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

Chapter 210 Do you think I'm blind? (5k)

The torrential rain poured down like an inverted Milky Way, though it couldn't directly revitalize the entire southwest region.

It can be used in conjunction with Qi Huo Dan (a traditional Chinese medicine).

Even if he really did save the disaster victims in the southwest.

This feeling is indescribable, but it's incredibly pleasant.

Standing in the pouring rain, Du Yuan closed her eyes and looked up, sharing the heavy rain that had come three years late with the disaster victims in the southwest.

The great dragon in the sky still roams endlessly, its scales and claws appearing and disappearing in the rain.

It caused countless disaster victims below to worship it endlessly, and it also made many gods and immortals in the southwest increasingly silent.

The common people only knew that the Dragon King had finally come to bring rain, but the gods and immortals in the southwest knew that it was not a real dragon, but a painted dragon.

But even though it was just a drawing of a dragon, it accomplished something that even a real dragon couldn't do.

This is very scary!

For a moment, gazing at the endlessly undulating dragon, countless immortals in their respective sacred sites uttered a sorrowful utterance:
"Bitter!"

The prolonged drought in the southwest had little to do with them.

For them, driving away a cloud or cutting off a river is a common occurrence; even now, though it requires more effort, it is by no means nonsense.

However, it is absolutely beyond their ability to cause such a vast area in the southwest to suffer from a severe drought for three years without receiving a drop of rain.

Because the current situation is one where Heaven's will is in effect, and the calamity has not yet ended.

They might be able to display supernatural powers for a time, but it's impossible for them to maintain them for long. Even the slightest delay would be a stroke of luck if their cultivation level dropped.

However, even if you squeeze them all dry, it would be impossible to succeed in a situation like the one in the Southwest, which has lasted for a long time and affected a wide area!
Therefore, they were convinced that something earth-shattering must be hidden here!

It could be the thing everyone is seeking, or it could be some ancient artifact, or it could be a powerful being about to pass away, causing the world to become unbalanced.

After all, observing whether there are any noticeable changes in a place is a crucial indicator of whether there is an opportunity to seize.

Such an extraordinary phenomenon in the southwest would be enough to attract countless people, not just in today's world, but even in the glorious era before the great calamity, when all races flourished.

Therefore, as soon as they noticed the unusual activity, they couldn't hold back and rushed over.

Each used their unique abilities to compete fiercely, creating a chaotic scene as everyone scrambled to seize this opportunity, fearing that being even a step too slow would mean losing the chance.

Such an opportunity is truly a once-in-a-lifetime chance!
Logically speaking, they all knew that the "treasure" that could trigger such a phenomenon, whatever it may be, was not something that people like them could get their hands on.

In the past, they would have had to think twice before even thinking of coming over for a few sips of leftover soup—after all, they were too weak and could easily be run over and killed!
But what kind of world is this? All the bigwigs and powerful figures are bound by the laws of the land and cannot move. It is just like the scene of "when there are no tigers in the mountains, monkeys become kings"!

If you don't fight now, what's the point of cultivating immortality or seeking the Tao? You might as well go home and take care of your baby; that would be more peaceful!

But it was at this time that everyone felt it was their right to 'attain enlightenment and ascend to heaven'.

Not only did this Taoist priest appear out of nowhere, but he also easily accomplished things that they knew they could never do!
In fact, this Taoist priest was clearly here to challenge them to a duel!

If this isn't suffering, then what is? Those ordinary people?
Do they even deserve to complain?

A thunderous roar, mixed with the sound of a dragon's cry, resounded.

In many of the old masters' monasteries, the same thing is repeated: constantly consulting with their respective allies.

"This Taoist priest is most likely holding a position of power, probably having received a decree from the Taoist ancestral temple. In our opinion, it might be time to relinquish control of the southwest region."

"Absolutely, absolutely. What is that Daoist who possesses Yu? It is the will of Heaven! How can we cultivators defy the Way of Heaven?"

If spiritual practice gives people the right to compare themselves with gods...

Then the three great positions are the ultimate method that truly allows people to be on par with the gods!

Therefore, many cultivators on the mountain like to refer to the immortals of the three religions who hold high positions as manifestations of the laws of heaven. Firstly, they respect their profound cultivation, and secondly, they believe that immortals of the three religions at this level truly embody the laws of heaven and earth.

Therefore, as soon as these words were spoken, everyone echoed them:

"I told you long ago that the Southwest is a cursed place, we shouldn't have come here at all!"

"That's for sure! When I did the divination, it was a very bad omen, but you wouldn't listen to me!"

