From waterfowl, it began to transform into the Great Sun Golden Crow.

"Little one, you haven't answered my question yet. You're just beginning to develop intelligence and can speak."

"In this blessed land of Dongting, where wild beasts cultivate themselves, how could someone like you exist?"

Gu Heting shook his head and frowned. He was still in a daze. It was difficult for him to even lift his head. Just as he was about to say something, he felt a soreness in his neck.

"Uh...uh"

"I am naturally beautiful and blessed with good fortune. I possess the grace of a peacock swallowing a dragon, and I am a celestial being descended to earth with the demeanor of a great emperor. I am both the essence of a celestial dog swallowing the moon and a stubborn stone from heaven that fell to earth and was refined."

This sales pitch has a very wide reach.

There's Journey to the West, Dream of the Red Chamber. There are also some online fantasy novels he read in his previous life. He even added some of Erlang Shen's celestial hounds.

A barrage of verbal attacks.

Jiang Tunyu stared in disbelief.

Silence is the most awkward form of conversation. This Jiangyu was clearly overloaded; he covered his mouth and opened it for a long time before finally managing to utter a single sentence.

"Young man, you're good at talking nonsense."

Gu Heting was somewhat embarrassed. He could only respond with a smile, maintaining the 45-degree upward curve of his bird-like beak: "Alright, senior, I was indeed talking nonsense. By chance, I received some good fortune. Then, my intelligence was awakened, and I became like this."

What he said was indeed the truth. But it wasn't entirely the truth either. Gu Heting's greatest opportunity was the Phoenix-Bearing Book that came with the system.

Just a few days ago, he was still a wild beast in the blessed land of Dongting.

On the shore of that wetland lake, one can look up and watch as great demons fight.

He's not stupid; his greatest asset is the Phoenix Carrying Book. How could he casually tell others about it?

The river-swallowing fish was still somewhat skeptical. He simply found it amusing, yet also conflicted—was this little waterbird too unsteady?

The forest ahead is ablaze, burning across the sky.

It's probably that old salamander that's angry.

How dare this guy? He casually flirted with the old salamander. If he hadn't used his water-gathering technique to surround his entire body, this guy would have been slapped and deformed by the old salamander.

Seeing this, the river-swallowing fish couldn't help but feel curious.

The gloom of losing to the Blue-eyed Green Ring Snake has dissipated considerably in the past few days.

"Well... there are many extraordinary people and events in this world, and he has had his share of lucky breaks. You are one in a million, so I shouldn't pry. But could you tell me a little bit about it?"

"After all, I've saved your life a few times."

Upon hearing this, Gu Heting looked around.

What the old fish said was true.

In his final moments, it was this old fish who used his water manipulation skills to save him. But some things are inconvenient to reveal, and simply cannot be revealed. Saying too much wouldn't make anyone believe it.

After a long while, it finally turned into a sigh: "Alas, I ate the Water Cloud Seed. After that thing went down my throat, I gained some intelligence."

"You ate water lily seeds."

The river-swallowing fish was clearly agitated. It had fought the blue-eyed, ringed snake and was severely injured. It desperately needed this tonic to replenish its lost spiritual energy. But this waterbird had taken it from it earlier.

How could he not be angry?

He raised his fish tail and straddled the river. With a slap of his tail, a huge wave surged, causing ripples to spread across the entire lake.

In an instant, the fish leaped out.

The startled fish drew a semicircle in the sky before diving into the water.

Oh no, did I let it slip?

Is this a herbivorous fish?

Do you eat meat?

Zhu Heting wanted to run away on his bound feet. But his injuries were too severe, and he could only remain in the bubble space created by the Swallowing River Fish.

After a long while, the river-swallowing fish turned into a sigh.

"Alas, so be it. Opportunities are inherently unclaimed. The beings of this world obtain them by chance; they have no one to blame but themselves."

The River-Swallowing Fish let out a heavy sigh, drawing Gu Heting's gaze to its belly. He saw that the fish's belly was bluish-green, with a few streaks of red blood carrying a scorching venomous aura.

The battle a few days ago must have fundamentally damaged them.

Water cloud seed is a tonic with the effects of promoting blood circulation, removing blood stasis, and relieving burning and red poisoning.

No wonder it was so angry. It must have felt that it was a waste for a waterbird to receive such a treasure.

But if he ate it, he ate it.

The flowing water will not flow westward.

The opportunity didn't lie with the River-Swallowing Fish, so no one can be blamed. It's just that I didn't expect the River-Swallowing Fish to be so insightful, and that we could talk without any obstacles.

It only made him feel like it was an exchange between an elder and a younger person.

"Um? What should I call you, senior?"

You can call me Whale Li.

"Senior Jingli, why are you able to communicate with me normally?" This was also what Gu Heting most wanted to know. After transforming into a beast, he had become extremely perceptive in one area.

That was intuition; his intuition told him that the fish in front of him was swallowing the river.

It is on the same level as the fiery salamander.

But it certainly hasn't reached the level of a fully-formed demon. A fully-formed demon speaks human language and has already reached the Nascent Soul stage. The River-Swallowing Fish is definitely not at the Nascent Soul stage.

The eyes of the River Swallower seemed to hold many stories. His eyes were slightly closed.

Looking at the sunset, he shook his head helplessly: "I was once a koi carp raised by the Taoist priest Yunlin at the temple of Yuntai Mountain. When I was a koi carp, the Taoist priest Yunlin enlightened my mind."

"Young man, you are not the only one in this world with this opportunity."

"On the day the Taoist priest Yunlin passed away, he wanted to find a place for me to go. So he released me into the Dongting Prefecture."

"What a pity, birds and beasts cannot speak. I am all alone, which is truly boring and dull."

So that's how it is. The system said that only powerful demons in human form can speak human language.

However, this is not a one-size-fits-all situation.

This river-swallowing fish had been raised in captivity. No wonder its mind wasn't that of a wild beast; it was more like that of an elderly person. Not a single word it uttered showed any sign of anger.

It doesn't look like a wild animal.

They get easily angered.

Fortunately, Gu Heting was lucky. He was captured by this river-swallowing fish. If it had been any other wild beast, it would have seen his extraordinary spiritual essence and pounced on him. In the end, only piles of white bones would have remained, exposed corpses in the wilderness.

Thinking about this, Gu Heting pondered.

If I die, can I become a ghost cultivator?

Seeing Gu Heting deep in thought, Jing Li smiled blankly: "Life is full of twists and turns; our meeting is fate. Little one, since I saved you, shouldn't you repay me?"

Favor?

The River-Swallowing Fish is so easy to talk to; it doesn't act recklessly or force anything. It's just a verbal agreement, a favor to be done.

"Have you witnessed the battle at the edge of the river? I fought that old snake to this point. I fell for its trick, and now its poison is attacking my heart."

"Young man, do me a favor."

"You say it." From beginning to end, Gu Heting was not a heartless or ungrateful person.

Having lived two lives, he knew very well that without the help of others, he would have had a hard time growing up.

I won't talk about loyalty.

A life-saving grace must eventually be repaid.

"This place is called Water and Lake Viewing the Sky. It is also known as Water Elephant Great Luo Grotto Heaven. Simply put, it is a blessed land in Dongting Lake built by a top-level water spirit root cultivator."

"This area consists of nine islands."

"One of the islands is called Changsha Island, which is covered with reefs and has a lava-rich terrain."

"There is a Sal tree at the top of Changsha Island."

"It bears fruit only once every 800 years. This miraculous fruit can cure my snake venom. Little one, could you please pick it for me?"