Chapter 646: Speaking with the Gods in a Dream

The luxurious temple nestled deep in the mountains was lit brightly from end to end. Anyone who didn’t know better would think today marked some major religious festival or ceremonial celebration.

At the highest, most central point of the complex stood the Divine Elder Palace. Light from within shone through the paper windows, so it was already bright on its own, but from outside, it looked almost as if the building were on fire. Yet it wasn’t just candlelight; there were glimmers of divine light of various hues, constantly flashing and shimmering, leaking out through every gap.

It was as if five-colored lightning were silently flaring inside.

Any junior Daoist who passed by at a distance and caught sight of this would be struck with amazement. And when they saw Zhuchengzi, the temple owner, standing frozen like a statue at the door, their astonishment deepened by threefold. They wouldn’t dare linger and would immediately quicken their steps, hurrying away.

Within the hall, the divine light eventually faded. Only the golden-yellow glow of candlelight remained, burning as if the place were still aflame.

“Creeaak...”

The great palace doors slowly opened. It was quiet inside.

Only a Daoist stepped out, crossing the threshold. Beside him, a calico cat bounded like a rabbit, leaping out past the threshold in one smooth hop.

“Thank you for waiting, fellow Daoist,” said Song You, cupping his hands respectfully toward Zhuchengzi.

“No, no, not at all...” Zhuchengzi hurried to return the gesture. His expression had returned to normal, and his voice was steady, though it only masked the storm still churning inside him. “Have you finished offering incense?”

“In the Divine Elder Palace, yes,” Song You replied. “But there are a few more deities I would like to visit. Would your temple happen to have shrines or statues dedicated to them?”

Zhuchengzi stood still for a moment.

It was a simple question, with only two possible answers. Yet in that fleeting instant, the two choices flashed back and forth in his mind thousands of times, and even he couldn't decide.

But he didn’t hesitate for long. “Which deities do you wish to visit?” Zhuchengzi asked calmly after the pause.

“The major celestial officials of the War Division,” Song You began, listing names one after another, “The ancient god of the Heavenly Bell, the Emperor of the Void, the Four Saints of Antiquity[1]...”

Then he paused briefly and added three more, “Also the Anqing Swallow Immortal, the Immortal Elder of Green Wood, and the Divine Lord Lilong.”

Zhuchengzi committed all the names to memory instantly, quietly turning them over in his mind as he replied, “Among the War Division’s star officials and divine lords, only the Golden Spirit Officer is enshrined in Divine Elder Palace. However, just ahead is the Palace of Stars, where we enshrine all twenty-eight War Division star officials and divine lords, both major and minor.

“As for the Heavenly Bell Emperor, he is too ancient. Outside of Guangzhou and its surrounding areas, which were once his sacred domain in the old days, very few temples keep his statue anymore... The Emperor of Void is the same.

“However, since this temple dares bear the name

Fengtian

, which means ‘serving Heaven’, and honors all deities of the heavens and the Heavenly Dao, we naturally maintain one of the most comprehensive pantheons in all of Great Yan. Behind the Divine Elder Palace is a small shrine called the Ancient Immortals Palace, where both the Heavenly Bell Emperor and the Emperor of Emptiness are enshrined.

“The Four Saints of Antiquity, whose power is boundless, are worshiped in a special shrine built to the east, west, and south sides of the temple. As for the Anqing Swallow Immortal, he is honored in the shrine at the mountain gate. The Immortal Elder of Green Wood and the Divine Lord Lilong don’t have statues, but we do keep their spirit tablets, also housed in the Ancient Immortals Palace...”

Zhuchengzi spoke with great clarity.

Only at the end did he recall that earlier this evening, he had seen a swallow by Song You’s side. It was clearly no ordinary bird; its whole body radiated a pure aura, faintly exuding divine light. At the time, Zhuchengzi had already suspected that it was most likely a legacy of the Anqing Swallow Immortal.

So it was a descendant of the Anqing Swallow Immortal. This revelation was worth pondering.

“As expected of the Fengtian Temple. As expected of the Master of the Fengtian Temple,” Song You nodded in approval.

“You're too kind.”

“May I ask...”

𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

“Ah, fellow Daoist, please follow me,” Zhuchengzi interrupted before Song You could finish, turning back to close the great hall doors.

As he did so, he took the chance to glance once more at the scene inside the Divine Elder Palace.

