Shenhua Mountain.
The ancient, ruined Dragon Gate's sudden appearance in the Dragon Gate Desert stirred changes in heaven and earth. At the same time, the enormous bronze bell within the ancient Stone Pavilion atop Shenhua Mountain's snowy peak suddenly boomed!
The dull clang of the bell echoed between the countless peaks above the bottomless abyss. The clouds and mists around Mount Hua churned, Immortal Cranes cried out in alarm, and after the bronze bell inexplicably rang, the bronze chimes hanging from the eaves of every pavilion and palace began jingling wildly as well. There was no wind in the mountains, yet this strange phenomenon startled the many Daoists of Chunyang Palace, who paused their cultivation and emerged from their caves to investigate.
Qingxu Palace. Yu Rong stepped out of the main hall and came to the cliff's edge, where she saw the sea of clouds roiling as though a giant dragon were swimming through it...
Somewhere in the Central Plains, bells echoed through a lavish temple.
The same two old monks were still playing chess, black and white pieces covering the board. Hearing the bells, the two old monks looked bewildered. Each calculated in silence, their brows knitting tightly...
Longze County.
The Dragon Girl Temple thrived on offerings of incense. Whenever the locals celebrated festivals or joyous occasions, they invariably came to the Dragon Girl Temple to pray for blessings and make offerings. Blue smoke curled upward, and the ancient Dragon Girl Temple was the county's only old structure still standing after several hundred years, possessing a rather uncanny air.
Many homeless women tended the temple. The busy women suddenly halted, as did the many devout men and women, all looking above the bronze incense cauldron in the courtyard. Countless streams of incense smoke outlined the shape of an ethereal