Chapter 138: Horn Wood Crocodile

Looking at the intertwined fates of the Dragon Maiden and the Great Flood Dragon, Wang Yuanfeng sighed and said, "That snake charmer from last time called him an adoptive father. After placing the Great Flood Dragon at the converging point of the dragon veins in Tai-xuan Lake, the dragon absorbed the dragon Qi and evolved from a green snake into a flood dragon."

"Are you saying that after I place the Great Flood Dragon at the dragon vein, I should never see him again?" the Dragon Maiden asked thoughtfully.

Wang Yuanfeng shook his head and replied, "No, what I mean is that this time, after the Great Flood Dragon is blessed by fortune, he will undergo a spontaneous metamorphosis. After completing a cycle of nirvana, the very first person he sees when he opens his eyes must be you."

"What?" The Dragon Maiden was taken aback, and murmured softly, "Didn't the snake charmer never see the Great Flood Dragon again?"

"Heh, that is not the case. Why must we repeat past endings over and over again?" Wang Yuanfeng asked rhetorically, then continued, "If this time were to be just like five hundred years ago, the Great Flood Dragon would also wake up, only for the cycle to repeat itself next time. Perhaps the snake charmer did this intentionally back then, precisely because he foresaw today's events."

Upon reflection, the Dragon Maiden realized this made sense. She said, "Thank you, Divine Lord, for your guidance. I will keep watch over him always, until he wakes up."

"Very good. Let us thus bring this cycle to an end!" Wang Yuanfeng breathed a sigh of relief before slowly saying, "In that case, Jiao the Wood Dragon, the primary star of the Eastern Mansions, can finally return to its proper place."

"Boom!"

The group felt a sudden shock in their ears, as if an awe-inspiring celestial majesty were gathering force, about to descend upon this place from the distant firmament. A powerful presence rose from Wang Yuanfeng, as though it hailed from primordial antiquity—ever-present yet elusive.

Wang Yuanfeng sensed that the eastern quarter of the Huntian Yi was blazing with light. A profound intuition told him that his destined opportunity had arrived. The time had come for the Great Flood Dragon to resolve his own karma, and since the Dragon Maiden had agreed to stay, they would break free from this fatal entanglement and ascend in a single bound to another realm.

The primary star of the eastern sky seemed to respond, descending fortune from the nine heavens. Wang Yuanfeng suddenly opened his eyes, pointed at the Great Flood Dragon, and shouted, "Jiao the Wood Dragon, return to your station!"

Following the direction of Wang Yuanfeng's finger, a surge of fortune rushed like a torrent into the Great Flood Dragon's spiritual altar. A tiny spark of light burst forth from the altar, shooting straight up into the firmament alongside the starlight shining from the dragon's crown.

"Brother Jiao!" Crying out instinctively at the sight of the light, the Dragon Maiden made to chase after the starlight.

"Hold on!" Wang Yuanfeng stopped her, saying, "His true spirit is merely returning to the stars. Once his true nature recovers, he will naturally return."

***

Half in doubt, the Dragon Maiden nodded and asked, "When will Brother Jiao return?"

Wang Yuanfeng sensed the flow of fate, and a vision flickered before his eyes: Xiaoqing subdued the Five Directions Ghosts, retrieved a jade tablet from a cavern, and studied it intently.

"Whoosh!" The vision vanished instantly, leaving Wang Yuanfeng deep in thought.

Such predictive abilities are shared by all sentient beings, though they vary in strength. For instance, some people dream of past and future events, allowing them to infer certain occurrences. Those with profound cultivation can perceive vast vicissitudes in a single glance, capturing visions from a thousand or even ten thousand years into the future.

The most typical examples from his past life's world were prophecies such as Jiang Ziya's Ten Thousand Year Song, the Tui Bei Tu, and the Shaobing Song.

This time, the vision showed Xiaoqing studying the jade tablets he had given her. Among the several Daoist techniques inscribed on the jade tablet, the most prominent was the Art of the Five Ghosts Transportation—not the low-tier five ghosts, but the Five Directions Ghosts of East, West, South, North, and Center, corresponding internally to the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. These ghosts were spirits among spirits, and by following this Daoist technique, one could cultivate all the way to the realm of a Ghost King.

