Chapter 601: The Goddess

I've heard of it.

Li Yan nodded slightly upon hearing this.

Once you enter a circle, you inevitably hear odd tales about it.

"The Decree of the Queen Mother of the West" is one such tale.

In the late Western Han, the people of twenty-six commanderies and kingdoms in the east suddenly gathered en masse toward Chang'an, claiming they held talismans granted by the Queen Mother of the West, believing that wearing them would "ward off disaster and grant immortality."

Participants all went bareheaded and barefoot, galloping wildly on horseback, even climbing onto rooftops at night to beat drums and shout—historical records state, "They beat drums and cried out, spreading terror…"

This event was extremely famous and occurred more than once; both the Zizhi Tongjian and the Book of Han record it.

Yet interpretations of this event vary widely.

The Confucians called it an omen of calamity, blaming the emperor's moral failure; the emperor issued multiple edicts of self-reproach, but popular resentment had boiled over and become irreversible…

The imperial bureaucracy claimed that early Daoist sects may have been involved, since distributing talismans and coordinating actions across twenty to thirty commanderies and kingdoms would be impossible without secret organization…

But among the Xuanmen, there is another explanation.

At the time, fangshi flourished, and legends of elixirs of immortality spread widely; as the holder of these, the worship of the Queen Mother of the West became wildly popular in both north and south.

This event was a scheme by a fangshi sect devoted to the Queen Mother of the West, aiming to expand their faith and seize political power.

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

In short, the tale is wildly mysterious.

Thinking of this, Li Yan was startled and quickly asked: "Could this thing be connected to the Queen Mother of the West?"

He had not forgotten that the shamans of the ancient Wu Xian Kingdom were said to serve the Queen Mother of the West, and that the King of Shu had once secretly plotted to seek the elixir of immortality—perhaps incited by Lu Sheng.

"Unrelated to the Queen Mother of the West."

Wang Daoxuan shook his head: "The so-called 'Divine Nightmare' is a large-scale nightmare spell, drawing power from the collective faith and superstition of ordinary people, driving countless individuals into madness."

"This is a forbidden art. In ancient times, whenever the world fell into chaos, someone would spread heretical doctrines, using this forbidden technique to manipulate minds and incite unrest for personal gain."

"Later, the Xuanmen banned it, destroying all related techniques; even the scripture halls of Mount Wudang only contain brief descriptions…"

Nearby, Sha Lifei couldn't hold back and spoke up: "Master Dao, what's the point of talking about this now? Just tell us how to break it—this thing's terrifying enough!"

He had every right to complain.

Chengdu Prefecture had become terrifyingly strange.

Snowstorms and thick fog, bathed in eerie red light, turned streets and buildings into blurred shadows; crowds surged like a horde of ghosts wandering at night.

Worse still, thunder occasionally boomed from the sky, and the air itself seemed charged with a suffocating, maddening pressure.

It might as well be the netherworld.

"The classics don't go into detail."

Wang Daoxuan cut straight to the point: "But since it's called the Divine Nightmare, its source must be a folk deity. To break the spell, you must storm the temple and slay the god."

Lu San muttered: "For days, the King of Shu's demons have been hiding inside the Wang Fu. The altar must be inside."

"I've found a tunnel. Shall we strike now?"

"Not yet."

Li Yan's expression turned grave as he gazed at the sky and surroundings. "San'er, don't you find this familiar…?"

Lu San froze, then suddenly understood. "The same thing?"

He was sharp enough not to say it outright, given the presence of the Six Idlers of the Bamboo Grove and the Golden Granny, betrayed by the Formless Prince.

Whether the Cloud Lord's Divine Palace or the Goddess of Wushan's Temple, both were realms capable of driving one mad—too dangerous to reveal casually.

Li Yan nodded thoughtfully: "Likely the Dragon Palace's Water Mansion. The attempt at Dujiangyan must have failed."

"The King of Shu planned this from the start."

