Stone Fairy!

Upon hearing this, Daozhen was taken aback.

"I'm not here to take your territory."

Dao Zhen could sense that the green snake was wrapped in a strong incense offering and prayer power, which condensed into an invisible halo, without the kind of malevolent aura that only appears after devouring people.

This is why Daozhen only restrained it and did not kill it.

A hint of doubt flashed in the green snake's vertical pupils.

"Then why did you come here?"

The green snake was somewhat confused. It could sense that the white-robed Taoist in front of it was not human, but a transformed spirit.

Since they are of the same kind and have entered its territory with such cultivation, what else could they be after if not to seize territory?

"I'm here on behalf of those above, telling you not to transform into a dragon during this period," Daozhen explained. "Otherwise, there will be floods."

"Also, I feel something attracting me to you."

The green snake's pupils suddenly contracted.

"You still say you're not trying to take my territory!" Its voice suddenly rose, and its thick body began to writhe again. The golden chains were stretched taut and creaked, and the scales rubbed against the chains, making a piercing sound that echoed at the bottom of the river.

But no matter how much it struggled, the chains remained firmly in place.

"You and that old turtle are saying the same things!"

The green snake struggled for a while longer, but the chains remained firmly bound to it, showing no sign of loosening.

It finally stopped, a hint of resentment flashing in its blood-red vertical pupils, followed by a hint of helplessness. Finally, as if resigned to its fate, its entire body relaxed.

"So be it." The green snake's voice was muffled, carrying a sense of resignation.

"If you spare me, I'll give you this place."

Daozhen shook his head: "I have no particular interest in your place."

Green Snake looked at Daozhen and saw that he really had no interest in her.

The green snake wavered somewhat.

"Really not?" Green Snake asked tentatively, her voice less fierce and more cautious.

Daozhen nodded.

The green snake stared at him for a moment, then finally seemed to relax. Its body relaxed, its forked tongue retracted into its mouth, and the hostility in its vertical pupils subsided considerably.

As it stopped exerting force, the golden chains on its body gradually dimmed, loosened one by one, and finally turned into specks of golden light, dissipating into the water.

Daozhen withdrew his magic.

The green snake raised its head and hovered in the water for a moment, seemingly deep in thought.

Then, its body began to shrink.

The enormous creature, over twenty feet long, transformed into a small green snake, no more than three feet long, floating before Dao Zhen. Its entire body was emerald green, with fine, dense scales, like a meticulously carved piece of jade.

The green snake's eyes also shrank, becoming like blood diamonds, and it was staring intently at Daozhen.

"I won't transform into a dragon at this time," the green snake said, her voice clear and crisp. "If I wanted to, I would have already done so long ago; I wouldn't have waited until now."

Daozhen nodded upon hearing this.

In this way, Yunmei City is no longer worried about flooding.

Daozhen shifted his gaze from the green snake to his surroundings.

The four enormous stone pillars were struck several times by the green snake's tail during the fight, causing much of the aquatic vegetation that had covered them to fall off, revealing more of the stone carvings hidden beneath.

The patterns were clearer and more mysterious than those seen before. Interspersed among them were countless tiny runes, densely packed, like a celestial book carved on stone.

Seeing that Daozhen's gaze lingered on the stone pillars, the green snake swam over to him and asked, "Do you know the origin of these stone pillars?"

Daozhen shook his head: "I don't know."

"However, this place must have existed for over a thousand years."

Daozhen withdrew his gaze and looked at the deep, dark temple gate.

"May I go in and take a look?"

The green snake floated in the water, tilting its head to look at Daozhen.

The green snake found itself feeling a sense of familiarity when it approached the white-robed Taoist. It wasn't the intimacy between two kindred spirits, but rather... like the feeling of being enveloped by the rising incense smoke when the fishermen worshipped it.

It's warm and soft, making you want to close your eyes.

Upon hearing Daozhen's words, the green snake didn't think much of it. With a gentle flick of its tail, it swam towards the temple gate.

"Of course, no problem."

