At that moment, a dragon’s roar shot into the sky, echoing across the entire Great Dragon Pool.
Thousands of common folk looked up toward the distant heavens, all as if on cue. A white dragon tore through the clouds, streaking at incredible speed straight for that towering “Heavenly Gate.”
“Look! It’s the Well Dragon King! The Well Dragon King really came!”
“We humbly welcome the Lord of the Springwater Manor!”
A roar of cheers like a mountain landslide and a tidal wave erupted all around the Great Dragon Pool.
Still, among the crowd, there were keen eyes.
“This Well Dragon King… his body seems a bit small…”
Three years ago, in that world-shaking upheaval, many people in Dragon Tiger County had witnessed the Dragon King of the East Sea in the flesh.
That was a true sky-blotting, hundred-zhang dragon body that left one breathless.
By comparison, the white dragon before them was barely ten zhang long, and its imposing presence was on a completely different level.
……
“Roar!!!”
Above the sea of clouds, the Dragon King of the North Sea raged: “A mere worm from the bottom of a well, how dare you act so wildly before this king!”
An overwhelming dragon might came crashing down like Mount Tai, aiming straight for the Well Dragon King.
He never expected a divine light to suddenly erupt from within the [Ritual Offering Seat], instantly dissolving that dragon might into nothing.
The Dragon King of the North Sea stared wide-eyed: “This…”
The cold voice of Ao Guang, Dragon King of the East Sea, came through: “This wretch has already received the blessing of merit. It’s too late now.”
……
In that flash of lightning, the Well Dragon King threw himself into the [Ritual Offering Seat].
“Roar!!!!!”
In a dragon’s roar that shook the highest heavens, the one hundred thousand units of merit stored within the [Ritual Offering Seat] poured continuously into the white dragon’s body like a breach in the celestial river, turning into a brilliant golden stream.
In an instant, the sky and earth changed color.
His body expanded madly at a speed visible to the naked eye!
Ten zhang!
Twenty zhang!
Fifty zhang!
In the blink of an eye, it had reached a colossal seventy zhang!
His snow-white scales flowed with icy, cold light beneath the blazing sun, each scale as if forged from divine iron tempered a thousand times over.
The originally slender dragon horns now transformed into jade-like pillars as twisted as old trees.
“Roar!!!!!!”
The fully transformed Well Dragon King raised his head and let out a long cry.
But this dragon roar was completely different from before.
The terrifying presence it contained actually rivaled that of the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas!
Clearly tempered by the incense of the people and baptized by merit, this now-resplendent dragon might,
had undergone a qualitative change!
The Well Dragon King exhaled his dragon might in one breath, shooting up against the clouds, and actually tore a gaping hole straight through the firmament!
The Dragon Kings of the Four Seas, wary of getting burned, immediately sank into another expanse of misty clouds.
Meanwhile, beneath the cloud layer, the thousands of common folk witnessed the Well Dragon King’s transformation from his previous appearance to his current, supremely majestic form.
They were all instantly stunned and bewildered.
No one knew who was the first to shout: “Congratulations to the Lord of the Springwater Manor on attaining the Dao!”
In a flash, everyone fell to their knees in pious worship.
……
……
Above the clouds.
“Damn it! Damn it! Utterly pathetic! Just utterly pathetic!” The Dragon King of the North Sea was enraged to the extreme and also vexed to the extreme.
“If it weren’t for the Star Lord’s decree binding us, today, no matter what, this king would grind his bones to dust and scatter them to the wind!”
“Exactly! Just a measly stinking bug from a well, and he dares to provoke us!” A bloodthirsty look was hard to hide in the eyes of the Dragon King of the West Sea: “Big brother, let’s avoid his sharp edge for today! This Well Dragon King has accepted such enormous heavenly merit. He probably won’t leave this place for a while. We can find a spot later and just annihilate him!”
“Avoid his sharp edge?!”
Upon hearing these words, Ao Guang’s reverse scales immediately bristled. He suddenly recalled that earlier, the High Lord Jishui Bao had told him the same thing.
