The establishment of the Celestial Dynasty began with the bestowal of the title upon the River God.

The river is not wide, and it looks shallow.

But when Li Yi dived into the water, he discovered that the crystal-clear river was at least five meters deep, and those who couldn't swim would most likely not be able to get back up.

He surfaced, took a deep breath, his lungs expanded, and then plunged into the riverbed, swimming towards a pile of pebbles following the sound.

The pile of rubble was about the size of two life-sized vegetable jars, with water plants growing in the crevices, obscuring the inside.

"Fellow Daoist..."

The sound came again, and Li Yi was certain it came from the pile of rubble.

He fiddled around a couple of times, brushing aside a few pebbles. His lungs were almost full of air, so he floated to the surface. After going back and forth three times, he finally noticed something amiss.

As Li Yi broke open a large rock, a patch of green skin shimmering with scales came into view. Although its full appearance was obscured, it was enough to reveal the whole picture from a glimpse—it was a green water snake.

A water snake as thick as a normal person's thigh!

Li Yi dared not move again. The wood energy in his pupils surged out from the corners of his eyes, making his eyes shine brightly.

Upon closer inspection, the snake's body was indeed lifeless, which matched the half-dead tone of the voice.

Li Yi took a breath, swam down to observe for a while, and after confirming the green snake's condition, he dived back into the pile of rubble and rescued it.

The green snake lay paralyzed at the bottom of the river, its belly motionless; it was either dead or nearly dead.

"Water snakes must breathe with lungs, right?"

Li Yi thought to himself, hoisted it onto his shoulder, and carried it to the shore. Still, it did not resume breathing, so he frowned and reached out to transfer some wood energy to it.

The Yang Wood Qi of the Gallbladder is most conducive to growth and development. Even if he has not learned any magic, he already possesses the characteristic of restoring vitality.

"To grow to such a size, it must be a spirit or monster; I'll first use wood energy to keep you alive. Whether it succeeds or not depends on the wonders of my Investiture of the Gods."

A golden scroll flew out from Li Yi's pupils, lying between its master and the water snake, and unfurled on its own.

Li Yi focused his mind on the Investiture of the Gods and the water snake, and with a goal in mind, he suddenly had a sudden realization.

"The only divine office this green snake can be appointed to is the River God. Is it possible that the position is restricted by the Five Elements?"

Li Yi felt that it was almost certain, but now was not a good time to investigate. Zhang Lingbao, this potential threat, could appear at any time, and it was not the time to be picky.

No, rather, Green Snake is more suitable.

"I am only at the level of two spirit acupoints, belonging to the lowest level of Qi Refining cultivators. If I encounter any monster, my chances of survival are slim. Although this green snake is on the verge of death, it seems to be quite strong. If I can help it recover, it will definitely be a good helper."

Furthermore, the deities appointed by imperial decree in the Investiture of the Gods must enjoy the offerings of living beings and protect the peace of their region in order to be easily sculpted into golden bodies, which is beneficial for their cultivation and attainment of enlightenment, making them naturally opposed to the tiger spirit.

Li Yi's idea of ​​bestowing the title of Green Snake on the River God grew stronger, and the functions of the River God also entered his mind.

In the Investiture of the Gods, Hebo belongs to the water element; he controls the water energy of a river, allowing him to control the gathering and dispersing of the water, and the speed and slowness of its waves.

At the same time, Li Yi, the "minor official of heaven" who was appointed as the River God, not only had the power to appoint, dismiss, promote, and demote the River God, but also could issue imperial orders through the Investiture of the Gods.

As long as the imperial decree is within the scope of their authority, it is extremely difficult to disobey.

Once the Green Serpent is bestowed the title of River God, even as the lowest-ranking deity, it can instantly draw upon the water energy of the entire river to replenish itself.

Not to mention restoring their vitality, their cultivation level will also increase significantly.

Li Yi no longer hesitated, ordering the Investiture of the Gods to be opened again, and solemnly said:

"Green Snake, you were originally a spirit, but by chance you obtained a divine position. From now on, you should wholeheartedly do good and bring blessings to the people of this land. If you neglect your duties, you will not be spared!"

The wood energy that had previously kept the green snake alive allowed it to regain some of its senses through its own strength. In its hazy state, it saw a towering figure standing against the light, with something radiantly golden in front of it.

The nameless river suddenly surged with power, and the waters at both ends flowed against each other using the green snake as an anchor. In an instant, the water shimmered and the water energy surged, as if leaping with joy, and poured into the green snake's body.

As the last rays of sunlight slid off the green snake, the dying spirit finally awoke.

He opened his eyes, his round pupils suddenly shrinking into a pair of vertical pupils as he looked at the spot where the person standing against the light had been.

"Green Snake, you were originally a spirit, but by chance you obtained a divine position..."

The authoritative voice still rings in my ears; this is no dream!

He propped himself up and examined himself with his mind. His previous injuries had mostly healed, and even two more of his spiritual acupoints had opened!

