Chapter 527: The True Mastermind

Li Yan had imagined what the first Heavenly Court mission might look like.

Perhaps, like the Yin Si missions, it would manifest as a vision showing part of the Heavenly Court—maybe jade pavilions and white jade palaces.

But he never expected it to take this form.

Though his heart burned with curiosity, he dared not reveal any anomaly, pretending he noticed nothing, and walked to the stone well.

He looked down—and immediately noticed something different.

The stone well had once shown Yin Si missions, its black water swirling with a splash; now, it was shrouded in golden light, yet utterly still.

Strangely, the golden light showed nothing at all.

Li Yan reached out and touched the golden light—no anomaly occurred.

He frowned, feigning confusion, though he already had a guess.

He suspected this temporary Heavenly Court mission would only appear once it reached consensus with Yin Si.

Indeed, faint voices drifted from afar:

"Yin Si isn't your Thunder Department…"

"Judge Zhou, who ordered this?"

"Of course, but only with the King of Hell's approval..."

Li Yan's expression remained unchanged, his mind racing.

Though muffled and unclear, these fragments revealed much.

For instance, the relationship between Yin Si and the Heavenly Court.

In some folk tales, Yin Si fell under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Court—Sun Wukong ransacked the Underworld, and the King of Hell had to ascend to heaven to file a complaint.

But from this exchange, the two seemed more like equals, with the Heavenly Court's Thunder Department merely more dominant.

It felt like two organizations negotiating…

And "Judge Zhou"—that title must refer to a Thunder Department judge.

Legends say the Thunder City lies within the Jade Pure Prince's Mansion, amid the Azure Supreme Qi, two thousand three hundred li from the mansion, its walls eighty-one zhang tall.

It governs all creation, moves seas and mountains, governs the seasons, raises and lowers yin and yang, records good deeds and punishes evil.

Internally, it is divided into one mansion, two courts, three bureaus.

The one mansion is the Divine Thunder Jade Pure Mansion, abbreviated as Divine Thunder Jade Mansion.

The two courts are the Five Thunder Court and the Exorcism Court.

The three bureaus are the Myriad Spirits Thunder Bureau, the Thunder General Bureau, and the Thunder Department Bureau.

Reverence for thunder has existed since ancient times.

But the Thunder Mansion's emergence also stemmed from changes in human worship.

For instance, the Heavenly Court's Thunder Department division began in the Northern Song.

During the Northern Song, Daoist sects like Shenxiao and Qingwei revered thunder rituals, prompting reforms in Daoist worship—and the Thunder Mansion arose accordingly.

Indeed, there were positions for Left and Right Judges of the Thunder Mansion.

Is this judge surnamed "Zhou"?

Is he a mortal who successfully ascended to godhood in ancient times…

Or some other kind of being…

As Li Yan pondered, the other side had reached a conclusion.

"Hmph!"

The crimson-robed giant shadow let out a cold snort, clearly displeased, yet said no more.

Hum!

Then, before Li Yan's eyes, the golden light trembled, gradually forming a golden silk scroll, unrolling to reveal dense, lightning-like patterns.

It looked like characters, but Li Yan didn't recognize a single one.

He was speechless, cautiously reaching out to touch it.

Instantly, a series of images flashed before him:

A towering mountain, lost in clouds; a figure in a square cap, bamboo staff in hand, strode away, while a young man behind him, holding a massive bamboo talisman, knelt prostrate, unmoving…

The young man donned a Daoist robe, cultivated in the mountains, often capturing spirit herbs to brew pills, his body wreathed in swirling qi…

The Daoist took many disciples; when old, he died, and his disciples placed him in a coffin—yet before they could carry him to burial, mist and smoke swirled inside; when opened, only a massive bamboo talisman remained…

The bamboo talisman passed through human hands, later tossed by a hazy figure into a mountain crevice, triggering an earth dragon's upheaval…

A monk arrived, entered the collapsed cavern, retrieved the bamboo talisman—and his entire demeanor changed drastically…

As he watched these images, torrents of information flooded his mind.

Li Yan's expression gradually turned to shock.

Long moments passed before he snapped back, face filled with disbelief.

No wonder so many things had seemed odd.

His intelligence was wrong.

The mastermind behind it all was not the River God Lord!

Or rather,

The River God Lord had been replaced!

The Daoist in the vision was named "Li Wenyuan."

This name was obscure, but he and his master were recorded in ancient texts: Shen Wentai, a fangshi of Jiuyi Mountain, mentioned in the "Biographies of Immortals."

It reads: "Shen Wentai, of Jiuyi, obtained the Jiang gods' spirit elixir and earth talisman for restoring youth; taking it proved effective. He wished to dwell in Kunlun and Anxi for two thousand years, and told Li Wenyuan: 'The earth talisman without proper ritual or cultivation yields no benefit.' Wenyuan then received his secret teachings and later ascended to heaven."

This master-disciple pair were low-key, yet both succeeded in ascending to godhood.

What followed grew strange.

