Chapter 204 A Dream Anew:

Jiang Caijie's words touched on what Shen Bingsi and Rong Xie were most curious about.

only.

“Judge Jiang,” Rong Xie paused, glancing around, “that flower demon is nearby. Isn’t it inappropriate to say this directly?”

“Yes,” Shen Bingsi also realized, “why not use telepathy, so it won’t hear us?”

Judge Jiang shook his head: "No need. My plans are all open schemes. Even if I tell it, it can't do anything about it. Besides, it's trapped by the Heaven-Sealing Formation and can't go anywhere. As long as you don't come in and provoke it, it will gradually weaken according to my plan."

"Really?" Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi's eyes lit up.

"That's right. To understand this plan, we must start with the source of the Acacia Flower Fairy's magic. You know it can control people with nightmare magic, but do you know how it does it?"

"How do you control people... isn't it through dreams, creating illusions, that's how you control them?"

Judge Jiang shook his head again: "It's not that simple. We are all cultivators. First, we have magical power protecting us, so it's not so easy for us to fall asleep or dream. Second, even if we do dream, the will of cultivators is far superior to that of ordinary people, so they are not so easy to control."

Shen Bingsi and Rong Xie hadn't thought about this in detail.

“You two have only been affected by the nightmare spell, and have never truly faced the dream control spell of the Hehuan Flower Fairy, so it’s normal that you don’t know,” Judge Jiang paused for a moment, as if recalling some unpleasant experiences. “The method used by the Hehuan Flower Fairy is actually very similar to a cultivation method of the Ruthless Path, which is the illusion test.”

"An illusion test?!"

Both Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi were familiar with the illusion test. Shen Bingsi had participated in countless illusion tests during her cultivation, and Rong Xie had also personally witnessed her suffering mental trauma in the illusion and returning home in tears and collapse.

The so-called illusion test involves creating a lifelike illusion using magical artifacts and spells to extract painful memories from the test subject's mind and specifically target their weak points. Through this repeated impact, the test subject gradually becomes accustomed to the illusion and is no longer controlled by past pain, thereby strengthening their will.

Of course, there are all sorts of delightful and corrupting temptations in the illusion test, but those are just signposts leading to painful memories. In the end, the illusion test will lead to the most vulnerable part of the test subject's mind.

"That's how the mimosa flower demon's nightmare magic works. It also directs the dream towards painful memories. Pain can immerse a person, causing them to lose the will to resist. Once immersed, they fall into its trap," said Judge Jiang.

"But," Shen Bingsi asked doubtfully, "this method shouldn't be effective against cultivators of the Ruthless Path, so why can it even control Elder Bai?"

“You’ve discovered it, that’s what makes it so powerful,” Judge Jiang said solemnly. “It has modified the illusion test. In the illusion test, you can only relive the past over and over again. As long as you actively cut off your senses, you can avoid the mental shock. But the Nightmare Technique of the Albizia Flower Fairy gives people the chance to go back to the past and choose again.”

"What?" Shen Bingsi immediately sensed the danger involved.

"That's right. The reason why painful memories continue to torment people is simply because... people realize that the pain could have been avoided. Due to various reasons, such as insufficient ability or limited knowledge, they missed the right choice, leading to devastating consequences. After the event, it was irreversible, and they thought day and night, 'What if I could do it all over again?' It is this unreasonable thought that torments people and makes them feel increasingly painful."

Shen Bingsi fell silent. As Brother Jiang explained in a seemingly calm tone, he thought of himself. If he had known earlier that Cui Yuqing's marriage was a misunderstanding, if he had understood that Shen Yingmei's madness and anguish were not caused by him, if... if he had known earlier that Shen Yingmei and Cui Yuqing's love was a mistake, would he still be in pain? No, he would have severed this ill-fated relationship from the very beginning.

Judge Jiang stopped and stared at Shen Bingsi until her gaze cleared again. Judge Jiang nodded in satisfaction: "I told you this so that you would be on your guard. Very good, you realized it quickly and did not disappoint me."

"Thank you very much, Brother Jiang," Shen Bingsi said sincerely.

“Everyone has such irreparable pain in their hearts to some extent. Giving them a chance to start over is more tempting than gold, silver, fame and fortune. The mimosa flower demon takes advantage of this weakness in people’s hearts to control them step by step,” Jiang Caijie sighed. “It amplifies people’s sense of guilt and pushes all the blame onto them. One wrong thought and they will fall into the abyss and be controlled by it.”

"I see, that's really vicious," Shen Bingsi said.

“Yes, the higher one’s cultivation level and the more experiences one has, the easier it is to fall into its trap.” Judge Jiang sighed. “The more things one has to regret, the easier it is to feel guilty. Now you should understand why we’re sitting here, right?”

Shen Bingsi didn't understand what Judge Jiang meant at first, but soon, a terrible thought popped into his head, and he asked in shock, "Brother Jiang, could it be that you also..."

"That's right, I've also been affected by the Nightmare Spell."

A silent tremor spread through Shen Bingsi and Rong Xie's hearts. The two were speechless for a moment, staring at Judge Jiang in disbelief. Even Judge Jiang had fallen under the spell of the Acacia Flower Demon. Then... who in the world could rival it?

