Chapter 614: Human Dao Transformation, Cellar-Opening Conference

In the thick mist, the sound of waves became ethereal and distant.

Li Yan only felt his soul lighten, and his body began to float.

This was somewhat different from when the Dragon Lady entrusted a dream before; there was no jade arm wrapping around from behind, and the feeling of losing control of body and mind was even stronger.

Li Yan didn't feel strange.

After all, it was a dream entrusted by the Dragon Lady alone before, and since the incense hadn't gathered yet, it had to be cast through the Dragon Pattern Jade Tablet, so the treatment was special.

And now, except for Wu Ba who stayed behind to guard the physical body, everyone else would enter it.

Because according to Li Yan's experience and speculation, this Dragon Palace Water Mansion existed between reality and illusion; entering it through dream wandering made it difficult to completely control oneself, making it impossible to explore carefully.

The Dragon Palace Water Mansion had already been occupied by the Dragon Lady.

Because of the forced salvage of the Jingzhou Cauldron, this cave-heaven secret realm had been damaged and couldn't last long; the Dragon Lady had to use the power of incense to gradually nourish and repair it, taking at least several decades of time.

In other words, this was their only chance.

Naturally, they had to bring in more people to increase their chances.

Opening his eyes again, Li Yan found himself in a stretch of water light; the surroundings were blurry and hazy, and things were not seen clearly.

Looking at the scene around him, Li Yan was somewhat surprised.

Among the crowd, only Lu San had separately entered the "Yunzhong Jun Divine Palace" and the "Wushan Goddess Palace," so his experience was very rich.

According to him, although the styles of the two were different, they were both ancient divine palace appearances, and one walked on the ground.

And this Dragon Palace Water Mansion was completely submerged by river water.

It seems the environment of the cave-heaven secret realm also changes.

Looking around again, he didn't see Wang Daoxuan, Sha Lifei, and the others; it seems as he had expected, entering the secret realm through a dream couldn't be controlled, and they would appear in different areas…

Without waiting for Li Yan to think too much, his vision began to move forward.

It seemed to be pushed by the water flow, completely unable to control itself, rolling up and down, drifting toward a cave, following the same route as the Faceless Young Master back then.

Passing through the cave, the sound of whispering came to his ears again.

That was left behind by the shamanic priests of the ancient Shu Kingdom who had fallen into demonic paths; the Wuxiang Young Master was cursed because of this, and ultimately died due to the divine might of the Jingzhou Tripod.

Similarly, Li Yan also began to feel dizzy and head-swollen.

Splash~

Just at this moment, the water flow around suddenly surged, gathering and condensing, vaguely appearing as a female immortal.

Wearing a Qin-Han style curved-hem deep robe, holding a flower basket, her eyes slightly drooping, with dragon horns on her head.

It was extremely similar to the Dragon Lady statue in the temple.

This was a vulgar god of incense; their images were usually not fixed, the human heart is a mirror, what the heart thinks is what they look like.

Only seeing her flower basket slightly raised, strands of red dust in the surrounding cave drifted out, being completely absorbed by the flower basket.

Li Yan's dizziness also disappeared accordingly.

He couldn't open his mouth, so he could only smile and cup his fists to thank her.

Subsequently, the flower basket in the Dragon Lady's hand shook again, and illusions flashed in Li Yan's eyes: chains, coffins, Nine Cauldrons…

It was precisely the scene seen by the Faceless Young Master back then.

Li Yan had a realization in his heart; after the Dragon Lady took over the Dragon Palace Water Mansion, she had already been able to backtrack on things that happened not long ago.

Unfortunately, this thing seems to have no fate with mortals, existing between reality and illusion, and can only be managed by vulgar gods of the same nature.

Passing through the cave, the inside was already a mess.

The vengeful spirits of the young boys and girls in those coffins had long since turned to ash and smoke, and even the countless small coffins had shattered into pieces, leaving only the broken and decayed bronze chains.

Different from the illusion, a huge pit appeared in the cave, covered in spiderweb-like cracks, with faint white mist rising.

It looked as if the entire cave was about to be blown up.

Li Yan knew that this was the area where the Jingzhou Cauldron appeared back then; did those cracks connect to the underground dragon veins?

Although he was curious in his heart, he didn't act recklessly.

The three major dragon veins of the Divine Land are mysterious and profound; even where the acupoints condense, cave-heaven blessed lands can appear, triggering many major events throughout history.

