Chapter 399: The Dragon Maiden

Li Yan was having a strange dream.

He looked around—he was still on the mountaintop, the bonfire flickering, yet making not a single sound, as if caught between sleep and wakefulness.

Sha Sha Li Fei and Wu Ba had vanished.

He tried to rise, but found himself utterly immobilized.

A sound of waves came from all around; though he could not move, he saw water splashing onto the ground before him, quickly rising to cover his ankles.

What was happening?

Just as Li Yan wondered, his entire body froze.

He felt something pressed against his back—fine strands of hair brushing his nape, a pair of delicate, jade-like hands sliding in from either side, embracing him.

Instantly, illusions surged before Li Yan's eyes.

He saw rivers churning, sweeping away countless villages and towns, dammed lakes in the mountains collapsing into torrents cascading down, foam and mist surging at the crests like countless yellow dragon heads…

Countless mountain floods rushed together into the Yangtze; dark thunderclouds loomed overhead, lightning roared, rain poured like a deluge—a scene of apocalypse…

On the churning river surface, giant crocodiles, turtles, turtles, fish, and shrimp scattered wildly, each enormous, devouring fallen livestock and civilians; beneath them, a massive black shadow twisted like a serpent…

Upon the surrounding high peaks stood countless ritual altars.

Countless Daoists performed rites simultaneously—they wore robes strangely akin to Daoist garb yet also resembling shamanic attire, alternately performing rituals and driving massive bronze nails into various points atop the mountains…

The furious rivers calmed; officials clad in black robes appeared with countless civilians, damming the rivers and building levees.

From above, it resembled a colossal tiger tally, suppressing the entire river system…

All faces were indistinct, yet Li Yan faintly understood: this was the scene of the ancient construction of the Dujiangyan.

The black robes were Qin-era straight-hem robes, embroidered with patterns along the collars, cuffs, and hems, adorned with crowns and jade pendants—surely Li Bing.

Once Dujiangyan was complete, the rivers calmed, the sky cleared, and the riverside people cheered wildly—but Li Yan, watching from above, saw more clearly.

The immense black shadow within the Yangtze gradually merged into the mountains, transforming into a dragon-shaped white qi that fused with a vast mountain range.

The region where its tail lay was unmistakably familiar—he had just met the mountain god "Zouyu" days ago: it was Inside Shennongjia!

The rivers stilled; the once-rampaging water spirits were hunted down—some skinned and stripped of bones, others bound in chains and placed at the entrances of newly constructed tomb waterways…

Li Yan instantly understood their identities.

Fangxian Daoists!

After the rivers calmed, another dragon-shaped white qi rose, carried by wind and thunder, landing upon Inside Shennongjia…

………

Huh~

Li Yan took a deep breath and suddenly opened his eyes.

The bonfire crackled; Sha Sha Li Fei, on night watch, was adding firewood. Seeing him awake, he hurriedly said, "Young Master Li, if you're tired, sleep more—Wu Ba and I will keep watch tonight."

Originally, the three had taken turns on watch, but Li Yan had snored so loudly just now that Sha Sha Li Fei assumed he was exhausted from daytime combat and didn't disturb him.

Li Yan paused, then quickly pulled out the dragon-patterned jade tablet from his bosom, feeling its residual warmth, and suddenly spoke:

"I understand!"

Sha Sha Li Fei blinked, "Understand what?"

Li Yan rubbed the dragon-patterned jade tablet, his gaze complex, then looked toward the northwest and said gravely, "The dragon-stake has been pulled from that direction. Just now, the Dragon Maiden entrusted me with another dream."

"Dragon Maiden?!"

Sha Sha Li Fei's eyes lit up, grinning, "Is she beautiful? Could she be like Liu Yi, wanting to marry you?"

"Don't talk nonsense."

Li Yan shook his head. "Deities aren't like you imagine—they're the essence of mountains and rivers. Don't judge them by human standards. Besides, I didn't even see her face clearly."

Sha Sha Li Fei was eager. "What did she say?"

Li Yan spoke gravely: "I now know why the Dragon Maiden came here, and why she stirred."

"Long ago, the River Lord was the Dragon God of the Yangtze, wreaking havoc—until Li Bing and the Xuanmen joined forces to defeat him, then built Dujiangyan to suppress him. His dragon soul was buried beneath Dujiangyan, yet his dragon form fused with the dragon qi of the Mount Daba Mountains…"

He looked at the jade tablet with a complex expression. "The River Lord demanded that every city along the river sacrifice two virgin girls annually. The Dragon Maiden is the fused essence of those girls' souls, merged with a thread of dragon qi."

"That's why she often protects the surrounding people. Inside Shennongjia is part of the Mount Daba Mountains; after the River Lord was suppressed, the Dragon Maiden naturally settled here."

"The Daoist Qingyang Palace assumed she had fled—but it's the natural law of heaven and earth: drawn by the same dragon qi, she drifted to Inside Shennongjia, gradually absorbing the River Lord's dragon qi to replace him."

