This immortal was clearly ordinary, yet he was unusually confident.

Seeing that Sun Tianbao's illusory soul image was gradually solidifying, Zheng Zhuang nodded in satisfaction. Fortunately, his efforts had not been in vain.

Although he didn't know what the Xuanhuang Qi was, its many wonderful uses clearly indicated that it was something extraordinary.

Especially during the last "Investiture of the Gods" ceremony, a considerable amount of resources were consumed, so we should save as much as possible.

"Thank you, senior, for saving your life!"

Sun Tianbao was the first to react and quickly bowed to express his gratitude.

"Haha, I don't deserve to be called a senior. The affection between the two of you is truly touching, and I, Zheng, really can't bear it. Besides, this calamity you've suffered was caused by me," Zheng Zhuang said with a smile.

“In that case, I shall humbly address you as ‘sir.’ May I ask how you, Mr. Zheng, will engage in your magical duel with Ni Chang?” Sun Tianbao asked, puzzled.

Jiang Nishang finally realized what was happening and hurriedly explained:

“This is not your fault, sir. It was Ni Chang who was too reckless. She attacked you without distinguishing right from wrong. With your cultivation and magnanimity, how could you be a petty person who would try to seize the power of faith?”

"It's not entirely your fault; I couldn't control myself," Zheng Zhuang waved his hand and sighed. "Now that I've bound your souls together, you'll likely be inseparable. It all happened so suddenly; I had no other choice at the time..."

“Sir, you flatter me. This is the best way. Tianbao and I can be together forever.” Jiang Nishang looked at Sun Tianbao gently and said.

Zheng Zhuang was caught off guard by the display of affection and sighed helplessly:

"Very well, I'll lend you a hand one more time."

His gaze sharpened, and he made another hand seal. The thin thread that had disappeared reappeared, binding the tortoise shell to Jiang Nishang's body like a needle and thread.

What seemed like a simple step sent shockwaves through Jiang Nishang and Sun Tianbao, making their connection even stronger, as if they were no longer separated.

Jiang Nishang had a strange feeling that the tortoise shell was part of her body, while Sun Tianbao had the same feeling, as if he had become a dragon with a tortoise shell.

Before they could fully savor this wondrous feeling, the dragon's form began to change. The severed horns on its forehead gradually disappeared, and it transformed back into the shape of a snake.

The dragon's claws gradually degenerated, and were replaced by tortoise claws.

The moment the four tortoise claws emerged from the shell, the entire Qujiang River trembled violently. Then, a strange power seemed to be bestowed upon the mythical beast formed by the tortoise and snake, and the position of Qujiang River God was finally given its rightful owner.

Suddenly, the beast flashed with light and transformed back into human form.

"Thank you so much for saving my life, sir!"

Zheng Zhuang nodded. Jiang Nishang had changed a lot. Her eyebrows and eyes had become somewhat similar to Sun Tianbao's, but it didn't look out of place at all. In addition, her clothes had changed into green armor, which made her look heroic.

"you……"

This change left Zheng Zhuang somewhat bewildered. After Jiang Nishang and Sun Tianbao merged, was she now male or female, or neither male nor female?

It's impossible to tell from this neutral voice who's in control.

Jiang Nishang seemed to sense Zheng Zhuang's confusion and smiled slightly:

“I am both Jiang Nishang and Sun Tianbao. We are now inseparable, but my old name is no longer suitable. Please bestow a new name upon me.”

Zheng Zhuang pondered for a while. This unintentional act caused Jiang Nishang and Sun Tianbao to merge, creating a creature from the legends of his previous life. He didn't know if it was a coincidence or fate.

"Let's call it Xuanwu!"

"Xuanwu?" Jiang Nishang murmured, then bowed to Zheng Zhuang and said, "Thank you for bestowing this name upon me, sir. From this day forward, I will be called Jiang Xuanwu."

"Buzz!"

Upon hearing the name "Xuanwu," Zheng Zhuang suddenly had a sudden realization, as if he had come into this world for some kind of mission. However, this feeling was fleeting, and he did not know what that mission was.

He tried his best to deduce the cause, but to no avail.

A moment later, a sharp pain in his mind forced him to give up. This mysterious feeling was something that could only be encountered by chance and not sought after. He would know it when the time came.

But at that moment, Zheng Zhuang suddenly frowned slightly, looked towards a certain spot on the shore, and shouted, "Who goes there?"

Wherever the eye could see, the figure of a middle-aged man suddenly appeared in a place that had been empty.

After the middle-aged man revealed himself, a hint of panic was clearly visible on his face. However, without any hesitation, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and then transformed into a blood-red afterimage, quickly fleeing into the distance.

Zheng Zhuang hadn't expected the other party to be so decisive. Seeing that the other party had already fled far away, and still savoring the strange feeling from just now, he had no intention of chasing after them.

“I recognize him. He was the one who lied to me before, saying that Ni Chang was dead!” Jiang Xuanwu said through gritted teeth.

"So, he must be the one secretly plotting for the power of faith?" Zheng Zhuang said thoughtfully.

"That's right, I should have guessed that he had been hiding nearby all along, but unfortunately I didn't find him," Jiang Xuanwu said with some regret.

Zheng Zhuang said, "This person's concealment skills are quite high. He almost fooled even me. However, now that you are the Qujiang River God recognized by Heaven and Earth, his plan has failed. I think he will not dare to have any more ideas in the future."

Jiang Xuanwu nodded: "What you say is absolutely right, sir. If he dares to come again, we will make sure he doesn't leave alive!"

Zheng Zhuang, however, had other thoughts in mind. This middle-aged man's elaborate scheme to seize the power of faith was somewhat like the style of the Demon God Cult, and he must be closely related to the Demon God Cult.

The power of faith of the God of the River is immense. If he were to use it to fuse with demonic power, he could at least reach the level of a demon king. Fortunately, he did not succeed.

Having repeatedly thwarted the other party's plans, the demon god behind them must be aware of my existence and probably hates me to the core.

Thinking of this, Zheng Zhuang felt inexplicably depressed. He had only wanted to live a peaceful life, so why did he always end up encountering people from the Demon God Cult by some twist of fate?

What a bad fate!

By this time, the river had returned to calm, and some of the bolder boatmen gradually turned back to look for their own boats, since these ferries were their lifeline.

Zheng Zhuang and Jiang Xuanwu concealed themselves and landed silently on Old Sun's boat.

Jiang Xuanwu glanced at Old Sun, who was still unconscious, and his expression was somewhat complicated.

"It's a pity. After what just happened, I'm afraid there won't be a ferry to take me to Quliang City anytime soon," Zheng Zhuang said with some regret.

“If you don’t mind, sir, how about I ferry you there?” Jiang Xuanwu said hastily.

"Haha, no, no, how can I let the dignified River God of Qujiang row my boat?" Zheng Zhuang laughed.

“I can never repay your kindness, sir. It is only right and proper for me to help you on your final journey. I hope you will not refuse.” Jiang Xuanwu cupped his hands in greeting, then looked at Old Sun with some sadness. “Besides, I also want to help him on his final journey.”

Zheng Zhuang sighed silently, his gaze slowly drifting into the distance, and softly uttered two words:

"Very good!"