Shen Gun possessed over eight thousand years of effort and, upon expelling his Lifebound Primordial Pill, started casting spells. A surge of violet-red radiance emitted, and wherever the light reached, the lake water turned into dense vapor. In the blink of an eye, the entirety of Yan Lake's waters were drawn by the Dan Qi, turning into violet-red clouds of smoke, leaving the entire lake empty, creating a massive pit!

Shi Feiyang had anticipated his prowess in advance. Ever since obtaining the Yu Ding, he had swiftly retreated hundreds of yards away.

Shen Gun glared at him, maneuvering his inner core and suddenly let out a roaring bellow.

With this furious roar, hundreds of water columns, each a hundred yards long, burst forth from the dense purple haze in the sky, resembling towering trees that fiercely smashed towards Shi Feiyang!

Shi Feiyang had already strummed the Cave Spirit Zither, and the water columns burst apart in mid-air, splitting into uncontrollable floodwater that poured down, instantly causing a downpour as if the Heavenly River had burst its banks.

Shen Gun then condensed large hailstones, the size of cartwheels, from the dust and smoke, hurling them chaotically at Shi Feiyang.

The zither strings trembled, and waves of sound surged, not only causing the hail to shatter into powder before it could reach him but also scattering the rain, which got nowhere near him, at a distance of dozens of yards.

Shi Feiyang also had a True Water Primordial Pill capable of water control, but as a human, he was reluctant to resort to the methods of his dragon body. Moreover, his effort was not as profound as Shen Gun's. A head-on clash to compete in water controlling abilities would mean more defeats than victories. Thus, he simply hovered the Spirit Zither in mid-air, plucking its strings with his mind, using the sounds to influence the Yu Ding in return.

He held the Yu Ding in his left hand, which flickered with five-colored radiant light from within. Thunder and wind roared inside. Shi Feiyang expelled a breath of True Qi onto the Yu Ding, formed a spell with his right hand, and pointed forward. The Ding Cover flew up, suspending three yards above the Yu Ding, emitting multicolored light, which spread through the skies. When encountering the water vapor, it absorbed it forcefully and directly.

The surrounding water, whether from the sky or underground, was all absorbed by the Yu Ding—clouds, rain, hail, floodwaters... all converging towards the Ding and growing smaller as they neared, before ultimately diving into it.

However much water Shen Gun released from the Purple Mist Qi, the Yu Ding could absorb just as much.

In a moment, the Yu Ding had already drawn away half of the lake's water. Shen Gun grew angry and anxious upon seeing this and finally admitted that he could not defeat this young man in green. He turned to utilize the remaining water to create a flood and escape Yan Lake, heading east towards the sea.

Shi Feiyang had anticipated this move even before taking action, knowing that discharging the water would inevitably flood thousands of homes below the mountain. The massacre caused would mostly fall on Shen Gun's shoulders, but a portion would also land on Shi Feiyang's, adding much potency to his future Heavenly Tribulations and Three Calamities.

He expelled another breath of True Yuan, extended a hand and pointed, executing the Cloud Displacement technique. The purple haze in front split like waves, revealing Shen Gun's Lifebound Primordial Pill. Shi Feiyang controlled the Yu Ding, whose Ding Cover had the likeness of an ancient fierce beast, with a wolf's head, an elephant's trunk, dragon's eyes, and an eagle's beak, a pair of wings growing on its back, and a tail resembling a pangolin. It looked like but was not a dragon, the most formidable beast slain by Yu the Great during the Primordial era, transformed into the Artifact Spirit of the Yu Ding.

Shi Feiyang, through the Spirit Zither's control, rotated the Ding Cover, aligning it with Shen Gun's Primordial Pill. The beast's pair of dragon eyes burst forth with two red beams, shooting straight out and nailing the inner core in place.

Shen Gun's inner core, transfixed in the air, ceased its rotation. He hastened casting to retrieve it, but instead of moving even an inch towards him, it was absorbed by the Yu Ding, being drawn into it.

This Lifebound Primordial Pill had been cultivated by Shi Feiyang for over eight thousand years, linked to his very life, even more precious than his physical body. How could Shen Gun give it up? He roared and surged back, fighting desperately with Shi Feiyang.