Everything remained as before. Not a single lamp had gone out. The long line of divine platforms stretched ahead, dozens of towering statues standing tall—some emanating righteousness and authority, some bearing kind and gentle expressions, others exuding immortal grace, or natural ease. Under the soft glow of thousands of candles, the atmosphere carried a deeper solemnity than by daylight. A timid person standing at the door and looking up would no doubt feel instinctive awe and reverence.

Yet it was calm and silent, as though nothing had happened at all.

“Creeaak...”

Zhuchengzi shut the doors. Without hesitation, he gestured for Song You to proceed, then took the lead toward the Ancient Immortals Palace.

Their steps were quick, and Zhuchengzi’s expression was solemn.

The Heavenly Palace was Daoism’s heavenly realm, and the Fengtian Temple, as a Daoist temple, was essentially an extension of that celestial order on earth. It served as the intermediary between mortals and gods, expressing human intention to the divine, while also gathering incense offerings for the gods.

So when someone wished to make offerings or declarations to the gods of the Heavenly Palace, there was no reason to refuse. This was, after all, part of a Daoist temple’s core responsibility.

At the same time, Daoism belonged to the human world. Daoism was for the people. A Daoist was, first and foremost, a person.

The Heavenly Palace should be the realm of virtuous gods, deserving of mortal reverence. And Zhuchengzi was both a Daoist and a man.

What’s more, as the temple owner of Fengtian Temple, a temple that worshiped Heaven itself and served the divine, he understood both the Heavenly Dao and the hearts of the people. He was not blind to the corruption among certain deities.

The current heir of Hidden Dragon Temple, seeking to reform the Heavenly Palace and reopen the path to ascension, was in fact doing something of benefit to the entire celestial order. He aimed to restore the true nature of the incense-based Divine Dao, and such an undertaking was ultimately for the good of all living beings.

Whether as a person or as a Daoist Master, there was no reason to stand in opposition.

And so, under Zhuchengzi’s guidance, Song You made his way through the temple, moving between various halls and sanctuaries. He was essentially making a full circuit of Fengtian Temple. At each stop, he offered incense and declared his intentions to the gods.

Within the temples, the gods began to reveal themselves, one after another. Divine light flickered and flared. Every god who heard his words showed themselves to personally bear witness.

Even those ancient deities, who had never once manifested ever since their statues had been erected in Fengtian Temple, and of whom even tales of miracles elsewhere were scarce, appeared now and revealed their presence. When Zhuchengzi saw this, he felt a sudden clarity: so these ancient gods still existed, had not faded away into the long river of time and dwindling incense.

Some gods reacted fiercely, nearly summoning thunder from the heavens. Some deities were amiable, engaging in long conversations with the Daoist within the halls.

By the time all the incense had been offered, it was already past midnight.

Yet Zhuchengzi felt no weariness or drowsiness at all. In fact, he was brimming with energy, his heart shaken and full of awe.

This sort of event, he had only ever read about in Daoist texts, or heard spoken of in legends. Occasionally, he might catch a faint glimpse of such things through the veiled lens of a cultivator’s insight in historical records. But never had he imagined that he would live to witness it himself, so closely, almost as if he had taken part in it personally.

“I didn’t even realize how late it’s gotten. Thank you, fellow Daoist Zhuchengzi, for your company and patience, it must have been exhausting.”

“You’re too polite, fellow Daoist.”

Only then did Zhuchengzi gesture to him again.

“It’s already late. Please, follow me. Let me take you to your quarters so you can rest.”

“Thank you.” Song You followed him.

It was still that long, gracefully curved corridor, one red wooden pillar after another stretching into the distance. Most of the lanterns hanging there had already burned out, their flames extinguished. The few that remained gave off only a dim, flickering light. The night was now colder and quieter than ever before. Only the moonlight, white as snow, remained. Not a single star could be seen in the sky.

The Daoist returned to the guest quarters within the temple and washed up briefly.

Though the night was half over, it was the hour when cats were most active.

Lady Calico, who had followed him all evening as he offered incense and informed the gods, didn’t understand every word, but she could more or less grasp what he was doing, and what was about to happen. The Daoist himself remained calm and composed, but the cat—like a child—grew nervous before he did, her little face serious as she sat solemnly atop the desk in the room, declaring she would stand vigil and protect him through the night.

The Daoist let her be. Let her find her sense of purpose in it.

