Chapter 158: Humanity discovers the truth! Return to Longyuan Mountain!

The green unknown object was carefully placed into an evidence bag and immediately sent to the 749 Bureau's Testing Department.

The Kyoto suburbs incident drew attention within the Bureau, especially as it involved a foreign spy; now that the spy is dead, few clues remain, making the importance of this object self-evident.

The Testing Department possessed the most advanced instruments and equipment, and staff in white lab coats immediately tested the item brought back by Wang Xuehao.

"Section Chief Zheng, the higher-ups are urging us urgently; we must quickly complete the examination and report the results to Captain Wang and the others."

Because the matter is of great importance, Section Chief Zheng personally handled it.

Section Chief Zheng put on gloves, used tweezers to pick up the green object, placed it under the instrument, and as time passed, a fine layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Looking at the green unknown object under the instrument, he showed an incredulous expression: "How could this be? It's not a man-made synthetic material."

Nearby researchers, hearing the news, came over: "Section Chief, what's the problem?"

Professor Zheng pushed up his glasses and carefully examined the data in his hand.

"These are scales from some creature, but they don't match any organism in the database; the only close match is serpent kind."

"However, according to the gene analyzer's display, the genes are unidentified and differ from any serpent; most importantly, the scales actually contain electrolyte-like elements!"

Upon hearing Section Chief Zheng's words, the others' expressions gradually turned to utter astonishment.

"Biological scales?"

As soon as that was said, everyone was shocked; the object before them looked like jade all over, and those who didn't know thought it was some kind of craftwork—who would have imagined it was scales?

"For now, let's classify it as serpent scales. Its hardness and density are extraordinary—what kind of serpent, or what creature, could grow such scales?"

Section Chief Zheng couldn't help muttering to himself; hearing his words, the Testing Department staff fell into silence.

Compared to the turmoil in the Testing Department, the Autopsy Room showed no abnormalities; everything proceeded smoothly.

The autopsy report has come out, roughly matching Wang Xuehao's earlier guess: Oliver was killed by a lightning strike.

They also found a phone on his person; after technical department repair and decryption, they learned the information on the phone.

Oliver was very cautious, so he had already wiped all previous content; retrieving it would be difficult, but the latest message hadn't been cleared yet.

It was precisely to have Oliver investigate the suburbs to see whether Great Xia was researching secret weapons.

"So Country M thought we were researching some kind of weather weapon, thus they sent him to investigate—who would have expected him to be struck by lightning?"

Based on the circumstances, Wang Xuehao inferred a rough fact.

Oliver went alone; there should have been no second person present, otherwise they would have seen more than one corpse.

Xu Tiancheng felt a bit of schadenfreude: "Country M just likes to be suspicious and paranoid, measuring a gentleman's heart with a petty mind, thinking we Great Xia are just like them, acting sneakily."

"This time counts as their own misfortune, wasting such a spy who had lain in wait for so long."

If the people of Country M knew the true facts, their hearts would surely bleed; it was merely a special natural thunderstorm, yet it caused the death of a spy who had lain in wait for ten years—really somewhat undeserved.

Just as everyone was discussing, the office door was knocked.

"Captain Wang, someone is looking for you at the Testing Center."

He thought it must be that the test report had come out, so he hurriedly called the person in, and saw the Testing Center staff hand over a report.

Looking at the black-and-white text in his hand, Wang Xuehao's brows furrowed, and he involuntarily fell into silence.

Xu Tiancheng wondered, also leaning in: "Captain, let me take a look."

"It contains serpent DNA, but it doesn't match any known category—suspected to be a mysterious serpent-like creature?"

Xu Tiancheng looked at the report and couldn't help swallowing: "It's actually serpent scales!"

At that moment, the chief of the Testing Center also came in person; Section Chief Zheng's expression looked very solemn as he pushed up his glasses.

"Captain Wang, we have analyzed the existing serpent DNA barcodes and found no corresponding species; either this serpent is a new species, or it has undergone genetic mutation."

"Of course, there is another possibility: this is an unknown creature resembling a serpent..."

Compared to the first possibility, Section Chief Zheng clearly believes the second, after all serpent scales couldn't reach such density, but for now we'll tentatively call it serpent scales.