This technique also suited Xiaoqing's untamed and lively personality, which was why he had included it in the jade tablet. Clearly, however, the time was not yet ripe.

Wang Yuanfeng suddenly recalled a story from his past life, also involving the snake charmer, where Xiaoqing was left all alone, somehow wandering to West Lake to become a maidservant to a white snake.

From this, it could be deduced that Daqing—meaning the Great Flood Dragon—had died, likely perishing in Dongting Lake, while Xiaoqing ended up wandering to West Lake.

Because she was all alone, times must have been hard, fostering an inferiority complex that made her willing to serve as a maid to others, ultimately failing to find her true self even in the end.

Yet, if Xiaoqing wished to attain the Dao, she had to walk through the mortal world, and West Lake was the perfect place for it. Judging from the vision, Xiaoqing's journey to West Lake was not far off.

Noticing that Wang Yuanfeng had snapped out of his reverie, the Dragon Maiden cautiously asked, "Divine Lord, is there a result?"

Nodding, Wang Yuanfeng looked toward the southeast and said, "When Xiaoqing enters West Lake and the Five Ghosts manifest their traces, that shall be the moment Jiao the Wood Dragon returns."

The Dragon Maiden secretly etched these two sentences into her mind. Gazing at the Great Flood Dragon resting in her arms, she bowed in gratitude to Wang Yuanfeng and said, "On behalf of Jiao the Wood Dragon, I thank the Divine Lord. When he wakes up, I will have him enter the Divine Lord's sect."

"Go," Wang Yuanfeng said. "Find a place and tend to him with peace of mind."

***

"Yes, Divine Lord," the Dragon Maiden replied. She produced a seashell, opened it, and with a wave of her hand, drew the Great Flood Dragon inside. Transforming in a flash into a white dragon three zhang long, she soared into the air and nodded back at them.

With a resonant roar, she rose upon a cloud of water and flew away into the distance.

Watching the Dragon Maiden and the Great Flood Dragon depart, the others slowly regained their composure.

Hesitating for a moment, the Water Leopard spoke up: "Divine Lord, this Water Leopard has a premonition that I share a karmic bond with you, and that my path to enlightenment seems tied to the Divine Lord. I do not understand why—pray, Divine Lord, enlighten me."

Only then did Wang Yuanfeng look at the Water Leopard. He observed the leopard's hesitant demeanor, seeing his fortune fluctuate wildly while retaining a faint yet resilient connection to the Huntian Yi.

In truth, he had felt this premonition the moment he first laid eyes on the Water Leopard, but he had always felt the timing was not yet right to let him return to his station. Forcing him to return prematurely was not impossible, but it would leave hidden flaws. When the destined tribulations arrived, the leopard would have to face them alone, with no one able to help. If the order of heaven and earth were truly established later on, leaving one's assigned star would become exceedingly difficult.

As one of the Twenty-Eight Mansions belonging to the Huntian Yi, the Water Leopard held a duty tied to the solar deities, keeping the cosmic machinery running to drive the evolution of heaven and earth, thereby perfecting the world and expanding its boundaries. A flaw in a single station might be manageable, but if multiple entities failed to properly fulfill their duties, the cosmic evolution would stall, creating endless troubles. Furthermore, the Water Leopard's unresolved inner barrier was already affecting the movement of the stars.

Looking at the hesitant Water Leopard, Wang Yuanfeng said, "Seeing your hesitation now, I perceive a conflict between two paths. Although both choices present difficulties, the crux lies within your own mental barrier. You must confront your true heart, steadfastly affirm yourself, and step directly into the tribulation. Only then can you shatter your mental obstacles and comprehend the Great Dao."

Upon hearing this, the Water Leopard realized it aligned entirely with his own thoughts. Though he had reached a similar conclusion, hesitation had still plagued him, causing him to approach the tribulation with a passive, wait-and-see attitude. He knew full well that a wavering Dao-heart was a grave taboo in cultivation, one that would ultimately end in bitter regret when his lifespan expired.

Yet now, Wang Yuanfeng had laid bare the underlying principles, showing him the correct course of action. The leopard's fortune instantly surged and stabilized, and a resolute, indomitable spirit filled his gaze.

Witnessing this transformation, the Huntian Yi itself gave a subtle shudder, and the star position corresponding to the Water Leopard's true nature flared even brighter.