Hammer in her left hand, sword in her right, the eldest sister is connected to both worlds.

Chapter 223 The Black Carp Transforms into a Dragon, the River Goddess

The river flows on and on, ceaselessly.

Xue Lan floated above the southward-flowing Qinglin River, her head bowed in utmost devotion. Her red dress resembled that of a spider lily growing by the Yellow Springs.

Despite bearing the golden sun, it exudes a faint aura of death.

Behind her, Xue Tong also bent down, just like the girl in front of her.

A quarter of an hour passed, and apart from the incessant sound of the river, there was no other noise to be heard.

Xue Tong, with her childlike nature, was now unable to contain herself any longer. Relying on the fact that her telepathic communication with Xue Lan wouldn't be detected by outsiders, she quietly inquired:

"Does this River Goddess dislike you?"

Xue Lan's lips twitched slightly.

"That doesn't make sense. I've been obediently staying in the Xuanhuang Sect for the past ten years or so. Why would she dislike me?"

"The cause and effect of this world are not something you can control," Xue Tong said, feigning profundity.

Just as Xue Lan was about to retort, she saw a faint divine light appear on the opposite bank of the river. The light, tinged with an earthy yellow hue, lingered in the dense forest along the riverbank.

It looked extremely strange.

Xue Tong also saw the divine light at this moment. The little girl turned her head slightly to look at Xue Lan, and a hint of fear appeared in her eyes.

Xue Lan gave her a look that said there was no need to worry, then bowed again to the river in front of her, and when she looked up, a small cauldron appeared in her hand.

Xue Tong: "What do you want with the Spirit Gathering Cauldron?"

Xue Lan did not respond to Xue Tong, but instead placed the incense stick in her hand into the cauldron, turned around and said softly, "Let's go take a look."

The two then flew towards the dense forest on the other side of the river. Halfway there, Xue Lan couldn't help but look back at the Spirit Gathering Cauldron floating in mid-air.

She remembered that this magical artifact wasn't used like this before.

While they were internally complaining, the two had already arrived in the dense forest. The yellowish-brown divine light that had been lingering on the shore watched them approach and began to slowly drift deeper into the forest.

Without saying a word, Xue Lan followed, and the little girl behind her grabbed her arm.

"I'm a little uneasy. I have a feeling this isn't a good thing. Xue Lan, you'd better be careful."

Hearing Xue Tong's concerned words, Xue Lan thought to herself that the little girl was still timid, but she still smiled and said softly, "Okay."

Xue Lan's "good" was not a casual, perfunctory response, because the young girl had already raised her hand and summoned the sleeping soul guide from the Chonglou Illusionary Treasure Map.

"Hold."

Xue Tong quickly caught the cute little chubby sword, feeling much more at ease.

The two followed the yellow light to a clearing in the dense forest. All the surrounding trees had been cut in half by external force, and a large pit had sunk in the middle, filled with muddy yellow rainwater.

Huang Guang stopped in front of the puddle and transformed into a little boy who looked about eleven or twelve years old, wearing an earth-yellow shirt.

The little boy had a dark bump right in the middle of his forehead, which looked like he was about to grow horns.

Xue Lan recognized it; it was a spirit born from fine jade in the mountains.

The moment the little boy transformed into human form, he knelt down in front of Xue Lan and kowtowed.

"Please, Immortal Master, save my Lady."

Xue Lan looked at the little boy, then at the large puddle behind him.

In her eyes, the aura beneath the large puddle was eerie and chaotic, and she could vaguely make out a huge black figure, though it was so tainted by demonic energy that its original form was unrecognizable.

Xue Lan took a few steps forward, and the little boy obediently stepped aside, his eyes filled with hope as he looked at Xue Lan.

It's so hot it could burn right through a person's back.

Xue Lan suppressed her unease and squatted down in front of the puddle, raising her hand and plunging it directly into the murky water.

The instant Xue Lan put her hand into the water, Xue Tong saw a yellow whirlpool appear in the middle of the puddle in front of her.

It looked as if something was coming up from the bottom of the puddle.

"thump!"

The sound of splashing water reached them. Xue Lan gently raised her hand, and a transparent barrier shielded the two people behind her from the flying mud and water. After the water subsided, a huge black figure appeared in front of the girl.

It was a large black carp, as tall as two people, with smooth, black scales all over its body, and a pair of emerald eyes mixed with a hint of gold, giving it a gentle and kind appearance...

"Ah!" A little boy screamed from behind. Xue Tong quickly covered his mouth.

"Xue Lan," Xue Tong called out Xue Lan's name.

Xue Lan silently watched the giant black carp floating in the puddle. Its upper body looked normal, but its lower body, which was covered by the murky water, had two tails that looked as if they had been forcibly torn apart from the middle.

Black Carp looked at Xue Lan and spoke in a gentle, husky voice: "Li Qing, the River God of Qinglin River, greets the Immortal Master."

