"Yes, and its decline has been alarmingly severe. The Bone Elder Association has spent generations trying to solve the mystery of the Ancestor Dragon’s weakening in Mingjiang Prefecture, but to no avail."
"Mingjiang Prefecture is truly strange."
"Very strange." The Painter also acknowledged the odd nature of Mingjiang Prefecture. He pointed skyward with his hand and said, "Young Master, Mingjiang Prefecture was once exceptionally fortunate. At its peak, there were six Gods in the Heavenly Dome above, and we were the only state among the nine prefectures of Jing Country to have two Heavenly Gods."
One Mingjiang Prefecture produced two Heavenly Gods.
Zhou Xuan, with his understanding, had quite a bit to say on the matter. The connection between Heavenly Gods and Ancestor Trees was extraordinarily close.
Where there are Heavenly Gods, there are Ancestor Trees.
Zhou Xuan’s tattoo was taught by the Peach Blossom Ancestor Tree—Monk Zhu Jiu recognized in the Totem Hall of the Wash Away Injustice Talisman, there was an Ancestor Tree.
This Ancestor Tree had never revealed its true form, but since it understood tattoos, it must have once been the Peach Blossom Ancestor Tree worshipped by the Tattoo Tree Clan.
With the Peach Blossom Ancestor Tree in Mingjiang Prefecture, the Dream Realm Heavenly God was born here.
And now, hanging in the skies above Mingjiang Prefecture, there remains only one Heavenly God’s Fire, that of the "God of Suffering and Calamity."
Mingjiang Prefecture indeed has two Heavenly Gods: the Dream Realm Heavenly God and the God of Suffering and Calamity.
The Painter shook his head and said, "Two Heavenly Gods, two Ancestor Trees, and now not even one Ancestor Tree can be found. Mingjiang Prefecture is far from what it once was."
How could not a single one be found? One of them is still my tattoo master.
Zhou Xuan did not reveal the whereabouts of the Peach Blossom Ancestor Tree but pivoted the conversation toward a more gossip-like topic.
He asked, "In Jing Country’s nine prefectures, if Mingjiang Prefecture has two Heavenly Gods, there must be one prefecture without any Heavenly Gods, right?"
"Snow Mountain Prefecture has no Heavenly Gods."
Snow Mountain Prefecture isn’t doing so well, huh? Zhou Xuan thought quietly.
"But Snow Mountain Prefecture has an Ancient Buddha." The Painter reminded him.
Zhou Xuan then recalled that the Ancient Buddha had descended upon the Reincarnation Snow Mountain in Snow Mountain Prefecture.
"Mingjiang Prefecture, now birthing two Evil Gods, with its Ancestor Dragon in decline and two Ancestor Trees vanished. If the Heavenly God’s Fire cannot be properly sustained, Mingjiang Prefecture might be the first state to descend into an era of chaos."
Upon hearing the talk of chaos, Zhou Xuan grew intrigued.
His sister had spoken of it before; their grandfather had once performed a prediction, foreseeing the arrival of chaos.
Yun Ziliang had also mentioned that chaos would descend in the near future.
And now, with the Painter bringing up chaos again,
Zhou Xuan was eager to learn what this so-called era of chaos entailed.
"Take our Mingjiang Prefecture as an example. ’Peng Hou,’ ’Shui Yong,’ ’Ghost Hand,’ ’Heavenly Official,’ and ’Queen,’ the five Heavenly Vault God-level beings, joined forces to make a prediction and saw the apocalyptic vision of Mingjiang Prefecture.
During that apocalypse, Mingjiang Prefecture was engulfed by massive floods, and an enormous Evil Ghost rampaged, feasting on people. Millions of civilians were devoured by it. This is chaos. The timing of chaos is uncertain—it could erupt tomorrow or a hundred years from now."
The Painter, knowing the horrific sights of Mingjiang Prefecture during its era of chaos, felt intense unease when the Heavenly God’s Fire was ignited.
It must be said, as the Painter and Zhou Xuan were discussing striking topics like the state of Mingjiang Prefecture’s Ancestor Dragon and chaotic visions,
Yun Ziliang, who was usually interested in joining such conversations, remained unusually quiet, not uttering a single word, which Zhou Xuan found highly unusual.
When the car arrived at the parking lot of Kangfeng Inn, Zhou Xuan secretly asked Yun Ziliang,
"Lao Yun, what’s up with you today? Such lively topics, and yet you’re not joining in."
"Can’t speak on it recklessly. They say—’Secrets of the heavens must not be revealed.’ Talk too much about heavenly mechanisms, and you’ll pay the price."
Yun Ziliang had never forgotten how Hidden Dragon Mountain invoked ’divine retribution.’
"You’re quite cautious." Zhou Xuan closed the car door and walked toward Kangsheng Inn, where he was immediately greeted by a rancid stench,
similar to the vomit of a heavily intoxicated person but many times more pungent. Such was the odor emanating from Kangfeng Inn.
Li Chengfeng lit the Wind Lamp and handed it to Zhou Xuan.
Raising the Wind Lamp, Zhou Xuan saw that the inn’s door panel was battered and scarred, resembling wood soaked in water for decades before being salvaged.
"Was it when you came previously?" Zhou Xuan asked Li Chengfeng.
Li Chengfeng shook his head and said, "When we came, the inn was quite presentable."
"Sigh, the fifth Dragon-locking Cave has fallen victim to Hunger."
Zhou Xuan couldn’t even be bothered to push open the door. He kicked the rotting panel to pieces and strode straight into the inn.
"Wait outside for me. Without my permission, no one is to enter this inn."
Carrying the Wind Lamp, Zhou Xuan planned to head directly to the second floor. But where the lamp’s glow reached, the staircase planks appeared terribly decayed—one misstep might cause them to collapse.
The stairs couldn’t bear weight, but Zhou Xuan had other methods. He clasped the Divine Armor, which glimmered with Golden Light, and his figure instantly appeared on the second floor.
Holding the lantern high, he scanned his surroundings. There wasn’t a single shadow in sight. Without hesitation, he pulled out the Wash Away Injustice Talisman and entered the temporal rift of an hour prior...