Chapter 447: Blade of the Thousand Rivers

The sky over Benliu Castle was turned red by meteors, and everyone in Baloske City could see the terrifying sight; both ordinary people and the extraordinary were frightened into a pallor.

The Sturgeon Warriors inside the castle were even more horrified, on the brink of panic.

"Channel all soul energy! Hold the water curtain!"

Duke Feishe's shout rang out, his usually authoritative command now sounding feeble, drowned by the explosions.

Boom!

The massive meteor struck the bubble-like shield, causing a huge explosion; countless scorching flames warped the air, forming a lightning‑like shockwave that radiated outward. The water‑flow shield, hundreds of meters wide, stalled for an instant, then under the crowd's gaze it deformed and sank, followed by violent shaking.

The Sturgeon Warriors maintaining the water curtain each let out a muffled groan, their minds struck as if by a heavy blow, soul energy in their heads gushing out like a broken dam.

The massive river water was drawn aloft by the formation, hanging like an inverted waterfall, its power counteracting the meteor's explosion.

The clash of water and fire erupted into a brilliant yet perilous scene.

"We held it!"

The Sturgeon Warriors within the water curtain were both shocked and elated, discovering the shield had withstood the blast, still seemingly having reserve strength, far from collapse.

Yet before that thought could settle, the second meteor struck.

Boom!

Another explosion thundered through the heavens…

Flames and shockwaves assaulted the water curtain; the Sturgeon Warriors frantically poured soul energy into the formation, some even beginning to overdraw their own lives.

"What's happening?"

A Mid-stage Sturgeon Warrior shouted in alarm, "Has the formation failed? Why can't it draw the river water?"

The other Sturgeon Warriors also sensed the anomaly; they gathered at the castle's third side, the southern main gate of Benliu Castle, beneath which lay a wide moat connected to the rivers on the other two sides.

"That wizard is casting!" someone pointed across the moat.

A wizard clad in a blue magical robe, with white hair of indeterminate age, had suddenly appeared at the moat's edge, brandishing a simple wooden staff; an invisible Arcane aura emanated, forming a mysterious field centered on him.

This magical field was blocked by the water curtain, unable to affect those inside the castle.

However, the moat outside the castle was enveloped by the field; everything within it froze, the water flow slowed, even the air became stagnant.

Duke Feishe on the wall changed expression, his voice deep, "Stagnation field, Eight Rings."

The water curtain formation of Benliu Castle has withstood a millennium of trials; it was bestowed by the river god Oshenna, and when ancestors laid it out under the deity's direct guidance, they accounted for all possible attacks.

Enemies are most likely to exploit the formation's reliance on water—freezing the river, draining it, or clogging the moat—but the formation has countermeasures; any river water affected by the formation is not easily manipulated by foes.

If a caster tries to freeze the river, they will find it utterly futile.

Yet the white‑haired wizard's method was unexpected.

The stagnation field cannot control the river nor block its flow to the sky, but it can slow the water‑extraction efficiency by dozens of times, as if time itself had slowed.

Even though only the river water on this side of the moat was affected, it was already enough.

Because the extracted water was insufficient, the formations on the other two sides could only share water, causing the overall defense to drop and the operation's coordination to be disrupted.

Amid the booming, the third meteor fell and exploded.

The water curtain shield was instantly damaged, becoming extremely thin, as if it could collapse at any moment.

"Swap!"

"Fire the cannons at that wizard!" Duke Feishe issued two commands in succession.

Keeping the water curtain formation running requires four hundred Sturgeon Warriors; Benliu Castle has over a thousand. The second batch of warriors, before the fourth meteor struck, seamlessly rotated with those whose soul energy was largely depleted, taking over the shield‑supporting duty.

Meanwhile, more than twenty water‑pressure cannons along the wall opened fire.

They aimed at the white‑haired wizard across the moat; thick streams of water shot out, straight as pillars, bearing immense power.

The water columns emerged from the barrels, passed through the shield, and entered the stagnation field.

Instantly, all the water columns slowed by hundreds of times, hovering mid‑air, moving slower than a turtle.

As long as the field remains intact, the cannon's water columns can never reach the wizard, not even approach him.

Boom!

The fourth meteor slammed into the water curtain shield; due to the stagnation field's interference, the river water was insufficient, and a single explosion left the shield teetering on the brink of collapse. To keep it up, the newly rotated over four hundred Sturgeon Warriors could only pour in soul energy desperately, their consumption multiplying.