"Moreover, the genetic code in the serpent scales is very strange; we also detected an electric element in them, and with current technology we cannot yet determine whether it is intrinsic or due to lightning strike."

If it had been struck by lightning, the serpent scales would certainly not be like this, and the internal current could not possibly be preserved for so long; it feels as if it carries its own charge.

But how could a serpent-like creature possibly carry its own electric element? Know that this electricity is not the kind found in electric eels.

Upon hearing Section Chief Zheng's report, Wang Xuehao couldn't help but frown.

"Ding-ling-ling—"

Wang Xuehao's phone suddenly rang, interrupting Section Chief Zheng's words.

"Sorry, I'll take this call."

The person on the other end of the phone also didn't know what they had said; Wang Xuehao blurted out: "How is it that place again!"

Afterward, his expression gradually turned solemn: "Okay, I understand; I will investigate immediately."

Xu Tiancheng and the others stared at him, bewildered: "Captain, what happened?"

Wang Xuehao sighed: "In the Kyoto suburbs, as the thunderclouds were about to dissipate, someone claimed to hear a strange cry and even saw a dragon."

Xu Tiancheng and the others gaped: "Kyoto suburbs! That's not the very place where we previously found that spy—one trouble hasn't ended before another arises."

The spy matter had just been settled, and now a dragon-encounter incident arises—truly unsettling.

"How could there possibly be a dragon? This isn't a joke—how could the higher-ups have us investigate such nonsense?"

"The higher-ups said this matter has already sparked widespread discussion online, and we must investigate whether it's related to the spy and whether Country M is involved."

Looking at it this way, the two incidents are indeed somewhat coincidental—they occurred in the same location and at very close times.

Could there really be some connection between them?

I had thought the spy matter was over, but unexpectedly it led to a mythical creature, the 'dragon.'

Online, everyone is hotly discussing the Kyoto suburbs 'dragon encounter' incident.

Just opening a phone brings up a message about the topic; the 749 Bureau personnel have compiled all those online videos and photo materials together.

Xu Tiancheng looked at the materials in his hand: "Captain, we've checked—these image resources show no signs of Photoshop compositing or fabrication."

Yao Ruotong glanced at the photo: "Since the photos are fine, we cannot rule out that these images were captured due to a special angle."

Xu Tiancheng stroked his chin, "We aren't the ones who claim to be descendants of the dragon, are you? You say, could there really be dragons in this world?"

As everyone was discussing, Wang Xuehao kept his eyes fixed on his phone, watching intently, and made a shushing gesture, "Keep it quiet."

Only then did they notice he was watching a video—someone had filmed a mysterious creature soaring into the air in the suburbs.

On the screen, the creature looked slender and long, indeed easily evoking the legendary dragon.

Wang Xuehao had watched this clip back and forth several times; he frowned, deep in thought, "Did you hear any sound?"

Xu Tiancheng, not understanding, listened carefully for a moment, "There's some static."

Wang Xuehao turned the volume up to max, "Listen again."

Besides the static, a low, rumbling howl reached everyone's ears, like the roar of some creature, yet it didn't match any known animal.

Yao Ruotong seemed thoughtful, her expression doubtful, "I feel like I've heard this sound somewhere before."

Wang Xuehao's expression grew increasingly solemn, "Do you still remember Longyuan Mountain?"

Hearing his reminder, Wang Xuehao slapped his forehead, "I recall that when we left after the mountain closure, we also heard a similar disturbance!"

Everyone exchanged glances, and the office suddenly fell silent.

Could it be a coincidence?

The strange cry originally heard on Longyuan Mountain was actually heard again here in the suburbs of the capital.

They listened back and forth several times, even asking the technical department to isolate this audio clip; in the end they could confirm it was exactly the mysterious disturbance they had first heard on Longyuan Mountain.

"Could this be related to Longyuan Mountain?"

"Do you still remember what the villagers of Longyuan Mountain worship?"

Xu Tiancheng blurted out instinctively, "How could I forget? It's just a snake, and they even said the Mountain God is a snake."

He belatedly realized, a flicker of surprise crossing his face, "Could it really be that coincidental? We've also found scales of a serpent‑like creature in the suburbs…"

Xu Tiancheng's gaze fell on those video materials, and a ridiculous idea suddenly popped into his mind; he stammered as he spoke:

"You… you guys, don't you feel this isn't really a dragon but more like a snake?"

