Chapter 124: Six God Florida Water (1/3)

Darkness is cyan.

The merit of heaven and earth, like a wisp of sky-blue energy blooming with golden light, lingered and coiled around his fingertips.

"Merit—this is truly a good thing."

Luo Feng’s eyes burned with fervor as he sighed with genuine admiration. This was his first time obtaining merit, and he was overwhelmed with excitement. In the Great Primordial Universe, merit was the ultimate hard currency. With enough merit, one could obtain not just the status of a Daluo, but even the exalted position of a Sage.

However, reality quickly humbled Luo Feng.

He had rejoiced too soon.

With a crisp, melodious chime—as if heaven and earth were calling out and the universe were groaning—the merit, originally as fine as a hair, instantly split into three parts. Fifty percent of the merit transformed into radiance, merging into the all-encompassing Heavenly Court’s legal net, which permeated the celestial realm. Twenty percent soared toward the unreachable, lofty heights, a realm too distant to look upon directly.

While his clone in the Heavenly Star Realm could not see it, his true self in the Heavenly Court saw it clearly. That twenty percent of merit and fortune traced an unseen thread directly toward the Tongming Hall.

The Heavenly Court possessed thirty-three celestial palaces and seventy-two treasure halls, all of which were the cultivation sites of great gods and immortals. Among them, the Tongming Hall was one of the Jade Emperor’s leisure chambers, where he occasionally gathered his high-ranking ministers for counsel.

Gazing at the remaining thirty percent in his hand, Luo Feng’s face darkened. This time, it was truly as thin as a strand of hair. The remaining portion was barely comparable to a single hair.

"I am such a fool, truly..." Luo Feng muttered gloomily.

He finally understood where his big boss, the Jade Emperor, derived his supreme manifestation of merit—vast as the firmament itself—and the divine halo of light behind his head that illuminated the heavens. It turned out the status of the Heavenly Emperor came with such perks.

The Heavenly Court had only been established for a few million years, and the various gods had yet to take their rightful positions, yet the Jade Emperor was already a tycoon among the Daluo. A mere leak of fortune and merit from his fingertips was enough to forge a Golden Immortal Star God.

If, after the Great Investiture of the Gods concluded and all the gods returned to their posts, one could only imagine how prosperous the Heavenly Court's fortune would become, and how much merit and fortune the Jade Emperor would be able to harvest from it.

Bit by bit, these threads would eventually gather into a vast ocean. After eons, even the six Sages of the Heavenly Dao might struggle to stand as his equals; the Great Heavenly Venerable would become the wealthiest of the wealthy.

Even if he were to successfully reclaim the many water veins of the Primordial World in the future, attain the status of the Lower Yuan Third-Grade Water Official of Calamity Relief, achieve the Daluo of the Divine Way, and take the position of the Great Emperor Dongyin—ruling over the Water King of Tanggu, the River Lords of the Nine River Water Mansions, and the records of all great water deities and immortals—he would still pale in comparison to the Jade Emperor, the Primordial Heavenly Emperor, who sat back and enjoyed the effortless influx of merit.

Perhaps only by mastering the Great Dao of Water, encompassing the heavens, earth, and humanity, and elevating his status to that of the Black Water Heavenly Emperor could one begin to glimpse the grandeur, mystery, and supreme merit of the Jade Emperor.

As Luo Feng secretly envied the Jade Emperor, lamenting that a great man should aspire to such heights, he realized he was not the only one on Mount Tianzhu. Or rather, not the only living—or dead—demon god.

***

The act of summoning clouds and rain stirred the primordial energy of the universe, and the massive commotion left the various demon gods in a state of panic and unease. At the Heavenly Pool atop Mount Tianzhu, a Green Flood Dragon and a Water Turtle exchanged glances, both seeing the shock in each other’s eyes.

On a phoenix tree, a small, exquisite divine sparrow fluttered its wings, while a god with the face of a tiger and the body of a man roared at the mountain. A simple-minded black bear emerged from its cave, and a yellow bird wreathed in flames opened its eyes.

These two demons, two gods, and two spirits were the peak demon gods of Mount Tianzhu, the masters of this sacred mountain.

After the wind died down and the rain ceased, the six demon gods gathered on a large rock. The Green Flood Dragon, his expression ferocious, said coldly, "Who stirred the primordial energy? Was it the Tiger God or the Black God?"