Shi Feiyang continuously played notes on his zither, causing Shen Gun's blood and energy to churn, nearly scattering his Dan Qi. Angered, Shen Gun hurled the remaining half of the lake's water in a frenzy, taking advantage of the fact that Shi Feiyang could only barely use the Yu Ding, still unable to fully unleash its power. Shen Gun pounced forward, opening his mouth to swallow the inner core, but caught off guard, he locked gazes with the wolf-headed creature atop the ding, and immediately felt a sharp pain in his Primordial Spirit. It was as if two red-hot iron awls had been thrust through his eyes, piercing directly into the Mud Ball Palace within his skull and nailing his Primordial Spirit in place.

Fortunately, his cultivation was profound, and with Shi Feiyang fully focused on controlling the ding to gather water, Shen Gun had no choice but to release the inner core from his mouth. He revved up his True Yuan, breaking free from the wolf-headed creature's soul-piercing divine light, and turned to flee.

He watched Shi Feiyang handling the ding to collect the water, with his lifebound Primordial Pill so close yet unattainable, his heart bleeding with regret. However, he also knew that if he didn't leave now, once Shi Feiyang finished collecting the water and turned to deal with him, he would have no chance of escape, and his life would surely be forfeited here.

Shen Gun let out a roar filled with immense sorrow and rage towards Shi Feiyang, then turned and soared towards the heavens.

Shi Feiyang, however, would not let him go so easily. As soon as the thought arose, the clouds in the middle of the Mica Tent suddenly dissipated, creating a large "donut" hole through which Shen Gun was exposed.

Situ Ding stood on a high rock, the sound of the zither and water reverberating incessantly from below, aware that an immortal and a monster were locked in battle. He strained his eyes to watch, but the dense fog from the Mica Tent obscured his vision. He could not discern male from female within five steps, nor humans from animals within ten!

As he waited anxiously, he suddenly saw the clouds below clearing, and the vast Yan Lake had disappeared, leaving a giant mud pit. And there was a monster flying up from it.

The monster was indeed grotesque, large as a bear in stature but with the back of a fish covered in scales. It had a large human-like head with lion-like facial features and a neck covered in a mane that blended with its hair, almost entirely concealing its face. Its two ears were visible, twisted and turning in all directions, each adorned with a small serpent, one red and one green, both flicking their tongues.

Its torso was thick and long, underpinned by two short, stubby legs, standing upright without arms, save for a dragon-like claw protruding from its chest.

Upon seeing it, Situ Ding knew it was the monster the immortal had spoken of. He instantly pointed his finger and his Immortal Sword transformed into a beam of yellow light several dozens of feet long, flying straight down to meet and cleave the monster.

Shen Gun, having already scanned the lake's surface with his Divine Sense in search of the sound's source, was aware of Situ Ding's presence. Seeing the Flying Sword slicing towards him, he didn't try to dodge but caught it firmly with his lone claw, trapping the sword in his palm. He then spat out a stream of Demon Fire from his mouth, aiming it directly at Situ Ding.

Situ Ding had never imagined that not only immortals could easily grasp his family's Flying Sword, but this monster could also catch it with its bare hands. He quickly formed a hand seal to summon the sword back, but as the Demon Fire approached, he was about to dodge when the rock under his feet suddenly exploded, and a Golden Flower sprouted from the stone.

The flower held him aloft, its petals opening and shooting out countless strands of golden light that enveloped him in protection. The Demon Fire sprayed by Shen Gun hit the golden light and was immediately blocked, although an intense heat still rushed at Situ Ding, scalding his skin. Unsure of what to do, he suddenly heard Shi Feiyang's voice by his ear, "You were previously afflicted with the Cold Poison of the Green Flood Dragon, which has reached your bone marrow. This Demon Fire of Shen Gun can counteract it. Quickly sit cross-legged in meditation, follow the cultivation technique I transmitted to you to regulate your breathing and balance the Yin and Yang. Also, devise a way to bind this monster. Once I've gathered all the water from the lake, I will deal with it!"

Situ Ding was overjoyed upon hearing this. His family came from a military background, generations serving in the army, and they also had many interactions with swordsman and knights of the Jianghu and the Green Forest; they had long learned to regard life and death with indifference.

He wasn't concerned about being poisoned or even possibly eaten by the monster. What was important was that the immortal was willing to teach him spells!

Eagerly agreeing, Situ Ding immediately sat cross-legged on the Golden Flower, practising the cultivation technique Shi Feiyang had taught him. He directed the essence of his Primordial Spirit to guide the oncoming heat into specific meridians to disperse the Cold Poison while also constantly urging the Flying Sword, causing it to flicker and twist, struggling to break free from Shen Gun's claw.

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