in his palm.
The cold, iron-etched characters "Demon-Suppression" were clearly visible.
His voice was indifferent: "The Demon-Suppression Bureau acts on orders to slay demons. All bystanders, disperse."
The young fishermen, their eyes bloodshot, paid no heed.
They believed that if they charged in, the officer would have no choice but to retreat.
Thinking this, they tightened their grip on their fishing spears: "Kill the hounds! Save the River God!"
But perhaps it was an illusion.
In the dim torchlight, they could not find the hesitation that had always been in the eyes of the previous officers on the face of the young man in black.
Seeing them continue to charge, Shen Yi said nothing.
He simply clenched his fingers.
A red light silently appeared, streaking through the air at an imperceptible speed, piercing through the first head, then the second...
The village chief watched in shock as more than ten men fell one after another, a sense of dread rising in his heart.
This officer seemed different from the ones before.
Before he could finish his thought, a burning crimson mark appeared on his forehead, blurring his vision and making his body feel strangely light.
"..."
Seeing the village chief fall dead, the remaining fishermen who had not yet acted felt their skin crawl and involuntarily took a step back.
Those who had restrained the Demon-Suppression officers also trembled and dropped their fishing spears.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The area outside the temple gradually filled with kneeling figures, their heads hitting the ground until they bled, their cries unceasing: "Please, spare the River God!"
Shen Yi turned back, staring down at the River Demon beneath his foot.
The black blade descended in an instant.
With a dull thud, the head rolled to the ground, transforming into a wide, whiskerless catfish.
The green robe split open, revealing a slippery, fat green fish body that took up half the temple, its tail twitching slightly.
Under the horrified gazes of the onlookers, the blood-soaked young man stood on the altar, his expression not particularly fierce, yet no one dared to look directly at him.
He seemed even more terrifying than the statue that had once stood there.
He plunged the blade into the fish's belly, meticulously cutting it open.
The tender, succulent flesh spread out like pages of a book.
Casually taking the beast core, Shen Yi sliced off a piece of fish meat, standing with his head bowed, chewing it slowly.
"..."
The fishermen stopped kowtowing, their eyes dim, their expressions gradually becoming numb.
They no longer knew how to react to the scene before them.
This towering, malevolent figure, like a demon from the depths of hell, was savoring their River God.
After a moment, Shen Yi tore off a large chunk of fish meat and walked out of the temple.
He grabbed a stunned man.
Under the man's shocked gaze, he shoved the fish meat into his mouth.
"Gag!"
The man instinctively retched, but Shen Yi's slender fingers clamped down on his mouth.
"Chew it and swallow it," the cold voice sent chills through everyone's hearts.
"Then answer me."
Shen Yi yanked the man to his feet, his expression calm: "How does your River God taste?"
Tears welled up in the man's eyes, his body trembling.
But the tender, fresh flavor that burst in his mouth was something he had never tasted in his thirty years by the river.
He instinctively swallowed, then immediately felt guilty.
Yet he couldn't help but take another bite.
"You raised her well. Don't do it again."
Shen Yi patted the man's face, sheathed the black blade, and walked toward a few people not far away.
The madman, who had just woken from his coma, was covered in mud, scrambling toward the scene.
He saw the horrified villagers, the collapsed temple, his gaze sweeping over the only figure standing tall.
Then it fell on the gutted fish inside the temple.
Suddenly, the madman mustered an unprecedented strength, charging through the crowd and throwing himself onto the fish, tearing into it with his teeth.
He devoured the fish meat mixed with snot and tears, as if trying to vent all the resentment of the past decade.
Seeing this, the others kneeling on the ground stared at him in shock.
The man who had been forced to eat the fish earlier pounded his chest in anguish, yet couldn't help but secretly swallow another mouthful.
In the flickering torchlight, the shattered statue's golden skin peeled away, revealing the clay body beneath.
(End of Chapter)