Chapter 140 - 114: Magical Duel in a Dream

Chapter 140: Chapter 114: Magical Duel in a Dream

"Yes!"

Lu Jinghong nodded forcefully, but her heart began to race uncontrollably.

The fear she felt before had long been replaced by an inexplicable excitement.

’To be able to fight alongside him...’

Her mind suddenly began to run wild with uncontrollable thoughts.

’Chen Ye looks so unbelievably cool right now,’ she thought. ’I’d be willing to die just to fight alongside him!’

’No, that’s not right. Nothing can happen to him!’

’If someone has to die, it should be me. And I have to die saving him. The best way would be to take a fatal blow for him, then collapse into his arms, murmuring with my last breath...’

’I’m afraid... I won’t be able to watch the snow or admire the plum blossoms with you anymore...’

’The scene has to be as tragically beautiful as possible. That way, whenever he sees snow in the future, he’ll think of me and be overwhelmed with grief...’

Lu Jinghong’s imagination ran wild, her mind already playing out a heart-wrenching, epic romance of life and death.

Of course, Chen Ye was completely unaware of the convoluted, melodramatic soap opera playing out in her head.

Facing the countless screaming Ghost Shadows pouncing at him, he just let out a sharp cry as his form suddenly changed!

His green robes faded away, replaced by a suit of imposing General’s Armor. At some point, his face had been painted with the hard, black-and-white lines of an opera role, and a gleaming silver spear materialized in his hand!

Skill, Dramatic Appearance!

"Halt! What foul demon dares act so presumptuously here!"

With a flick of his wrist, Chen Ye’s spear moved like a dragon as he let out a high, impassioned operatic cry.

He moved with the Seven-Star Step, his body like a roaming dragon. The spear in his hands danced in an impenetrable defense, each thrust and every sweep carrying the rhythmic grace of a stage performance.

The seemingly vicious Ghost Shadows were forced into a steady retreat by his assault.

"Hmph!"

Seeing this, the man snorted coldly and thrust his hands upward!

In that instant, countless crimson plum blossoms materialized out of thin air above the grand hall.

The blossoms bloomed with an eerie beauty, so red they seemed ready to drip blood. Each petal was as sharp as a knife, and they transformed into a rain of bloody flowers, sweeping down to engulf Chen Ye and Lu Jinghong!

Chen Ye flicked his spear, creating a thousand blurs of its tip that formed an impenetrable barrier, shredding the attacking plum blossoms to pieces.

But there were simply too many blossoms—endless and inexhaustible.

"It’s useless," the man cackled smugly. "This is my dreamscape. You’ll be worn down until you die of exhaustion!"

Chen Ye’s breathing grew slightly ragged, and beads of sweat formed on his brow.

’He’s right. His power is nearly infinite here.’

’If this continues, I’ll be exhausted sooner or later.’

’I have to break this stalemate!’

At this thought, a sharp glint flashed in Chen Ye’s eyes. Instead of retreating, he charged forward, right into the storm of flower petals!

The man was not alarmed by this but was instead pleased.

In his eyes, this was merely his opponent’s final, desperate struggle. He wasn’t afraid of a close-quarters fight, for in this dreamscape, he was an immortal, indestructible master.

However, what he never expected was that just as Chen Ye reached him, he didn’t thrust his spear. Instead, he slammed the butt of its shaft heavily onto the ground.

"Heaven’s justice is manifest, witnessed by gods and ghosts alike!"

An operatic line, brimming with righteous fury and powerful enough to pierce clouds and shatter stone, suddenly rang out. It was immediately followed by—Professional Talent: Illusionary Performance!

Activate!

As the saying goes: with an aria, a stage is raised from flat ground; with the fall of a water-sleeve, an illusory sea is born from nothing!

An invisible yet vast and majestic power of Divine Thought erupted outwards, with Chen Ye at its center!

The smug smile on the man’s face instantly froze, replaced by an unprecedented terror.

He could feel the stable dream world beneath his feet being forcibly torn apart and overwritten by a much stronger power!

"No! This is my dream! What did you do?"

He shrieked in horror, but the surrounding scenery had already begun to distort and shatter.

The gloomy hall collapsed with a deafening roar, replaced by an ancient battlefield filled with soaring killing intent and fluttering banners!

"Welcome."

Chen Ye stood before a mighty army, spear in hand. The black-and-white opera paint on his face now made him look like a merciless deity in command of life and death.

