Chapter 220 Fragments of the Runes' Past.
True dragon!
Surprised, but even more horrified. The black dragon exhaled heavily and sternly rebuked her: "Nonsense! True dragons went extinct at the end of the ancient era. Kunlun Mountain has been desolate for many years, littered with the bones of cattle and sheep, and withered flowers and weeds. How could it possibly raise true dragons?"
Ice flowers bloomed all around. The two people beside her shuddered. Shen Lixia gritted her teeth, stood firm, her hair brushed by the icy mist, and dared not take a deep breath: "At least, judging from the aura, it is. A true dragon is arrogant and disdains to hide itself. Even the evil spirits, fish, and birds near the Great Swamp were intimidated. Although you are in seclusion, you should have noticed it, right?"
She noticed that the birds only stayed on the lake shore; as for the fish, someone at the market remarked that the number of fish caught recently had increased several times, with both fat and lean fish, which was quite strange.
Despite the rampant evil spirits at Tianchi, only Taiyin Temple remained safe and sound, and even had the resources to send reinforcements.
There's definitely something fishy going on.
Scales scraped against the ground, and a surge of blood energy rose suddenly. The dragon's head stretched towards her.
The same golden lamps, with their flames aligned in a straight line, reflected each other coldly.
The three behind were shivering from the cold.
Every second felt like an eternity. After an unknown amount of time, the black dragon finally released its grip and said calmly, "I'm recuperating, not dead."
She coiled herself up, closed her eyes, and blew a breath. The surrounding lights shone brightly, a clear blue glow. The dolls, now imbued with life, released their grip and straightened up.
"You're right, there's the aura of a true dragon in Kunlun Mountain. But even a dragon like me wouldn't live by eating humans. What's so good about humans? Only the lowest of demons like to eat them, so follow their example." She snorted disdainfully, "Why do you think the Taiyin Temple went all over Tianchi to stop the sacrifices? Wasn't it because I gave the order?"
Shen Lixia nodded, "I know you're just trying to scare us." She relaxed a little and smiled at the black dragon.
"Like you, I have some connection with the True Dragon. However, precisely because of this, I wish to borrow the sacred artifacts preserved by the Taiyin Temple for a look. The artifacts are precious, so I will do my best to help resolve this calamity. Is that a deal?"
The black dragon flicked its tail, nearly capsizing them with its gusts of wind and waves. "Nine Nether, take them there." She closed her eyes, and the lamp went out again, signaling the departure of the guests and the completion of the deal. Nine Nether understood and led the group away from the cold, eerie house, letting out a sigh of relief.
Shen Lixia was slightly surprised. Jiuyou hurriedly explained, "The Dragon Mother is very kind, but my mother—alas, she went to Kunlun Mountain and never came back. After that, the Dragon Mother took charge of the temple's affairs alone. She was just a great demon who was used to nature..."
Simmons interrupted her: "They don't seem bad. Hey, stop digging up dirt on your temple. We're not bad people, but we can't guarantee that future visitors won't be."
At first, she thought their relationship was merely about grooming a future successor. Great demons have extremely long lifespans and don't necessarily require a successor. But today, she saw that although the black dragon was ferocious, its concern for Jiuyou was genuine. Because its master was a dragon, the Taiyin Temple was often the subject of gossip—barbaric, vulgar, a small sect of unknown origin—daring to be on par with reputable sects like the Xihe Palace!
It's still prejudice after all.
"They showed me the sacred object so easily... I should have just let you come, instead of bothering her." Shen Lixia shook her head and smiled helplessly. "Aren't you afraid I'm lying?"
Jiuyou whispered, "I don't think you're bad. The believers favored by the true dragon all have eyes different from ordinary people, which can see through many illusions. Since the Dragon Mother believes in you, then I believe in you too. As for the sacred objects, those who are not destined to be with the true dragon cannot learn them."
"Is that so?" Shen Lixia suddenly took a step forward and stretched his hand out in front of her.
Her movements were so fast that the others couldn't react in time, and her posture startled Su Jiang behind her, causing her pupils to shrink. When Jiu You saw her suddenly cold golden eyes, she felt an immense sense of oppression and broke out in a cold sweat.
The fierce attack stopped beside Jiu You's hair and gently brushed it.
Shen Lixia stopped and smiled: "A leaf has fallen here. By the way, your black hair is perfect for a flower wreath. If we meet again next spring, I'll make one for you."
Jiuyou was stunned for a long time, then nodded, still feeling lingering fear: "...Okay."
The sacred artifact was stored in the basement of the library within the temple. The Taiyin Temple was renowned for its mastery of Qimen Dunjia (a form of divination), and the layout of its buildings perfectly conformed to feng shui principles. Jiuyou told them not to look, then proceeded to create several leaf figures and stone figures to break the formation. The mechanism clicked, producing a deafening roar. Shen Lixia and the others turned around to see a dark path leading directly underground.
Ancient murals are hidden in swirling white smoke, and a faint fragrance wafts through the air. In the hazy light, it seems that real dragons and divine birds in the paintings are swallowing clouds and playing in the water.
One by one, the lights came on.
As the scenery shifts, Yinglong battles a fierce beast, a five-clawed golden dragon brings rain and thunder, and the Taiyin Lord guides all living beings... After the story ends, the view ahead suddenly opens up, exuding an eerie and desolate atmosphere, like undried tree bark quietly rotting underground.
Simmons suddenly nudged Shen Lixia's shoulder and murmured, "She's crying." Shen Lixia turned her head and saw the scene she was pointing to, her heart aching.