"Let's get out of here, let's get out of here. We really shouldn't have gotten involved in this mess."

At this point, some people even brought up the matter of Qingzhou:

"Brothers, take a look at those powerful figures in Qingzhou. In terms of cultivation, status, realm, and insight, aren't they superior to us in every way? And in terms of the capital they've invested, aren't they all more than us?"

"But what did they do in the end? When they saw the Buddha personally intervene, they withdrew without saying a word! Only those few good-for-nothing idiots didn't know what was good for them, and in the end, didn't they get thoroughly subdued by the Buddha?"

Immediately, a chorus of agreement arose:

"Yes, I've heard about that too!"

“The Thunder God of Qingzhou is an old friend of mine. I recently wanted to invite Him to come and help, but He was unwilling to come at all because He was busy finding out which Bodhisattva had come to Qingzhou to manifest.

"That's right! My nemesis is also stuck in Qingzhou, and right now he's pulling strings and trying to find a way to apologize!"

"They're actually lucky! I heard that the hothead from Wugui Mountain died in his cave because he fell so badly from his cultivation level!"

The crowd listened with growing sighs.

Of all the events in Qingzhou, Wugui Mountain suffered the greatest loss.

I thought the sect leader of Wugui Mountain would live in constant fear because the Buddha would remember him, but I never expected that he would die such a violent death.

"It was time to withdraw. What we invested before, we might as well just let it go!"

"Yes, we must learn from past mistakes."

"It's not shameful for someone to hold a high position. A wise person knows when to yield!"

Having survived so many years, I can't die in this place.

As everyone was about to disperse, several voices suddenly forced their way into the 'secret passages' used for communication between the various groups, and then forcibly gathered the forces scattered in different places together!
"Do you all really not understand?"

Seeing outsiders barging in, the old folks in each household were indignant and said:

"Oh? Is this King Wu Jingwei? What do you mean? Before you continue, I should let you know. You and I are only equal, so please don't act like some kind of arrogant Taoist priest!"

The voice continued:

"I know my own limitations, but what I want to say is, do you all think that you can get away with it by admitting your guilt and leaving?"

Everyone's expression tightened instantly, and then they said:
"What do you mean?"

"What? What are you trying to say, you idiot?"

King Wei smiled and said:
"This Taoist priest previously killed the Three Mountain Lords directly, completely disregarding the rules of the Confucian Temple. Afterwards, he even told us frankly that once this matter was settled, he would definitely come to our door to demand an explanation!"

Everyone's hearts skipped a beat, but they still said:
"You mean that Taoist priest won't let us go? Heh, I think you bunch of idiots are afraid that after we leave, you'll have nowhere to retreat and won't be able to hold on alone, right?"

The old patriarch of the enemy family nodded in agreement:

"We are indeed afraid of this."

They were all singled out by Du Yuan, who wanted to come and confront them. How could they not be afraid?
"If that's the case, why try to drag us into this mess like fools?"

We're already in dire straits, and you still want to drag us along?
Is it stupid?

The patriarch of Yiqing Mountain said:
"This senior has been helping ordinary people all along his journey, and he has directly killed all kinds of demons and monsters he encountered, without caring whether there were others behind him. Tell me honestly, how many of you are truly clean?"

Everyone was speechless, their hearts pounding.

The three-year drought in Southwest China has nothing to do with them, because they don't have the ability to do such a thing.

But the three years of chaos in the southwest were closely related to them!

The fierce confrontation between government troops and rebel forces, various natural and man-made disasters, and many coincidences and strange occurrences.
For a moment, everyone's face turned pale and then red, as if their underwear had been pulled down in public.

Some people are so impatient they can't help but jump up and down:
"Nonsense! This place is in such a mess, with both natural and man-made disasters happening at once. Who can stop it? Who would have the heart to do it? We're just guarding our own mountain gate, hoping to seize some opportunities at most. How is that not clean?"

"So you're all very clean!" Patriarch Yiqing Mountain found it extremely amusing. Did these guys really think that after fighting for so long, they wouldn't know who did what? "But I'd like to ask, which of the three granaries in southern Yunnan was burned down by those corrupt officials themselves, or did your Fenglian Sect send a little demon to do it?"

The southwest is a land of plenty, and the current emperor is a capable and commendable ruler. Therefore, the southwest has several large granaries, which should be sufficient to maintain peace in the region.

However, the result was that as soon as the imperial edict to open the granaries and distribute grain arrived, the three largest granaries in Yunnan, located in the southwest, were all burned down!

