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

Chapter 226 The Temple of Pressing Down the Mountain (3k)

Wearing the Wanmin Garment, Du Yuan also found it very novel to walk in the mountains and fields.

Although this garment is called a "Taoist robe," it doesn't resemble a Taoist robe at all—it lacks all the cloud-patterned trim, waist belt, and even the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) pattern that a typical Taoist robe should have. The only unique feature is the single movable character on the back, which replaces the Bagua pattern and becomes the most distinctive mark of this "Taoist robe."

Even so, Du Yuan still felt from the bottom of her heart that this was an extremely precious treasure.

Wearing it while walking down the street, I couldn't help but straighten my back.

This was Du Yuan's biggest unexpected joy during her trip to Southwest China.

The only thing that Du Yuan felt was not perfect was...

Even so, he could still clearly sense that the Buddhist and Taoist traditions were still out of balance.

It's just not as exaggerated as before.

Du Yuan walked up a mountain and gazed at everything below, muttering to herself.

That shouldn't be the case.

With so many people in the Southwest and so much work done, how come we're still just one step behind?
As he spoke, he picked up the small seal.

The four articles written by the imperial edict, Zhen Kunyu, and others shine brightly.

"You're really that capable?"

Was it really because his friend was too domineering, single-handedly taking on more than just the entire Southwest region? Or was there some other unknown figure pulling strings to help him out?
After shaking her head, Du Yuan walked down the mountain.

Just as Du Yuan was about to continue forward, she suddenly discovered that she could no longer use the Shrinking Earth technique.

"Ok?"

Du Yuan looked around at the surrounding mountains and fields with suspicion, but he didn't sense anything wrong.

But Xiao Yin's ability to shrink the earth failed.

After standing there for a moment and considering it, Du Yuan took a few steps back and tried again.

I just realized that the shrinking technique is working again!

Du Yuan raised an eyebrow, having roughly figured out the crux of the problem: it seemed that the problem wasn't with the spell itself, but rather with some strange restriction somewhere ahead.

He then stepped forward again. When he tried to retreat earlier, he had been able to retreat dozens of steps without any problems using the Shrinking Earth Technique. This time, Du Yuan simply planned to leap forward a hundred steps to see where the limitation was.

With each step she took, Du Yuan felt a sudden, sharp pause, finally stopping at the eightieth step mark, unable to take another half step forward.

That's right, this is the boundary!
Du Yuan looked around with utmost attention.

Did those guys finally lose their temper and make a move, or was there some other problem?

After scanning left and right, Du Yuan couldn't find anything wrong.

They took out a geomantic map and discovered that this place was not a famous mountain or river, but just an uninhabited, nameless place.

'So, something extraordinary must have been hidden here before?'

Since it is a spiritual revival, there must have been a great era before, full of all sorts of extraordinary things.

In comparison, this place must have once been quite a remarkable place.

Moreover, based on Du Yuan's experience, he felt that this place might be the source of the severe drought in Southwest China.

Because he remembered that the small seal his friend had given him could travel on flat ground anywhere, except for water!

Even a small ditch is like that.

The southwest is suffering from severe drought and water shortage, and Young Master Wang has been saying that the problem must be in this direction.

After considering all of the above, Du Yuan felt that it was almost certainly true!
So where exactly does the problem lie?
As Du Yuan stepped into that strange place.

All the immortals and gods in the entire southwest were startled and began to make incessant deductions.

However, the result of attaining the Dao is that the secrets of heaven are chaotic and difficult to predict.

But sometimes, having no answer at all is the answer itself.

This indicates that they are deducing an existence whose cultivation and causality far exceed their own limits.

Looking across the southwest today, there is only one person with such ability!
"Is it that Taoist priest?"

"Has he found the place?"

"There's no mistake, with so many people sensing it together, it can only be that Taoist priest starting the final step!"

"Oh no! Quick, find that Taoist priest's whereabouts quickly, or we might miss this opportunity!"

For a moment, all the immortals and gods in the entire southwest, along with the people of other regions, held their breath.

They began searching for the Taoist priest's whereabouts.

But the Taoist priest, who was easily found before because the other party made no attempt to conceal himself, has now vanished without a trace, as if he had disappeared into the sea!

"Damn it, if we can't find him and miss this crucial opportunity, allowing him to catch his last breath, wouldn't we be in big trouble?"

Their greatest reliance, besides the Heavenly Mandate, was to see if this Taoist priest, having survived the great calamity in the southwest, would be short of energy to sustain himself.

If we can make a move at that crucial moment, our chances of winning will increase by at least 10%!
"Why don't we take advantage of this opportunity and run?"

If we scatter now, even that Taoist priest will definitely not be able to catch them all!

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the others became uncertain.

Only the old patriarch of the enemy family said with disappointment:

"Run, run, run! You've all lived so many years, do you really have no backbone at all?" "Run when there's a major overhaul, run when there's a calamity, run even when the law of heaven is on your side!"

"I just want to ask you all, now that we are facing a life-or-death crisis and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, are you really going to keep running away?"

"Have you never harbored any resentment deep down?!"

Everyone was verbally abused, but it did indeed ignite their fighting spirit.

"Okay, good point!"