His dragon whiskers drifted, and green wood energy swirled around him, signaling that this dragon-kin was furious to the extreme. This heavy rain had stretched for thousands of miles from Mount Tianzhu, persistent and completely beyond his control—it was a direct affront to a dragon who mastered the water element.

He had long considered Mount Tianzhu his own spiritual domain and cultivation site, residing at the very peak in the Heavenly Pool. To cast spells on Mount Tianzhu without his permission was like an enemy splashing a bucket of water into a host’s home—it was an act of provocation.

The Black Bear Demon God said lazily, "Why look at me? I’ve been sleeping for the past three hundred years."

The Green Flood Dragon turned his gaze to the tiger-faced deity. The Tiger Demon God snorted, "I know the rules against casting spells or fighting on Kunlun. It wasn't me."

"Tiger God, are you sure it wasn't you?" The divine sparrow fluttered its wings and questioned, "Aside from the Green Flood Dragon, the Water Turtle, and the Black God, only you possess this level of water-element magic."

Everyone present was either a Primordial Spirit Demon God or a heaven-born deity; they had at least that much discernment. The relentless rain falling from Mount Tianzhu was supported by profound Daoist rhymes, and only the six gods of Mount Tianzhu could achieve such a feat. Among them, the Green Flood Dragon and Water Turtle specialized in water, while the Black God and Tiger God had some proficiency.

Under suspicion, the Tiger God flew into a rage. As a fellow Primordial Spirit Demon God, he had his own dignity. "Do you think I, the great Tiger God, would lie to you? Is it not possible that some outside demon god is casting spells, besides me and this black brute?"

The demon gods began to bicker and blame one another.

***

After a long while, the yellow bird, who had been silent, spoke up: "Perhaps it was a great water-element demon god born outside of Mount Tianzhu."

The Water Turtle and the Green Flood Dragon’s expressions changed in unison, and they instinctively retorted, "How is that possible? That cannot be."

The Green Flood Dragon, his thousand-foot body coiling, said with a cold gaze, "In less than a hundred years, how could another great water-element demon god be conceived? The Will of Heaven would never allow such a thing to happen."

"Why not?" the Tiger Demon God scoffed. "Perhaps it is because you two have been siphoning the water veins and severing the divine embryos, provoking the backlash of Heaven’s Will."

"Heaven’s Will is heartless. Cease your idle chatter," the Fire-Yellow Bird Demon God scolded.

Silence descended, and a moment later, the Black God said lazily, "Fine, it’s done. I’m going back to sleep. If there’s nothing else, let’s disperse."

The Yellow Bird Demon God made the final decision. It was none of their business; if a water demon god was born, it wasn't their authority being threatened. It was the Green Flood Dragon and the Water Turtle who should be worried.

"Leave? Where do you think you're going?"

A strange voice rang out, sending shivers down the spines of the six demon gods. No one had sensed his arrival; his realm seemed far beyond that of a demon god.

Luo Feng rode the wind, standing before them with a smile, counting the demon gods—yes, there were six of them. He hadn't practiced alchemy in a long time; perhaps he could refine a bottle of "Six-God Dew" this time.

The Flood Dragon bared his fangs, the Turtle God retreated into a defensive shell, the Black Bear stepped back to seek an escape route, and the Tiger Demon God and the Sparrow prepared to strike. Only the Yellow Bird remained calm, its eyes sharp as swords, flames rising.

"Human?" it asked, its tone filled with doubt. "Or a Demon God?"

Luo Feng waved his hand, complaining to himself, "I’ve been waiting down the mountain for ages, and you wouldn't come. So, you were holding a meeting here. That saves me from having to hunt you down one by one. And by the way, tell me in detail about this siphoning of water veins and severing of divine embryos."

"Vile human, you are too arrogant!" The Green Flood Dragon roared and charged forward. He was full of confidence; this was Mount Tianzhu, the base of the demon gods, and he had five allies. What preparation could he possibly need to deal with a lowly human?

Looking at the snapping, clawing little dragon, Luo Feng clicked his tongue and shook his head. The young demons of today were truly too naive.

"Five Elements Heaven Domain."

With a single flick of his finger, the cycle of the five elements was set in motion. The six demon gods, who had yet to transcend the Three Realms or escape the Five Elements, were instantly frozen in place.

"Now, can we have a proper conversation, you karma-ridden dragon?"

[The author has reasons for the slow updates, mainly because the NetEase games are too grindy. Blame the dog-like game planners.]