He uttered the word "snake" extremely softly at the end.

From the footage it indeed looks like a dragon, but because the distance is a bit far and there's cloud cover obstructing the view, it's very unclear—not even the dragon's horns or claws can be seen, let alone a clear dragon body; it's just a silhouette.

Yet saying that, it does somewhat resemble a snake.

The key point is, saying it's a snake also doesn't make sense!

Whose snake can fly in the sky? That's outright more absurd than a dragon.

Unless this snake really is the so‑called Mountain God?

Nobody from the 749 Bureau spoke; they all fell into thought.

After a long while, Wang Xuehao broke the silence, "No matter what this creature is, we must investigate it thoroughly; it seems we need to go back to the suburbs."

A carpet‑search of the mountain yielded no new clues.

Many nearby residents had seen the mysterious creature at the time and heard its strange cry; upon learning that the 749 Bureau members were there to investigate the dragon incident, they instantly became excited, spitting as they began to recount.

"Officer, let me tell you, that's definitely a dragon—what other creature could have such majesty?"

"What a fellow—after living half a life, to actually see a legendary creature, this life is worth it!"

"Back then I felt the thunder was extraordinarily unusual; now I think it might have been that dragon undergoing its tribulation. Hearing that weird roar, I rushed out of my house immediately."

"Officer, what we're saying is absolutely true, with no exaggeration; I don't know where the divine dragon flew off to—could it still be in the capital?"

Xu Tiancheng was instantly surrounded by a chorus of townspeople, hundreds or thousands of duck‑like cries ringing in his ears; those people were excited as if they themselves had succeeded in their tribulation.

It was Wang Xuehao who came over and rescued him.

One of Xu Tiancheng's buttons had been popped off, and he said with lingering fear, "Captain, if you don't come soon, I think I'll be done in here—these citizens are acting like they've taken stimulants."

The people of Daxia call themselves descendants of the dragon; now that they can actually see a dragon, even if it's not clear, one can imagine their feelings.

The testimonies of all the witnesses were identical: they said they had seen that clump of mysterious creature and heard the strange sound.

Actually, the video footage is not hard to explain; it could be something blown up into the air, or a visual illusion caused by cloud cover, etc. —all of which might lead to a misunderstanding.

But the key is that the sound is exactly the same as what they heard on Longyuan Mountain, which cannot be explained away.

Although they have designated Longyuan Mountain as a prohibited zone, blocking outsiders from approaching or probing, it's not impossible that some mysterious force there is stirring.

With no new leads, the matter has reached an impasse.

Wang Xuehao pondered for a moment, then said, "Has anything snake‑related happened recently in the capital?"

If it truly is connected to Longyuan Mountain, perhaps the strange occurrences aren't limited to this one; maybe there are clues elsewhere that we just don't know about.

"And it's not limited to snakes—anything out of the ordinary will do."

Wang Xuehao's words gave everyone a new direction; the other team members quickly grasped his meaning, "Understood, Captain."

The 749 Bureau personnel immediately began investigating recent cases in the capital.

"Captain, there actually is something lately," said the meticulous Yao Ruotong, who quickly found a discovery: "Near the construction site of the Niangniang Temple, a huge snake den was found, and previously several strange incidents had occurred there."

Upon checking, they indeed turned up something.

Wang Xuehao handles many matters each day; unless it's something reported to the 749 Bureau or assigned by superiors, he usually doesn't pay attention to other cases.

Wang Xuehao took the documents Yao Ruotong handed over and keenly noticed the difference.

"Beiding Niangniang Temple? I recall that place was supposed to be demolished earlier."

Yao Ruotong nodded, "It was slated for demolition before, but later, for various reasons, it was preserved; this caused quite a stir, with online opinions divided—some think the temple's deity is protecting it, others think it's just coincidence."

Looking at the information in his hands, Wang Xuehao made up his mind, "Let's go check out the Niangniang Temple."

The suburban area of the capital has already been thoroughly searched by them; for now they can't find any useful new leads, so they must try to approach from elsewhere.

Leaving aside what this flying mysterious creature actually is, the two clues we have so far both seem linked to Longyuan Mountain.

