Start practicing from Mr. Fox

Chapter 190 Flood Dragon River God
Chen Ji remained silent, and the tortoise spirit assumed that she was too shocked to speak after seeing the Water Palace, so she didn't say anything more and focused on driving the sea horse carriage to the Water Palace.

"Bang! Bang!"

Suddenly, a sound like cannon fire rang out in the water. Chen Ji looked out of the car, wondering how there could be cannon fire underwater.

But looking outside, I felt a sense of disorientation.

In such a short time, they had already arrived at the location of the River Water Palace.

Eight crab warriors swung their enormous pincers and struck the turtle shell in front of them.

Ripples spread outwards, and a loud sound pierced through the water—the source of the cannon fire.

Behind the Crab Warrior was the gate to the Water Palace. At this moment, a middle-aged man with a dragon head, dressed in a groom's attire, stood in front of the gate, with an embroidered ball floating beside him.

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that it was not an ordinary silk embroidered ball, but a group of small red fish gathered together. However, their bodies were as long as brocade ribbons, intertwined and coiled together, which gave it a resemblance to an embroidered ball.

As for the Dragon King...

Chen Ji had dealt with the Dragon Lord Ji Ming many times, and looking at this Dragon Lord now, he could feel that the faint dragon aura on him was genuine.

It is at least much purer than the fallen dragon lord, the mudfish demon.

But shouldn't those with true dragon blood at least be qualified to carve their own river and become river gods? How could they be content to be a subordinate god under the Xidu River?
Chen Ji was lost in thought and didn't notice the carriage slowly coming to a stop.

Upon seeing the Dragon God, the tortoise spirit dared not ride in the carriage any longer, and jumped down to kneel on the ground in reverence.

"Greetings, Your Majesty! This humble demon has brought the goddess here!"

"You've gone on land again; you must have had a hard time this time."

"I dare not. It is our duty as subjects to share the king's burdens. How could we dare to complain about the hardship?"

The Dragon God shook his head.

“If it were really like that elsewhere, there would be no problem going to the ground, but this place is not a peaceful and benevolent place. It is indeed not easy to go up there. It is truly hard work.”

The Dragon God spoke earnestly, and his tone was clear and upright, unlike that of an ordinary blood demon.

Chen Ji, however, found it puzzling.

Are there really so many restrictions on aquatic creatures coming ashore here?

I learned about the cultivation practices of the aquatic tribes from a casual chat with Ji Ming.

Ordinary aquatic creatures, as long as they have achieved a certain level of cultivation, can not only transform into human form, but even if they have four limbs to walk like the turtle spirit before, they can move on land.

After all, ordinary aquatic creatures cannot breathe out of water; only by transforming into human form can they breathe and move for longer periods.

But these aquatic creatures in front of us all look like beings who have achieved success in their cultivation.

It shouldn't be to the point of being unable to breathe after getting ashore; it seems there's more to the Dragon Lord's words than meets the eye.

As Chen Ji pondered, the Dragon God had already looked into the car.

"Goddess, have you encountered anything unusual on your journey?"

The tortoise spirit bowed.

"Your Majesty, the journey was smooth and uneventful. However, the goddess we received this time was different from the previous ones, and she asked us many questions."

"Oh? Tell me in detail."

The turtle spirit then explained the question Chen Ji had asked on the way.

Upon hearing Chen Ji inquire about the whereabouts of the goddess, the Dragon God was delighted and raised an eyebrow to look at him.

"Is that really what the goddess is asking?"

"Exactly."

"It seems this goddess is different from the others."

The Dragon God spoke slowly.

He then looked into the car, his eyes flashing as if he were casting some kind of spell.

Chen Ji was not familiar with dragon magic and did not recognize what kind of magic it was. He just wanted to see what the dragon god meant, so he sat in the carriage without making any moves.

However, his fingers were joined together in a sword-like gesture, ready to unleash a wall-spreading technique at any moment.

