158: Chapter 158 The Variable Has Arrived; There Will Be No More Guiliu Society in the World

The instant Song Guanchao's neck was snapped by a single palm strike, Li Xiuyuan felt the bone-chilling river water around him rapidly receding.

This palm strike had landed squarely on Song Guanchao, and Li Xiuyuan had not held back his strength in the slightest. If not for the fact that Song Guanchao could barely be considered a Dragon and possessed an absurdly tough Physical Body, that blow alone would have been enough to send his head flying.

"That should be the end of it," Li Xiuyuan thought.

He was just about to withdraw his Spiritual Sense and wait for the space here to dissipate, but after waiting for a long time, there was still no change in his surroundings.

However, the river water was indeed receding. Even now, a space Domain without water had appeared where Li Xiuyuan was standing. Although he still couldn't see anything, he could feel that familiar, bone-chilling cold.

"As expected of an existence capable of killing a Dragon Lord, to be able to remain so calm and seize my opening under these circumstances."

Song Guanchao's voice sounded again, carrying an indescribable sense of emotion: "If we weren't inside the Foundation of the Yellow River's water veins, I would have been killed by your palm strike long ago."

As his voice faded, a point of light appeared in the darkness.

The light came without warning, yet it was like a sharp blade slicing through the night, tearing a gash in the boundless darkness. Light poured in from the crack like a tide overflowing a dam, pushing back the darkness around Li Xiuyuan inch by inch.

He saw clearly beneath his feet: the parched ground and the cracked riverbed.

He also saw the figure that had just walked out from the water curtain not far ahead.

Song Guanchao's neck was completely intact, without a trace of injury.

"This place is the Foundation of the Yellow River's water veins."

Song Guanchao looked around and spread his arms, as if showing Li Xiuyuan this invisible cage: "It is also my own unique space."

He paused, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly to reveal a confident smile: "The flow of time here is ten times slower than the outside world. Moreover, I am immortal here; no matter how many times you kill me, I can always stand before you again."

Hearing this, Li Xiuyuan fell silent.

He also remembered that certain controllers of water territories indeed possessed this ability.

Binding one's own life to the entire waterway; if the water exists, life exists, and if the water dies, life dies.

It was an ability bordering on immortality, but it was also a shackle that could never be broken.

From then on, one could never leave that water territory again, like a land-bound spirit, unable to step a single inch away.

The vast majority of Rising Beingss who controlled water territories would not choose this path.

It meant abandoning one's future and prospects, trapping oneself in a single patch of land, day after day, year after year.

If the waterway dried up, one would still die.

...

When he became the Dragon Lord of the Yangtze, Li Xiuyuan had never even considered this option.

Yet he never expected that this choice, which he had never taken to heart, would now become the most troublesome issue.

Song Guanchao looked at Li Xiuyuan, seeing the fleeting contemplation between his brows, and the smile on that dragon-like face widened slightly.

"I cannot be your match; I saw this long ago from the Seven-Day Ruyi Bell."

"My martial arts, my Divine Ability cultivation, and the like—I am inferior to you in every way."

"But it is different here." His voice dropped, carrying a sense of resolute confidence, "I can slowly drain you to death here."

"As long as you stay here, you need to constantly consume Spiritual Qi, yet there is no replenishment. Furthermore, the rate of consumption is not constant; it will increase exponentially the longer you stay."

Li Xiuyuan had, of course, already noticed. Since a moment ago, the Spiritual Qi within his body had been flowing away at an abnormal rate, so fast that he hadn't even attempted to use any Innate Supernatural Power.

Unless he found a way to destroy the Foundation of the Yellow River's water veins and remove Song Guanchao's reliance, he would indeed, as he said, be slowly drained to death here.

Thinking of this, Li Xiuyuan closed his eyes and attempted to establish a connection with Qing'er.

Just then, a faint humming sound rang out in his mind.

Li Xiuyuan's breathing hitched slightly; the humming came from the ancient coin, which he was all too familiar with.

But if the ancient coin was actively contacting him at this moment, it meant it must have sensed him. In other words, it was also in this place?

"Could that Carp be here too?"

Thinking of this, he immediately activated his Spiritual Sense, tracing the faint humming.

His Spiritual Sense felt as if it had passed through a thick barrier, but at this same moment, Li Xiuyuan could feel the Spiritual Qi in his body being consumed at an astonishing rate!