Therefore, it's likely this matter has nothing to do with M Country and that spy; they couldn't produce such a disturbance, and they'd have no reason to.

The 749 Bureau people soon arrived at the Niangniang Temple; the buildings in the northern district are all very old and venerable, and the government has demarcated a large area here for constructing new buildings.

Other places have been demolished, only the Lady Temple remains preserved, looking very conspicuous.

Moreover, many visitors come and go, and the incense offerings are very flourishing.

Xu Tiancheng stroked his chin and said, "Speaking of which, I visited the Lady Temple once when I was young; this place has a long history, but it wasn't popular back then—there were hardly any people—so how did it suddenly become so lively?"

"Maybe they were drawn here by those things online, thinking the Lady Temple is miraculous."

Hearing the passing tourists' discussion only confirmed their idea: these people came by reputation, talking about what had previously happened at the Lady Temple.

The temple grounds aren't large; the people from the 749 Bureau quickly finished touring and found nothing unusual.

Just then, a few tourists brushed past, and their conversation caught their attention.

"They say the Snake Immortal here is also miraculous; why don't we go pay respects?"

"That's right; my friend even ran into a swarm of snakes—guess what happened."

Upon hearing anything related to 'snake,' the people of the 749 Bureau became energized; Wang Xuehao snapped his head up, a gleam flashing in his eyes, and he quickly stopped them.

"Sorry to interrupt, what were you just saying?"

The tourists didn't think much of it, pointing to a small room in the corner and saying, "I also heard from my friend that the Snake Immortal here is miraculous."

Wang Xuehao thanked them and hurriedly led the 749 Bureau personnel over.

This small room was inconspicuous; at first nobody noticed it, so its existence was overlooked.

Upon pushing the door open, they were shocked to discover a snake statue enshrined inside—the very Snake Immortal the tourists had mentioned.

The Northern Peak Lady Temple originally enshrined the Azure Cloud Primordial Lord, but over time it also added the Child-bestowing Lady, the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak, the Heavenly Immortal Lady, Lord Guan, the Medicine King, and other deities; now a snake statue appearing inside is quite out of place, since it doesn't belong to any divine pantheon.

Wang Xuehao couldn't help but recall the Mountain God Temple built by the villagers; they enshrine a snake statue because they believe the Mountain God is a snake—could the Lady Temple here be related to the earlier supernatural incident?

The 749 Bureau personnel quickly located Old Man Wang, the temple keeper, to inquire about the situation.

Old Man Wang recounted what had happened before, after all there was nothing to hide about it.

"Earlier, many snakes suddenly appeared inside the temple; they didn't harm anyone, were quite spiritual, and after staying a while they vanished without a trace—plus, a snake den had been found at the construction site earlier."

It turned out that because of these two snake encounters, Old Man Wang felt the snakes were spiritual, so he enshrined a statue in their honor; he never expected that word would spread, becoming increasingly eerie and drawing many people to come worship.

Old Man Wang clicked his tongue; thinking back, such a scene was truly shocking to him.

"Don't doubt me—I'm not boasting; plenty of tourists saw it back then, and they even called the police, but the snakes slipped away, so the case fizzled out."

Earlier a snake den appeared nearby, and then the Lady Temple inexplicably had a swarm of snakes?

After hearing Old Man Wang's account, the 749 Bureau personnel felt a hint of doubt.

Xu Tiancheng couldn't help but ask, "Then when did this snake swarm appear?"

"Not long after the thunderstorm cleared, the snake swarm appeared."

Hearing this, everyone's heart skipped a beat—could it be that the timing isn't far off from when mysterious creatures appeared in the sky?

Could such a coincidence really happen in the world?

Leaving the Lady Temple grounds, everyone fell into a brief silence.

Xu Tiancheng muttered to himself, "Could it be that the dragon encounter incident in the capital's suburbs truly stems from the mysterious power of Longyuan Mountain—so why would it manifest in the capital?"

The speaker meant nothing by it, but the listener took it to heart.

Wang Xuehao ordered, "Contact Longyuan Mountain and see if anything abnormal has occurred recently."

Soon Wu Du locality replied, everything was normal, and moreover the mountain has been sealed off, making it impossible for anyone to enter.

Even after receiving an affirmative answer, Wang Xuehao remained uneasy and decided to personally go to Longyuan Mountain.

