"I've heard a bit."

Li Yan nodded slightly upon hearing this.

Once you enter a circle, you will hear more or less about some strange and unusual stories within it.

"The Mandate of the Queen Mother of the West" is one of them.

At the end of the Western Han, citizens from twenty-six counties in Guandong suddenly gathered in large numbers towards Chang'an, claiming to hold "Talismans" bestowed by the Queen Mother of the West, believing that the wearer could "escape disaster and avoid death."

Participants all had disheveled hair, were barefoot, rode horses wildly, and even climbed onto rooftops at night beating drums and shouting, with historical records stating "drum beats and cries causing alarm"...

This event was very famous and did not just happen once. It was recorded both in "Comprehensive Reflections to Aid in Governance" and "Han Shu."

As for this event, there are many differing opinions.

Confucians say it was a disastrous anomaly, that the Emperor had lost virtue, and although the Emperor repeatedly issued decrees to confess his faults, public resentment was already boiling over and difficult to reverse...

The court's official statement suggested that the early Taoist sects might have been involved, for it would have been impossible to distribute the talismanic scripts and carry out coordinated actions across twenty or thirty counties without someone organizing from behind the scenes…

But within the Mystical Sect, there was another theory.

At that time, Fangshi were in their prime, and legends of the immortality elixir were widespread. As practitioners, faith in the Queen Mother of the West also swept from south to north.

This matter was an arrangement by a sect of Fangshi who believed in the Queen Mother of the West, attempting to expand their faith and seize power.

But because of this event, they faced liquidation and extinction.

In any case, the story is quite mysterious.

Thinking of this, Li Yan was suddenly alarmed and quickly asked, "Could this thing be related to the Queen Mother of the West?"

He did not forget that the Wizards of the Ancient Wuxian Country were rumored to be under the Queen Mother of the West, and King Shu also once secretly plotted to seek the immortality elixir, possibly at the instigation of Lu Sheng.

"It has nothing to do with the Queen Mother of the West."

Wang Daoxuan shook his head and said, "The so-called 'Divine Nightmare' is a large-scale nightmare curse, using the power of incense and mortal belief as its source, causing countless common people to fall into madness."

"This is a forbidden technique. In ancient times, whenever chaos spread across the land, someone would disseminate heretical ideas, using this forbidden technique to confuse people and incite unrest for personal gain."

"It was later banned by the Mystical Sect, and all related spells were destroyed. Even in the Scripture Pavilion of Wudang Mountain, there is only a brief introduction..."

Next to him, Sha Lifei couldn't hold back and said, "Daoist, what's the use of talking about this now? Just tell us how to break it, dammit, this is really creepy."

No one blamed him for complaining.

The current Chengdu Prefecture was indeed terrifyingly eerie.

Heavy snowfall mixed with dense fog, under an eerie red light, made streets and buildings appear as shadowy blurs, with a throng of people moving like a Hundred Ghosts Night Parade.

Even more frightening was the occasional sound of thunder from the sky, the air seemed filled with a suppressive madness-inducing aura.

The term Netherworld wouldn't be an exaggeration.

"The texts don't elaborate."

Wang Daoxuan stopped speaking pointlessly, solemnly saying, "But since it's called a Divine Nightmare, the source of this spell should be the Mortal God. We just need to break into the decayed temple and slay the god to break the spell."

Lv San said in a muffled voice, "Recently, those demons under King Shu have been hiding in the Prince Mansion, the altar should be inside."

"I've found the tunnel, why not take action now?"

"No rush."

Li Yan looked serious, glancing up at the sky and around them, "San'er, don't you think this thing seems familiar..."

Lv San was first taken aback, then suddenly realized, "Is it the same thing?"

He was quick-witted enough not to say it outright, especially since nearby were the Bamboo Forest Six Leisurely and the betrayed Granny Jin by the faceless son.

Whether it was the Divine Que of the Cloud Lord or the Wushan Goddess Palace, both were secret realms that could drive people mad and shouldn't be revealed lightly.

Li Yan nodded thoughtfully, "Most likely it's the Dragon Palace Water Mansion, the River Dam over there probably failed."

"The initial plan of King Shu was this."

Wang Daoxuan caught the hidden meaning in his words and frowned, "You mean, the real source is the River God?"

Li Yan said solemnly, "It's highly probable. We must first confirm this matter. If our suspicion is correct, Qingyang Palace will be the main target!"

With that, he led the crowd of people and gods away.

By now, the street was already in chaos.

Bright lights emitted an illusory glow through the thick fog and snow, and the ecstatic citizens roamed about, erupting into conflicts from time to time.

The "Joyful God Money" on their bodies had mostly become rusty, with the embedded spell long since seeping into their bodies.

Moreover, the entire Chengdu Prefecture had become an Illusion Realm.

The thick fog and red light interfered with perception, those who weren't yet afflicted, once they panicked and left home, found themselves disoriented and lost, wandering aimlessly through streets and alleys.

If unlucky, they would be captured by the crazed townspeople, bound with Five Flowers, paraded around with cheers, and ultimately thrown into a bonfire.

Faced with this chaos, Li Yan and his companions couldn't care less.

They all performed the Mountain Climbing Technique simultaneously, to avoid interference from the Illusion Realm, and dashed swiftly across the rooftops covered in snow, heading eastward.

All along the way, the sights were shocking.

Arriving at a secluded alley in the east of the city, Sha Lifei immediately pointed to a small courtyard and said in a deep voice, "It's in that courtyard!"

He certainly understood what Li Yan was about to do.

This time he came to Shu because he received a task from the Dragon Lady, first to help find the reason for the River God's anomaly, and then agreed to help her gather incense and completely seize the River God's powers.

The benefits of this were obvious.

The Dragon Lady would use the Divine Astral of the River God as compensation.

This thing was the key to obtaining Daluo Divine Power, and neither Li Yan nor his companions could do without it in the future.

More crucially, once the Dragon Lady succeeded, the disaster source, the River God, would be entirely dissipated from the world.

The preparations related to this were entrusted to Hou Xuan by Li Yan.

First, to build a temple, and second, to find manpower for the Flower Festival.

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