Of all the techniques he has learned so far, this is the only one that is somewhat useful in water.

Fire control and wind manipulation are ineffective here, as for Netherfire magic...

Chen Ji shook his head.

The situation of the river god in this area has not yet been determined. If it is indeed an evil god, then it is nothing to use the Netherfire Technique.

However, if one is wrongly accused or misunderstood, it will be difficult to remedy the situation once the Netherfire Technique has been cast.

It's better not to use it lightly.

Just then, the Dragon God's eyes outside returned to normal, revealing a pair of golden vertical pupils, like snake eyes, exuding a fierce aura.

However, it vanished instantly, returning to the pupil size of an adult.

He first looked to the left and right and waved his hands to signal the wedding procession to withdraw, and then he also ordered the turtle spirit and clam woman to leave.

The tortoise spirit was taken aback, and its expression changed as it looked at the Dragon Lord.

"Your Majesty, this is unacceptable! The wedding ceremony is not yet over; how can it be dispersing?"

The Dragon King smiled slightly.

"Your cultivation is still not up to par. You haven't even noticed that the goddess is no longer a goddess. I'm afraid some fellow Daoist is just playing around in the mortal world and thinks that I am a wicked dragon or evil god who has come to slay demons and monsters."

"Thanks to your mercy, fellow Daoist, you didn't go on a killing spree on the shore and even gave me a chance to explain."

"Fellow Daoist, if you don't mind, please come into the Water Palace for a chat."

"what?"

The turtle spirit hurriedly looked at the carriage.

“Isn’t that a goddess? But I really did receive her from the temple keeper and the matchmaker. They shouldn’t dare to lie to the king.”

Having said all that, Chen Ji could no longer conceal his identity, so he simply lifted the curtain, got off the carriage, and bowed.

"I have disturbed the Dragon God by making this unannounced visit."

"Fellow Daoist's techniques are indeed superb."

The Dragon God looked Chen Ji up and down, his face full of smiles.

"To be able to conceal one's identity and transform into another person's appearance, if it weren't for the other marks on his body, I almost wouldn't have been able to tell."

"Ok?"

Chen Ji raised an eyebrow.

The Dragon God's words are quite interesting.

He first admitted that he couldn't see through his disguise, but then said that he discovered other marks on Chen Ji's body.

This made Chen Ji wary. He had a mark on his body, but he had no idea how it happened.

Judging from the appearance of this dragon god, he doesn't seem to be a bad god. I should ask him what's going on with the mark on my body.

However, it's no longer feasible to keep hiding one's identity.

So he held his breath and exhaled a burst of fire, which just burned the paper effigy without harming himself.

Before the paper effigy could be completely burned, it all turned into black ash and fell to the ground.

Only after regaining his original appearance did he look at the Dragon God.

"It's just a trivial skill; I'm afraid the Dragon God will find it laughable."

Looking at the Dragon God and the water demon beside him again, he realized that their aura of purity had become much stronger, and their yin energy had also dissipated considerably.

Upon closer inspection, it appears to have been deposited from the absorption of moonlight, rather than being formed from blood.

The problem I sensed earlier was indeed there.

It seems I was too reckless.

Chen Ji looked at the tortoise spirit and smiled slightly.

"It was my fault in this matter. I should thank Envoy Long for explaining so much to me along the way. If I have offended you, I offer this as an apology. I hope Envoy Long will forgive me."

After saying that, he handed over a bottle of bamboo dew.

"This is the spiritual liquid condensed by the bamboo demon in the mountains during its cultivation. It can remove the yin energy accumulated from the absorption of moonlight."

The tortoise spirit's eyes gleamed, but it looked at the Dragon God, then at Chen Ji, and firmly shook its head.

"Fellow Daoist, you flatter me. How could I possibly accept such a thing?"

"As a subject, failing to fulfill the king's orders is dereliction of duty, and failing to verify your identity and allowing you to infiltrate the caravan is even more of a crime."

