Chapter 225: Water and Marsh Qi Rushes Fiercely

The city’s inhabitants, having just heard the distant roar and now witnessing the sudden onset of dark, rolling clouds, lightning, and thunder, felt a pang of fear. A bustling discussion erupted among the many people gathered in front of the City God Temple.

“What’s going on? It was perfectly clear just a moment ago…”

“Hey, did anyone else hear that sound from the sky, besides the thunder?”

“I heard it, I heard it, it sounded like someone!” “Exactly, like an old ox bellowing in pain. It was terrifying!”

“You’re right, I got goosebumps!”

“Did you see that cloud earlier?” “Yeah, it looked like something falling from the sky.”

“Do you think it could be a dragon?” “Hey, you shouldn’t just blurt out things like that!”

As they spoke, a sudden, explosive crack of thunder directly overhead startled the entire crowd.

“It’s going to rain, we should hurry back.” “Yes, yes, definitely!”

“Come on, let’s go. I’m heading home too.”

Throughout the city, people noticeably quickened their pace, with some simply seeking shelter in teahouses and restaurants, given how rapidly the weather had changed.

Whoosh… whoosh… whoosh…

Ji Yuan and the City God of Lishun Prefecture had been gazing into the distance for only a short while, but already, gusts of dark wind swept through the area. The visitors who had been leisurely playing by the river outside the temple had all scattered.

Ji Yuan looked down at the nearby small river; beside a willow tree, a kite lay abandoned, clearly dropped by someone in a hasty departure. The north wind now tossed it back and forth.

Meanwhile, the City God of Lishun Prefecture continued to observe the sky, his gaze fixed northward towards Guangdong Lake. For quite some time, he hadn’t heard the dragon’s roar again.

“A vast amount of marsh essence is emanating, drawing in dark clouds and heavenly thunder. Mr. Ji, should we go to Guangdong Lake to investigate?”

After a moment of anxious silence, City God Li was the first to speak, proposing this idea to Ji Yuan.

“That was precisely my intention!”

Ji Yuan, at this moment, also withdrew his gaze from his observation. With his Dharma Eye fully open, he could see the distant marsh qi billowing upwards as if a floodgate had been opened.

The reason the dragon’s falling silhouette had appeared cloud-like was precisely due to the frantic outward release of marsh qi, which enveloped the descending dragon. Similarly, the current rapid spread of the dark clouds was also directly related to this phenomenon.

While Ji Yuan was indeed curious about what the City God of Lishun Prefecture had just mentioned, there were more pressing matters. The immediate priority was, naturally, to proceed to Guangdong Lake.

“Let’s go!”

Ji Yuan leaped, ascending high into the sky, harnessing the surrounding gale to propel himself forward. City God Li, in his black robe, transformed into a streak of rainbow light and flew alongside Ji Yuan.

Even in such a situation, speed wasn’t the sole priority. As they flew, the man and the spirit-god focused their energy on observation, keeping a constant watch on the specific part of the sky where the dragon’s silhouette had descended.

Initially, it appeared to descend from the highest reaches of the heavens, only later losing its stability, plummeting after its roars and bellows.

The dark clouds in the sky pressed lower and lower, with lightning flickering through them. Ji Yuan and the City God flew as if directly beneath this dark canopy, as though they could be struck by a lightning bolt at any instant.

Guangdong Lake was, of course, mentioned in the *Comprehensive Records of One Hundred Prefectures*, a text Ji Yuan had perused. It was one of the four great lakes within Dazhen, a vast body of water connected to several major rivers. Its exact depth was undocumented, and it was commonly referred to as the “Hundred-Li Guangdong Lake.”

In truth, Guangdong Lake did not solely belong to Lishun Prefecture; it bordered three prefectural territories. However, a larger portion of the lake lay within Lishun Prefecture. Thus, while the residents of the bordering areas remained under the jurisdiction of their respective prefectures, Guangdong Lake was nominally attributed to Lishun Prefecture.

There were no major counties on that side of the lake. Given the confirmation of a spirit-demon’s presence, the City God of Lishun Prefecture was duty-bound to investigate. This situation was also not suitable for dispatching a Day-Patrolling God. Having Mr. Ji, a hidden immortal of Dazhen, by his side provided significant reassurance.

Ji Yuan’s brows remained furrowed as he rode the wind. Flood dragons were generally not considered minor demons, especially in Dazhen, where they were influential figures among aquatic creatures. Moreover, the dragon-jiao species within Dazhen were quite law-abiding due to the presence and strictures of the True Dragon Ying Hong. This incident was no minor matter, and having a Prefectural City God to investigate alongside him, offering both experience and confidence, made Ji Yuan feel significantly more assured.

In the rear quarters of the Lishun Prefectural Yamen, Yin Zhaoxian rushed through the garden and corridors, heading urgently towards the guesthouse, trailed by an attendant and a household servant.

Before he even reached the guesthouse, his voice preceded him.

“Mr. Ji… Mr. Ji… I have a matter to consult you about! Mr. Ji…”

The three arrived outside the guesthouse in quick succession, only to find the door closed.

“Knock, knock, knock…” “Mr. Ji, I have a matter to consult you about!”

“Knock, knock, knock…” “Is Mr. Ji resting? Yin Zhaoxian is here to visit!”

“Knock, knock… creak…”

Yin Zhaoxian knocked a bit harder, and the door unexpectedly swung open. It turned out it hadn’t been bolted from the inside.

He peered inside: the tables, chairs, and desk were clear of clutter, and the bedding on the couch was neatly arranged. There was no sign of Ji Yuan.

Yin Zhaoxian turned, frowning at the servant in charge of the guesthouse.

“Didn’t you say Mr. Ji was in the guesthouse? Why is he not here? When did he leave?”