He had a faint premonition that this matter was likely inseparable from Longyuan Mountain.

Although there is still no clear evidence, all the clues point in that direction.

The National Secrets Bureau has dedicated transport vehicles—whether cars or planes—fully equipped, allowing swift arrival when missions are deployed.

When the 749 Bureau personnel arrived, it was already noon; smoke from cooking rose from every household, the village chief was in the Mountain God Temple preparing to head back for lunch, and seeing Wang Xuehao and the others rush in, he felt a bit surprised.

"Captain Wang? How did you come over?"

Wang Xuehao didn't waste words, getting straight to the point: "Village chief, did anything unusual happen around here these past days?"

If it were truly the mysterious power of Longyuan Mountain at work, the village at its base couldn't possibly have felt nothing.

The village chief was bewildered, not knowing why he'd suddenly been asked that, and shook his head: "Nothing unusual."

"Then has anyone gone up the mountain?"

Under the villagers' guard, Longyuan Mountain is as calm as still water—not even a person, let alone a ghost, can be seen inside.

The village chief gave a firm reply: "Rest assured, with us guarding it, no one can get into the mountain."

Only seeing the solemn expressions of the 749 Bureau personnel, he thought they were worried about the situation here and had come specially to inquire, but their looks didn't quite match that.

The village chief couldn't help but ask: "What exactly happened?"

Wang Xuehao also didn't know how to explain, so he simply opened a video on his phone.

"Take a look at this—it's the recent dragon encounter incident that's been hot in the capital; we're here because of it."

The village chief took it, muttering, "What dragon? Is it worth you all making such a big fuss to come over, and what does it have to do with our Longyuan Mountain?"

However, as soon as the village chief saw the footage, he was involuntarily drawn in; his calm expression was shattered, replaced by utter shock and astonishment.

All around was quiet; the village chief soon heard that strange, mysterious cry, and he stammered, "Isn't this exactly the noise we heard when the mountain was sealed off?"

At that moment he finally understood why the 49 Bureau personnel had looked that way just before.

The video's images were truly overwhelming; a mysterious shadow shot straight up to the sky, and after a while the village chief gradually calmed, he swallowed hard and exclaimed excitedly:

"The unidentified creature captured in the footage is surely the Mountain God Sir!"

Although the video is somewhat blurry, only capturing a slender shadow indistinctly, the village chief inexplicably had a premonition: that it was the Mountain God!

Wang Xuehao frowned and asked, "Why are you so certain?"

"Intuition."

Hearing those two words, Xu Tiancheng and Yao Ruotong both felt a mix of laughter and exasperation.

The village chief watched the video back and forth several times, his expression filled with excitement and exhilaration, even the wrinkles on his face relaxed considerably.

"When did this happen?"

The distance between Wu Du and Kyoto is too great, over a thousand kilometers, and most of those left in the village are elderly people and children; moreover, this place is isolated from the world, so naturally they don't pay much attention to online matters.

If it weren't for the arrival of the 749 Bureau personnel, the village chief and others would still not know about this incident to this day.

Upon hearing Wang Xuehao say the time, the village chief seemed to think of something, "No wonder!"

Wang Xuehao thought he had a new clue and hurriedly asked, "No wonder what?"

"No wonder when I was lighting incense earlier it suddenly snapped, and the eyelids of all the villagers twitched together; it must have been that the Mountain God was undergoing his tribulation at that time—Mountain God's tribulation means he's about to become an Upper Immortal!"

The personnel of the 749 Bureau looked somewhat helpless.

Although we have already witnessed the degree of superstition in Longyuan Village toward the Mountain God, just based on these two things, it seems they cannot explain anything.

Wang Xuehao couldn't help but say, "The incense breaking and eyelid twitching are actually quite normal."

The village chief didn't buy his words, "But appearing at that time is highly abnormal; how could there be so many coincidences in the world? This isn't exactly a hint from the Mountain God, is it?"

Upon hearing this, the 749 Bureau personnel couldn't help but fall into silence; although the statement sounds illogical, it indeed is the case.

"Most importantly, many animals on the mountain ran down at that time; this is the most favorable evidence."

At that time, the village chief still didn't know why those animals suddenly ran down the mountain, but now he understands—everything had already shown omens.

