Chapter 48: Waking Up

That golden ray of sunlight not only pierced the dreamworld's sky but also illuminated the "bridge of hearts" that bound the four of them together. Chu Yun, Li Ge, Mo Li, and Zhi Lan all subconsciously raised their heads, gazing at the unprecedented blue sky. They could sense that the entire dreamworld was undergoing a complete, irreversible transformation. The suffocating despair that had weighed on their hearts was rapidly fading, replaced by a warm, vibrant, and tearful tranquility. "We... succeeded," Mo Li's voice was a little hoarse, and her eyes, always tense, vigilant, and scrutinizing, finally relaxed completely. "Yes," Li Ge sighed softly, feeling her heart, hardened by her practice of the Ghost Doctor technique, now warmed by the sunlight. "We succeeded." "Thank you," Chu Yun's voice was filled with sincerity. He looked at his companions, at the still-sturdy "bridge of hearts," knowing that without them, he would never have made it this far on his own. "Are we... going back?" Zhilan's voice was tinged with reluctance. She gazed at the increasingly beautiful world, a hint of longing. At that moment, all four of them felt a gentle force gently pushing their consciousnesses out of this world. This force was harmless, as if this reborn dream world was tenderly bidding them farewell. None of them resisted. They closed their eyes, allowing the force to carry their consciousnesses away from this unforgettable spiritual battlefield where they had fought together. ... "Ugh..." Chu Yun was the first to groan in pain. He felt as if his head was being pierced by thousands of needles simultaneously, the pain threatening to split. This was the most direct aftereffect of excessive mental energy consumption. He slowly opened his heavy eyelids, the glare of the sun causing him to squint subconsciously. He smelled the fragrance of earth and grass in the air and heard the real sound of birds chirping in the distance. He... was back. "Chu Yun? Are you awake?" a familiar voice echoed in his ears. He turned to see Li Ge, equally pale, but with unusually bright eyes. Her forehead was covered in beads of sweat, clearly exhausted. "How are you feeling?" Li Ge asked, her voice tinged with a genuine concern she herself hadn't noticed. "Not bad." Chu Yun tried to sit up, but found herself too weak to muster even a shred of strength. "Just... a little...

That ray of golden sunlight not only penetrated the sky of the dream, but also illuminated the "bridge of hearts" that closely connected the four people. Chu Yun, Li Ge, Mo Li, and Zhi Lan all subconsciously raised their heads and looked at the unprecedented blue sky.

They could sense that the entire dream world was undergoing a complete and irreversible change. The suffocating despair that had been weighing on their hearts was rapidly disappearing, replaced by a warm, vibrant, and tearful tranquility.

"We... succeeded." Mo Li's voice was a little hoarse. Her eyes, which were always tense, full of vigilance and scrutiny, finally relaxed completely at this moment.

"Yes." Li Ge sighed softly. She felt that her heart, which had become cold due to her practice of the Ghost Doctor's Art, was now warmed by the sunlight. "We succeeded."

"Thank you." Chu Yun's voice was filled with sincerity. He looked at his companions, at the still solid "bridge of the heart," and knew in his heart that if it weren't for them, he would never have made it this far on his own.

"Are we...going back?" Zhilan's voice was filled with reluctance. She looked at the world becoming more beautiful, feeling a little nostalgic.

At that moment, all four felt a gentle force gently pushing their consciousnesses out of this world. This force was harmless, as if this reborn dream world was tenderly bidding them farewell. None of them resisted; they closed their eyes and allowed the force to carry their consciousnesses away from this unforgettable spiritual battlefield where they had fought together.

…

"Ugh..." Chu Yun was the first to groan in pain. He felt as if his head was being pierced by thousands of needles simultaneously, the pain was so intense it felt like it was about to burst. This was the most direct aftereffect of excessive mental energy consumption.

