parentshiftbook Chapter 81: Authority—The Power of Water
Chapter 81: Authority—The Power of Water
On the panel, the proficiency of the Water God's Beast Pattern has reached perfection.
Two more words appeared before the description of the beast-pattern ability.
[Authority - Power of the Water God]
Zhang Ping's gaze was fixed on it. "Power?"
The specific capabilities of authority came to mind.
After a short while, once he understood, the corners of his mouth slowly turned up into a smile.
He looked up, stood up, and reached out to grab a small fish that was swimming by.
The little fish struggled desperately in the palm of my hand, its tail thrashing wildly as it was about to suffocate out of the water.
The next moment, a strange power emerged from Zhang Ping's body, and the small fish in his hand dried up rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye. Two seconds later, it had become a dry, brittle lump.
It was as if it had been exposed to the scorching sun in the desert for several days. The water in its body had been drawn out, condensing into tiny droplets that floated to the side.
"Is this the true authority over water?" Zhang Ping wondered thoughtfully.
From this perspective, the water power he previously possessed was merely a simple manipulation of water flow, far from being true water control.
Or perhaps, the Demon Mountain Marsh of the past never even reached this point. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been dismembered and sealed away in Ghost Cloud Mountain by human martial artists.
With a thought, Zhang Ping burst out of the lake. The current carried his body, lifting him more than ten meters into the air.
As dawn broke, the dazzling red glow of the eastern sky reflected on Zhang Ping's face, turning it a deep crimson.
Looking down beyond the glow of the sunset, the Western Poison Forest reveals a vibrant tapestry of life. Among the towering trees, the silhouettes of birds and beasts appear and disappear, as the hunters of the night have quietly returned to their nests.
On the crater plain, the banshees woke up early and were busy watering the demon spirit tree seeds they had planted the day before.
They used hollowed-out tree trunks to make wooden buckets, which they used to draw water from the lake and carry it across. This wasn't difficult for the female demons with cultivation, but the round trip still took a considerable amount of time.
Mu Xiaoya yawned, her eyelids drooping, and she carried her special little bucket, watering the seeds in a daze.
Hearing the commotion from the lake, she turned around and saw Zhang Ping soaring through the air on the water. She immediately jumped up excitedly and waved, "Zhang Ping! I want to go up too! I want to go up and play too!"
Zhang Ping smiled helplessly, glancing down at the banshees busily watering the plants. Then, he looked up at the sky, slowly opening his arms and raising them upwards.
"Rain is coming."
Two words were uttered softly. The once calm sky, with its thin clouds, instantly became agitated, as if a pebble had been thrown in.
Dark clouds rapidly gathered and piled up directly above the crater, obscuring the sunrise in the east. In just a few breaths, the clear sky turned completely gloomy.
Deep within the clouds, there were even faint flashes of lightning!
The watering witches were all stunned by the sight. Mu Xiaoya dropped her little bucket of water with a "plop" on the ground, her mouth agape, forgetting her fuss about wanting to go and play.
Muya and Muqing, who had just gone out hunting, noticed the strange change in the sky and hurriedly turned back. They were both stunned when they saw Zhang Ping standing in mid-air.
tick-
A raindrop fell into the deep cleavage of Muya's chest. She subconsciously looked down, and the raindrop slid down her delicate, fair skin.
Immediately afterwards, a torrential downpour began.
Mu Qing, standing beside him, looked bewildered and murmured to herself, "Is... this really something a human could do?"
Manipulating water flow makes one a remarkable person; summoning wind and rain makes one a god among mortals!
……
The heavy rain lasted for half an hour, until Zhang Ping was exhausted and it gradually stopped.
Muya offered the grilled fish and asked if they were ready to head to the dragon's lair.
"How far is the dragon's lair from here?" Zhang Ping asked, chewing on a piece of fish.
Muya thought for a moment: "If it's just the two of us traveling light, it will take at least half a month."
