The Heavenly Court is gone, I don't want to be a True Lord.

Half an hour later.

Zuo Qi slowly opened his eyes, sensing the changes within his body.

The number of stages in refining bone and blood has increased from nine to thirteen, equivalent to ten days of arduous cultivation.

He realized that the water ghost in front of him was a martial artist at the second level of Qi and Blood cultivation.

A water ghost can gain a lot, but the Heavenly Fortune Points are a bit few. However, Zuo Qi thought about it again. If the Heavenly Eye wants to advance, it needs to destroy the demon's lair. It's understandable that demons can get fewer Heavenly Fortune Points compared to the demon's lair.

"Brother Qi, how does it feel?"

When he opened his eyes, he saw Ni Heng looking at Zuo Qi with a curious expression.

Zuo Qi smiled and nodded. "The effect is very good."

Ni Heng and He Xiao's faces lit up with joy.

"Brother Qi, this thing should be useful for cultivating the Ice Nether Fist Seal; it's very cool."

He Xiao wrapped the ice-blue bead in a cloth and handed it to Zuo Qi.

Zuo Qi took it, and it was indeed icy cold to the bone, much colder than ice crystals. Moreover, the coldness started from his palm and spread to his arm.

It really is a treasure.

"This water ghost is more difficult to deal with than we imagined; it's even stronger than me."

He Xiao shook his head slightly, "This demon is called a water ghost because it can drag people into the water like the legendary water ghost. I think its power should be enhanced in the water, so you are no match for it, Brother Qi."

Zuo Qi thought about it for a moment, and it seemed that was indeed the case.

This characteristic of water ghosts was not recorded in Feng Yuan's record of demons.

"Brother Qi, shall we continue?"

Ni Heng asked.

Upon hearing He Xiao's guess, Zuo Qi was also eager to try it out, "Let's find another one to test it out."

The three continued forward, carefully traversing the reeds, trying to find ground without puddles, even though it was somewhat muddy.

Just thirty meters from the River God Temple, Zuo Qi suddenly stopped, pressed his hands down, and gestured for the two to squat down.

He Xiao and the other person were confused, but they still obediently squatted down.

Zuo Qitian's eyes widened as he looked at the dilapidated river god temple.

There were people inside!

There were seven or eight people dressed in black and yellow, holding long knives, confronting something.

……

The exact time of the construction of the River God Temple is unknown, but due to the legend of the water ghost, few people offer incense anymore. In fact, people often throw children into the River God Temple to scare them.

For ordinary people, the River God Temple is synonymous with terror.

Its buildings include a small courtyard, a main hall, and two side halls.

Due to years of disrepair, water leaks everywhere.

Inside the dilapidated main hall at this moment.

"Damn it, who put blood in the temple and attracted so many ghosts?"

A burly man, holding a long knife, stared intently at the outside and several deep puddles in the hall, muttering curses under his breath.

"Brother, are you from the Wang family? Big families are all shady. Young Master Wang Heng entrusted us to hunt down the water ghost's essence. Could other members of the Wang family be secretly sabotaging us?"

Someone spoke up.

Upon hearing this, the leader stared intently at the puddle in front of him.

He was around thirty years old, with bulging muscles all over his body, and exuded a fierce and brave air about him, typical of someone with a military background.

"We'll talk about this later; let's figure out how to deal with the immediate problem first."

They came to this river god temple to find the water ghosts, but unexpectedly, there were six of them. Even though he was a master of the third level, he was under great pressure when facing six water ghosts at the same time.

Water ghosts are impervious to swords and spears; the only way to deal with them is to constantly probe and find their weaknesses. What's most troublesome is that each water ghost has a different weak point.

There is absolutely no pattern.

With the help of several brothers, it was not easy to kill two of them.

Their condition was extremely poor at the moment. Several of their brothers had almost been dragged into the water by the water ghosts. Let alone killing the remaining four water ghosts, even escaping would be difficult.

Not to mention that the rain will get even heavier later, and more water ghosts will come ashore, that will be the real danger.

"Be careful!"

Someone exclaimed in surprise, and suddenly a jet of water shot out from a puddle near the well in the distance, heading straight for a person.

