Chapter 102: Yuan Kun
In the blue and white light, Zhang Jing appeared in a new outfit, wearing a waist-cinched martial robe with flowing sleeves. A stream of intricate embroidered runes extended from his long robe, fluttering in mid-air.
The enormous Kun had returned to its living form, soaring through the dream world surrounded by mountains, lush greenery reminiscent of a prehistoric world. In the distance, under the azure sky, stretched fertile plains with a platform at the center, where everyone stood.
"What brings us here this time?" Yuan Kun appeared too, clad in a black robe, dressed like an ancient sage, standing in the center of the platform.
Cao Bin, Chen Zhen, Lu Xiu, Jiang Hong, and Zhang Xiting all entered this dream world.
Zhang Jing floated in the air, eyes closed, as if he had fallen into a deep sleep.
"Dad?" Zhang Xiting called out.
Cao Bin explained, "He's maintaining the convergence of two dream realms, unable to speak. Don't worry about him. This platform is our dream, and beyond it lies Yuan Kun's dream."
Chen Zhen commented, "You're always teaching, aren't you? I'll ask the questions."
Stepping forward, Chen Zhen was greeted by Yuan Kun, who said, "The keeper of the heart lamp, oh, how generations have changed, becoming so unfamiliar, as the world itself has transformed."
"But my mission has never changed," Chen Zhen declared, "to protect this human world."
"Your resolve is not firm," Yuan Kun responded, "and you already harbor a heart demon. Even so, do you still cling to that faint spark of hope?"
In this dream, Chen Zhen's body emitted a faint light, seemingly originating from the heart lamp within him. But at the end of the heart lamp's flame, there was a hint of dark energy.
Jiang Hong was shocked, but Lu Xiu gestured, signaling not to ask anything.
"The living are mere passersby, the dead, the returnees. The world is but a brief stop in the journey, sharing sorrow with the eternal dust. Yuan Kun, you died over twelve hundred years ago, why have you still not entered the cycle of reincarnation?" Chen Zhen asked.
"Reincarnation cannot accommodate me," Yuan Kun gazed into the distance, his eyes seemingly penetrating the dream world, looking towards a reality far beyond. "I am still waiting."
"Waiting for what?" Chen Zhen inquired.
Yuan Kun answered, "Waiting for the judgment of this world. At that time, all things will be reborn in another form amidst the ruins."
Everyone fell silent. Chen Zhen then asked, "When will Yinghuo appear?"
"Soon," Yuan Kun replied, suddenly turning to look at Jiang Hong and Lu Xiu standing to one side. "The holder of the Book of All Things has sensed it; the final judgment is approaching. It's a predetermined future that cannot be altered."
Then, Yuan Kun raised a hand, pointing towards Lu Xiu and Jiang Hong.
Caught off guard, Jiang Hong felt a thunderous explosion in his mind, as if countless consciousnesses were forcibly ejected. He clung to Lu Xiu, who forcefully grasped his hand, pulling him back from floating away.
Around Lu Xiu and Jiang Hong, countless bubble-like dreamscapes swirled.
Yuan Kun snapped his fingers, and the bubble flying beside Lu Xiu burst, releasing a voice.
"The original form of the Heavenly Demon was Chi You," Chi Xiao Duo's voice said. "But how was Chi You born?"
Xiang Cheng answered, "After Chi You was dismembered, his body buried in the earth absorbed the world's malevolent energy. His three souls wandered the world, waiting a thousand years to reincarnate and revive."
"What is this?" Jiang Hong regained consciousness, looking at Lu Xiu.
Lu Xiu explained, "This is the message Xiang Cheng conveyed to me."
"Yes, but all this happened after Chi You's birth," Chi Xiao Duo continued. "It could be Chi You or some other You. The first great demon king's birth marked the beginning of the Heavenly Demon."
"To understand clearly," Xiang Cheng said, "we need to go to the origin."
The conversation between the two echoed in the air, followed by another exchange.
"But the existence of the demon seed predates even Chi You," Chi Xiao Duo explained, "dating back 5,600 years from our era."
"Yes," Xiang Cheng replied. "After the Battle of Yan and Huang, Chinese civilization began. Going further back, there were only tribes."
"But the demon seed is still there!" exclaimed Chi Xiao Duo. "Can you see it? It's in the soil, in the earth's veins! Flowing along the ley lines, it's searching for a host. Who sowed it?"
Xiang Cheng said, "To go further back, we need to visit the Tigris-Euphrates area, one of the cradles of human civilization."
"No," Chi Xiao Duo's voice interjected. "The birth of the demon predates what we know."
Xiang Cheng explained, "It's difficult to find the demon seed in the earth's veins from the sky. You can only wait for tribal wars, as only in mass death do malevolent energies converge..."
"We flew over the Himalayas to the Indian subcontinent to see," Chi Xiao Duo said.
Jiang Hong listened intently, imagining their prehistoric travels. What kind of world would that be?
"The demon has always been on Earth," Chi Xiao Duo added.
"Yes," Xiang Cheng agreed. "Be it Chi You, the Black Winged Peng, or even Zheng Qin, they're all just its parasitic hosts. We must find the root of it all."
Chi Xiao Duo asked, "But is human suffering and sorrow really caused by the demon?"
Xiang Cheng did not respond.
"This makes me think about life forms on Earth. Hey, Xiang Cheng, are you listening?"
"Listening."
"If there are aliens, would life forms on another planet not be inherently combative like humans? Could they exist without war, without deceit and trickery?"
