Chapter 2174: The Man from Wangchuan

The souls at the front hesitated, asking, "Can we really just walk across?"

They shivered at the thought of the Wangchuan River waters suddenly closing in halfway, imagining being torn apart by countless Wangchuan water spirits.

"What nonsense!" Zu'an had no time to reason with them. He simply activated his Gluttonous Heavenly Devouring Art, sucking the foremost group of souls towards him and throwing them into the channel in the middle of the Wangchuan River.

The group of souls cried out in terror, desperately trying to run back, but the menacing figure blocking their way prevented them. Left with no choice, they frantically ran towards the opposite bank.

Perhaps due to their fear of the Wangchuan River, no one dared to linger. They sprinted as if in a hundred-meter dash, and almost in the blink of an eye, the souls reached the opposite bank.

"We really made it?" The souls who had reached the bank finally felt relieved. Upon realizing it wasn't a dream, they cheered.

With these successful examples, the previously hesitant souls all rushed forward.

Midway, some bolder souls, seeing the water walls of the Wangchuan River remarkably stable, couldn't help but walk closer to examine them.

Normally, there was no chance to see the bottom of the Wangchuan River, and people usually avoided the Wangchuan water spirits, rarely getting a clear view of them.

Now, with a water wall separating them, they saw the water spirits thrashing about, yet unable to harm them, which gave them a sense of vindication.

"These little creatures actually look quite cute."

Feeling the procession slow down, Zu'an quickly noticed the actions of these reckless individuals.

He said nothing, only exerting a slight control.

The previously stable water walls suddenly rippled, as if about to collapse. The water spirits lunged forward menacingly, instantly scaring the souls senseless.

Only then did everyone realize the immense divine power required to control the Wangchuan River.

This guy didn't look like an experienced ferryman; his control time must be limited.

What if he couldn't maintain it, and the Wangchuan waters on both sides collapsed onto them? Wouldn't that be the end of it?

Thus, no one dared to stop and waste time anymore. The initial ten thousand souls quickly made it across.

Throughout the process, there wasn't much need to maintain order. After the recent lesson, no soul dared to approach the Wangchuan waters on either side. Moreover, any conflict among them that delayed others' passage would surely provoke widespread anger.

At this moment, the remaining souls finally came to their senses. Some who hadn't paid the ferry fare earlier furtively glanced around and then rushed forward, attempting to sneak through.

After all, with such a wide path, a few extra souls wouldn't be noticeable.

But then, Zu'an let out a cold snort. Immediately, the Wangchuan waters around those souls closed in, swallowing them instantly.

Having just been pushed aside by some mysterious rule-force, forced to watch helplessly as so many souls ran past, especially those cheeky ones who dared to provoke them, the Wangchuan water spirits were already ravenous.

Waves of horrific screams instantly sobered the souls who had been contemplating following suit.

Immediately after, they rushed to the bank, holding up their Virtue Coins, and shouted to Zu'an, "Sir, please accept our ferry fare! We want to cross too!"

Zu'an, however, did not accept. Instead, he said coldly, "Now, it's either triple the ferry fare or leave all the Virtue Coins you possess."

He still left a path for some souls, as not all of them could afford triple the fare.

"Didn't you say double just now?" many souls cried out.

Zu'an snorted, "I've changed my mind. Who told you to displease me just now?"

The souls were immediately conflicted. To pay felt too expensive; not to pay, given so many souls still waiting, who knew when they'd get to cross the river if they stayed here?

They knew that every extra day spent on the bank would cause more damage to their souls. Over time, they could easily turn into dazed, muddled monsters.

Getting an injection isn't the most terrifying part; the most terrifying part is the wait just before the needle goes in.

The same applied to these souls. The thought of the subsequent Halls of Yama, the hells, and not knowing what kind of punishment awaited them, made their current state agonizing.

So, in the end, these souls gritted their teeth and paid triple the ferry fare, just to get across as quickly as possible.

At the same time, they were filled with regret. If only they had known, they would have paid the fare right from the start.

But who could have imagined at that time that he could even part the Wangchuan River?

Could he be the Man of the Wangchuan River?

Meanwhile, the other Wangchuan ferrymen finally noticed the anomaly on this side. "Wait, what's going on over there?"

In truth, some had noticed from the beginning, but they were embroiled in a financial war of lending, and tempers flared as they fought over resources.

Many ferrymen had even started fighting among themselves.

So, even if someone noticed, they couldn't break away to investigate for a while.

It wasn't until now, with hundreds of thousands of souls beginning to cross the river, that it became impossible to ignore.

"How did that guy do it!" All the Wangchuan ferrymen were shocked.

However, they quickly reached a consensus: What were they fighting over here for? If that guy truly ferried so many souls across, his virtue points would be far, far ahead. The small amount of virtue points they were squabbling over couldn't compare.

"So, this guy was just tricking us earlier with all that talk about loans and installment payments!"

Realizing they had been fooled, the Wangchuan ferrymen grew furious.

Rage from Wangchuan Ferryman A: 999,999,999...

Rage from Wangchuan Ferryman B: 999,999,999...

Seeing the rage values furiously refreshing in his backend, Zu'an was immediately delighted. He had never expected such a pleasant surprise.

While urging the souls to hurry across, he flew into the air, watching the exasperated Wangchuan ferrymen rush towards him.

"You're cheating!" one Wangchuan ferryman yelled. Zu'an recognized him as the one who had been ranked fourth earlier.

The fourth-ranked ferryman was truly fuming. Previously, he had regarded Zu'an with the condescending attitude of a senior looking at a rookie, even planning to give him some virtue points as a reward later, take him on as a subordinate, and have him serve tea, fetch water, and flatter him.

He never imagined that the other party was such a formidable newcomer, a "dragon crossing the river," and now his virtue points completely outmatched his own.

"Was I the clown all along?"

Zu'an smiled slightly. "You can do it too. Just like I just showed you, I've taught you the method; it's up to you to apply it."

At his words, the numerous Wangchuan ferrymen were momentarily speechless. He had indeed shown them, but how exactly did one control the Wangchuan River?

At this point, the fourth-ranked ferryman roared and charged directly at Zu'an. He simply couldn't accept being played for a fool from start to finish.

Once he took the lead, the other Wangchuan ferrymen quickly followed. Now, everyone had only one thought: they absolutely could not let him continue like this, or he would surely win this selection.

Seeing them make their move, Zu'an's expression turned cold. With a wave of his hand, the vast Wangchuan waters suddenly erupted, forming a water curtain that surged towards the group.

The Wangchuan ferrymen were greatly alarmed by this sight and hastily retreated.

Although they were ferrymen, if they were touched by the Wangchuan waters, they would become no different from ordinary souls.

While every ferryman possessed some skills related to the Wangchuan River, who could directly control it like he did?

Is he the Man of the Wangchuan River?

And so, Zu'an simultaneously controlled the Wangchuan River to block the other ferrymen while urging the remaining souls to cross quickly.

Seeing him single-handedly hold off so many Wangchuan ferrymen, the souls were filled with both admiration and awe.

"It seems he is truly the master of the Wangchuan River!"