Chapter 265: Life in the World (Two in One)
The entire barrier array core is hemispherical and was originally invisible.
After Zhang Yi chanted the spell, opened the entire illusion array, and descended his own Dao domain, the hemispherical barrier turned pitch black in an instant, covering everything within it.
He carries the seed of "dream", and his special supernatural power is illusion, but "dream" itself comes from the human heart and is more advanced than external illusion.
Illusions always have flaws. If you stay awake, you will be able to break the situation.
But as the poem says, in a dream one is unaware that one is just a guest... When a person is in a "dream", he acts according to his own subconscious mind. From the very beginning, he will accept some of the settings he has given to himself. Even if there are flaws, he will convince himself. It is difficult for him to wake up on his own.
What's more, they had already investigated and found that Shi Qingguang was the worst at dealing with illusions.
Therefore, Zhang Yi breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the barrier in front of him completely turn black and seal the top.
Li Guisu came back to his senses from his extreme fear in an instant, and his body almost went limp and fell from mid-air.
He managed to steady himself, touched his sweaty back with his backhand, swallowed his saliva, and was still frightened. He still felt the extreme sense of danger brought by the sword just now.
He never imagined that Shi Qingguang could be so strong...
When she accepted the challenge from the sword cultivator before, the strength she displayed was not even one percent of that sword cultivator's!
Even if they thought that Shi Qingguang did not use his full strength, the gap was so huge that it was unbelievable.
The "Lord of the Underworld" Yin Jin was one of the top five "enlightened ones", but he couldn't even survive a single move by Shi Qingguang.
Even a general would be in danger if he faced her...
"Huh...Thank you, Lord."
Li Guisu let out a long breath, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and bowed to Zhang Yi.
Zhang Yi sat cross-legged in mid-air, his hands still in the posture of pinching the seals, his face solemn, he said in a cold voice:
"Don't forget, Li Kan promised that the 'Heavenly Mandate' seed will belong to me."
Li Guisu said quickly:
"Of course, this was agreed upon long ago. General, you will not go back on your word. From now on, no more 'enlightened people' will enter the southwest."
"But the prerequisite is that you can kill Shi Qingguang here!"
Zhang Yi looked towards the dark hemisphere and closed his eyes. Invisible waves spread from his body and the surrounding scene suddenly became distorted and changed, as bizarre as in a dream.
"Don't worry, they've already fallen asleep."
He said in a deep voice:
"This illusion, created by the moment she most longs to linger in her life, coupled with your 'Xuguo' realm, will only sink her deeper and deeper."
When the "Xu Guo" acts on a person, it will strip away the luck and fortune, causing everything to fall downwards. At this moment, the two realms are superimposed on each other, forming a real quagmire.
What he wanted to do was to make Shi Qingguang unable to wake up again and sink into a dream.
Then, he was trapped in the dream forever and turned into a walking corpse.
As for the guy who was brought into the dream, he was just a bug who was not even a "sage".
The matter of crushing someone to death...is unimportant.
…
Gu Fangchen saw the black barrier closing rapidly, his hand still covering Shi Qingguang's eyes, and whispered:
"It's an illusion. Don't be afraid. I will bring you back."
Shi Qingguang hummed a sound, and the next moment, she found that the hand covering her body had been removed. The dazzling sunlight suddenly poured down in front of her eyes, stinging them so much that they hurt. She heard the voice of a little girl behind her:
"No more playing, miss, it's time for class!"
Shi Qingguang raised her hands and rubbed her eyes hard. She looked at her hands blankly.
Those were a pair of white and tender hands, belonging to a young child.
Each of them wore a golden ring with dazzling gems on their wrists, and a peace lock with an exquisite phoenix pattern on it hung around their necks. There was a fiery red gem in the eye, which was faintly shining with spiritual light. It was a magic weapon, which showed that they must be doted on by their family.
Shi Qingguang felt a sense of disharmony in his heart, as if he could not remember what he was doing just now.
She frowned and turned her head doubtfully:
"What class?"
Standing behind her was a little girl who was a little older than her. She was pretty and cute, wearing a pink dress and no other accessories except a jade bracelet.
Shi Qingguang suddenly remembered that this was Yuzhu, the maid who had been her playmate since childhood.
Yuzhu looked at the young lady's expression in surprise, thinking that she didn't want to go to Mr. Bai's class and was deliberately pretending to be confused. This old man was the strictest.
She whispered:
"It's only a quarter of an hour until Mr. Bai arrives. If he doesn't see the young lady by then, the city lord and his wife will punish us servants."
Mr. Bai?
City Lord? And... his wife?
The corresponding people flashed through Shi Qingguang's mind one by one, and he seemed to remember them.
This is Baidi City where she grew up.
This ancient city hidden in the middle of the river, isolated from the world, is governed by the Lord of Baidi City. She is the daughter of the Lord and his wife.