"It's hard to say. Life's competition is determined by the environment, which ensures the survival of individuals and species. Tracing back to the root cause, it's all about genetics."
"Even, perhaps, they wouldn't experience death?" Chi Xiao Duo continued. "Then there wouldn't be the problem of how to survive."
"Does life without death have meaning?" Xiang Cheng countered. "Immortality means no evolution, making it difficult to sustain the species."
"Aren't there many forms of life?" Chi Xiao Duo pondered. "Anything is possible. Could there be a planet without malevolent energy, where 'demons' never arise?"
Xiang Cheng replied, "That's a difficult question to answer."
On the platform, a brief silence fell before Lu Xiu spoke, "That's all the information I've received so far."
Lu Xiu's dream had ended, and Yuan Kun snapped his fingers again. Soon, as the bubble beside Jiang Hong burst, the conversation resumed.
Chi Xiao Duo asked, "So it originates from beyond this world?"
"Perhaps," Xiang Cheng replied. "We need to warn them, but the clues are too vague. It's uncertain whether it comes from within the universe or another parallel world. Does our world have parallel worlds?"
"We need to find more murals," Chi Xiao Duo suggested. "It's been over seven thousand years since our time."
"Rock paintings align with human migration," Xiang Cheng observed. "Let's look back ten thousand years..."
"It's my dream!" Jiang Hong exclaimed. "This is what I've dreamt of!"
Lu Xiu nodded, saying, "Most of the messages transmitted through Dragon Tongue were lost in time and space. Only a small fraction was received by you."
The voice began again:
"Found it! That's Yinghuo," a youthful voice said. "It's the ultimate fate of the world, and it's coming back!"
"Track its path," a man's firm voice commanded. "When it arrives, both higher and lower dimensions will be shattered."
The youth asked, "Soon, just four years after we leave. Can Lu Xiu really withstand it?"
The man replied, "He'll figure it out. I believe in him, just as you once believed in me without reservation."
The youth hesitated, "But in the sudden prophecy..."
The man said, "Sudden prophecies are not the final outcome. They represent an uncertain future and the end of the cycle. The thousand-year reincarnation of the Heavenly Demon is just nourishment for Yinghuo, under the power of darkness, the stars crumble one by one, and Anjie escaped to our world."
Suddenly, the dreamscape underwent a strange transformation, as if overlapping, and a cave with ancient rock paintings appeared.
The silhouettes of a tall man and a youth were cast on the cave walls.
Jiang Hong saw the wall paintings depicting the world once again.
"The structure of the world," Cao Bin said. "This is over eight thousand years from the present. Could ancient humans from eight thousand years ago accurately depict the world?"
No one answered, all eyes fixed on the wall painting showing the markers of the outer world, inner world, higher dimensions, lower dimensions, the endless dreamscape, fissures... but soon, everyone's gaze settled on the same area.
In the upper right corner of the painting, a crimson celestial body, burning with black flames, plummeted towards the world.
Jiang Hong remembered! This was the dream he had on the eve of the rebellion in the sacred land!
He even recalled Chi Xiao Duo's words in the dream.
"This is the seed Yinghuo planted on Earth ten thousand years ago!" Jiang Hong exclaimed immediately.
"This is the seed Yinghuo planted on Earth, with demonic energy as its power and life as its food, empowering it further," Chi Xiao Duo said. "It's about to return."
Xiang Cheng added, "Earth is just one of many nurseries for Yinghuo. It sowed the demon seed in our world, waiting for it to naturally gestate and hatch over tens of thousands of years before returning to harvest its nourishment."
Chi Xiao Duo urged, "We must go back immediately!"
"No," Xiang Cheng disagreed. "We still need to find a way to counter it. Returning now without a solution would be pointless."
Chi Xiao Duo visibly grew anxious, but Xiang Cheng insisted, "There must be more information. Why did Yinghuo temporarily leave Earth ten thousand years ago? There's still unknowns we need to uncover before leaving."
Chi Xiao Duo remarked, "The oldest Hormen rock paintings are only forty thousand years old and might not necessarily contain Yinghuo's weaknesses..."
Xiang Cheng suggested, "Then let's look further into the past for answers. Ten thousand years, a hundred thousand years..."
"...a million years, ten million years, a hundred million years..."
"Even if we have to go back one hundred and sixty-five million years, to the time when the Pangea continent was still intact..."
"We will find the answer."
"That's Yinghuo," Chen Zhen said. "It comes from beyond our Earth. Now it makes sense why we couldn't trace it in the earth's veins."
"It should return soon," Cao Bin observed. "But it's uncertain how much time we have left to prepare."
Cao Bin and Chen Zhen were surprisingly calm, not panicked or overly shocked.
In contrast, Jiang Hong was deeply worried.
Is it over? Not yet!
The conversation resumed.
"Do we have enough spacetime energy?" Chi Xiao Duo asked.
"Enough for one last attempt," Xiang Cheng confirmed. "We must pinpoint the exact location."
Chi Xiao Duo's voice was filled with concern: "Are you alright?"
Xiang Cheng replied, "I'm fine. Let's go, find the location point..."
Chi Xiao Duo alarmed, "Oh no, the timeline has been blocked. This power is too overwhelming."
After a brief silence:
Xiang Cheng said, "It might have more abilities that we're unaware of."
Chi Xiao Duo asked, "What about now? What do we do now?"
Xiang Cheng suggested, "Try the previous coordinates. What about five years ago?"
"Five years ago would cause too much disturbance to the causal line," Chi Xiao Duo replied, "But we have no choice... Oh no, the previous ones are blocked."