Xue Lan nodded slightly to it, then looked at the forehead of the giant black carp, where two small bumps had appeared.

The mountain spirits grew horns, thus freeing themselves from the mountain's shape. This aquatic creature with horns had eyes that held a golden hue.

It is about to transform into a dragon.

Li Qing looked at the immortal in front of him and smiled slightly, his smile full of sarcasm: "This demon race really thinks far ahead."

If the human city god is not used, then he is maliciously destroyed.

If a demon that has taken human form is not to be used, then the demon will secretly sabotage it and steal its life force and cultivation.

"Your Majesty, please allow me to investigate first." Xue Lan stretched out her hand towards the large black carp in the water, and a white light appeared between them.

Looking at the girl in red on the shore, Li Qing knew that he had no way out. So he endured the excruciating pain in his body and swam towards Xue Lan, obediently placing his head under the girl's fair hand.

A warm current emanated from the point of contact, and the tiny white light in Xue Lan's hand rippled with white waves, slowly enveloping the entire large black carp. Xue Lan fully extended her divine sense, probing within Li Qing's body, and finally found the source of the problem.

The girl's expression changed slightly.

The aquatic creatures of the Yuanming Realm transformed into dragons and serpents through years of cultivation, resulting in the growth of a dragon bone within their bodies.

The demonic aura that Xue Lan found utterly repulsive was now attached to the dragon bones that Li Qing had cultivated, appearing as a grotesque, twisted worm. Numerous worm legs were embedded in the dragon bones, seemingly fused together.

In this situation, it cannot be expelled by external force.

But it's not impossible.

Xue Lan happened to have this opportunity.

Li Qing watched the girl slowly get up, a hint of pity appearing in his eyes.

"Goddess Jiang, Xue Lan has two ideas."

"Firstly, Xue Lan will use her own strange fire to help you drive away the demons, but Your Majesty should understand that if this happens, the dragon bones will not be able to be preserved."

Xue Tong looked into the eyes of the big black carp, and there was a clear sense of resentment in those eyes.

That's right. It took nearly a thousand years of cultivation through wind and rain to obtain the dragon bone, and it was about to cross the natural barrier between ordinary aquatic creatures and dragons.

How can we... stop here?

Li Qing stared at Xue Lan for a long time, but the girl remained silent. She guessed that this second method must be extremely dangerous.

A gentle female voice rang out again: "Immortal Master, Li Qing knows that he is destined to face this calamity, and before he dies, he wishes to discuss the details of this matter with you."

"Thirteen years ago, Li Qing's cultivation was hindered, and he was unable to transform into a dragon for a long time. As a result, he harbored resentment and accepted the imperial decree of the Great Li Dynasty by taking advantage of the position of the river god of Qinglinjiang. He tried to use the destiny of the human dynasty to push himself forward. However, he did not expect that the royal family of the Great Li Dynasty would collude with the demons and destroy his thousand years of cultivation. Now they even dare to try to destroy his dragon bones and take his demon body to do evil."

"Li Qing knows his sins are grave, and if he perishes this time, it will be his own fault."

The woman's voice was filled with resentment, but her words were clear and her tone was firm.

"After Li Qing's demise, I hope that the immortal master can place me in the waters of the Qinglin River. Li Qing is willing to use his thousand years of cultivation to bless the people along the river with five hundred years of favorable weather and abundant harvests."

After listening quietly to what the black carp said, Xue Lan turned around and extended her hand to Xue Tong.

Xue Tong understood and handed the Soul Guide in his hand to Xue Lan.

Li Qing watched as the girl in red tapped her short sword twice, then softly inscribed, "Guide the soul."

A lovely little girl appeared before everyone: "Your Majesty."

Xue Lan reached out to the soul guide.

"Give some of the dragon soul you devoured last time to the Lord." Xue Lan had a faint smile on her face, clearly bullying a child.

The obedient soul guide, the innocent soul guide, obediently spat out a wisp of pale golden dragon soul to Xue Lan.

The little girl was a little embarrassed: "Your Majesty, there's only this much left."

Xue Lan patted her head to comfort her: "That's enough."

The girl held the pale golden dragon soul in her hand and looked at the large black carp in the puddle.

Li Qing was stunned when Xue Lan spoke, and had not yet recovered.

"The Qinglin River passes through dozens of cities, and the rainfall cannot be controlled by the remains alone."

"I possess a wisp of dragon soul. Your Majesty may wish to try it yourself and expel this demon race, restoring peace and prosperity to the banks of the Qinglin River."

The large black carp's eyes were moist as it looked at the girl on the shore, as if she were a deity from the heavens above.

"Li Qing, thank you so much, young lady!"

Xue Lan raised her hand, and Li Qing leaped up and swallowed the dragon soul.

"Your Majesty, there is no need for such formalities. Surviving this ordeal is your own good fortune."