"Lord Duke, the brothers can't hold much longer," a legendary Sturgeon Warrior warned loudly.

"I understand."

Duke Feishe, seeing the opposing Wizard Corps, had the 'energy‑concentrating rune formation' beneath his feet reactivate, and the high elf at its center began a second casting.

A wave of scorching aura drifted over from afar.

Another Meteor Burst!

Duke Feishe's heart thumped hard.

The casting high elf was a Legendary High-rank Mage; from his aura he seemed higher than my own rank, only one step away from a Grand Mage, with over thirty wizards supporting him from behind. He was casting beyond his tier— even though a Nine‑Ring Meteor Burst consumes massive energy, releasing it five or six times in one go would certainly be no problem.

The water curtain shield of Benliu Castle is also Nine‑Ring; over a thousand Sturgeon Warriors rotate to maintain it, far outnumbering the Wizard Corps. Even though the shield must protect the entire castle, covering a vast area and consuming more, as long it runs normally it can fend off several Meteor Bursts.

But that presumes the water curtain formation remains unimpeded.

If the white‑haired wizard's stagnation field isn't broken, the next Meteor Burst could pierce the shield, slam straight into the castle, with unthinkable consequences.

"We must stop him!"

The surroundings grew hotter, the second round of Meteor Bursts was brewing, and Duke Feishe could no longer wait to die.

"Let me go." A few legendary Sturgeon Warriors beside him stepped forward, eyes fixed on the white‑haired wizard across the moat, drawing their weapons.

Duke Feishe shook his head, "Can you operate inside the stagnation field?"

The legendary Sturgeon Warriors fell silent.

Even the strongest among them was only Legendary Mid-stage; within the Eight‑Ring stagnation field, even free movement might be nearly impossible, and going up would be certain death.

"We'll go together; we just need to break his spell conduit."

A young Sturgeon Warrior of the Feishe family thought of a plan.

Duke Feishe glanced at his most cherished grandson; his courage was commendable, but he was too presumptuous and lacked sufficient experience.

He had already recognized the origins of the Wizards opposite.

These Wizards came from the Weizelan Fu Kong Cheng of the Oriense Empire, one of the Empire's three great powers; if he was not mistaken, the two Legendary High-rank casters were members of the Weizelan Six Council. No Legendary Wizard is easy to provoke, let alone the renowned Fu Kong Cheng councilor.

He merely refrained from revealing the enemy's background out of concern for the morale of the Sturgeon Warriors.

Moreover, opposite there were not only Wizards but also two never‑seen Supernatural Legions and an entire army; they would never stand by and watch the white‑haired Wizard be attacked.

Once they left the water‑veil shield's range, they would inevitably be met with enemy fire.

If they stayed inside the castle, they could only wait for the shield to be broken; if they left the castle, they would face even more dreadful foes, but it would buy time before the castle fell.

It was a choice between two poisoned cups; whichever they drank would end similarly.

Perhaps the opponent was merely waiting for them to bite.

The only hope lay in unleashing their own power, striking the white‑haired Wizard who was channeling the stasis before the enemy could react; the chance was slim, but for the sake of the family they had to gamble.

Duke Feishe looked up at the sky; the clouds were turning red, and another Meteor Burst was about to descend.

"Aidemu, hold down Benliu Fortress," he said, turning to his eldest son. "No matter what happens, do not come out." He then looked at a tall, high‑rank Sturgeon Warrior, his most trusted adopted son, valued for his cleverness, and ordered, "Berixi, take the family's most outstanding children to the underground water gate in the north at once; if the castle falls, you know what to do."

Duke Feishe's tone was calm, but his words sounded like a death‑bed instruction, weighing heavily on the Sturgeon Warriors, their eyes reddening as they guessed he was about to go out and fight desperately.

"Father."

"Lord Duke…"

Aidemu, Berixi, and the Sturgeon Warriors tried to intervene; someone immediately thought of their faith, as if clutching a lifeline, and whispered, "Can the River King not act on behalf of His people?"

"Do not presume to guess the divine will," Duke Feishe rebuked.

He did not say so aloud; in fact, he had just covertly communicated with Oushenna, but the response was that He could not intervene in mortal wars, at least not this time.