"Blocked until which year?"
"The year Zheng Qin transformed into the demonic dragon."
"Timing is too precise," Xiang Cheng noted. "Going back to that year might trigger a chain of annihilation that’s not worth the risk."
Chi Xiao Duo said, "What Anjie said might not necessarily happen, after all, he himself..."
Xiang Cheng interrupted, "No, we shouldn't take this risk. What about later?"
"I guess it's the same for later... Ah! No!" Chi Xiao Duo replied, "The timelines after that aren't blocked! How? They’ve been unsealed?"
"Find the right point in time," Xiang Cheng instructed.
Chi Xiao Duo worried, "But if we miss the moment of its arrival, what then?"
"Leave it to them," Xiang Cheng said, "I've always believed in him... Only he can do it, and only he would be willing."
Chi Xiao Duo expressed concern, "It's too difficult, I'm afraid for Cao Bin and Lu Xiu..."
"...He'll figure it out. Everyone has their moment, this is the second sealing..."
"But I'm still worried about the seal on Lu Xiu. Apart from you, no one can undo it. What if he faces a formidable enemy?"
"He can do it. When he grows strong enough, he'll be able to break the seal himself."
"But certain conditions need to be met..."
"Yes, because if he can't complete the transformation, even without the seal, it would be of no use."
Xiang Cheng's voice was firm, while Chi Xiao Duo's tone carried hesitation and regret.
Hearing his own dreamscape again, Jiang Hong felt a strange sensation. He turned to look at Lu Xiu, who was lost in thought.
The conversation continued.
Xiang Cheng added, "We've discussed it, and he himself is willing."
"Growth," Chi Xiao Duo said, "That condition is too vague."
"Growth of the soul, not just strength," Xiang Cheng elaborated. "I told him when the seal would be lifted by himself... when he truly understands, when he's willing to protect this world, even at the cost of his life... when he can let go of his loved ones, his lingering feelings, everything he cherishes..."
"...When he is finally ready, with all his reluctant memories, to go to that destined battlefield..."
Suddenly, all voices ceased, leaving only silence on the platform.
"What does that mean?" Jiang Hong recalled. He didn't understand the details when he first dreamt these conversations, but now he knew much more, including about Yinghuo and various events' internal affairs.
Lu Xiu looked at Jiang Hong but didn't answer.
"They're transitioning back," Chen Zhen said. "So we can assume that Xiang Cheng and Xiao Duo found Yinghuo's weakness."
Cao Bin asked, "But how was the timeline blocked? You know there's only one possibility for it to be sealed..."
"What does that mean?" Jiang Hong urgently asked Lu Xiu. "Going to the destined battlefield? Where are you going?"
Lu Xiu remained silent.
Chen Zhen explained, "According to the messages they sent back, after the arrival, the blockade was lifted. It can be interpreted as..."
Jiang Hong implored, "Tell me! Lu Xiu!"
Cao Bin interjected, "Jiang Hong."
Jiang Hong, harboring an ominous premonition at this moment, was no longer concerned about what Yinghuo was, why it was coming, or how to counter it. His only concern now was Lu Xiu! Did Xiang Cheng mean that Lu Xiu had to sacrifice himself? Was this inevitable?
Lu Xiu gestured for silence with a "shush" sign.
"We need to sort out the details," Chen Zhen said. "Then we can respond as quickly as possible. First, Yinghuo is a wandering planet. Its return cycle spans ten thousand years, and the next return is imminent. The demon seed is what it sowed on Earth in prehistoric times, and malevolence is its nourishment. This time, it will devour a massive amount of malevolence..."
Cao Bin added, "We still don't know what Xiang Cheng and Chi Xiao Duo discovered in the last two messages."
Zhang Xiting said, "I... have I learned too many secrets...?"
"There's no more information for now, so we must make do with these conclusions. It's okay, Xiting. This information will soon spread throughout the inner world. There's no need for secrecy," Chen Zhen assured.
Cao Bin nodded, and Chen Zhen continued, "Xiang Cheng won't be back at the time of the arrival, so we have to initiate Plan B."
Jiang Hong pleaded in a low voice, "What's going to happen? Tell me, Lu Xiu."
"Nothing will happen," Lu Xiu reassured Jiang Hong. "Don't ask anymore."
"You can't do anything," Yuan Kun's voice resounded again, reminding everyone of his presence, almost forgotten after the revelations of the dreamscape!
The dreamscape world suddenly transformed. A gigantic comet appeared in the sky, not falling, but casting a bright red glow over the mountains and trees, which began to burn under the crimson light. The earth was ravaged, black vapors rising as if hell had reemerged!
"This is the scene of Yinghuo's arrival," the resurrected Kun in the sky! Its body had turned pitch black, with twenty-four eyes shimmering dark red.
"Life, energy, the medium on which the spiritual world depends, all hopes and despairs, joys and sorrows, human emotions, hatred, love, will all assimilate with Yinghuo, becoming its eternal part, carried to the far reaches of the universe..."
"...Human civilization, those so-called 'achievements' you pride yourselves on, are as fleeting as sparks, merely illusions in the river of time! Merely dew-like bubbles, all destined to return to nothingness!"
"Be careful!" Chen Zhen reacted the quickest, instantly unleashing the heart lamp in the dreamscape, summoning the deity and radiating thousands of feet of golden light. Countless runes flew up from the ground, blocking Kun's fierce flames!
Jiang Hong shouted, and Lu Xiu immediately embraced him, rolling to the ground, taking cover behind Chen Zhen.