Song Guanchao, standing before him, also sensed Li Xiuyuan's Spiritual Sense. He looked at Li Xiuyuan, a mocking smile appearing on his face.

"It's useless. The harder you struggle, the faster your Spiritual Qi will be consumed."

"Since you can't get out anyway, you might as well kill me a few more times to vent your anger."

He spread his arms and walked a few steps closer to Li Xiuyuan, puffing out his chest as if inviting him to strike another palm blow.

"Strike a few more times; if that doesn't work, use your fists, or use the dragon lord blade to hack at me. I can accept it all."

Facing Song Guanchao's mockery and provocation, Li Xiuyuan did not respond. His golden slit pupils reflected that figure, his calm gaze still filled with indifference.

Until Song Guanchao walked right in front of him, Li Xiuyuan finally spoke slowly: "The future is, after all, unchangeable."

"The ending you saw in the Seven-Day Ruyi Bell will still come to pass. The variable you cannot find will be hidden in some corner in a way you never expected."

As soon as he finished speaking, the water curtain to one side suddenly trembled violently.

Ripples spread from the center of the water curtain, as if something was struggling desperately behind that wall of water.

Then, a large red Carp flew out from the water curtain.

Its body was entirely crimson, its scales shimmering with a blood-like luster. Its tail fin flailed desperately, and its entire body traced a crooked arc through the air.

Its eyes were filled with panic and bewilderment, its mouth opening and closing, spitting out a few tiny bubbles.

Li Xiuyuan reached out and caught it.

At the same time, Li Xiuyuan brought his right index and middle fingers together, forming a sword gesture.

"This is the variable," Li Xiuyuan said.

Song Guanchao's mind buzzed. He looked at the large red Carp, his small eyes filled with a huge question mark.

Where did this thing pop out from?!

Then, his gaze fell upon the sword gesture in Li Xiuyuan's right hand, and his pupils contracted sharply.

He remembered: Li Xiuyuan still had one more Magic Treasure—that ancient coin shimmering with golden light, which had not appeared from beginning to end.

Cold sweat suddenly broke out on Song Guanchao's back; this was the variable he could never avoid!

At this thought, Song Guanchao's pupils had shrunk to pinpricks.

Li Xiuyuan had already finished the incantation, and the point of Spiritual Qi condensed at his fingertips suddenly exploded, turning into a circle of invisible ripples that spread outward with his body at the center.

Wherever the ripples passed, the ground beneath their feet shook violently!

Song Guanchao's face turned pale; he could feel that the Foundation of the Yellow River's water veins was being destroyed from the inside.

He finally realized that this large red Carp had most likely been swallowed before that Loach was filled into the water vein Foundation!

He had calculated everything, but he had never accounted for this step.

"A useless piece of trash who can't accomplish anything but can ruin everything!"

Song Guanchao roared, his voice nearly hoarse.

He didn't know if he was cursing the Loach that had been used to fill the Yellow River, or cursing himself.

But whoever it was, it was already too late.

When Song Guanchao turned around, a fist the size of a sandbag came into view.

That punch landed squarely on his face, emitting a dull, thunderous thud.

'Boom!'

However, Song Guanchao did not fly backward; he stood rooted to the spot. Li Xiuyuan's punch had been delivered with full hidden force, shattering all the flesh and blood inside Song Guanchao's body.

"Since you told me to hit you earlier, I shall satisfy you," Li Xiuyuan said.

Song Guanchao's eyes gradually became bloodshot, and he still stared at Li Xiuyuan with unwillingness: "I… am immortal…"

"The water vein Foundation has been removed; how are you still immortal?" Li Xiuyuan asked.

Song Guanchao's cheeks began to twitch violently. He used all his strength to walk forward, not knowing if he wanted to make a final struggle or prove something.

But just as he took that step, Song Guanchao collapsed to the ground like a pile of mud.

He already understood that, just as Li Xiuyuan had said, the water vein Foundation was removed, and that so-called immortal ability had left him.

In the end, he had died at Li Xiuyuan's hands; the future was indeed unchangeable, and all his efforts had been in vain.

"Heh."

"Forget it… that's fine too. From this point on, there is no more Guiliu Society in this world."

"Before I die, I'll tell you: after the water vein Foundation is removed, the water of the Yellow River will flood and surge into a disaster once again. You will still have to sacrifice yourself to the river, otherwise…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Song Guanchao lost his life.

