Chapter 83: Princess of the Dragons

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Now that Xuanxi was an envoy, her true form split from the corpsefish .

“You’re… from the North Sea water spirits?” The flood of her memories and experiences astonished Lu Yun .

North Sea water spirits were very much different from the monster spirits that currently inhabited the sea . The former had long since vanished, their ancestral home taken over by the latter .

He turned to the bronze outer-coffin . Clearly, his new envoy knew who the burial vessel contained . Back in the day, she’d willingly walked into Wayfarer’s scheme in order to pa.s.s down instructions for the ritual to revive the one within .

“Yes, master . I am one of the shark spirits of the North Sea . I was the princess’ close subordinate, once upon a time . ” The watery envoy quietly lowered her head . “She was the very first Dusk River G.o.d, but died in a fight with the terrible restriction that lies in the ancient tomb . I inherited the position from her . ”

G.o.ds were not only ent.i.ties born of sacrifices through ritual, but also represented a position, a t.i.tle created to fulfill a specific duty . The power of a G.o.d was a result of the laws of nature and the wishes of the ma.s.ses .

Take the first Dusk River G.o.d, for example . Born from the sacrifices, prayers, and wors.h.i.+p of the people living on the banks, the river G.o.d could manipulate the river so that it no longer flooded . Thus, she protected the lives of her wors.h.i.+pers on the banks, as was her born duty .

They wished for her to have that particular power over nature, and so it came to be .

This kind of position could be transferred to another, whether willingly or by force . Regardless, the Dusk River G.o.d would always have the ability to control Dusk River .

Xuanxi’s death meant that she no longer held that post . Another river G.o.d wouldn’t have been born otherwise . As for the princess she’d once served, occupant of the bronze outer-coffin, this was the one which the large burial mound and a thousand years of rituals wished to return to life .

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“Was the disturbance a thousand years ago, the one that caused untold misery and suffering for all of Dusk Province, all to revive this princess of yours?” Lu Yun glanced at the outer-coffin, rather upset .

“No, no,” the watery envoy replied hurriedly . “There must be another reason . The princess was the purest of n.o.bility, but the last heir and had gone into hiding with few troops to her name . She even changed her name… wait!” Xuanxi shrieked with alarm . “What is this?! Why is there the light of blood on Her Highness?!”

Two beams of pale-blue illumination shot from her eyes, a gaze that could peer into the coffin .

“Offerings of gra.s.s and dogs fas.h.i.+oned from hay should borrow from the purest of energies in the world . Why does blood s.h.i.+mmer over her?” Xuanxi was deathly pale .

“The sacrificial goods were changed,” Lu Yun intoned in a low voice . “They were subst.i.tuted for ninety-nine pairs of children, plus more than a thousand cultivators’ bodies and souls . It seems that someone wanted to revive the princess alright, but to create their very own killing machine in the process . ”

The ritual would’ve turned out fine if only effigies of straw were used . Once living sacrifices were subst.i.tuted, it turned much too b.l.o.o.d.y and cruel, creating a critical ma.s.s of bad karma .

Under those circ.u.mstances, the princess could only rise again as a mindless, murderous fiend—even more horrifying than the zombie king .

Long ago, Xuanxi had offered up her own life to create a self-sustaining boundary with natural energy . The system didn’t need outside help to perpetuate itself . She’d only pa.s.sed down the sacrificial rites to revive her princess .

Alas, outside interference had altered her intentions beyond belief, turning the dragon princess into a monster .  [1]

The contingency she’d left in place to ensure that the ritual would proceed as normal had evidently been removed as well . As a result, the centenary rites led to a drastically different result .

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Nothing she’d wanted to accomplish had been achieved .

“Master, for the sake of all life, please stop the princess’ revival . Her Highness would never have wanted this either . ” Resolution flashed through Xuanxi’s downy-blue eyes . She’d once given up her life to revive her mistress, but now pleaded with Lu Yun to prevent that goal from coming to fruition .

