Chapter 244 - 240: Dream

The moon hung high, and a sinister wind filled the air.

For some unknown reason, a thick fog had risen. Chen Qingyang sat on his threshold and, shrouded in the mist, opened the book.

The book was titled *Entrancing Souls: A Spectacle for the Ages*. He had flipped through the entire volume, but aside from three cliché stories—one about a young master and a courtesan, another about a monk and a female ghost, and a third about a Daoist descending a mountain—he hadn't noticed anything unusual.

The only thing was a strange aura that lingered, trying to ensnare him. 'But with my level of cultivation,' he thought, 'how could such a meager force possibly succeed?'

He began to wonder about the book's origin.

Lu Yuan had been very clear: a great many people owned this book, and a great many had become captivated by it. It was as if the books had appeared overnight. At least, Chen Qingyang hadn't discovered anything of the sort when he patrolled the city with his Conscious Fish two days prior.

There were so many books, and each one was suffused with a Qi Mechanism. That would require an Immortal Workshop large enough to Refine them in massive quantities.

It was just like the Hongling Token production at the Four Golden Peaks where he worked. That was a standard Immortal Workshop, capable of producing vast amounts of Dao Rhyme Text each day for Refining Flying Swords.

'Of all the Immortal Sects in the world,' he mused, 'only a Demon Sect would have both the resources and the motive for something like this.'

He began to suspect that this book was the starting point of the Celestial Pig Concealing Trigram Formation.

Chen Qingyang meticulously flipped through the book one more time. But aside from the Qi Mechanism, he still found nothing out of the ordinary. Even the stories seemed to lack any unique, hidden meaning.

'Perhaps... I need to approach this as an ordinary person would.'

Opening the book for a third time, he completely suppressed his Qi Mechanism. He let himself go, allowing the book to ensnare his soul as he read on with relish, gradually becoming engrossed...

In this state, his emotions seemed to be rapidly amplified. He could feel the characters' turmoil and was constantly drawn in by the power within the story. Even the tale of the Daoist and the ghost became fascinating. Gradually, his mind began to grow muddled...

After all, he was at the peak of the Essence Condensation Fifth Realm. His body housed a Spirit Platform Acupoint, which naturally kept his mind clear. Thus, when he tried to immerse himself completely, his own cultivation became a hindrance.

He had no choice but to use the techniques of the Great Soul Scripture to control himself. He slowed the flow of his body's Qi Mechanism, bringing it almost to a complete stop, making himself more and more like an ordinary person.

His Spirit Platform fell silent, and his Xuanji Gang Qi no longer resisted the book's power. After reading for another moment, his mind and body sank into it completely.

At that moment, all the joys and sorrows of his life flashed through his mind. His emotions were once again pulled along by the aura, and his Three Souls and Seven Spirits gradually became completely unguarded. His Corpse Dog, in particular, grew almost stagnant.

The Corpse Dog is one of the Seven Spirits of the Three Souls and Seven Spirits. This spirit acts like a guard dog, protecting the Divine Soul when a person is asleep or unconscious.

With the Corpse Dog now stagnant, his entire Divine Soul was laid bare to the Qi Mechanism. It then completely constructed a bizarre dream in his mind, making it feel as though he had entered another world.

This is also how one can manipulate the Corpse Dog to enter another person's dreams.

It was as if he were in the Underworld. Everything around him became sinister and strange.

The world was gray and gloomy, but now it was also covered in a layer of blood-red, as if a crimson film was smeared over his eyes and would not fade.

Chen Qingyang gazed into the distance. At the far end of the barren fields, a palace had appeared. If he didn't resist, his mind would be overwhelmed and ensnared, compelling him to walk toward it.

'What a miraculous Dharma Gate,' he thought. 'To think it can use a mere book as a medium to create such a bizarre dream in an ordinary person's mind.'

He allowed it to pull him toward the palace. Gradually, other figures began to appear on the road.

Young and old, men and women. There were nobles in lavish clothes, frail-looking scholars, fishermen, woodcutters, and more. They straggled along the road, all heading in the same direction as Chen Qingyang.

