Back Again

The wolf-shaped black cloud directly collapsed and exploded, turning into countless streams of black qi that surged outward in all directions and slammed fiercely against the surrounding red light barrier.

After unleashing that blazing red flame, the red light barrier formed by the six small flags seemed to have expended most of its power and had dimmed considerably. Now, struck violently by the countless streams of black qi, it tore apart with a hiss, and Yu Yan and the other five were sent flying backward by an invisible force.

The black qi continued to billow outward, mixed with an incomparably scorching wave of fire.

Even from the ground, Shen Luo and the others felt a searing gust of wind rush at them, leaving their faces burning hot. One could only imagine how high the temperature had been when that crimson flame exploded.

Just then, a figure shot out of the spreading black qi and fled into the distance. It was the Black Wolf King.

The Black Wolf King had reverted to his wolf-headed human form, but half his body was charred black, and his left arm had vanished. It had clearly been destroyed by that crimson flame.

At that moment, a golden and a silver streak of light shot up from below. They were two treasure swords, one gold and one silver, trailing long tails of light behind them. Swift as dragons, they crossed as they slashed toward the Black Wolf King.

The Black Wolf King suddenly turned his head and, with a sharp cry, spat out a fist-sized orb that shone with dazzling black-red light. It smashed into the twin swords.

Boom!

A massive storm swept outward, sending the golden and silver swords flying with a single blow.

However, a crack also appeared on the black-red orb, and the light it emitted dimmed by more than half.

The Black Wolf King spat out a mouthful of blood. Black light flashed over his two legs, transforming them into wolf legs.

Hatred flashed through his eyes, but he did not dare linger any longer. Opening his mouth, he exhaled a cloud of black qi that enveloped his body. Gusts of black demonic wind arose around him, doubling his speed, and he vanished beyond the distant horizon in an instant.

Seeing the Wolf King flee, the Gray Wolves attacking the city below and the Black Wolves that had already entered the city lost all will to fight. They scattered and fled, quickly disappearing into the wilderness outside the city.

Two figures shot over from outside the city. They were a middle-aged man in red robes and a bald old man.

Though Shen Luo did not recognize the two, he had seen them during the city defense the previous day.

The two had evidently been lying in ambush outside, coordinating with Yu Yan and the others from within and without in an attempt to kill the Black Wolf King in one stroke. Unfortunately, he had still escaped.

Still, the Black Wolf King had fled gravely wounded, and the wolf pack had been driven back. Fengchi City's great crisis had thus dissipated.

Seeing this, the taut string in Shen Luo's heart finally loosened.

The moment he relaxed, however, all the exhaustion that had built up burst forth. Before he could do anything, his vision went black, and he lost consciousness.

In a daze, Shen Luo felt as though he were floating in a bizarre, kaleidoscopic space. Everything around him was brilliantly colorful, yet exceedingly blurred, impossible to make out clearly.

He wanted to raise a hand and rub his eyes, only to discover in alarm that his limbs would not obey him at all.

Startled, he tried to cry out, but found that he could not make the slightest sound.

Then, a wave of agonizing pain came from his limbs, as though forces were pulling him in different directions.

The pain rapidly spread from his limbs throughout his entire body. Those forces seemed intent on tearing him to pieces.

He wanted to struggle, but could not break free. He could only endure the torment in agony.

After an unknown length of time, everything around him suddenly shattered like a mirror, turning into countless fragments.

In the disciples' quarters of Spring Autumn Temple, Shen Luo's body trembled as he abruptly opened his eyes.

He was drenched in sweat, his chest rising and falling without pause as he panted heavily.

The familiar ceiling gradually came into view. Warm sunlight shone through the window onto his bed, filling the room with brightness and a peaceful air utterly unlike everything in the dream.

He shook his head and looked around. Only after confirming that he had completely escaped the dream and returned to reality did he let out a long breath.

Shen Luo braced both hands against the bed, intending to sit up, but a bone-deep soreness shot through his arms. His hands immediately gave way, and he fell back onto the bed.

"I'm back again!"

Shen Luo felt somewhat relieved. Not daring to move further, he closed his eyes and examined his condition.

A piercing pain came from every part of his body, just as it did from his arms. Waves of chill also coursed through him. His condition seemed even worse than when he had awakened from the previous dream.

Concerned, Shen Luo hurriedly circulated the Minor Transforming Yang Art, trying to restore his body.

As a strand of Yang Hardness Force rose from his dantian and flowed through his chest and abdomen, the chill within him eased somewhat.

His heart settled slightly, then he seemed to realize something, and his brows twitched.

In the dream, he had drunk Yu Yan's snake gall wine, increasing his Yang Hardness Force somewhat. Yet the Yang Gang energy within him had now returned to normal.

"So dreams really are just dreams." Shen Luo murmured in slight disappointment, but quickly adjusted his mindset and continued circulating the Minor Transforming Yang Art.

Driven by the Yang Hardness Force, the coldness in his body gradually receded, and his aching body slowly recovered as well.

Only then did Shen Luo secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

What he had experienced in the dream had been bizarre yet incomparably real. Then, one sudden change after another had occurred, leaving him no time to consider this dream.

Now that he had returned to reality and calmed down, a question came to mind.

He had clearly returned the Jade Pillow to its original place. How had he entered the dream again?

Could it be that he had not placed the Jade Pillow far enough away, and it could still affect him from the back mountain?

At that thought, Shen Luo tilted his head slightly and glanced toward the side of his pillow from the corner of his eye. His eyes immediately widened.

Resting quietly on the bed to the left of his pillow was an ochre-yellow object. It was the mysterious Jade Pillow he should have returned to its original place.

This time, Shen Luo was truly stunned.

The Jade Pillow had actually returned?

Yet after experiencing two incomprehensible dreams that had felt utterly real, his state of mind had changed considerably from before. He quickly regained his composure.

"Could someone have entered the room?" Shen Luo wondered suspiciously as he looked toward the door and windows.

The door and windows were tightly shut, with no sign that they had been opened.

Spring Autumn Temple was no ordinary Daoist temple. To prevent accidents, the doors and windows of the disciples' quarters were specially made and ingeniously designed. Unless someone forced their way in, they could hardly be opened from outside, much less allow someone to enter and leave without a sound.

"Could it have come back by itself?" Shen Luo shuddered, finding the Jade Pillow increasingly strange.

Countless thoughts churned through his mind, impossible to sort out for the moment. He simply set the matter aside and sat in meditation, circulating the Minor Transforming Yang Art.

More than half an hour later, once the soreness in his body had nearly faded away, he ended his cultivation and sat up. Looking once more at the Jade Pillow, he fell into deep thought.

Scenes from last night's dream kept flashing through his mind, making it difficult for him to focus.

Shen Luo's gaze swept over the many books on the nearby table. He suddenly recalled Yu Yan mentioning Yu Celestial Master's fortuitous encounter in the dream. After pondering briefly, he walked over and pulled a thick volume from the pile. It was a geographical record of the prefecture.

He turned to the section on Songfan County that Yu Yan had mentioned. There was a map of Songfan County in the book, and he began to examine it carefully.

"Luan River! This river really exists!"