The scene of the Mountain Closure is still vivid in my mind; it was also when the animals behaved abnormally, all kneeling and howling, after which they heard that strange sound.

Afterward, the mountains and forests returned to tranquility, and those animals never came down the mountain again.

But now such an incident has occurred in the suburbs of Kyoto, and the animals are abnormal again; all this is sufficient to prove it.

Regardless of what the 749 Bureau personnel think, the village chief is convinced that the Mountain God has manifested his spirit again, and he exclaimed excitedly, "No, I must inform the whole village of this good news."

Watching the village chief's elated back, the 749 Bureau personnel wanted to stop him but couldn't, and besides, they had no reason to.

"What! The Mountain God has flown to the heavens? That's too amazing."

"No wonder I said the mountains have been so quiet lately; it turns out the Mountain God is gathering his ultimate move."

"Looking at it this way, isn't the Mountain God truly becoming an immortal?"

"I heard from the elders that if a snake passes the heavenly tribulation, it can transform into a dragon; has the Mountain God already become a divine dragon?"

"From now on, isn't our Longyuan Village going to be blessed by the Dragon God? This is a tremendous joy!"

"Why does the Mountain God need to undergo tribulation and go to Kyoto? Is he afraid of hurting us?"

"It must be that Kyoto has a dragon vein."

Not long after, the entire Longyuan Village was in an uproar over this news, learning that the Mountain God had appeared in the Kyoto area and had caused such a commotion.

Kyoto was utterly worried, while Longyuan Village had every household decked out with lanterns and decorations, even more lively than New Year's; the village chief even announced that a celebration would be held tomorrow to celebrate the Mountain God's successful tribulation and ascension.

The 749 Bureau personnel looked at the villagers' beaming smiles and couldn't help but sigh.

Originally they had come to understand the situation, but they never expected to cause such a situation.

The villagers of Longyuan Village firmly believed in the claim that the Mountain God was undergoing tribulation, identifying that mysterious cluster of beings in the footage as their Mountain God.

Helpless, the 749 Bureau personnel could only return to Kyoto first.

The distant mountains were hazy and continuous; the mysterious green hills not far away kept receding from them.

A few hours later, Wang Xuehao and the others who had returned to the National Secrets Bureau felt somewhat complicated.

"Captain, is this incident truly caused by the mysterious power of Longyuan Mountain?"

Wang Xuehao sighed, "Maybe so; after all, it's just another mysterious event whose source we can't trace."

This trip yielded nothing again; although the spy matter was resolved, the "Encounter Dragon" incident remains unexplained.

In the office of the 749 Bureau, Wang Xuehao, carrying all the organized documents, slowly knocked on the door of the bureau chief's office.

"Knock knock knock—"

The dull sound echoed, just like Wang Xuehao's mood at this moment.

"Come in."

The middle-aged man sitting in the office chair, about fifty years old, with a square face and a pair of tiger-like eyes that gleamed with vigor, was none other than the chief of the 749 Bureau, Gao Liewen.

Seeing Wang Xuehao arrive, he set down the folder in his hand and asked, "How is the investigation going?"

"This dragon-encounter incident has nothing to do with the spy side; the spy likely accidentally entered the thunderstorm-stricken disaster zone and was killed by lightning."

"What about the dragon-encounter world incident?"

Wang Xuehao's face showed a hint of guilt as he said, "This matter seems somewhat related to Longyuan Mountain, just like the previous Longyuan Mountain case; we were unable to uncover any more useful information."

Gao Liewen looked at the documents Wang Xuehao handed over, a complex expression flitting across his face, "Unexpectedly, it's again linked to the forbidden area of Longyuan Mountain……"

Longyuan Mountain has already been designated as a forbidden zone; despite being thousands of miles away, it has become connected to the capital, which inevitably shocked Gao Liewen.

Gao Liewen also understood the stakes involved; he let out a slight sigh, "You don't need to blame yourself too much; if that's the case, there's no need to continue the investigation—you probably wouldn't find anything anyway."

Gao Liewen placed these documents into a kraft file bag, sealed it, then took out a red stamp from the drawer and affixed it.

Wang Xuehao walked out of the office, looking at the documents in his hand that were fresh off the press and bore a red seal.

