But I'm a proper river god, you know! - Chapter 56

The clouds grew thicker and darker, pressing down heavily on the River God Temple as if intent on crushing everything beneath them.

Suddenly, beside Luo Qiu Shui, her sword hovered midair, emitting a sharp, resonant hum that sent shivers down everyone’s spines.

The crowd’s expressions shifted instantly. Instinctively, they pulled out various magical artifacts from their robes—anything that could temporarily shield them from the heavenly thunder’s wrath.

Yet the thunderclouds showed no sign of dispersing. Streaks of cyan-purple lightning split the sky, illuminating half the horizon. The deafening roar of thunder sent countless rocks tumbling down the cliffs, while flocks of birds scattered in panic.

“This is bad—will the barrier hold against this tribulation lightning?” Huang Li thought anxiously. She glanced at the flickering barrier above the temple, then at Luo Qiu Shui, deep in meditation. A sliver of doubt crossed her mind.

Her senior sister is only at the Golden Core stage—how could she trigger such a phenomenon?

Before she could ponder further, a deafening crack tore through the air. A bolt of lightning, thick as a bowl’s mouth, came crashing down with unstoppable force, as if intent on swallowing the entire temple whole.

“Watch out, Senior Sister!” Several female cultivators cried out in alarm, immediately hurling protective talismans toward Luo Qiu Shui in a desperate attempt to shield her from the lightning’s fury.

At the same time, Qi Yan seemed to sense something. His expression sharpened, his piercing gaze shooting straight toward the depths of the clouds as if trying to drag out whoever was hiding behind them.

Beside him, Zhi Jie, his sword, vibrated with intent, its blade pointed toward the storm, ready to strike at its master’s command.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, Qi Yan noticed Xuan Chang Sheng shifting subtly in the shadows.

Xuan Chang Sheng felt Qi Yan’s gaze land on him. “Damn, this guy’s reflexes are insane,” he cursed inwardly, swiftly concealing whatever he held in his hand. He took a deliberate step back.

“Heavens, how terrifying!” he gasped, clutching his chest in an exaggerated display of distress—the very picture of helplessness. Just then, the sound of a door creaking open reached his ears. Feigning a stumble, he let himself fall backward.

“River God, why is this tribulation lightning so powerful? It’s absolutely horrifying!”

But his attempt to sidle up to Yuan Ji came a beat too late. Before he could react, several figures darted past him. When he looked up again, Yuan Ji was already surrounded by a cluster of delicate, trembling female cultivators—so tightly packed that there wasn’t even room to squeeze in.

Listening to their soft, trembling voices as they quickly explained the situation and expressed their fear, Xuan Chang Sheng froze in place, utterly bewildered.

Xuan Chang Sheng: …Huh?

Since when do people use teleportation spells for this?!

Qi Yan, watching the scene unfold, couldn’t help the faint amusement in his eyes. He locked gazes with Yuan Ji across the crowd, gave a slight nod, then turned and strode out of the temple, Zhi Jie in hand.

This thunderstorm was unnatural—he needed to investigate.

Wu Qian Si, standing a step behind Yuan Ji, had already experienced the female cultivators’ enthusiasm firsthand when he’d been pinned to the wall earlier. Now, he didn’t dare approach.

He shrank back, only to accidentally meet the terrified gaze of Du Xiu Yuan, who was still dangling from the vines on the wall, trembling in fear of being struck by lightning. Instantly, Wu Qian Si’s eye twitched in horror.

This monstrous man-eating plant is deliberately dangling people in the lightning’s path!!

“R-River God,” Wu Qian Si hesitated, but the desperation in Du Xiu Yuan’s tear-filled eyes—“Save me, please save me!”—was impossible to ignore. “This tribulation is too fierce… perhaps we should take them down first?”

“That Qi Yan… could it be that today is the day he…” He trailed off, leaving the ominous implication hanging. Those who understood his meaning tensed visibly.

Yan Ku immediately stepped forward, clasping his fists. “River God, allow this humble one to assist Qi Yan!”

Yuan Ji glanced at him, then nodded in approval.

The thunder grew louder, more deafening. Suddenly, another bolt of lightning lashed out from the clouds, this one even more violent, as if the storm itself had gone mad.

The crowd shuddered, instinctively retreating a step as they watched in horror—only for the terrifying lightning to be swallowed whole by a streak of white light, vanishing without a trace.

But the man-eating vines on the wall only grew more excited, their tendrils waving wildly as if… playing with the lightning.

Witnessing this bizarre, almost playful display from the murderous plant—and contrasting it with the wailing, desperate pleas of the Burning Moon Valley disciples—Shi Yi felt a chill crawl down his spine. Gulping, he tried to pull Er Xin back with him.

Only to find her staring in awe.

Shi Yi: …?

Wait, since when was my junior sister like this?!

Horrified, he tugged on Song Qing Yang’s sleeve, silently begging him to get them out of there before he started acting strange too.

But Song Qing Yang misunderstood, assuming Shi Yi was simply scared. With a sympathetic look, he generously offered his sleeve as a makeshift shield.

“Here, cover your head if you’re afraid.”

Feeling oddly insulted, Shi Yi huffed and turned away, searching for someone—anyone—who shared his alarm.

Just as he turned, another bolt of lightning—far more terrifying than the last—slammed into the ground, sending debris flying.

Shi Yi immediately yanked Song Qing Yang’s sleeve over his head.

Fine. He’d admit it. He was scared.

This lightning strike was different—more violent, more deliberate. The clouds churned faster, the air growing so thick with pressure that an overwhelming sense of dread settled over the crowd.

Seeing everyone bracing as if for battle, Yuan Ji clasped her hands behind her back and gazed upward, her thoughts unreadable.

A Tong, however, suspected Yuan Ji wasn’t concerned about the strange phenomenon at all. And sure enough—

A moment later, Yuan Ji mused internally,

“A Tong, these thunderclouds are quite impressive.”

“What if we captured them and kept them with the man-eating vines?”

“No more blinding golden light—just a nice, muted gloom.”

Besides, the purple lightning was rather pretty.

The more she thought about it, the more the idea appealed to her. Her eyes gleamed with anticipation.

A Tong sucked in a sharp breath: WHAT?!

Capture a tribulation storm as a pet?!

It glanced at the crackling, roaring thunderclouds, then at the vines thriving happily in the rain.

A Tong’s face paled. “Yuan Ji… let’s not.”

But before it could finish, Yuan Ji turned and waved dismissively at the crowd. “I’ll be right back.”

When they opened their mouths to protest, she added casually, “No need to worry about a little thunderstorm—it can’t get inside.”

“Wait here while I go catch it.”

The crowd nodded blankly—then jolted in unison as her words registered.

Wait—

What did the River God just say?!

Catch the thunderclouds and bring them back?!

Horror dawned on their faces. “River God, please reconsider!!”

But Yuan Ji was already gone, her mind set.

And when she finally stopped, hovering amidst the storm, she spotted a familiar figure hidden within the thunderclouds.