Jiang Hong exclaimed, "Everything was going fine, why did it suddenly turn into a fight? Ahhh!"
Zhang Xiting warned, "Don't go out! In the Endless Dreamscape, only the power inherent in our souls works; everything else is useless!"
Lu Xiu shouted, "I can't use Dragon Tongue! This is a dream! Principal, be careful!"
Cao Bin was nearly blown away by a whirlwind and immediately knelt on one knee.
Chen Zhen, transformed into a deity of light, conjured a spell to erect a barrier, protecting everyone on the platform.
At that moment, another figure appeared above Kun's head.
"Dreams are but nothingness," Dark Chen Zhen slowly said. "Finally, you are here, clever ones who walked into the trap. No matter how much you resist, you can never defeat the master of the Endless Dreamscape..."
"Fall into eternal slumber!" Dark Chen Zhen roared.
Immediately, a surge of dark energy rushed forward. The deified Chen Zhen gathered strength, pushing forward with a sword of light. The enemy, taken aback by Chen Zhen's counterattack at this moment, saw the immense Kun pierced by the radiant sword, scattering countless dark vapors and demonic blood in the air.
But in the instant of counterattacking, the barrier of light shattered, and black flames raged fiercely.
Suddenly, Jiang Hong felt a miraculous power, gentle, scorching yet resolute, spreading outward and forming a red ring of fire that swept away the black flames.
"Creation fire," Dark Chen Zhen, holding a sword, declared, "Alas, too weak! Perish in eternal silence! Nirvana will never come! Embrace death! This is your destiny!"
The orange-red ring of fire was rapidly compressed. Chen Zhen, swept by the black flames to the edge of the platform, suddenly collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood.
"Dad!" Zhang Xiting cried out.
The dreamscape world shattered, and Jiang Hong looked up at Lu Xiu, who held him tightly. It felt as if they were plunging into the deepest darkness, with fragments of countless dreams scattered and falling apart. Jiang Hong experienced a rapid succession of bizarre and disjointed dreams flashing by.
Falling from the clouds, Lu Xiu embraced him and kissed him.
"Ah—!" Jiang Hong screamed with all his might, images flashing through his mind: Lu Xiu's face, his father on the hospital bed, the fear of encountering a monster for the first time as a child, the lights on the night of the school anniversary, the waterfalls in the sacred land...
Like a fast-forwarding slideshow, the scenes spun quicker and quicker. In an instant, a dreamscape burst, and memories within it were released, creating a sharp sound of shattering.
Faces of both familiar and unfamiliar people, Lu Xiu, Cao Bin, Xuan Hezhi, his parents, passed by like a carousel, and eventually, the vast world disappeared.
Jiang Hong's memory was once again graced by the presence of a child with an unfamiliar face.
The child's eyes shone brightly, floating in the air, curled up, embracing a glowing orb in front of him!
The orb emitted a gentle blue light, vaguely revealing continents, oceans, clouds... was it Earth?
This was also a scene Jiang Hong had once dreamt of... His memories were now a jumble, and he instinctively kept his eyes on the child.
The child lifted his eyes to meet Jiang Hong's gaze, then turned to look beyond the dreamscape, extending a slender finger towards the void.
The dark flames in the sky instantly rolled back!
Dark Chen Zhen roared furiously, and in an instant, the black flames were expelled, leaving no trace.
However, Jiang Hong only heard a sigh. The child closed his eyes again, hugging the orb in his arms tightly, and the world plunged back into darkness. Immediately after, a sensation of falling overwhelmed them.
Everyone fell into the water one after the other, creating splashes.
"Ugh..." Jiang Hong choked on water, gasping for air in the bone-chillingly cold pond. Before he could struggle, a strong hand grasped his arm.
Lu Xiu pulled Jiang Hong out of the water.
Cao Bin, Chen Zhen, and the others were drenched and disheveled.
"Are we back?" Cao Bin asked. "What happened at the end?"
Chen Zhen replied, "He was repelled, but why?"
"Dad!" Zhang Xiting called out anxiously.
Zhang Jing, also soaking wet, struggled to his feet with a severe injury, leaning on his son's shoulder. Jiang Hong looked around, his memories of the last moments being too chaotic. Dreams and perceptions overlapped, making it impossible for him to discern illusion from reality.
"It was a risky move, I warned you," Cao Bin said. "If ambushed in the Endless Dreamscape, we could have been trapped in eternal slumber. Kun's initial agreement to Xiting and Jiang Hong's request was a bait, the real aim being to lure us into the dreamscape."
Chen Zhen said, "The heart lamp in my soul can dispel them."
"Clearly, it couldn't!" Cao Bin retorted, slightly angered.
Chen Zhen insisted, "What else then? You admit it's the only way!"
Everyone fell silent, and Jiang Hong, witnessing Cao Bin's anger for the first time, felt overwhelmed by his presence. He didn’t dare to speak amidst the quarrel between these two powerful figures.
Chen Zhen and Cao Bin glared at each other furiously. Jiang Hong timidly interjected, "Are we... still dreaming now? This isn’t another dream, is it?"
Zhang Jing snapped his fingers, and suddenly strange music began to play, like piano sounds echoing in the cave.
"No more," Zhang Jing assured, "We are back in reality. This is the background music I set up for the real world."
"Okay... okay then." Jiang Hong didn't quite understand but figured Zhang Jing, being familiar with the dream realm, must have his own way of discerning things.
Lu Xiu said, "Don’t argue here. It's annoying. Whatever happened, let's leave first."
