ore curved now than before. It used to be flat, but now it looks like a small hill."Only now can you see..." He patted his abdomen with the back of his hand, pulling me up to sit beside him."...Rise c...Walking into a dragon is a legend in mythology. Snakes become dragons after five hundred years, and dragons become dragons after a millennium of tribulation.

But this is just a rumor. In our common understanding, humans are born with Yin and Yang Qi, three souls and seven spirits, a spiritual body and a Taoist body. For cultivating Taoism, this is already a unique advantage.

Cultivating the Way of a different being is much harder than cultivating the Way as a human.

Humans cultivate the Dao by refining their essence into Qi, Qi into spirit, and spirit back into the void. Immortals revere gods as a manifestation of yang qi returning to heaven.

While different lineages of cultivation require unique methods, this one necessitates the transformation of yin to yang. Practitioners must endure the tribulation of scorching Yang Qi, a fiery energy born from lightning strikes. If successful in weathering the storm, their essence will be transformed, achieving true power. However, failure means that centuries or even millennia spent cultivating would be nothing but a fleeting dream.

Snakes are cold-blooded creatures with a yin nature. Occasionally, one hears tales of large snakes being struck by lightning in the mountains or of water dragons appearing after floods in the south.

Most of these rumors are not really about snakes turning into dragons... Most of the time, a snake remains a snake. Even if a practitioner cultivates diligently and becomes a willow fairy, the possibility of it ultimately transforming into a dragon is still extremely low.

And this imperial capital, since ancient times, water resources have always been important assets. It is rare for there to be floods or heavy rains, so how could there be such a thing as a "water serpent" emerging

The old abbot listened to my question, opened his eyes and looked at me, nodding. "Young friend, you truly have a natural heart for the Dao. Your conversation and mannerisms reveal that both of you are enlightened individuals. This young friend is clear and open to the worldly affairs, while you have attained clarity and understanding in your practice."

I smiled. I really was cultivating... Spending time with Jiang Qiyun, he didn't spare me his Taoist teachings.

He said, “If you want to talk about the supernatural aspects of this walking dragon incident, it’s like showing off amateur skills in front of experts. This old monk believes that there have indeed been cases of dragons transformed from walking dragons over the past few thousand years, but this place is not a blessed land... instead, it's filled with heavy negative energy.”

"Then why did you say it was a dragon that went away" I looked at him in confusion.

The old abbot nodded and said, "You two young friends are from the south, so you probably don't know that there are dragons dwelling under this capital city"

“An underground river” My brother reacted.

The old abbot nodded and said, "Yes, I reckon these skulls were buried in a place where there was an underground river tributary. Then... I don't know when, the underground river dried up or changed course...And what's even more horrifying, you two probably can't imagine this, but these heads were pierced through the eye sockets by iron chains and all locked together on a single chain!"

"Ah!"

Why is this happening!

I know war can't be about humanity, but... what's the point of all this effort

"Have you two ever heard of the story of the Dragon-Locking Well in the Imperial City"

"Heard about it Everyone in this circle has. The higher-ups know exactly what's going on, they intentionally spread rumors among the people to keep them in awe." My brother said with a sneer.

This well is the wisdom of our ancestors. In those days, without scientific instruments for exploration, they could find the well by using feng shui geomancy to locate the well and open the well mouth, connecting it to the underground river.

But the destination of the underground river is unknown. To prevent flooding or a break in the water flow, a method called "iron chain blockage" is used to control the river's volume and speed.

A chain of unknown length was simply thrown into the well and piled up in the dark river. During the Japanese occupation, they believed there were treasures beneath, so they forced the people to pull up the chains. However, after pulling for a long time, they couldn't finish pulling up the entire chain.

Moreover, black water with a stench rose from the well, accompanied by rumbling noises. Coupled with local folklore, this frightened the Japanese invaders and they threw the chains back in.

This is a crystallization of wisdom, and even now many people believe that the dragon well in the imperial capital has a dragon suppressed beneath it.

The higher-ups know the secret, but they aren't putting much effort into explaining it.

These heads were dragged out of a semi-dried cave, probably because someone needed to fill a pit but didn't have time to carefully build a long enough rope. They strung together hundreds of heads to use as filler instead.

Then what When that executive's son developed the project, did he bring up this string of garlic braids with heads on them Did he think properly burying the heads would be enough The result is these heads spent too long in the place of evil spirits and became charged with energy, flying around everywhere” My brother asked.

The old monk nodded.

"Then why do you say this is not something a mortal mage could solve" I pressed.

"A mortal sorcerer can see yin and yang, yet they cannot easily summon a deity's aid..."

The old monk glanced at me: "I didn't directly recommend Miss Mu. I just suggested to that high-ranking official's son to hire a Taoist priest who can navigate both the yin and yang... Now, there are fewer and fewer Taoist priests with such abilities in our circle. Even if no one introduced them, he would eventually find the Mu family or the Shen family."

"Why choose us... aren't there others who can walk between the realms" I frowned.

The old monk sighed: "Friend Mu, your identity is extraordinary... You were able to summon those ghost messengers outside the mountain gate just now, so you should also be able to call upon other deities!"

"Who are you going to invite The Seven Lords and Eight Lords" I looked at the old monk in confusion.

The old monk endured it, seeming unwilling to reveal heavenly secrets and shorten his lifespan. He only said, “You can ask around among the gods in the underworld. There are some minor deities who specialize in dealing with such unruly individuals...”

This burden was really pushed to completion, this old monk is also a shrewd person.

As the old monk said, walking dragons refer to a situation where underground water sources have dried up or changed course. These head statues, having lost their purpose, become spirits in the cold and damp riverbeds.

I walked to the back mountain gate of the temple and summoned the Seven and Eight Earth Gods. The two of them argued all the way, as if Eight Earth God was complaining that Seven Earth God had been pushing things onto him.

"Old Eight~~Right now there are mountains of trouble piling up in the Heavenly Emperor's Hall, I don't have time to be dealing with binding souls, you're gonna have to do this for me~~ Just wait until the Emperor returns from the Illusory Realm, then I'll treat you to a drink."

"Drink your head off! You get drunk and sleep for eternity! It's not like I have to go to work!" Eighth Master said angrily.

I understand the Eighth Master. Being stuck with such a good-for-nothing brother like the Seventh Master, he must be really hardworking. Who told him to be so honest

"Little Empress, what do you summon us for This old monk's territory is still relatively safe~ Could it be that a bald donkey has bullied you" Bai WuChang smiled and bent down to look at me.

He leaned in close to me, and I instinctively tilted my head back to avoid him.

"Seven Lords... I want to ask, among the deities of the underworld, who can deal with the Man-headed Beast"

Bai Wuchang was stunned for a moment, then broke into a wicked grin: "Of course there is... but we can't ask him to come... why don't you, Little Lady, personally invite him to the underworld Hehehe..."

Personally.

Go to the underworld

Have to go back to the Qinghua Changle Realm to jump that white, gloomy and dark Nethersea again, enjoying a ride on an underwater roller coaster and then falling into the Blood Pool Hellnstead, they used gu arts to treat some minor ailments common among the mountain people.But we dare not be complacent, planning to set off early the next day.When my brother came back from the Lin's,...