Chapter 617

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

Li Yan felt his soul grow light, and his body began to float.

This differed from when the Dragon Girl had visited him in dreams before—no jade arm encircled him from behind, and the sense of losing control over mind and body was even stronger.

Li Yan found nothing strange about it.

After all, the previous dream visit had been solely by the Dragon Girl, and the incense offerings had not yet coalesced; she had needed to use the Dragon Pattern Jade Tablet to manifest, granting him special treatment.

Now, apart from Wu Ba staying behind to guard their physical bodies, everyone else would enter.

According to Li Yan's experience and deductions, the Dragon Palace Water Mansion existed between reality and illusion; ordinary dreamers who wandered in could hardly fully control themselves or explore in detail.

The Dragon Palace Water Mansion had already been seized by the Dragon Girl.

Because of the forced salvage of the Jingzhou Cauldron, this paradise realm had been damaged and could not last much longer; the Dragon Girl must gradually nurture and repair it with incense power, requiring at least decades.

In other words, this was their only chance.

Naturally, more people should enter to increase the odds.

When he opened his eyes again, Li Yan found himself immersed in a sea of waterlight, surroundings blurred and hazy, things indistinct.

Gazing at the surroundings, Li Yan was surprised.

Among them, only Lu San had previously entered the "Cloud Lord's Divine Palace" and the "Goddess of Wushan's Palace," and possessed rich experience.

According to him, though their styles differed, both were ancient divine temples, and one walked upon solid ground.

But this Dragon Palace Water Mansion was entirely submerged in river water.

It seemed the environment of a paradise realm could change.

Looking around, he saw no Wang Daoxuan, Sha Lifei, or others—just as he had suspected, entering the realm through dreams was uncontrollable, and they would appear in different areas…

Before Li Yan could ponder further, his vision began to move forward.

As if pushed by currents, utterly beyond control, he tumbled and rolled toward a cave, following the exact path the Immortal Wu Xiang had taken.

Passing through the cave, the whispering voices returned to his ears.

They were the lingering chants of the corrupted ancient Shu shamans; Wu Xiang had been cursed by them and ultimately died from the divine might of the Jingzhou Cauldron.

Likewise, Li Yan began to feel dizzy and heavy-headed.

Splash splash~

At that moment, the surrounding waters suddenly churned, converging and solidifying into the faint shape of a female immortal.

She wore a Qin-Han style curved-sleeve deep robe, held a flower basket in her hands, her eyes slightly lowered, and horns sprouting from her head.

She bore an uncanny resemblance to the Dragon Girl's statue in the temple.

This was a folk deity of incense—her form was never fixed; the human heart was the mirror, and what one envisioned became her appearance.

She lifted her basket slightly, and from within the cave, streams of red dust drifted out, all absorbed by the basket.

Li Yan's dizziness vanished.

He could not speak, so he merely smiled and bowed in thanks.

Then, the Dragon Girl's basket trembled again, and Li Yan's vision filled with visions: chains, coffins, the Nine Cauldrons…

They were precisely the scenes Wu Xiang had once seen.

Li Yan realized: after taking over the Dragon Palace Water Mansion, the Dragon Girl could now replay events that had recently occurred.

Unfortunately, this power seemed beyond mortals' reach, existing between reality and illusion, accessible only to folk deities of the same nature.

Beyond the cave, the interior was in ruins.

The spirits of the child boys and girls trapped in the coffins had long since vanished into ash; even countless small coffins had shattered into fragments, leaving only broken, rotting bronze chains.

Unlike the visions, a massive deep pit now yawned in the cave, surrounded by spiderweb-like cracks, faint white mist rising from them.

It looked as if the entire cave was about to burst.

Li Yan knew this was where the Jingzhou Cauldron had originally appeared; were those cracks connected to the underground dragon veins?

Though curious, he did not act rashly.