Wang Daoxuan caught his implication and frowned: "You mean the true source is the River God Lord?"

Li Yan said gravely: "Very likely. We must confirm this first. If our guess is right, the Qingyang Palace is the primary target!"

Saying this, he led the group away.

The streets were now in utter chaos.

Lanterns blazed brightly, casting hazy glows through the fog and flying snow; the populace, faces flushed with frenzy, wandered aimlessly, occasionally erupting into violent clashes.

The "God of Joy Coins" they wore had mostly turned rusty; the spells hidden within had long since seeped into their bodies.

Worse still, all of Chengdu Prefecture had become a hallucination.

The fog and red light distorted perception; those not yet affected would panic, flee their homes, lose their bearings, and wander blindly through alleys and lanes.

If unlucky, they'd be seized by the mad crowds, bound tightly, paraded in wild celebration, and finally thrown into bonfires.

Faced with this chaos, Li Yan and his group paid it no mind.

All of them activated the Mountain-Climbing Technique, avoiding the illusion's interference, sprinting swiftly across snow-covered rooftops toward the eastern city.

Everything they saw along the way was horrifying.

Arriving at a secluded alley in the eastern quarter, Sha Lifei pointed at a small courtyard and said grimly: "It's inside this courtyard!"

He knew exactly what Li Yan intended to do.

Their mission to Shu had originally come from the Dragon Girl's request: first to uncover the cause of the River God Lord's disturbance, then to help her gather worship and fully seize his power.

The benefits, needless to say, were immense.

The Dragon Girl would repay them with the River God Lord's divine Gang.

This was the key to attaining Great Luo divine powers—something Li Yan and his companions would all need in the future.

More crucially, if the Dragon Girl succeeded, the River God Lord—the source of this calamity—would vanish utterly from heaven and earth.

Li Yan had entrusted the preparations to Hou Xuan.

One: build a temple. Two: find the maidens for the Hundred Flowers Procession.

This courtyard was Hou Xuan's hiding place.

The group leapt from rooftop to rooftop and landed inside the snow-covered courtyard.

Shhh!

From the dark window, a crossbow bolt shot out suddenly.

Li Yan had anticipated this. He stepped forward, drew a circle with his left hand, used the Coiling Silk Technique to deflect the force, caught the bolt mid-air, and shouted loudly: "Brother Hou, it's us!"

The sound of crossbow bolts ceased instantly.

Hou Xuan, whom they hadn't seen in ages, flung open the door, face flushed with excitement: "You've finally come! What's happened?"

He was merely an ordinary man; thanks to Li Yan's warning, he had avoided contact with the "God of Joy Coins," thus escaping the curse.

But he had no divine powers—he couldn't see the figures outside, so when he sensed movement, he immediately used his crossbow for defense.

"How are the recruits coming?"

Li Yan briefly described the city's chaos before asking.

"It's not going well. Complicated."

Hou Xuan sighed bitterly: "There are many daughters in nearby households. I paid well and already gathered enough virgins—I even had baskets made for the flowers."

"But with what's happened in the city, I don't know if they're still sane."

The Hundred Flowers Procession requires virgins.

Li Yan, busy with other matters, had given him ten thousand taels of silver to find them.

"Find as many as you can!"

Li Yan glanced at the sky and gritted his teeth.

Hou Xuan still had many brothers who had listened to Li Yan and avoided being bewitched by the "God of Joy Coins."

They had dared not leave before, but with the Six Idlers of the Bamboo Grove aiding them, they no longer feared going out to search.

Soon, Hou Xuan led his men out of the courtyard.

As for Li Yan, he instructed Wu Ba and Lu San to guard the entrance, then entered a side chamber alone, lay on the bed, and took out the Dragon Pattern Jade Tablet from his robe, calming his mind and falling into sleep.

The Dragon Girl was formless; her true body remained in the Dragon Pond Village beyond Shennongjia. Every communication occurred through the Dragon Pattern Jade Tablet in dreams.

