The village of Yunng was quiet after nightfall.
Though the truth behind Yunng Village’s monster legend likely encircles the villagers themselves spooking each other with tales of turning into fish monsters at night, bound by cognitive hindrances, the villagers now limit their nightly wanderings, even snuffing out the lights in their hos earlier.
The dimly lit streets were left with nothing but the sounds of Shen Yuan’s footsteps.
Located on the eastern edge of Yunng Village, the Dragon Sovereign Temple stood close to the water of Lake Dongting.
According to the boatman, the location of the Dragon Sovereign Temple was once part of the Yunng Swampland until the day when the swampland dried up. The ancestors of Yunng Village then established their village here and built a temple to worship the Dragon Sovereign.
Although there are several other Dragon Sovereign Temples within the wide expanse of Lake Dongting, Yunng Village’s Dragon Sovereign Temple is undoubtedly the one with the longest history and the best-preserved shrine.
As Shen Yuan headed towards the Dragon Sovereign Temple, he observed the other details of the entire Yunng Village.
While Yunng Village is a re settlent, it is significantly larger than the average village, and there’s careful planning in its layout of roads and the structure of the houses.
All the buildings seed to guard the Dragon Sovereign Temple located on the eastern edge.
In the clear, cold moonlight, Shen Yuan finally got a clear view of the entirety of the Dragon Sovereign Temple.
More of a palace than a temple, the Dragon Sovereign Temple presented a sensation of ancient grandeur hard to articulate, standing as it did, bereft of any brilliantly ornate artwork.
The walls made of huge stones were engraved with various mythological narratives, and despite most of them being eroded by the wind and rain over ti, one could still faintly discern shapes of Divine Dragons etched on them, soaring above the heavens and watching over the mortal world.
At the gates, a huge plaque had hung for countless years—the wood had already decayed as if it ford naturally, piecing together two large characters.
Yunng!
Shen Yuan stood before the Dragon Sovereign Temple, not directly stepping in but looking towards the open red gate.
“Cough,cough,cough!”
A severe cough rang out, followed by a stooped old figure with a kerosene lamp slowly appearing from behind the temple gates.
The weak light from the kerosene lamp flickered in the wind, casting eerie shades across the old and thin face.
“Young man, what brings you to the Dragon Sovereign Temple in the middle of the night?” The old man questioned, his coarse voice similar to an squeaking old wooden door slowly closing.
Shen Yuan slightly bowed to the old man in front of him and calmly replied:
“I ca to visit Lake Dongting today and heard about Yunng Village’s ancient Dragon Sovereign Temple, so I ca to see this temple.”
The old man’s expression darkened and he responded:
“If you want to visit the Dragon Sovereign Temple, you should co during the day. It’s generally not a good idea to wander around late at night in Yunng Village. Nights here are not very peaceful.”
The villagers’ transformation into fish happens at night, so it naturally is related to that ti. If Shen Yuan had co here during the day, he would likely have found nothing.
“I have so ans to protect myself, so the old gentleman need not worry. As for entering the temple, I would ask the old gentleman’s permission.”
The old man’s murky eyes moved, and he glanced at the Maine Coon cat behind Shen Yuan.
His gaze paused for a mont before he spoke slowly in a cold voice:
“If you encounter anything strange in this Dragon Sovereign Temple, don’t bla for not warning you.”
While talking, the old man slowly turned and headed inside the temple, holding the kerosene lamp.
Seeing this, Shen Yuan also stepped into the Dragon Sovereign Temple.
Though the Dragon Sovereign Temple was built with a grandeur, it was still a construction from thousands of years ago after all.
While the villagers might renovate the Dragon Sovereign Temple whenever they can afford it, the maintenance has gradually decreased as more and more people left for work in the big cities.
Apart from occasional repairs during the annual festivals, the Dragon Sovereign Temple was already in a state of serious disrepair.
The several side halls next to the main hall had already collapsed substantially, and the few that remained were teetering on the brink of collapse.
The elder pointed to the fallen side halls, introducing them with the flickering fla of the kerosene lamp:
” Those side halls were originally intended to house the Thirty- six Angry Waves Generals and Twelve Water Gods of the Yunng Swampland, as well as the First Deputy Turtle Minister on either side. But, half of them had already been destroyed and there’s not much left to see.”
“The entire temple now only has the main hall which enshrines Lord Dragon Sovereign, and that’s comparatively well-preserved.”
Shen Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly, surprised that this Dragon Sovereign Temple had once housed so many local deities.
But considering that at its peak, Yunng Swampland was comparable to the Four Waterways, he felt sowhat relieved.
Which Dragon Sovereign of the Four Waterways didn’t command a host of local deities? It was normal for the Yunng Dragon Monarch to have so many under his control.
However…
“Have you never heard of these nas before?”
The elder suddenly turned and looked at Shen Yuan, his face bearing a mysterious smirk.
Shen Yuan nodded and replied:
“On the way to Yunng Village, I also learned so myths and legends about Yunng Swampland from a boatman. But I’ve never heard of characters like the Angry Waves General, or the Twelve Water Gods.”
“Heh! Your ignorance of them is all the more common.”
The smirk on the elder’s face beca more unnerving. “These traitors have long been executed by the Dragon Sovereign, and naturally have no right to leave their stories in this world.”
“Traitors?” Shen Yuan was puzzled.
The elder did not answer Shen Yuan’s question, instead, he slowly walked towards the direction of the main hall, kerosene lamp in hand.
Shen Yuan had not noticed that in the faint light of the kerosene lamp, the elder’s shadow was slowly transforming.
Following the elderly man into the only well-preserved main hall, a cold, chilling aura confronted them head-on.
This chilly aura was not rely physical coldness. It carried a freezing intensity that seed to threaten to freeze their very souls.
Shen Yuan imdiately beca alert, eyeing his surroundings with extre caution.
But the elder seed to be heedless of this, leisurely stepping up to the altar with his kerosene lamp and using the flickering fla to light the candles inside the hall.
The bright fla gradually enveloped the entire hall, dispersing the unidentified chill that had been hanging in the air before.
Only then did Shen Yuan see the local deity that was enshrined in the center of the main hall.
It was a majestic statue of a dragon-headed, human-bodied figure-the towering sculpture virtually reached the height of the main hall.
The statue was dressed in luxurious clothes adorned with black and gold patterns and ancient totems representing clouds and rain. The deep sky-blue dragon eyes appeared to hold a boundless expanse of water.
Even though it was only a statue, the overpowering presence it radiated was enough to evoke the sensation of a divine being’s descent among them.
“Master…”
The Maine Coon, overwheld by the Dragon Sovereign’s imposing statue, subconsciously called out to Shen Yuan, only to see Shen Yuan staring solemnly at the elder in front of the Dragon Sovereign’s altar.
In the glow of the candlelight, the twisted shadow behind the elder slowly beca clear, surprisingly revealing a dragon-headed, human-bodied figure.
On his face, the cloudy eyes had been replaced by dark golden vertical pupils, fine scales covered his forehead.
“Cultivator, state your purpose!”
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