Dreamscape

Xu Qi'an opened his mouth, but his throat felt like it was blocked by something, and he couldn't make a sound.

He stared silently at Wei Yuan until the other spoke his second sentence:

"Nalan Tianlu, since the start of the war, the Witch God Cult has slaughtered countless soldiers of my Great Feng. Today, we will first slay you and annihilate your army of corpse soldiers, and then wipe out the armies of the Yan, Kang, and Jing kingdoms to appease the spirits of the Great Feng soldiers in heaven."

Xu Qi'an turned around abruptly and saw an old man with white hair, dressed in a wizard's robe, sitting cross-legged on the barren land, his body covered in bloodstains and his breath weak.

Behind the old sorcerer were three eminent Buddhist School monks, one of whom Xu Qi'an recognized as the Arhat Du'e who had led the Buddhist School delegation to the capital that day.

"This is a scene from the Battle of Shanhai Pass twenty years ago."

He suddenly realized, and then remembered what Li Lingsu had said: Dongfang Wanrong's master, the former city lord of Jingshan City, Nalan Tianlu, died in the Battle of Shanhai Pass, killed by Wei Yuan's scheme.

The second layer is where Nalan Tianlu is imprisoned? But why am I seeing scenes from the Battle of Shanhai Pass? He muttered to himself, when he heard Nalan Tianlu sneer:

"Wei Yuan, the Rain Master 'Primordial Spirit is indestructible. Only a first-rank Daoist School or a great shaman can kill me."

Xu Qi'an immediately looked at Wei Yuan, only to find that he had disappeared. When he reappeared, he was behind Nalan Tianlu, holding a knife in his right hand and a head in his left.

Nalan Tianlu's headless corpse sat motionless, blood gushing from his neck four or five meters high, like a fountain of blood.

Third rank, no, third rank at the Great Perfection, even stronger than the Zhenbei King in Chuzhou. Xu Qi'an sighed inwardly. Although he already knew the truth, witnessing Wei Yuan's cultivation level with his own eyes still made him feel deeply moved.

The Arhat of Salvation took out a golden bowl from his sleeve, pointed the bowl at Nalan Tianlu's corpse, and recited sutras for salvation.

The brilliant Buddhist light transformed into beams of light, shining upon Nalan Tianlu's corpse and capturing a fragment of his primordial Primordial Spirit, which he then absorbed into the golden bowl.

The Arhat Du'e put away the golden bowl, feeling relieved, and said:

"General Wei, let the Buddhist School sect handle Nalan Tianlu's Primordial Spirit. The pagoda in Leizhou is Law Treasure of the Bodhisattva Faji, used specifically to suppress demons and evil spirits. Within sixty years, Nalan Tianlu's soul will surely be scattered."

Wei Yuan nodded. "Okay."

Having said that, he slowly walked away, his sleeves fluttering in the wind.

"Duke Wei, Duke Wei"

Xu Qi'an chased after him for a few steps, raised his hand, and tried to stop him, but Wei Yuan couldn't hear him.

He lowered his hand, looking dejected.

"Amitabha!"

At that moment, he heard the sound of chanting Buddhist mantras behind him. He turned around and saw that it was not the Arhat Du'e, but monks from Sanhua Temple, including Jingxin, Jingyuan, and Hengyin.

They finally reached the second level.

The monks of Sanhua Temple looked around blankly, seemingly puzzled as to why they were there.

Monk Jingxin looked at Xu Qi'an and asked, "Benefactor, what did you just see? Where is this place?"

Xu Qi'an pondered for a moment and said, "This should be the battlefield of the Battle of Shanhai Pass twenty years ago. We are either in an illusion or Nalan Tianlu's dream. Considering that a fourth-rank wizard is also called a 'dream wizard,' I think it is the latter."

Nalan Tianlu's dream. Monk Jingxin suddenly realized, "That must be it. Uncle Du Nan said that the second level of the Floating Pagoda has been permeated by Nalan Tianlu's power."

The entire second layer has been permeated by Nalan Tianlu's power? Xu Qi'an frowned.

The abbot of Sanhua Temple, Monk Hengyin, stared at Xu Qi'an and asked, "What did you just see, benefactor?"

"The scene before Nalan Tianlu's death; he was ambushed and killed by Wei Yuan and high -Buddhist School monks."