The Three Dragon Veins of Shenzhou were mysterious and profound; even where their acupoints condensed, paradise realms could form, triggering countless major events throughout history.

It was easy to imagine that its depths were far beyond his reach.

Li Yan's gaze was drawn to another object.

It was a stone niche half a meter tall, carved with a deity figure—crude craftsmanship, humanoid yet with a leopard's tail, tiger's fangs, and wild, tangled hair…

Was this the Queen Mother of the West?

The earliest depiction of the Queen Mother of the West, as recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, described her as dwelling on Jade Mountain, human in form, with a leopard's tail, tiger's fangs, a piercing cry, disheveled hair adorned with headdresses, governing heavenly calamities and the Five Wastes…

Only later, when incorporated into Daoist worship, did her form change.

This object must be extremely ancient.

Li Yan's heart tightened, then stirred with curiosity.

Why was the Queen Mother of the West's niche here?

The situation suggested it was not for worship, but for collection as a treasure…

As he pondered, the current pushed him closer.

Immediately, Li Yan's eyes flashed with surprise and delight; he turned to glance at the Dragon Girl's phantom and quickly bowed.

Just now, his Great Luo Dharma Body had sensed something.

Similar to the sensation he had felt when acquiring the Immortal Mountain Boshan Censer.

This was "Paradise Stone"!

Absorbed by the Great Luo Dharma Body, it could expand Luofeng Mountain through spirit retention.

Li Yan stared at the niche, his eyes filled with joy.

In the battle at the Shu Prince's Palace in Chengdu, he had extinguished one soul flame, leaving his Great Luo Dharma Body severely damaged and in dire need of absorbing celestial and terrestrial treasures to repair.

Chengdu offered nothing useful, so he had pinned his hopes on the Dragon Palace.

Unexpectedly, he had found something even better.

No wonder the Dragon Girl had come herself.

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

Without hesitation, Li Yan stepped forward and pressed his hand onto the niche…

As Li Yan claimed his treasure, others also found gains.

Wang Daoxuan drifted aimlessly, unable to control his body, but his temperament was good, and he remained calm.

When he drifted to a patch of sandy stones in a lake, he immediately saw numerous turtle shells, ancient beyond measure, nearly transformed into jade.

The Daoist's intuition guided him—he selected the finest specimens, one in each hand, and even bit another between his teeth.

At the other end, Sha Lifei was similarly flustered.

Amidst a coral thicket in a corridor, he coaxed open clam shells, plucking out pearl-sized gems, stuffing them into his mouth like a hamster.

In the paradise realm, their existence was purely spiritual; touching an object meant selecting a treasure—otherwise, they would have simply brought bags inside…

……

Before him, darkness faded, and Li Yan awoke from the dream.

He looked down—sure enough, the niche was in his hand.

The object resembled some kind of sandstone, yet was extraordinarily resilient, its carving style crude and bold, surely left by ancient ancestors.

Feeling the restless Great Luo Dharma Body, Li Yan grinned and quickly pulled out a red cloth, carefully covering the niche.

Expanding Luofeng Mountain required setting an array and visualizing the spirit.

Now was not the right time.

Looking across, Sha Lifei and Wang Daoxuan had also awakened.

Wang Daoxuan held three jade-colored turtle shells, stroking them gently, his eyebrows trembling with delight.

"Master Daoist, what are these?"

Sensing the aura on them, his Great Luo Dharma Body trembled again; Li Yan could not help but ask curiously.

"These are Xuan Yuan shells."

Wang Daoxuan smiled, stroking his beard: "Yuan means giant softshell turtle, a spirit-connected creature. The Zhou Li states: 'The Turtle Keeper oversees the six kinds of turtles—north, south, east, west, heaven, earth—to divine mountains and rivers with Xuan Yuan shells.'"

"Turtle Keeper? What kind of spirit is that?"