Chapter 102: Yuan Kun
In the blue and white light, Zhang Jing appeared in a new outfit, wearing a waist-cinched martial robe with flowing sleeves. A stream of intricate embroidered runes extended from his long robe, fluttering in mid-air.
The enormous Kun had returned to its living form, soaring through the dream world surrounded by mountains, lush greenery reminiscent of a prehistoric world. In the distance, under the azure sky, stretched fertile plains with a platform at the center, where everyone stood.
"What brings us here this time?" Yuan Kun appeared too, clad in a black robe, dressed like an ancient sage, standing in the center of the platform.
Cao Bin, Chen Zhen, Lu Xiu, Jiang Hong, and Zhang Xiting all entered this dream world.
Zhang Jing floated in the air, eyes closed, as if he had fallen into a deep sleep.
"Dad?" Zhang Xiting called out.
Cao Bin explained, "He's maintaining the convergence of two dream realms, unable to speak. Don't worry about him. This platform is our dream, and beyond it lies Yuan Kun's dream."
Chen Zhen commented, "You're always teaching, aren't you? I'll ask the questions."
Stepping forward, Chen Zhen was greeted by Yuan Kun, who said, "The keeper of the heart lamp, oh, how generations have changed, becoming so unfamiliar, as the world itself has transformed."
"But my mission has never changed," Chen Zhen declared, "to protect this human world."
"Your resolve is not firm," Yuan Kun responded, "and you already harbor a heart demon. Even so, do you still cling to that faint spark of hope?"
In this dream, Chen Zhen's body emitted a faint light, seemingly originating from the heart lamp within him. But at the end of the heart lamp's flame, there was a hint of dark energy.
Jiang Hong was shocked, but Lu Xiu gestured, signaling not to ask anything.
"The living are mere passersby, the dead, the returnees. The world is but a brief stop in the journey, sharing sorrow with the eternal dust. Yuan Kun, you died over twelve hundred years ago, why have you still not entered the cycle of reincarnation?" Chen Zhen asked.
"Reincarnation cannot accommodate me," Yuan Kun gazed into the distance, his eyes seemingly penetrating the dream world, looking towards a reality far beyond. "I am still waiting."
"Waiting for what?" Chen Zhen inquired.
Yuan Kun answered, "Waiting for the judgment of this world. At that time, all things will be reborn in another form amidst the ruins."
Everyone fell silent. Chen Zhen then asked, "When will Yinghuo appear?"
"Soon," Yuan Kun replied, suddenly turning to look at Jiang Hong and Lu Xiu standing to one side. "The holder of the Book of All Things has sensed it; the final judgment is approaching. It's a predetermined future that cannot be altered."
Then, Yuan Kun raised a hand, pointing towards Lu Xiu and Jiang Hong.
Caught off guard, Jiang Hong felt a thunderous explosion in his mind, as if countless consciousnesses were forcibly ejected. He clung to Lu Xiu, who forcefully grasped his hand, pulling him back from floating away.
Around Lu Xiu and Jiang Hong, countless bubble-like dreamscapes swirled.
Yuan Kun snapped his fingers, and the bubble flying beside Lu Xiu burst, releasing a voice.
"The original form of the Heavenly Demon was Chi You," Chi Xiao Duo's voice said. "But how was Chi You born?"
Xiang Cheng answered, "After Chi You was dismembered, his body buried in the earth absorbed the world's malevolent energy. His three souls wandered the world, waiting a thousand years to reincarnate and revive."
"What is this?" Jiang Hong regained consciousness, looking at Lu Xiu.
Lu Xiu explained, "This is the message Xiang Cheng conveyed to me."
"Yes, but all this happened after Chi You's birth," Chi Xiao Duo continued. "It could be Chi You or some other You. The first great demon king's birth marked the beginning of the Heavenly Demon."
"To understand clearly," Xiang Cheng said, "we need to go to the origin."
The conversation between the two echoed in the air, followed by another exchange.
"But the existence of the demon seed predates even Chi You," Chi Xiao Duo explained, "dating back 5,600 years from our era."
"Yes," Xiang Cheng replied. "After the Battle of Yan and Huang, Chinese civilization began. Going further back, there were only tribes."
"But the demon seed is still there!" exclaimed Chi Xiao Duo. "Can you see it? It's in the soil, in the earth's veins! Flowing along the ley lines, it's searching for a host. Who sowed it?"
Xiang Cheng said, "To go further back, we need to visit the Tigris-Euphrates area, one of the cradles of human civilization."
"No," Chi Xiao Duo's voice interjected. "The birth of the demon predates what we know."
Xiang Cheng explained, "It's difficult to find the demon seed in the earth's veins from the sky. You can only wait for tribal wars, as only in mass death do malevolent energies converge..."
"We flew over the Himalayas to the Indian subcontinent to see," Chi Xiao Duo said.
Jiang Hong listened intently, imagining their prehistoric travels. What kind of world would that be?
"The demon has always been on Earth," Chi Xiao Duo added.
"Yes," Xiang Cheng agreed. "Be it Chi You, the Black Winged Peng, or even Zheng Qin, they're all just its parasitic hosts. We must find the root of it all."
Chi Xiao Duo asked, "But is human suffering and sorrow really caused by the demon?"
Xiang Cheng did not respond.
"This makes me think about life forms on Earth. Hey, Xiang Cheng, are you listening?"
"Listening."
"If there are aliens, would life forms on another planet not be inherently combative like humans? Could they exist without war, without deceit and trickery?"
