Chapter 598

"I've heard a little."

Li Yan nodded slightly upon hearing this.

Once you enter a certain circle, you will, more or less, hear some strange tales and oddities about it.

The "Imperial Edict Tallies of the Goddess Xiwangmu" was one of them.

In the late Western Han Dynasty, people from twenty-six commanderies in the Guandong region suddenly gathered in large numbers toward Chang'an, claiming to hold "tallies" bestowed by the Goddess Xiwangmu, believing that those who wore them could "avoid disaster and not die."

The participants all wore their hair loose and went barefoot, galloping on horses, and even climbed onto rooftops at night to beat drums and shout. Historical records state, "Beating drums and shouting, they terrified one another"...

This event was very famous and didn't just happen once; both the *Zizhi Tongjian* and the *Book of Han* contain records of it.

And regarding this matter, opinions were divided.

The Confucians said it was a disaster and an omen of the Son of Heaven losing his virtue; the Emperor repeatedly issued edicts of self-reproach, but the public resentment was already boiling and difficult to reverse...

The imperial court officials said that early Daoist sects of the time might have participated, as the distribution of talisman books and unified actions across twenty or thirty commanderies would have been impossible without someone organizing it in secret...

But within the Mystic Sect, there was another theory.

At that time, alchemists were rampant, and legends of the elixir of immortality were widespread; as the holder of such, the worship of the Goddess Xiwangmu also swept through the north and south.

This event was a layout by a sect of alchemists who worshipped the Goddess Xiwangmu, attempting to expand their faith and seize political power.

But precisely because of this, they were purged and exterminated.

In short, the legends were extremely mystical.

Thinking of this, Li Yan felt a shock in his heart and hurriedly asked, "Could this thing be related to the Goddess Xiwangmu?"

He hadn't forgotten that the sorcerers of the ancient Wuxian Kingdom were rumored to be subordinates of the Goddess Xiwangmu, and the Prince of Shu had also secretly plotted to find the elixir of immortality—perhaps it was Lu Sheng who had bewitched him.

"It has nothing to do with the Goddess Xiwangmu."

Wang Daoxuan shook his head, "The so-called 'Divine Nightmare' is a large-scale nightmare curse that uses the power of incense and worldly desires as its source, causing countless ordinary people to fall into madness."

"This is a forbidden art. In ancient times, whenever the world was in chaos, people would spread evil doctrines, using this forbidden art to bewitch hearts, incite riots, and gain profit."

"Later, it was banned by the Mystic Sect, and all related techniques were destroyed; even the Scripture Pavilion of Mount Wudang only has a simple introduction..."

Sha Lifei, standing nearby, couldn't help but speak up, "Daoist, what's the use of saying all this now? Just tell us directly how to break it. Damn it, this is truly terrifying."

You couldn't blame him for complaining.

The current Chengdu Prefecture was truly terrifyingly eerie.

The sky was filled with wind and snow accompanied by thick fog; under the reflection of the eerie red light, the streets and buildings were all blurred black shadows, and the surging crowd was like a procession of a hundred ghosts at night.

Even more terrifying was that thunderous sounds occasionally came from the sky, and the air itself seemed to carry a maddening oppression.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they had arrived in the Netherworld.

"The classics didn't go into detail."

Wang Daoxuan stopped wasting words and said in a deep voice, "But since it's called a Divine Nightmare, the source of this technique must be a worldly god. As long as we raid the temple and slay the god, the curse can be lifted."

Lu San said in a muffled voice, "These days, those monsters under the Prince of Shu have been hiding in the prince's manor; the altar must be inside."

"I've already found the tunnel. Shall we act now?"

"No rush."

Li Yan's expression was solemn as he looked at the sky and the surroundings, "San'er, don't you think this thing looks familiar..."

Lu San was stunned at first, then suddenly realized, "Is it the same thing?"

He was clever enough not to say it explicitly, as the Bamboo Forest Six Hermits were nearby, as well as Granny Jin, who had been betrayed by Young Master Wuxiang.

Whether it was the Divine Palace of Lord Yunzhong or the Goddess Palace of Mount Wushan, both were mystical realms capable of driving people mad, and couldn't be leaked casually.