The emperor was furious and beheaded fifty-seven people, implicating over three hundred others. Although a considerable amount of embezzled funds was indeed seized, the sum did not match the amount that should have been in the large granary!

As soon as this matter was brought up, Feng Lianzong's side hurriedly refuted it:

"Nonsense, nonsense! What do those monsters have to do with us? Why are you dragging us into this instead of questioning the demons of Crow Sparrow Mountain?"

The old patriarch of the enemy family sneered:
"We clearly said it was just one little demon, but you're saying there are several demons. Are you still going to be stubborn?"

The opponent immediately fell silent.

Then, the patriarch of the enemy family addressed the monsters of Crow Sparrow Mountain:

"And you guys from Yaqueshan, Wulianshan, Hetiandong, and Niukuyuan, hehe, I want to ask, when the rebel army was just starting out and was about to be crushed by the government army, why did the general commander suddenly die? And why did the government army camp break out with a plague as soon as the general died?"

The rebel forces in the southwest have indeed gained considerable momentum, to the point that even the most skilled and experienced generals had to change their initial plan to quell the rebellion in March to a plan to defeat the enemy at the end of the year, and finally, they had no choice but to adopt a gradual and steady approach.

But before that, the governor of Yizhou had gathered a large enough army from the surrounding areas to quell the rebellion, and the leader was a veteran general who had long since retired and was invited by the governor of Yizhou himself.

This attack did indeed bring the newly emerging rebel army to the brink of defeat, but just as the encirclement was complete and the net was about to be closed, the rebels were finally brought to their deaths.

The renowned veteran general suddenly died in the central army camp. Subsequently, a severe illness broke out inside and outside the camp. People who contracted it collapsed within half a day and died within a day.

Ironically, when the rebel army broke through the encirclement, not a single person fell ill! The chaos in the southwest was thus completely out of control.

The monsters of Crow Sparrow Mountain all fell silent, their eyelids drooping, as silent as stones.

—They were indeed the ones who did it.

The prolonged drought in the southwest must indicate the presence of a great treasure. However, with the laws of Heaven in power, those who wish to make good use of it must find that human relationships are elusive and the secrets of Heaven are unclear.

Therefore, they want to destabilize the southwest!
Go and borrow weapons from mortals, and turn this world into a complete mess!
Having finished discussing Crow Sparrow Mountain, the old patriarch of the Qiu family, still not satisfied, pointed to another direction and said:

"And you lot! I want to ask you, back when the Wulin, Qijiang, and Tanhe rivers were still navigable by water, how did the seventeen grain transport ships urgently dispatched by the imperial court all spontaneously combust and sink in the river? Were those mortals really so foolish as to embezzle in such a deadly matter, or did you, Fuyue Mountain, tamper with the water?"

The severe drought in the southwest was extremely fierce, and rivers and lakes within the region dried up one after another. However, just before several main waterways dried up, the imperial court saw that three granaries in southern Yunnan had been burned down, so it urgently transferred grain from neighboring prefectures and transported it to the southwest by waterway.

And what happened? Seventeen large ships fully loaded with grain spontaneously combusted and sank in the river. Even worse, the layers of wreckage from the sunken ships blocked the crucial confluence of the three rivers, making it impossible for subsequent grain ships to pass!

"I have many more such insidious schemes in my mind—do you want me to recount them to you one by one?"

Listening to the voice of the enemy's ancestor.

Everyone remained silent.

Seeing this, the old patriarch of the Qiu family finally let out a cold snort and said:

"The Three Mountain Lords were unclean, so they were directly beaten to death by that Taoist priest! Their bodies are nowhere to be found!"

"Look at you all, and us all. In the eyes of this Daoist, are the things you've done in the chaos and in the shadows any cleaner than the Three Mountain Lords?"

"Or perhaps you think that something so obvious, which mortals can't tell is the work of a deity, is something this Taoist priest can't see?"

At this point, the old patriarch of the Qiu family angrily rebuked:

"Do you think their remaining seats are fake?!"

At this point, no one doubted that Du Yuan had not taken the remainder.

The crowd grew increasingly silent, so silent that it seemed no one would utter a sound.

The enemies remained silent and simply waited.

Finally, an aged voice slowly rang out: "King Wei, Yi Qingshan, what do you intend to do?"

It was the old ape from Crow Sparrow Mountain. This old fellow was always the most cunning, but this time he was the first to give in.

It seems that the most cunning of them all knows that there's really no escaping it now.

The old patriarch of the Qiu family laughed:

"Hehe, it's simple, or rather, there's no other way. Rather than scattering now and waiting for that Taoist priest to come knocking on our door one by one in the future, ending up isolated and helpless."