He didn't say he died in an ambush by Du'e Luohan, because that would have revealed that he knew Du'e Luohan.

The monks of Sanhua Temple nodded slowly, and the martial monk Jingyuan said in a deep voice, "Senior brother, how can we escape this dream?"

Jingxin glanced at Xu Qi'an, then shook her head and remained silent.

He seemed to know, but was unwilling to say it to my face. Indeed, the Buddhist School and the Witch God Sect were colluding and planning to break Nalan Tianlu's seal. Xu Qi'an scrutinized the monks, his gaze lingering on Monk Jingxin's empty hands.

Master Jingxin, where is that bead in your hand?

If he remembered correctly, when they passed each other earlier, Xu Qi'an clearly saw the image of the first level of the Pagoda reflected in the bead.

As expected, the bead's function is to transmit the scene inside the pagoda to the outside world, allowing the wise master Irbu and the Vajra of Salvation to see the scene inside the pagoda.

Although both sides reached an agreement, they were also suspicious of each other, and the beads were an important bridge to maintain their cooperation.

"Since this is a dream, the beads cannot be brought in."

The monk Jingxin provided an explanation.

In other words, we are not in our true form now, but rather our consciousness has entered Nalan Tianlu's dream. Xu Qi'an stroked his chin.

After a while, more and more people arrived at the second floor.

First, there are Yuan Yi, Li Shaoyun, Tang Yuanwu, and the Dongfang sisters, all fourth-rank masters. With their talent, they would be pillars of any force.

From the Buddhist School perspective, a martial artist who can reach the fourth rank naturally possesses "Buddha-nature".

Next came the local heroes of Leizhou, whose numbers were reduced by two-thirds.

There were about five or six hundred people when we entered the first floor, but now there are less than two hundred left.

Where is this?

"Truly a treasure of Buddhist School, forming its own world?"

"The soil here is real, and the stones are real too."

The crowd discussed it animatedly, and some, driven by curiosity, even grabbed a handful of soil, tasted it, and then spat it out.

Liu Yun quickly reunited with her fellow disciples and sect leader Tang Yuanwu, and then looked around in the crowd, finally spotting the figure in green.

She paid close attention to this man, not out of any romantic feelings, but purely out of respect for the mysterious master.

The head monk, Hengyin, proclaimed loudly, "Esteemed benefactors, this is Nalan Tianlu's dream. The place we are in is the site of the Battle of Shanhai Pass twenty years ago. The scene before us is the place where Buddhist School monks besieged and killed Nalan Tianlu."

"In front of me, you're using my information to do someone a favor? "Xu Qi'an glanced at Heng Yin.

"I see!"

"Thank you for informing me, Master."

Who is Nalan Tianlu?

The local martial arts figures in Leizhou suddenly realized what was going on and started asking questions incessantly.

At that moment, Hengyin revealed Nalan Tianlu's identity to everyone.

"He's actually a second-rank Rain Master?"

"Second rank, huh?"

"Buddhist School is indeed powerful."

The martial arts practitioners had strange expressions, some sighing, some shocked, and some wary. In their eyes, a second-rank rain master was an unattainable being, a god-like figure.

And yet, such a person was suppressed here by Buddhist School.

Dongfang Wanrong closed her eyes, and after a long while, she opened them and transmitted her voice:

"I can't sense where my master is, which means he has no self-awareness. This is indeed a dream, his dream."

Dongfang Wanqing nodded. "How do we break this deadlock?"

Dongfang Wanrong shook her head. "Let me look again, let me look again."

As they spoke, the scene suddenly changed, and everyone found themselves in a large tent. A white-haired, white-bearded cloaked wizard sat in the head seat, while at the long table were generals in armor and cloaked wizards.

Xu Qi'an spotted a familiar face among these people:

Nurhega!

"The Southern Demons and the Northern Barbarians have formed an alliance, attempting to restore the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons, while the Southern Gu Clan seeks to take advantage of the situation to destabilize the Great Feng Kingdom. The Western Buddhist School, with their deep-seated hatred for the Demon Race, will not stand idly by; the Great Feng and the Buddhist School sects are bound to join forces."

