The songs of fishermen rang out in the sunset as the water remained still.
In the distance, a few mountainous islands stood quietly in Clear Court lake. Their clear reflections on the water surface rippled with the rosy red of the setting sun.
The clouds blazed in the western sky, varying resplendently in colour, from a melted gold, a golden-yellow, to a brilliant violet and scarlet red. It seemed like a dazzling array of dancing beasts in the air.
In the eastern sky, the deep-blue curtain of light fell silently. A crescent moon sat quietly between the clouds along with some cold, sparsely-scattered stars.
The lights on the fishing boats were already lit, glimmering as specks as they drifted about. They embarked on their return journeys.
The songs of fishermen led to ripples upon ripples.
Suddenly, the ripples vanished.
The fishermen on the nose of their boats gazed at the water surface in surprise. What vanished were not only the ripples, but also the waves that had continued since time immemorial.
Abruptly, Clear Court lake settled down. There was not a single ripple on the surface as far as the eye could see. It was as if a huge, invisible hand had gently flattened the surface, making it smooth like a mirror.
At this moment, the mountains in the distance collapsed. The setting sun, sunset glow, crescent moon, and cold stars all fell from the sky.
The boats seemed like they were drifting through the sky. It was beautiful. However, the fishermen were all stunned. Even the oldest, most knowledgeable fisherman could not explain the sight before him.
A young boy on a boat extended the oar into the water curiously and stirred it around, but there was no sound, nor any waves. There was not even the slightest ripple. Water seemed to flow around the oar automatically no matter where it went.
People all gathered on the shore in the cities, towns, and villages around Clear Court lake. They watched on in a daze from the tall, lakeview buildings and from small, stone bridges.
The strange sight seemed to forebode a disaster, but an indescribable sense of magic filled the scene. It sucked away everyone’s gazes such that they were unable to look away.
Two young men stood on the top of a tall tower by the lake. One had a pair of straight eyebrows and twinkling eyes, while the other one was flawlessly handsome. They were both men with a rare degree of handsomeness. The evening wind ruffled their clothes gently.
They were just like everyone else, staring straight at the mirror-like Clear Court lake. They wanted to say something, but something seemed to be stuck in their throats, so they said nothing.
Quite a while later, Hua Chengzan exhaled. “According to the records, whenever a daemon becomes a water god, the entire place should surge with turbid waves so tall that they almost touch the sky, manifesting the divine power from conquering the waters. However, never have they mentioned something like this. This is simply too strange. If I stare at it for a little longer, I feel like I’m almost going to be enlightened.”
Han Tieyi’s reply was only silence. He gripped his fists as his eyes shone.
Hua Chengzan said, “Don’t be crazy! Last time, we had already been fortunate enough when he didn’t attack us at the Rose Cloud sect. The difference between your strengths is only larger now.”
Helpless, Han Tieyi let go of his fist. He could not help but acknowledge that.
Almost another month had passed since the meeting in the academy. No one had interfered with what was going on.
The Dragon King of Ink Sea did not express an opinion on the internal struggle between Lolth and Northmoon.
The provincial lord’s estate had not sent anyone over to interfere or obstruct this soon-to-be water god.
The Sword Collection palace sent no one as reinforcements, nor did they send anyone to bring Fu Qingjin back. They allowed him to stay on Benevolence island.
The chess players seemed to be watching silently, wanting to see what this unexpected chess piece that Northmoon was would do. They became slightly curious about these minute changes in the situation of the chess game that should have had a conclusion that they were already aware about.
The war did not seem to come to an end. However, the Clear River prefecture had completely fallen silent already, watching the performance of this “moon demon” quietly.
The flames in the west gradually died down. The curtain of night was pulled over the sky, now littered with stars.
In the depths of Clear Court lake, Li Qingshan curled up his body like an unborn fetus, hiding within the Spirit Turtle’s Profund Shell. The god seal hovered before him, glowing with gentle, blue light and illuminating his face. His eyes were slightly closed, and his expression was peaceful.