Li Yan nodded thoughtfully, "It's most likely the Long Gong Water Mansion; I'm afraid things failed over at Dujiangyan."

"The Prince of Shu had this idea from the very beginning."

Wang Daoxuan understood the implication and frowned, "You mean the true source is the Great Lord Jiang Shen?"

Li Yan said in a deep voice, "Very likely. We must confirm this first. If it's as I suspect, the Daoist Qingyang Palace is the primary target!"

Having said that, he led the group away.

At this moment, the streets were in complete chaos.

The lanterns were bright, casting a hazy glow through the thick fog and flying snow, while manic commoners wandered everywhere, occasionally erupting into conflict.

The "Joy God Coins" on their bodies had mostly become rusted, and the curse hidden within had long since invaded their bodies.

Not only that, the entire Chengdu Prefecture had become an illusion.

The thick fog and red light interfered with perception; those commoners who hadn't been hit yet would lose their way in a panic once they left their homes, scurrying through the streets and alleys.

If they were unlucky, they would be seized by the manic commoners, tied up, paraded around with cheers, and finally thrown into the fire.

Facing this chaos, Li Yan and the others couldn't afford to pay it any mind.

The group simultaneously performed the Mountain-Climbing Technique to avoid the interference of the illusion, sprinting rapidly across the snow-covered rooftops toward the east of the city.

Everything they saw along the way was shocking.

Arriving at a secluded alley in the east of the city, Sha Lifei immediately pointed to a small courtyard and said in a deep voice, "It's in this courtyard!"

Of course, he knew what Li Yan was going to do.

This trip to Shu was also because he had received a task from the Dragon Lady: first to help her find the reason for the Great Lord Jiang Shen's unusual movements, and then to agree to help her gather incense and completely seize the Great Lord Jiang Shen's power.

The benefits of this went without saying.

The Dragon Lady would reward them with the Great Lord Jiang Shen's Divine Gang.

This thing was the key to obtaining Great Luo Divine Abilities, something Li Yan and his other companions would surely need in the future.

More importantly, as long as the Dragon Lady succeeded, the source of this disaster, the Great Lord Jiang Shen, would completely dissipate between Heaven and Earth.

Li Yan had entrusted the related preparations to Hou Xuan.

One was to build a temple, and the second was to find personnel for the Hundred Flowers Sacrifice.

And this courtyard was precisely where Hou Xuan was hiding.

The group stepped on the rooftops and leaped into the snow-covered courtyard.

Whoosh!

A crossbow bolt suddenly shot out from the pitch-black window.

Li Yan had been prepared; he blocked in front of the group, drew a circle with his left hand, used the Silk-Winding Force to deflect the power, caught the bolt directly in his hand, and shouted loudly, "Brother Hou, it's us!"

The sound of the crossbow being loaded inside stopped abruptly.

Hou Xuan, whom he hadn't met in a long time, pushed the door open and came out, his face full of excitement, "You finally came! What exactly happened?"

He was just an ordinary person; because of Li Yan's warning, he hadn't touched the "Joy God Coins," and thus escaped the disaster.

But he had no divine abilities and couldn't see the figures outside the courtyard; sensing movement, he had immediately used the crossbow for self-defense.

"How is the personnel preparation going?"

Li Yan briefly explained the movements in the city and then asked.

"It's not easy, it's troublesome."

Hou Xuan smiled bitterly, "There are many daughters in the nearby households. I gave enough silver and have already found enough virgins, and even specially had people make flower baskets."

"But with such a big thing happening in the city, I don't know if they are still clear-headed."

The Hundred Flowers Sacrifice procession required virgins.

Li Yan was busy with many things, so he had given ten thousand taels of silver for Hou Xuan to help find them.

"Find people, find as many as you can!"

Li Yan looked at the sky and gritted his teeth.

Hou Xuan had many brothers under his command who had all listened to Li Yan's words and hadn't been bewitched by the "Joy God Coins."

They originally hadn't dared to go out, but with the help of the Bamboo Forest Six Hermits, they no longer had to worry about going out to find people.

Soon, Hou Xuan led people away from the courtyard.

As for Li Yan, he instructed Wu Ba and Lu San to stand guard, then entered a side room alone, lay on the bed, took the Dragon-Patterned Jade Tablet from his bosom, calmed his mind, and let himself enter a dream.