One could imagine that the inside was by no means something he could involve himself in.

Li Yan's gaze was entirely attracted by another thing.

That was a half-meter-high stone niche, carved with a divine statue, the carving was rough, looking like a person, yet having a leopard tail and tiger teeth, hair disheveled…

This is, Goddess Xiwangmu?

The initial image of the Goddess Xiwangmu was described in the "Classic of Mountains and Seas": residing on Jade Mountain, her appearance is like a person, with a leopard tail and tiger teeth and good at howling, disheveled hair wearing a crown, she is the disaster of the heavens and the five punishments…

Later, entering Mystic Sect worship, the image changed.

This thing should be very ancient.

Li Yan felt a chill in his heart, and then curiosity rose.

Why was the Goddess Xiwangmu's niche here?

Looking at the situation, it wasn't being worshipped, but collected as a treasure…

Just as he was pondering, the water flow had already pushed him close.

Subsequently, a trace of surprise and joy flashed in Li Yan's eyes, and he turned his head to look at the Dragon Lady's phantom again, hurriedly cupping his fists.

Just now, his Great Luo Dala Dala Fa Shen had a resonance.

It was similar to the feeling when he obtained the Immortal Mountain Boshan Censer back then.

This is "Cave-Heaven Stone"!

Absorbing it with the Great Luo Dala Dala Fa Shen and practicing visualization can expand Mount Luo Feng.

Li Yan looked at the niche, his heart full of joy.

In the battle at the Prince of Shu's palace in Chengdu, he destroyed a soul lamp, and the Great Luo Dala Dala Fa Shen was also tattered, urgently needing to absorb heavenly and earthly treasures to repair it.

There was nothing in Chengdu, so he had pinned his hopes on the Dragon Palace.

He hadn't expected to get something even better.

No wonder the Dragon Lady came personally.

This is likely the most precious object in the Dragon Palace Water Mansion.

Without the slightest hesitation, Li Yan immediately stepped forward and pressed down on the niche…

Just as Li Yan was collecting the treasure, others also had gains.

Wang Daoxuan drifted around, completely unable to control his body, but fortunately, his state of mind was good, and he didn't panic.

Drifting to a patch of lake sand and stones, he immediately saw tortoise shells of various sizes, ancient in age, almost turned into jade color.

The Daoist had a sudden inspiration, picking the ones with the best quality, one in his left hand, one in his right, and didn't forget to bite one with his mouth.

And on the other side, Sha Lifei was similarly flustered.

In a corridor overgrown with coral, he teased a clam shell to open, taking out a pearl the size of a chicken egg, as if he were a hamster, stuffing them into his mouth non-stop.

In the cave-heaven secret realm, the existence of the crowd was only a spiritual body; contacting objects was choosing treasures, otherwise they would have brought bags in long ago…

……

The darkness before his eyes dissipated, and Li Yan woke up from the dream.

He lowered his head and looked; the stone niche was indeed in his hand.

This thing was like some kind of sandstone, yet it was extremely tough, the carving style rough and bold, likely left behind by ancient ancestors.

Feeling the restless Great Luo Dala Dala Fa Shen, Li Yan grinned, hurriedly taking out a piece of red cloth and carefully covering it.

Expanding Mount Luo Feng requires setting up a formation and visualization.

Now is not a good time.

Looking at the other side, Sha Lifei and Wang Daoxuan had also awakened.

Wang Daoxuan held three jade-colored tortoise shells, rubbing them carefully in his hand, his eyebrows trembling with laughter.

"Daoist, what is this?"

Sensing the aura above, the Great Luo Dala Dala Fa Shen trembled similarly, and Li Yan couldn't help but ask curiously.

"This is a Mysterious Xuan Emperor Xuanyuan Jia."

Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard and smiled: "The turtle is a spiritual object; the 'Rites of Zhou' mentions that the Turtle Man manages the six types of turtles, heaven, earth, and the four directions, using the Emperor Xuanyuan to divine mountains and rivers."

"Turtle Man? What kind of monster is this?"

"Not a monster; ancient divination often used tortoise shells, and the imperial court had specialized people responsible for capturing and raising six types of precious turtles, who were the Turtle Men."