He observed their faces carefully. Regardless of their features, their expressions were a hollow mask of numbness, the corners of their mouths all twisted into terrifying smiles. They looked like Yin Souls on the path to reincarnation.

Gradually, the number of people grew, all of them heading in the same direction.

For some reason, Chen Qingyang suddenly noticed that everyone had formed neat queues, one person following the next. They formed countless long dragons, all converging on a single point in the center.

'I have to see what that grand hall is.'

He continued to follow the crowd. The farther he walked, the more a chill seemed to seep into his body, as if death itself were closing in.

He looked at the people on either side of him, and a thought suddenly struck him.

These people hadn't appeared from thin air. They were the residents of the city who had read the book, one by one. Just like him, they had all been lured by it, and were now walking toward the grand hall—and toward their deaths!

He even realized that the book could ensnare anyone—man or woman, young or old, literate or not.

With his formidable Divine Soul Power, he could break free at any moment. But these people couldn't even struggle; they all walked numbly toward death.

'Harvesting the lives of an entire city so indiscriminately... What kind of technique is this? And what is the Demon Sect trying to achieve?'

'Blood and flesh, or these Yin Souls?'

Chen Qingyang looked back. The dense crowd stretched as far as the eye could see. 'Is this what they mean by a one-in-ten chance of survival? Are ninety percent of the city's people going to be sacrificed for this?'

At this moment, he was powerless. He couldn't wake a single person from the illusion created by the Array.

After what felt like a very long time, he finally saw the Underground Palace before him. Inscribed above the entrance were the words "Venerable's Dream."

Afterward, an unbearable feeling swept over him. An icy cold seized his limbs and crept toward his chest, as if his body had been drained of all its blood.

Entering this palace meant death. With a mere thought, Chen Qingyang's consciousness snapped back to the world outside the book.

He was still sitting on the threshold, still holding the book. After he closed it, the seven words of the yellowed title on the cover seemed to flash with a trace of blood-red light. The bizarre atmosphere vanished, and the book could no longer draw him in.

The book, too, had become completely ordinary.

When his Conscious Fish once again swam through the streets, everything had changed.

The peace and serenity were gone. It had all happened in the span of a single hour. Bizarre smiles, violent shrieks, and the sound of muttering to oneself echoing from dark corners!

Many people were clutching copies of the book, reading with rapt attention. Others crowded around them, waiting eagerly for a chance to read it next.

'Just how extensive is the Demon Sect's scheme?' he wondered in alarm. 'How did so many of these books get scattered among the people?!'

Deeper in the city, it was the same story everywhere. The problem had even appeared in the Royal Palace and on the city walls; the book was now spreading among the soldiers.

'The situation has gotten this far... It'll be almost impossible to stop now.'

He put the book away and rushed to find Senior Brother Li.

At that moment, in the main hall of Ci Yun Temple, located halfway up the mountain, the members of the Tai Xu Sect were gathered with the Celestial Masters of the temple. Seated at the head of the assembly was none other than Senior Brother Li.

When he saw Chen Qingyang enter, he gave him a slight nod before turning to Lingxuzi and roaring, "Useless trash! Is the Monarch of the Yong Kingdom a complete imbecile? How could he let the Demon Sect scatter their Demon Artifacts everywhere? Why wasn't there the slightest inkling of this beforehand?"

'So they've already heard the news,' Chen Qingyang realized.

Faced with the angry roar of the Upper Sect Immortal, the so-called "Shangyuan Qingtian Chengtaixu Jiang Cibei Zhen Daoist Master" of the Yong Kingdom didn't dare show a hint of anger. He could only prostrate himself on the ground, keeping his head bowed low.

Not only was he the Tai Xu Sect's representative in the Yong Kingdom, but he was also the official in charge of the Yong Kingdom's Royal Family, responsible for upholding protocol and managing the clan's affairs.

"Aren't you going to explain yourself? I'm the one who has to answer to the Foundation Establishment Masters!" Don't be fooled by Senior Brother Li's usual easygoing demeanor; he was no saint. The day they were trapped in the Array, he had slaughtered his fellow disciples without the slightest hesitation.