Everyone's expression changed. The leader drew his sword, and a buzzing sound suddenly rang out, cleaving through the rain and blocking the water column. Someone next to him immediately raised a torch and threw it at the water column.

The water ghost feared fire, and its tongue quickly retracted.

……

Outside, Zuo Qi had already taken advantage of the others' inattention and carefully approached the dilapidated outer wall of the River God Temple, frowning as he watched the actions of the people in the main hall.

Are these people also here to hunt water ghosts?

Indeed, water ghosts are treasures to martial artists.

Moreover, through these people, he discovered a characteristic of a water ghost: a fear of fire.

Soon, as the rain subsided slightly, things changed inside the hall. These people seemed to be preparing to leave. They methodically opened their umbrellas, protected their torches, lined up in two rows, and retreated slowly and orderly.

Their route was planned, avoiding all deep puddles.

The water ghost seemed to be getting impatient, and its attacks became more and more frequent. The burly man leading the attack was already a little pale, clearly having exhausted his strength from constantly fighting the water ghost.

Before he knew it, he was entangled by the tongues of two water ghosts at the same time.

Seeing this, the others were about to step forward to help, but to their surprise, the water ghost seemed to have become smarter, and the other two also attacked at the same time.

"Big brother!"

"Don't come any closer, you guys go first."

"If I find out who spilled blood in the temple, I'll kill them all!"

Zuo Qi frowned. He didn't want to meddle, but from their conversation, he deduced a somewhat awkward outcome.

That was the blood He Xiao had spilled earlier, which put these people in danger.

But he would never save anyone. He simply retreated cautiously, but unexpectedly, He Xiao suddenly let out a cry of surprise. Zuo Qi also keenly realized that he seemed to be targeted by a water ghost.

Without thinking twice, he leaped into the air, narrowly avoiding a long tongue.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that one of the water ghosts surrounding the group was heading straight for him.

"Who?"

Several burly men in black and yellow clothes looked shocked and turned to look in Zuo Qi's direction.

But Zuo Qi had already dodged behind the outer wall and could only hear some noises.

This is not the time to worry about who the person is; saving lives is the priority.

With one less water ghost, the pressure on the men in black and yellow clothes was greatly reduced. Using torches as weapons, they forced back the two tongues that were entangled with the leader.

Meanwhile, Zuo Qi lured the water ghost to the outside of the wall, opened his Heavenly Eye, and He Xiao and Ni Heng rushed out together.

Having learned from his previous experience, Zuo Qi quickly discovered the water ghost's weakness, which was located in its navel.

However, the water ghost's defense was astonishing, and he had no way to break through it, which made him a little anxious.

For a moment, the three of them were stuck in a tug-of-war.

Fortunately, as time passed, Zuo Qi suddenly discovered that the water ghost's weakness seemed to be breathing; in the intervals between breaths, its navel appeared to open.

Zuo Qi had an idea and decided to give it a try.

But the sounds of fighting in the courtyard suddenly subsided, and footsteps sounded, sounding somewhat hurried.

The group ran in another direction.

"Brother, let's go!"

The middle-aged man at the head of the group was pale, but a conflicted look flashed in his eyes. After all, if Zuo Qi hadn't suddenly appeared and lured the water ghost away, they would most likely have been in serious trouble.

Although some suspected that Zuo Qi was the one who spilled blood at the River God Temple, En was En.

But considering my current state...

He could only shout to Zuo Qi and the others behind the outer wall on the other side.

"Brother, I will never forget your life-saving grace. I am Yin Jiu. We need to leave first. Be careful, there are four water ghosts here."

After offering a reminder, he turned and left.

Zuo Qi's expression shifted slightly upon hearing Yin Jiu's words.

This man is a decent person; he even informed them before retreating.

He didn't reply, his eyes fixed on the water ghost that sometimes disappeared into the water and sometimes suddenly appeared.

With the thought of retreating arising in their hearts, Yin Jiu withdrew, and the remaining water ghosts in the courtyard were about to come out. The three of them were no match for them.

He called out to Ni Heng and He Xiao, intending to leave first.

Yin Jiu didn't receive a reply from Zuo Qi, nor did he say anything more. He then led his men away.