Chapter 83: Princess of the Dragons (1/2)

Now that Xuanxi was an envoy, her true form split from the corpsefish.

“You’re… from the North Sea water spirits?” The flood of her memories and experiences astonished Lu Yun.

North Sea water spirits were very much different from the monster spirits that currently inhabited the sea. The former had long since vanished, their ancestral home taken over by the latter.

He turned to the bronze outer-coffin. Clearly, his new envoy knew who the burial vessel contained. Back in the day, she’d willingly walked into Wayfarer’s scheme in order to pass down instructions for the ritual to revive the one within.

“Yes, master. I am one of the shark spirits of the North Sea. I was the princess’ close subordinate, once upon a time.” The watery envoy quietly lowered her head. “She was the very first Dusk River God, but died in a fight with the terrible restriction that lies in the ancient tomb. I inherited the position from her.”

Gods were not only entities born of sacrifices through ritual, but also represented a position, a title created to fulfill a specific duty. The power of a god was a result of the laws of nature and the wishes of the masses.

Take the first Dusk River God, for example. Born from the sacrifices, prayers, and worship of the people living on the banks, the river god could manipulate the river so that it no longer flooded. Thus, she protected the lives of her worshipers on the banks, as was her born duty.

They wished for her to have that particular power over nature, and so it came to be.

This kind of position could be transferred to another, whether willingly or by force. Regardless, the Dusk River God would always have the ability to control Dusk River.

Xuanxi’s death meant that she no longer held that post. Another river god wouldn’t have been born otherwise. As for the princess she’d once served, occupant of the bronze outer-coffin, this was the one which the large burial mound and a thousand years of rituals wished to return to life.

“Was the disturbance a thousand years ago, the one that caused untold misery and suffering for all of Dusk Province, all to revive this princess of yours?” Lu Yun glanced at the outer-coffin, rather upset.

“No, no,” the watery envoy replied hurriedly. “There must be another reason. The princess was the purest of nobility, but the last heir and had gone into hiding with few troops to her name. She even changed her name… wait!” Xuanxi shrieked with alarm. “What is this?! Why is there the light of blood on Her Highness?!”

Two beams of pale-blue illumination shot from her eyes, a gaze that could peer into the coffin.

“Offerings of grass and dogs fashioned from hay should borrow from the purest of energies in the world. Why does blood shimmer over her?” Xuanxi was deathly pale.

“The sacrificial goods were changed,” Lu Yun intoned in a low voice. “They were substituted for ninety-nine pairs of children, plus more than a thousand cultivators’ bodies and souls. It seems that someone wanted to revive the princess alright, but to create their very own killing machine in the process.”

The ritual would’ve turned out fine if only effigies of straw were used. Once living sacrifices were substituted, it turned much too bloody and cruel, creating a critical mass of bad karma.

Under those circumstances, the princess could only rise again as a mindless, murderous fiend—even more horrifying than the zombie king.

Long ago, Xuanxi had offered up her own life to create a self-sustaining boundary with natural energy. The system didn’t need outside help to perpetuate itself. She’d only passed down the sacrificial rites to revive her princess.

Alas, outside interference had altered her intentions beyond belief, turning the dragon princess into a monster. [1]

The contingency she’d left in place to ensure that the ritual would proceed as normal had evidently been removed as well. As a result, the centenary rites led to a drastically different result.

Nothing she’d wanted to accomplish had been achieved.

“Master, for the sake of all life, please stop the princess’ revival. Her Highness would never have wanted this either.” Resolution flashed through Xuanxi’s downy-blue eyes. She’d once given up her life to revive her mistress, but now pleaded with Lu Yun to prevent that goal from coming to fruition.

“We’ll have to see. I can’t touch this bronze outer-coffin yet.” Lu Yun shook his head slightly. Though the burial vessel now resided in the Gates of the Abyss, it remained connected to the outside world through a mysterious power. The energies generated by the sacrifices still flowed readily into it. He didn’t dare do anything to it yet.

“What’s up with the brass spear though? Why is it here?” He changed the subject, pointing at the weapon embedded in the corpsefish.