“We’ll have to see . I can’t touch this bronze outer-coffin yet . ” Lu Yun shook his head slightly . Though the burial vessel now resided in the Gates of the Abyss, it remained connected to the outside world through a mysterious power . The energies generated by the sacrifices still flowed readily into it . He didn’t dare do anything to it yet .

“What’s up with the bra.s.s spear though? Why is it here?” He changed the subject, pointing at the weapon embedded in the corpsefish .

Xuanxi blinked and shook her head . She naturally didn’t know of anything that had happened after her death . While her convictions had recorded some memories during their possession of the corpsefish, they were too faded for Lu Yun to read .

The only thing she remembered was giving the Divinewater Talisman to Lu Yun and telling him how to leave the abyss . As for why a shard of her will had lived on to suppress the palace monster in the first place, she had no idea .  

“This bra.s.s spear is called Seaward, and it’s one of the most precious treasures of the North Sea water spirits . The princess lived in Dusk River Palace, once upon a time . If my guess is right, the monster beneath it is one of her dragonguards, twisted by the power here . ”

Xuanxi tried to sort through her thoughts . Previously, she’d been able to invoke Seaward’s power because she was a strand of conviction representing her old self . Now that she was an Envoy of Samsara, she only had the strength of a true immortal . Seaward was a weapon wielded by dao immortals, so it wasn’t something she could touch now .

The roving corpsefish that’d eaten her had also taken over the position of Dusk River G.o.d . At some point, someone had slain the disorderly corpsefish, and its corpse had sunk into the abyss to seal away Dusk River Palace .

But who had wielded the long-lost Seaward to accomplish the deed? It was another mystery to add to the pile .

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“Do you have any ideas of how we can get out of here?” asked Lu Yun .

“Yes!” Xuanxi replied with certainty . “If we can capture that Dusk River G.o.d under the dragonguard’s control, I’ll be able to take back my position and control of the river . After that, I’ll have the river’s waters send us safely out .

“Although the entire divine race is sealed away in the abyss, I’m not a divine myself . I became the Dusk River G.o.d through inheritance, so the abyss doesn’t affect me at all . ”

There were two kinds of G.o.ds: some were born through sacrifice, while others obtained the t.i.tle and duty from another .

Yin and yang were by nature separated from each other, and their convergence gave rise to all life . G.o.ds born of sacrifice and wors.h.i.+p likewise possessed these characteristics, and their offspring formed the divine race .  

A divine was endowed with extraordinary talents . The powers their parents received from their positions were pa.s.sed down through their bloodlines, from generation to generation .

“Can you subdue that corrupted dragonguard then?” Lu Yun furrowed his brow . If he left now, the unleashed dragonguard would re-emerge and kill him and everyone else .

“Absolutely!” Xuanxi nodded . “I can hold it still for about ten breaths . ”

“That’s enough time!” Lu Yun set his jaw in preparation .

The new Dusk River G.o.d was both a divine and a G.o.d born from the belief and sacrifice of wors.h.i.+ppers . That nature meant that Qing Han’s Scroll of Shepherding Immortals would work on it . Ten breaths was more than enough for the scroll to do its work .

Having come to a decision, he promptly stepped out of the gates with his new envoy .

Rumble—

The earth immediately began to tremble, opening up fissure upon fissure across its surface .

“Rauuuugh—" A b.e.s.t.i.a.l roar tore through the abyss in terror .

The gathered creatures of darkness were forced to the ground in fear, unable to move an inch . Dusk River Palace crumbled as a giant dragon head appeared in the gloom .

“Halt!” A crisp command cut through the silence, followed by the manifestation of a brilliant azure talisman that lit up the void . It plastered itself to the dragon head as soon as it’d fully materialized .  

“Hurry, Qing Han!” Lu Yun bawled “Capture the river G.o.d!” Time was ticking down .

1 . Lu Yun knew beforehand there’s a dragon inside the coffin .  

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