Chapter 135 The Illusory Realm 1
Although I desperately want to head towards the place where those eight rock seats were in my memory, I can't find any landmarks to use as directional guides in this vast fog.
However, since this is a dream, perhaps the concept of direction in real physical space never existed from the beginning. In other words, a dream is a realm composed of the mind. As long as I strongly desire to go somewhere, I might eventually reach the place I want to go, no matter which direction I move in.
As for whether this unfounded theory can be applied to this misty dream, I have no idea. I can only start with practice and move in any direction first.
As I moved, I pondered the people I might encounter next. Of the four visitors in the misty dream, aside from myself, the true identities of Number Two (Little Bowl) and Number Four (Xuanming) had already been revealed. The only one remaining shrouded in mystery was Number One.
I once suspected that Number One's true identity was Ying Lingyun, but then dismissed it due to personality inconsistencies. However, after realizing that the Monster Creator was merely a "possible clone" of Ying Lingyun, I rekindled that suspicion. I have never actually met the real Ying Lingyun in reality, so perhaps their personalities differ from the Monster Creator's.
The creator of the freak's personality is very similar to the description of Ying Lingyun given by Mr. Zhu. However, the latter is merely Mr. Zhu's past impression of his son-in-law. In reality, Mr. Zhu has not seen Ying Lingyun for many years, and the latter's temperament changed drastically after deciding to revive Silver Moon. It is normal for his personality to have changed during this period.
Thinking of Ying Lingyun's past life, I can't help but sigh. Starting with his encounter with a fox spirit woman, he embarked on his own adventure, ultimately facing off against the great demon Yin Yue, the one who raised him to adulthood, as if by destiny. With courage and wisdom, magical artifacts and companions, he defeated an enemy that everyone thought was invincible... This is simply the kind of classic adventure I've always dreamed of, something I yearn for and envy to the point that I wish I could take his place.
However, he regretted it.
Even a man who could face death with composure could have regrets?
I can accept failure, and I can accept death. To swallow the bitter fruit of one's own actions with equanimity is a kind of grace, in my opinion. However, the one thing I cannot accept is regret. Therefore, I cannot help but feel complex emotions towards the creator of this eccentricity… and towards Ying Lingyun's remorse.
I am well aware that forcibly projecting my so-called philosophy of life onto others and demanding that they act according to my standards is an arrogant and conceited mentality. However, when I see others belittling and denying the treasures that I have longed for, it is really difficult for me to remain calm.
All I can do is quietly keep these inappropriate thoughts to myself.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, some dark shadows finally appeared in my path.
They were rock seats. Seven identical rock seats, plus one exceptionally large one, appeared deep within the mist. I don't know if my earlier theory was correct, or if this misty dream itself manipulates all visitors to approach this place, or if it was just pure luck... but at least I avoided being completely lost in the gray mist.
The giant, majestic and imposing like a god, remained seated on the enormous rock chair, motionless. One might wonder if he was a lifeless sculpture integrated with the rock chair, yet he exuded an undeniable presence.
In front of the giant stood a black figure with his back to me.
He seemed to be observing a giant.
I looked around. Besides the giant and the dark figure, there was no one else in the area. Judging from the height, the dark figure was an adult, clearly not the number two bowl. Had I arrived too early? Or had I missed it?
Or is it that the Divine Seal Fragments don't always pull all holders into the Misty Dream, and sometimes only a portion are drawn in? And this time, Little Bowl Number Two won't be in the Misty Dream? If that's the case, then it's absolutely terrible. I finally got a chance to enter the Misty Dream, but I didn't even see the most important person. How should I face Mazao after I wake up?
I suppressed my doubts for the moment and observed the black figure more closely. Was this person Number One, or Number Four Xuanming? It seemed neither. Compared to the tall and slender Number One, his height was about the same, but his build was slightly stronger. And compared to Number Four Xuanming, he lacked that inexplicable sense of massiveness; I didn't feel any pressure or danger emanating from him.
Is she a newcomer?
As mentioned by Number One, when all the rock seats are full, the Lord of the Divine Seal, who sits on the largest rock seat, will awaken... He is the fifth visitor to the Misty Dreamland?
