The Rain Master had nothing left to say and could only obey.
He straightened his posture and raised his hands, his wide, slate-gray sleeves spreading to both sides like bird wings.
“Rain, come!”
Dark clouds gathered from all directions.
Immediately after, rain poured down from the sky, dense and fine, enveloping the entire courtyard in a slate-gray curtain of water.
Yet, to everyone's dismay, the fire was not extinguished.
The Rain Master turned to face the Divine Lady and bowed his head, his voice tinged with shame. “This humble immortal's magical power is meager, and the rain I summoned is but a light drizzle. I fear it cannot extinguish this fire...”
Having finished speaking, he bowed deeply, his spine arching in a highly humble curve, not daring to look up.
Yun Shu was not surprised.
She and the system had already calculated beforehand that the Rain Master outfit's precipitation area was too small to cover the entire courtyard.
Fortunately, she had come prepared.
It was the handheld piece from the Rainbow and Feather Garment set, the Peacock Fan, which she had previously suspected was bait in the prize pool.
Its skill was Wind Control.
Wind would aid the rain, and rain would borrow the wind's power. Only by combining the two could they completely wipe out the raging fire filling the courtyard.
“You may step back,” the Divine Lady said.
In the next instant, she walked through the air, stepping down from the phoenix's back to the ground as the rain automatically parted beneath her feet.
The scene was so wondrous that both opposing groups of people couldn't help but hold their breath.
The Divine Lady's silver-white hair fluttered gently behind her like a length of brocade woven from moonlight.
Her white-and-green gown fluttered in the wind, its layered hem unfurling with an unspeakable beauty.
Rain poured down from the heavens.
It fell densely all around her, yet not a single drop could touch her robes.
At a distance of three inches from her, the raindrops struck an invisible barrier and dissolved into nothingness.
Everyone watched in a daze.
However, the shock the Divine Lady brought them was far from over.
They watched as the Divine Lady lightly curled her fingers, and a Peacock Fan materialized in her hand.
The fan was entirely jade-green with translucent white ribs, its surface covered in genuine peacock feathers, with every barb shimmering with a brilliant interplay of deep blue and violet, looking exceptionally magnificent.
She raised the Peacock Fan and gave it a gentle wave.
The fan traced a graceful arc in the air.
Wind rose.
The remaining flames were entirely extinguished.
Not a single open flame remained in the entire courtyard.
Only the sound of rain was left.
Raindrops fell on the charred wooden beams, on the damp earth, and on everyone's heads and shoulders.
【Lu Sui Shock Value +100】
【A'rui Shock Value +100】
【Shen Yu Shock Value +100】
【...】
【Current Shock Value: 458,500】
Yun Shu stood where she was, watching her Shock Value soar.
Knowing she still had a major scene to perform later, she quietly put away the Peacock Fan and equipped the Thunder Decree.
If she wanted to create a world where everyone was equal, the first thing she had to do was overthrow the feudal dynasty's rule.
Since ancient times, it was believed that the emperor's power was divinely ordained.
Now, her identity was that of a deity, and any casual word she spoke was a divine oracle. It would not be difficult to achieve this.
After that spectacle of swinging her sword to sever the Dragon Vein, the people of Xindu believed that the Yong Dynasty was finished. They were all waiting for her, the Divine Lady, to lead them in pacifying the world and choosing a new emperor for them.
This was the hardest part. Bound by the limitations of their era, the ancient people believed that an emperor was an indispensable existence.
But her thoughts ran entirely counter to theirs.
She could not overthrow a feudal dynasty only to personally create a new one authorized by a god.
That would only make feudal rule even more unbreakable.
If a cruel and tyrannical monarch like Emperor Ling of Yong emerged in the new dynasty, it would be an even greater disaster.
Without extraordinary power, ordinary people rebelling to overthrow a feudal dynasty would have to pay a devastating price.
How much more so if they had to overthrow a dynasty authorized by a deity?
Therefore, she had to solve the problem at its root by spreading the concept of “equality for all.”
Subtly, she would transform their mindset.
Last time, she had merely planted a seed.
This time, she would use the act of bringing rain to save lives to lead by example, showing them through her actions.
Under the law, everyone was equal.
Anyone who violated the law must be punished.
Including gods.
Her overly wide sleeves concealed her hands, naturally hiding the Thunder Decree and her minor movements.
Inside the courtyard, the physicians supported one another as they stood up.
Some checked their medicine chests, only to find them soaked through by the rain, the medicine inside completely ruined.
They had not cried when trapped by the raging fire. Yet now, seeing the medicine they had worked day and night to prepare destroyed, and remembering how the Divine Lady had just violated heavenly laws to save them, the group of physicians, who only wished to save the world and its people, could no longer hold back. They covered their mouths and wept bitterly.
Their weeping was filled with suppressed grief and injustice.
They had clearly done their utmost to save lives, patiently explaining things to the people of Yecheng over and over again.
No one had expected things to turn out so terribly—not only had they almost been burned to death, but they had also dragged down the Divine Lady...
Lu Sui raised his head and looked at the Divine Lady through the curtain of rain, his red-rimmed eyes pooling with tears.
In myths and ghost stories, gods were always high and mighty, distant existences that would never show favor to mere mortals.
Yet the deity before them had saved them from fire and water time and time again, showing a benevolence that made them want to weep.
How could mortals not revere and love her?
Just as his mind churned with a myriad of emotions, the sky and earth suddenly changed.
First came a violent gust of wind.
It howled down from the horizon, whipping up the charred ash on the ground and blowing the crowd in the courtyard off balance.
Next was the sky.
The sky, already dim from the gathering dark clouds, turned completely dark at this moment.
A heavy pressure bore down from the Nine Heavens, making everyone's chests feel tight and their breathing difficult, as if an invisible giant hand were choking them.
The crowd looked up at the sky.
“What... what is that?” someone cried out in terror.
Vaguely, streaks of purple-gold light could be seen weaving through the dark clouds.
It looked like countless thunder dragons churning in the sea of clouds.
“Heav... heavenly punishment... It's heavenly punishment...”
The Rain Master's pupils shrank, all color draining from his face in an instant, his eyes filled with shock and terror.
“Divine Lady, you brought rain against the heavens, interfering with the karma of the mortal realm! The Heavenly Dao is enraged. This heavenly punishment is surely aimed at you!”
His voice carried a weeping tone that was almost a plea. “Please leave quickly, Divine Lady! Hurry back to the Ninth Heaven. Surely the Heavenly Sovereign will have a way to protect you!”
“You cannot stay here...”
The Rain Master's words made everyone present understand why such a terrifying anomaly had suddenly appeared in the sky and earth.
Though they did not understand celestial affairs, everyone knew exactly what the words “heavenly punishment” meant.
“Divine Lady, please leave quickly!”
The crowd knelt on the ground, weeping and begging.
“We beg you... do not concern yourself with us anymore...”
“It's not worth it...”
“No more words are needed,” the Divine Lady said nonchalantly. “If I have erred, I must accept the punishment.”
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