Perhaps because she preserved her strength for the Hundred Flowers Procession, she had not visited his dreams since their last agreement.

With urgency mounting, Li Yan had to initiate contact himself.

Holding the Dragon Pattern Jade Tablet, he soon fell asleep.

The room's layout remained unchanged, but everything was empty and hazy, eerily familiar. Soon, a pair of jade arms wrapped around him from behind, yanking him violently—as if plunging into the ocean.

Before his eyes, scenes flashed:

Along the Min River, ancient tribal ancestors clad in animal skins used fire and water to split mountains and carve stone paths.

La la la!

Suddenly, the rocks shattered, revealing a strange, massive stone—seemingly born from the earth's veins, coiling like a dragon, its surface covered in scale-like patterns.

The tribal people rejoiced, using hundreds of men to carry the dragon-shaped stone back to their village, worshipping it day and night.

Then, on a night of torrential rain, a colossal black serpent emerged from the river, coiling its body around the dragon stone and hurling it into the river—vanishing without a trace…

Seeing these visions, Li Yan immediately suspected.

This object must be a Cave Heaven Stone—a treasure formed by the convergence of primordial qi and lethal energy. He had once obtained a small one; absorbing its spiritual essence had helped him reshape Luofeng Mountain and prematurely attain the Fengdu Method.

And that colossal black serpent? It was the River God's true form, having seized the Cave Heaven Stone to forge the Dragon Palace's Water Mansion.

The visions shifted again, confirming his guess.

!

After the River God Lord seized the Cave Heaven Stone, thick mists began to shroud both banks of the river. As this great demon became the water deity of Shu, the Dragon Palace's Water Mansion finally took shape…

At that moment, the vision flickered, revealing a palace.

It was the Qingyang Palace outside Chengdu.

A ritual altar had been erected there, flickering with eerie lights, drums and music blaring, the Dragon Goddess statue positioned beneath it, bound by red ropes and covered with talisman paper over its eyes.

And with that sound, the Dragon Goddess's arm on Li Yan's chest grew increasingly faint.

The Qingyang Palace's mission was indeed the Dragon Goddess!

Li Yan no longer hesitated—he suddenly opened his eyes.

At the same time, commotion erupted outside the courtyard.

"Master Hou, what exactly has happened?"

"You must know something."

"Please save my family…"

The woman's sobs and pleas continued without end.

Li Yan pushed open the door and saw over a dozen girls standing in the courtyard, all disheveled, some even bearing wounds.

"Good fortune."

Hou Xuan strode over, beaming with excitement. "I feared missing the major event on the fifteenth of the first month, so I specifically warned them not to touch the Lucky God coins."

"A dozen listened and avoided the curse—do you think that's enough?"

"Brother Hou, you've done excellently—it's enough!"

A smile also spread across Li Yan's face.

Hou Xuan's work was truly reliable.

A simple warning had turned the tide.

All the women in the courtyard had been rescued.

They weren't fools; seeing Hou Xuan's deep respect for Li Yan, they knew he was the one in charge and immediately rushed forward to beg.

"Rescuing them won't help!"

Li Yan spoke sternly: "Your families, all the people of Chengdu Prefecture, have been cursed. Only by eliminating the source can they awaken."

"We're going to Qingyang Palace—are you afraid?"

"As long as we can save our families, we fear nothing!"

"Please, Immortal Master, give the order!"

With their families in peril, these women had found courage.

"Good!"

Li Yan pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time. "Nightfall is imminent—no time to waste. Let's depart at once!"

Hou Xuan had already instructed these women, and they had participated in the Hundred Flowers Procession in past years, so they knew the procedure.

Taking the clothes Hou Xuan had prepared, the women quickly went inside to change, then emerged carrying specially made flower baskets.

These garments were meticulously crafted, made of Shu brocade and white gauze, with cloth flowers sewn onto their bodies.