The surrounding water walls also suddenly receded. Li Xiuyuan looked at Song Guanchao before him; this guy had died quite cleanly and gracefully, without showing any unsightly behavior.

...

...

On the riverbank, Lu Xingyun's brows were knitted into a tight knot.

From the moment Li Xiuyuan suddenly disappeared, he had felt something was wrong. One moment he was standing on the water, and the next, he had vanished.

Lu Xingyun bit down on his cigarette, the ember already burning to the filter: "Where on earth is he?"

He paced back and forth along the riverbank, his Spiritual Sense searching the water countless times, but he found nothing.

Just as a trace of unease welled up in his heart, a fluctuation of Spiritual Qi appeared on the surface of the Yellow River. Lu Xingyun looked up and saw Li Xiuyuan appearing in the spot where he had just vanished.

Seeing this scene, Lu Xingyun immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Since Li Xiuyuan had appeared, it meant that Song Guanchao had likely been dealt with.

Before Lu Xingyun could relax, he suddenly saw circles of ripples appearing on the river surface. The calm, waveless river surface was broken, replaced by an uneasy agitation.

The river water began to churn, waves pushed down from upstream, slapping against the rocks on both banks and emitting a dull sound.

The water level was rising at a speed visible to the naked eye!

"What the hell!" Lu Xingyun widened his eyes. "Why is the water level rising so strangely?!"

He stood by the riverbank. The river water, which had been ten meters away from him just a moment ago, had now spread to his feet. At this rate, in another moment, it would likely be over his knees.

Li Xiuyuan also spotted Lu Xingyun and came to his side, saying: "The Foundation of the Yellow River's water veins has been broken; an unprecedented flood will erupt."

Hearing this, Lu Xingyun did not doubt him and immediately reported it to the leaders in the Jiantian Bureau.

A flood is no small matter, especially a flood of the Yellow River.

The people on this land first established their civilization by relying on this river. Throughout the course of civilization's development, they had experienced countless floods, each of which was not small in scale and caused huge losses.

Li Xiuyuan was not the type to exaggerate. Since he said there would be an unprecedented flood, it meant this flood would definitely be extremely severe.

After the report was finished, the leader of the Jiantian Bureau immediately reported this matter to the top official.

...

Meanwhile, in a conference room a thousand miles away, the lights were turned on.

People sat one after another along both sides of the long conference table.

Everyone's expression was exceptionally grave, because before coming, they had already caught wind of it and knew the seriousness of this meeting.

The top official had temporarily summoned all the main persons in charge of the cities along the Yellow River; even if those main persons could not come, they had all arranged for assistants.

A huge map of the entire Yellow River basin was spread out, densely marked with every water conservancy hub and dangerous section where a breach might occur.

"We have received news this time that there is going to be a flood on the Yellow River, and it will be very serious. I heard from the people at the Jiantian Bureau that the water level is rising very quickly."

"What are your thoughts?"

Hearing this, a middle-aged man wearing glasses who looked very steady said: "If the water level is rising particularly fast, we can first find some Formation Cultivators to set up Formations along the bank to create a line of defense first."

"Then, we can seize the time to raise the levees; we should be able to solve the problem with minimal cost."

Just as he finished speaking, another phone call came in. After listening, his expression became even more grave: "Mm, I understand."

As soon as the call was hung up, he immediately waved his hand: "Your method won't work. The water level is already about to overflow the levees, and it's raining."

"It's already about to overflow the levees? How is it so fast?"

"Raining? Is it raining in just a few cities?"

The persons in charge of the various cities exchanged glances, their expressions anxious.

"It's not just a few cities; it's raining along the entire waterway of the Yellow River."

As soon as this was said, everyone's expressions froze.

The water level rising so fast out of nowhere, plus it raining along the entire waterway, meant that the water level would rise faster, more fiercely, and even more unstoppably!

At this rate, it wouldn't be long before the water of the Yellow River would overflow the levees.

That flood beast that had been sleeping for many years was about to ravage this ancient land once again.

Everyone realized the seriousness of the situation and began to call their secretaries one after another, telling them to immediately contact the various departments in the city and have everyone stand by in full readiness.

In this day and age, the news of the Yellow River's water level rising could not be covered up at all.

Added to this, dark clouds gathered over the entire waterway of the Yellow River, and the raging storm caused that waterway, which had been calm for many years, to surge once again.

Many different videos began to spread on the internet; just looking at them through the screen was enough to make one's heart palpitate.