The two prominent characters "Top Secret" caught his eye; he solemnly placed them into the archives, storing them together with the previous Longyuan Mountain materials.

Because this matter involved the previous Longyuan Mountain forbidden zone, various clues indicated it might be related to the mysterious power within, and the personnel of the 749 Bureau could only let the case drop.

……

Ye Qin had no idea how his ascent would shock humanity or what magnitude of turmoil it would stir up in the capital.

The qi of heaven and earth enveloped his body, chasing after the clear breeze; that feeling of freedom made it seem as if he could reach heaven and earth, with the world entirely within his grasp.

Ye Qin knew that, given his current cultivation level and realm, achieving flight was still difficult, but he believed that sooner or later, even without relying on the power of heaven and earth's qi, he would be able to ride the clouds and mist.

Perhaps that day will be far off, but as long as he walks his path well and stays true to his original intention, he will surely reach the other shore of success.

The clear sky resembled a vast mirror, with white clouds drifting leisurely, like a splendid scroll slowly unfurling, appearing utterly tranquil and peaceful.

Not far off came a tremendous roar, the surrounding clouds even being cleaved by rolling waves, as a "small boat" sailed across the horizon.

Kyoto's flights had returned to normal, beginning to take off one after another; the huge fuselage, like a snow‑white great bird spreading its wings, turned the previously still scene into a vivid one in an instant.

The little girl leaned against the window, probably her first time on a plane, her face full of wonder, staring fixedly at the clouds outside.

The soft, childish voice was full of innocence: "Mom, the clouds outside look like cotton candy."

"If I also had a pair of wings, I could fly freely among the clouds."

The little girl chattered nonstop all the way, but her voice was very soft, so it wasn't annoying; her childish talk was actually quite fun to hear.

Not knowing what she had seen, she suddenly fell silent, almost pressing her whole face against the window, her body leaning to the side, her features squashed out of shape, looking extremely intently.

The little girl mumbled: "Mom, can you see birds from the plane?"

The woman beside her patiently explained: "We're already flying at about 6,000 meters; normally you can't see birds at that altitude."

The aircraft's cruising altitude is in the lower stratosphere, where the weather changes little, guaranteeing flight safety; birds' activity is mostly confined to the troposphere, far below the plane's height, so you basically never see small birds from the plane.

A flicker of confusion crossed the girl's face as she pointed outside: "But why did I see a pair of dim green eyes?"

After saying that, she still raised her hand and waved it left and right.

Seeing their daughter's strange behavior, the parents hurriedly looked out the window, but the misty clouds revealed nothing, and they didn't think much of it.

"You must be seeing things; there's no green eyes out there."

The girl pouted, insisting: "No way, I really saw it—like a green gemstone, so beautiful."

Probably drawn by their conversation, many others also looked out the window, and only heard a gasp, proving the girl's earlier claim was not false.

"There really are two clusters of green light over there!"

The speaker was a middle‑aged man seated near the wing, not far from the little girl.

Following his pointed direction, one could see in the thick clouds two dim green specks flickering in and out, which at first glance really looked like eyes.

Many exclaimed: "They actually exist!"

But they were some distance away, and the clouds blocked the view, so it wasn't clear; some even got up to check, only to be stopped by the crew.

As the plane moved, the two little light spots kept moving as well, and everyone noticed that the green light drifted at a steady, even pace—neither fast nor slow—making it seem quite uncanny.

"What are these two light spots? Could they be light projected from the ground?"

"How could that be? The plane is now over 6,000 meters high; how could ground light refract that far?"

"Could it be the eyes of a bird?"

"That's also unrealistic—few birds can fly that high, and even if they could, they don't live around Kyoto, and besides, they don't look like that."

One passenger seemed to have an idea, his face lighting up with excitement: "You guys, could this be a dragon?"

"A dragon?"

Everyone recalled the hotly debated incident online of a dragon sighting in the suburbs of Kyoto.

The passenger grew more excited: "There's a dragon soaring up from the suburbs; what we're seeing might just be the dragon's eyes!"

"This matter has caused quite a stir, with photos and videos circulating; our flight apparently passed over the capital's suburbs, so if a dragon really were flying up, wouldn't we have just brushed past it?"

Soon someone raised a counter‑argument.