The Dragon Lady was an intangible entity whose true body was still in Longtan Village outside Shennongjia; every communication was through entering a dream via the Dragon-Patterned Jade Tablet.

Perhaps because she was conserving power to deal with the Hundred Flowers Sacrifice, she hadn't sent any dreams since the deal was reached last time.

The situation was urgent, so Li Yan had to take the initiative to contact her.

Holding the Dragon-Patterned Jade Tablet, he soon entered a dream.

It was still the layout of the room, but the surroundings were empty, and everything became hazy, as if he had seen it before. Not long after, he was wrapped from behind by a pair of jade arms, then suddenly yanked, as if sinking into the ocean.

Before his eyes, scenes of light and shadow suddenly appeared:

In the mountains along the Min River, ancestors of an ancient tribe dressed in animal skins used fire and water to split mountains and chisel stone, opening up mountain paths.

La la la!

The mountain stone suddenly shattered, revealing a strange, giant rock that seemed to have grown from the earth's veins, winding and coiling in the shape of a dragon, with the surface of the rock covered in dragon-scale patterns.

The tribal ancestors were overjoyed; they used hundreds of people to carry the dragon-shaped giant rock back to the tribe, sacrificing to it day and night.

And on a night of torrential rain, a massive black python suddenly appeared in the river, wrapped its body around the dragon-shaped giant rock, plunged into the river, and disappeared...

Seeing these scenes, Li Yan immediately had a guess.

This thing should be the Cave-Heaven Stone, a treasure formed by the gathering of innate Gang and Sha. He had once obtained a small one, and after absorbing the spiritual rhyme within, it helped him transform Mount Luo Feng and cultivate the Fengdu Law ahead of time.

And that giant black python was the true body of the River God, who had seized the Cave-Heaven Stone to build the Long Gong Water Mansion.

The light and shadow changed again, confirming his guess.

!

After the Great Lord Jiang Shen carried away the Cave-Heaven Stone, thick fog often filled the banks along the river; as this great demon became the Water God of Shu, the Long Gong Water Mansion finally took shape...

Just then, the light and shadow flickered, revealing a palace.

It was precisely the Daoist Qingyang Palace outside Chengdu.

An altar had already been set up there, with eerie lights flickering and drums and music playing in unison; the Dragon Lady statue was located beneath the altar, bound with red ropes, its eyes covered with talisman paper.

And with this sound, the Dragon Lady's arm on his chest became increasingly faint.

The Daoist Qingyang Palace's mission was indeed the Dragon Lady!

Li Yan no longer hesitated and suddenly opened his eyes.

At the same time, clamor also rang out outside the courtyard.

"Mr. Hou, what exactly happened?"

"You must know something."

"Please save my family..."

The weeping and pleading of women continued.

Li Yan pushed the door open and went out, only to see more than a dozen young women standing in the courtyard, all disheveled and even carrying injuries.

"Good luck."

Hou Xuan walked over, full of excitement, "I was afraid of missing the big event on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, so I specially mentioned that they shouldn't touch the Joy God Coins."

"More than a dozen listened and weren't hit. I don't know if that's enough?"

"Brother Hou did well, it's enough!"

Li Yan's face was also full of smiles.

Hou Xuan's work was truly reassuring.

A simple word of warning had provided a turning point.

The women in the courtyard had all been rescued.

They weren't fools; seeing Hou Xuan being so respectful to Li Yan, they knew he was the one in charge and immediately stepped forward to plead.

"Rescuing you is useless!"

Li Yan scolded in a deep voice, "Your families, the commoners of the entire Chengdu Prefecture, have all been cursed. Only by solving the source can they be awakened."

"We are going to the Daoist Qingyang Palace. Are you afraid?"

"As long as we can save our families, we aren't afraid of anything!"

"Please, Immortal Master, give the order!"

With their families in trouble, these women found their courage.

"Good!"

Li Yan took out his pocket watch and looked at it, "It will be dark soon. There's no time to lose, let's set off immediately!"

Hou Xuan had already briefed these women in advance, and they had participated in the Hundred Flowers Wandering God Procession in previous years, so they knew the procedure.

