You've only been cultivating for a few years, and you're already talking about cultivating

There is a small island where the Ruyin River widens.

The island is small, only a few dozen feet in circumference, but it is covered with lush trees and reeds.

On the east side of the island, the river branches off, flows around the island, and merges into the downstream; on the west side is a shallow beach with scattered rocks and aquatic plants.

At the highest point on the island, a temple with green tiles, gray walls, and upturned eaves stands prominently, with a plaque hanging above the door bearing three large characters.

River God Temple.

It was late at night, and the moonlight poured down like mercury, enveloping the entire island in a cool glow.

The temple gates were tightly shut, and the copper bells hanging from the eaves were occasionally stirred by the night wind, emitting a few distant, crisp sounds, adding to the eerie atmosphere.

Inside the temple, in the main hall, the River God looked furious.

He sat on the high seat in the main hall and slapped over the incense burner beside him.

"You scoundrel!" he gritted his teeth, forcing the words out, "How dare you destroy my avatar!"

He never expected that the seemingly inexperienced young cultivator would be so disrespectful.

"These cultivators are so devoid of respect for hierarchy."

He stood up and paced back and forth in the hall.

"No wonder His Majesty wants to govern the world, so that all things are under divine supervision! If no one is in charge, what god would they even notice?"

He was talking to himself when he suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside.

"Report—!"

A crab spirit scurried in, its eyes bulging on its head, waving its pincers: "Reporting to the River God! Someone...someone is coming!"

"Who is it?" River God frowned.

"He's... a cultivator!" the crab spirit stammered. "He also brought... a giant softshell turtle!"

The River God was taken aback, then flew into a rage.

He strode out of the temple gate, his cloak billowing in the wind. The crab spirit followed behind, trotting sideways.

Outside the temple gate, the river was dark, with only the moonlight filtering through the water to cast a few rays of light.

In the distance, two figures were coming against the current.

No, it's one person and one turtle.

Qi Fei stood on the back of the giant turtle, hands behind his back, his clothes fluttering gently in the wind.

The giant turtle, propelling itself with its four thick legs, cleaved through the water and swam steadily toward the River God Temple.

"You little brat!" The River God laughed angrily. "I'm not the one causing you trouble, yet you dare to come looking for trouble with me!"

He turned and shouted sharply, "Beat the drums! muster the troops!"

"Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!"

The dull drumbeats carried on the wind.

The side gates on both sides of the River God Temple opened simultaneously, and a dark mass of shadows poured out from inside.

There were more than a dozen large fish, each about half a person's height, their scales gleaming coldly in the dark water, their open mouths filled with tiny, broken teeth.

Seven or eight giant crabs, waving their millstone-sized pincers, slithered out sideways, their eyes fixed on the approaching people.

They lined up in front of the River God Temple, protecting the temple gates completely.

The giant turtle stopped, and Qi Fei jumped off its back, landing on the sandy bottom of the river.

He glanced at the menacing fish and crabs opposite him, then looked down at the giant softshell turtle.

"Aren't you scared of these rotten fish and shrimp?"

The giant turtle raised its head, its small eyes brimming with pride. Its voice, still childlike, carried an undeniable air of arrogance:

"I am the Happy Turtle, what have I to fear?"

Before the words were even finished, it had already rushed off.

Its enormous body crashed into the fish and crab formation, swatting away a large fish that lunged at it with one claw, and then swung its carapace, knocking two giant crabs to the ground.

It rampaged through the area as if it were in an empty field, and although there were many fish and crabs, they could not stop it at all.

"Let's go!" the giant turtle called out as it turned around.

Qi Fei no longer hesitated. He pushed off with his feet, his body moving like an arrow, stepping on the heads of the fish and crabs that had been smashed to pieces by the giant turtle, and leaping over them.

He moved nimbly through the chaos, stepping over the head of a large fish and the back of a giant crab. In a few leaps, he had already passed through the fish and crab formation and landed steadily in front of the gate of the River God Temple.

He looked up at the two tightly closed vermilion doors.

The door knocker was made of two bronze carp, which stared coldly at him in the moonlight.

"Fellow villager, open the door and let me bring you warmth!"

Qi Fei raised his foot and kicked out.

"Bang!"

The two large doors suddenly swung open.

The River God looked at Qi Fei, who had burst through the door, and laughed in fury.

But he is, after all, the master of the Ruyin River, who has ruled over this water palace for many years. How could he be intimidated by the aura of a young cultivator?

He flipped his hands over, and a sword gleaming with a ghostly blue light suddenly appeared in his palms!

The sword was crystal clear, its blade shimmering with a water-like luster. The moment the tip of the sword pointed towards Qi Fei, a burst of sword energy roared out.

The sword energy, carrying towering waves and imbued with the blessing of the River God's incense offerings for over a decade, slashed head-on towards Qi Fei!

The cultivation and growth of deities are completely different from those of cultivators.

When he first arrived at the Ruyin River, his cultivation level wasn't much stronger than Yun Qiyue's "Taiyin Body." Even driving away the giant turtle required the two of them to work together.

However, after he became the River God and was worshipped with incense, he was completely different.

As long as there are people who make offerings to him, people who revere him, and people who pray to him in their hearts, he can use the continuous power of their wishes to make rapid progress in his cultivation!

Wherever the sword energy passed, the air distorted, and the sound of surging waves could be faintly heard.

"You brat, take this!"

Qi Fei advanced instead of retreating, raising his right hand.

A ball of "shadow recognition" light shone from his palm, like a bright lamp in the dim River God Temple.

He knew what was going on.

"Shadow Detection" was indeed ineffective against those two pickled fish. But he had complete confidence in dealing with these so-called "gods".

What is the essence of these gods?

It is the incense, the power of vows, the offerings and reverence of the people that constitute its existence! Their divine appearance, their supernatural powers, everything about them is built upon "faith".

If you believe it, there will be nothing.

And what is "shadow identification"?

It is about distinguishing truth from falsehood, seeing through illusions, and understanding the essence behind all appearances.

The essence of gods is "true" in the eyes of the deities, but in reality it is "false".

Even gods are shadows of humans!

The moment the light flashed, the sword that was slashing towards them suddenly stopped.

The sword trembled violently, and its water-like luster seemed to be stirred by something, beginning to twist and dissipate.

Then, the entire sword transformed into countless points of light, like a shattered mirror, scattering and splashing in all directions, turning into an ordinary puddle of water when it landed on the ground.

The sword energy also dissipated.

The waves that surged in became thinner and thinner in the light of "Reflection," eventually dissipating like a thin mist in the night wind.

"What?!"

The River God stared wide-eyed, his face filled with disbelief.

He thought it was a coincidence that Qi Fei destroyed his avatar on the riverbank, but what he saw before him told him that it was no coincidence.

This kid's magic is a natural counter to his.

Or rather, they are naturally restrained by these gods!

"This boy must be killed!"

A ruthless killing intent flashed in his eyes.

The next moment, he formed a hand seal, and his magical power surged wildly around him!

He wanted to mobilize the power of the entire Ruyin River to create towering waves and submerge the small island along with Qi Fei!

It's too late.

The light from Qi Fei's hand was already shining on him.