Even without the Karmic Tree, Lu Yun could sense dense desperation and despair choking the scene.

Color drained from the faces of Shennong, the tribe priest, Jiang Ti, and all twelve elders of the Yan Tribe. There wasn’t the slightest spark of hope in their eyes, and they didn’t even have the strength to question or berate Lu Yun.

“This is what mankind is now?” Frowning slightly, his face darkened ominously when he looked at the nine pairs of children he’d saved. These nine boys and girls each possessed splendid physique and were absolute geniuses. If they cultivated, they would progress at a tremendous pace and become the core strength of humanity one day!

“So this is what’s going on!” Lu Yun was no fool; he immediately grasped the situation and flames of fury burst from his heart. “How dare a river monster spirit damage the foundations of the human race. Get out here!”

Booom!

He imprinted a palm strike onto the water surface with a quick backhand, raising tall waves from the river. Despite being several kilometers wide, all of Wei River trembled at the disturbance.

“How dare a mewling human offend my master and ruin my master’s grand ritual! From today forth, the Yan Tribe and humans living around the Wei River will face extinction!”

Splaaaaash.

An even greater wave rose from the Wei River as an enormous yellowish gray fish leapt out of the river. Five hundred meters long, it bit down on Lu Yun with razor-sharp teeth.

“I wondered what was causing the trouble—just a fish spirit? Go die!!” With another backhand, a current of hazy sword qi erupted from Lu Yun’s palm. It grew explosively to five kilometers long and slashed the fish spirit in two before it reached him!

Sword dao!

With the sword as dao!

He wielded no sword in his hand, but there was one in his heart. The spirit energy within him spontaneously transmuted to sword qi and released a terrifying gout of sword dao.

Sword dao is the dao of those who walk the heavens, but the primitive great dao has raised it to even greater heights! That fish spirit was at least at peak golden core under the great dao, so the equivalent of a peak peerless immortal… but I still sliced it into two with one move!

The two halves of the monster spirit’s body floated silently in the center of Wei River, dying its waters red with scarlet blood. Fear and trepidation reigned supreme on land; the tribe stared dumbly at their future chief, barely comprehending what had just happened and not knowing what to do.

Flipping his hand over, Lu Yun lifted the two halves out of the water and smashed them down onto the banks before Shennong and the others.

“Lie Shan, you’ve committed a grave error today.” Shennong finally forced out through numb lips.

“Sacrificing eighteen human geniuses to this so-called river god is the real error! Do you pray for good weather, or that the river god doesn’t come up and eat more people?” Lu Yun landed from the air. He didn’t look at Shennong with any blame or disdain—such was what naturally developed in this environment. Humans possessed no powerhouses, so surrender and capitulation were the only things they could do in this terrifying great wilderness.

“All of you can go back now. I’ll take care of this so-called river god. If he dares come ashore, I’ll make sure he can’t go back.” Killing intent flashed through Lu Yun’s eyes.

“Lie Shan, I know what you rely on, but mountain ghosts can’t attack the Wei river god. If she does, the other divine spirits will attack her and there will even be great gods that come to kill her…” the priest said in a trembling voice.

“Ah Bao is still too young, she won’t do anything on behalf of humanity. I’m the one who started all this, so I will naturally be the one to settle it.” Lu Yun’s vast consciousness found Ah Bao in the middle of the tribe. She was asleep in his log cabin and drooling from her dreams.

“Alright, let’s all go home now!” Shennong was a very decisive person and roared at the crowd around the river. Unfortunately, Lu Yun’s words did nothing to comfort the people. In fact, they were even more petrified.

A night passed without conversation, and a murky sky appeared the next day. Thick thunderclouds surrounded the Yan Tribe like a pot lid, but clear blue skies could be found a hundred kilometers away from the tribe.

……

An enormous bonfire blazed next to Wei River. Two halves of an enormous fish sizzled enticingly on the flames, the highly fragrant aroma enveloping the entire village.

Ah Bao stooped next to Lu Yun, continuously wiping off drool. Next to her, a dignified and strong young man copied her posture. He was the tribute spirit of the Yan Tribe and had protected the tribe for thousands of years.

“Lie Shan, you’re really in trouble this time!” The youth also gulped down saliva thanks to the aroma. “The Wei river god is very strong. In fact, he’s invincible within five hundred kilometers of the river!”

“Ah Niu, big brother Lieshan is different!” Ah Bao waved her tiny fists in protest.

Ah Niu shrank in slightly on himself. He didn’t dare anger Ah Bao. The little girl was a divine spirit and a mountain ghost born of nature. Mountain ghosts were the strongest mountain gods; they were on the level of divine kings. He was leagues apart from her in comparison and could only be called a tribute spirit at most, not a divine spirit. He’d been born from worship and sacrifice, not from nature.

Lu Yun shook his head and didn’t reply, looking at the sky instead. The heavy clouds were growing blacker, but they were nothing to him. The tribulation clouds he’d faced before were a hundred, a thousand times stronger.

But he was still rather irritated. The thick layer of clouds had already blanketed them for three days and though it wouldn’t affect the tribe in the short run, unforeseen illnesses might develop from a prolonged lack of sunlight—such as plague.

However, Wei River was vast and ran for several thousand kilometers. He didn’t know where the river god was, so on the third morning, he dragged out the dead fish monster spirit and started spit-roasting it by the water.

Surely there could be no greater provocation.

He hadn’t brought Ah Bao and Ah Niu with him originally, but those two fellows had run out of the tribe when they smelled the deliciously cooking fish. Some minor monster spirits poked their heads out of the water surface from time to time and silently observed the three, then flipped around to dive back into the depths of the Wei River.

“It’s done, it’s done!” Ah Bao cheered and tore off a piece of fish meat. She wasn’t afraid of hot food and swallowed the meat ravenously. Ah Niu swallowed hard, but he really didn’t dare eat a fish spirit under the river god’s command.

Rumble—

An enormous clap of thunder blasted from the skies as a large zigzag of lightning lit up the firmament.

“Mountain ghost of Qingqiu Mountain, do you intend to be enemies with me?” A black fish head probed out of the clouds. It seemed to be a carp’s head with two long whiskers by its mouth, but its body was a dragon’s and scales glinted as it hovered in the clouds.

However, Lu Yun could easily tell that it was a divine spirit… a divine spirit born from incense and worship! It wasn’t a naturally born divine spirit like a mountain ghost from the rivers and mountains of the world.