"It's hard to say. Life's competition is determined by the environment, which ensures the survival of individuals and species. Tracing back to the root cause, it's all about genetics."
"Even, perhaps, they wouldn't experience death?" Chi Xiao Duo continued. "Then there wouldn't be the problem of how to survive."
"Does life without death have meaning?" Xiang Cheng countered. "Immortality means no evolution, making it difficult to sustain the species."
"Aren't there many forms of life?" Chi Xiao Duo pondered. "Anything is possible. Could there be a planet without malevolent energy, where 'demons' never arise?"
Xiang Cheng replied, "That's a difficult question to answer."
On the platform, a brief silence fell before Lu Xiu spoke, "That's all the information I've received so far."
Lu Xiu's dream had ended, and Yuan Kun snapped his fingers again. Soon, as the bubble beside Jiang Hong burst, the conversation resumed.
Chi Xiao Duo asked, "So it originates from beyond this world?"
"Perhaps," Xiang Cheng replied. "We need to warn them, but the clues are too vague. It's uncertain whether it comes from within the universe or another parallel world. Does our world have parallel worlds?"
"We need to find more murals," Chi Xiao Duo suggested. "It's been over seven thousand years since our time."
"Rock paintings align with human migration," Xiang Cheng observed. "Let's look back ten thousand years..."
"It's my dream!" Jiang Hong exclaimed. "This is what I've dreamt of!"
Lu Xiu nodded, saying, "Most of the messages transmitted through Dragon Tongue were lost in time and space. Only a small fraction was received by you."
The voice began again:
"Found it! That's Yinghuo," a youthful voice said. "It's the ultimate fate of the world, and it's coming back!"
"Track its path," a man's firm voice commanded. "When it arrives, both higher and lower dimensions will be shattered."
The youth asked, "Soon, just four years after we leave. Can Lu Xiu really withstand it?"
The man replied, "He'll figure it out. I believe in him, just as you once believed in me without reservation."
The youth hesitated, "But in the sudden prophecy..."
The man said, "Sudden prophecies are not the final outcome. They represent an uncertain future and the end of the cycle. The thousand-year reincarnation of the Heavenly Demon is just nourishment for Yinghuo, under the power of darkness, the stars crumble one by one, and Anjie escaped to our world."
Suddenly, the dreamscape underwent a strange transformation, as if overlapping, and a cave with ancient rock paintings appeared.
The silhouettes of a tall man and a youth were cast on the cave walls.
Jiang Hong saw the wall paintings depicting the world once again.
"The structure of the world," Cao Bin said. "This is over eight thousand years from the present. Could ancient humans from eight thousand years ago accurately depict the world?"
No one answered, all eyes fixed on the wall painting showing the markers of the outer world, inner world, higher dimensions, lower dimensions, the endless dreamscape, fissures... but soon, everyone's gaze settled on the same area.
In the upper right corner of the painting, a crimson celestial body, burning with black flames, plummeted towards the world.
Jiang Hong remembered! This was the dream he had on the eve of the rebellion in the sacred land!
He even recalled Chi Xiao Duo's words in the dream.
"This is the seed Yinghuo planted on Earth ten thousand years ago!" Jiang Hong exclaimed immediately.
"This is the seed Yinghuo planted on Earth, with demonic energy as its power and life as its food, empowering it further," Chi Xiao Duo said. "It's about to return."
Xiang Cheng added, "Earth is just one of many nurseries for Yinghuo. It sowed the demon seed in our world, waiting for it to naturally gestate and hatch over tens of thousands of years before returning to harvest its nourishment."
Chi Xiao Duo urged, "We must go back immediately!"
"No," Xiang Cheng disagreed. "We still need to find a way to counter it. Returning now without a solution would be pointless."
Chi Xiao Duo visibly grew anxious, but Xiang Cheng insisted, "There must be more information. Why did Yinghuo temporarily leave Earth ten thousand years ago? There's still unknowns we need to uncover before leaving."
Chi Xiao Duo remarked, "The oldest Hormen rock paintings are only forty thousand years old and might not necessarily contain Yinghuo's weaknesses..."
Xiang Cheng suggested, "Then let's look further into the past for answers. Ten thousand years, a hundred thousand years..."
"...a million years, ten million years, a hundred million years..."
"Even if we have to go back one hundred and sixty-five million years, to the time when the Pangea continent was still intact..."
"We will find the answer."
"That's Yinghuo," Chen Zhen said. "It comes from beyond our Earth. Now it makes sense why we couldn't trace it in the earth's veins."
"It should return soon," Cao Bin observed. "But it's uncertain how much time we have left to prepare."
Cao Bin and Chen Zhen were surprisingly calm, not panicked or overly shocked.
In contrast, Jiang Hong was deeply worried.
Is it over? Not yet!
The conversation resumed.
"Do we have enough spacetime energy?" Chi Xiao Duo asked.
"Enough for one last attempt," Xiang Cheng confirmed. "We must pinpoint the exact location."
Chi Xiao Duo's voice was filled with concern: "Are you alright?"
Xiang Cheng replied, "I'm fine. Let's go, find the location point..."
Chi Xiao Duo alarmed, "Oh no, the timeline has been blocked. This power is too overwhelming."
After a brief silence:
Xiang Cheng said, "It might have more abilities that we're unaware of."
Chi Xiao Duo asked, "What about now? What do we do now?"
Xiang Cheng suggested, "Try the previous coordinates. What about five years ago?"
"Five years ago would cause too much disturbance to the causal line," Chi Xiao Duo replied, "But we have no choice... Oh no, the previous ones are blocked."