The Western Poison Forest is filled with towering trees and vines, making the paths difficult to traverse. Her estimate of half a month was already a reasonable timeframe for the two of them to travel easily without encountering any obstacles along the way.
Even so, half a month is still too long.
Zhang Ping clicked his tongue. Previously, when he followed the martial arts alliance from Lanjiang City to Guitian River, crossing half of Lanjiang Prefecture, it only took five days.
This is already deep in the Western Poison Forest, and it will take another half a month to reach the Dragon's Lair!
"Okay, let's go after we finish eating!" he said decisively.
The situation in Lanjiang City is unclear, and we can't afford to delay.
After finishing their meal, Muya made some arrangements for her people, leaving Muqing from the Refining Realm to stay and guard the tribe.
The carcass of the Bone Forging Realm Terror Crocodile that Zhang Ping killed earlier has not yet decomposed, and the pressure it emits can deter the surrounding area for a period of time. Judging from the speed of decay, it should last for a month or two without any problem.
In the unlikely event of encountering an overwhelming enemy, Mu Qing can lead the other female demons to safety. They have a unique way of communicating with each other, so finding each other is never a problem.
With everything arranged, Zhang Ping and Mu Ya leaped onto the branches of the giant tree. They nimbly jumped and leaped among the canopy, their figures quickly shrinking into a black dot in the distance.
Behind them, the still-charming figure watched them leave.
"I hope... they all return safely..."
……
The Western Poison Forest is shrouded in miasma.
To save time, the two leaped and traversed the canopy of the giant tree. This allowed them to move at great speed and avoid the dense miasma below.
Traveling at this pace should be faster than Muya's estimated half a month.
However, this way of traveling also brought new troubles.
"Hey——!"
A sharp shriek rang out from overhead.
Zhang Ping skillfully made a single-handed grasping motion, and the moisture in the air instantly condensed into a transparent longsword. Without even looking, he swung the sword backhand to slash at the black shadow that lunged at him from the air!
The sound of blades cutting through the air rang out, and a huge raptor was cleaved in two and fell to the ground.
Looking at the fallen corpse, Zhang Ping couldn't help but click his tongue.
This was the third day since they left the crater. In those three days, similar aerial predator attacks had occurred repeatedly, with the strongest one even reaching the Bone Forging Realm.
However, they all became victims of his blade.
Unfortunately, the carcasses of these fallen prey are money! In their haste to continue their journey, they didn't have time to stop and collect them, leaving the wild animals below to feast on them.
Every time Zhang Ping thought about it, he felt a pang of heartache.
Muya, who was standing beside him, remained silent, but the regret that flashed in her eyes could not be hidden, and she was also amazed by Zhang Ping's strength.
She surveyed the surrounding terrain, determined the location, and then said, "If we travel for another half day, we'll reach the Misty Swamp. Once we get past that, we'll have covered about a third of the way."
"A smog swamp?" Zhang Ping turned and glanced at her.
If I remember correctly, Mu Xiaoya mentioned that they originally lived nearby, but were driven out of their home by the green horned lizards in the smog swamp.
Unexpectedly, it was on the way.
The two quickened their pace and crossed a wide river. Suddenly, from the giant forest ahead, came the sounds of fierce fighting.
"It's a green horned lizard." Zhang Ping had excellent eyesight and could see the densely packed green scaled monsters crawling in the forest below through the gaps in the branches and leaves of the giant tree.
They resemble monitor lizards, covered in green scales. The most striking features are the dark green horns protruding from their heads and the ghastly green venom that flows from their gaping mouths and hisses as it drips onto the ground.
In terms of size alone, it was about the same as the giant crocodiles he had seen in his previous life.
It's my third sister-in-law's favorite, but getting to base is a bit difficult.
The group of green lizards seemed to be chasing something; they were numerous and moving rapidly toward Zhang Ping and his companion.
As the distance closed, Muya finally made out the silhouettes of the figures desperately fleeing ahead of the green-horned lizard horde, and her expression instantly changed: "It's our clansmen! They're chasing another group of banshees!"