“Unprecedented humiliation! Absolutely unprecedented humiliation!!”
Just as the four dragons were deadlocked.
“Whom are you calling a stinking bug from a well?”
A hum!!
From above the highest heavens, a boundless divine voice rang out.
The four dragons instantly stiffened, their dragon bodies rigid, and they slowly turned back in disbelief.
They saw a beam of golden light shoot straight down from the ninth heaven, sweeping past the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas and heading toward the Well Dragon King below.
The four Dragon Kings were astounded: “This is!?”
Following the golden light, they perched on a cloud and looked down.
Above the Great Dragon Pool, they saw the golden light descending from the sky and instantly falling upon the Well Dragon King.
At once, his form changed again!
Scale by scale transformed to gold! Auspicious light of seven colors encircled him, and between his horns, thunder and lightning surged. His imposing aura abruptly skyrocketed once more!
The four Dragon Kings were shocked: “Guardian… Guardian Golden Dragon!?”
It wasn’t hard to tell from his divine nature that the golden light was none other than Lord Fortune!
The Ministry of Wealth’s orthodox deity of the Heavenly Court had actually accepted the Well Dragon King as a Golden Dragon beneath his seat?!
Before the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas could react, the bright sky, the clear day, the white clouds and mist before them all suddenly plunged into a realm of absolute darkness.
Within that darkness, a pitter-patter of golden rain began to fall, an infinite divinity freezing the four dragons’ thoughts on the spot.
A pair of gigantic golden eyes suddenly opened wide.
Under those eyes, the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas were like four earthworms groveling on the ground.
“Get lost!!”
A furious shout of divine sound erupted resolutely within the darkness.
In an instant, a violent storm of wind and rain fell upon the entire space.
By the time the four dragons came to their senses, their dragon teeth were chattering, every scale on their bodies was standing on end from shock, and they looked like four little cats with their fur blown up.
“Star Lord, spare our lives!”
They immediately fled in a mad, frantic rout and soon vanished from that region.
……
At that moment, inside the Great Dragon Pool.
This sudden change once again drew astonished cries from the thousands of people!
No one ever expected that the Well Dragon King, who had just completed his transformation, would change again. His originally snow-white dragon scales all transformed into brilliant gold, and a resplendent golden light suddenly shimmered around his entire body. That light was like molten gold from a blazing sun, dyeing him inch by inch from dragon head to dragon tail.
“The Well Dragon King… has become a Golden Dragon?!”
The people of Dragon Tiger County were all dumbfounded.
Completely unable to grasp the situation.
But just then, from the ninth heaven, it seemed like ethereal immortal music was drifting.
Next, something happened that no one could ever have foreseen.
A Dharma form, spanning across the sky, slowly emerged.
The Dharma form opened its mouth, a voice like a great bell immediately spreading through heaven and earth:
“By the decree of the Heavenly Court, the Lord of the Springwater Manor is hereby appointed as the Guardian Golden Dragon under my seat. You shall enjoy the incense of the mortal world, preside over the duties of wind and rain, and forever protect the borders of Dragon Tiger County.”
The Well Dragon King immediately transformed into a dragon-headed human form, faced the Dharma form in the sky, and knelt down in the void.
“This minor deity receives the decree, kowtowing in thanks for Lord Fortune Immortal Lord’s compassion!”
“Lord Fortune Immortal Lord?! Lord Fortune God!”
This sudden scene made people like Wang Zhongmin snap back to their senses and look at Lu Chen in disbelief.
At that moment, atop the high platform, Lu Chen sat looking rather exhausted.
The Dharma form of Lord Fortune cast its gaze downward and suddenly swept towards him.
Lu Chen smiled and waved a hand at him, silently mouthing a word: “Brother.”
A meaningful smile flickered in Lord Fortune’s eyes, and the Dharma form gradually dissipated amidst the auspicious clouds.
“Lu Chen! Could it be that…”
Sun Yourong ran up to Lu Chen, hardly able to believe the thought in her head.
