The Illusionary Realm: Nanke's Dream

Heavenly Realm Division.

In Great Zhou, it was a living, walking emblem of authority.

None who entered the Heavenly Realm Division were anything less than dragons among men.

"Since you've been on watch, has anyone entered or left the village?" Wei Qing fixed his gaze on the desolate settlement and questioned the leading constable.

"Reporting to Lord Wei, since we took up our posts, no one has entered or left," the constable replied with a bow.

"Enough. The rest will be handled by me and Lord Wei. You may return," Zhu Huan said, waving a hand at the men.

"Understood."

The four men's faces lit up with joy. Without a moment's delay, they strode quickly to the village entrance, mounted their horses, and sped away without a backward glance.

Zhu Huan's expression turned awkward. "Forgive their rudeness, my lord."

"It's only human nature. Let's go."

With that, the two entered the village one after the other.

The moment they crossed the threshold, a wave of chilling, bone-piercing cold swept over them.

For Wei Qing, this cold was still within tolerable limits, but Zhu Huan couldn't help shivering.

"Captain Zhu, perhaps you'd prefer to wait outside the village?"

Zhu Huan straightened his back and shook his head. "Lord Wei, this subordinate can endure."

Seeing this, Wei Qing said no more.

The two walked slowly along the bluestone path. The entire village was eerily silent, with only the echo of their own footsteps reverberating through the empty lanes.

This oppressive atmosphere, oddly enough, stirred a sense of familiarity in Wei Qing—a man who, in his past life, had often danced on the edge of a blade.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Zhu Huan's face taut as iron, fine beads of sweat forming at his nostrils, his right hand never straying from the hilt of his waist blade.

More tellingly, his breathing subtly followed the essence of the Heavenly Realm Division's "Heart Illumination Art"—a breath every three steps, a regulation every two.

A faint smile tugged at Wei Qing's lips, a glint of amusement flickering in his eyes.

"My lord, ahead is Li Daniu's residence."

Zhu Huan pointed to a courtyard of green bricks and black tiles, which stood out imposingly against the surrounding rammed-earth houses.

"This family seems quite wealthy."

Zhu Huan gave a bitter shake of his head. "What use is wealth? When demons come, the end result is still nothing but 'death'!"

Wei Qing said no more. Qi Force flowed through his palm, and with a single strike, he blasted the finely crafted steel door lock to pieces, striding straight inside.

"Such formidable inner strength."

Watching Wei Qing shatter the lock with one palm strike, Zhu Huan's expression shifted slightly.

After all, the lock on the gate was forged from Mystic Iron. Shattering it with externalized Qi Force was no easy feat!

That Wei Qing could accomplish this meant his strength was far from that of an ordinary Intern Warden.

The moment Wei Qing stepped into the courtyard, a sudden change occurred—

The clear sky above abruptly transformed. Ink-black darkness surged from all directions, swallowing the entire estate in an instant!

"Drip—"

A single drop of viscous black liquid fell onto the tip of Wei Qing's boot. The bluestone beneath it hissed, corroding into black smoke.

In that instant, the surroundings twisted and warped.

A piercing medical alarm tore through the darkness. Harsh, shadowless surgical lights seared through his vision.

The smell of disinfectant mixed with the scent of blood flooded his nostrils.

"Medical team! Hurry! Captain Qing's vitals—"

A familiar shout exploded in the ward. Wei Qing struggled to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.

"Blood pressure 60/40! Prepare 1mg epinephrine IV push!" A female doctor's hurried footsteps accompanied the orders. "Ready the defibrillator!"

Just as the needle tip was about to pierce his vein, Wei Qing suddenly raised his hand, clamping down on the nurse's wrist like an iron vise.

"Qingzi!"

"Captain!"

Exclamations erupted one after another in the ward. Every member of the Dragon Group wore expressions of wild joy.

"Patient, please let go!" The young nurse's face flushed red as she futilely twisted her wrist in Wei Qing's grip.

Wei Qing slowly opened his eyes, his gaze sweeping over every familiar face.

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, his voice hoarse yet gentle: "Instructor, Qiangzi, San'er... it's good to see you all again."

The burly bearded man at the front furrowed his brow, his rough hand pressing down on Wei Qing's shoulder: "What nonsense are you talking! You just focus on cooperating with the treatment right now!"

"You're a grown man, grabbing a little nurse like that—let go already."

A younger man behind him winked and said, "Captain Qing, don't tell me you've taken a fancy to the nurse, haha."

The nurse's face flushed crimson, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz: "Patient, please, please cooperate with the treatment..."

"Get the hell out of here!"

The bearded man's tiger-like eyes glared, and the Dragon Group members scattered like startled birds, fleeing the ward as if chased by a flood of beasts.

Wei Qing watched this "heartwarming" scene and suddenly spoke: "Regardless, I have to thank you."

The moment the words fell.

The ward's scene suddenly twisted and rippled like water patterns. The white walls, the pungent smell of disinfectant, and the stunned faces before him all began to shatter and fragment...

The hospital bed warped and twisted, transforming in an instant into a five-meter-tall Ghost Face Vine. The rough bark writhed, gradually revealing a massive, wrinkled face two meters wide.

The bearded man's arms melted like wax, extending into two thorn-covered vines that coiled around Wei Qing's waist and abdomen like lightning.

The needle in the nurse's hand turned into a bone spike gleaming with an eerie blue cold light, clashing violently with the Soul Severing Blade Wei Qing had suddenly drawn, sending a shower of dazzling sparks.

"Hehehe..."

The giant face on the Ghost Face Vine let out a bizarre, infant-like laugh. The bark split open into a crimson gap, revealing layer upon layer of serrated fangs. "As expected... someone from the Heavenly Realm Division..."

The giant face twisted, its voice suddenly turning aggrieved: "Why wake up? In the dream, you had everything..."

As the words faded, the entire Ghost Face Vine trembled violently. Several vines erupted, spewing clouds of pink mist.

Within the mist floated pink spores, emitting a green glow like fireflies.

Wei Qing twisted his wrist, and a flash of cold light swept through. Where the blade passed, it cleaved the pink mist cleanly in two.

His Qi Force exploded outward, and the vines coiled around his body shattered inch by inch. Dark red sap dripped, reeking of foul stench.

Leveraging the momentum of his break, Wei Qing spun midair, the Soul Severing Blade carving two afterimages through the air.

"Flowing Cloud Cross Slash."

"Oww..."

The strike landed precisely on the Ghost Face Vine's giant face, which let out a piercing wail as countless vines lashed wildly in all directions.

"I'll destroy you, body and soul!"

A fierce cold light flared in Wei Qing's eyes as his right hand formed a seal like lightning.

A crimson-gold talisman shot out from his sleeve, transforming into a towering blaze of flames midair.

"Leaving Fire Talisman—Burn!"

A golden wave of fire swept forth, engulfing the Ghost Face Vine completely.

The demon writhed madly in the sea of flames. The giant face on its main trunk let out a heart-rending scream, its bark carbonizing and cracking at a visible rate.

Within three short breaths, the five-meter-tall Ghost Face Vine had been reduced to a charred, withered husk.

Only a single section of a deep blue bone spike lay on the ground, gleaming coldly, utterly alone.