"Blocked until which year?"
"The year Zheng Qin transformed into the demonic dragon."
"Timing is too precise," Xiang Cheng noted. "Going back to that year might trigger a chain of annihilation that’s not worth the risk."
Chi Xiao Duo said, "What Anjie said might not necessarily happen, after all, he himself..."
Xiang Cheng interrupted, "No, we shouldn't take this risk. What about later?"
"I guess it's the same for later... Ah! No!" Chi Xiao Duo replied, "The timelines after that aren't blocked! How? They’ve been unsealed?"
"Find the right point in time," Xiang Cheng instructed.
Chi Xiao Duo worried, "But if we miss the moment of its arrival, what then?"
"Leave it to them," Xiang Cheng said, "I've always believed in him... Only he can do it, and only he would be willing."
Chi Xiao Duo expressed concern, "It's too difficult, I'm afraid for Cao Bin and Lu Xiu..."
"...He'll figure it out. Everyone has their moment, this is the second sealing..."
"But I'm still worried about the seal on Lu Xiu. Apart from you, no one can undo it. What if he faces a formidable enemy?"
"He can do it. When he grows strong enough, he'll be able to break the seal himself."
"But certain conditions need to be met..."
"Yes, because if he can't complete the transformation, even without the seal, it would be of no use."
Xiang Cheng's voice was firm, while Chi Xiao Duo's tone carried hesitation and regret.
Hearing his own dreamscape again, Jiang Hong felt a strange sensation. He turned to look at Lu Xiu, who was lost in thought.
The conversation continued.
Xiang Cheng added, "We've discussed it, and he himself is willing."
"Growth," Chi Xiao Duo said, "That condition is too vague."
"Growth of the soul, not just strength," Xiang Cheng elaborated. "I told him when the seal would be lifted by himself... when he truly understands, when he's willing to protect this world, even at the cost of his life... when he can let go of his loved ones, his lingering feelings, everything he cherishes..."
"...When he is finally ready, with all his reluctant memories, to go to that destined battlefield..."
Suddenly, all voices ceased, leaving only silence on the platform.
"What does that mean?" Jiang Hong recalled. He didn't understand the details when he first dreamt these conversations, but now he knew much more, including about Yinghuo and various events' internal affairs.
Lu Xiu looked at Jiang Hong but didn't answer.
"They're transitioning back," Chen Zhen said. "So we can assume that Xiang Cheng and Xiao Duo found Yinghuo's weakness."
Cao Bin asked, "But how was the timeline blocked? You know there's only one possibility for it to be sealed..."
"What does that mean?" Jiang Hong urgently asked Lu Xiu. "Going to the destined battlefield? Where are you going?"
Lu Xiu remained silent.
Chen Zhen explained, "According to the messages they sent back, after the arrival, the blockade was lifted. It can be interpreted as..."
Jiang Hong implored, "Tell me! Lu Xiu!"
Cao Bin interjected, "Jiang Hong."
Jiang Hong, harboring an ominous premonition at this moment, was no longer concerned about what Yinghuo was, why it was coming, or how to counter it. His only concern now was Lu Xiu! Did Xiang Cheng mean that Lu Xiu had to sacrifice himself? Was this inevitable?
Lu Xiu gestured for silence with a "shush" sign.
"We need to sort out the details," Chen Zhen said. "Then we can respond as quickly as possible. First, Yinghuo is a wandering planet. Its return cycle spans ten thousand years, and the next return is imminent. The demon seed is what it sowed on Earth in prehistoric times, and malevolence is its nourishment. This time, it will devour a massive amount of malevolence..."
Cao Bin added, "We still don't know what Xiang Cheng and Chi Xiao Duo discovered in the last two messages."
Zhang Xiting said, "I... have I learned too many secrets...?"
"There's no more information for now, so we must make do with these conclusions. It's okay, Xiting. This information will soon spread throughout the inner world. There's no need for secrecy," Chen Zhen assured.
Cao Bin nodded, and Chen Zhen continued, "Xiang Cheng won't be back at the time of the arrival, so we have to initiate Plan B."
Jiang Hong pleaded in a low voice, "What's going to happen? Tell me, Lu Xiu."
"Nothing will happen," Lu Xiu reassured Jiang Hong. "Don't ask anymore."
"You can't do anything," Yuan Kun's voice resounded again, reminding everyone of his presence, almost forgotten after the revelations of the dreamscape!
The dreamscape world suddenly transformed. A gigantic comet appeared in the sky, not falling, but casting a bright red glow over the mountains and trees, which began to burn under the crimson light. The earth was ravaged, black vapors rising as if hell had reemerged!
"This is the scene of Yinghuo's arrival," the resurrected Kun in the sky! Its body had turned pitch black, with twenty-four eyes shimmering dark red.
"Life, energy, the medium on which the spiritual world depends, all hopes and despairs, joys and sorrows, human emotions, hatred, love, will all assimilate with Yinghuo, becoming its eternal part, carried to the far reaches of the universe..."
"...Human civilization, those so-called 'achievements' you pride yourselves on, are as fleeting as sparks, merely illusions in the river of time! Merely dew-like bubbles, all destined to return to nothingness!"
"Be careful!" Chen Zhen reacted the quickest, instantly unleashing the heart lamp in the dreamscape, summoning the deity and radiating thousands of feet of golden light. Countless runes flew up from the ground, blocking Kun's fierce flames!
Jiang Hong shouted, and Lu Xiu immediately embraced him, rolling to the ground, taking cover behind Chen Zhen.
