Chapter 247: Divine Phenomenon
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
“The statue… It opened its eyes!!”
The crowd shouted in amazement as everyone looked up at the divine statue. What once appeared as a dull and lifeless stone figure now seemed to come alive. Its eyes slowly opened, gazing down upon the people with a commanding presence.
The ground trembled, causing countless birds and animals to scatter. The sky filled with the calls of birds as they circled the statue.
“Oh my, the koi in front of the statue are jumping!” someone exclaimed.
“Look, there’s a rainbow bridge over the pond!” another stunned onlooker cried out.
A small rainbow bridge had appeared out of nowhere on the previously calm water. Red koi fish swam frantically towards it, attempting to leap across.
“Doesn’t this rainbow bridge seem strange? It’s sparkling with a golden light…” someone murmured.
Suddenly, a person fell to their knees with a loud thud.
“It’s the Dragon Gate! The divine maiden opened her eyes, and the koi are leaping over the Dragon Gate!” they shouted with all their might.
The crowd went wild, dropping to their knees and bowing repeatedly. The koi fish continued to leap through the air.
“The statue… it seems alive, full of life…” the fourth prince murmured. When the statue’s eyes were closed, it felt lifeless and dead, but now, with its eyes open, it seemed to possess a soul.
“I even feel like the statue is truly alive,” he whispered.
“The divine maiden has shown herself!” The crowd knelt and prayed devoutly, their faces full of awe and reverence.
Li Siqi’s forehead was covered in cold sweat. He had never come to worship the divine maiden before, but at this moment…
He felt an indescribable pain in his heart. Clutching his chest, he fell to the ground, his face pale. Countless images flashed before his eyes: he saw himself standing tall in the sky, wielding a magical weapon in a great battle. He saw a helpless young girl in a long green dress, floating in mid-air, holding up half the sky. She had her eyes closed, with blood trickling from the corners of her eyes. She couldn’t see or hear anything.
These images slowly turned into starlight and dispersed before his eyes. He coughed up a mouthful of blood.
“Master!!” his servant cried out in anguish.
Li Siqi clenched his fists. He saw himself wandering aimlessly, searching for something.
His eyes hurt, hurt terribly. It was a burning pain, as if someone had gouged his eyes out. In the chaos of his mind, Li Siqi looked at the statue with difficulty.
“Why… does it seem so familiar…” He had never seen it before, but this familiarity seemed etched deep into his soul. Before he could take a closer look, everything went black.
His servant saw his eyes suddenly turn gray and his expression tighten. Quickly, the servant shielded him from others’ view, not allowing anyone to see his strange condition.
“Master, can you not see anymore?” The servant was sweating profusely, trying to help him up, but Li Siqi refused to leave. He had been suffering from a hidden illness since childhood, a secret closely guarded by the Protectorate Duke’s Mansion.
By day, everything was normal, but at night, his eyes turned gray, and he couldn’t see anything. Li Siqi bit his lip and closed his eyes to hide his condition from others.
“Help me,” he said hoarsely, his face showing pain.
“How can this be? He could see perfectly fine during the day! How will I explain this to the master…” The servant was almost in tears.
Li Siqi’s mind was in turmoil. He shook his head to clear it.
“Young master, let’s go back,” the servant pleaded.
But Li Siqi refused to leave. He felt extremely uneasy, tears welling up in his eyes. He desperately wanted to touch the statue of the divine maiden. Almost reverently, he pressed his cheek against the cold stone, his hands trembling uncontrollably. He had a faint memory, enough to drive him crazy.
The crowd cheered, the sky filled with red clouds, and countless birds flew in the air as if welcoming something.
“Wow, a koi has leaped over the Dragon Gate!” Everyone looked towards the pond. A small koi fish had swiftly leaped over the golden rainbow, which then vanished…
“The koi leaped over the Dragon Gate and turned into a dragon!!” someone shouted.
“An auspicious sign! The koi has turned into a dragon!!” The crowd’s screams were endless, even reaching the royal family.
A young eunuch rushed into the Golden Hall, rolling and crawling.
Eunuch Wang’s face changed slightly as he was about to scold him.
But the young eunuch’s voice was filled with joy, shouting, “An auspicious sign, Your Majesty! The koi leaped over the Dragon Gate and turned into a dragon in front of the divine maiden statue!!”
“An auspicious sign!” Eunuch Wang’s face lit up with joy. “Is it true?”
King Xuan Ping hurriedly stood up and strode out of the hall, his steps light and excited.
The civil and military officials were shocked.
“What auspicious sign? What Dragon Gate?” they murmured among themselves.
The young eunuch gestured wildly, “The divine maiden statue opened its eyes. When it did, a golden rainbow appeared over the pond, and countless koi leaped over it.”
“The koi that leaped over the golden rainbow turned into a dragon on the spot!!”
The civil and military officials all ran outside.
King Xuan Ping just happened to witness the koi turning into a dragon. The sky was filled with red clouds, and the divine maiden statue’s eyes were slightly open, seemingly looking at the people with compassion. The small koi shed its fish scales, and a golden light descended from the sky, falling on it. It shed its mortal body, grew dragon claws and scales, gradually revealing the form of a true dragon.
“Blessings for North Zhao, blessings for North Zhao, an auspicious sign for North Zhao!” King Xuan Ping immediately shouted.
The civil and military officials and palace attendants all knelt down, shouting loudly, “Long live Your Majesty, long live the divine maiden, may North Zhao enjoy eternal peace.”
“Your Majesty, there is movement at the Nine-layered Pagoda,” a guard whispered to the king.
The king was stunned, seeing the golden dragon coiled above the divine maiden statue, with a look of surprise in his eyes.
“The koi leaping over the Dragon Gate seems to be welcoming the divine maiden…”
The king nodded and hurriedly headed towards the Nine-layered Pagoda.
The Nine-layered Pagoda was heavily guarded. The king dismissed everyone and entered the pagoda himself. He climbed to the top and pushed open the door.
Floating in mid-air was a dull stone, which had somehow turned radiant, glowing faintly with a golden light like a beautiful jade, crystal clear.
“She has returned?” The king’s expression was stunned.
Legend had it that when she returned, the heart of North Zhao would shine once again.
She had returned. But who was she? Where was she? Did she have good intentions towards North Zhao?
King Xuan Ping’s heart was uneasy, while in the Southern Kingdom, people were also astonished by the divine phenomenon.
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
“A divine miracle has appeared in North Zhao.”
“North Zhao has received the favor of the gods,” the white-haired priest murmured.
“North Zhao, North Zhao, why is it always North Zhao? The last time we prayed for a divine descent, the heavenly god also descended in North Zhao!”
“North Zhao is just a group of mortals. Why do they receive the favor of the gods?”
“Our Southern Kingdom is the true orthodox believer in summoning gods. Yet for many years, we haven’t summoned a single deity!” said a woman adorned with pearls and jewels, her tone full of disdain.
“The king’s illegitimate daughter is also in North Zhao. How amusing,” the woman sneered.
“A mortal woman, destined to marry and bear useless children…”
“Useless children are just that, they can’t stir up any trouble!”