Wu Zhao's call, the regret of ascension
Dreams exist for mortals and cultivators alike. Ordinary dreams are fleeting and forgotten, but some profound dreams leave a deep mark on one's heart. Although they are merely illusory dreams, the thoughts and insights born from them do not vanish with the moment one awakens...
Although Nanke Dream was just a dream, the scholar's life, filled with ups and downs, underwent a profound transformation after emerging from it. Just as Zhuge Xiang and Wu Zhao were trapped in the Illusionary Realm of the Illusionary Nether King, didn't they also develop a strong bond upon waking?
At this moment, Zhuge Xiang once again fell into a dream. This was a trial left by the Dragon Ancestor for the descendants of the Dragon Clan.
The gray mist in the Dragon Tomb is the wealth left behind by the Dragon Ancestor, and the mountain of treasures in the Dragon's Grave is also the wealth left behind by the Dragon Ancestor. However, the most abundant treasure left behind by the Dragon Ancestor is actually the Illusion Formation of this Nanke Dreamscape.
Within the Illusionary Realm, Zhuge Xiang's predetermined life has begun. The scholar's dream began on his journey to the capital for the imperial examinations, so his dream started from that point. Zhuge Xiang's dream, like the scholar's, also begins now...
In the dream, Zhuge Xiang's Memory didn't change much; if he had to say something, he simply forgot that he had entered the Nanke Dreamscape.
Zhuge Xiang continued his journey through the Dragon Tomb, and soon found Ying Wushuang. After confirming that Ying Wushuang was safe, Zhuge Xiang effortlessly completed his mission to ensure Ying Wushuang's safety...
With Ying Wushuang Zhuge Xiang's cultivation greatly increased, they also obtained a powerful Half-Immortal Artifact and Immortal-Demon level Skill Book. They joined forces with the Asura Sect, the Myriad Monster Kingdom, the East Sea Dragon Palace, the Heavenly Dragon Temple, and the Yin Yang Demonic Sect, officially beginning their war and slaughter against the Great Qin Empire's Imperial Clan...
In the midst of the fierce battle, the two armies, employing both wit and courage, fought back and forth, the raging flames of war spreading throughout the entire Great Qin Empire. This war lasted for a full ten years...
Ten years of fighting had left Zhuge Xiang with countless grudges and affections, as well as countless battles and deaths. Over the past decade, the Great Qin Imperial Family had suffered countless casualties. Similarly, the Alliance Army had also lost more than half their forces, and one by one, familiar friends had left Zhuge Xiang...
Liao Wufa, the sworn Big Brother, was ambushed and killed by Ying Qianshan. Luo Ba, in an attempt to save Ying Qianshan, was severely injured by him and fell into a deep sleep, the time of his awakening unknown.
The Demon Queen of the Myriad Monster Kingdom, wielding the Demon-Revealing Demon Mirror and the Eastern Emperor Eastern Emperor Bell, commanded all Demon Race to gather. However, she was betrayed by the Imperial Clan family and attacked by a traitor within the Demon Race realm, losing the Demon Mirror and the Eastern Emperor Bell. Subsequently, Lu Yuling succeeded her as the Demon Queen of the Myriad Monster Kingdom...
Of course, the Great Qin Imperial Family also suffered heavy casualties. Countless members of the Ying Clan and even powerful figures in the Imperial Palace perished. Even the Great Qin Emperor died due to the machinations of Zhuge Xiang and the Golden Body Bodhisattva. However, the Great Qin Empire elected a new emperor, Ying Yan, to succeed him. After killing the Great Qin Emperor, the Golden Body Bodhisattva resolved his inner conflict and successfully ascended to the Buddhist Realm...
Ten years of fighting have truly been a tangled web of grudges and affections. Of course, Zhuge Xiang's cultivation has also improved considerably during these ten years of battles.
The ten-year war allowed Zhuge Xiang to reach the Great Accomplishment Stage Realm of cultivation. However, like all Cultivator in the world, Zhuge Xiang ultimately failed to overcome the hurdle of his mental state, and therefore could not ascend...
Slaughter and conquest raged Great Qin Empire, but nothing was more important than his own ascension. So, what was the knot in his heart?
Zhuge Xiang ignored the pleas of the Alliance Army and even Lu Yuling and others to stay, and went alone to find the source of his inner turmoil...
The infighting within the Great Qin Empire has reached a fever pitch. Both the Great Qin Imperial Family and the Alliance Army are suffering heavy losses. The forces supporting the Great Qin Imperial Family have suffered countless casualties. Even Ying Qianshan's nine Golden Man puppets have been Xiao Yue, greatly diminishing the power of the Golden God.
As the Great Qin Empire grew weaker and weaker amidst its civil war, the Great Ming Dynasty and Great Song Dynasty Great Qin Empire forces to attack it, intending to carve up its territory. Faced with the combined might of these two Great Qin Empire, the Great Qin Empire was like a frail woman confronting two cunning and ruthless men, offering almost no resistance and suffering repeated defeats.
In just two short years, the Great Qin Empire was on the verge of collapse, but at the last moment, the Great Tang Dynasty intervened...