Taking the clothes prepared by Hou Xuan, the women entered the rooms one after another to change, then walked out carrying specially made flower baskets.

These clothes were also meticulously crafted, using Shu brocade and white gauze, with various flowers made of cloth on them.

If not for the women being covered in dust, they would truly look like Hundred Flower Fairies descended to the mortal world.

The ceremony Li Yan wanted to hold was the "Flower God Procession" of the Flower Morning Festival, commemorating the birthday of the Hundred Flower Fairy.

The Hundred Flower Fairy symbolized the revival of all things.

Through this ceremony, the Dragon Lady could be awakened.

Wang Daoxuan had already studied and mastered the process of the ceremony.

He set up an altar, swept and burned incense, and used peach branches dipped in cinnabar water to draw the "Hundred Flowers Talisman" on the snow in the courtyard to suppress the field.

On the main altar, a statue was enshrined, wearing a hibiscus crown and a Hundred Flowers robe—it was the Hundred Flower Fairy.

For the offerings on the table, Hou Xuan had also gone to great lengths, taking twelve kinds of flowers corresponding to the twelve-month flower gods, and making "Hundred Flowers Cakes" out of rice.

Once the altar was ready, Wang Daoxuan, who had already changed into his ritual robes, immediately stepped onto the altar, chanted the *Great Yi Scripture of Saving Suffering and Protecting the Body*, and burned the "Hundred Flowers Memorial" to reach the Heavenly Court.

Every move and action was in accordance with the ancient rites of the ceremony.

Clang!

The gate of the old mansion was pushed open violently.

These women, all holding flower branches like hollyhocks and camellias, walked in the Yu step to the rhythm of the *Rainbow Feather Garment Song*.

This was called the "Hundred Flowers Array," symbolizing the descent of the twelve flower gods.

Li Yan walked at the very front, carrying the bronze flower basket he had found in the ruins of the Dragon Lady Temple.

This was also a powerful artifact.

As long as the Flower God Procession went smoothly, the incense gathered by ordinary people would flow into the flower basket, which was also the key to the Dragon Lady's awakening.

Not long after leaving the gate, they saw a large group of manic commoners.

They were carrying sticks and hemp ropes, seemingly wanting to seize everyone.

Among them were even many martial artists.

These martial artists were not highly skilled; they had all accepted the reward from the Prince of Shu's manor and were searching everywhere for Li Yan.

Seeing him appear, they became even more manic.

Li Yan couldn't be bothered to pay them any mind; he directly formed hand seals and shouted loudly, "Nuogao, the three stars on the left, the three prisons on the right, Heaven turns and Earth flips, the nine paths are all blocked, making you lose your mind, taking East for West, taking South for North..."

This was the Northern Emperor's Body-Protecting Curse, which could not only protect the body but also cast a bewitching curse on enemies, making them unable to distinguish East from West or North from South.

As soon as the curse was cast, a gale suddenly blew.

Those commoners who rushed over were immediately dizzy, either spinning in place or crashing into walls.

As for Li Yan and the others, they naturally all knew the Mountain-Climbing Technique.

They also wrapped their fingers with yarrow stalks, walked the Gang steps, chanted curses, broke through the obstacles, and headed toward the south of the city.

Of course, accidents followed.

More and more manic commoners gathered.

They blocked the way, unable to harm the group.

But the Flower God Procession also attracted them, following and crowding outside the procession, their eyes bloodshot, following along with the jubilation.

Just like that, the procession sang and danced, soon arriving at the south of the city.

To their surprise, the city gate was wide open at this moment, and many corpses were piled on the ground—all experts sent by the Salt Gang.

The group didn't have time for idle talk and walked straight through the gate.

What they didn't know was that Yang Chenghua had just brought people from the Green City Sect into Chengdu Prefecture, and this was where they had broken through.

This place was not far from the Daoist Qingyang Palace, and there was no danger along the way; it took less than two sticks of incense to reach their destination.

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month in previous years, "Flower Stalls," "Medicine Sheds," and "Brocade Canopies" would be set up outside the Daoist Qingyang Palace, selling Shu-embroidered Hundred Flowers sachets, Chuanxiong jasmine tea, and other items.

But now, it was deathly silent.

(End of Chapter)