Several days earlier.
A streak of azure light crossed mountains and rivers, pierced ten thousand miles of clouds, and flew toward River Prefecture.
It followed the great river all the way to River Court, then descended from the clouds into the city.
Some passersby saw the light streak across the sky, vanishing in a flash. They merely thought their eyes were playing tricks on them.
Jiangting Commandery was still the same River Court, blooming like brocade. With the Five Gods Cult gone, and Prince Jian gone as well, it instead carried a few more traces of peace and prosperity.
At the beginning of spring, painted pleasure boats carried scholars on spring outings to admire the scenery. Fireworks bloomed along both banks, while singers and performers sang and danced until dawn.
The only difference was that the Five Gods Cult deities once worshipped by every household had all been removed.
The stone statues and carvings of Golden Spiders and divine toads that had stood before market stalls and shops had vanished without a trace as well.
Many households had erected statues and spirit tablets for another immortal in their homes.
It was Daojun Kongchen, who had slain demons in River Court, severed the river with one sword, destroyed the demon lair, rescued countless suffering commoners, and then drifted away.
Yet Daojun Kongchen's image in River Court differed greatly from his image throughout the surrounding villages. In the villages, Daojun Kongchen wore Daoist robes and stood upon a demon serpent. In River Court, however, he was clad in white and held an immortal sword.
The sole similarity was that the Divine Donkey was always beneath him or at his side.
The two different images represented two different stories and legends.
At the southern gate of Jiangting Commandery.
After the Five Gods Cult's