Had it not been for their dusty, disheveled appearances, they would have looked like the Hundred Flowers Immortal descending from heaven.

The ceremony Li Yan was conducting was the Huachao Festival's "Flower Spirit Procession," commemorating the birth of the Hundred Flowers Immortal.

The Hundred Flowers Immortal symbolized the renewal of all things.

Through this ritual, the Dragon Goddess could be awakened.

The ritual's procedure had been studied and mastered by Wang Daoxuan.

He set up the altar, swept and burned incense, and dipped peach branches in cinnabar water to draw the "Hundred Flowers Talisman" on the courtyard's snow to sanctify the space.

On the main altar stood a statue wearing a hibiscus crown and a robe embroidered with a hundred flowers—the Hundred Flowers Immortal.

The offerings on the table, prepared by Hou Xuan with great effort, were "Hundred Flowers Cakes" molded from rice, each of twelve colors corresponding to the Twelve Flower Deities.

Once the altar was ready, Wang Daoxuan, already clad in ritual robes, stepped onto the altar and chanted the "Great Yi Saviour's Protective Sutra," burning the "Hundred Flowers Petition" to send it to the Heavenly Court.

Every movement conformed precisely to ancient ritual propriety.

CRASH!

The great gate of the old mansion was violently thrown open.

The women, each holding branches of sunflowers, camellias, and other flowers, marched in step with the rhythm of the "Robes of Cloud and Feathers" melody, treading the Yu Steps.

This was called the "Hundred Flowers Formation," symbolizing the descent of the Twelve Flower Deities.

Li Yan walked at the front, carrying the bronze flower basket he had found at the ruins of the Dragon Goddess temple.

It too was a powerful artifact.

If the Flower Spirit Procession proceeded smoothly, the incense offerings gathered by ordinary people would flow into the basket—key to the Dragon Goddess's awakening.

Not far from the gate, they encountered a large crowd of mad civilians.

They carried clubs and ropes, seemingly intent on capturing everyone.

Among them were many martial artists.

These martial artists possessed no great cultivation—each had taken the Wang Fu bounty and roamed the land searching for Li Yan.

Seeing him appear, they grew even more frenzied.

Li Yan paid them no mind, swiftly forming a hand seal and chanting loudly: "Nuogao, left bearing the Three Stars, right bearing the Three Bonds, heaven overturned, earth inverted, all nine paths sealed—cause you to lose your mind, turn east to west, south to north…"

This was the Northern Emperor's Protective Spell—capable not only of shielding oneself but also of bewitching enemies, making them unable to distinguish east from west or north from south.

As the incantation took effect, a sudden gale erupted.

The charging civilians immediately became disoriented—some spun in place, others crashed wildly against walls.

As for Li Yan and his group, they all knew the Mountain Ascension Technique.

They likewise wrapped their fingers in yarrow grass, trod the Gang Steps, and chanted incantations to break through the illusions, heading toward the southern city.

Of course, unexpected complications arose.

More and more mad civilians gathered.

They blocked the way but could not harm the group.

Yet the Flower Spirit Procession drew them in, causing them to cluster outside the procession, eyes bloodshot, cheering wildly in unison.

Thus, the procession, singing and dancing, soon arrived at the southern city.

To their surprise, the city gate stood wide open, and the ground was littered with corpses—all skilled men sent by the Salt Guild.

No one wasted time on words; they marched straight through the gate.

They did not know that Yang Chenghua had just led the Qingcheng Sect into Chengdu Prefecture—these corpses were their handiwork.

This place was not far from Qingyang Palace; the journey posed little danger, and they arrived in less than two sticks of incense.

In past years, on the fifteenth of the first month, Qingyang Palace's grounds would be filled with "Flower Stalls," "Herb Tents," and "Brocade Canopies," selling Shu embroidery flower sachets, Sichuan Qiong jasmine tea, and more.

Now, it was utterly silent.

(End of Chapter)