"This process would have proceeded smoothly—but two years ago, the Dragon Maiden sensed an anomaly in the River Lord's qi and tried to leave…"

Sha Sha Li Fei gasped. "Isn't the River Lord sealed beneath Dujiangyan, guarded by Li Erlang Shen? How could something go wrong?"

"I don't know."

Li Yan stared at the dragon-patterned jade tablet, his head throbbing. "This is the key to the Dragon Palace's underwater palace. A thread of her spiritual energy clung to it—she probably wants me to find the underwater palace and uncover what happened."

"So that's it…"

Sha Sha Li Fei rubbed his bald head. "I get it—this is the Dragon Maiden's commission. We investigate, and the treasures inside the Dragon Palace are our reward!"

Li Yan blinked. "That's not wrong."

Sha Sha Li Fei muttered, "Sounds like a huge trouble—but if we find it, we'll strike it rich!"

Li Yan shook his head slightly. "It's too early to think of that. We'll decide after entering Shu. But the trapped dragon— the Dragon Maiden revealed its origins."

"Oh?"

Sha Sha Li Fei asked eagerly. "What's its background?"

Li Yan recalled the visions, speaking gravely: "This ties back to the Song Dynasty and Li Erlang Shen."

"When Li Erlang Shen was officially enshrined, chaos erupted. In Bashu, some even rebelled, disturbing the Mount Daba Mountains and causing a thread of dragon qi to leak—absorbed by a serpent demon in Inside Shennongjia, which cultivated into a dragon."

"Unfortunately, terrain anomalies and hidden schemers formed a trap for the dragon, accumulating this disaster over time."

"So there's more to this…"

Sha Sha Li Fei mused, "Back then, Zhao Zhao Changsheng was the head of the Song Dynasty's Ghost Sect, wielding immense power. He obtained the dragon Gu from the trapped dragon and set a trap for the Old Ancestor of Donghu."

"Could all this be his doing?"

"Very likely."

Li Yan's expression turned grim. "This matter is far more complex than it seems. The recent chaos among the Daoist sects in Shu may be tied to it. Once we leave the mountains, we must find a chance to report this to Zhenwu Palace."

"Alright, I'll follow your lead."

After settling the plan, Sha Sha Li Fei stopped asking and grinned excitedly. "Young Master Li, that tiger-crouch cannon is a fantastic device—if modified, Wu Ba could use it alone!"

Li Yan chuckled. "You're joking. That's a cannon. Even Wu Ba's strength couldn't bear it. And if we carry it around, every garrison will panic."

"I'll think of a way—I'm sure there's a solution!"

Sha Sha Li Fei refused to give up, pulled out the "Thunderfire Scripture," and with a stick, began sketching in the dirt beside the fire, soon lost in thought.

Li Yan smiled faintly and didn't disturb him.

He rose and gazed toward the northwest, his face grave.

There stood Shennongding, the highest peak of the Mount Daba Mountains—the very place from which the dragon qi had leaked, as shown in the Dragon Maiden's vision.

After finishing here, I'll have to go there—see if someone tampered with it…

Boom!

Suddenly, a distant explosion echoed.

Li Yan spun around, staring toward the southeast.

That was the border between the Shenkui tribe and the Tian Sheng Sect—the sound was unmistakably cannon fire. "It's started again!"

Sha Sha Li Fei woke up, gazing into the distance with a smirk. "They're at it every night. The Tian Sheng Sect is out of luck—stuck with these bastards."

Li Yan remained silent, his expression grim.

The "White Lord" was truly terrifying—he was the Inside Shennongjia mountain god himself, commanding a powerful tribe, practicing dark arts, and devouring neighboring mountain gods.

But if the Tian Sheng Sect were easy to handle, how could they have stirred up the times, forcing the forest spirits of Jingxiang to flee in panic—even to the Qinling Mountains?

And what is Huang Liu Shi doing…

…………

In the dense forest, flames rose.

The ground was pitted and scarred, smoke thick; distant trees swayed as countless dark figures retreated rapidly.

"Damn it, you've got no sense!"

A giant man spat fiercely, then swung his cleaver, severing the head of a struggling Shenkui.

!.

His appearance had changed—his eyes glowed crimson, his face covered in thick whiskers, his teeth sharpened.

Many around him had undergone similar transformations.

Some had pupils like cats' eyes; others were hunched, their necks covered in fine scales…

They were the Tian Sheng Sect's demon army.

All had cultivated the "Demon Body Immortality Art"—not for immortality, but to enhance combat power through its dark techniques.

Among the Seventy-Two Demon Paths, the "Demon Body Immortality Art" was unique: it used the bodies of various demonic creatures to cultivate secret methods.

For example, the "Fox Heart Art" Li Yan had seen in Shangjin City—extracting a fox demon's heart to gain powerful mind-bending magic.

This method was potent, but its drawbacks were severe.

First, relying on external forces made one vulnerable to yin-evil qi, corrupting the soul and turning one violent; over time, one became indistinguishable from demons.