For more than a decade, under the rule of Wu Zhao, the Great Tang Dynasty had been recuperating and its national strength had reached an unprecedented level. As the Empress of the Great Tang Dynasty, Wu Zhao personally made an alliance with the Alliance Army and the Ying Clan. If the Great Tang Dynasty joined forces with the Great Qin Empire to drive out the Great Song Dynasty and the Great Ming Dynasty, the Great Qin would cede three prefectures to the Great Tang.
The Great Qin Empire comprised thirteen commanderies. The cession of three commanderies—nearly a quarter of the Great Qin Empire's territory—was considered insignificant compared to the fall of the empire. Therefore, the Great Qin Empire naturally agreed...
It was another war that lasted for about ten years. The first ten years were a civil war within the Great Qin Empire, but the latter ten years saw the flames of war sweep across four major countries. It can be said that for ten years, the entire Cultivation World was engulfed in the flames of war...
After the Great Qin Empire and the Great Tang Dynasty joined forces, with Zhuge Xiang also joining the war effort, they fought for over a decade and finally drove the Great Ming Dynasty and Great Song Dynasty out of the Great Qin Empire's territory. According to the treaty, the Great Qin Empire ceded three commanderies to the Great Tang Dynasty...
"Zhuge Xiang, these three counties are located on the other side of the Great Tang Dynasty, separated by the Great Qin Empire. I will give them to you. I know you have never coveted power or wealth. Now that the world is at peace, I hope these three counties will allow you to live out your life in peace..." After ceding the territory, Wu Zhao found Zhuge Xiang gave him the three counties ceded by the Great Qin Empire.
"Wu Zhao, nearly thirty years have passed, and now the world is at peace. I feel too lonely living alone in these three counties. Would you like to come and keep me company?" However, Zhuge Xiang replied to Wu Zhao's offer of the three counties in this way, and as he spoke, he put his arm around Wu Zhao's slender waist.
At that very moment, Zhuge Xiang's inner turmoil dissipated. Countless celestial melodies resounded throughout the Heaven and Earth, and countless Golden Lotus appeared in the Void. The Immortal Realm passage opened before Zhuge Xiang. It turned out that the grudge in Zhuge Xiang's heart was Wu Zhao.
Now that the world is at peace, having taken the final step, and able to live a peaceful and quiet life with Wu Zhao, Zhuge Xiang's greatest inner conflict has been resolved. With his cultivation at the peak of the Great Accomplishment Stage, his ascension to the Immortal Realm is a natural progression...
"Zhuge Xiang!" Wu Zhao, who was about to nod in agreement, saw Zhuge Xiang ascend to the Immortal Realm and disappear at that moment. His expression changed drastically, and he cried out urgently. But Zhuge Xiang's body was already beyond his control, flying towards the Immortal Realm...
His body was automatically sucked into the gate to the Immortal Realm. Zhuge Xiang watched as Wu Zhao called out his name, tears streaming down his face, but he could do nothing. This scene touched Zhuge Xiang's heart deeply...
Throughout his life of cultivation, Zhuge Xiang's goal was not to ascend to the Immortal Realm, but simply to gain power, control his own destiny, and no longer be bullied. However, upon reaching the end of his cultivation, he still could not control his own destiny and was forced to ascend to the Immortal Realm.
Wu Zhao called out his own name, tears streaming down his face, yet he was forcibly ascended to the Immortal Realm. This scene deeply moved Zhuge Xiang, as if a certain belief within him had undergone a tremendous change at that moment.
"No!" Zhuge Xiang shouted, suddenly opening his eyes in the Dragon Tomb. After looking around, Zhuge Xiang realized that the nearly thirty years of fighting and grudges in the Illusionary Realm were just a dream. He had already completed a cycle in that Nanke Dreamscape.
Was it all just a dream, encompassing nearly thirty years of life, grudges, and passions? But the final scene in the dream —Wu Zhao calling out his name, tears streaming down her face—was etched into Zhuge Xiang's heart like a brand, impossible to erase...
"Fortunately, it was all just a dream." With the image of Wu Zhao's tears streaming down her face deeply imprinted in his mind, Zhuge Xiang had this thought. Fortunately, it was all just a dream, and he still had a chance to change things and avoid this tragedy.
Although everything he experienced in the Nanke Dreamscape was just a dream, and Zhuge Xiang felt regret after waking up, he did ascend to the Immortal Realm in the dream.
After waking up, Zhuge Xiang's temperament underwent a drastic change. It was hard to explain exactly, but he became elusive, as if Zhuge Xiang didn't belong in this world.
"Zhuge Xiang? You're awake? What happened to you just now?" Inside the Dragon Tomb, Ying Wushuang was already puzzled upon seeing Zhuge Xiang. Seeing him suddenly wake up with a start after meditating for several hours with his eyes closed, Ying Wushuang asked in surprise, "Can something like this happen during meditation?"
Looking at Ying Wushuang before him, Zhuge Xiang stared at her for a long time. Ying Wushuang was still her, but she looked much younger than the Ying Wushuang in his dream. Thirty years had passed in the dream, and Ying Wushuang had long since shed her childishness and gained the charm of a mature woman.
"What's wrong? Is there something strange about me?" Feeling a little uncomfortable under Zhuge Xiang's gaze, Ying Wushuang touched her face and asked, somewhat puzzled.
"It's Ying Wushuang. It's nothing, I was just having a dream," Zhuge Xiang said, waving his hand dismissively after recognizing Ying Wushuang, not wanting to say anything more. (To be continued...)