Chapter 666

Chapter 666: Yan Yao Festival

The red ribbons hung under the eaves of houses on both sides of the street, fluttering with the summer breeze.

Lolan Hill, wearing a sun hat, followed the crowd forward, slowly entering the center of the venue.

In the open area of the city, the usually deserted stone high platform was carefully decorated. Tens of thousands of people gathered below the three-tiered stone platform, slightly raising their heads to look at the scene above.

The entire stone platform presented a large circle. Around the perimeter stood priests in white robes, each holding jade tablets and silver bells, standing quietly. Their faces were covered by semi-transparent veils, some male and some female. The edges of their white gowns were dyed in an orange-red gradient, very delicate, like red flames in water, giving a sense of both fire and coolness.

As the silver bells around them gently swayed, a series of crisp sounds washed over the earth, gradually quieting the bustling city.

At this moment, everyone’s eyes converged on the center of the stone platform where a priestess with her eyes slightly closed stood still. She had long hair the color of orange-red, resembling the glow of the horizon. Her figure and face were incredibly gentle. Her dress flowed like evening clouds, dignified yet dancing, exuding an indescribable grandeur and splendor.

With her right hand slowly raised, the sleeve slid down a little, revealing a snow-white wrist and a small silver bracelet. The silver bell on the bracelet jingled softly, emitting a clear sound like ripples.

This sound spread out from the center of the altar like ripples, reaching all directions. For a moment, the wind in the city ceased, and the red ribbons hanging under the eaves also fell, entering a brief period of silence.

Time slowly passed. Below the tens of thousands of people, and nearly a million people in the city, temporarily stopped their activities, slowly lifting their heads to look up at the sky above.

The wind seemed to return from all directions, blowing the clouds in the sky into disarray before gathering them together again.

A swirling vortex formed by flowing clouds gradually took shape in the sky of Yan Yao Continent. Then, endless streams of hot winds began to blow through the wilderness and mountains.

Standing in the midst of the scene, Lolan Hill felt the warm summer wind carrying the aura of the dragon veins, slightly lifting her sleeves, making her feel as if she were in a comfortable hot spring, unconsciously relaxing.

Feeling the gentle summer wind slowly sweeping across hundreds of miles, Lolan Hill was deeply moved.

Is this the power of the dragon veins? No wonder the people of the Eastern Continent revere and yearn for it so much.

The priestess in the center, dressed in a cloud-like robe, began to dance gracefully. The golden silk tassels on her hairpin also

Gently swaying, her figure flickered in the summer breeze, casting a faint golden light.

The originally dormant and obscure power of the mountain dragon veins surged as she danced, flowing slowly like ice melting into warm, living water.

Vast amounts of primordial energy overflowed from the dragon veins, dispersing into the atmosphere, weaving through the mountains with the summer wind, nurturing all kinds of life in the world. Some were insects hidden deep in the earth, some were extraordinary beasts dwelling in the mountains, some were rare and precious flowers, and others were the people who lived on this land.

Lolan Hill closed her eyes quietly, feeling the flow of the dragon veins, as if she was beneath a vast river, insignificant like a tiny grain of sand swept away by the surging force of heaven and earth. At this moment, her consciousness merged with this immense river, drifting through the vast expanse of the world.

In her mind, the undulating high mountains, the green and yellow wilderness, the layers of red-leaf forests, the silent underground rivers, the strange beasts living in the woods and lakes, and the flocks of birds flying in from the distant horizon, all appeared clearly. Not only that, she could even feel the rough surface of rocks baked by the scorching sun, the cool shade under the trees in the mountains, the clarity of the spring water, the voices of people talking, and the breathing of the sleeping subterranean beasts.

All things in the world moved according to an indescribable pattern, subtly drawing one into their rhythm.

If the scorching wind covering nearly a thousand kilometers of Yan Yao Continent was like a river, then the priestess standing in the altar was like the conductor at the center of a mighty vortex.

Such vast and surging primordial energy was not something the Sequence 6 Dragon Priestess could forcibly change or control. All she could do was gently guide it, carefully ensuring it flowed along its predetermined path, as described in ancient texts.

She washed away areas where primordial energy (Mana) was stagnant and dense, replenishing the barren deserts, while balancing the temperature across the continent, preventing certain regions from becoming too hot and catching fire, and ensuring the heat flowed evenly so that the nearly ten million residents of Yan Yao Continent would not suffer from unbearable heat.

The power of the dragon veins made this land fertile and rich, but without guidance and regulation, it could lead to widespread forest fires and cause various diseases and disasters due to the stagnation of damp heat.

In ancient times, the local priests invoked the wandering Yan Yao rays, using the naturally born extraordinary beasts nurtured by the dragon veins to regulate the primordial energy. After the Yan Yao rays disappeared, it was the Extraordinary factions in the region that took on this responsibility.

This was how the Yan Yao Red Ray Gate came into existence.

Just as the people in the city were immersed in this celestial phenomenon,

When the dragon’s vein was flowing, Lolan Hill sensed something unusual. She opened her eyes and looked at the witch on the altar. Although they were far apart, she noticed a trace of crimson seeping from the corners of her mouth.

Could there have been some mishap during the ritual that backfired? The young lady speculated silently.

The power of the dragon’s vein was vast, but not gentle; its nature was fierce and uncontrollable. Generally, only specialized witch-priests could carefully guide it, making it flow somewhat according to their will.

If it were just a small mountain or marsh, it would be manageable, but today’s ritual involved a vast region inhabited by nearly ten million people across five prefectures of an entire continent. The difficulty was far beyond what ordinary people could imagine. In the past, only a witch with a Sequence 7 or 8 rating would host such a ritual, and hundreds of priestesses would assist.

But now, due to the sudden upheaval, the highest-ranking witch in the Yanyan Redray Gate was only at Sequence 6. It was already quite remarkable that they had managed so well until now, with only minor issues arising.

After a short while, not only Lolan Hill but also the priests and priestesses around the altar began to notice the anomaly. They communicated subtly with their eyes and then cast spells, redistributing the pressure of guiding the dragon’s vein among the assisting priests.

This caused many of the priestesses to turn pale and sway unsteadily. Fortunately, most of them were at Sequence 5, and even a few were at Sequence 6. With mutual support, they managed to stay on their feet.

At this moment, the audience below was still immersed in the ritual, feeling the nourishing warmth of the summer wind and the mysteries of the dragon’s vein’s circulation, oblivious to the anomaly occurring above.

Unfortunately, this situation was like a train derailment. What started as a tiny, fleeting deviation grew larger as the dragon’s vein flowed, widening the crack.

The clouds in the sky, illuminated by the slanting sunlight, revealed golden edges. As the warm wind blew, they formed the vague shape of a large fish and gradually transformed into a moving dragon.

But now, this cloud dragon gradually took on a scorched red hue, and its form in the sky twisted and became more menacing.

Seeing the blessing ritual turning into a source of disaster, Lolan Hill closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling. She delved into the depths of her mind, summoning the omnipresent atmosphere and flowing flames, trying to help even though she wasn’t sure how effective her efforts would be.

And as this young lady focused inwardly, a small sun symbol faintly appeared on her forehead, its light like fiery feathers or lotus petals slowly blooming.

—End of Chapter—