"I saw a matter in the 'Records of the Nether Mystery'; it is rumored that when Yu the Great dredged the Min River, he slaughtered the Emperor Xuanyuan spirit that was causing disaster, and its shell, having been soaked in earth Qi for years, had already turned into jade, which is the Mysterious Xuan Emperor Xuanyuan Jia."

"This object is rare and can be used to make a compass, fearless of the interference of Gang Sha Qi, and is a treasure sought by all earth masters in their lives."

"So that's how it is."

Li Yan laughed dumbly, "The Dragon Palace is indeed full of treasures."

"Daoist, Daoist, take a look at this…"

Sha Lifei on the side also spat out the pearls one by one, letting Wang Daoxuan identify them with a face full of pride.

Among the crowd, only Wang Daoxuan was well-read and knowledgeable, not a bit inferior to those old experts who were good at identifying treasures.

"This is… Dust-Avoiding Pearl."

Wang Daoxuan took it over, investigated it for a while, and saw the clues.

Saying this, he placed the pearl on the ground and casually scooped up some dust and soil to sprinkle down; the dust and ash drifted, actually falling rapidly toward the surroundings.

"We're rich, we're rich."

Sha Lifei was so happy his face turned red, "Dust-Avoiding Pearl, I've heard of it from the storytellers in the teahouse, it's a priceless treasure."

Who knew, Wang Daoxuan shook his head and smiled: "It is indeed priceless, but this object can only avoid a small patch of dust; the whole room being clean is just an exaggeration by the world."

"Cultivators don't look down on it, and ordinary people can't afford it; only those high-ranking officials and nobles covet it, so it can only be sold for some silver."

"Ah?"

Upon hearing this, Sha Lifei was dumbfounded.

They entered the Dragon Palace Water Mansion to take treasures for the purpose of exchanging them at the cellar-opening conference; if cultivators didn't want them, then they would have lost their capital.

"No matter, silver is also important."

Li Yan smiled and comforted him: "Whether it's Yan Jiuling or the Mohist school of the Ministry of Works, they know quite a few rich people, so we can entrust them to sell it. We don't have much silver left on us either."

"Alright, it counts as not leaving empty-handed."

Sha Lifei sighed and looked to the side.

"Eh, why hasn't Brother Lu San woken up yet?"

Just as he was speaking, a wild wind suddenly rose all around, and the thick mist churned up and down.

Only seeing Lu San lying on his back, his face livid, gasping for air, and beside him, a massive object appeared.

It was an iron rhinoceros half a person tall, its lines ancient, its age ancient, with golden threads outlined on its back, vaguely identifiable as the "Yu Gong" mountain and river map.

He didn't know what era it was from, the patina was thick, without half a trace of rust; Li Yan could smell the thick scent of gold and iron, and it was at least a spiritual iron eroded by earth Qi.

Sha Lifei was dumbfounded, looking at Lu San, who had calmed down and was teasing the little white fox, saying nothing, just giving a thumbs up.

"Brother Lu San is amazing."

Li Yan praised him, turned his head and said: "Daoist, I've only heard of iron oxen suppressing water, this is the first time I've heard of an iron rhinoceros, do you recognize this treasure?"

Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard and pondered: "The 'Chronicles of Huayang' has records that when Li Bing governed Shu in the past, he made five stone rhinoceroses to suppress water spirits; this iron rhinoceros might be related to it."

"No matter, I'll ask someone for advice after going up the mountain."

Li Yan smiled slightly and turned his head to look at the Long Numiao.

He currently had profound Daoist practice and even stronger supernatural powers; his ears moved slightly, and he could hear the sound of a woman chanting scriptures faintly coming from the temple: "Tai Ming is vast, the spiritual abyss is surging, the jade girl holds the talisman, guarding the great river, the decree of the Kan Palace, sweeping away all inauspiciousness…"

Hou Xuan had already become the temple keeper of the Long Numiao, which could be considered a successful foothold in Chengdu; he usually chanted this scripture, named the "Dragon Lady's Peace-Bringing Scripture."

The Jiang Shen Great Lord and the Dragon Lady are one body and two sides.

Now that the Jiang Shen Great Lord has fallen,

The Dragon Lady has become the Water God of the Shu region.

Perhaps, Shu will be able to withstand the disaster.

The cold wind blew, and Li Yan looked at the cold and lonely night sky.

The weather in Shu this year was abnormal, with heavy snow in winter, and it was still cold after the Awakening of Insects; other places also successively sent news that the weather everywhere was a bit cold.