The servant, who had also been peering inside, scratched his head in confusion upon hearing Yin Zhaoxian’s question, clearly bewildered.

“Uh… My lord, Mr. Ji was indeed here earlier. I’ve been in the outer garden the whole time, and I didn’t see him leave…”

Alongside Yin Zhaoxian, the attendant in official uniform cast a stern gaze at the servant.

“Were you napping, or are you simply derelict in your duty and lying to His Honor?”

“Oh, good heavens, My Lord, this is the first time in ages you’ve had a guest stay overnight, and everyone’s talking about how extraordinary Mr. Ji is! How could I possibly be negligent? Besides, the person tidying the courtyard with me didn’t see Mr. Ji leave either!”

Yin Zhaoxian looked thoughtfully at the rolling thunderclouds, then waved his hand.

“Alright, let’s drop this matter. Just inform me when Mr. Ji returns.”

Yin Zhaoxian had actually come to inquire about the sudden incident that had just occurred. Possessing a profound aura of noble righteousness, his sensitivity to the dragon’s sound and silhouette in the sky was far greater than that of ordinary folk. Having also encountered supernatural occurrences before, his immediate thought was to consult his friend.

Now, however, it seemed Mr. Ji must have departed immediately to investigate the moment he heard the sound.

As for why the servants didn’t see him leave, how could mere mortals witness an immortal’s departure if they chose to conceal it?

Rumble… rumble rumble…

Lightning flashed, momentarily illuminating the earth.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

A deluge of rain instantly poured down. Within a few breaths, the dry, dusty ground transformed, as if countless white pearls were bouncing upon it. The suddenness and sheer volume of the rainfall were unprecedented since the beginning of spring this year.

Approximately fifteen minutes earlier, in Shuangguoqiao Village, located about thirty *li* south of Guangdong Lake, the villagers had been busy with their daily work.

Suddenly, a peal of thunder exploded overhead.

“Oh, heavens!” “You scared me…”

“A sudden thunderclap on a perfectly clear day?”

“Hey, hey, the sky’s gone dark!” “Look, look, the clouds in the sky…”

“Gasp…”

This startling peal of thunder frightened nearly everyone in the village, young and old alike, due to its sheer suddenness. But as they looked up, they noticed the clouds in the sky seemed to “grow” continuously, as if by magic.

“Roar…”

The dragon’s roar echoed distantly; though intertwined with the thunder, it possessed a unique strangeness that made many villagers exchange bewildered glances.

“Moo… Moo… Roar…”

The dragon-beast’s cries and pained roars continuously echoed through the sky, causing the villagers to gradually break out in goosebumps from sheer terror.

“What are you just standing there for? Gather everything! Gather everything!” “Yes, yes, yes…”

Seeing the rain clouds grow larger and press lower, villagers from every household quickly rushed to gather their drying items. The main threshing ground at the village entrance became a scene of utter chaos, with large bamboo sieves, silkworm beds, crops, and clothes all needing to be hastily put away.

“Look up! Quick, look at the sky!”

Someone in the village shrieked, their voice laced with extreme alarm. Subsequently, others dramatically echoed shouts of “Look at the sky!” prompting many villagers to raise their gaze once more.

At this very moment, a “long cloud” within the heavens appeared to tear through the cloud layer and fall downwards. As it descended, an endless, smoke-like cloud seemed to continuously “grow” from it, causing this elongated “cloud shadow” to plummet from the sky, carving a vertical wall of trailing cloud that steadily approached the ground.

“Hey, hey, hey, why does that cloud look so much like a dragon?”

“It does look a bit like one…” “Oh no, oh no, it’s getting lower!”

“It’s falling! It’s going to crash!”

“Run! Something’s falling!”

“Forget about the things on the drying racks, just run!”

“Run!”

“Ahhh!”

The villagers at the main threshing ground at the village entrance scattered in a panicked frenzy, instinctively sprinting towards their homes.

Whoosh… whoosh… whoosh…

As the “cloud shadow” descended, a fierce wind tore through the air, accompanying the deluge that poured onto the earth. Faintly, a low, bellowing sound like an ox could still be heard.

Many villagers instinctively glanced up at the sky as they ran, and then, in one terrifying moment, the dragon-shaped cloud shadow struck the ground.

“Boom!”

As if an earth dragon had stirred, the ground shook violently and incessantly. Many villagers who hadn’t run far enough were violently thrown to the ground, and countless others felt their footing give way beneath them.

Then, an even more powerful surge of air swept through.

Whoosh… whoosh… whoosh! Many who had managed to remain standing were directly knocked to the ground by this shockwave of air. The roofs of numerous houses near the main threshing ground rattled incessantly, clattering as if on the verge of being ripped away.

Amidst this frantic gale, many could only crouch, shielding their heads. Fortunately, it arrived as quickly as it dissipated.

Subsequently, at the threshing ground at the entrance of Shuangguoqiao Village, it was as if a lightless inferno had ignited. Rolling streams of energy erupted outwards like thick smoke from a fire, surging towards the sky and rapidly engulfing the entire village and its vicinity.

The sunlight in the sky was now completely obscured. Endless dark clouds, accompanied by continuous rumbling thunder, swiftly spread across the skies above Lishun Prefecture.

The villagers of Shuangguoqiao Village now felt as if they were enveloped in a dense fog, unable to see their own hands. After scrambling to their feet in a panic, they could only cautiously shuffle towards the nearest homes, finding a moment of relief only once safely inside.

Rumble… rumble rumble rumble… crackle! Rumble!

The thunder and the terrifying atmosphere made the villagers tremble with fright.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Amidst the oppressive gloom, the torrential downpour finally began. Surprisingly, this brought an inexplicable sense of relief to the villagers.