After greeting everyone, Henry Thompson walked out of the temple gate.

This time, he left a bit earlier than usual. The sky had not yet darkened, and the ghosts and monsters of Ten Mile Slope had not yet emerged. He was also heading in a different direction than before.

He was walking toward the riverside.

Yuhang Town was near the estuary of the East China Sea, surrounded by a network of rivers and streams, among which was the Heishui River.

Among the surrounding rivers, Heishui River was neither the widest nor the deepest, but it was rather special—no one ever dared to go near it.

Because there was a water ghost in the river.

In fact, almost every big river has some water ghost legends, but the one in Heishui River was especially fierce.

It was said that over a hundred years ago, a great flood struck, and many people died in the Heishui River. This water ghost absorbed many wandering souls and suddenly gained a great deal of power.

Elsewhere, when there were water ghosts, at most people just avoided going into the water. But with the Heishui River, even if you just stood on the bank and glanced at the surface, you might be lured in.

Over time, both banks of the Heishui River became forbidden zones.

For a long time, nothing had happened, but last year, some mischievous child from who-knows-which family wasn’t watched carefully and ran to play by the river. As a result, he was lured into the water by the ghost.

It just so happened that Jack Newman from the neighboring village saw this. Unable to stand by, he went into the water to save the child.

Jack Newman was a seasoned fisherman who had spent years at sea. Even with his hands and feet tied, he could swim faster than a fish.

But after he pushed the child up, he himself did not come back up.

Moreover, after Jack Newman died, his body became as heavy as iron or stone, sinking to the bottom of the river and refusing to float. No one dared to retrieve his corpse.

Jack Newman's family had nowhere to turn, so they followed the villagers’ advice and invited a Taoist priest to set up an altar and sincerely offer sacrifices to the water ghost in the river.

Only then did the water ghost allow the body to float to the surface, and Jack Newman was finally able to be buried properly.

So tyrannical!

Henry Thompson had crossed over to this world just before that ritual, so this water ghost left a deep impression on him.

Or rather, a very bad impression.

At the time, someone asked why they didn’t invite cultivators to destroy the water ghost. The village elders all said that they had tried in the early years.

But the water ghost had already become formidable, with high cultivation. Ordinary cultivators would only be courting death, and even those with higher cultivation couldn’t do anything about it.

Because it had almost merged with the Heishui River itself, able to move freely and invisibly within the water—how could it be destroyed?

Unless a truly powerful figure intervened, but such people were far beyond the reach of a small fishing village.

They could only wait for a few more decades, and perhaps the ghost would become the river god of Heishui River. Then, it might no longer harm people.

But Henry Thompson felt this was unreasonable.

Jack Newman was undoubtedly a good man.

This water ghost was undoubtedly an evil spirit.

So why, after the evil spirit killed someone, did it still have the chance to achieve perfection, while the good man, even in death, had his corpse used as leverage?

This made him feel somewhat angry.

His master said that everyone has their own destiny.

But he felt that the fate of good people shouldn’t be like this.

Nor should the fate of evil spirits.

So he always kept this matter in his heart, along with that anger.

Last night, after reaching level seventy-one, the first thing he wanted to do was come here for a walk.

By the river, flowers were blooming, willows were green, the grass was lush, and orioles and sparrows flitted and danced among them—a beautiful scene in the evening glow.

Henry Thompson strolled along this picturesque view.

And so, the scene became even more beautiful.

As he walked, he felt a cool breeze blow from the river, rippling the water’s surface.

He turned his head to look at the river.

But what he saw was not a handsome face.

On the contrary, reflected in the water was a large face with a greenish hue and tusks—ferocious, terrifying, and ugly.

Henry Thompson smiled faintly.

Finally, I’ve been waiting for you.

Before he smiled, the ghostly figure in the water revealed a grin first—a greedy, sinister smile.

Man and ghost, facing each other, both smiled.

Immediately, the scene in Henry Thompson's eyes changed.

Beneath the water, the ghostly face was gone, replaced by a pile of glittering gold, just within reach, as if he only needed to bend down to scoop up that priceless treasure!

He didn’t move.

The light shifted, and now there was a dragon throne beneath the water, with a large jade seal resting on it. A voice whispered in his ear, telling him to sit, to take that seat, and the whole world would be his.

He still didn’t move.

The scene changed again, this time into a group of beautiful women, each as lovely as a flower, none of them properly dressed—one revealing a bit of her bosom, another showing off her long legs, and even more hidden deeper within, barely visible. It seemed that with just a reach, he could pull off those thin gauzy skirts.

Henry Thompson finally moved.

He drew the iron sword from his back and swung it forward.

Whoosh—

The tip of the sword sliced through the air.

Immediately, the flowing river water halted.

Boom—

The great river reversed its flow!

With a thunderous roar, the steadily flowing river was suddenly split down the middle! On both sides, walls of water several meters high rose up in an instant, swelling rapidly before the naked eye!

At the spot where he swung his sword, a vacuum zone nearly ten meters wide appeared, instantly exposing the dry, chaotic riverbed. Many unlucky fish, not knowing what was happening, suddenly found themselves in midair, their eyes wide open.

Their eyes were full of confusion and innocence.