The green snake led the way, its small body darting nimbly through the water, its emerald scales shimmering softly in the fluorescent light.

Daozhen followed behind it and stepped into the temple gate.

The temple was not as dark as I had imagined; it contained many stones that emitted a soft, shimmering glow.

The walls are covered with murals, which are now faded but still show some scenes of sacrificial rites.

In the very center of the temple stands a tall altar.

On the altar were several rusted bronze artifacts, and directly above them stood a statue.

The entire statue is carved from the same bluish-black stone, with bold and powerful lines, exuding an aura of majesty and inviolability.

Daozhen looked up and his gaze sharpened slightly.

It was a dragon, no, that's not right, it was something that was missing from a dragon.

This is a dragon, but one whose horns have been cut off.

Daozhen's gaze involuntarily turned to the green snake beside him.

The green snake was hovering beside the altar, its small body curled up in a ball, also gazing at the statue with an indescribable emotion in its eyes.

"Don't look at me." Green Snake noticed Daozhen's gaze and said without turning her head, "I don't know either."

It paused, then lowered its voice.

"When I woke up, I was in this temple."

Daozhen's brow twitched slightly.

"wake up?"

"Yes." The green snake swayed its tail gently. "Back then, I was very small, only as long as your finger. I didn't know as much as I do now. I could only eat small fish and shrimp, hiding in the water plants, afraid of being eaten by big fish."

"However, I do feel a sense of familiarity with this statue."

Daozhen's gaze fell on the statue again.

Daozhen took a few steps closer and looked up at the hornless dragon.

The stone statue has a majestic and serene face with slightly lowered eyes. Its body is coiled, with layers of scales, each one meticulously carved, as if it might come to life at any moment and soar into the clouds.

But the two bare sections on top turned all that majesty into a kind of incomplete regret.

Daozhen suddenly remembered something.

"I heard there used to be a small island on the water," Daozhen said, looking at the Green Snake. "Where is that island now?"

"That one?" the green snake answered without hesitation. "That little island was carried by that old turtle."

Daozhen raised an eyebrow slightly: "Old turtle?"

"Hmm." The green snake's tone carried a hint of disdain: "An old turtle that has lived for who knows how many years, its shell is bigger than this temple."

"It carried the small island, floating on the water, allowing the fishermen to build temples on it and offer incense."

The green snake's voice held a hint of dissatisfaction: "Originally, we agreed that we would each enjoy half of the incense offerings."

"But it has been carrying the island, submerged underwater, and basically no one has ever seen it. So most people worship me and have even made a statue of me."

"Although I still shared some incense with it, it was never really happy about it."

"The timing has been unusual lately; it's trying to take advantage of the situation and has turned against me."

Daozhen nodded slightly: "No wonder I also sensed a faint demonic aura."

It turned out to be that old turtle.

Daozhen kept this in mind, his gaze returning to the dragon statue with its horns severed.

a long time,

Strands of golden light burst forth from Daozhen's body, illuminating the temple.

The green snake suddenly turned its head, its eyes filled with horror.

Daozhen raised his right hand and gently touched the dragon statue.

A sliver of golden light flew from the fingertip and landed on the statue's brow.

In an instant, the entire temple trembled.

The bronze artifacts on the altar began to hum, and the murals on the walls began to flow, as if the colors had come alive and slowly moved across the stone surface.

at the same time,

The stone slabs on the ground outside began to glow, and the light spread and surged toward the four stone pillars.

The flowers, birds, insects, and fish on the stone pillars seemed to come alive in the golden light, wandering around the pillars.

Then, one by one, ancient runes and seals appeared in the void, carrying an aura of desolation and profound weight.

The green snake stared in disbelief at the scene unfolding before it.

It has been here for five hundred years and thought it knew everything about this place.

However, this was the first time it had ever seen such a sight.

The dragon statue also emitted a blue halo, which seeped out from its slightly lowered eyes and then enveloped the entire thing in a hazy blue halo.

Slowly, within that azure halo, a wisp of mysterious light emerged.

Daozhen's eyes showed surprise.

"Is this...true nature?"