Before entering the Divine Soul River, the elders of the Qingcheng Sect had explained that there were a total of nine breaches that needed to be mended, and the deadline was set within seven days. If the breaches were not fully repaired by the seventh day, the Divine Soul River would immediately sink beneath the ground, falling under the control of the subterranean demons.

Among these nine breaches, the simplest one was located at the Dadu River.

The remaining eight were increasingly more difficult, one after the other.

Due to time constraints, it was naturally impossible for the remaining two hundred disciples to go together; instead, they were divided into eight teams, dispatched in eight different directions.

Of these, the most challenging was naturally the one at the Black Water River, where it was rumored a Half-Jiao resided. A Half-Jiao!

Dragons are beings of boundless might. In the cultivation world, everyone takes pride in being able to strike forth a phantom shadow of a dragon. If one can condense the form and soul of a dragon—such as through the Cloud Dragon Ten Transformations or the Ascending Dragon Plume Scripture—transforming into a dragon is considered the highest profound mystery, illustrating the terrifying strength and power of the Dragon. In ancient legends, dragons could easily shatter cities.

The Jiao is a variant of the Dragon, and the Jiao's power is immeasurably vast. It is said that three thousand years ago, a Dragon-Jiao appeared that was overwhelmingly powerful, stirring up wind and rain across the entire land. Finally, the Central Celestial Dynasty dispatched a Grand Master realm expert to finally subdue that Jiao.

In the Minjiang River, the most powerful creature is the Half-Jiao.

This Half-Jiao’s strength is far inferior to that of a true Jiao, but its power is still unimaginable. Therefore, the Black Water River’s Half-Jiao posed the greatest difficulty.

"The Half-Jiao, leave it to me," declared Jing Yueqingshan of the Wudang Immortal Sect with a loud shout.

"A mere Half-Jiao? Today, let me try my hand at slaughtering one," said Sun Junyi of the Qingcheng Immortal Sect.

"A Half-Jiao. I’ve never dealt with one before. Today, I shall try it out," Qiao Leng stated coldly.

"Exactly, exactly. Let's see if my Sea Fire is fiercer, or if the Half-Jiao is mightier," spoke Wang Zhongling.

"I possess the forbidden-grade water-element spell, Dragon's Roar. Let's see which is more formidable," said Qi Haozhi of the Huashan Qi Sect. These five cultivators, all at the peak of the Seventh Layer of Longevity (Golden Core Great Perfection), were overflowing with confidence. They certainly had reason to be so. Golden Cores were manifested above their heads, sending down layer upon layer of golden light. Earlier, when crossing the Dadu River bridge, they hadn't moved a hand or a foot; merely manifesting their Golden Cores was enough to repel the bats—not a single one could breach their defensive line—showing everyone the insurmountable gap between the Seventh Layer of Longevity and those below it.

Once these individuals were assigned roles, Lu Yuan and the other nineteen formed one team, tasked with a location of relatively lower difficulty—the Leshan Giant Buddha.

The Leshan Giant Buddha, it was said, was carved out long ago, chiseled directly from the mountain rock, making it a famous scenic spot. However, after the entire Minjiang River was refined by the founding ancestor of the Qingcheng Sect using his magic power, no one could visit the Giant Buddha anymore. It was rumored that one of the nine breaches was located near the Leshan Giant Buddha.

The group of twenty rode their swords, skimming the water, flying directly toward the Leshan Giant Buddha.

The Leshan Giant Buddha was about two hundred li from where the group currently stood.

Among these twenty, Lu Yuan recognized one person: Daoist Nun Huayue, a cultivator at the Fourth Layer of Longevity from the Wudang Immortal Sect. Daoist Nun Huayue still possessed that clean and pure appearance, seeming quite ordinary, yet she was the type whose beauty deepened the longer one looked. Lu Yuan exchanged a greeting with her. The Wudang Immortal Sect owed Lu Yuan a significant favor, so Daoist Nun Huayue naturally responded with a smile.

"With twenty of us going, as the saying goes, a snake cannot move without a head. How about this: we should elect a leader," said the speaker. He was tall and thin, resembling a flagpole. This person was Ning Zizhen of the Qingcheng Immortal Sect. Lu Yuan observed that this man’s magical power was extremely profound; he had very likely formed a Nascent Core.

"That makes sense. We should indeed elect a leader," someone immediately agreed.

"But who should we nominate as the leader?"

"I suggest Senior Brother Ning Zizhen. Among us, Senior Brother Ning's strength is clearly the highest—Sixth Layer of Longevity, having formed a Nascent Core—he should be the head of us all." Someone spoke up immediately.

"Yes, yes, Senior Brother Ning should lead us."

They kept pushing, and Ning Zizhen smiled politely, saying, "How can that be? How can that be?" But since the others continued to push, he finally stated, "Very well. A snake cannot move without a head. Since everyone insists, I shall take charge of this expedition. For this mission to mend the breach at the Leshan Giant Buddha, follow my orders, and I ask all fellow disciples to cooperate."

The seven-day limit was quite tight, but now that they were divided into eight teams, each heading to a different location, the pressure eased somewhat. The Leshan Giant Buddha was now about two hundred and fifty li away. There would be numerous water monsters along the way. Since time was no longer pressing, everyone naturally took the time to fight these water monsters.

These water monsters were likely to yield Small Soul Stones, or perhaps even Great Soul Stones.

Ning Zizhen's command then began. He assigned the twenty-odd people: some to clear the path ahead, some to guard the rear, some for attack, and some for defense—his organization seemed quite orderly. The Small Soul Stones they gathered were all turned over to him for unified distribution.