Li Wenyuan achieved immortality by merging with the bamboo talisman.

Similar methods include "staff liberation" and "weapon liberation."

Either way, he escaped the cycle of life and death.

But afterward, his artifact was cast into Mount Daba, shattering the sealed remnants of the River God Lord's soul.

Li Wenyuan's remaining true soul descended secretly, fused with the River God Lord's residual soul, and took root within "Lang Wu."

From then on, "Lang Wu" changed utterly: he used dark arts to prolong his life, disrupted yin and yang, and began forming the Worship of the Dragon Cult…

Thus, Li Yan had received two missions at once.

One from Yin Si: imprison "Lang Wu" in the Underworld, reward: a Gang Command.

The other, from the Heavenly Court's Thunder Department:

Find "Li Wenyuan" and summon a thunderbolt to annihilate him.

The reward was deeply tempting: a thunder Gang, also primordial Gang qi, mysterious and extraordinary, with two uses.

First, store it in the Thunder Mansion to summon one heavenly thunderbolt.

He had seen orthodox Daoist thunder rituals—setting up altars, time-consuming and laborious, requiring precise celestial and terrestrial alignment, and multiple high adepts performing together.

But he could summon thunder directly by consuming the thunder Gang.

Second, it could be absorbed by the Soul-Grabbing Thunder Chain.

Then, the chain no longer needed to absorb heavenly lightning—it could generate thunder on its own, albeit with limited supply, yet never risk total depletion.

Other thunder techniques would also be enhanced accordingly.

A priceless treasure!

Li Yan's heart surged with excitement.

If he could gather enough thunder Gang, what did he have to fear...

After receiving the mission, the thick fog around him rapidly dissipated.

"Master Li, did you discover something?"

A voice came from beside him—Hui Ming.

Li Yan had lingered longer than usual; though only a few breaths had passed outside, Hui Ming had sensed it keenly.

"'Lang Wu' is indeed a Yin offender."

Li Yan replied gravely: "But he carries a divine artifact that conceals his trail—I've accepted the mission, yet have no idea of his whereabouts."

Who else's whereabouts were unknown?

The smuggled-down "Li Wenyuan," and the mysterious figure who cast the bamboo talisman into Mount Daba to aid his descent.

His form was hazy—

A clear sign of a divine artifact obscuring heavenly fate…

…………

"Master Hui Ming, thank you."

Now that he had his answer, Li Yan had no time to tour the temple—he immediately took his leave, escorted out the gate by Hui Ming.

"Master Li, no need for formalities."

Hui Ming nodded calmly: "I aid you because I harbor selfish intent—this man killed many of my brothers, yet I lack the power to avenge them; I can only rely on your hand." Li Yan replied solemnly: "Master, rest assured—after that demon is brought to justice, I will send word to you!"

Saying this, he bowed and departed.

As he left the temple with Wu Ba, he glanced back once, brow furrowed, lost in thought.

Now that he reflected on it, this matter was far from simple.

Every cultivator seeks to ascend to godhood and become an immortal—the ultimate goal for millennia, and countless have fallen along this path.

How could anyone be willing to sneak down to the mortal realm?

Even stranger, someone actually came to meet them!

Besides his soul warrant, there are other channels connecting the Great Luo Dharma Realm and the mortal world—this proves they long ago violated heavenly law.

And so many of them possess protective divine artifacts.

These aren't common vegetables; each protective artifact signifies the foundation of a dynasty.

Gathering them all would require immense effort.

Thinking of this, Li Yan grew even more wary.

He had long suspected that the Ghost Sect's leader was merely one identity of Zhao Changsheng, and that others lurked behind him.

In one by one/

For instance, the man named Lu Sheng who went to the Wang Fu together.

This fellow dared to boldly retrieve the Nine Tripods—his origins are extraordinary; he certainly isn't Zhao Changsheng's subordinate.

Whatever. I've already taken the mission.

From now on, when I encounter these bastards, those who belong in the Underworld get sent there, and those who deserve it get struck down by heavenly thunder!

These bastards are causing chaos in the mortal realm—not one of them shall escape!

As Li Yan pondered, they had already reached the foot of the mountain.

By the mountain path waited a man, broad-shouldered and burly, wrapped in a white headcloth; upon seeing them, he hurried forward and bowed respectfully: "Are you Li Shaoxia? The boss told me to wait here for you."

"Thank you for the trouble."

Li Yan had intended to refuse, but seeing the hour was still early and Wu Ba beside him brimming with excitement, he said nothing more.

Under the man's guidance, the two arrived at a large pavilion on the eastern edge of the marketplace, where someone had already been waiting outside to respectfully lead them inside.

The pavilion was sizable, filled with the clamor of people laughing and chatting—ordinary folk, even wealthy gentry in fine attire, sat packed together.

Normally, noble families wouldn't deign to come to such a vulgar place and sit among the commoners watching opera.

To draw them here, the performance must be exceptional.

Seeing this, Li Yan sat down with Wu Ba and waited quietly.