He slowly opened his heavy eyelids, the glare of the sun forcing him to squint subconsciously. He smelled the scent of earth and grass in the air and heard the real sound of birdsong in the distance. He... was back.

"Chu Yun? Are you awake?" A familiar voice rang in his ears. He turned around and saw Li Ge, also pale, but with unusually bright eyes. Her forehead was covered in beads of sweat, clearly exhausted.

"How do you feel?" Li Ge asked, with a hint of genuine concern in her voice that she herself was not aware of.

"Not bad." Chu Yun tried to sit up, but found himself too weak to even muster a bit of strength. "Just... a little tired."

"You're more than exhausted." Li Ge looked at him with a complicated expression. "In the end, you took on all of our negative emotions and even used your own Taiyi Qi to purify the core of the nightmare. Your spiritual world is probably in turmoil now. For the next seven days, you are not allowed to use any of your Qi, otherwise you will suffer from permanent sequelae."

"I understand." Chu Yun smiled bitterly. He knew that Li Ge was telling the truth.

At that moment, a suppressed groan could be heard nearby. "My head... my waist... my legs..." Mo Li also woke up. She rubbed her solar plexus while examining her body, complaining non-stop, "I knew, Li Ge, that 'Three Souls Attraction' of yours would have side effects! I feel like my bones are falling apart!"

"That's your own problem." Li Ge glanced at her and said coldly, "Who told you to dream about creating the 'Tianshu Divine Weapon' and completely exhaust your mental energy?"

"I did that for combat needs!" Mo Li immediately retorted.

"Okay, both of you should stop talking." Chu Yun said weakly, "We are all still alive, which is more important than anything else." His words quieted down Li Ge and Mo Li who were bickering.

Yes, they were all still alive. All three fell silent. They recalled the thrilling battles in their dreams, from fighting alone to being forced to join forces, and finally to a camaraderie of shared life and death. The feeling of trust, the ability to turn one's back to another without reservation, was something they had never experienced before. Something called a "bond" quietly took root between the three of them.

"Where's Zhilan?" Chu Yun suddenly remembered something and looked around. Zhilan had also woken up. She wasn't as weak as the other three, but her face was a little pale. She was staring curiously in the direction of the village with her bright eyes.

"Listen quickly," Zhilan said suddenly. The three of them immediately held their breath and listened carefully.

They heard it. From the village, once as dead and silent as a ghost town, faint moans emanated. Then came coughs, voices, and the cries of children... Those villagers, who had been slumbering like the living dead, had unexpectedly... awakened!

"We...really succeeded." Mo Li muttered to herself as she looked towards the village. For the first time, a pure smile appeared on her face, one that came from the heart without any calculation or pride.

"Let's go and take a look." Chu Yun struggled to stand up, and Li Ge and Mo Li also stood up, supporting each other. The four of them slowly walked into the village.

The sight before them brought them a heartfelt sense of relief. Though the villagers were still frail, their faces pale and thin, their spirits wan, their eyes no longer held the twisted, horrified look of nightmares. Instead, they were filled with a sense of bewilderment and relief at having survived. They were out of danger.

"It seems that our work this time was not in vain." Mo Li rarely said something emotional.

"Yeah." Chu Yun nodded. He looked at the scene before him, though disheveled yet brimming with "vitality," and felt the crack deep within him, caused by the fate of the Daoshu, quietly heal a little. Perhaps this was the true meaning of "guarding," not to fulfill some grand and tragic destiny, but to protect the most ordinary, most real...human moments before him.

At this moment, Zhilan suddenly exclaimed "Huh!" and pointed to the open space in the center of the village. She said curiously, "Big brother, look, there seems to be something glowing over there."

The three of them immediately looked in the direction she pointed. In the barren expanse of land in the center of the village, which they had determined to be the core of the nightmare, something lay quietly. It was only the size of a palm, its entire body a jade-like color. In the sunlight, it emitted a soft, breathing glow.

"What is that?" Mo Li frowned.