He could see very clearly that a huge swathe of water had appeared on the god seal. It was shaped like a running rabbit, almost filling the entire god seal.
The feeling of refining Clear Court lake was completely different from refining the two rivers earlier.
As his daemon qi permeated the entire lake, he gained a lake in his heart. It was so tranquil and peaceful that he felt like he had returned home.
That did make sense. Although he was of the water element, he never really submerged himself in water. This was the first time he had obtained a lake like this.
He had already reached the fourth layer of the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression, but only at this moment did he seem to understand the Spirit Turtle Transformation and himself.
He had a feeling that he could sleep here for a century, a millennium.
All of the annoyances and everything that tied him down in the mortal world no longer had anything to do with him. His lifespan was lengthy enough to watch the seas rise and fall, turning into fields.
Even though the lifespans of daemons surpassed that of humans, it was not endless and without a limit.
The strongest aspect of the spiritual turtle was not suppressing seas or divination, but its extremely lengthy lifespan.
There were no enemies worth worrying about. He had plenty of time, while his enemies would be defeated by time in the end.
Given these circumstances, whether it was killing or fighting, did it not all seem so unnecessary?
I’m so sleepy. Let’s just sleep for a while here!
Just a while…
A century…
“Qingshan!” A voice penetrated the lakewater and landed on the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell, but it was blocked. It failed to reach inside.
The Water God Seal hovered in the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell, using the power of an entire lake to replenish the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell. Even a Golden Core master would not be able to get through it easily.
Yet, Li Qingshan clearly seemed to hear it. He woke up and opened his eyes.
A beautiful young girl peered through the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell at him with her dark eyes. Her seaweed-like hair drifted silently in the lakewater.
Li Qingshan grabbed her hand and kissed her forehead gently before flying up and bursting out of the water.
An array of stars filled the lake. A resplendent, blue star rose up between the water and the sky. The Water God Seal shone with dazzling light, rising up rapidly with Li Qingshan.
In the next moment, everyone saw it.
Li Qingshan extended his hand and grabbed the star. The light subsided and merged into his body.
“From today onwards, this lake will be known as Moon Court lake.”
His voice glided across the surface of the water, spreading in all directions. The ripples he kicked up rapidly grew, reaching every single corner of Clear Court lake, no, Moon Court lake.
At that moment, everyone heard it.
At that instant, thousands of folds covered Moon Court lake. The interrupted sound of water flow rose up once again as the rolling waves surged endlessly, tearing apart the stars.
The groups of people on the boats and on the shore all knelt in the direction of the voice, exclaiming, “Bless and protect us, god of Moon Court lake!”
Regular people had no idea what cultivation was. They only knew something powerful had descended upon the lake, and the power it possessed was no different from the gods in legends.
“Ignorant.”
Han Tieyi said coldly. From today onwards, the daemons in the lake could make trouble as they pleased. There would be no cultivators coming to purge the daemons. They were actually bowing towards the existence behind all the troubles in the future.
Hua Chengzan smiled. “I don’t think so. Perhaps the moon demon will really bless and protect them.”
“You seem very happy that he’s become a god.”
“You can’t exactly call this happy, though I am a little relieved. If the provincial lord’s estate or the Sword Collection palace really sends someone over, they’ll definitely be a master who has overcome two heavenly tribulations. Once they clash, all the settlements and fields by the lake will be flooded with water. The war will become even more intense. There will be absolutely nothing we can do anymore.”
“And, godhood is a form of power, as well as a form of restraint. It places emphasis on defence, not offence. From today onwards, the moon demon won’t be leaving Clear- Moon Court lake so easily anymore. Isn’t that something worth celebrating over?”
As Hua Chengzan said that, he suddenly took off, flying towards the centre of the lake.
“What are you doing?” Han Tieyi asked.
“I’m going to go have a talk with him!”