"After all these years of being stifled, it's time to let loose!"

"At worst, we'll sink the Southwest!"

Seeing everyone's blood boiling with excitement, the old patriarch of the Qiu family was extremely satisfied.

But after the initial satisfaction, something strange happened.

Why did the old Taoist priest on Yiqing Mountain remain silent the entire time?

And what about King Wu Jingwei?

Just as he was wondering about this, he heard King Wei's voice:
"When I was examining the roots of my mountains the other day, I accidentally discovered that although the waterways in the southwest are clearly deserted, it is actually a place where the great way benefits water. This is truly strange."

"King Wei is here. It seems I was overthinking things." But immediately, the old patriarch of the enemy family was startled:
"Huh? What did you say? This place has good water? A place that hasn't seen a drop of rain for three years has good water?"

After saying that, he pressed on with the question:

Are you sure you haven't made a mistake?

King Wei resolutely said:
"Absolutely not. I am the Mountain God, and I have fought with the Water God lineage for so many years. It's impossible for me to be wrong about this. Moreover, I have also asked several fellow Daoists who specialize in water magic, and they share the same view as me. Although the water resources here are depleted, the Great Dao benefits water!"

The gods of mountains and rivers have always been at odds because of the origins of their two lineages.

Not to mention the numerous times they fought over mountains and rivers, they would go to war and fight each other endlessly.

Even in ordinary times, they often engage in fierce battles.

Therefore, King Wei should not be mistaken, and the other water magic practitioners also said so, so it can only be true.

But why is that so strange?
After shaking his head, the patriarch of the Qiu family asked King Wei:

"You're the first among us to have dealt with that Taoist priest. Did you figure out his background?"

A Taoist priest with the "Zhan Yu" mark can only be from the ancestral temple of Taoism.

But no matter how much they thought about it, they couldn't figure out which Taoist patriarch could be matched with this person.

King Wei shook his head decisively:

"No, that Taoist priest didn't tell me anything more than that."

The old patriarch of the Qiu family nodded helplessly, then asked:
"Where are you? I haven't seen you at all."

King Wei sighed helplessly:
"I've been working underground to restore the earth's veins and restore the roots of my mountain. There's no time for me to come out and see people. Besides, hiding in the earth's veins means I suffer less!"

Yes, that makes sense.

With the emperor in charge, it's definitely best to stay out of the way.

The old patriarch of the enemy family had nothing to say.
-
Du Yuan, driven mad by the search of the gods and immortals of the Southwest, is currently looking around in that strange place.

After searching around for a while, apart from the lingering sense of oppression, there seemed to be nothing else unusual—until his gaze finally landed in the very center of the area: a stone mountain of moderate height.

The rocky hill was made of grayish-blue rocks, the vegetation had long since withered, and its appearance was quite ordinary, with no special shape or magical power flowing through it; it was no different from a pile of random rocks in the wilderness. Yet it stood alone in the very center of this place.

Du Yuan unconsciously stroked the cuffs of Wanmin's clothes, circling the stone mountain a few times. Suddenly, she stopped in place, staring intently at a spot.

At first, he thought he was just being paranoid, but on the third lap, a strange feeling suddenly welled up in his heart as he looked at this spot: he couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something just felt "wrong," like fine sand in his eye. He couldn't pinpoint the reason, but he just felt uneasy.

Du Yuan's heart tightened, and she quickly walked towards the mountain wall where the strange feeling was strongest. She had only taken two steps when she suddenly heard a "click" under her feet.

Startled, Du Yuan quickly looked down.

He found himself standing on a roof tile!
"Roof tiles?! This place?"

Taken aback, Du Yuan squatted down, intending to pick up the tile and examine it closely.

But as soon as she got started, Du Yuan raised her eyebrows.

These tiles are so heavy!
Moreover, it feels like I've encountered this before.
After pondering for a moment, Du Yuan couldn't help but turn her head to look in the direction of Qingzhou.

The tiles on my friend's little temple were also excessively thick, as if they were nailed to the eaves.

A moment later, Du Yuan made up her mind—to lift the roof tile!
This is most likely the root of the problem!

With a low shout, Du Yuan suddenly exerted her strength, lifting the tile off the ground. The boundless mountain energy instantly collapsed, unleashing a fierce wind.

And at that very moment, a thunderclap resounded throughout the southwestern sky!
The scene that once appeared when Du Yuan pulled the Lock Dragon Well is now sweeping across the sky again.

But this one was far more magnificent than the last one—leading clouds that blotted out the sky covered the heavens almost instantly!
The sky over the entire southwest was completely covered, not even a ray of sunlight could penetrate, and the world instantly darkened as if dusk had suddenly fallen.

Countless immortals and gods were instantly rendered speechless:

"Such a grand display? Has that Taoist priest really started?!"

Du Yuan had no time to pay attention to the strangeness above his head; he simply frowned as he looked at everything in front of him.

As he lifted the tile, the yellow soil covering it was instantly blown away by the gale, and even the tile in his hand turned into a translucent green tile with a lingering water flow.

This allowed Du Yuan to see that there was indeed a temple here, which was firmly pressed underground by this stone mountain!

(End of this chapter)