Chapter 200: The One I'm Scolding Is You

The woman’s child by the Water Devotion Deity was nothing more than a means for him to ensure the continuation of his own lineage. Consequently, he had never felt the slightest pity for either the woman or the child she bore.

“If I’m not mistaken, you must be a carp spirit, right? Speaking of fish, I’ve always enjoyed eating carp meat. However, having roamed the four seas these past years, I never found the time to catch any. Today, you just happened to fall into my hands, so I’ll feast on this fat fish of yours.”

Despite the Water Devotion Deity’s angry rebuke, Zhou Qing remained composed, replying calmly. Yet, his words only served to deepen the fury already blazing within the fish demon.

“Eat me? You reckless little human cultivator, how dare you be so arrogant?”

With a roar, the Water Devotion Deity ceased wasting words, now fully enraged by Zhou Qing’s defiance.

Waving his hand beneath the sea, an invisible water dragon surged forth, swiftly charging toward Zhou Qing. Though unseen, Zhou Qing could perceive the spiritual energy rippling along the dragon’s form.

As the water dragon lunged, Zhou Qing flickered aside with ease, then pressed a single finger to his forehead, conjuring a protective spell around himself.

No sooner had the shield formed than the invisible dragon struck again, colliding with Zhou Qing’s barrier. The clash of spiritual energies dispersed silently beneath the river.

Though the riverbed remained largely undisturbed, the water along the banks surged violently, as if a bowl of soup had been suddenly jolted. Waves spilled over, soaking the nearby woods before flowing back into the river.

After the brief skirmish, the invisible dragon vanished without a trace. Zhou Qing floated steadily at the bottom, while the Water Devotion Deity nearby wore a look of surprise.

He recalled encountering Zhou Qing over ten years ago, when the latter was but a lowly cultivator with modest power.

Though he had no precise knowledge of Zhou Qing’s cultivation then, his underwater speed indicated a relatively weak level.

But now was different: this human cultivator had withstood his full-strength strike beneath the water without harm.

Under the Water Devotion Deity’s astonished gaze, Zhou Qing’s expression remained calm, yet his situation was precarious. Despite the recent attack leaving him unscathed on the surface, the spiritual energy within him had been drained by more than half. Should another blow land without evasion, severe injury was inevitable.

After all, fighting a powerful aquatic being underwater was naturally disadvantageous for him.

Though Zhou Qing’s water affinity had awakened years ago, it was insufficient to grant him a decisive edge in this battle.

Having blocked the deity’s full strike, Zhou Qing’s red figure flickered upward, rising to the river’s surface. With a few strides, he reached the forest lining the bank.

“You miserable wretch! Where do you think you can run today?” the Water Devotion Deity snarled and emerged from the riverbed, giving chase into the woods.

As Zhou Qing ran, a strange phenomenon occurred.

Each time he lifted and set down a foot, a nearby tree or patch of grass withered instantly. From the earth, a surge of spiritual energy flowed into his body.

The spiritual energy he had lost defending against the water dragon was rapidly replenishing as he moved.

Once ashore, the Water Devotion Deity raised his palm mid-chase, gathering his spiritual power into a glowing blue orb.

He then flung the orb like a bolt of lightning toward the fleeing Zhou Qing.

“Crack!”

Zhou Qing heard the snap of a branch behind him but had no time to look back before his protective barrier absorbed an invisible impact.

This blow was lighter than the previous water dragon strike. Furthermore, within the forest, Zhou Qing’s spiritual power was quickly regenerating through his movement, rendering the attack ineffective.

“Let me be honest with you—I truly love eating carp. That carp spirit called the Golden Robe Venerable looked delicious back then; I have no regrets that I didn’t cook him.”

Without glancing back, Zhou Qing ran toward a mountaintop, taunting the enraged Water Devotion Deity with his words.

“You despicable wretch! If I, the Water Devotion Deity, don’t tear you apart with my own hands today, then I’m no true god of these waters.”

Zhou Qing’s provocation struck a chord. The deity roared furiously and conjured another blue orb, hurling it at Zhou Qing.

When the glowing orb struck Zhou Qing’s back, a cold smile spread across his face.

As they ascended the mountain, a subtle shift occurred between them.

By cultivation alone, Zhou Qing was inferior to the Water Devotion Deity. Yet, as they neared the summit, the deity’s spiritual power was steadily drained by Zhou Qing’s persistence.

Conversely, Zhou Qing remained unscathed despite repeated attacks.

Without his Earth Spirit Orb, he might have perished by now. But with it, standing on solid ground