Ch. 201Chapter 201
Chapter 201 Summary
Key Plot Points and Events
- An unusually violent rainstorm begins on October 10, startling people across the ancient capital of Luocheng and neighboring areas. At first, civilians dismiss it as ordinary autumn rain.
- The rainfall rapidly spreads through Southern Province, causing severe flooding. Within days, neighboring provinces—Hui, Gan, and E—are affected as well.
- Meteorological expert Che Chang discovers that the rain clouds are forming and expanding at an impossible rate. His software predicts that the rainfall will eventually cover all of Huazhou and then the entire globe within ten days.
- Horrified by the implications, Che Chang submits his findings to the authorities, suspecting that the world may be facing an unprecedented catastrophe.
- The thunder that initiated the storm is sensed by powerful deities. It contains immense spiritual pressure, demonic energy, and a sinister aura, indicating that something supernatural has gone terribly wrong.
- Chiyan and Wind Spiral realize that the disturbance is connected to Clear Ripple River and Shui Wuyuan. They suspect Shui Wuyuan may have encountered trouble while searching for Deep Earth, a deity who has fallen into demonic corruption.
- Mountain Shaman and Lei Aotian also set out toward the source of the storm. Lei Aotian, whose true identity and divine power have returned, recognizes that something has happened to Shui Wuyuan, the deity associated with the world’s rain.
- Lei Aotian arrives first but sees only He Qinglan fleeing from the area. Shui Wuyuan is nowhere to be found, while the rain remains unnaturally cold, gloomy, and dangerous.
- Chiyan and Wind Spiral arrive soon afterward. Wind Spiral detects a hidden message from Clear Ripple River in the form of a tiny water fish.
Character Developments
- Che Chang demonstrates both scientific brilliance and emotional panic as he struggles to explain the impossible weather. His willingness to report an alarming prediction despite doubting it shows professional responsibility.
- Chiyan becomes highly agitated and protective when he realizes Clear Ripple River and Shui Wuyuan may be in danger. His anger also reveals that he feels excluded after learning that Clear Ripple River secretly went to find Deep Earth.
- Wind Spiral remains more composed and perceptive than Chiyan. He quickly connects the storm to events at Clear Ripple River and successfully discovers the hidden message.
- Lei Aotian’s restored memories and divine power are emphasized. His identity as a Thunder Spirit allows him to understand the storm more deeply than the others, and his concern over Shui Wuyuan is especially serious.
- Mountain Shaman continues to be caught between opposing views concerning Deep Earth and the other deities, but the crisis forces him to act.
- Shui Wuyuan is established as the deity responsible for rain, and his apparent disappearance or incapacitation becomes the central mystery.
- Clear Ripple River is shown to have acted independently by seeking out Deep Earth, suggesting both courage and recklessness.
Significant Themes
- The arrival of catastrophe: The ordinary rainstorm gradually reveals itself as a possible global disaster, creating a sense of escalating apocalypse.
- Conflict between science and the supernatural: Meteorologists cannot explain the weather through natural laws, while the deities recognize its connection to divine and demonic forces.
- Hidden danger beneath ordinary events: Humans initially treat the rain as harmless, reflecting how easily a world-changing crisis can begin unnoticed.
- Demonic corruption and imbalance: Deep Earth’s corruption and the rain’s sinister energy threaten the balance of nature and the world itself.
- Responsibility and foresight: Che Chang’s decision to submit an improbable warning parallels the deities’ need to respond before the disaster spreads beyond control.
- Friendship, trust, and secrecy: Chiyan’s frustration that Clear Ripple River acted alone highlights tensions among the deities and the risks of withholding information.
Character Interactions
- Ordinary people debate whether the storm is merely seasonal or a sign of something worse, with older characters dismissing and challenging one another’s fears.
- Chiyan and Wind Spiral discuss the storm and immediately associate it with Clear Ripple River’s search for Deep Earth. Chiyan is angry that he was not invited.
- Chiyan and Wind Spiral join forces and travel to investigate, while Mountain Shaman and Lei Aotian independently head toward the same location.
- Lei Aotian informs Chiyan and Wind Spiral that he found only He Qinglan’s departing figure and no sign of Shui Wuyuan.
- Wind Spiral discovers Clear Ripple River’s concealed water-fish message, ending the chapter on a suspenseful revelation.