Da Xuan Martial Saint

```

Over the endless expanse of water, waves surged and billowed.

A large boat approached from afar, riding the wind and cleaving the waves, carrying a throng of villagers. Despite the raging torrent of the river, the vessel stood tall and mighty, majestically forging ahead.

Splash!!

All of a sudden, the surface of the water exploded, sending up a spray several meters high.

A monstrous creature, neither snake nor fish, leaped out of the river. Its massive form, a full ten meters in length, exuded a terror that stupefied all around. Merely by emerging from the water, it sent shivers through the hearts of the many villagers.

"It's the Black River God!"

Some villagers looked on with eyes wide with terror.

There were tales among the people of a 'Black River God,' with a body dark as night, bearing the head of a fish and the body of a snake, six eyes, and four tails, feasting on humans. Women often scared their children with threats of the 'Black River God' eating them, its infamy quelling the cries of fretful children at night!

But the Black River God that sprang from the water was unlike any of the fish monsters before. With a mere flick of its tail, the ends split into four fins that cut through the water, instantly raising a nearly ten-meter-high torrent that crashed down towards the giant boat.

But just at that moment.

Chen Mu, who stood at the bow of the great boat, displayed a look of detached indifference. His entire being suddenly leaped into the air, his Silverstream Saber casting a beam of light, then he lifted it high above his head to meet the falling torrent with a fierce slash.

The deluge, which was like a water dragon descending, split in two around Chen Mu's sword as the center, turning into two streams of water that fell along either side of the mighty boat. The force of the blade cut even further, extending an invisible edge through the water that was visible to the naked eye.

Splash!!!

As the waters parted in the middle with a thundering rupture, a streak of blood appeared on the head of the 'Black River God,' followed by a burst of blood spray.

Chen Mu silently returned to the bow, his gaze calm as he sheathed his saber and stood his ground.

The Black River God that had leaped high out of the river swiftly lost the luster in its six blood-red eyes, and its massive frame began to fall, plunging back into the water and creating a massive wave.

Such turbulence, however, could not shake the boat. It remained as immovable as a mountain atop the water, with Chen Mu standing unwaveringly at the bow until the sprays settled. Then, cutting through the waves and crossing over the bloodstained waters, the boat continued forward!

"Dead, it's dead..."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

The many villagers crammed onto the boat, stunned by the scene, were all in utter shock.

In fact, many of the elderly villagers knew that the 'Black River God' was a kind of monster, albeit a rather famous one. However, in the past, even the government officers from the county yamen and the esteemed individuals from the prefectural government would usually give it a wide berth.

But today, a Black River God had leapt out of the river only to be slain by a single strike from Chen Mu, no different from the fish and snake monsters before.

Even as Chen Mu stood at the bow, his silhouette never wavered, his clothes unfazed by the wild wind. The boundless river water and spray that splashed up naturally parted on either side of him. He looked nothing like a government officer, but more like an Immortal descending upon the mortal world!

Behind Chen Mu.

In the place closest to him, sat the little girl Hong'er, whom he had earlier rescued.

At this moment, she gazed blankly at Chen Mu's figure, her eyes filled with shock and admiration. She couldn't help but whisper softly, "Brother... is brother an Immortal?"

Old man Zhao next to her was also in a daze. Hearing Hong'er speak up, he quickly tried to cover her mouth. How could she be so informal and address Chen Mu directly? His heart went aflutter with nervousness.

However.

At this time, Chen Mu glanced at Hong'er, the little girl's clothes now partly dry, and her complexion much improved. It was just that her little face was still smeared with mud and her hair was a mess.

This sight reminded him of his sister, Chen Yue, when she was young, prompting him to reply with a gentle voice.

"Brother is not an Immortal, just a Martial Man who is slightly more formidable."

Once more, he turned his head back.

Gazing at the boundless floodwaters, Chen Mu felt a moment of emotion. Although there were no Immortals in this world, if one could reach the pinnacle of Martial Arts, one would indeed appear no different from Immortal Gods in the eyes of ordinary mortals.

Like those peerless beings who dominated the vast lands of Da Xuan and the Eleven States of the Northern Land, such as 'Heavenly Blade' Gongyang Yu. It was rumored that he once cut a river with a single slash, stopping its flow for three days straight!

What kind of prowess was that?

With his current strength, a single slash could only break through several meters of the river's surface, and the water would soon return to its course.

One could only imagine the level of Martial Arts required to halt a hundred-meter-wide river for three days without resuming its flow.

Such a being was indeed akin to the 'Immortal Gods' spoken of by ordinary folks, a true powerhouse reigning supreme over the world, standing at the zenith of the Martial Path – a presence that even the Great Sect of the Seven Profound Sect, after ten generations, might struggle to produce.

The torrential floods continued.

The great boat pressed on, cutting through the waves.

After slaying the Black River God with a single strike, the rest of the journey was accompanied only by the sound of the torrential flood, with profound silence otherwise, as no other monsters emerged from the water to attack. As they traveled farther and farther, land finally appeared within sight at the end of the horizon.

"We've reached the shore, we're ashore!"

Someone on the great boat caught a glimpse of land from afar and couldn't help but exclaim excitedly, then quickly covered their mouth, afraid to make too much noise.

At this moment, everyone on the boat felt waves of emotions churning within.

The day's events seemed like a dream: first the surging floodwaters, their failed escape, the crowded wait on a hillock for an impending death; but then Chen Mu came crossing the river, punished the local bullies, slew monsters, crafted a boat out of the blue, conquered the wave while making way through the flood, slaying demons and, amidst the boundless inundation, catching sight of land once more!

And looking around at that boat full of people, young and old, they were like a forgotten seed discarded by the world, now being ferried back to humanity.

```