My words have become law; I truly have no desire to display my divine power before others.

The enormous water mirror, reflecting the grotesque toad's head, floated above the river's surface.

A pale golden halo flowed, like a demon-revealing mirror, tearing apart centuries of lies and sacred pretense until they bled.

The riverbank was deathly silent, save for the heavy breathing and the muffled pounding of hearts.

The "dragon shadow" in the air seemed to freeze as well, its golden vertical pupils pulsating with a fierce, crimson light.

First, he looked at the reflection in the water mirror in disbelief, then suddenly turned to the young Taoist priest in flowing green robes below.

The Taoist priest remained standing quietly, his expression serene, as if his astonishing feat of reversing perception and turning water into a mirror was nothing more than brushing away a speck of dust from his sleeve.

After the initial shock came a surge of rage and a hint of shame and panic at being completely seen through and having his true nature exposed!

"Awooo—!!!"

No longer a majestic dragon's roar, but a strange howl mixed with a sharp hiss and full of bestial rage burst from the mouth of "Dragon Shadow"!

The sound waves caused violent ripples to spread across the surface of the water mirror.

The colorful mirage churned wildly, attempting to re-condense and repair the illusory dragon shape that had been "reflected" in the water mirror and was now teetering on the brink of collapse.

However, Ye Qingfeng did not give it that chance.

He stared at the "dragon shadow" in the air, twisted with rage, and at the water mirror reflecting its ugliness.

He shook his head gently, as if sighing, or perhaps an ending.

"Disperse."

He uttered only one word, his voice clear and cold, not loud, yet carrying a strange rhythm that made his words seem like law.

As soon as the word "scatter" was uttered, the enormous water mirror, which embodied faith and Taoist principles, shattered!

It didn't burst into a shower of water, but rather seemed to have its structure gently erased by an invisible hand.

In an instant, it transformed into millions of tiny, sparkling water droplets, shimmering with a pale golden light.

Like a sudden, purifying sun shower, it gently yet swiftly drifted towards the head of the "dragon shadow" in the sky!

Light rained down, falling on the seven-colored mirage above the "Dragon Shadow's" head and the phantom images of "Dragon Horns" and "Dragon Scales".

"Hiss hiss hiss hiss—!"

A more concentrated and clearer burst of sound than the previous water rocket vaporization!

That mirage that bound the illusion was washed away by the rain of light.

Like morning mist exposed to the midday sun, it melts and dissipates at a speed visible to the naked eye!

The majestic dragon horns twisted and disappeared first, revealing the rough and ugly skin beneath.

The beautiful scales peeled away piece by piece, revealing a thick, dark green, damp hide.

The enormous dragon silhouette shrank and deformed drastically...

In the blink of an eye, under the stunned gazes of everyone...

The sacred and majestic "Dragon King of the River" has completely shed all its disguise.

It reveals its true, yet even more chilling, nature—

A hideous toad demon, as large as a house, with filthy dark green skin covered in nauseating lumps of flesh and parasitic aquatic plants, a swollen belly, short, thick, webbed limbs, a huge mouth with interlocking fangs, and a pair of dark red frog eyes that gleamed with ferocity!

It crouched on the remaining thin mist in mid-air, its body dripping wet and sticky.

It exuded an even stronger, more pungent, and malevolent aura than before.

There is no trace of divinity left, only naked tyranny and ferocity!

"A demon...it really is a demon!"

"So ugly! So disgusting!"

"We've been worshipping this for a hundred years... and it's this?!"

A huge uproar erupted among the villagers; the fear had not completely dissipated.

But there was also a profound sense of absurdity, anger, and disgust at being deceived for a century.

"Gugua—!!!"

The toad demon, now in its true form, let out a deafening roar, its dark red frog eyes fixed on Ye Qingfeng, filled with boundless hatred!

Although it was surprised that the other party could break its illusion, its ferocity had been fully unleashed.

With surging demonic power, he would unleash his most proficient water-based demonic magic to tear this despicable human, along with the ants on the shore, to shreds!

Its mind raced, and its demonic power surged into the river below, attempting to create towering waves or condense even more powerful water spears and ice spikes.

however--

The river water rippled slightly, creating a few weak waves, unlike its usual raging torrents.

It was as if an invisible yet resilient force had temporarily severed its control over this body of water.

A hint of surprise and panic flashed in the toad demon's dark red eyes. Unconvinced, it once again stirred its demon core, urging it to its full potential.

The river remained calm, even... a bit heavier, its response to the demonic power filled with stagnation and rejection.

With its water control obstructed, the toad demon's ferocity intensified, its massive mouth suddenly opening wide and its throat bulging.

A foul-smelling venom, shimmering with a ghostly green light, shot towards Ye Qingfeng like a high-pressure water jet!

Wherever the venom passed, the air emitted a sizzling, corrosive sound, clearly indicating its extreme toxicity.

Ye Qingfeng frowned slightly, seemingly disgusted by the filth.

This time, he didn't even make any obvious spellcasting movements. He simply raised his left hand and made a vague gesture in mid-air towards the incoming poison arrow.

A few feet in front of him, a stream of clear water rose up and blocked the path of the venom.

"puff!"

The venomous arrow pierced the stream, its eerie green light clashing violently with the clear water, producing a dull thud.

The river water was instantly stained black and murky, and then quickly evaporated and decreased in volume.

But the water flow seemed to be inexhaustible, constantly replenishing itself from the river, stubbornly resisting the corrosive advance of the poison.

Finally, after consuming several times the volume of river water as venom.

The potent poison was completely diluted and neutralized, dissipating as a plume of black smoke with a burnt smell.

The remaining small amount of sewage that fell into the river was quickly carried away and purified by the flowing water.

After suffering two setbacks, the toad spirit finally realized how strange and troublesome the Taoist priest in front of him was.

A flicker of fear flashed in the dark red frog's eyes, and its massive body suddenly sank downwards.

He then thought of using his remaining familiarity with the water to dive into the deep water, temporarily avoid the enemy's advance, and then plan his next move.

"Want to leave?" Ye Qingfeng's voice remained calm, yet it carried a sense of composure as if he had already taken control of the situation.

He took two steps forward unhurriedly, reaching the edge of the riverbank, the hem of his green robe almost touching the water.

Then, under the breathless gaze of everyone, he extended his right hand, fingers spread wide.

He gestured as if slowly parting the turbid, swiftly flowing river in front of him.

There was no earth-shaking roar, no dazzling light.

But with this simple and clear movement, an unforgettable scene unfolded:

With Ye Qingfeng's position as the center line, there is a river surface about ten zhang wide in front of him.

The ceaselessly flowing river seemed to be slowly parted to both sides by an invisible, towering hand of a giant god!

The water flow is clearly defined, revealing the damp riverbed below, covered with pebbles and weeds, as well as the remains of some sunken ships and rotten wood!

Sunlight streamed through the parted curtain of water, scattering across the exposed riverbed and reflecting bizarre, shimmering ripples.

Water flow interrupted!

The legendary supernatural powers were presented to mortals in such a casual way at this moment!

The toad demon's descent came to an abrupt halt as it was horrified to discover that the river beneath it was rapidly receding.

Its massive, wet body was completely exposed between the dry riverbed and the towering, ever-flowing walls of water on both sides!

Having lost its greatest support, it wriggled clumsily and fearfully on the rubble, like a giant clam stripped of its shell.

The frog's dark red eyes stared intently at the figure in green robes on the riverbank, who seemed to part the river like a god, and finally revealed deep fear.