Then there was no further reply.

This sent a chill through Duke Feishe's heart; the enemy not only came prepared, but also had the backing of a far more powerful deity, leaving even Oushenna to stand by helplessly.

It also revealed that Oushenna had compromised with other deities, surely receiving some promise and paying a certain price.

The Feishe family would not be wiped out, and Oushenna would not stand idle, but the survival of a certain family member, some Sturgeon Warriors, and a few believers mattered less—even the Divine Chosen himself—because that was the price Oushenna paid.

Lifs*Feishe inhaled deeply, his arm trembling as a stream of water materialized on his palm, coalescing into a translucent hilt.

The water extended from the front of the hilt, and within half a breath, formed a strange two‑handed greatsword.

The sword was entirely transparent; its irregular blade was exceptionally broad and sinuous, like a river segment, with rivulets flowing within yet retaining a stable shape, occasional droplets falling, exuding a profoundly sacred and vast aura.

The nearby Sturgeon Warrior was no stranger to this weapon.

It is a Legend Grade weapon bestowed by the River God upon the Feishe family—the Thousand River Blade!

Across the whole Kangjiatuo, the Thousand River Blade is among the most powerful weapons; Duke Feishe rarely wields it, keeping it hidden within his body, revealing it only on crucial occasions.

Duke Feishe grasped the Thousand River Blade, raised his hand to cast several Divine Techniques on himself; as a flash of brilliance flickered, his strength, defense, and speed surged dramatically.

"River King, please protect Your people!"

Lifs*Feishe shouted a prayer, hesitated no longer, his figure suddenly blurred, turning into a stream of water that shot out from the wall.

The water's speed was extreme, comparable to flight, and it burst through the shield in an instant.

The moment he entered the stasis field, Duke Feishe's figure stalled, his speed plummeting; the Thousand River Blade in his hand erupted a thin water‑like membrane that enveloped him, instantly making him feel at home, the stasis field's restraint failing, his speed rising again as he neared Kaidejia, swinging a slash.

A roar like a tsunami erupted.

The Thousand River Blade sliced a massive water blade, lifting the river water in the trench below, spawning countless high‑speed water‑edge blades, like a real tsunami crushing forward.

Kaidejia guided the stasis field, his face unmoved by the towering wave, holding his staff motionlessly.

A flash of a red cloak appeared, shielding Kaidejia, and shouted with an open mouth.

"Roar!"

The deafening roar carried terrifying intimidation; the sound wave formed a visible shockwave, confronting the massive wave without losing ground.

The sound wave pierced the water surge, its aftershock striking Duke Feishe.

He had a Divine Technique shielding his soul, so he was not shaken by the dragon's might, yet his figure quivered from the roar.

At that moment Duke Feishe finally saw that the figure opposite was a strikingly handsome youth, gripping a war hammer. After the roar, he swung the hammer, unleashing hundreds of electric currents that easily shattered the water blade Duke had cut, and a few sharp water shards struck the opponent, leaving not a single mark.

"Dragon Roar? Dragon Knight!"

Duke Feishe felt a slight chill; his attention had been on the two Legendary High-rank casters and the dragon‑blood of the Zhuogeng Fortress family, overlooking this young man.

"So young, yet so powerful…" he felt immense pressure, realizing he could not read the opponent, not even discern what supernatural profession they held; the only certainty was that the youth's strength was extraordinary, completely at odds with his age.

Even as his thoughts rushed, Duke Feishe's movements did not slow.

His figure flickered, turning back into water once more, tracing a graceful arc to evade the opponent; his sole aim was to disrupt the white‑haired Wizard's channeling.

A crack of thunder rang out.

A golden bolt of lightning shot forward, even faster, blocking the view and spanning between him and the white‑haired Wizard.

Duke Feishe was forced to reveal his true form, and seeing the opponent swing the war hammer at him, he felt a sudden prickling threat.

"Get out of the way!"

He shouted, his voice bearing supreme authority; it was the Divine Technique—True Word Command—granted by Oushenna, yet to his astonishment the opponent seemed deaf, completely unaffected by the Divine Technique, not even flinching.

The war hammer struck the space before him, its head cleaving the air with a terrifying howl, revealing the immense weight of the power it bore.

Duke Feishe had nowhere to evade; he could only swing the Thousand River Blade to meet it.

(End of Chapter)