Cuan Yifang did not answer all of Qingmu's questions. For example, when Qingmu asked what the Awakening Sacred Land was, she looked confused.
Qingmu knew that the woman in front of him was just a lingering Cuan Yifang's dream left in her granddaughter's dream, and some things that she considered common sense might not actually be in that lingering remnant.
She couldn't possibly copy all her memories into her granddaughter's mind; that would have saved her from all this trouble, and Mama Yao could have done it directly. But clearly, Mama Yao didn't follow in her footsteps, perhaps because Mama Yao lacked the talent in this area, or for some other reason.
She just said that the Cuan Family ended with her. "Ended" likely doesn't mean the bloodline itself was broken, but rather that the lineage itself was severed.
"How can you be sure who to give the key to? I'm the person you're looking for?" Qingmu continued to ask.
"I'm sure. You are, you really are..."
The Mental Power emanating from Cuan Yifang's lingering resentment was growing weaker and weaker; if it weren't for Qingmu protecting it with his Mental Power, it would have dissipated by now.
"Do you know about mind intrusion? Why are they interested in you? Is it because of the Awakening Sacred Land? Why was your cat able to drive them away? Is this cat related to them? And how do I get the key? What do I do after I get it?...
Qingmu asked a series of questions, but Cuan Yifang didn't answer any of them, only muttering to herself:
"Let's go, it's time to go... it's time to go..."
The woman's figure faded further and further until only a faint shadow remained. Before disappearing, she uttered one last sentence. "If you have a way, take Xue'er away..."
Qingmu guessed that the Xue'er she was referring to was probably the cat outside, but that was just a consciousness. How could a consciousness be taken away? And where would it be taken?
Hanran!
He suddenly remembered the orange cat at home that was dying. If he could infuse the white cat's consciousness into Hanran's body, merging it with Hanran's consciousness, or inherit Hanran's memories before Hanran's consciousness perished, that would be wonderful.
However, Hanran is not around now. After Old Madam Cuan disappears, this hidden dream space that originally belonged to Mama Yao will lose its support, and it will definitely collapse after Qingmu withdraws.
At that time, the white cat's consciousness would also dissipate quickly, otherwise, an additional consciousness would appear in Mama Yao's dream, which Mama Yao would not be able to withstand given the white cat's Mental Power.
Old Madam Cuan has disappeared. The old house, the low-lying area, and the crops in the countryside have all vanished.
All that remained in Qingmu's eyes was the triangular pyramid hourglass that was still spinning like Windmill.
Could this be the key?
Qingmu used his Mental Power to touch it and found that the thing seemed to absorb his Mental Power, and it was spinning faster and faster.
He and the book understood that this thing could be driven by Mental Power, and what looked like yellow sand inside was actually stored Mental Power.
He tried to withdraw his Mental Power, and the thing's rotation slowed down, eventually coming to a stop, leaving only two empty triangular pyramids separated by a thin, transparent, non-existent mirror.
Qingmu tried to envelop it with his Mental Power, and the thing vanished into the void, merging with his consciousness. This meant that he could take it with him.
So this is what the key was.
But what's its use? Which door can it open?
With a thought, the "key" reappeared in the void. He infused it with Mental Power again, watching the two triangular pyramids rapidly shift positions until their shapes were completely indistinguishable.
Slowly, a circular black hole appeared in the void, deep and dark, like a door leading to the underworld.
Qingmu suddenly guessed the meaning of the key, but wasn't entirely sure. Without hesitation, he stepped into the dark door. After a brief moment of emptiness, a long, dark corridor appeared before him, stretching endlessly into the darkness, its destination unknown.
This corridor was remarkably similar to the one he had seen in Zhao Pengcheng's dream.
Qingmu concluded that this was a Dream Corridor composed of zero-dimensional space, or, according to Zhao Pengcheng, a passage to another space.
So that's how the Dream Corridor came about!
Qingmu suddenly understood. It seemed that the invasion of consciousness and the Awakeners' Alliance were related to some extent. At least, the use of the Dream Corridor couldn't be entirely a coincidence.
He tried to move forward. This time he wasn't worried because Mama Yao was dreaming, and she wouldn't cut off his connection with him. The Crow was also in Mama Yao's dream. If he couldn't go back, he could just call the Crow over and immediately return to Mama Yao's dream.
Moreover, he predicted that this time, neither end of the corridor was closed, so he would be able to reach the other end very quickly.
Sure enough, with a thought, a white hole appeared before him, like a door leading from the underworld to the world of the living.
This is a mirror relationship, where the exit and the entrance are mirror images of each other, just like two pyramid-shaped triangular pyramids are mirror images of each other.
Everything is done through mirroring to achieve spatial transformation.
Are our world and dreams mirror images of each other, or are our world and extraterrestrial worlds mirror images of each other? Mirror images—what a strange phenomenon!
Qingmu couldn't help but recall Mo Yu and the mirror maze she had encountered.
He had always been puzzled as to why Situ would design such a mirror maze. Perhaps he had initially dismissed Situ as merely a young master skilled in mind manipulation, but after meeting Xia Xiaoxiao, he had come to understand Situ's abilities. Why would someone with such great power set up a mirror maze to harm young girls?
Perhaps his original intention wasn't for the female students, but rather to conduct some kind of mirror experiment?
In an instant, Qingmu remembered many things, then he stepped through the white hole and exited from the other end of the Dream Corridor.
An endless, blinding yellow filled Qingmu's eyes. Or rather, it filled Qingmu's consciousness. Because what arrived here was Qingmu's consciousness, not his physical body. Consciousness doesn't need eyes, but its sensations are more real and direct than those of the eyes.
This is a desolate desert.
The sky was vast and desolate, with scorching particles of sunlight falling from the heavens and landing on the undulating sand dunes, creating distorted waves of heat. At a glance, it resembled a vast, yellow sea, with the high and low sand dunes like the surging waves of the ocean, rising and falling in a majestic and awe-inspiring manner.
Even though it was just a consciousness, Qingmu felt the overwhelming heat. This was something no one's dream could achieve. Where was he?
He discovered that his Mental Power couldn't immediately probe the entire space. It didn't seem to be an independent space, but rather one that overlapped with certain other spaces or times, or whose boundaries extended into a non-existent void. Perhaps there were other Dream Corridor connected to this place.
Qingmu's consciousness tried to drift in the sky above the desert.
After wandering for a long time, he realized that no matter which direction he went, he was repeating some kind of illusory path. This space seemed to always exist around some center.
Dust storms occasionally rise up in the desert.
After a strong wind, he saw some rocks piled up in a sand valley, somewhat resembling dilapidated ancient buildings. He stopped and, upon closer inspection, saw the pattern on one of the large rocks—
The symbol of the Awakeners' Alliance.