Jiang Caijie smiled self-deprecatingly: "There's nothing strange about that. I've probably experienced more and more thrilling things than the three sect leaders. In my position... without the blessing of the Ruthless Path, I would probably have gone mad long ago."

There's a reason why the Mirror Palace only accepts ruthless cultivators as adjudicators. Especially adjudicators like Adjudicator Jiang, who specialize in interrogating the most heinous criminals within the cultivation world, have witnessed countless instances of darkness, betrayals, and internal strife. The undercurrents hidden beneath the surface of peace are often more treacherous than straightforward demons.

"Judges are destined to be ruthless and lonely, like stars cursed by heaven. A long time ago... my family was wiped out in a case, and I personally sent some of them to their deaths." Judge Jiang said these words calmly, words he had never told Shen Bingsi before. "I thought these old stories would never be dug up again, but I never expected... a little flower fairy to have such abilities."

“Brother Jiang…” Shen Bingsi felt a pang of bitterness in his heart. Then, he raised the Shengxie Sword and swung it downwards with a fierce slash, splitting the ground with a sword aura. “That flower demon is truly despicable! Once I catch it, I will tear it to pieces and condemn it to eternal damnation!”

Judge Jiang looked at Shen Bingsi with a hint of affection in his eyes: "It's good that you have such ambition, but in my plan, the Acacia Flower Fairy will weaken and perish on its own without anyone's intervention."

"Brother Jiang's plan... could it be to trap the mimosa flower demon here and kill her?" Shen Bingsi asked.

Judge Jiang nodded: "Not bad."

"But how long will it be trapped?" Shen Bingsi asked, puzzled. "The Acacia Flower Demon has existed silently in the Heartless Palace for an unknown amount of time without dying. How can we be sure that it will weaken and die in the Heaven-Sealing Formation?"

"Because its power comes from," Judge Jiang said, "the dark part of the hearts of those who have been afflicted by the nightmare spell."

Shen Bingsi raised her eyebrows, as if she had realized something.

"The mimosa flower demon of today is no longer the unknown flower spirit of the past. It has become a demon, a monster, and constantly needs to absorb the dark parts of people's hearts. This is the nourishment that keeps it alive. Without more people to provide it with dark power, it cannot continue to survive." Jiang Caijie solemnly stated his plan. "Therefore, the sect leader, the five elders, and I formed the Heaven-Sealing Formation here to trap it, preventing it from using its nightmare magic to capture new nourishment. It will naturally wither away."

"I see." Shen Bingsi completely understood Judge Jiang's plan. He had to admit, it was far more meticulous than any method he could think of. No wonder it was an idea from a legitimate judge. However, "How long will it take? So many people below are under the influence of the nightmare spell, they're nourishment for the flower demons. And this sealing formation above is constantly draining spiritual energy. How long can it hold? Does Brother Jiang intend to—"

What Shen Bingsi didn't say was confirmed by Jiang Caijie's smile.

"Don't forget, I've also been affected by the Nightmare Spell. Sect Master, Elders, we can't escape the fate of becoming nourishment for the flower demons," Jiang Caijieguan laughed. "So, we didn't plan to leave alive."

Shen Bingsi gasped, staring at the seven people sitting cross-legged in the light of the magic array, speechless for a moment.

"No!" Shen Bingsi blurted out, "There must be another way!"

Judge Jiang smiled at him and asked, "What can we do?"

Shen Bingsi scratched his head, racking his brains. He realized that there was really no other way at the moment, unless... unless there was someone with great magical power and a firm will who would not be bewitched by the acacia flower demon. But where could such a person be found?

Perhaps, before Shen Bingsi's resolve wavers, it's worth a try. However, he's not sure if he'll get lost in this dream that's repeating itself.

"Rong'er, do you have any good ideas? You're so smart, you'll definitely be able to come up with a solution." Shen Bingsi instinctively turned to Rong Xie for help.

Rong Xie remained silent.

Shen Bingsi turned her head and found that Rong Xie's face was as white as paper, with fine beads of sweat on his forehead, and he seemed to be frozen.

Shen Bingsi's heart clenched instantly. She hurriedly reached for his hand, but when she grasped it, it felt icy cold to the touch, and her palm was covered in cold sweat. Shen Bingsi panicked immediately: "Rong'er, what's wrong?"

He recalled that Rong Xie seemed to have been silent for a long time, and he had completed the entire conversation with Brother Jiang by himself.

"Rong'er, say something." Shen Bingsi grasped Rong Xie's shoulders, not daring to touch him too hard, but worried to death. She could only pull him into her arms and stroke his back, trying to warm him up.

"I...I'm fine." A voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz came from beside her ear. Although it was light, it was steady. Shen Bingsi breathed a sigh of relief, held Rong Xie's shoulders, helped him up from her arms, and looked him over carefully.

Although Rong Xie looked pale, he was clear-headed and his spiritual energy was functioning normally. It seemed that he had just been frightened by something and had not suffered any real harm.

“I… I just think the flower fairy’s nightmare magic is terrifying. It… can make people start over and choose again,” Rong Xie said instinctively, his teeth chattering. “That’s too terrifying.”

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