The outcome of this divination was pretty clear. Danger was waiting for Wei Yuan. The white-bearded immortal had been ambushed from behind and killed by a powerful blood curse. The blood curse also contained potent effects such as contamination and fortune-piercing. Your average curse-shielding Dao arts could not hope to block it.

However, Wei Yuan let out a sigh of relief. As long as he knew the source of the danger, it was manageable. He had always been the cautious type, and he trusted no one on this journey. Anyone thinking of ambushing him would find it nearly impossible to do so. As for the blood curse, the Palace of Absolute Beginning had taught him many ways to handle it. Although the blood curse was imbued with contamination and fortune-piercing effects, one of the minor items the Immortal Lord had granted him was a jade thumb ring that specifically shielded one from contamination effects.

As for fortune-piercing, Wei Yuan laughed at the very notion of it. Not even a True Lord could pierce his fortune. Everyone else was welcome to try.

The reason the divination went without a hitch was mainly thanks to the array disc he had placed at the center of the array. Forged by an Immortal Lord, the array disc had single-handedly elevated the array’s level of existence so much that it was almost a true Immortal Inquiry Method.

That said, Wei Yuan wasn’t going to succumb to recklessness or overconfidence. Just because he knew what was coming didn’t mean he wouldn’t make the necessary preparations. He retrieved a small cloth doll from his thread space, squeezed out a drop of blood from his fingertip, and smeared it onto the doll. The doll, also bestowed by the Immortal Lord, could serve as a substitute when smeared with the user’s blood. It would bind itself to Wei Yuan and share whatever damage he took.

In other words, anyone who tried to curse Wei Yuan would be cursing the Immortal Lord as well. He would like to see if anyone could bear that karma.

After he was done with his preparations, Wei Yuan finally put away the array disc and scattered the array diagram on the ground, erasing the traces. Yin rain poured in this region every day. It wouldn’t even take a day before all traces were washed away by rainwater.

While Wei Yuan was busying himself, Xu Wenwu looked desperate to voice his opinion and kept twisting back and forth on the ground like a worm. Alas, his prayers were destined to be unanswered.

Moments later, the trio mounted their horses once more. Just like before, Wei Yuan empowered them all with wisps of black qi and raced for the Swelling Water God Palace. Two hours later, they arrived at the mountain gate.

The Swelling Water God Palace was built against the mountainside with its mountain gate erected at the base of a mountain. Now, only half of the stone pillars remained standing; the rest had either crumbled into rubble or vanished without a trace. Beyond the mountain gate lay a paved, gentle slope that led straight to the first main hall. Only the foundation and a few broken, charred pillars were left of the hall now. Paved with limestone, the road from the mountain gate to the hall was wide enough for two horse-drawn carriages to pass side by side. But now, most of its surface was covered in mud, and even the exposed stones were thick with moss.

The Swelling Water God Palace’s central hall was built about halfway up the mountain and over ten li away from the mountain gate. From afar, one could tell that nearly half of the building had collapsed. The rest were still stubbornly standing. The surrounding halls had been utterly reduced to ruins, however.

Behind the central hall was a towering peak, tall and perilous like a sword that was thrusting into the heavens. Clusters of side halls and courtyards once stood in a circle around the central peak, housing disciples. Now, they lay in ruins just like all the others.

It would appear that the Swelling Water God Palace had been dismantled quite thoroughly. Only a few years had passed, and practically everything besides half the central hall had been reduced to ruins.

“Come. Let’s head inside.” Wei Yuan took the lead and stepped into the dead sect.

Behind a grand residence in the northern district of Willow Ash Town, a young swordsman stood before a dignified-looking middle-aged man and carefully peeled away the bandages covering his face, layer by layer. His nose was quite obviously smashed in, revealing the broken bone within. Distinct lacerations stretched across his face and forehead, flesh exposed and turning white. When the bandages came off, a foul stench instantly filled the room. It was a mixture of filth, sewage, and stale food left to rot for days.

The middle-aged man’s expression grew grave as he carefully examined the young swordsman’s wounds. A while later, he grabbed a pinch of powder from several medicine bottles and sprinkled it over the injury. Then, his eyes glowed silver, likely employing a secret art similar to the Qi Viewing spell.