……
Li Qingshan spread his arms and gazed at the starry sky. He smiled. “Now is still not the time to sleep!”
He turned around and dove back into the water, asking Xiao An, “What brought you here?”
“I missed you.”
“Your master left?”
“He left. He gave me an arcane artifact. Look.” Xiao An took out a glistening wheel of dharma, and sure enough, it was an arcane artifact, and a mid grade arcane artifact at that.
Note: A wheel of dharma is often used as a symbol to represent buddhism. I’ve attached an image below:
The arcane artifacts Li Qingshan had obtained so far were all inferior arcane artifacts that had not even made the cut, including the Dragon Seizing bident he had recently obtained and the Cursive Sword Calligraphy. But it did make sense. Although they surpassed regular spiritual artifacts, barely enough to be regarded as arcane artifacts, they were still at a very low level.
Regular Foundation Establishment cultivators could only play around with supreme grade spiritual artifacts at most. Even those in possession of inferior arcane artifacts were a rarity, let alone those with a mid grade arcane artifact like this.
“He really has walked out of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga after all! He sure is generous!”
A wheel of dharma’s full name was a wheel of righteous dharma, also known as a golden wheel. It possessed the great power to destroy evil and unleash righteousness, representing a smooth and unhindered journey to enlightenment. As it spun endlessly, it could destroy the mental afflictions of all.
The wheel of dharma in Xiao An’s hand was known as the Wheel of the Wisdom King’s Glare. The upper half was a perfectly round wheel, with three rings in total. The centre was shaped like an eye that was currently closed, radiating with twelve golden spokes. On the outer ring were twelve blue knobs. At the top were five balls of golden flames that varied in size, representing the five great Wisdom Kings.
Note: Wisdom Kings are guardians of Buddhism and are wrathful representations of buddhas. This is why you often have them glaring fiercely, to scare off demons that may interfere with enlightenment and the spread of the buddhist dharma. You can read more about them here:
The lower half was a pedestal, which could be wielded in one hand. It was shaped like a lotus and was an extremely rare mid grade arcane artifact of buddhism.
However, the greatest thing Xiao An had gained from this was not the arcane artifact, but her deeper understanding of the buddhist dharma.
As the head monk of the Bodhi courtyard and as someone who had undergone the second heavenly tribulation, the Annihilum Light Chan Master was a genius. He spent several centuries studying the buddhist dharma, so his guidance was something buddhist scriptures alone could not provide.
After the Annihilum Light Chan Master left, Xiao An immediately gained the confidence to forge the Blood Sea Banner.
Together, they had completely consolidated their foundation in the Clear River prefecture.
Having become the god of a lake, surging water spiritual qi entered his body through the god seal before merging with the spirit turtle’s daemon core. Even without pills, his cultivation was basically guaranteed to progress at a certain rate. If he could refine the waters of the Clear river too, what effect would that have? He looked forward to it very much.
However, there were disadvantages too. From today onwards, the Water God Seal could not travel too far away from the bodies of water he controlled. The further away it was, the weaker its control would be. If he travelled five thousand kilometers away, it was possible for him to lose all connections. By then, he would have to refine Clear Court lake again.
And, even if he travelled a short distance away, the power in the Water God Seal would begin to flow away.
Of course, it was possible for him to leave the Water God Seal behind under the control of another aquatic creature. However, that was equivalent to giving away his status as a water god.
The Moon Court lake only recognised the seal, not the person. If the aquatic creature refused to return the Water God Seal, then it would be an issue. No matter who controlled the seal, their strength would increase dramatically in the lake.
He could leave it with a relatively weaker subordinate, ensuring he could suppress them with absolute power, but it would be another issue if enemies invaded from outside.
This was the trouble with becoming a god. He had lost his freedom. As a result, when Li Qingshan announced that he had become the god of Moon Court lake, there were many people who became relieved.
However, this trouble was not a particularly large issue for Li Qingshan.