"Senior Brother, it was my failure," Lingxuzi replied. "I suspect the Regent King is behind this. Not only does he covet the throne, but he has always been obsessed with seeking immortality, which must have given the Demon Sect the opening they needed."

"He controls many of the bookshops and academies in the city. It's entirely possible that he was the one who distributed the Demon Artifacts in such a short period."

Li Zheng narrowed his eyes and waved a hand dismissively. "Kill him. Kill the Regent King."

Lingxuzi didn't even raise his eyelids. "I've already sent men to take care of it."

Li Zheng continued, "Recall all nearby troops. Have them conduct searches on the streets and burn all the books. Anyone who refuses to hand them over is to be executed without pardon."

At this, he looked around at everyone. "None of you should underestimate this technique. The current Netherworld Peak Master of the Demon Sect goes by the title Venerable Meng. His Netherworld methods are nothing short of heaven-defying, and his Dream-Entering Skill is one-of-a-kind in the entire Cyan Nether State."

"The technique he's using now is the Sutra of All Living Beings Entering the Dream. The more people who enter the dream state, the more Divine Soul Blood and Flesh he can absorb. Once he has enough, he can create the Demon Sect's Strongest Array... Hmph. At that point, the entire Yong Kingdom will become a Purgatory, and its countless citizens will be reduced to ash."

'The Sutra of All Living Beings Entering the Dream.'

'So that's the name of the technique,' he thought. 'I never expected a Golden Core True Monarch to be backing the Demon Sect this time.'

If what Senior Brother Li predicted came to pass, it would mean that in a vassal state under the prestigious Tai Xu Sect, the entire populace had been slaughtered by the Demon Sect. If word of that got out, the sect's authority would be severely damaged.

If they failed to retaliate and restore their honor, it would be an indirect admission that the Daoist Sects, having lost a Golden Core Master, had become inferior to the Demon Sect. The repercussions would be immense.

Just then, Lingxuzi raised his head. "Senior Brother Li, it's too late. The situation is completely out of control. The people of this city... they might all be..."

SOB...

As he spoke, someone began to weep bitterly. It was the white-haired Ding Xiulong. "An entire city... everyone in the entire city..."

His voice was a low mutter as tears streamed down his face, his old frame trembling uncontrollably.

Even before this disaster, he had seemed to have a premonition, living in constant fear.

Li Zheng paid him no mind and made a swift decision. "The three Masters have already laid their plans, and a steady stream of disciples is being dispatched from the Sect as reinforcements. Our priority now is to stall for as long as we can. We're going to the Imperial Palace to guard the Imperial Consort while she gives birth. Whether the rumors are baseless or not, we must take precautions."

"The disciples of your Ci Yun Temple who are below the first Essence Condensation Realm are to remain here. Those at or above the first Essence Condensation Realm can hunt for traces of Demon Sect Disciples. If you are outmatched, do not force a confrontation."

With that said, he turned to Chen Qingyang. "Junior Brother, you can either stay here at Ci Yun Temple or follow me to the Imperial Palace. Your choice."

"Senior Brother," Chen Qingyang said, "I'd like to check things out beyond the city walls."

Li Zheng was surprisingly decisive this time. "Alright. Just be careful."

As Li Zheng's group departed, Lingxuzi kowtowed to their retreating figures. "Thank you for your mercy, Senior Brother Li."

'At least this arrangement won't cause Ci Yun Temple any unnecessary losses.'

Chen Qingyang returned to his quarters to change and strap on his sword. His Conscious Fish continued to roam the city. He wanted to use this opportunity to slay a few Demon Sect Disciples and accumulate more Immortal Seedlings for himself.

"Senior Brother from the Upper Sect!"

Suddenly, he heard Lu Yuan's voice from outside.

"What is it?"

Lu Yuan pushed the door open and entered, holding out the Elixir to return it. "I know this Elixir is for you to replenish your True Power in a crisis, Senior Brother. Now is such a time. It would be wasted on me, so I want to give it back to you!"

This gesture made Chen Qingyang give the man a second look. "Smart. In the future, I'll be sure to reward you with some Immortal Fate!"

Lu Yuan lowered his head. "Thank you, Senior Brother."