Su Yi was stunned. Wang Zhiwu sure is irritable.

But when he considered that all of this hostility was directed at Lu Shi, Su Yi disregarded it and said, “We’re both fellow Daoists of the Eternal Heavens Domain, and our meeting was a stroke of fate. Why not calm down and chat for a bit?”

Wang Zhiwu just pointed at his face and cursed. “I have no desire to chat with the likes of you, so hurry up and scram! Or else, I’ll fucking kill you!”

Su Yi fell silent. He was trying to guess how the real Lu Shi would have responded to all these insults.

“You haven’t left yet? What, do you want me to kill you?” Wang Zhiwu opened his right hand, and a book floated into the air. His eyes seethed with murderous intent.

Su Yi couldn’t help but feel a bit irritated. He pondered briefly, then issued a well-intentioned warning. “In that case, you’d best be careful. If anything unexpected happens, don’t be so impulsive. Better to avoid trouble if you can...”

He’d impersonated Wang Zhiwu earlier, and he felt a bit guilty about it, so he felt the need to warn him.

But before he could finish his warning, Wang Zhiwu attacked from afar. “Lu Shi, you son of a bitch! Do you really think I’m too afraid to attack you!?”

Boom!

His palm shot through the air. Terrifying firelight surged into the heavens.

Su Yi dodged immediately. He originally planned to just leave, but then, an icy, dignified voice rang out. “Wang Zhiwu really is arrogant to the extreme!”

This voice had only just rung out when a tall figure appeared out of nowhere and pressed down. Wang Zhiwu’s palm strike split and dissipated.

Su Yi’s eyes narrowed, while Wang Zhiwu frowned.

This new arrival was dressed in black imperial robes. He was tall and powerfully built with unearthly purple eyes. This was none other than River Emperor Thousand Hands, one of the Four City Lords!

“Is this your backer, Lu Shi?” Wang Zhiwu said with a cold laugh. “No wonder you dared come here. So, you found a local serpent to back you up.”

Lu Shi? River Emperor Thousand Hands didn’t know him, but then, it was enough that he recognized Wang Zhiwu.

Su Yi rubbed his forehead. He knew that Wang Zhiwu had misunderstood, but just as he was about to say something... Boom!

River Emperor Thousand Hands attacked. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

He took a step forward, thousands of arms appearing around him, each forming electric hand seals. Together, they formed a sea of lightning. The sea descended ruthlessly upon Wang Zhiwu.

Wang Zhiwu looked stricken. He tried to block, only for the lightning seals to force him back. He staggered back, his clothing tattered.

His face was ashen. “River Emperor Thousand Hands, why insist on helping Lu Shi?”

“Who even is Lu Shi? I don’t know him. I just know that you killed my subordinate!” River Emperor Thousand Hands took a step through the air, a thousand arms swinging around him, all of them crackling with lightning as he attacked once more.

Wang Zhiwu was flabbergasted. As he blocked, he tried to argue. “When did I kill your subordinate?”

A moment later, something occurred to him. That imposter must have screwed me over! That bastard impersonated me, then created a mess. He framed me on purpose!

Wang Zhiwu was just about to explain when River Emperor Thousand Hands roared, “Are you too chicken to admit to your crimes? I have solid proof, but you’re still trying to weasel your way out of this. I truly look down on you!”

Kaboom!

Lightning surged, brimming with terrifying, destructive power. River Emperor Thousand Hands attacked in a rage, displaying shocking strength. He was repeatedly forcing Wang Zhiwu back.

Su Yi’s gaze was strange. Only he knew that this really was a misunderstanding, but he wasn’t in a position to explain. If he did, he’d expose himself completely.

Meanwhile, a group of River Kings was shooting over. All of them were River Emperor Thousand Hands' subordinates.

Su Yi glanced at them, then noticed that the red-headed River King Wan Liu was holding Wei E aloft.

Wei E was just curled up uselessly, quivering from head to toe, helplessness and dread written all over his face. He looked utterly pitiful.

“Seal off the entire area. We cannot let anyone escape!” bellowed River King Wan Liu. He ordered the others to spread out.

When Wang Zhiwu saw this, he was so furious that he almost coughed up blood. Damn River Emperor Thousand Hands! He’s seriously going to such lengths just to defeat me? Don’t tell me that fake Wang Zhiwu killed his parents or something?

But Wang Zhiwu couldn’t be bothered to explain. He just said coldly, “You’re no more than a little reptile. I treated you with respect earlier because of your position as city lord, but that doesn’t mean you can just do whatever you want!”

His sleeves billowed around him as he roared, “Lu Ping, no need to hide any further! Kill that little reptile!”

“Very well!” A woman’s voice rang out. The skies abruptly darkened as countless streaks of green flame arced through the air and descended from the heavens.

A fair-skinned beauty in green appeared silently in front of Wang Zhiwu. She had long, pointed ears, and her blue-green eyes sparkled like spring waters. She raised a hand and tapped the air. Countless green flames whooshed forth, sending River Emperor Thousand Hands flying.

His clothes almost burnt to cinders, and his whole body was burnt black.

The crowd was stunned because all of them recognized her. That seemingly youthful woman in green was an unparalleled legend. She was one of the thirteen supreme River Emperors. In the River of Destiny, they called her River Empress Lu Ping!

When he saw her show up to support Wang Zhiwu, River Emperor Thousand Hands looked stricken. His expression darkened.

Su Yi raised an eyebrow. Wang Zhiwu isn’t simple. He actually managed to find such a powerful helper.