"Not a spirit. In ancient times, divination relied heavily on turtle shells; imperial courts employed specialists to capture and raise six sacred turtles—these were the Turtle Keepers."

"I once read in the Youxuan Record a tale: when Da Yu dredged the Min River, he slew the Xuan Yuan spirit causing havoc; its shell, long steeped in earth qi, had turned to jade—this is the Xuan Yuan shell."

This treasure is rare; it can be used to craft a Luo Pan that is impervious to disruptions from gangsha qi—the ultimate prize sought by all earth masters.

"I see."

Li Yan chuckled softly. "The Dragon Palace truly holds many treasures."

"Master Daoist, Master Daoist, look at this…"

Beside him, Sha Lifei spat out pearl after pearl, beaming with pride as he asked Wang Daoxuan to examine them.

Among them, only Wang Daoxuan had read widely and possessed profound knowledge, no less skilled than seasoned treasure appraisers.

"These are… Dust-Repelling Pearls."

Wang Daoxuan took one, examined it, and immediately discerned its nature.

He placed it on the ground, then scooped up some dust and sprinkled it—immediately, the dust scattered and swiftly settled around the pearl.

"We've hit the jackpot!"

Sha Lifei's face glowed red with joy. "Dust-Repelling Pearls—I've heard tea-house storytellers say they're priceless treasures."

Yet Wang Daoxuan shook his head and smiled: "Indeed priceless—but this item only repels a small patch of dust; the notion that it cleanses an entire room is an exaggeration by common folk."

"Cultivators look down on it, ordinary people can't afford it; only the wealthy and powerful covet it, so it can only be sold for silver."

"Huh?"

Hearing this, Sha Li Fei was stunned.

They entered the Dragon Palace to retrieve treasures for exchange at the Opening Vault Fair—if no cultivator wants them, they'll suffer a loss.

"No matter. Silver matters too."

Li Yan smiled and reassured him: "Whether Yan Jiuling or the Ministry of Works' Mo Family, both know plenty of wealthy people—we can entrust them to sell it. We're running low on silver ourselves."

"Fair enough. At least the thief didn't leave empty-handed."

Sha Li Fei sighed and turned his gaze aside.

"Huh? Why hasn't Lu San woken up yet?"

As they spoke, sudden gales erupted, thick fog churning violently above and below.

There, Lu San lay on his back, face ashen, gasping heavily; beside him stood a massive creature.

It was a half-man-tall iron rhinoceros, its lines ancient and simple, its back engraved with golden threads—barely discernible, yet unmistakably the Mountain and River Map from the *Yu Gong*.

No one knew its age, but its patina was thick, utterly free of rust; Li Yan could smell the strong metallic scent—it was at least spirit-iron, long infused by earth qi.

Sha Li Fei stared, dumbfounded, watching Lu San, now recovered and calmly playing with the little white fox. He said nothing, only gave a thumbs-up.

"Lu San is impressive."

Li Yan praised him, then turned and asked: "Master, I've heard of iron oxen suppressing floods—but this iron rhinoceros? Never seen one before. Do you recognize this treasure?"

Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard and pondered: "The *Huayang Guozhi* records that when Li Bing governed Shu, he cast five stone rhinoceroses to subdue water spirits. This iron rhinoceros may be related."

"No matter. We can ask someone after we reach the mountain."

Li Yan smiled faintly and turned toward the Dragon Girl Temple.

With his deep cultivation and enhanced spiritual powers, his ears twitched slightly—he could hear faint female chanting from within: "The Great Abyss vast, the Spirit Abyss boundless; the Jade Maiden holds the talisman, guarding the Great River. By the Command of Kan Palace, purify all ill fortune…"

Hou Xuan had become the temple's abbot, successfully settling in Chengdu; he daily chanted this scripture, known as the *Dragon Girl's Calming River Scripture*.

The River God Lord and the Dragon Girl are two aspects of one being.

Now that the River God Lord has perished,

the Dragon Girl has become the water deity of Shu.