"It's definitely not a dragon; the photos just show clouds that look like a dragon, and besides, you haven't even seen it yourself—how can you prove it's a dragon?"

"Yeah, earlier many places also rumored seeing dragons, but later they were all proven to be rumors."

Some passengers on the plane also didn't believe it, after all, the idea of dragons existing in the world still sounds far‑fetched.

The plane, which had been somewhat quiet, instantly became as noisy as a market because of the two mysterious green light spots outside the window.

The fuselage suddenly jolted, and soon the sweet voice of a flight attendant came over the broadcast.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the aircraft has encountered turbulent air; please stow your tray tables, do not leave your seats arbitrarily, and the lavatories are closed."

The lights soon dimmed a little, but the turbulence was only brief and not very noticeable; once things returned to normal, we could look out the window again.

Outside, the clouds had grown thin, but there were no green light spots anymore; it seemed to have been an illusion, with no trace left to find.

Some passengers on the plane posted the incident online, but the photos were too blurry, and many netizens said he was just chasing clout.

"Bloggers make up great stories, but next time don't fabricate—what can such blurry photos prove?"

"You clout‑chasers, will you ever stop? The authorities have already stepped in to debunk the dragon rumor."

"Is there a chance they really saw dragon eyes?"

"Do you mean dragon eyes like this? 【dog head】"

Some even turned it into a joke, posting a picture of longan fruit, which got quite a few likes.

This whole thing was like a tiny stone kicking up faint ripples, then fizzling out—after all, with the authorities keeping things under control, the dragon‑sighting hype had already faded, let alone this.

……

Deep in the forest, thick vegetation covered the ground, sturdy green pines stood tall among the grasses, mountain winds swept in, pine‑sough sounds rose and fell, faintly mixed with the distant roar of a tiger.

"Roar!"

The massive body ran and leapt, making the ground tremble with each step, snapping countless dry twigs and leaves.

Around, the green trees formed shade; the broad leaves revealed a bright brown‑yellow silhouette, the king‑like mark on its forehead looking mighty and imposing.

Its speed was so great it almost left an afterimage in the air; occasionally it would pause, lift its head to gaze at the sky, as if checking its direction.

Soon the brown‑yellow shadow vanished back into the woods, leaving only a few black‑and‑yellow hairs drifting in midair.

In the sky above the tiger that was gazing upward, the flow of heaven‑and‑earth qi moved slowly, which also let Ye Qin better enjoy the scenery along the way; after all, such an experience is rare, and the next time it appears will likely be during the second heavenly tribulation.

Mist and haze were ethereal, like forests and seas, draping the landscape below with a veil of gauze that seemed both there and not.

Who would have thought that the little snake, once on the brink of death, would now roam freely between heaven and earth.

Ye Qin looked down below; his emerald pupils reflected all things in the world—he had seen steel‑forest‑like cities, vast boundless fields, and all kinds of scenery blended together into this sea of red dust.

Ye Qin drifted aimlessly, not knowing how long had passed, when the airflow formed by heaven‑and‑earth qi finally began to weaken, and Ye Qin's grandfather gradually descended.

As the heaven‑and‑earth qi slowly sank, he landed in a mountain forest; a breeze blew through the thin mist, tree shadows swaying,

the swaying green pines dotted among the mountains.

Feeling the heavy, solid sense of earth transmitted from beneath his body, Ye Qin also had a floating sensation; only after a long while did he return to his senses from his previous state.

Having finally passed the heavenly tribulation, Ye Qin couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief; the blade hanging above his head also finally disappeared, and for a long time to come he no longer needs to worry.

"Where should I go next?"

For now there's nothing to explore in the capital, and I haven't decided on any other place either.

Having just passed the heavenly tribulation, absorbing part of the tribulation lightning's power and also receiving the baptism of heaven and earth's Qi, Ye Qin could feel the surging power within his body, which he had not yet fully digested.

He must find a secluded, tranquil place to refine all this energy, and perhaps thereby advance to another Realm!

Moreover, he can now speak human language again……

After thinking it over, Ye Qin thought of Longyuan Mountain.

"It's been a long time since I've gone home; I don't know how those junior brothers' cultivation is going."

"Now that I can speak human language, it's the perfect opportunity to give them a second lecture on the Dao!"

(End of chapter)