My footsteps finally caught the attention of the new black figure. He quickly turned around, adopting a tense and wary stance. Everyone in the misty dreamscape was a dark shadow, so I couldn't see his expression, but I could feel his extremely vigilant gaze.
"Who are you?" he asked in an unfamiliar male voice.
“I am number three,” I replied.
"...Number three?"
He muttered the number without understanding its meaning, then tilted his head slightly, as if glancing at the rock seats out of the corner of his eye, as if he had suddenly realized something.
"So, besides you and this sculpture, there are at least two other people here?" he asked.
To be honest, seeing his half-understanding reaction, I couldn't help but feel a sense of superiority and even developed a desire to chat. So I said, "To be precise, there are three more people. And if nothing unexpected happens, you should be number five."
"Number Five?" He seemed to frown. "...Did you bring me to this place?"
“It’s not us, it’s him.” I pointed to the unresponsive giant.
He glanced back at the giant, then asked me, "So, what does this guy want to do?"
“Perhaps only he himself knows,” I said. “However, since you’re here, it means you possess at least one fragment of a divine seal, right?”
Upon hearing this, he took a step back as if he had been electrocuted, becoming even more wary than before: "—What did you say?"
Watching his startled reactions, I felt a certain childishness within me was satisfied. From a young age, I've always disliked those mysterious figures in fictional stories who deliberately cryptically intrude on the protagonist's mind, yet I also wished I could be that kind of enigmatic figure, looking down at the protagonist who doesn't yet know the truth and spouting nonsensical riddles, forcing the other to rack their brains to decipher the true meaning of their words as if interpreting a prophetic poem.
While this isn't quite a "dream come true," I'm at least truly on the side of the mysterious person who knows more of the truth, successfully making them paranoid. And right now, I should appear as a dark shadow to them, making me even more enigmatic.
That being said, I didn't intend to actually present the other person with some random riddle that would leave them scratching their heads. Firstly, that doesn't suit my true nature, and secondly, I can't use my superpowers in this misty dream world, so what if I push them too far and they attack me?
After observing the other person's wary reaction a few more times, I slowly revealed the truth as I knew it.
After listening, the other party—Number Five—finally seemed to calm down.
"So that's how it is. Those who possess fragments of the Divine Seal are gathered in this spiritual space..." He turned back to look at the giant again, "And this guy... is the Lord of the Divine Seal?"
“At least number four thinks so,” I said.
"The Divine Seal... it actually exists?" He seemed to find it hard to accept, yet also held a certain expectation. "If the legends are true..."
Just then, footsteps echoed again from the depths of the mist.
Number Five stopped talking to himself and looked with me in the direction of the sound. At the same time, I felt a familiar pressure and sense of crisis.
Before the owner of the footsteps even appeared in my sight, my intuition had already guessed the other person's true identity.
Before long, they arrived at the rock seating area.
The visitor was none other than Xuanming.
That being said, he, like us, was a shadowy figure whose appearance was indistinguishable. Upon arriving, he glanced at me first, then focused his gaze on the giant. He probably still harbored an unquenchable anger and loathing towards the giant.
Unlike last time when I knew nothing about it, this time the name Xuanming was already very well-known to me.
After killing and severely injuring two Great Impermanences, he betrayed Luoshan and is suspected to become the Great Demon of Doomsday in the future. He burned Mazao's soul, thwarted the assassination attempt of the Navy Xuanwu, and forced him to change his name and surname... In the past, he only appeared in front of me once, half-concealing his face, but after that, his name always seemed to be ringing in my ears.
The Zuo Zhuan states: "Of all fires, human-made fire is called fire, while heavenly fire is called disaster."
Is World Vision a future calamity that will burn asamus?
The connection between the Calamity Demon and Xuanming is merely a legend in the apocalyptic era, and it cannot be proven that the latter is truly the Calamity Demon. Even if he were, I have no interest in taking out my anger on him now for what he did after he went mad and fell into the Great Demon realm in the future.
A dozen seconds passed before Xuanming seemed to realize there were other people in the room. His gaze fell on Number Five, then he looked at me again and asked curiously, "Who is this person?"
"I am number five."
Number Five was probably displeased with Xuan Ming's indifference towards him. Before I could speak, he preemptively gave his number and then asked, "And what number are you?"
"I am Xuanming."
Xuanming said calmly.
(End of this chapter)
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