Chapter 197 Precognitive Dreams:
As soon as the Grand Adjudicator appeared, Shen Bingsi's eyes lit up and she wanted to go up and greet him.
But the thought that he was no longer a judge and had even turned to another path, meaning he would never be able to work with them again, made him feel somewhat sad.
Rong Xie naturally took all of this into account.
"Little Shen," the registrar waved to Shen Bingsi, his eyes crinkling with a smile, "long time no see."
Shen Bingsi's urge to greet him diminished somewhat; seeing the registrar reminded him of memories of being tricked by the smiling tiger. Shen Bingsi rubbed his nose: "Brother Jiang, Sister Xiaohe."
Brother Jiang was very happy to see Shen Bingsi. He called him over and inquired about his current situation in detail. He cared about him even more than the people from the Lingjing Sect. Xue Baoshan and the elders felt a little uncomfortable.
Upon learning that Shen Bingsi had successfully converted to a different path, Brother Jiang congratulated him generously and praised his resolute act.
“Not everyone can back down from the wrong path. You’re doing very well,” Brother Jiang patted Shen Bingsi on the shoulder, then sighed, “It’s just a pity that we can’t work together anymore.”
The recorder leaned closer and said, "No wonder I haven't seen your reflection in the mirror. Your brother Jiang looks in the mirror several times a day, just waiting for you to return to the team."
Clearly, they were not very satisfied with their colleague Shang Gan.
"Judge Jiang," Sect Master Xue cleared his throat, "you just said you could lift Ling Kui's curse?"
“Not bad.” Brother Jiang finished the pleasantries and turned to the main topic, “During this time, in order to capture the flower demon, I have become thoroughly familiar with the Hehuan Sect’s nightmare magic.”
"That would be wonderful." Sect Master Xue finally showed some joy, and the elders also expressed their praise.
"Xiao He, protect me." Brother Jiang turned to the clerk and said. After receiving an affirmative reply, he walked towards the iron fence.
With a rumbling sound, the iron fence rose, and Brother Jiang walked in. The iron fence then fell back down behind him, and everyone stood outside the fence, watching Brother Jiang squat down in front of Ling Kui.
The registrar lit the fragrance of mimosa flowers through the fence, using his magic to envelop both the caster and the recipient.
About half an hour later, Brother Jiang stood up in front of Ling Kui.
He turned around and shook his head at the registrar.
Everyone felt a chill in their hearts, sensing it was a bad omen.
The iron fence opened again, and Brother Jiang came out. The elder in charge of controlling the fence was about to lower it, but Brother Jiang raised his hand, indicating that he didn't need to do so.
"Ling Kui probably won't wake up," Brother Jiang said.
"What?" Xue Baoshan and the elders were shocked.
“He couldn’t be saved. He’s been under the control of the nightmare spell for too long, probably several days.” Brother Jiang sighed. “I just entered his dream. The situation in the dream was chaotic, which shows that the dreamer’s will has been scattered. At this time, if we were to wake him up rashly, he would only be insane and would die in a few days, just like Shang Gan.”
“…I see.” Xue Baoshan’s face showed a look of distress. “Then, he is now…”
"He will gradually weaken and die in his coma, and it won't take more than three days," Brother Jiang said.
The elders were all deeply saddened to see Ling Kui, a man of such talent, die so suddenly. Recalling the day Ling Kui left the Supreme Immortal Mountain due to his mediocre talent, he not only showed no discouragement but also vowed to spread the Way of Ruthlessness to a wider audience. That ambition and vibrant life force still left a deep impression on the elders; otherwise, they wouldn't have so readily agreed to let him return to preside over the Grand Elder's sacrificial ceremony.
Comparing the past and present, I feel even more disgusted by the mimosa flower demon's disregard for human life. A vibrant life was lost just like that. Moreover, Ling Kui himself had no grudge against the flower demon. It was only because he was the eldest disciple of the Grand Elder that he could be used to sow discord among people during the festival.
"How cruel this monster is! If we don't capture it, how can we face the spirit of the Grand Elder in heaven!" one of the elders couldn't help but exclaim.
The elders echoed their sentiments, and for a moment, everyone was filled with righteous indignation, wishing they could immediately capture the flower demon and bring her to justice, killing her until her soul was scattered.
Rong Xie watched from the side, his heart clenching. He had always hoped that the flower demon still retained Xiao Zhi's consciousness, so that if he could capture the flower demon, he could bring Xiao Zhi back. But now it seemed that the flower demon's sins had reached an unforgivable level...
If Xiaozhi were still alive, with his kind heart, how heartbroken he would be to face the flower demon's wicked deeds.
Moreover, in such a state of public outrage, if the flower demon is captured, it will not be given a chance to distinguish right from wrong. It would be better to execute it on the spot, or even to torture it. As for whether the consciousness of the person hidden among the flower demons is good or evil, autonomous or controlled, probably no one will bother to distinguish.
Rong Xie felt a little short of breath. Shen Bing Si had been watching him closely. At this moment, she secretly pulled his hand from under her sleeve and squeezed it hard.
"Everyone, capturing monsters is the duty of our Mirror Palace. However, due to some unforeseen circumstances, the position of Demon Exterminator is currently vacant," Brother Jiang explained to the elders the reason for the monster's mischief. "The Heavenly Mirror will issue tasks to the corresponding adjudicators. Without a Demon Exterminator, it will not issue the corresponding tasks. Therefore, it will be more difficult for us to capture this monster."
"So that's how it is. Didn't the Heavenly Mirror appoint a new demon-slaying official that day?" an elder asked.
“No.” Brother Jiang sighed. “The will of Heaven is unpredictable. The Heavenly Mirror has not appointed a new demon-slaying official, and we cannot shirk our duties. Therefore, I will temporarily take charge of the next demon-catching mission.”