Wang Daoxuan had felt that the celestial phenomena had changed when he saw the snow in Shu.

He hadn't felt wrong, and Li Yan also remembered what this was.

In his previous life, at this time, there had been a Little Ice Age.

At that time, the Shu region had "winter thunder shaking, flying snow in the dog days," the Chengdu Plain had "spring seedlings all frozen, autumn grain harvest failed," and the Jialing River had "ice three feet thick, boats unable to pass"…

Although history changed from the end of the Song Dynasty, the disaster still appeared.

Could it be that this is also one of the human dao transformations…

…………

Under Mount Qingcheng, the cold wind was biting.

As a famous mountain in the world and a heavy ground of the Mystic Sect, Mount Qingcheng originally had prosperous incense, and pilgrims climbing the mountain were endless all year round.

But the climate was abnormal this year, many places on the mountain roads were still difficult to travel, and coupled with the major event that just happened in Chengdu Prefecture, some pilgrim groups had already abandoned their plans.

However, the mountain roads were still busy.

Cold mist shrouded, and the mountains and fields were black and white.

A mule and horse carriage team was struggling to move forward on the mountain road.

The ice and snow melted, the road was muddy, the carriage wheels rolled with a creak, imprinting rows of wheel tracks.

"Master, didn't you say Shu was warm?"

A young boy shivered, complaining while wrapped in his clothes.

"If heaven wants to be cold, as a master, I can't control it."

Sitting on the carriage shaft was an old Daoist, in a green robe and black gown, embroidered with Eight Trigrams on the back, his two feet raised in the air, afraid that the mud would stain his brand-new cloth shoes.

He took off the gourd at his waist, took a few gulps, and then gasped for air, sneering: "It was you who insisted on following; staying in the sect would be so comfortable, and now that you're here, you're complaining about suffering."

"This… disciple also wanted to broaden his horizons."

The young boy smiled awkwardly, changing the subject: "Master, who do you think will come this time?"

The old Daoist stroked his beard and nodded: "This trip, although suffering, you didn't come for nothing; a Daoist friend said just now that this cellar-opening conference this year is likely the biggest in twenty years, and both the Northern and Southern Mystic Sects will come."

"Every courtyard of the Great Luo Orthodox Sect, Doumu, Beichen, Zhengyi, Chunyang, Maoshan… everyone you know will come."

"Every Dharma lineage, Yuhuang, Huaguang, Meishan, Tongtian, Red Lotus Great Sect, Lushan… whether North or South, you'll definitely be able to recognize them all!"

"So many?"

Upon hearing this, the young boy was pleasantly surprised and somewhat shocked, "You said, the cellar-opening conferences in the past weren't this lively."

"That was in the past."

The smile on the old Daoist's face disappeared, and he raised his head to look into the distance.

"This treasure cellar on Qingcheng Mountain has been sealed since the Song Dynasty; inside, even ordinary spiritual wood has become a treasure, and no one is willing to miss it."

"Secondly… now is also a time of many events."

"The imperial court opening the sea, new firearms, the rebellion in the Southwest, and that Nine Cauldrons that appeared in Chengdu…"

Speaking of this, he hurriedly closed his mouth.

The old Daoist came from the Kunlun Sect; although the name was big, it had long since lost the demeanor of the gathering of immortals and gods in myths, now only having a few kittens and puppies.

Coming this time was also to exchange some treasures with the jade in the sect.

What he wanted to say was human dao transformation.

I'm afraid this is the real reason why the various sects of the Mystic Sect are gathering…

Just at this moment, his ears moved slightly, and he hurriedly jumped off the carriage shaft, not caring that the mud would ruin his shoes, raising his hand and saying in a deep voice: "Stop, someone is fighting ahead, go see who it is!"

"Yes, Martial Uncle."

A small Daoist in front ran away hurriedly.

The young boy beside him asked in surprise: "Master, this is under Qingcheng Mountain, who would dare to act recklessly?"

The old Daoist shook his head: "In the Mystic Sect, there are many grudges, some are even life-and-death enemies, so there's no lack of these…"

Just as he was speaking, the Daoist who went to inquire returned, cupping his fists:

"Reporting to Martial Uncle, it's the people from the Ming Sect; I heard it's a 'Night-Crying Lang' who is fighting with the people from the Tongtian Sect…"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 615 =====