He lay down on the bed and closed his eyes. He emptied his mind and relaxed completely. Before long, he had fallen asleep.

Almost the instant he drifted off, a celestial being appeared in his dream. The first to arrive was an elder god.

He wore a long silver robe, embroidered with gold thread in the shape of scales—whether fish or dragon, it was hard to say. His hair was stark white, as was his long beard, like fresh-fallen snow.

“My name is Chang Shu.” This was the true name of the Divine Lord Lilong.

Lilong was one of the ancient gods, with no small standing in the Heavenly Palace. Though not one of the highest-ranking deities, and not someone who held great power, his cultivation and spiritual attainments were exceptional. Still, he wasn’t quite on par with the likes of the ancient god of the Heavenly Bell or the Four Saints of Antiquity.

But he had been a close friend of a Hidden Dragon Temple patriarch many generations ago.

Among the friends of that Hidden Dragon patriarch, only two were ever recorded in the temple’s records as having become gods in the Heavenly Palace. One more had gradually faded from public view around two hundred years ago, when the Heavenly Palace underwent a reshuffle.

Now, only this one remained, almost forgotten by the world.

“Greetings, Senior.”

“You wish to follow in your ancestor Fuyang’s footsteps,” Divine Lord Lilong said bluntly, without wasting time, “But your approach, starting from Heaven's Ascension Path and the virtue of the gods, is not as wise as his. You should have waited for a true age of chaos.”

“Heaven's Ascension Path is exactly where I should begin.”

“Starting from Heaven's Ascension Path and the matter of divine virtue may indeed provoke the current Divine Elder’s wrath and make him your enemy. But it also allows you to stand on the side of righteousness, to align with the Heavenly Dao and the will of the people. Even so, these topics are too sensitive. The first makes many gods suspect that you aim to seize control of Heaven's Ascension Path, to claim the authority to confer godhood. As for the second...”

The god let out a dry chuckle. “Among the ancient gods, how many truly ascended through virtue rather than cultivation and divine power?”

“I mean to purge them,” Song You replied calmly.

“How arrogant!”

“Senior, I ask for your aid!”

Song You said only

“aid

,” never once mentioning retreat or compromise.

His expression was calm, his will unwavering. And in the dream, this firmness was even more clearly felt, like something that had taken shape, like words written out plainly, needing no further interpretation as they would in the waking world.

“The good news is,” said the Divine Lord Lilong after a pause, “among the ancient gods of the heavens, there are more who

do

possess virtue. As long as you stand on the side of reason and align with the Dao and the people's will, they will not oppose you or act against the heavens.”

“The bad news is, even just the ancient gods

without

virtue, and those I suspect may answer the call of the current Divine Elder, are already far beyond what you can contend with, even if you surpass your ancestor Fuyang.”

Divine Lord Lilong did not speak much more. He dared not linger too long either, and his words remained concise. “You must draw power from Heaven and Earth. You must prepare meticulously. Do not be overconfident. Do not face them with brute force.

“I will assist you from above. Go to the shrine where you offered incense earlier, and take a piece from my statue, just a corner will do. When the time comes for me to send you dreams, that piece of clay will sense it.”

The first half of his words were almost unnecessary, and Song You had already been doing exactly that. But the second half was precisely what Song You had come for.

Offering incense had been for this very purpose. As the saying went, “Know yourself and know your enemies, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles.”

“Thank you, Senior.”

“I owe you as well...”

Who knew how many dreams Song You would have tonight? The Divine Lord Lilong dared not take up too much time. He let out a sigh, gave the young Daoist before him one last long look—his face still youthful, calm and clear—and in that gaze was a thousand unspeakable emotions. A faint, indescribable smile appeared on his face before he dissolved into dust and vanished.

The dream world emptied instantly.

Then, from the haze of dream, another deity stepped forth.

This time, it was an envoy of the Crimson Gold Celestial Emperor.

That emperor had truly chosen well, for the one sent was none other than Immortal Elder of Green Wood, the immortal elder who had come to visit Song You after the founding of the Ghost City in Fengzhou. Song You had expected he would be called upon.

1. The "Four Saints of Antiquity" refers to four legendary leaders in ancient Chinese mythology: Gao Yao, Yao, Shun, and Yu, who assisted in governing the tribal alliances before the founding of the Xia dynasty. They were either descendants of the Yellow Emperor or tribal chieftains, and played crucial roles during the era of tribal confederations. ☜