Thousands of years ago, the clan that served the Phoenix planted a huge paulownia tree here, waiting for the Phoenix to stop here once every thousand years. They built a magnificent city, and the clan leader became the lord of the city.
In the future of Phoenix, people live a self-sufficient and leisurely life, practicing cultivation and living like in the Peach Blossom Spring.
But in fact, the clan that serves the Phoenix is surnamed Bai.
The rest were people who had come with this clan and received protection, as well as some outsiders who had encountered accidents on the river and drifted to Baidi City.
Shi Qingguang's mother, whose surname was Bai, was originally the city lord of this generation, but she had no talent for cultivation. After she became pregnant with Shi Qingguang, she gave the position of city lord to her husband.
However, there is no rift between the couple, and she enjoys taking care of her husband and children.
Shi Qingguang has been the apple of their eyes since she was born. She was spoiled to the point of being lawless, running around in Baidi City, and can be called a devil.
But what she feared most was Mr. Bai, who taught her how to practice.
This old man is the most senior elder in her mother's family. He is old-fashioned and strict. He will beat people with a stick if he says so, and no one can persuade him.
"Got it! Let's go!"
The little girl pouted, kicked the shuttlecock on the ground away, and walked out with a thump.
She hated attending classes and wanted to play for a while longer to annoy the old man and see how he was glaring at her.
But for some reason, she suddenly felt that she could no longer be so willful and that she should study hard.
Learn magic, learn swordsmanship, learn anything that can make you stronger.
If I don't do this, I will definitely regret it...
Her steps became faster and faster.
Yuzhu breathed a sigh of relief and quickly bent down to follow.
"Ding-ling-ling..."
Shi Qingguang suddenly heard a crisp collision sound behind him. He turned around and saw a string of wind chimes hanging on the eaves of the corridor.
The wind chime was made of small sword-shaped metal pieces strung together with a red string.
It is swaying gently in the wind, reflecting the bright sunshine, and gradually moving away in the sound of the river tide and the swaying green shadows of the trees.
…
"You arrived on time today."
Mr. Bai stroked his beard and was a little surprised to see the little girl walk up to him and sit down, well-behaved and not at all mischievous.
Shi Qingguang raised his head, his round, dark eyes very pleasing to the eye, and glared at him unhappily:
"I won't be late again! Don't even think about hitting my palm again!"
The old man with white hair and beard laughed. It turned out that it was because of this.
In fact, relying on the magic weapon to protect him, he didn't suffer any real damage when he hit Shi Qingguang's palm. The pain lasted for an afternoon and then disappeared.
However, as the city lord's only daughter, she probably has her own pride and doesn't want to embarrass herself.
In short, it's a good thing.
I just don’t know how long I can last this time... I’ll probably fall asleep during this class, right?
Mr. Bai picked up the exercises and began to explain them in detail.
Halfway through his speech, he looked up and found that Shi Qingguang's little head was nodding, drowsy, but still forcing his eyelids open, muttering the contents of the exercises intermittently.
Mr. Bai was really surprised this time, and even began to reflect on whether he had hit the child too hard and scared him like this!
He walked over and said softly:
"Xiao Qingguang, what's wrong? Did Grandpa Bai hit your palm and it hurt? Or did someone bully you?"
As the elder of the Bai family, he actually dotes on the younger generation Shi Qingguang very much. On weekdays when he is not in class, he lets Shi Qingguang call him grandpa.
At this moment, he suspected that some young men from the side branches, out of jealousy, relied on their cultivation to bully the little girl, which stimulated Shi Qingguang's ambition.
Over the years, Baidi City has accepted too many outsiders, and it has become a mixed bag. There are even rumors that the existence of Baidi City has been exposed to people outside.
The internal atmosphere is becoming more and more impetuous, and such a thing is very likely to happen.
Shi Qingguang rubbed his eyes, raised his head, shook his head, and muttered:
"No, Grandpa Bai... I just feel that I can't play like this anymore. I need to study hard."
Her voice lowered:
"Otherwise...I will definitely regret it."
Mr. Bai was stunned, and then he felt very relieved. He squatted down and said:
"Xiao Qingguang, do you really think so? Good, good, you've really grown up! You've become sensible! There are more and more restless people in Baidi City. If you don't learn, you'll be bullied in the future."
"But, if Qingguang wants to play, he should play well..."
Shi Qingguang felt a little dazed as he listened to Grandpa Bai chattering kindly, as if his temperament had suddenly changed.
She actually didn't know what she would regret, but it must be much more serious than this.
…
The days of cultivation are very boring and much less interesting than the days of playing around in the past.
But Shi Qingguang did not dare to relax for a moment.
She didn't know why she felt so anxious, but she was getting more and more anxious and panicked, as if there was a tiger chasing her.
When the time comes that I catch up with her, I will bite her hard...
The abnormal behavior of their beloved daughter naturally attracted the attention of the city lord and his wife. They secretly investigated and were puzzled to find that Shi Qingguang was not influenced by anyone. She just suddenly became like this on her own.
