Staring at the night ahead, the old man could sense an approaching presence.
He wasted no more time, turning and surging towards the distant youth, finally hurling the short staff in his hand.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan merely smiled, "Too late!"
As his voice faded, a continuous roar of waves rose in the night, followed by the earth being submerged by river water, wave after wave crashing forward.
From a high vantage point, it could be seen that more than half of Lin Fu County was now covered in river water, and the area outside the city had transformed into a vast marsh.
A massive amount of river water surged in like a tsunami, even breaching an entire city wall!
Just as the old man's magic artifact tore through the air, carrying countless bolts of lightning, a streak of golden light shot from afar, then abruptly vanished mid-air.
As a trace of Dao rhyme emerged, a youth clad in divine robes suddenly appeared. He was none other than Ji Yuan's divine avatar!
The aura of a mid-stage Third Realm cultivator erupted, divine might sweeping in all directions. The youth raised his hand, and a sphere shimmering with water light materialized, then violently collided with the short staff!
BOOM!!!
Powerful energy fluctuations spread outwards, causing over a dozen buildings to collapse. Fortunately, the populace had been evacuated in advance, preventing significant casualties.
"Leave this to you!"
Ji Yuan's main body spoke. Upon seeing his avatar nod slightly, he immediately turned and vanished into the void.
The two were identical yet possessed independent consciousness; the art of the external avatar was indeed profound.
Sensing his main body's departure, the avatar looked forward. With a thought, five more heavy water beads appeared and shot forth in succession.
The six heavy water beads, their energies connected, unleashed terrifying power fluctuations under the infusion of immense divine power.
In an instant, this realm was sealed, and the old man could no longer use his escape techniques. He had no choice but to face the six approaching heavy water beads head-on with his short staff!
Bolts of lightning shot out, turning this land into a domain of thunder, the sound of rumbling echoing incessantly.
Yet, no matter how furious the lightning became, it could not break through the layers of water light's blockade. The old man could even feel as if an ocean was pressing down on him.
He cast all caution aside, fully activating the restrictions within his short staff, pushing its power to the maximum, even at the cost of depleting the artifact's fundamental spiritual essence!
However, it was all in vain. With the power of heaven and earth and the blessing of his divine position, Ji Yuan's divine avatar's strength was already comparable to a mid-stage, or even late-stage, Third Realm cultivator.
Coupled with the higher grade of the six heavy water beads and their inherently extraordinary material, their power had ascended further after their transformation into divine artifacts.
Under such circumstances, the old man was naturally at a disadvantage, feeling as if he were fighting against the heavens themselves.
He wielded his artifact and repeatedly employed his learned techniques, but it was all to no avail. The pressure he had felt earlier from Ji Yuan now manifested fully upon him.
"Explode!"
Seeing the six heavy water beads descend, facing imminent death, the old man desperately detonated his artifact, using the impact of the immense force to briefly open a gap.
He then used an escape technique, his body becoming an almost imperceptible thin line as he entered the void. He only revealed himself in the sky, his aura now weakened, clearly suffering severe backlash from self-detonating his artifact.
ROAR!!!
However, just as his eyes glinted with ferocity, preparing to fight to the death, a powerful aura erupted from behind him.
The old man instinctively turned, only to see a flood dragon maneuvering in the air, letting out roars that shook his soul into a daze.
Under his near-stunned gaze, he watched the flood dragon rapidly approach, open its colossal maw, and spew forth a torrent of water imbued with potent divine power.
When his soul returned to normal, the old man immediately felt unbearable pain. He was horrified to discover his physical body rapidly dissolving within the torrent, leaving behind only a skeleton!
He tried to cry out in shock, but the next moment, even the skeleton disintegrated in the water column. In an instant, nothing remained except for a mountain and river pouch.
Witnessing this, Ji Yuan merely raised a hand indifferently. The six heavy water beads flew back, circling around him, while the flood dragon also swooped over, cradling him with its massive head.
He emotionlessly collected the mountain and river pouch left by the old man, showing no joy on his face.
But he supposed it was natural. By flooding the city without hesitation, and with the power of heaven and earth and his divine position augmenting him, his cultivation had already neared the late Third Realm.
Furthermore, with the essence of the Lin Fu River and its complete Dao principles, his realm was not inferior in any way.
Under these conditions, defeating an ordinary mid-stage Third Realm cultivator who possessed no supreme treasures was naturally not a cause for great accomplishment, and it was as it should be.
Ji Yuan cast his gaze towards the sky, where the true enemy lay. Unfortunately, even though he had temporarily expanded the Lin Fu River to this extent, he could not intervene directly.
At a low altitude, he could still receive the river's augmentation. If he ascended higher, his cultivation would be reduced to the early Third Realm, and all his advantages would disappear.
After a moment of contemplation, he turned his attention to the City God's Pavilion, where Lin Yubai was currently locked in battle with Zhou Wentao and others!
With eight inner disciples whose combined techniques were amplified, Lin Yubai's cultivation had temporarily broken through to the Third Realm. Even facing Zhou Wentao, he was not at a disadvantage.
However, his opponent was not alone; he was accompanied by a mid-stage Bone Sculpting Realm constable and four guards of mid to late stages.
The five of them, coordinating their efforts, had repeatedly come close to disrupting the combined attack technique, causing considerable trouble.
Suddenly, Ji Yuan's expression shifted. He could sense that the waters of the Lin Fu River had now covered the entire county town. Although it only reached the calves of the young and strong, it was enough to unleash about eighty percent of the river's origin power.
With the entire county town submerged, his control over the area had reached an astonishing level, no less than that of a local City God.
Under this perception, he immediately discovered a hidden Third Realm cultivator and four Second Realm beings within the city.
Although they had concealed themselves well, the presence of demonic energy had been revealed under the perception of the origin power.
Without a word, Ji Yuan made a slight mental movement. The flood dragon beneath him soared into the air, and within moments, it arrived above a mansion outside the City God's Pavilion, its gaze filled with killing intent fixed downwards.