Ning Zizhen, it seemed, truly possessed talent for command.

However, Lu Yuan gradually began to sense that something was amiss.

Ning Zizhen’s arrangements consistently placed himself in positions where he would not encounter the water monsters or demonic beasts, ensuring he never got to strike them to obtain Small Soul Stones. Furthermore, following his unified dispatch and distribution, not a single Small Soul Stone fell into Lu Yuan's hands. Lu Yuan was already uncomfortable being told by others how and where to fight; now being subjected to a maneuver that completely denied him Soul Stones made him extremely unhappy.

Lu Yuan pondered inwardly. Ning Zizhen had no known grudge against him, so why was he deliberately undermining him in secret? What Lu Yuan didn't know was that when Ning Zizhen was young, he had suffered a major humiliation at the hands of Li Yuanbai. Ning Zizhen, while outwardly magnanimous, was inwardly extremely petty. Having lost face to Li Yuanbai back then, he held the grudge to this day, and he certainly wouldn't let go of this rare opportunity to retaliate against Lu Yuan.

Although Lu Yuan was unaware of that old affair, he recognized that Ning Zizhen was working against him in secret. Continuing to be teamed up with Ning Zizhen meant he would suffer heavy losses.

At that, Lu Yuan stepped forward. "Senior Uncle Ning, my nature is wild and undisciplined; I am not suited for teamwork. How about this: I shall proceed alone?"

Ning Zizhen heard this and smiled faintly. "How can that be appropriate?" He certainly didn't want Lu Yuan to leave; he hadn't finished tormenting the junior of his old enemy and wasn't willing to let go yet.

Sensing the ill intentions of this scheming man, Lu Yuan cupped his hands in a salute. "My mind is made up. I ask for Senior Uncle Ning's understanding." With that, he mounted his sword and flew away, a streak of sword light heading toward another area.

"He’s truly arrogant."

"We see plenty of these geniuses who don't know the immensity of heaven and earth."

"Tch. Just some junior from Huashan. What's so great about him?"

"Flying alone on this Minjiang River, he’ll probably become a monster’s meal before long."

"Indeed. Senior Brother Ning has managed our distribution so perfectly. This junior truly doesn't appreciate kindness." The Qingcheng disciples accounted for about half of the twenty-person team, so they naturally sided with Ning Zizhen, all criticizing Lu Yuan. They could indeed see Ning Zizhen subtly targeting Lu Yuan, but none would speak up for Lu Yuan, not only because they belonged to the same Qingcheng Immortal Sect, but because Ning Zizhen was the strongest in this team on the Minjiang River; Lu Yuan's strength meant nothing in comparison.

Ning Zizhen maintained his smile. "This is his personal decision; I cannot force him. If anyone else wishes to leave the group, you are free to do so." He smiled outwardly, but inwardly he thought: Good. That brat surnamed Lu. Flying solo like that, I only hope you end up devoured by water monsters.

In the Minjiang River, water monsters were ferocious. It was a perfectly normal outcome for a cultivator at the Fourth Layer of Longevity to perish alone in their bellies.

Since Ning Zizhen could not act directly, he naturally hoped to borrow a knife to kill.

Heaven and Earth are vast, but I am supreme.

Lu Yuan flew alone between Heaven and Earth—the sky high above, the rushing water below—moving against the current, carefree on his sword.

Alone here, he felt only an incomparably boundless freedom and exhilaration.

The petty annoyances he suffered with a petty man like Ning Zizhen were now completely swept away.

I am but a drifting cloud in this vast expanse. Petty men, tyrants, or heroes—they are all irrelevant to me.

He watched the surging river water flow east, indifferent to the sun and moon.

A moment of enlightenment bloomed in his heart: Heaven and Earth are truly thus.

Suddenly, a school of Poison Dartfish leaped out of the river ahead. These fish were fast as lightning and possessed potent venom; a single touch would trigger the poison and release clouds of toxic mist. However, Lu Yuan was completely unafraid. With a flick of his hand, sword light flared, and he plunged into the school of fish.

Not only did he have absolute confidence in his swordsmanship to avoid being struck by any fish, blocking them all away, but he also possessed the Azure Emperor Sword Dao, rendering him immune to all the world's poisons.

The school of Poison Dartfish was quickly routed by Lu Yuan, scattering in disarray. Soon, three Small Soul Stones appeared, popping into the air. Lu Yuan seized them with a wave of his hand. The Small Soul Stones he currently possessed totaled ten. Traveling alone was significantly more dangerous than moving with twenty people, but the rewards were also far greater. If he had stayed with the group, he could guarantee he wouldn't have obtained a single one of these three stones.

At ease, Lu Yuan held his wine gourd in his left hand while his right hand wielded his sword, dancing gracefully above the river.

Sword light flashed, human shadow flickered.

The sword slew the water monsters; the wine warmed his throat.

Exhilarating!

After exclaiming his satisfaction, Lu Yuan raised his hand. This was his eighteenth Small Soul Stone acquired in the Divine Soul River. The stones were only thumb-sized, emitting a faint glow. This expedition’s haul was quite good; had he truly traveled with them, his gains would certainly have been less.

Right, time was also running short. It was time to head to the Leshan Giant Buddha. Thinking this, the Zhenyue Sword shot from its sheath, becoming a streak of cold light. Lu Yuan rode the sword light, flying directly toward the location of the Leshan Giant Buddha.