This is certainly a good thing, but Shi Qingguang's personality has also changed. He is no longer as lively and cheerful as before.
This forced the city lord and his wife to put more thought into finding ways to get Shi Qingguang to spend more time with them and actually play with her.
Completely opposite to before.
But soon, they ran out of time.
Because the day of the phoenix's arrival, which is said to occur once every thousand years, is approaching, the thousand-year-old evergreen sycamore trees in Baidi City have begun to wither. Suddenly, rumors spread that the phoenix has been reborn and will never come to Baidi City again.
And Baidi City was born from the very beginning to serve the Phoenix.
For the sake of their faith and inner purity and piety, they chose to settle in the middle of the river and no longer have contact with the outside world.
In other words, if the phoenix is reborn, the meaning of their Baidi City being isolated from the world will disappear.
In an instant, the worldly faction, whose voices were already growing louder, became even more powerful.
Baidi City has been isolated from the outside world for too long, and with the increase in the number of outsiders, their curiosity about the outside world has become stronger and stronger, and finally reached a certain level.
The withering of the paulownia tree was the fuse.
After arguing for a while, the Lord of Baidi City finally decided to summon the elders to discuss whether Baidi City should be allowed to join the world.
In the corridor.
Shi Qingguang looked at the leaves falling from the trees that were once lush but now withered, and the tinkling of wind chimes. The uneasiness in his heart finally reached its peak.
She had a vague premonition that if Baidi City entered the world, there would definitely be bad consequences.
…
The last discussion did not produce a clear result. Everyone held different opinions and left unhappily. They decided to wait until the millennium.
If the phoenix really doesn't come, then we can talk about opening the city.
Shi Qingguang suddenly discovered something strange.
Or rather... a strange person.
He was a young man in a white robe that only she could see. He was always standing in the shade of a tree, sitting on a branch, or lying on the roof...
The common point is that every time he appears, he is lazily weaving the grass leaves in his hands, but his eyes are focused on himself with a subtle smile.
Although the atmosphere in Baidi City, which is heavily guarded, has become increasingly tense, especially recently, this young man appeared everywhere carefree and no one noticed him.
This is clearly a very strange and dangerous thing.
But Shi Qingguang inexplicably felt very close to this guy. As long as he was by his side, the endless anxiety in his heart seemed to be slightly relieved.
After she curiously struck up a conversation with this guy, they naturally became secret friends.
She was used to taking time out from her intensive training to chat with this secret friend about the outside world or play some shuttlecock games.
Only at this time did Shi Qingguang feel that he was still a child.
One day, the young man saw Shi Qingguang wearing an unprecedentedly gorgeous red dress, embroidered with phoenixes woven with gold thread, which was dazzling. His eyes moved and he asked:
"The Millennium Day has arrived, hasn't it?"
Shi Qingguang nodded and whispered:
"Will the phoenix land in Baidi City today... or maybe not? Anyway, after today, the elders will be able to decide whether Baidi City should enter the world."
The young man said nothing, but threw the shuttlecock aside and asked her to look at it, muttering:
"Is that why you want to stay?"
…
Shi Qingguang came back, lifted her skirt and kicked her embroidered shoes aside, her face flushed, and she told him happily:
"Gu Fangchen, the phoenix has descended! It landed on the phoenix tree, and the tree, which had lost all its leaves, revived and grew new leaves!"
"Tomorrow, the elders will establish new rules to drive out all outsiders and no longer take them in."
This means that Baidi City will continue to be far away from the world and become a paradise.
The young man reached out his hand to support her. She staggered, burped, and covered her mouth. Her face became increasingly red with shyness, and she whispered:
"I took advantage of the adults celebrating and secretly drank a little... just a little!"
The young girl, who had already sprouted like a young bud, fell into his arms, pulled his sleeve, pointed outside, and said with a dazed look in her eyes:
"Look, the phoenix has really arrived. It's so beautiful..."
Gu Fangchen turned around and saw the phoenix tail feathers hanging down from the huge phoenix tree. They were brilliant and dazzling, like a golden waterfall, covering the entire Baidi City.
The tender leaves on the sycamore tree rustled in the wind.
The entire Baidi City was in jubilation, with laughter and joy everywhere, and it was extremely lively.
But actually...it should have been destroyed today.
The young man squatted down, touched her head, and sighed:
"I see... This is your heart tribulation."
If you can't get over the mental tribulation, it becomes a mental demon.
When she dwells on the past instead of focusing on the present, her words, actions, and heart become inconsistent.
The inner demon that grew from this would trap her in the past forever, and she would be buried with this long-dead empty city.
If Shi Qingguang wants to survive this mental catastrophe, he must wake up and realize that everything is an illusion.
How to wake up?
I'm afraid the only option is to destroy it all again.
Gu Fangchen looked at the girl sleeping soundly in his arms and fell into deep thought.
(End of this chapter)
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