As the dragon's shadow faded, Shen Lixia turned her head and asked, "Ninth Miss, I just saw the story of 'Rain Master' on the mural." She wasn't very good at reading murals, but she intuitively felt that something was different... What was different? This story should have a happy ending, but why was there a sorrowful tear falling in the mural that flashed by?
She didn't know why she was so sentimental, but seeing the characters in the story shedding tears, she also shed tears.
“Huh? That… the Rain Master is sad.” Jiuyou replied, “You can’t read the ancient books stored here. But there are some contents that are different from the folk legends, so we can talk about them. Do you remember the Biyue birds that brought down pale heavenly fire during the Grand Competition? The Rain Master is one of their kind.”
"Originally, she was a beautiful divine bird, named for her beauty that could eclipse the moon, but it seemed to have offended the heavens and was banished. Perhaps she is weeping for this."
Those few words contained boundless sorrow. Shen Lixia pressed, "How did you offend Heaven?"
"I don't know. The ancient text fragments only say, 'The moon hides itself, the moon is ashamed. In the past, its golden feathers shone brightly, and the moon was ashamed and hid. Later, it was advised against it—why? Why!' Since it was a divine bird that accompanied the true dragon, it must have betrayed the true dragon."
Jiuyou chanted in a rambling, mystical manner, while Shen Lixia curled her fingertips, trembling, and from the repeated "why" in the last two sentences, she inexplicably recalled a questioning tone. It seemed very familiar to her, because someone must have asked and argued like that before, for those poor birds.
"Speaking of which, that batch of fragments was actually sold to a conman by sheer luck, how tragic. Sigh, is it really true or not? Anyway, it overlaps with some of the legends. If you don't believe me, just take it as a story..."
"May I take a look at those fragments?"
Jiuyou was in a dilemma: "I already said we can't look at it. Is there something important? Although it's so complicated that it can't be called official history, it's still very fragile."
Shen Lixia asked firmly, "Are all the words on it written by the same person?"
Jiuyou shook his head: "I don't know about that. However, when I was copying it, it did look very similar. Since you're so curious, I might as well recite the entire contents of the fragment to you?"
She chuckled awkwardly, finding it absurd. Unexpectedly, Shen Lixia's eyes lit up, and he shook her hand expectantly: "If you're willing, that would be wonderful!"
A bead of sweat the size of a bean appeared on Jiuyou's forehead. Her gaze wandered, and it took her a while to realize that this person was serious. She could only clear her throat and recite softly: "I raised a mountain here, spread rain and sowed seeds. Trees grew, grass grew, and flowers filled the fields. Then I used a great fog to separate the mountain from the ground. From then on, Kunlun was formed. It is my homeland and the homeland of my creations."
"Lingguang said that it would be too lonely to have only dragons and a few hundred insects. Later, she brought divine birds. These children, just like when she was first born, had fallen feathers and could not open their eyes... They were so pitiful."
The boy scratched the tip of his nose and coughed twice: "Perhaps it was recorded by some god, though it seems more like a fabrication. Later the record was broken, and one fragment was soaked beyond recognition, with only one sentence remaining."
She didn't keep him in suspense and continued, "It said on it—'Aying, run! Jiang Ning has betrayed us.'"
Among the crowd who listened and spoke in a daze, Shen Lixia was struck dumb, frozen in place. She stared blankly, as if repeatedly rubbing the last few words, her pupils trembling.
Jiang Ning... Jiang Ning. Who is she? Her memories are so chaotic, even her dreams are unreal, she can't distinguish between reality and illusion. Whose name? Right, when they hatched—but back then, they clearly didn't have names!
But those two unfamiliar names must correspond to two other people. Si Yue is the elder sister, and Jiang Ning and Yin Xuan must be either the Supervisor of Soldiers or the Xuanming Lord.
Most importantly, the one they once considered their only true friend in the world betrayed them.
Even if she forgot much, she could never completely bury this separation at the bottom of the Luo River. Yes, these were the words the Moon Goddess hadn't conveyed; after saying them, she probably disappeared without a trace. She searched for her a thousand times, turning the entire celestial realm upside down. For a long, long time.
At that time, they only thought that the separation was temporary.
The increasingly vivid memories drew closer to the past, buried deep in the years. Shen Lixia took a deep breath, her pale face drawing concern from the others. Xi Mengsi came over, took her hand, and whispered, "Daydreaming? Wake up, you're not the person you used to be."
Don't let the waves of past sorrows overwhelm you. Shen Lixia seemed to be pulled by her words, coughing twice, then suddenly pulling her hand to her lips, violently vomiting blood. Xi Mengsi quickly caught her.
Jiuyou was terrified, probably never imagining that a passage he knew by heart could kill someone. He hurriedly checked her for injuries. Shen Lixia suppressed her breathing and waved her hand.
She wiped away the bloodstains and said wearily, "It's nothing. Let me see the most important sacred object."
The array was broken, and the sacred object, preserved in a sturdy, dark wooden box in the center, slowly came into view. Jiuyou carefully presented it.
"Slowly and gradually transfer the spiritual energy into it."
Shen Lixia did as she was told. Golden light flowed, winding into fine, shimmering rays. Runes surged into her sea of consciousness, gradually drawing her into a warm ocean.
She finally understood why "those who are not destined to be with the true dragon cannot learn it." From the lowest speck of dust to a supreme god who looks down upon all things. This supreme god, who alone possessed this authority, bestowed it upon his descendants and upon the women of the world.
These are runes that create life.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com