Standing once again in the garden of fireflies, Yin Ming couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu.

Turning his head to look at Lingyao, who was still holding him by the waist, Yin Ming was honestly curious about when he had woken up.

"I sensed something was wrong the moment Yin Ming embraced me in the dream," Ling Yao explained, meeting Yin Ming's questioning gaze.

After indulging in a drunken stupor, the Yin Ming in his dream should only be a figment of his imagination.

Since it was created by his imagination, this illusion should not have its own consciousness.

Since it has no independent consciousness, how could it act in ways that Lingyao did not anticipate?

Furthermore, after being embraced by Yin Ming, he remained unable to wake up for a long time, making Ling Yao even more certain that something was wrong.

Yes, he was indeed conscious at that time, but his thoughts were trapped in darkness. He could not control his body or open his eyes.

It's probably like the sleep paralysis that Yin Ming told him about.

Although he couldn't open his eyes, Lingyao was able to perceive everything around him at that time.

He naturally heard Ling Geng's words, but Ling Geng didn't say anything more for a long time, and then he suddenly regained his mobility.

After he asked why the "Drunken Dream" wine hadn't arrived yet, Ling Geng, who had previously been respectful and said he was there to deliver the wine, suddenly smashed the wine jar and said so many disobedient things to him... His attitude before and after was too inconsistent.

Most importantly, Lingyao had a vague feeling that he had experienced this scene before.

This feeling intensified when he saw the Sixth Elder, Yin Mei, chained up.

Even though he was about to be tortured, the Sixth Elder's expression showed panic, guilt, and even a hint of composure, but no anger or resentment. He did not utter any insults, vent his frustrations, or beg for mercy.

This is definitely not the reaction one would expect from someone who's been pushed out to take the fall.

The way she looked at him was more like the way he longed for the person he missed.

The person whose bones were publicly reduced to ashes by the mysterious woman.

Why is everything so strange?

Was it... that he never woke up from his dream? Or was everything here just a dream?

The more Lingyao thought about it, the more confused he became.

Frustrated, he tried to dispel the feeling of being enveloped in mist, and subconsciously used some kind of magic, which suddenly cleared his mind.

The Secret to a Pure Heart.

These three words suddenly popped into his mind.

When did he learn this technique? Why can't he remember?

But after using this technique, the hazy feeling in my mind did ease somewhat.

Lingyao calmed his mind and began to repeatedly cast the spell.

After dozens of repetitions, the fog that had enveloped him suddenly dissipated, and everything became clear.

He remembered everything.

He remembered that Yin Ming hadn't died, that he had traveled thousands of miles to the Divine Realm, and everything he and Yin Ming had experienced together.

He also recalled how he broke the illusion to save Yin Ming, only to be sent back into the illusion by the dying man in white...

An illusion...? No wonder the world suddenly reverted to this point in time.

Looking at Ling Geng and Yin Mei, who were completely different from what he remembered, Ling Yao instantly understood everything.

Since that's the case, then he'll play along.

Although he didn't understand why the man in white hadn't died, he knew that if he could kill him once, he could kill him a second time.

...

"I just wanted to help you remove the obstacles on your path to success, what did I do wrong?"

The man in white, having learned that Lingyao had broken his sealing technique, simply stopped pretending.

“I hate self-righteous people the most.” Lingyao glanced at him indifferently, her tone filled with undisguised disgust.

"You...hate me?" Sensing Ling Yao's obvious disdain, the man in white panicked instantly.

"Why do you hate me? I'm only doing this for your own good... Everything I've done is for your own good!"

Lingyao remained silent with a cold face, clearly not accepting his so-called 'good intentions'.

"It shouldn't be like this... It shouldn't be like this..."

Seeing this, the man in white became even more flustered. "Did I do something wrong that displeased you? Or did someone say something to you that made you misunderstand me?"

Looking at Yin Ming, who was being protected in Ling Yao's arms, the man in white looked confused and pained.

"What other way is there... what other way is there to salvage this..."

He suddenly muttered to himself as if he had lost his mind.

"The tide of the Qing Dynasty... the tide of the Qing Dynasty... yes... I still have the tide of the Qing Dynasty..."

“I want to turn everything back to square one… If I could do it all over again, I would never let things get to this point…”

The man in white raised his hands as if to cast some kind of spell, but his face turned pale the instant he aggravated the wound on his shoulder.

He immediately sat down to meditate, and a layer of gray-white barrier quickly enveloped his entire body.