The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 197 Cloud Movement
With his lips twitching uncontrollably, he suddenly looked at the many ancestral tablets enshrined in his family's ancestral hall.

How did my excellent situation come to this?
-
After giving a self-deprecating laugh, Du Yuan, who was standing on the hilltop, walked down the ravine and came to the ruins of the altar.

He picked up a few fragments and examined them, only to find that not only could he not discern anything, but he also felt that the energy in the room was in complete chaos.

Seeing this, Du Yuan suddenly realized:

"Looks like this guy has erased all traces of himself!"

The largest of these fragments was no bigger than a thumb; they were shattered beyond recognition, leaving no trace whatsoever. Furthermore, the energy within the area was in complete chaos.

He was probably afraid that these clues would lead him to his exact location.

He simply didn't realize that he wasn't an old man like them at all.

I don't have any good way to find out the past by observing the subtle signs.
It could be said that he was being completely presumptuous and making a pointless, self-serving move.

After laughing, Du Yuan walked towards the center of the place, which was the Dragon Locking Well.

Before long, Du Yuan saw the extremely conspicuous Dragon Locking Well in the mountains.

It is made entirely of jade and covered with strange patterns.

The most eye-catching feature is the long bronze chain, covered in copper rust, that is embedded in the jade and extends straight to the bottom of the well.

The moment Du Yuan saw this thing, its name immediately came to mind—the Dragon-Locking Well!

There's no other way; the combination of a wellhead and an iron chain is truly unique!
The stories generally tell of a place where an evil dragon caused floods and droughts, leading to a wise person who subdued the dragon and chained it to a well to suppress evil and ensure peace in the area.

It is also said that if the iron chain in the well is pulled, strange phenomena such as the well water churning and the dragon roaring incessantly will occur.

However, some people say that they will not hear strange noises, but will find that the iron chain is endless.

So what is this here?

Driven by curiosity, Du Yuan approached the well.

At first glance, it appears incredibly deep and dark, with no end in sight.

After turning her gaze away, Du Yuan looked out over the desolate wilderness.

Three years of severe drought have passed, and yet here lies a well that is suspected to be a dragon-locking well.

Could it be that this prolonged drought in the southwest is truly inextricably linked to this well?
This idea seemed reasonable, but a sense of unease lingered in Du Yuan's heart—she felt that a mere Dragon-Locking Well didn't seem to bear such weight. Moreover, it wasn't even certain whether this well was truly a Dragon-Locking Well.

After a moment of contemplation, he suppressed his chaotic thoughts and turned his gaze back to the well.

Although it is still uncertain whether the well is related to the severe drought in the southwest, there is one thing that Du Yuan has been thinking about for a long time—that is to pull the copper chain!
Ever since he learned of the legend of the Locked Dragon Well, he had always wanted to pull the chain that was said to lock the dragon, but unfortunately he had never had the chance to see it before.

Although there are no iron chains in front of us now, and the authenticity of this well is highly questionable, it shouldn't be a big problem to just have a go at it.

Unable to resist the urge, Du Yuan reached out and grabbed the thick copper chain, exerting force to pull it upwards.

But it was this exertion that made Du Yuan realize something was wrong.

It's not too heavy, it's too light!

It was so light, it felt like you were holding a feather instead of a copper chain!

He pulled it up with ease.

At the very moment the copper chain was pulled, the surrounding wind suddenly changed.

A few wisps of coolness swept across the ground, and when Du Yuan looked up, she found that the sky above her had darkened slightly.

Could it really work?!
Startled, Du Yuan pulled the copper chain up by half a foot with a little force.

In an instant, the hot wind shifted, bringing with it a humid and damp atmosphere. The clouds on the horizon also grew wildly from this point, instantly darkening half of the sky.

Even the copper chain in her hand gradually became heavy, carrying a sluggish pulling sensation. Seeing this, Du Yuan took a deep breath and prepared to continue.

The other immortals and gods in the southwest of Touzi also looked over at this moment.

"Huh, water transport is picking up again? What's going on?"

"Oh no, it's that Daoist who refined the pills last time!"

"What is he doing? Wait, what's with that well?!"

A great calamity struck, and the world underwent a dramatic change.

By now, everything they were familiar with has long since disappeared.

Therefore, even if something is something that has been widely known before is placed in front of you, many people will not recognize it unless they have actually seen it before.

Du Yuan continued to pull on the copper chain in his hand. With each pull, thunder rumbled overhead, shaking the earth. The wispy clouds that had initially covered only a small part of the sky had now transformed into thick, churning leaden clouds.

At this moment, countless disaster victims, rebel soldiers, and government troops in the southwest looked in disbelief at the dark thunderclouds that were constantly sweeping over the mountains.

"God has opened his eyes!"

"It is going to rain!"

"The Dragon King has finally come to bring rain!"

Countless disaster victims wept with joy.

The many immortals and gods finally recognized the origin of the well, and thus their expressions changed drastically.

"Is he insane? Has this Taoist priest gone mad? He previously killed a righteous god and offended the Confucian Temple! Now he's going to offend the God of the Sun?"

"Damn it, no wonder he's a deity from three religions, he's playing a much bigger game than us!"

"This well is actually in the southwest?!"

Inside the water fortress, Zhang Kui did not look at the thick thunderclouds sweeping in from the horizon, but instead focused intently on the Wulin River, which was blocked by the dam.

Despite the strong winds all around, the river remained calm and still.

How strange, how strange!

Before I could think further, I suddenly heard my teacher say behind me:
"Dragons belong to the water element and have the ability to control clouds and rain, which is also their duty. In the past, everyone knew that if there was a great storm but the rivers and lakes were calm, it was because a true dragon, sent by imperial decree to bring rain, was dwelling underwater."

"Upon seeing it, one should offer sincere prayers and kneel in gratitude for the rain."

Zhang Kui pointed in alarm at the calm Wulin River. But Zhang Zuojing stroked his beard and laughed:
"There's no Dragon King in this river, don't worry."

Zhang Kui calmed down a little, but his confusion only deepened.

If there are no dragons in the water, why does a strong wind blow without causing ripples?

Zhang Zuojing looked up at the sky, his thoughts drifting back to the past.

"Those who belong to the true dragons are, in any case, beings with profound magical power and esteemed status. As they grow older, they gradually become arrogant."

"Therefore, there was a Dragon King who, even among the best of the true dragons, was too proud of his status to send rain."

Therefore, whenever he received an order, he would repeatedly give it a perfunctory response, until finally, one day...

Zhang Zuojing pulled himself out of his thoughts, patted Zhang Kui on the shoulder, and pointed towards the Dragon-Locking Well, saying:
"He angered the God of the Sun, who then imprisoned him in a well for a thousand years!"

"Back then, we all thought he had perished with the great calamity, but we never imagined he would still be here!"
-
Beside the Locked Dragon Well, Du Yuan had already pulled out a copper chain of unknown length.

Leaden clouds overhead completely obscured the sky, and lightning bolts rolled incessantly, yet the heavy rain that the southwest had been waiting for for three years remained suspended and refused to fall!
(End of this chapter)