Perhaps Shu will endure the coming calamity.

A cold wind blew; Li Yan gazed at the frigid, silent night sky.

This year, Shu's weather was abnormal: heavy snow in winter, still bitter cold after the Awakening of Insects; similar reports came from other regions—all growing colder.

Wang Daoxuan, seeing snow in Shu, had sensed a shift in celestial signs.

He was right; Li Yan now remembered what this was.

In his past life, this time had witnessed the Little Ice Age.

Back then, Shu experienced "winter thunder, snow in midsummer"; the Chengdu Plain saw "spring seedlings frozen, autumn harvests lost"; the Jialing River "froze three feet thick, boats unable to pass"…

Though history had changed since the end of the Song, calamities still arose.

Could this, too, be one of the transformations of human dao…?

………

Beneath Mount Qingcheng, the wind howled bitterly.

As a famed mountain and major center of the Daoist sects, Qingcheng had once thrived with pilgrims year-round.

But this year's abnormal weather left many mountain paths impassable; coupled with recent events in Chengdu, several pilgrimage groups had canceled their plans.

Yet the mountain path remained busy.

Cold mist cloaked the land, black and white in contrast.

A caravan of mules and carts struggled forward along the path.

Snow had melted, turning the road muddy; the carts' wheels creaked as they rolled, leaving deep ruts.

"Master, wasn't Shu supposed to be warm?"

A boy shivered, huddling in his clothes, complaining.

"If heaven wants it cold, I can't stop it."

On the carriage shaft sat an old Daoist, clad in green robe and black cloak, his back embroidered with the Eight Trigrams; his feet lifted off the ground, afraid of mud staining his brand-new cloth shoes.

He took down the gourd at his waist, drank several gulps, then sighed and sneered: "You insisted on coming. Staying in the sect would've been so comfortable—and now you're whining about suffering."

"I… I just wanted to broaden my horizons."

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

The old Daoist stroked his beard and nodded: "Though this journey is hardship, you won't come for nothing. Just now, a fellow Daoist said this year's Opening Vault Fair will be the largest in twenty years—every Daoist sect from north and south will come."

"All the academies of the True Orthodox Teaching: Doumu, Beichen, Zhengyi, Chunyang, Maoshan… all the ones you know will be here."

"Regional lineages too: Yu Huang, Hua Guang, Meishan, Tongtian, Red Lotus Sect, Lushan… no matter north or south, you'll recognize them all!"

"So many?"

The boy's eyes widened with excitement and shock. "But past Opening Vault Fairs weren't this lively."

"That was the past."

The old Daoist's smile vanished; he gazed toward the distance.

"Since the Song sealed this treasure vault, even ordinary spirit-wood here has become precious. No one wants to miss it."

"Second… these are troubled times."

"The court has opened the seas, introduced new firearms, faced rebellions in the southwest, and now… the Nine Tripods have appeared in Chengdu…"

He quickly fell silent.

The old Daoist came from Kunlun Sect—its name was grand, but it had long lost the divine splendor of legend; now it was barely a handful of disciples.

He came this time to trade the sect's jade for treasures.

What he wanted to say was the transformation of human dao.

Perhaps that was the true reason all Daoist sects had gathered…

At that moment, his ears twitched; he leapt down from the carriage shaft, heedless of mud ruining his shoes, and raised his hand sternly: "Stop! There's a fight ahead—go see who it is!"

"Yes, Master!"

A young Daoist ahead hurried off.

The boy beside him exclaimed: "Master, this is beneath Qingcheng Mountain—who would dare cause trouble here?"

The old Daoist shook his head: "Among Daoist sects, grudges abound—some are mortal enemies. Such things are inevitable…"

As he spoke, the scout returned, bowing:

"Report, Master: It's the Cult of the Dead. A man known as 'Night Crier' is dueling with the Tongtian Sect…"

(End of Chapter)