Let Chief Liu lead a team of constables to follow slowly, no need to rush, while Lu Zheng and Yuan Jing hurried along the riverbank upstream.

"Could it be related to this flood disaster?"

"Who knows? Anyway, it's said that many demons and ghosts from the Southern Border and Northern Territory have quietly entered the country recently. Even demons that used to stay in the remote mountains and marshes have come out." Yuan Jing said.

Lu Zheng nodded. Not to mention the forces in the Southern Border and Northern Territory that often oppose the Great Jing, even within the deep mountain forests of the Great Jing, many demons and ghosts secretly harm people.

Now that natural disasters are about to happen, it's not surprising that things might get chaotic for a while. Wouldn't they seize this opportunity to either feast or kill people for refining techniques?

"These demons come from upstream, and arrive at the banks of the Lushui River. They are likely targeting the Lushui." Lu Zheng said.

Yuan Jing nodded, then the two saw another riverside village.

"It's Cliff Village."

"The village where the incident first happened, already upstream on the Firefly River."

"About to enter the mountain."

"No anomaly presence here."

"Enter the mountain!"

Neither of them lingered at Cliff Village, skimming along the riverbank and soon entered the mountain through the northern mouth of the village.

After entering the mountain, the Firefly River became narrower, the water flow faster, and occasionally small streams branched off.

Yuan Jing frowned, "Brother, don't you feel like these streams and the water of the Firefly River seem less than usual, more like it's winter?"

"Hmm?"

Lu Zheng blinked. He hadn't noticed these details before, but hearing Yuan Jing's observation, it seemed quite so.

The Firefly River's source is in the mountain. In winter, there's less rain in the mountains, and the springs and lakes freeze, so the water flow is less than in summer and autumn.

When spring arrives, the ice melts, rain increases, and the water flow gradually enlarges.

However, the river water, now into spring, still seems to have the winter flow volume.

"Indeed, they are targeting the Lushui!"

Delaying the melt, moving springs and lakes, and when rain increases, releasing water all at once, breaking through Lushui's flow limit.

In this way, the people along the banks will definitely suffer from flood disasters.

"So vicious!" Yuan Jing's eyes focused.

Without stopping, the two headed straight for the largest source of the Firefly River.

Soon, they arrived amidst rolling mountains at a high-altitude small lake surrounded by several peaks.

Spring had just arrived, yet snow remained in the mountains, and the lake surface was still frozen.

But...

The frozen part had already risen above the lake's edge, and the water flow that should regularly go down the mountain stream was now intermittent.

"The largest source nearly dried up, no wonder the Firefly River's flow hasn't changed."

The Firefly River could maintain its winter flow currently entirely due to increased water from other mountain stream branches.

Then Lu Zheng and Yuan Jing discovered the anomaly hidden beneath the small lake's surface, exhaling cold air.

"Cold Toad?" Lu Zheng blinked.

"A toad skilled in ice magic." Yuan Jing sneered.

Lu Zheng and Yuan Jing saw the toad, and the toad saw them.

After all, this lake was deep amid the mountains. Where would ordinary people come?

In the next moment, the lake surface ice instantly melted, and a figure shot straight at them.

The two couldn't help but grin.

The arrival was a mid-aged man barely over five feet tall, with disheveled hair, short and plump, sporting a round belly with his short member swinging below in the wind.

Yes, because this toad had just revealed its true form under the lake, it was now entirely naked.

The person hadn't arrived, but the magic had.

This person stretched out his hands, forming two ice spells out of thin air, which transformed into white streaks, shooting straight at Lu Zheng and Yuan Jing.

"Clang!"

Yuan Jing's Seven-Star Sword unsheathed, White Cloud Sword Qi surged, and with a gentle point, shattered the approaching ice magic seal.

Lu Zheng also pointed a finger, gathered the Flying Cloud Evil-breaking Curse, wrapping the incoming magic completely, then instantly dissolving it.

"Crack!"

The next moment, the ice on the lake surface partially burst open. A sizeable block, almost like an iceberg, rose out of thin air, then smashed toward them.

"Haha, die for me!"

Seeing Lu Zheng and Yuan Jing fall for it, the man burst into laughter.

"Two little mages, I'll crush you to death!"

Yuan Jing sneered, sheathed the sword, "Brother, your turn."

"Alright!"

Lu Zheng smiled and nodded, raised his palm as a blade, and chopped forward.

A crescent-shaped sword light cleaved out from his palm edge, extending in the wind, rapidly enlarging to a hundred zhang, meeting the iceberg head-on.

"Shh!"

With a soft sound, the sword light sliced through the iceberg like cutting tofu, splitting it in two, and flew to both sides.

The sword light was unhindered, directly slicing towards the man.

The man's eyes widened, watching the sword light skim past him, while he was immobilized by the sword Qi.

"Shh!"

The sword light didn't target him directly, merely severed his right arm, then invaded his body, twisting towards his Dantian.

"Ah!!!"

With a scream, the man flipped over, tumbling and wailing in pain over the remaining lake ice.

Lu Zheng shook his head. This mere demon with less than two hundred years of Dao practice really didn't know where his confidence came from, daring to attack the two.

Lu Zheng and Yuan Jing flew to his side, with Lu Zheng slapping a palm on the man's shoulder, extracting the tormenting sword Qi, and using Cloud Technique Seal on his Dantian and Sea of Consciousness.

"Name, origin." Lu Zheng asked calmly.

"Spare my life, immortal! My name is Ha Dazhi, a subordinate of Lingshan Golden Centipede King, ordered to come to Firefly River upstream to block the water flow, awaiting further orders!"

Lu Zheng, "..."

Yuan Jing, "..."

Giving everything away so easily?

"Who is the Golden Centipede King, and why have you been sent to block the water?" Yuan Jing asked, frowning.

"The Golden Centipede King's true form is a golden centipede, with immeasurable Dao practice and magical powers reaching the heavens and earth, hidden in the depths of Ling Mountain, not showing among humans."

The man hastily responded, "As for why I was sent to block the water, I don't know!"

Lu Zheng and Yuan Jing both sneered. This Toad Spirit's eyes darted around when lying, performing poorly.

"Looks like an ancient monster." Yuan Jing said to Lu Zheng.

Lu Zheng nodded, thought for a moment, and asked the man, "Has anyone visited your king recently?"

"Eh?" The man was stunned by the question, then shook his head repeatedly, "No, no, no one has visited my king!"

Lu Zheng and Yuan Jing exchanged looks, unable to discern if the man was lying.

"Forget it." Lu Zheng shook his head, "We should hand him over to the Anomaly Suppression Bureau."