Nalan Tianlu looked around at the assembled shamans in the tent and said, "For our Witch God Sect, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. As long as we join the battlefield and completely crush the Great Feng and the Buddhist School, we can share the Nine Provinces with the Demon Race, the Gu race, and the barbarian race."

The ruler of Jingguo, Xiahou Yushu, asked, "Why not invade Great Feng from the southern border?"

Nurhega slowly shook his head:

"The Great Feng army has split into two groups, one assembled in the Shanhai Pass area, and the other stationed along the border of the three northeastern prefectures. They are there to defend against us. The battle at Shanhai Pass is raging, and the demons and barbarians and the Gu tribe are at a disadvantage. Non-Self can break through half of Great Feng in a short period of time and reach the capital, once the battle at Shanhai Pass is over, Great Feng and the Buddhist School will have time to spare troops to deal with us."

Nalan Tianlu nodded. "Therefore, we must fight the Great Feng and the Buddhist School at Shanhai Pass to determine the victor. It's time for the Great Feng to repay the debt they owe us."

A sorcerer chuckled and said, "The commander-in-chief of the Great Feng army is that eunuch named Wei Yuan. Heh, is there no one else in the Central Plains to rely on?"

The wizards and generals burst into laughter.

At that time, Wei Yuan had already achieved the feat of defeating the demons and barbarians, but that war was only a negligible victory compared to the large-scale battles that swept across the major forces of the Nine Provinces.

Leizhou people in the Jianghu community listened to this meeting and were dumbfounded. "It was really the Battle of Shanhaiguan."

Their expressions changed. The Battle of Shanhai Pass had taken place twenty years earlier, a war that, to them, was massive yet incredibly distant.

Witnessing the high-ranking members of the Witch God Cult discuss matters firsthand at this moment evoked a sense of absurdity, as if history had entered everyday life, and it was also quite shocking.

In addition, they learned some inside information about the Battle of Shanhai Pass.

This war, one of the largest and most devastating in human history, was essentially a manifestation of the peak of conflict between the major powers in Kyushu.

During the Sixty-Year Demon Purge Campaign, the Southern Demons, whose kingdom was destroyed, attempted to restore their nation; the Gu Clan tried to undermine the destiny of the Great Feng Dynasty; and the Witch God Cult demanded repayment from the Great Feng Dynasty.

"Nalan Tianlu said that our Great Feng owes the Witch God Cult a debt, what debt?"

General Li Shaoyun frowned.

He also voiced the questions that others were wondering about.

Dongfang Wanrong said calmly:

"When Emperor Great Feng Dynasty was establishing his dynasty, he suffered several defeats. On one occasion, when he was at his wit's end, he borrowed 200,000 troops from the Witch God Sect, promising to overthrow the Great Zhou Dynasty and establish the Witch God Sect as the state religion. However, after the Great Feng Dynasty was established, Emperor Gaozu went back on his word."

This history is very secretive; even scholars in the Great Feng might not know it.

"Bullshit!"

Li Shaoyun said calmly.

"Exactly, does the Witch God Cult even deserve to be the state religion of my Great Feng?"

"The Great Feng doesn't need a state religion; even if it were the Human Religion, it would be nothing more than a game played by a tyrannical ruler."

"Damn it, that bastard is talking nonsense."

People from Leizhou started hurling insults.

Yuan Yi gestured for them to calm down; the prestige of the Commander-in-Chief had quelled the commotion among the martial arts practitioners. He looked at the monks of Sanhua Temple and said:

"Further words are useless; how can I escape this dream?"

Monk Jingxin looked at Dongfang Wanrong. She was the only Dream Witch at the peak of the fourth rank present. Only a witch could deal with another witch.

After a moment's hesitation, Dongfang Wanrong repeated, "Wait a little longer."

Soon after, everyone understood what he meant, and the scene changed again, with scenes of the Battle of Shanhai Pass flashing before their eyes like a revolving lantern.

Southern demons, northern barbarians, the Gu tribe, the Witch God Cult, the Great Feng army, and the Western Buddhist Kingdom—a multi-party battle unfolds, witnessed by everyone from Nalan Tianlu's perspective.

The dream ended when Nalan Tianlu was ambushed and killed by Wei Yuan, his body severed from his head, and he entered a new cycle of reincarnation.

Through this dream, the most profound feeling among those present was "helplessness".