"Why don't we take this opportunity to unite as one!"

Everyone thought he had some profound insights, but it turned out to be this stupid talk!

Therefore, they all scoffed at it:

"What nonsense! That's a Taoist priest with the power of possession! Do you think his position is fake? Even if we went up against him, we couldn't possibly beat him!"

Previously, everyone could shout – as long as we swarm you, even if your cultivation is amazing, you will definitely not be able to kill us all. When your magic power is exhausted, you will also be at your wit's end!
But now the only option is—as long as we scatter, even if the Taoist priest's cultivation is extraordinary, he will definitely not be able to catch them all. Once everyone has run out of the southwest, even the Taoist priest will be nowhere to be found!
"You haven't even started yet, and you're already diminishing your own prestige while boosting the morale of others. I can't believe you actually survived this great calamity just like us!"

The old man's words made the other side even more amused:
"Otherwise what? Holding such a high position, who among us can defeat him?"

I thought it was just a powerful being with cultivation level like the Dragon King, and that everything would be fine once the Dragon King was released.

As it turned out, it turned out he was a Taoist priest who profited from the surplus.

Even if the Dragon King of the Well came, he would be rolled into a ball and kicked around like a football.

"As a cultivator, if you can't recognize the differences in status and the hierarchy, I'm more curious about how you've survived to this day!"

In an instant, everyone attacked him.

At this critical juncture, the old patriarch of the enemy family said leisurely:
"You fools, have you forgotten the law of heaven?"

As soon as these words came out, everyone was shocked.

Heaven's Constitution?!

The old patriarch of the Qiu family laughed:

“In this day and age, the higher one’s cultivation level, the more one is suppressed by the Heavenly Law. This Daoist must have been appointed in a time of crisis and has come here under great pressure. Although he has not shown any signs of fatigue yet, he will eventually be unable to escape the Heavenly Law.”

Everyone knew he was right, and some had even considered this possibility before, but their ideas were quickly dismissed because—

"You yourself said that you haven't seen any signs of fatigue yet, so who would dare to step up?"

Why this Taoist priest was able to operate under the guise of imperial authority for so long has been a huge question that has troubled them for a long time.

"I don't know how this Taoist priest managed to do it, but I do know that the other high-ranking deities from the three religions haven't appeared! Therefore, I'm certain that the Heavenly Law will definitely work!"

"But this Taoist priest is truly remarkable, so much so that he has managed to hold on for so long with ease."

At this point, the voice of the old patriarch of the Qiu family became seductive and persuasive:

"Think about it, everyone. If such a massive overhaul were to occur, how could we possibly go hungry?"

That makes sense, but the problem is:
"But what about the ancestral temple of the Taoist family?"

The old patriarch of the enemy family found it all quite amusing:

"Hehe, as long as this Taoist priest really falls, we'll divide the spoils and leave, each hiding ourselves away. Will the Taoist masters really be able to overstep the bounds of the Confucian Temple and act with impunity?"

"Or are you really that stupid to go to the Thirty-Six Heavens? If all else fails, why don't we go to the Thirty-Three Heavens of Buddhism? The world is vast, there's always somewhere to hide!"

"Given time and as the climate becomes more favorable, the Taoist masters will likely swallow their anger."

At this point, he threw out his biggest bait:

“This Taoist priest has come here on the orders of the Taoist ancestral court. He will surely eliminate the drought in the southwest and take away the ‘treasure’ hidden in the southwest.”

"But since he didn't take this item as soon as he arrived, it seems that this treasure is too troublesome even for this Taoist master. If that's the case, how can it not be damaged when he succeeds?"

"If at that time, you and I, with the help of the Taoist Master, can quell the chaos in the southwest and restore the heavenly order, do you think the Taoist Master will still be able to withstand the imperial will then?"

Everyone fell silent again, but even from a distance, the enemies felt they could hear the breathing gradually becoming heavier.

It was a dead end, yet there was a feasible solution, coupled with substantial profits.

These people couldn't hold on, and they had no other choice!
Therefore, in an instant, each family spoke up one after another:
"Okay, let's fight!"

"To flee is to die, to hide is to die, to achieve great things is also to die. Since this is the case, we should strive for great things!"

"Well said. Who among those who have lived to this day is afraid of death?"

The old patriarch of the Qiu family was overjoyed to hear this, and then said:
"Then let us swear a blood oath and vow to defeat this enemy!"

The others responded:
"We swear a blood oath to destroy this enemy!"

(End of this chapter)