Chapter 247: A Heavenly Omen Descends
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“The Divine Statue… it has opened its eyes!!”
The people cried out in alarm, their voices filled with awe as all eyes turned upward.
That once dull and lifeless Divine Statue seemed to have been infused with a soul in an instant. Its eyes, filled with an imposing presence, slowly opened, looking down upon the world with an air of supremacy.
The earth trembled. Countless birds and beasts surged out from their hiding places, while the sky filled with flocks of birds chirping in unison, circling around the Divine Statue.
“Heavens! Even the koi in front of the statue are leaping wildly….”
“Look! There’s a rainbow bridge appearing over the pond!” A villager by the pond gasped in disbelief.
Ripples danced across the water, and before anyone realized it, a small, resplendent rainbow bridge had formed over the pond’s surface. The crimson koi thrashed their tails and leaped fervently toward it.
“Doesn’t this rainbow bridge seem strange to you? Look closely—it’s shimmering with flecks of golden light…”
Suddenly, someone dropped to their knees with a resounding thud.
“It’s the Dragon Gate! The Divine Maiden has awakened, and the koi are leaping through the Dragon Gate!” The villagers’ cries grew hoarse with fervor.
More and more people fell to their knees in worship, bowing repeatedly to the statue.
The koi flailed wildly, leaping through the air in desperate attempts to cross the Dragon Gate.
“It’s as if the statue has come to life…” murmured the Fourth Prince, his voice tinged with wonder. When its eyes were shut, the statue had exuded nothing but lifelessness.
But now that they were open, gazing upon the mortal realm—
It was as though a soul had been restored to it.
“I can’t help but feel… that the statue is truly alive.”
“The Divine Maiden has revealed herself! She has awakened!” The people prostrated themselves in devotion, trembling with reverence.
Li Si Qi’s forehead was drenched in cold sweat.
For some reason, despite never having worshipped the Divine Maiden, he now felt an inexplicable pain in his heart. Clutching his chest, he collapsed to the ground, his face turning deathly pale.
Countless images flashed before his eyes—
A towering figure standing in the sky, wielding a sacred artifact in a battle that shook the heavens and earth.
A girl in a long, azure veil floating midair, her figure small yet carrying the weight of the heavens. Her eyes were gently closed, blood seeping from their corners. She could see nothing, hear nothing.
Bit by bit, she dissolved into stardust before his very eyes.
A sudden, violent cough wracked his body, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
“Young Master!!” His attendant’s face contorted with panic.
Clenching his fists, Li Si Qi also saw himself—
Wandering aimlessly like a lost soul, as if searching for something.
His eyes burned. A scorching pain unlike anything before. As if his very eyeballs were being carved out of his skull.
In the chaos of his mind, Li Si Qi forced himself to look toward the Divine Statue.
“Why does this feel… so familiar…” He had never seen it before, and yet, this familiarity was etched deep into his very soul.
Before he could fully comprehend it, darkness consumed his vision entirely.
His attendant gasped in horror when he noticed Li Si Qi’s eyes turning an eerie shade of gray. His expression hardened instantly.
Quickly, he positioned himself to shield his master, preventing anyone from seeing this anomaly.
“Young Master… have you gone blind?!” His voice quivered with fear as sweat dripped from his forehead. He reached out to support Li Si Qi, who stubbornly refused to leave.
Since childhood, Li Si Qi had suffered from a hidden ailment.
The Protectorate Duke’s Manor had concealed it well—no one had ever caught wind of it.
By day, his sight was normal. But by night, his eyes would turn an ashen gray, leaving him in total darkness.
Now, he gritted his teeth, his lips pressed tightly together, eyes half-lidded to avoid revealing his secret.
“Help me stand,” he rasped, his voice hoarse, his face betraying his silent agony.
“How could this happen?! You could still see this morning! How will I explain this to the Master…” The attendant was nearly in tears.
Li Si Qi’s mind was in turmoil. He shook his head, trying to clear the haze.
“Young Master, we should return…” the attendant pleaded.
But Li Si Qi refused to leave. His heart was gripped with unease, an unbearable sorrow. His eyes glistened with unshed tears.
He desperately wanted to grasp something—to stop something from slipping away.
He longed to touch the Divine Maiden’s Statue.
With near reverence, he pressed his cheek against the cold stone. His hands trembled uncontrollably.
A mere fragment of memory was enough to drive him to madness.
The people erupted in cheers. Scarlet clouds spread across the sky, while flocks of birds soared in intricate patterns, as though heralding a great event.
“Look! A koi has leaped through the Dragon Gate!”
All eyes turned toward the pond.
A single koi had soared past the golden rainbow, and the bridge vanished instantly…
“The koi has transformed into a True Dragon!!”
“An auspicious omen! A miracle! The koi has ascended and become a True Dragon!” The deafening cries shook the heavens, even alarming the Imperial Court.
A young eunuch burst into the Golden Luan Hall, tripping over himself in haste.
Eunuch Wang frowned, about to scold him, but the boy gasped out excitedly, “Auspicious omen, Your Majesty! Before the Divine Maiden’s Statue, a koi has leapt through the Dragon Gate and transformed into a True Dragon!!”
“A miracle!”
Wang Yuan Lu’s face brightened with joy. “Are you certain?”
Emperor Xuan Ping rose abruptly, striding swiftly out of the hall, his steps laced with excitement and urgency.
The court officials were stunned.
“What omen? What Dragon Gate?”
The eunuch gestured frantically. “The Divine Maiden’s Statue opened its eyes! The moment it did, a golden rainbow bridge appeared over the pond. The koi leaped through and transformed into a True Dragon!”
The court erupted into chaos, as everyone rushed outside.
By the time Emperor Xuan Ping arrived, he witnessed the transformation firsthand.
A crimson sky stretched above, the Divine Maiden’s gaze seemingly filled with gentle compassion for the mortal realm.
The little koi shed its scales as golden light descended from the heavens, enveloping its form. Mortal flesh fell away, revealing gleaming dragon claws and shimmering golden scales. Bit by bit, its true Dragon form emerged.
“The greatest blessing of Northern Zhao! A divine omen!” The Emperor declared, his voice ringing with exhilaration.
The officials and palace attendants fell to their knees, their voices shaking the heavens:
“Long live Your Majesty! Long live the Divine Maiden! May Northern Zhao prosper in eternal peace!”
Meanwhile, in the Southern Kingdom, the priests watched in stunned silence.
“A divine miracle… in Northern Zhao?”
“They have received the gods’ favor,” the White-Haired Priest murmured.
“Again with Northern Zhao?! The last time we prayed for a divine descent, the Heavenly God Zong Bai manifested there as well!”
“They are mere mortals! What have they done to deserve such favor?!”
A noblewoman adorned in pearls sneered, her voice filled with disdain.
“The Southern King’s bastard daughter is in Northern Zhao… how amusing.”
“A mere mortal woman—destined to birth nothing but useless wretches…”
“Trash will always be trash. She will stir up no storms.”