"It's hardly an offense. I should thank you, fellow Daoist, for letting me know that there is such a technique that can deceive the senses..."

"It's not your fault."

The dragon god stroked his beard without taking it to heart; instead, a hint of approval appeared in his eyes.

“This fellow Daoist’s magical skills are profound. Even if you have seen this kind of magic before, you might not recognize it.”

"If this item is beneficial to your cultivation, you may keep it. I will prepare a thank-you gift for you."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, and thank you, fellow Daoist!"

"Alright, go and have someone bring some wine, fruit and melons. Fellow Daoist must have many questions since you've come here. Let's eat and talk."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The tortoise spirit bowed respectfully and took its leave.

The Dragon God then invited Chen Ji into the Water Palace.

Stepping inside, the scene before him was completely different, but Chen Ji didn't find it novel. Instead, he felt a sense of familiarity, as if he had seen it before in the Hutuo River Water Palace.

"How is it? Does it still feel familiar, fellow Daoist?"

Before Chen Ji could speak, he heard the Dragon God ask a question with a smile.

Even the most foolish person could now guess that this dragon god was related to the Hutuo River Water Palace or the Jiming Dragon Lord.

So he looked closely at the Dragon God, wanting to see what the connection was.

But when he looked down, he was surprised to find that he couldn't tell the difference between the two dragons.

They just seemed similar, both having two dragon horns and a dragon head.

"Are you related to Ji Ming?"

Chen Ji thought for a moment and then asked.

Upon hearing this, the Dragon God burst into laughter.

"Fellow Daoist, you overestimate me. Ji Ming Dragon Lord is the son of the Northern River Dragon God, with pure blood and abundant dragon energy. How could I possibly be related to Ji Ming Dragon Lord?"

"But aren't you a dragon too?"

"a ha ha ha!"

The Dragon God laughed and shook his head.

"Fellow Daoist, do you know anything about the Jiao?"

I've heard of it, but I've never seen it.

Chen Ji nodded.

He knew about the process of a snake transforming into a dragon, and a dragon transforming into a jiao (a type of dragon). He was on Mount Sendai.

"Then let fellow Daoist meet him today."

The Dragon God nodded and looked at Chen Ji. His eyes flickered, and he suddenly revealed his true form.

"I am a Jiao."

Suddenly, a tall figure as thick as a water bucket appeared inside the water palace, and at first glance, it did indeed look like a dragon.

However, upon closer inspection, many differences can still be found.

The dragon's head has two horns like a deer's antlers, but the horns of this dragon are only a foot long, making it look much less imposing.

His eyes were bloodshot, but they were more violent than majestic like a dragon's eyes.

As for the scales on its body, they are almost the same, except that the tail is less decorated like a fish tail, and even the claws are three less, with only two sticking out in front of the body, which looks somewhat comical.

"Fellow Daoist, what do you think of this Jiao compared to the dragon?"

Dragon God... oh no, perhaps it would be more appropriate to call him Jiao God now.

Although it did not look as majestic as the dragon god I had seen before, it possessed a unique charm.

Chen Ji even sensed a trace of the dragon's breath he had felt on Ji Ming.

I suddenly understood.

This dragon god did not transform into a dragon, but it won't be long before it does.

So he bowed.

"Since you are cultivating with the goal of becoming a true dragon, you should soon achieve your goal. You already have the majestic demeanor of a dragon god."

As soon as he finished speaking, the dragon circled once and landed, reverting to its previous form as the river god.

"Fellow Daoist speaks very kindly, without any forced praise or saying that a jiao (a type of dragon) is inferior to a dragon. Excellent, excellent!"

Then, as if remembering something, he cupped his hands and introduced himself.

"I have overlooked that I have not yet informed you of my name, fellow Daoist. I am Long Jiuqu, a dragon born from the Northern River, and now I am the Upper River God under the Western River God."

(End of this chapter)