Ding ding ding!

Suddenly, gongs and drums sounded as the puppets appeared.

Indeed, these were "puppets" appearing.

This puppet show was entirely unlike any Li Yan had seen before.

Ordinary marionettes were small, but this one stood over a man's height, carried and manipulated from below by performers.

The puppet was not only towering but elaborately dressed, with all roles—sheng, dan, jing, mo, chou—represented, its facial features vivid and lifelike.

The artisans pulled the strings, making the puppet seem as if it had come alive.

Such puppet shows usually tell mythological tales.

This time, they were performing "The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea."

Drums and music played, and someone sang the lyrics aloud.

Honestly, compared to a proper Sichuan opera troupe, the singing lacked a certain flavor—but clearly, the crowd hadn't come for the music.

Just the puppets alone were enough to dazzle the eyes.

One puppet undressed with graceful precision, as if truly human;

another, Lu Dongbin, swept his dust whisk, blades of light flashing.

At the climax, the puppet of Han Zhongli blew fire to light candles, flames leaping high—astonishing skill.

Every gesture, every movement of these puppets, their eyes shifting, felt utterly lifelike.

"Excellent! Excellent!"

Wu Ba clapped and laughed like a child.

Li Yan too smiled, watching closely.

After finishing the puppet show, they immediately left and went to the dock, boarding a boat to the foot of Wolong Mountain.

The temple fair at Guangde Temple was even larger and livelier.

This time, there were no surprises.

Li Yan took Wu Ba around, eating and drinking, watching money boards and divine plays, and saw many martial artists performing on the streets.

Before they knew it, night fell.

The temple fair remained lively at night—lanterns twinkled like stars, and there were grass dragons dancing, fire-blowing acts, no less dazzling than by day.

Alas, after a full day of wandering, Li Yan was already bored, and Wu Ba, with his enormous appetite, was thoroughly full—so they turned back.

In the following days, they did not go out again.

Sha Li Fei continued his cultivation as usual; Lu San and Wang Daoxuan each busied themselves with their own affairs; only Li Yan occasionally guided Wu Ba in basic martial arts.

A few more days passed, and the Winter Solstice arrived.

As the saying goes: "The Winter Solstice is as important as the New Year."

In Shu, this was especially true.

On the Winter Solstice, families began slaughtering pigs for the New Year and making cured sausages.

Dumplings were essential.

But the most crucial thing was simmering a pot of fine mutton soup.

Early that morning, the Luo family's servants began bustling, slaughtering three sheep altogether—not only simmering mutton soup and boiling meat, but also making mutton dumplings.

Li Yan and the others had a peaceful, quiet holiday.

Besides eating, Shu's Winter Solstice had many customs.

For instance, "sun-drying the Winter Solstice"—common folk would take out their food and grain to bask in the sun, claiming it drove away the cold.

Offering to the Stove God was indispensable; before every household's stove deity statue, an array of offerings filled the altar.

Some even rushed to the mountains at dawn to worship their ancestors.

Li Yan and his companions, wandering the rivers and lakes, naturally had no such customs—but Wang Daoxuan performed a ritual, bestowing blessings and longevity upon them all.

Amidst the bustle and merriment, they crossed the Winter Solstice festival…

…………

Dong dong dong!

The next day, before dawn, someone knocked on the door.

The Luo family servant opened it to find a large man standing outside, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a long coat, his face covered in thick whiskers, dusty from travel.

"Who are you?"

Before the servant could ask further, Li Yan stepped swiftly from his room, smiling and bowing: "Brother Wu, what brings you here? I was just planning to depart tomorrow for Fengdou."

The visitor was Wu Qu of Cangzhou.

Not only a master of Baji Quan, but also a sorcerer of the Huaguang Sect.

In Wuchang, Li Yan had met him during the Guishan duel, and it was through him that Li Yan first encountered the "Yellow Springs Organization."

"Come inside and talk!"

Wu Qu's expression was grim; he glanced around and whispered.

"Oh?"

Li Yan frowned and immediately invited him inside, ordering a servant to bring hot tea, then asked in a low voice: "What happened?"

Wu Qu's demeanor clearly indicated something was wrong.

He looked as if he'd just been in a fight—the aura of killing had not yet faded.

Wu Qu's expression was complex; after sipping his tea, he spoke: "The living yin official I assisted has been murdered!"

"When?"

Li Yan's brow furrowed instantly.

The hallmark of the Yellow Springs Organization is one "living yin official" paired with several martial experts as guardians, aiding and relying on each other.

Their bond is extremely close.

Wu Qu and I have mutual respect—but even so, he never revealed the identity of the living yin official he protected.

"Two days ago!"

Wu Qu's eyes blazed with murderous intent. "The living yin official I guarded was a coroner from Anyue County—his martial skill and spiritual cultivation were low, so his identity was kept secret, known only to me and one other guardian."

"I went to escort him to Fengdou, but the day before I arrived, he was killed inside the county jail!"

(End of Chapter)