Upon hearing that Brother Jiang would take charge of this matter, most people felt a huge weight lifted off their shoulders.
However, a few people understood the unspoken meaning behind the words—without the Heavenly Mirror as an aid, Brother Jiang's access to information was very limited, making him no different from an ordinary cultivator.
Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi were among this small group of people.
After Jiang finished explaining, he turned to Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi: "You two should know something about the Acacia Flower Fairy, right? Could you tell me more about it?"
“Of course.” Shen Bingsi stepped forward. “I will speak frankly and without reservation.”
Rong Xie looked at him. For many days, Shen Bingsi had been drifting along with the tide, but at this moment, the long-lost vitality in him was rekindled.
Their hands were still clasped together. Rong Xie could feel the warmth emanating from Shen Bingsi's palm. Yes, slaying demons and upholding justice in the world was what he truly loved to do.
Brother Jiang nodded and laughed, "Why did you switch to cultivating that path? If you had still cultivated the Path of Ruthlessness, the Heavenly Mirror would surely have chosen you as the Demon Exterminator. Alas, what a pity!"
"There's nothing I can do about it," Shen Bingsi said frankly. "The Path of Ruthlessness isn't for me."
"Yes, he's really inseparable from his little friend now," Xue Baoshan couldn't help but chime in from the side.
"Hehe," Brother Jiang didn't comment much, but patted Shen Bingsi on the shoulder, "Then I wish you find your own path soon."
Shen Bingsi was taken aback: "I've found it..."
He said this without much confidence.
The path of a cultivator is different from that of an ordinary person. It is directly reflected in the speed of cultivation and the progress of cultivation. If Shen Bingsi has really found his path, he should not still be at the Qi Refining stage at this moment.
However, Brother Jiang didn't say much, and instead steered the conversation to the fairy of the mimosa flower.
"I heard about the method of dispelling nightmares from Elder Bai. Elder Bai only knew the theory and had never practiced it," Brother Jiang said. "Since you two have practiced it, you should know that you can see some scenes in dreams that have not happened in reality. What I want to ask is, what do these scenes represent?"
Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi were both taken aback, and they both thought of the demonic destruction they had seen in their dreams.
Rong Xie's heart raced. He hadn't expected Brother Jiang to ask such a crucial question right off the bat. How was he supposed to answer? Should he reveal the Book of Fate, the precognitive dream, and the future of the world in public? Would they believe him? Besides, the world's trajectory had already deviated from the Book of Fate. At least Shen Bingsi's fate had veered off course significantly, and Lu Yingqi's side was also in complete disarray... Was there any point in revealing it now?
“It’s our shared fantasy about the future,” Shen Bingsi said after a moment’s thought. “Most of it is bad fantasy, like a great demon appearing and destroying the world… and things like that.”
Shen Bingsi's explanation was straightforward and accurate, so Rong Xie didn't say anything more.
"That's really a bad fantasy..." Brother Jiang laughed. "Besides these unattainable things, are there any that are more closely related to reality? For example, people you know, people who are alive in real life, who have passed away?"
“Yes, Lu Yingqi is dead!” Shen Bingsi replied immediately.
Those around gasped in shock, and Brother Jiang also became serious: "How did he die?"
“He was killed by me during our duel,” Shen Bingsi recalled. “But that happened when we were investigating the Lu family case; he didn’t actually die.”
Everyone exhaled another breath of hot air.
"So, what you dreamed about didn't come true in reality?"
"right."
Brother Jiang fell into deep thought, and after a while, he said again, "That's strange. I saw how Shang Gan died in my dream, and he really did die that way. Later, other people who were under the spell of the nightmare saw something happen at the Grand Elder's ceremony in their dreams, and sure enough, something happened."
"This..." Everyone was astonished and looked at each other in bewilderment.
“What we dreamed of did not come true,” Shen Bingsi said with certainty, thinking of himself attaining enlightenment in the Mirror Palace, “and it will not come true either. I am certain that it is false.”
Rong Xie looked at Shen Bingsi, his emotions churning again. He should have said it. Those things might have come true on another destiny line, but because he did something that changed the original destiny line, he avoided those things.
Shen Bingsi mistakenly thought Rong Xie was worried, so he gripped Rong Xie's hand tightly and wrapped the back of his hand in his palm.
"There are still differences." Sect Master Xue, who had been listening from the side, spoke up at this moment, "The nightmare spells on them were cast by some lady, who only used the pollen of the Albizia flower. The nightmare spells on these people were indeed cast by the Albizia flower demon herself."
"Great!" Brother Jiang's eyes lit up. "I almost forgot about this."
“That explains it,” Brother Jiang continued, stating his reasoning. “The mimosa flower demon’s nightmare magic is stronger and more targeted. It plants clues for the next action in the dreams of each victim. I’m not sure if this is intentional or unintentional.”
"Oh? You mean you saw a similar clue in Ling Kui's dream just now?" Sect Master Xue, as expected of a sect leader, was very experienced and immediately grasped the key to the problem.
"Exactly." Brother Jiang's expression turned serious.
"What did you see?" Sect Leader Xue asked, and the others involuntarily held their breath, waiting for Brother Jiang to speak.
Who will be the next target of the Acacia Flower Demon? Will it continue to wreak havoc in the Spirit Mirror Sect, or somewhere else? Will it be one of them next?
“The Ruthless Palace,” Brother Jiang said briefly, “I saw black veils hanging up inside the Ruthless Palace, and I could hear crying coming from within.”
In Ling Kui's chaotic and disordered dream, only this fragment was a real scene.
The Hehuan Flower Fairy's next target was the Ruthless Dao Palace.
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