Nalan Tianlu's helplessness.

The Buddhist School masters are too extraordinary, and Wei Yuan's ability to lead troops is too extraordinary.

After the war began, battle after battle were lost, and the fighting strength was worn down like being slowly cut by a dull knife. There were some victories in local wars, but it was still difficult to reverse the decline.

Li Shaoyun sneered, "What shamelessness! In the Battle of Shanhai Pass, it turns out the Buddhist School was just a bunch of henchmen. Wasn't it our Great Feng's military genius, Wei Yuan, who plotted to ambush and kill Nalan Tianlu?"

He was mocking the monk Hengyin's earlier statement attributing the credit for killing Nalan Tianlu to Buddhist School.

The monks of Sanhua Temple clasped their hands together, speechless.

The people from Leizhou looked disdainful.

At this point, the scene changed; it was no longer the Battle of Shanhai Pass, but an unfamiliar environment.

A strange dream.

The dream's protagonist is a young man carrying two swords. At this moment, he has a serious expression as he stares at the middle-aged man in front of him, who also carries two swords.

The middle-aged man said coldly, "In this battle, I will not hold back. If you can last a hundred moves, you will graduate. If you can't, you will die."

The young man carrying two swords said calmly, "Enough talk, Master, let's begin."

The battle was extremely fierce; the boy was wounded by thirty-six swords, barely clinging to life, and nearly died.

The scene shifts again, and the dream's protagonist is still a warrior carrying two swords, no longer a boy but a young man.

The enemy also changed from his master to a gloomy and arrogant old man.

The old man angrily retorted, "Tang Yuanwu, how dare you kill me? Your master is old, so I might be a little wary of him, but a fifth-rank Transformation Realm cultivator like you is worthy of killing me?"

Tang Yuanwu said calmly, "Old Monster of Snake Mountain, you have committed countless evil deeds, including rape and plunder. Today I will execute you."

Everyone looked at Tang Yuanwu, and someone suddenly realized:

"This was the battle that made Sect Master Tang famous by slaying the Old Monster of Snake Mountain, and he entered the fourth rank in one battle."

"Hmm, I remember now. Back then, the Snake Mountain Monster was committing all sorts of evil deeds in Leizhou, including several massacres of entire families. He was wanted by the imperial court, and it was only thanks to Sect Leader Tang that he was killed. It caused a sensation in Leizhou at the time."

"But why is Sect Master Tang's past mentioned here?"

Seeing this, Dongfang Wanrong exhaled, seemingly confirming a certain guess in her heart, and said in a deep voice:

"Because our Primordial Spirit has been drawn into Master Nalan Tianlu's dream, and influenced by the dream shaman, everyone's dreams are slowly intertwining."

"So you're saying we're dreaming right now?" Yuan Yi said in a deep voice.

Tang Yuanwu then revealed a look of realization. "The battle before my departure, the battle to slay the Snake Mountain Monster, was indeed the most thrilling battle of my life. Even after so many years, I still often dream about it."

"Being able to witness the past of the Battle of Shanhai Pass and see the story of Master Tang slaying the Old Monster of Snake Mountain, this trip is not in vain."

"Yes, no one would believe this experience if I told them."

Next, the group experienced several dreams, including battles on the battlefield led by General Li Shaoyun and Commander Yuan Yi, and bloody battles among the martial arts figures of Leizhou.

There are also accounts from the perspective of Buddhist School Buddhist School, witnessing the magnificent scene of eminent monks from the Western Regions chanting scriptures and preaching.

Xu Qi'an mingled in the crowd, remaining unusually silent, but his gaze remained fixed on the Dongfang sisters and the monk from Sanhua Temple.

The Buddhist School and Witchcraft sects came prepared; they surely know how to escape the dream, how to release Nalan Tianlu, and how to obtain dragon energy. He couldn't let them release Nalan Tianlu. Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly heard a cry of alarm.

Looking to the side, I was also taken aback.

Foshan appeared peaceful and serene, with golden light swirling in the clouds. A young man dressed Nightwatchers was clutching his head in anguish, his face contorted in pain within the great formation.

The scene was so familiar that it caused his expression to change drastically.

A battle of wits among Buddhist School!

Eight Suffering Formations!

Holy crap, is this a dream?!