Stranger Danger

Contrary to what its name implied, the water of Rainbow Lake was clear and turquoise. However, a type of grass called the Rainbow Grass grew at the bottom of the lake. A peculiar aquatic plant with seven leaves of different colors, each leaf changed colors every incense stick or so.

The bottom of the Rainbow Lake was overgrown with the Rainbow Grass, and its clear, turquoise waters reflected the changes in color: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. Beautiful and spectacular, it was how it earned the name “Rainbow Lake”.

The Moon Altar was a three-hundred-meter-tall structure that looked a little like a circular pillar. Thin at the bottom but thick at the top, one could view the entire Goddess City from the top.

The Spring Garden was an everspring garden that never changed no matter the season. Filled with all kinds of rare and extraordinary flora, it was a place of unimaginable beauty and relaxation.

If the Rainbow Lake, Moon Altar and Spring Garden were the representatives of beauty and vibrance, then the One Wonder was a collection of beauty, magnificence, and mystery.

The One Wonder was called the “Goddess Wall Paintings”, and it was none other than the three goddess wall paintings that had descended from the sky and formed the foundation of Goddess City three hundred years ago. It was also the origin of the Goddess Festival.

The Goddess City was built next to a mountain, and the mountain was named the Goddess Peak. One side of the mountain was perfectly smooth and flat like a mirror as if a sword had sliced clean through, and the three goddess wall paintings were embedded in it.

Square-shaped, each wall painting was exactly one hundred meters long and wide. From the inner city, it was possible to view the Goddess Wall Paintings no matter where you were.

What this meant was that the visitors were able to see the three wall paintings as soon as they set foot inside the inner city. Those at the forefront suddenly skidded to a stop, and the locals dropped to their knees and kowtowed to the wall paintings like they were gods. It was quite the stunning first impression to say the least.

Goddess White Deer was a girl riding a white deer. She wore a set of white robes and a wreath on her head, and she had long, black hair that cascaded down her back like a waterfall. With a backdrop of clean nature behind her, she looked like the embodiment of purity and innocence themselves.

Goddess Green Lotus was a middle-aged woman holding a green lotus in one hand. She was dressed like a court lady and possessed a cool, lofty appearance. Noble and untouchable, she stood out among the masses just like the green lotus in her hand.

Finally, Goddess Moonview looked to be standing on a mountain peak with her back facing toward the crowd. White clouds covered her feet, and a bright moon hung high atop her head. She looked like a celestial who had discarded her mortal shell and ascended to the heavens; the lone beauty who had achieved transcendence and soared above a forgotten world.

That wasn’t all. The three goddesses were giving off a mysterious, profound aura. The onlooker who watched them for an extended period of time would naturally grow reverent and fearful like a believer before their god.

“How interesting!”

Ye Qing smirked. He could tell that the strange feeling was, in fact, not just a product of his imagination. It was an invisible, intangible aura that possessed the power to influence one’s emotions and spirit in secret. Prolonged exposure to this aura would cause the victims to develop unconscious reverence and yearning toward the three goddesses.

His demonic thought informed him that the aura wasn’t particularly harmful or potent though. One should return to normal as soon as they leave Goddess City. Besides that, he did not discover anything else wrong with the three wall paintings.

After admiring the Goddess Wall Paintings for a bit, the group began exploring the inner city at their leisure. With Leng Tianjue at the helm, they visited the Rainbow Lake, the Moon Altar, the Spring Garden and other scenic spots in the inner city. Time passed slowly as they toured the place to their heart’s content.

When nighttime arrived, something strange happened. What was a clouded, snowy sky a moment ago had suddenly cleared up and revealed a sea of stars.

Maybe it was because the weather was rarely clear since they entered Yan, but Ye Qing felt that the night sky was even clearer and more beautiful than usual, and the stars looked so bright it felt as if one could pluck them with their bare hands. This was especially true for those who happened to be standing at the Moon Altar at this time.

As night fell, and the lanterns were lit, the entire Goddess City became submerged in dreamy candlelight.

It was 11 pm when a bell was struck, and its ringing could be heard throughout the entire city. As if on cue, every light in the city was snuffed out, and the entire world plunged into darkness all of a sudden.

The newcomers were just starting to feel confused and worried when a bright moon rose to the center of the sky. Silver moonlight descended from above and landed squarely on the Goddess Wall Paintings.

The next moment, a multitude of colors refracted out of the wall paintings. They rapidly grew in intensity until they shone brighter than the moon, the sun itself, and for a time, the entire Goddess City became as bright as day.

When the radiant light gathering around the wall paintings had reached peak intensity, they transformed into a massive, rainbow-colored door surrounded by auspicious clouds. It was as if the wall paintings had transformed into a door to heaven.

For a time, it was so silent that one could hear a pin drop. That was just how magnificent and fantastical the scene was.

Buzz…

An indefinite amount of time later—it could have been an hour, or it could have been an eternity—a grand, magnificent sound washed over the entire city and caused the sky and the earth to shake a little. The auspicious clouds scattered into nothing, and the mysterious door slowly swung open to reveal all kinds of enigmatic sounds and colorful lights.

“The mystery beyond mysteries,

The door to all beginnings”

The light and sound show wasn’t just for show. Many people actually experienced enlightenment right there and then and advanced to the next cultivation level.

“The Light of Female Mystery and the Sound of All Beginnings? Not bad!” Ye Qing lifted his eyebrows but shook his head right after. “A shame that it’s mostly fake.”

The Light of Female Mystery and the Sound of All Beginnings were both a unique type of natural phenomenon. They occurred only in places where heaven and earth resonated with each other, the laws and principles shone, and the Great Way was unveiled.

To put it in simpler terms, the Light of Female Mystery and the Sound of All Beginnings appeared when a matter, a person, or an object that touched on the natural laws or the Great Way. For example, a Sage who was practicing his Dao or giving a lecture might trigger the manifestation of the Light of Female Mystery and the Sound of All Beginnings. This was because their insights were usually interwoven with the Great Way and the natural laws themselves.

Just the same, if a mysterious blessed land or abode surfaced in the real world, and it happened to resonate with heaven and earth and in harmony with the Great Way, then it would manifest the Light of Female Mystery and the Sound of All Beginnings as well.

In summary, the Light of Female Mystery and the Sound of All Beginnings were natural products of the world, reflections of the Great Way, and manifestations of the many facades of the natural laws. They were as profound as they were wondrous.

As the Light of Female Mystery and the Sound of All Beginnings were intricately linked to the Great Way and the natural laws, those who saw it naturally became connected with nature, and those who heard it naturally understood the truths of the world. Therefore, they were incredibly beneficial to a warrior. A small boost could cut down years on one’s cultivation or accelerate one’s breakthrough, whereas a big boost could even turn one into a Sage[1].

There was a story in “Gold and Jade Records of Wulin” that went something like this: Once upon a time, a scholar was enjoying a night walk when he saw a rainbow light and heard a profound sound. Enlightened, his mind became one with heaven and earth, and his will returned to the natural laws. It was profound beyond words, wonderful beyond imagination.

Time marched swiftly, and by the time he finally awakened from his unusual state, a whole century had already passed him by. Realizing that the world he knew was already in the past, the scholar let out a rueful sigh and sang at the top of his lungs:

“All things in life are born with spirit,

So why oh why is immortality so ruthless?

One night spent with female mystery and all beginnings,

And the next, I sing of an adventure to the skies beyond.”

With that, the scholar walked up to the clouds, passed through the heavenly gate, and completed his ascension to immortality.

1. To put it in game terms, it’s an instant level up reward. ☜

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