After testing a few medicinal powder in succession, the middle-aged man finally put away the Dao spell and said gravely, “You were injured by an object of fortune; an extremely peculiar one at that. It is both real yet unreal. It should be an extremely high level of existence, yet it is also flimsy and gloomy. The attack had crushed your fortune in one blow and put you in a state of misfortune. On top of that, your wounds are also contaminated with filth, which is no different from being cursed once by the Shamans. Even now, your wounds are automatically absorbing the surrounding aura of decay, slowing your recovery.”

The young swordsman couldn’t quite believe his ears. “Are you serious? This is just a flesh wound.”

“You would’ve been better off if you were poisoned. Hmm, I suppose you can call this a poison of fortune and fengshui. What did you do recently? How did you provoke such a powerful enemy?”

The young swordsman looked terribly aggrieved. “I didn’t step out of line if that’s what you’re suggesting! I was just doing what I usually did. I was coming home as usual when suddenly, that man appeared out of nowhere and killed a couple of my subordinates. He didn’t seem all that strong, so I gave chase....”

The middle-aged man listened intently before interrupting all of a sudden. He probed for details meticulously until finally, he declared, “This man you speak of killed nine of your guards in an instant, yet you didn’t even sense his Dao energy fluctuations, let alone know what mystic artifacts or Daoist spells he specializes in! How could you possibly think that he’s not a formidable opponent? He’s clearly far more powerful than you!”

The young swordsman replied, “I’m not sure why myself. That was what I felt at the time....”

“Could it be fortune-fishing? Or is it some other mystic ability?” The middle-aged man grew restless the moment he realized that fortune-fishing was a real possibility. “Take my token and seek out Master Mu Shang! Ask him to purify your primordial spirit!”

The middle-aged man replied darkly, “It’s possible that you’re still hooked. Who knows what other stupid things you will do if you don’t purify it as soon as possible!”

The young swordsman looked terribly pale. It was at this moment the housekeeper stepped into the room and declared, “Someone is asking to see you, milord. She claims to hail from the Palace of Absolute Beginning.”

“Head to the back.”

The middle-aged man sent the young swordsman to the back hall before taking a seat. A while later, a female cultivator wearing dark red robes stepped inside. She had a pair of willowy eyebrows and fair, radiant skin. She exuded a seductive charm that radiated from the inside out.

The female cultivator gave him a bow before greeting him, “Junior Zhu Yuanjin of Clear Sky Monastery of the Palace of Absolute Beginning greets you, Elder Xu.”

“This old one is Xu Zhiyuan. I am merely an independent cultivator of a side branch, so please, don’t address me as Senior.”

The duo exchanged pleasantries for a moment before taking their seats. Xu Zhiyuan said, “This is a ruined land devoid of any spirit energy whatsoever, so why have you come here, fair maiden?”

“Some of my Senior Brothers were exploring Ningxi, but they all vanished without a trace after arriving. That is why the Palace dispatched us to investigate.”

Xu Zhiyuan raised his eyebrows slightly. “You’re not alone, Maiden Zhu? Why do I not see your sect fellows?”

“They’ve split up in search for clues. My tutor is acquainted with Elder Xu—Xu Guanwen—so I purposely paid him a visit first. Later, Elder Guanwen told me to come find you.”

Xu Zhiyuan nodded. “If it’s the Sixth Elder’s instruction, then I shall do my utmost to assist you. Please state whatever you require, Maiden Zhu. I’ll see it done as long as it is within my power to do so. You may also stay in the courtyard for the next few days—I believe you agree that the weather outside is truly unpleasant.”

Zhu Yuanjin cracked a smile when she heard this. “That is for the best. It’s been so humid that I feel like I’m dripping water as I walk.”

Xu Zhiyuan smiled back. “Worry not, the guest rooms are all equipped with Shaoyang Warm Breeze Array, ensuring that they remain free from dampness and the cold all-year-round.”

Zhu Yuanjin added, “Oh right, I heard that your esteemed son, Xu Jingfeng, boasts quite the mastery in both sword arts and Dao techniques. May I request his company for a couple days? As you know, I am quite unfamiliar with this place. I would appreciate the guidance of an expert.”

“It is quite unfortunate, but my whelp was injured recently. As his wounds were pretty complicated, I had sent him to an old friend to receive treatment. He just left yesterday.”