“Alright, let’s not talk about this now. The ritual has one last step!”
—The Presentation of the Memorial.
Enduring the pain that hadn’t yet faded from his body, Lu Chen propped himself up with the peachwood sword and stood.
Sun Yourong moved to support him, but Lu Chen gestured that it wasn’t necessary.
He slowly walked to the front of the platform, picked up the memorial on the table titled: “Prayer for Rain Memorial.”
He then began to recite it loudly and clearly:
“Respectfully presented before the Holy Lord of the Springwater Manor:
To humbly report that in the southern borders of the Divine Land, a blazing drought has exceeded a month, turning a thousand li into scorched earth. The fields are cracked, and the grain sprouts withered… The disciples shall lead the myriad people in gratitude, offering sacrifices yearly and tributes each season, forever bathed in holy grace. This memorial is respectfully presented for His Holy Inspection!”
When the memorial was completely burned!
“Roar!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
The Well Dragon King let out a long roar, as if accepting the command. Immediately, he gathered clouds and summoned lightning, and above the entire Great Dragon Pool, dark clouds began to gather densely.
At this moment, all the people looked at the sky, holding their breath completely!
In the crowd, some clutched the hem of their clothes tightly, while others stood on tiptoe to gaze at the clouds.
Even the children stopped crying, staring fixedly at that mass of dark cloud.
“Drip!”
Until the first drop of rain hit the ground, splashing up fine dust.
Someone froze, then reached out a hand to catch one. A raindrop landed unmistakably in his palm.
He suddenly burst into tears and shouted: “It’s rain! It’s really raining!”
As soon as these words fell, a torrential downpour poured from the sky!
Immediately, unending shrieks and cries filled the Great Dragon Pool.
On the high platform, Wang Zhongmin and Chen Tiansheng raised their heads to the sky, spread their arms, opened their mouths wide, and tears completely broke through their restraint.
The rain instantly soaked their clothes, yet they relished it as sweet dew.
Three years!
For this day, they had waited a full three years!
“Mr. Lu!!!”
The two, overwhelmed with emotion, turned their heads to look at Lu Chen, only to find him lying sprawled out on the ground like the character “大”.
Staring at the pouring rain from the vault of heaven.
Lu Chen took a deep breath, letting the rain soak him completely, and just like them, he grinned widely.
“Success!! This S-rank mission, I’ve finally succeeded!!”
At this moment, the entire Great Dragon Pool fell into an unprecedented frenzy of celebration.
Everyone gave themselves over to weeping, running, screaming, embracing, and even kissing in the rain!
Within the crowd, Master Ling Shui’s face had long since darkened to the extreme. He cast a malicious glance at the high platform, then patted the red-spotted woman beneath him: “Let’s go!”
The red-spotted woman nodded, also looking toward the high platform, her eyes filled with nothing but icy, bone-chilling intent!
……
Time flew by, and two hours passed.
Beside the dried-up well deep in the mountains where the Springwater Manor was located.
Lu Chen, who had just finished bandaging at the hospital not long ago and changed his clothes, was brought over by the Land God.
“High Lord!!”
The Well Dragon King, dressed in magnificent attire, had been waiting for a long time.
Lu Chen saw the dazzling, five-colored halo of light behind him. He cupped his fist with a smile and said, “Congratulations, Dragon King, on becoming the Guardian Golden Dragon under Lord Fortune’s seat.”
The Well Dragon King was extremely respectful: “It is entirely thanks to your blessing, High Lord! Without you, this little dragon fears he would have spent his whole life cowering here, never seeing the light of day!”
Lu Chen smiled and waved his hand: “You are too kind. This trip to Dragon Tiger County was both your destiny and my destiny. By the way, you hurriedly asked the Land God to bring me a message to come over here. What’s the matter?”
The Well Dragon King made a gesture to invite him in: “High Lord, please come into the manor for a chat. This little dragon has an important matter to discuss with you in detail!”
“Oh~” Lu Chen responded with a puzzled hum.