“Fellow Daoist Lu Ping, I would never have guessed that you were that guy’s pillar of support!” River Emperor Thousand Hands frowned. “Don’t tell me you plan to oppose the entire Spirit Treasure Celestial City?”

Before River Empress Lu Ping could respond, Wang Zhiwu yelled, “Don’t waste your breath on that reptile. Just kill him!”

He’d originally wanted to explain that all of this was just one big misunderstanding. He would never have guessed that River Emperor Thousand Hands would be so ferocious. He refused to give Wang Zhiwu any chance to explain himself! Given the circumstances, how could Wang Zhiwu possibly waste any more time trying to talk to him?

Unbelievably, River Empress Lu Ping, one of the thirteen supreme River Emperors, an unparalleled figure, actually obeyed Wang Zhiwu’s commands!

She just smiled and attacked. Her dress billowed around her as her fair hands formed seals. Countless green flames arced through the air, intertwining into chains of the natural order that bore down on River Emperor Thousand Hands.

Kaboom!

A grand battle broke out. As powerful as River Emperor Thousand Hands was, he was obviously a bit weaker than River Empress Lu Ping, who repeatedly forced him back.

His subordinates watched from afar, their hearts quivering with fear and chills coursing down their spines. What do we do?

“Are you enjoying this farce, Lu Shi, you son of a bitch?” Wang Zhiwu suddenly glared at Su Yi.

“I...” Su Yi opened his mouth to say something, but Wang Zhiwu was already hurtling through the air and attacking.

Su Yi cursed inwardly and attacked too, except... his target was the distant River King Wan Liu.

River King Wan Liu almost dared not believe his eyes. One rude word, and that guy tried to scamper off in panic, yet now he’s bold enough to attack me? Doesn’t he realize that if His Excellency River Emperor Thousand Hands hadn’t intervened, Wang Zhiwu would have killed him by now?

Wang Zhiwu, meanwhile, was stunned too. What is Lu Shi playing at? Isn’t River Emperor Thousand Hands his backer? Why attack his subordinate?

As Wang Zhiwu watched in befuddlement, River King Wan Liu let out a hideous laugh, flung Wei E away, and tried to slap this blind, ignorant fool to death.

But then, something neither he nor Wang Zhiwu could have anticipated happened. “Lu Shi” flashed through the air, seizing Wei E before turning tail and running into the distant Abhorrent Evil Origin Zone! In the blink of an eye, both he and Wei E had vanished into the dense, baleful mists.

Neither River King Wan Liu nor Wang Zhiwu knew what to make of this. What the hell? What’s going on here?

Both of them were befuddled. Something wasn’t right here.

“What are you looking at? I might not have managed to kill Lu Shi, but that doesn’t mean I can’t kill a beast like you!” Wang Zhiwu was frustrated and needed to vent, so he redirected his anger at River King Wan Liu.

Boom!

He took to the skies with terrifying force and momentum.

River King Wan Liu naturally wouldn’t just sit back and wait to die. He roared, “Attack together and kill this bastard!”

The rest of River Emperor Thousand Hands' subordinates attacked as one, helping River King Wan Liu surround Wang Zhiwu.

The entire battle area was plunged into upheaval, with people fighting all over the place.

Of these battles, River Emperor Thousand Hands' and River Empress Lu Ping’s was naturally the most eye-catching.

Although River Emperor Thousand Hands was a notch inferior, when he went all out, he could hold his own for a while.

Wang Zhiwu, meanwhile, fought with relish. Even though he was surrounded, he fought with unstoppable momentum. In the blink of an eye, he’d slaughtered several of his weaker opponents.

The sounds of combat and desperate cries rose and fell in waves.

...

Meanwhile, in the distant Abhorrent Evil Origin Zone, Wei E wanted to weep, but he had no tears.

When Su Yi saved him, he was overcome with unexpected delight, like a drowning man suddenly pulled onto the shore. He was even grateful. At the time, he thought, This fake Wang Zhiwu might be black-hearted, but he’s dutiful, too. I’m glad I didn’t completely sell him out.

He would never have guessed that, a blink of an eye later, the fake Wang Zhiwu would drag him straight into the Abhorrent Evil Origin Zone!

How was that any different from throwing their lives away!?

Wei E was on the verge of breaking down. He felt as if he’d been possessed by a god of plague from the moment he crossed paths with the fake Wang Zhiwu. He’d had a string of terrible luck ever since.

First, the real Wang Zhiwu almost killed him. Then, the fake brought him to the Abhorrent Evil Origin Zone. He just barely managed to escape, but just as he was about to relax, he was accosted on the streets, becoming a fish on River Emperor Thousand Hands' chopping block.

Now, it seemed like the fake Wang Zhiwu had saved his life, but now he’d dragged him into the Abhorrent Evil Origin Zone, a place of no return!

Of course, Wei E was having a mental breakdown!

He was overcome with exhaustion. His hopes turned to ash. What joy is there in life? What terror is there in death? Just do whatever you want! If I die, I die!

But then, he took a sharp slap to the forehead. Wei E clutched his head and jumped; the hot, stinging pain jolted him out of his daze. “What the hell are you doing!?”

His eyes reddened as he said in a huff, “I don’t care if I live or die anymore, so if you keep treating me with such disrespect, I’ll kill you or die trying!”

“Live well. Why seek out your own demise?” Su Yi laughed.

Wei E froze, then realized to his astonishment that he hadn’t met with disaster. The corrosive, destructive, baleful energies were kept at bay thirty feet away, unable to advance any further, while the fake Wang Zhiwu sat on the ground, cross-legged, leisurely sipping from a jug of wine.

“I’m... alive?” Wei E stammered. He was starting to doubt his very perception of reality.