Second, killing demonic spirits drew the wrath of heaven's spirits.

For instance, the fox-heart cultist in Shangjin City would have been torn apart by countless foxes had he not been protected by a talisman array.

This was why the Tian Sheng Sect was attacked by the Shenkui.

They themselves were repelled by this forest.

Even the imperial army suffered collateral damage; after entering the forests, they were frequently attacked by spirits and wild beasts.

In the distance lay the army of the Heavenly Holy Sect.

Most were peasants wielding broken blades, alongside disciplined sect soldiers armed with firelocks in formation.

Even they kept their distance from these demon troops, eyes filled with wariness, as if ready to raise their firelocks at any moment.

The demon troops had grown increasingly uncontrollable.

Over the past month, individuals had frequently gone missing after being attacked; when found, their bodies were torn to shreds.

The Heavenly Holy Sect's high-ups claimed the attacks were caused by wild beasts, but everyone knew it was the frenzied demon troops.

Seeing the wary glances from afar, the demon troops paid no mind, only sneering with bloodthirsty gleams in their eyes.

Suddenly, a man with a sharply protruding nose snapped his head up, sniffed the air, and chuckled coldly: "Hmm, someone's hiding!"

Before he finished speaking, he leapt forward, scrambled up to a nearby thicket, and dragged a man out of the earth.

"Don't kill me! Don't kill me!"

He was a man clad in coarse cloth, smeared with corpse oil, his face pale, his body caked in mud, trembling and babbling in terror.

His fear only excited the man with the sharp nose further; his eyes blazed with madness as he opened his mouth to bite.

Boom!

Someone struck him, kicking him flying.

It was the demon troop leader—the hirsute man.

"If you lose control again, I'll kill you!"

The demon troop leader's pupils widened like a tiger's, his gaze icy; the sharp-nosed man bowed his head, too terrified to speak.

"Hmph!"

Only then did the demon troop leader sneer, turning to the mud-covered man: "Aren't you Brother Yu from the Longxiang Army? What happened to you?"

The Longxiang Army had long since fallen apart; not all followed Guo Xiu's orders, and many had sensed trouble early and begun withdrawing.

This man was Yu Yu Heizi, who had learned the art of tomb-robbing and treasure-hiding. After being struck by earthfire bombs, he faked his death and hid in the woods.

After the Longxiang Army's retreat, he trailed them closely—after all, wandering alone in the Inside Shennongjia was far too dangerous.

He had many tricks; seeing the Shenkui tribe attack, he smeared himself with corpse oil and used the breath-holding technique to bury himself underground.

This was a method to evade zombies in tombs—and it had also saved him from the Shenkui tribe's attacks.

Seeing the flickering flames around him, Yu Yu Heizi finally snapped back to his senses and cried out: "Don't kill me! Don't kill me! I have vital intelligence!"

…………

Inside the Heavenly Holy Sect's main tent, candles burned dimly.

"Li Yan!"

An old man in Confucian robes suddenly rose to his feet.

Yu Yu Heizi banged his head against the ground like a pestle: "My lord, the Right Chancellor, it is indeed Li Yan—they used firearms. The Longxiang Army has been annihilated. The Master… Guo Xiu was killed by the ancient Shenkui demon."

A white-bearded elder beside him frowned: "This boy is strange—how did he slip past our lines and enter the mountains?"

The speaker was Wang Wang Hufa, the one who had caused chaos in Near Wuchang.

The Heavenly Holy Sect worshipped "Heavenly Holy Duke" as their deity; to show their resolve to resurrect the Duke, they never appointed a sect leader, instead being led by the Right and Left Chancellors, aided by numerous Protectors.

"Who cares how he got in!"

A man in blue robes leapt to his feet, gritting his teeth: "This brat has ruined us time and again—and he killed our Tusi City's princess. We cannot let him go unpunished."

The speaker was Qin Qin Zhihai, sent by the Tusi City of Tangya, skilled in beast-taming, here to liaise with the Heavenly Holy Sect.

He was an admirer of Princess Tan Tan Yuner of the Tusi City, hoping to become a son-in-law and rise to high rank—now all dreams were shattered, and he naturally seethed with resentment.

"Brother Qin, calm down!"

The Right Chancellor above quickly soothed him: "Right now, we are here to draw attention—what matters most is Huang Liu Shi and the Left Chancellor's side. Once the Heavenly Holy Duke is resurrected, our grand plan will succeed."

"The Daoists from the Five Dragon Palace have been lingering outside. If we leave, they'll strike."

"Hmph!"

Qin Qin Zhihai's face darkened: "Are we just going to let that brat roam free?"

"Hahaha…"

The Confucian-robed elder stroked his long beard: "What's so difficult about this?"

"Didn't the Black-Scale Lord say the 'Zouyu' is hiding on that ridge? Li Yan must have used its power to sneak into Inside Shennongjia."

"The Shenkui 'White Lord' also covets it deeply—perfect. We can divert the danger eastward, killing two birds with one stone!"

(End of Chapter)