"Not only are his injuries almost completely healed, but his Shaoyin Kidney Meridian has also been restored from the twelfth acupoint 'Dahe' to the fourteenth acupoint 'Siman'?!"

The Green Snake was shaken to its core and examined itself again. In addition to the "Turtle Breathing Technique" it had previously comprehended, the "Water Escape Technique" had been transformed into a higher-level technique—Water Dragon Swim.

Not only can it escape by water in times of crisis, but it can also merge with the water, becoming indistinguishable from it, and its speed is much faster.

In addition, there is a brand new ability among the "Four Fullnesses" - water control.

This ability to control water is not a single technique, but rather points directly to the essence of water, a powerful ability bestowed by the position of River God.

"Hahaha! Chiwu, you stinking tiger, you always consider yourself a mountain king, but have you ever thought that one day, a god will descend upon this Great Cold Mountain?! Let's fight again, and I, Xiaoqing, will skin you alive!"

With a thought, the green snake fixed its round black eyes on a section of river in front of it. The water stopped flowing instantly and opened to the sides, like two doors opening to welcome its master.

In the thirty-fourth year of Jianwu in the Wu Dynasty of the Great Zhou Dynasty, an unnamed river in the Great Cold Mountain welcomed its own deity.

A mile away, Li Yi, hidden in the woods, smiled, seemingly quite satisfied with the majesty of his first deity.

He introspected his pupils and unfolded the Investiture of the Gods. To the left of Li Yi, this minor official, was the information about the Green Snake's investiture:

[Xiaoqing, the God of Mountains and Rivers during the Great Cold.]

[Opening acupoints for Qi circulation, Foot Shaoyin Kidney Meridian (14/27).]

[A minor Qi Refining deity, with meager cultivation, wielding the Qi of a river and enjoying the offerings of incense.]

Li Yi rubbed his chin and thought to himself, "The evaluation for the mid-stage and early-stage Qi Refining is the same: 'insignificant'."

"Junyi said that the Kidney Meridian is in its middle stage from the tenth acupoint 'Yingu' to the fifteenth acupoint 'Zhongzhu'. With Xiaoqing's cultivation of opening fourteen acupoints, she should not be at a disadvantage against the Tiger Spirit. If the battlefield were near this river, she would definitely have the upper hand..."

Li Yi was inevitably somewhat complacent after successfully bestowing the title of River God.

Regardless of whether the Green Snake acknowledges him as a minor official, given the power of the Investiture of the Gods, she is destined to obey him without question.

otherwise?

Giving up one's divine status and golden body is not out of the question.

The biggest objective of this trip has been achieved; all that remains is to devise a plan to deal with Zhang Lingbao.

The tiger spirit seems to be aligned with Junyi, but we don't know its true nature. We need to rely on Xiaoqing as a backup plan and be on guard.

As Li Yi pondered, his wildly fluctuating emotions gradually calmed down.

"The Investiture of the Gods has the power to command the gods and immortals listed on it. One of the additional benefits is that it allows communication through the Investiture of the Gods, which eliminates the potential risks of me having to talk to Xiaoqing face to face."

Although the Investiture of the Gods has a certain restraining effect on the immortals and gods under it, if they disregard the consequences and pay the price, it is still possible that it will backfire on Li Yi.

Li Yi glanced at the sky, remembering his promise to Zhang Junyi to return home before dark. As he headed back, he unfurled the Investiture of the Gods and, using his reading skills, wrote:

"Green Snake, you are now a River God, a subordinate of this deity. You must bring blessings to the living beings in order to enjoy incense offerings and increase your cultivation. One day, you will be able to meet this deity and be formally accepted into this deity's court."

At the same time, a golden scroll emerged from the Green Snake Spirit Cave, which was the "Sub-List" that appeared only after the conferment of titles.

Li Yi's words entered the Green Snake's mind, causing the latter to be jolted, feeling both fear and unease, yet also a hidden anticipation. After much deliberation, it attempted to reply by reciting the message:

"Xiao Qing will remember the deity's command."

I dared not write a single extra word.

Li Yi nodded to himself, hesitating whether to give a direct hint, but after thinking about it, he ultimately gave up.

The grudges between a few Qi Refining cultivators were not worth the "Divine Venerable's" attention, so he wrote tactfully:

"As the River God of this region, I must take good care of all living beings within my jurisdiction. This matter involves the amount of incense offerings, so I cannot be negligent."

The most numerous sentient beings in the Great Cold Mountain are naturally the nearly one thousand villagers of Li Family Village. At that time, whether Zhang Lingbao makes trouble or the tiger spirit causes trouble, Xiaoqing should know what to do.

However, as a river god, Xiaoqing might not necessarily interfere in the grudges between cultivators.

Li Yi suddenly stopped in his tracks, his mind racing.

In Li Family Village of the Great Cold Mountain, there is not a single cultivator. Among the mountain spirits, only the Tiger Spirit and Xiao Qing have been seen. How exactly was the latter injured?

Li Yi quickly asked:

"Green Snake, for whom were you injured before?"