Jiang Hong exclaimed, "Everything was going fine, why did it suddenly turn into a fight? Ahhh!"
Zhang Xiting warned, "Don't go out! In the Endless Dreamscape, only the power inherent in our souls works; everything else is useless!"
Lu Xiu shouted, "I can't use Dragon Tongue! This is a dream! Principal, be careful!"
Cao Bin was nearly blown away by a whirlwind and immediately knelt on one knee.
Chen Zhen, transformed into a deity of light, conjured a spell to erect a barrier, protecting everyone on the platform.
At that moment, another figure appeared above Kun's head.
"Dreams are but nothingness," Dark Chen Zhen slowly said. "Finally, you are here, clever ones who walked into the trap. No matter how much you resist, you can never defeat the master of the Endless Dreamscape..."
"Fall into eternal slumber!" Dark Chen Zhen roared.
Immediately, a surge of dark energy rushed forward. The deified Chen Zhen gathered strength, pushing forward with a sword of light. The enemy, taken aback by Chen Zhen's counterattack at this moment, saw the immense Kun pierced by the radiant sword, scattering countless dark vapors and demonic blood in the air.
But in the instant of counterattacking, the barrier of light shattered, and black flames raged fiercely.
Suddenly, Jiang Hong felt a miraculous power, gentle, scorching yet resolute, spreading outward and forming a red ring of fire that swept away the black flames.
"Creation fire," Dark Chen Zhen, holding a sword, declared, "Alas, too weak! Perish in eternal silence! Nirvana will never come! Embrace death! This is your destiny!"
The orange-red ring of fire was rapidly compressed. Chen Zhen, swept by the black flames to the edge of the platform, suddenly collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood.
"Dad!" Zhang Xiting cried out.
The dreamscape world shattered, and Jiang Hong looked up at Lu Xiu, who held him tightly. It felt as if they were plunging into the deepest darkness, with fragments of countless dreams scattered and falling apart. Jiang Hong experienced a rapid succession of bizarre and disjointed dreams flashing by.
Falling from the clouds, Lu Xiu embraced him and kissed him.
"Ah—!" Jiang Hong screamed with all his might, images flashing through his mind: Lu Xiu's face, his father on the hospital bed, the fear of encountering a monster for the first time as a child, the lights on the night of the school anniversary, the waterfalls in the sacred land...
Like a fast-forwarding slideshow, the scenes spun quicker and quicker. In an instant, a dreamscape burst, and memories within it were released, creating a sharp sound of shattering.
Faces of both familiar and unfamiliar people, Lu Xiu, Cao Bin, Xuan Hezhi, his parents, passed by like a carousel, and eventually, the vast world disappeared.
Jiang Hong's memory was once again graced by the presence of a child with an unfamiliar face.
The child's eyes shone brightly, floating in the air, curled up, embracing a glowing orb in front of him!
The orb emitted a gentle blue light, vaguely revealing continents, oceans, clouds... was it Earth?
This was also a scene Jiang Hong had once dreamt of... His memories were now a jumble, and he instinctively kept his eyes on the child.
The child lifted his eyes to meet Jiang Hong's gaze, then turned to look beyond the dreamscape, extending a slender finger towards the void.
The dark flames in the sky instantly rolled back!
Dark Chen Zhen roared furiously, and in an instant, the black flames were expelled, leaving no trace.
However, Jiang Hong only heard a sigh. The child closed his eyes again, hugging the orb in his arms tightly, and the world plunged back into darkness. Immediately after, a sensation of falling overwhelmed them.
Everyone fell into the water one after the other, creating splashes.
"Ugh..." Jiang Hong choked on water, gasping for air in the bone-chillingly cold pond. Before he could struggle, a strong hand grasped his arm.
Lu Xiu pulled Jiang Hong out of the water.
Cao Bin, Chen Zhen, and the others were drenched and disheveled.
"Are we back?" Cao Bin asked. "What happened at the end?"
Chen Zhen replied, "He was repelled, but why?"
"Dad!" Zhang Xiting called out anxiously.
Zhang Jing, also soaking wet, struggled to his feet with a severe injury, leaning on his son's shoulder. Jiang Hong looked around, his memories of the last moments being too chaotic. Dreams and perceptions overlapped, making it impossible for him to discern illusion from reality.
"It was a risky move, I warned you," Cao Bin said. "If ambushed in the Endless Dreamscape, we could have been trapped in eternal slumber. Kun's initial agreement to Xiting and Jiang Hong's request was a bait, the real aim being to lure us into the dreamscape."
Chen Zhen said, "The heart lamp in my soul can dispel them."
"Clearly, it couldn't!" Cao Bin retorted, slightly angered.
Chen Zhen insisted, "What else then? You admit it's the only way!"
Everyone fell silent, and Jiang Hong, witnessing Cao Bin's anger for the first time, felt overwhelmed by his presence. He didn’t dare to speak amidst the quarrel between these two powerful figures.
Chen Zhen and Cao Bin glared at each other furiously. Jiang Hong timidly interjected, "Are we... still dreaming now? This isn’t another dream, is it?"
Zhang Jing snapped his fingers, and suddenly strange music began to play, like piano sounds echoing in the cave.
"No more," Zhang Jing assured, "We are back in reality. This is the background music I set up for the real world."
"Okay... okay then." Jiang Hong didn't quite understand but figured Zhang Jing, being familiar with the dream realm, must have his own way of discerning things.
Lu Xiu said, "Don’t argue here. It's annoying. Whatever happened, let's leave first."