"Now, this is my dream."

「Meanwhile, as Chen Ye battled in the dream, the situation back in Jingyun Temple in the real world had also changed.」

Mr. Lu and Qi Shihao, wielding swords and sabers, kicked open the temple doors only to find a deathly silence.

The vast Daoist Temple was completely deserted.

The Daoist Nun and Daoist Children who had so eagerly attended to them earlier were nowhere to be found. Only the few maids and old women they had brought with them were lying scattered about the room, unconscious.

"Jinghong!"

"Nana!"

The two men were terrified and charged like madmen toward the women’s quarters in the rear courtyard.

As soon as they reached the courtyard, they saw Qi Nana standing guard at a doorway, her face pale. Seeing them charge over, she quickly made a hushing gesture.

"Dad! Uncle Lu! Keep your voices down! Boss Chen is inside saving Jinghong!"

Hearing this, the two men skidded to a halt and peered through the crack in the door.

They saw Chen Ye standing silently by the bed, his eyes gently closed and his expression solemn.

On the bed, Lu Jinghong’s pretty face was as white as a sheet. Her brow was tightly furrowed, her expression shifting between extreme pain and violent struggle.

Mr. Lu felt as if a knife were twisting in his heart. His eyes instantly turned red.

His daughter was suffering, and he, her father, was powerless to help!

A boundless rage burned in his chest, and he directed all of it at this demonic Daoist Temple.

"What a Jingyun Temple! What a Lord of the Mountain!"

Mr. Lu gritted his teeth with a CLICKING sound and spun around, beginning to search room by room. But he found nothing.

Finally, he stormed into the main hall, sword in hand, radiating killing intent.

In the hall, the statue of a handsome deity, whose eyes and brow held a hint of evil, gazed down at him in silence.

At this point, everything was clear.

’It was this damn thing that was harming his daughter!’

"You foul demon! I’ll smash you to smithereens!"

Mr. Lu roared, leaped onto the altar, and used all his strength to push the statue.

The statue was incredibly heavy; he couldn’t topple it on his own.

"Old Lu, I’ll help you!"

Qi Shihao had followed him at some point. Seeing the situation, he immediately rushed forward, and together they shoved hard against the statue’s base.

With a tremendous CRASH, the clay statue finally gave way, toppled over, and shattered on the spot.

But what was revealed after the statue shattered was not a solid base, but a pitch-black hole!

A bone-chilling Yin Qi was gushing out of the opening, making one’s skin crawl even from a distance.

Both men were shocked. They exchanged a look and saw the horror in each other’s eyes.

Mr. Lu was about to charge in without a second thought, but Qi Shihao grabbed him.

"Old Lu, don’t be rash! The Yin Qi in there is too strong. It’ll be dangerous if we go in recklessly!"

After all, Qi Shihao worked for the Government Office; his mind was a bit more meticulous than Mr. Lu’s.

He knew there were definitely ghosts in the hole, but charging in headfirst was not the best strategy.

"Then what do we do? Just let those fiendish Daoists hide down there?" Mr. Lu asked anxiously.

Qi Shihao’s gaze swept around and landed on the red cloth draped over the shattered statue. A flash of inspiration struck him.

"We can’t go in, but smoke can!"

He immediately had his men pile the statue’s red cloth, along with the prayer cushions, tables, chairs, and anything else flammable in the hall, at the mouth of the hole.

Soon, a bonfire was blazing at the entrance to the hole, and thick, billowing smoke was fanned into the pitch-black opening.

The tactic worked.

After just a few moments, the faint sound of suppressed coughing could be heard from deep within the cavern.

"It’s working!"

Mr. Lu and Qi Shihao’s spirits lifted. They stood guard on either side of the hole with their swords and sabers, waiting for the people inside to be smoked out.

But just then, from outside the Daoist Temple, a bloodcurdling, inhuman shriek cut through the wind and snow.

The sound was sharp and piercing, filled with pain and unwillingness, startling the two men guarding the hole.

At the same time, inside the side room, Lu Jinghong, who had been lying unconscious on the bed, suddenly trembled and slowly opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was Chen Ye, standing guard by her bed.

She was stunned for a moment, then a flush of heat rushed to her cheeks, a blush spreading from the tips of her ears all the way down to her neck.

But Chen Ye was in no mood to admire the bashful appearance of a young maiden in love.