“Oh, that is most unfortunate. I heard Senior Brother Xu is a Heaven-tier high cultivator and an adept in the Dao of sword. He is even quite handsome, I heard? I was looking forward to broadening my horizons!”

Noticing that the female cultivator was a tad frivolous, an idea occurred to Xu Zhiyuan. He said, “In fact, there is another junior in my clan who’s fairly accomplished for his age, and good-looking as well. Would you like him to keep your company for a few days?”

Zhu Yuanjin cracked a delighted smile when she heard this. “I would appreciate it. Thank you, Elder Xu!”

Meanwhile, Wei Yuan was standing on the ruins of the Swelling Water God Palace’s first main hall—or the front hall for short—and looking down on a relief sculpture on the floor. It showed a giant white snake coiled around a couple naked women. Its tongue was wandering across their bodies.

“God damn, this is pretty se—” Xu Wenwu blurted out until he recognized at the last second that Xu Wan’er was standing next to him. He hurriedly fixed his mistake, “I mean, this is pretty well made...”

Wei Yuan replenished the rope’s Dao energy and gagged him again.

After silence had been restored, Wei Yuan lifted a finger and washed away the accumulating dirt and decaying leaves on the ground with a Water Stream spell, revealing the full relief sculpture.

As it turned out, the giant snake was coiled around seven women, all of them possessing a distinct expression and charm. The women looked incredibly life-like, and the snake looked real enough to burst out of the carving. Even Its serpentine eyes were conveying different expressions. The left eye appeared lecherous, and the right eye looked savage.

The picture stirred a memory in Wei Yuan’s mind. One of the novels of the Lie Flan Inn spoke of a giant snake who attained the Dao and metamorphosed into a human scholar rushing to attend the imperial examination. On the way to the imperial capital, he encountered a total of seven Misses. They all possessed their own unique charm and offered entirely distinctive lodging experiences[1], all of them to die for.

The next day prior to departure, the scholar told each girl that she was his one-and-only, and that he would definitely take her as his wife after he aced the imperial examination. He even swore to suffer an agonizing death should he break his promise.

When the examination results came out, the scholar’s name was not among the successful candidates.

To be fair, the scholar hadn’t broken his oath on purpose. The questions posed by the human examiners were just too crafty, and he, a snake who had only recently metamorphosed into a human and so was wholly ignorant of the treachery of humanity, failed miserably as a matter of course. Since he failed to ace the examination, his oath naturally did not count.

And so the giant snake transformed into a human scholar once more and returned home, ready to enjoy the scenery and hopefully encounter a couple more Misses on the way. Not long after leaving the capital, he spotted a large estate where a maid was beckoning him inside with practiced ease. She claimed that several beautiful Misses were waiting for him in the backyard and hoping to spend the night with him.

The giant snake was familiar with this tale and happily followed her into the inner quarters. Then, he saw all seven Misses sitting together around a table, happy as they could be. That night, the halls were filled with rising warmth, thoughts of love, and joyous harmony.

Snake meat was highly nourishing, and all seven Misses had eaten until their faces were red. By the time they were full, more than half of the snake meat remained uneaten.

That was where the novel had ended. As abrupt as the ending was, Wei Yuan didn’t pay much attention to it. After all, he was only reading it to disguise the fact that he was researching Outlawed by Heaven and Earth in his sea of consciousness[2]. However, his opinion regarding the story changed completely after seeing the relief sculpture depicting the characters of the novel in the former site of the Swelling Water God Palace. As if that wasn’t enough, the sculpture had been carved in the main chamber of the front hall. It was a sure indication that it held incredible importance.

The Swelling Water God Palace was a fourth-rate sect that was a hair away from qualifying as a third-rate sect, blessed land. Its mountain gate was a whopping hundred li in radius, so it definitely wasn’t small. Although the sect was destroyed, plenty of human villages and towns—tens of thousands of people in total—still surrounded its ruins. Naturally, a sect like this would not be so senseless as to engrave the story of a novel into the main chamber of their front hall. The relief sculpture had most likely come before the novel, and there was no doubt that another tale of significant importance lay behind this relief sculpture.

1. The author sure has a way with words. ☜

2. With all these context, allow me to pose you a question, readers: What was he really studying the day the shadow in the moon decided to reward him with three wisps of high-grade fortune? XDDDD ☜