The Bodhisattva has it, so he must have it too. Satisfied, he nodded and then turned his attention to the two children sitting on the offering table.

"Not bad, they look quite handsome. But why does this girl look so dazed? Could she have been frightened?" muttered the Great Inspirational King to himself.

"You’re so ugly that you scared my sister," Lin Fang said with a smile.

"What a bold little child, daring to mock me, the Great King. Do you want to be eaten by me first?"

"The sooner I die, the sooner I’m reborn. Do as you please," Lin Fang said, bowing his hands.

The Great Inspirational King was even more unsettled, finding this sacrificial boy strangely bold.

"In the past, I always ate the boys first, but today, I feel like eating the girl first." The Great Inspirational King opened his eyes wide, which looked like bronze bells, and spoke viciously.

Yet, the two children ignored him completely. He could no longer suppress the rage in his heart. He rushed forward, grabbed the girl, and tried to shove her into his mouth, his eyes always fixed on Lin Fang, hoping to see a look of fear on his face. He had already made up his mind to eat slowly this time, to savor the sight of the audacious boy’s meltdown.

However, when he opened his mouth wide, the girl in his hand suddenly vanished, instantly transformed into a paper figure that flew willingly into his mouth and then straight into his belly.

With a bang, the paper figure exploded inside the Great Inspirational King’s stomach, causing him intense pain. He couldn’t help but fall to the ground and roll around in agony.

Meanwhile, behind the statue, the White Ape made its move, a fierce Sword Qi heading straight for the Great Inspirational King. Ever since following Lin Fang, under his guidance, the White Ape had successfully comprehended Sword Qi and Sword Intent and stepped onto the path of the Sword Immortal. Now, making its first move, it was unstoppable.

The bitterly cold Sword Qi instinctively alarmed the Great Inspirational King of the danger. In spite of his pain, he jumped up, broke through the roof, and flew into the sky.

But the fierce Sword Intent still grazed his leg, leaving a deep bone-deep wound. Blood fell from the sky, dropping onto the temple’s floor, a stark red.

Lin Fang revealed his true form and burst out of the temple doors, followed closely by the White Ape. In the sky, there was only the sound of a shrill scream that echoed to the heavens, sending the villagers hiding in their rooms shivering in fear.

The figure of the Great Inspirational King fell from the sky and sank into the depths of the Tongtian River, with Lin Fang and the White Ape unable to catch up.

"Quite decisive to run away!" Lin Fang sighed and said. If the Great Inspirational King had hesitated even for a moment, Lin Fang would naturally have been able to stop him.

"Now that he has fled into the river, what should we do? Neither of us is adept at water fighting. If we go underwater, we may not be his match," said the White Ape, frowning deeply.

Lin Fang returned to the temple and picked up a scale that had fallen on the ground, revealing a knowing smile. He turned to the White Ape and said, "Don’t worry, I have a plan."

While the two were talking, a figure sneakily peeked out at the temple entrance. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Chen Yi, who had hidden before.

After hearing the scream and the commotion in the temple, Chen Yi couldn’t rest easy. After settling the two children, he snuck back to the temple and, by chance, saw the return of Lin Fang and his companion, a look of surprise on his face.

"It’s great that you’re alright, Taoist priest," Chen Yi said happily.

"No choice, the Great Inspirational King’s teeth aren’t very strong; he had a bit of a hard time chewing on me," Lin Fang also joked with a smile.

"Do you know what happened to the Great Inspirational King?"

"He got hurt. He’ll probably hide in the river for a long time."

Chen Yi’s face showed a hint of pity. He thought to himself that it would have been great if the Taoist priest could have completely eliminated the monster. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"White Ape, let’s go!" Lin Fang, paying no mind to Chen Yi’s thoughts, called out to White Ape and started heading out.

"Where does the Taoist priest plan to go?" Chen Yi asked hastily, yet he was determined to have the villagers keep him here to eradicate the Great Inspirational King once and for all.

"To the bottom of the river, of course. The Great Inspirational King is injured. If not now, when do we take care of him?" Lin Fang said as if it were the most natural thing to do.

In Chen Yi’s excited gaze, Lin Fang took White Ape into the tower and then jumped into the Tongtian River, vanishing from Chen Yi’s sight in an instant.

Once submerged in the water, even though the surface was tumultuous, it was unusually calm below. Many Aquatic Races lived there; Lin Fang gently landed at the riverbed surrounded by water plants and shrimp. He transformed into a crab, wielding his two huge claws domineeringly, and began to move across the riverbed with interest.

The riverbed of the Tongtian River was quite different from the Well Dragon King’s domain. The biodiversity was much richer, with large carnivorous fish swimming by now and then.

Take this large fish, for example, an unknown species looking greedily at Lin Fang’s body, its eyes filled with longing for food.

It opened its mouth wide, its sharp teeth clearly visible, ready to enjoy the delicacy that was Lin Fang.

Lin Fang, on the other hand, was not the least bit courteous. He suddenly swelled in size, becoming much larger than the big fish, and picked up his pincers, beating on the fish’s head like a drummer.

In an instant, the predatory animal that had reigned the riverbed suffered a devastating blow. It sunk to the riverbed, dazed and heavily, soon to be devoured by many small carnivorous fish.

Yet Lin Fang continued his arrogant stride, casually strolling along the riverbed.

Passing through a lush underwater forest, his view suddenly widened. A magnificent palace glimmered in the riverbed’s darkness, immediately catching Lin Fang’s eye.

"This foolish fish sure knows how to enjoy life," Lin Fang muttered to himself, holding up his claws and walking towards the palace with an arrogant gait.

Suddenly a group of beautiful Fish Demons passed by, their human-like figures on the upper part and fish-like lower limbs, their bare upper bodies only covered with small seashells concealing their private areas, and their green hair cascading down to their waists, swaying gracefully in the water.

"Have you heard? The king seems to have been injured."

"That cannot be. What kind of being is the king? Not even the powerful River God could match him; who could possibly injure him?" The Fish Demon clearly did not believe it.

"It’s absolutely true. I heard from someone that the king is in bad shape this time; he’s got a deep wound. You can even see the bones inside. They say he was wounded by a Sword Immortal."

"A Sword Immortal? You mean the legendary one who beheads with his Flying Sword?"

"Who else but him? It’s only by the king’s profound Mana that he managed to return this time."

"You better be careful. With the king injured, he’s probably in a bad mood. Don’t bring trouble on yourself."

"Don’t worry, I’m not going to the Inner Hall. I won’t see the king."

The Fish Demons gradually left, chatting idly, but Lin Fang was somewhat annoyed and said, "Clearly my Paper figures did the most work, yet White Ape gets all the credit."