Chapter 108: Qionghua's Past Dream (Part 1)

  A magnificent palace emerged before everyone's eyes, surrounded by a large expanse of purple crystal forest. The heavily layered halls were mostly hidden in the mist, but the exposed corners of the pavilions and the flying eaves with hanging bells were extremely exquisite. Yun Tianhe and others followed Liu Mengli on their way, feeling that the terrain was getting lower and lower, and the houses they saw were becoming fewer and fewer. On the other hand, the purple crystal stones were becoming denser and denser, initially just a few clusters, but later forming a vast forest, with colors that were completely different from those on the ground outside the city.

  A man stood on the steps in front of the hall, wearing a long gown with a black base and red edges, his white hair reaching the ground, looking very elegant. Seeing Yun Tianhe and his group approaching, he did not show any resentment or hatred like other demons, but instead bowed to Liu Mengli and Shen Baiying: "Young Master, Lord Baiying."

  Liu Mengli and Shen Bailian were busy returning the courtesy. Shen Bailian couldn't help but shake his head and smile wryly when he heard Xi Zhong call him "sir". Ever since Xi Zhong had safely sent Liu Mengli back to the Huan Yin realm, this demon general had been extremely respectful towards him, treating him with the same attitude as he did Yan You and Mengli. Shen Bailian was initially very uncomfortable with it, but after telling Xi Zhong several times that it wasn't necessary, Xi Zhong didn't listen, so in the end, Shen Bailian just went along with it.

  When Xi Zhong opened the door, he led a few people in. After passing through layers of curtains, they arrived at the Yuanyu seat, where Liu Mengli quickened her pace and stepped forward to stand before her mother, bowing her head to whisper a few words in her ear, occasionally pointing and gesturing towards Yun Tianhe and others, apparently introducing her good friends to her mother.

  But unexpectedly, Yuanyou's expression turned cold and stern, her eyes gazing down at the people below with a rather unfriendly gaze. Liu Mengli watched this unfold before her eyes, gradually revealing a worried look on her face.

  Yun Tianhe and Han Qingxuan were nothing, but as soon as Murong Ziyin's eyes met Yuanyu's cold and ruthless gaze, she naturally revealed an arrogant expression. Yuanyu saw this and immediately sank her face, interrupting Liu Mengli's soft explanation with a cold voice, asking: "Liu'er, who is that person wearing blue clothes and carrying a sword box below? That is clearly the attire of the Qionghua Sect. You actually brought our Fantian Realm's arch-nemesis into Xuanmeng City, isn't this like inviting a wolf into one's home?"

  Murong Ziyin heard her say this, and a hint of anger flashed in his eyes. Just as he was about to speak, Shen Baiying hastily reached out and grasped one of his hands, giving it a firm squeeze, and Murong Ziyin finally calmed down.

  Liu Mengli looked at Murong Ziyin and softly explained, "Mother, Ziyin is... he's different from those people in the Qionghua Sect."

  "Aren't they the same? Humans are all the same!" Yan Yu gave Murong Ziyin a cold glance, then her frosty gaze shifted to Yun Tianhe and the others. "They will never accept a demon as one of their own, in their eyes we are just an alien species. If my daughter weren't the young master of this Phantom Realm, they wouldn't have dared to come here."

  "Not so!" Yun Tianhe said immediately, "I don't know what kind of young master you are, but she suddenly jumped into the demon realm, I was afraid she would get into danger..." He looked at Liu Mengli and continued, "Now that I see you're fine, I can rest assured."

  Liu Mengli's beautiful eyes stared at him for a moment, and she said softly: "Yun Gongzi..."

  "Hmph, a mere human dares to speak so boldly." Yu Rou coldly snorted, "My daughter returns to her own clan, what could possibly happen? On the other hand, you people, who intruded into my Phantom Boundary without permission, don't think that just because Lian'er is the young master of Phantom Boundary, you'll be protected."

  "Mother!" Liu Mengli was shocked. "They... they risked their lives for me and even went to the Ghost Realm, please don't harm them!"

  "Oh? What's the meaning of you going to the Netherworld?" Yu Rou asked with a hint of curiosity.

  Liu Mengli glanced at the people below and said in a low voice, "I also heard it from Ling Ya on the way, let her tell Mother about it?" Yan You nodded slightly.

  Han Heng was very clever and guessed that Liu Mengli was giving her the opportunity to resolve Xiang Yu's prejudice against humans, so she smiled and walked forward: "This should start from the day when Mengli jumped into the demon realm. After she left, we were all worried, but wanting to enter the demon realm to find her was not easy at all. Tian He once wanted to chase after her, but the big ghost face outside the demon realm would automatically attack people and beat him until his nose was blue and his face was swollen..."

  "Ah!" Liu Mengli hastily asked, "Is Young Master Yun all right?" As she spoke, she looked him up and down, her face full of concern.

  Yan You coldly said: "Since 19 years ago when those humans invaded my Phantom Boundary and slaughtered, I made up my mind to make sure they can't easily attack again. The ghost mask you mentioned is the seal I set up. Unless it's someone from our demon tribe, ordinary humans will be attacked by demonic powers as soon as they get close. If they dare to destroy the seal, they'll be doomed. What's a little injury?"

  Han Lian's hands fluttered as she spoke: "This wild man is strong and sturdy, a little injury doesn't matter to him, he just lay in bed for a day. In short, we must find out what happened to Meng Li, later thanks to Qing Yang and Chong Guang two elders helped us, told us that only the ghostly shadow branch of the ghost realm can pass through the boundary..." She was originally eloquent, recounting how several people had a fierce battle with the dragon at Mount Buzhou, stole the ghostly shadow branch from under the noses of the ghost soldiers in the Hall of Uncertainty, and were chased by ghost soldiers into the Exile Abyss full of fierce ghosts. What she said was true, but she added three parts of danger to it, even Yun Tianhe and others felt that they were lucky to have arrived safely after hearing her story.

  Yan You, Liu Mengli and Xi Zhong were all deeply absorbed. Shen Bailian was only surprised when she heard Han Qing say that the ferryman on the green bamboo boat looked like her uncle, otherwise, everything else was just a story to listen to. Only when it was said that Yun Tianqing teased Murong Ziyin in front of the rotating mirror platform did she secretly pinch Murong Ziyin's palm and cast him a sly glance, thinking: So it was Yun Tianqing who gave you a slap in the face, this monkey has helped me out greatly.

  As soon as the three of them were rescued by Lingyun and Gui Xie, Yuxu looked at their expressions and found that they had indeed changed. Although they still seemed cold and icy, the hatred in their eyes had lessened somewhat. Lingyun took advantage of the opportunity to say: "Mother, Yun Gongzi is actually the son of the Cloud Uncle who saved me. He, as well as Hengsha and Ziying, have all been to the Qinghua Sect before. They must be full of doubts about the grudges between the Huanmeng Realm and the Qinghua Sect. I want to take them to the Li Huanmeng Palace so that they can understand that our Qiong Yao tribe had a bitter reason for going to war with the human race back then..."

  "It's absolutely impossible!" Xi Zhong, who was standing beside them, looked up in surprise and dissuaded, "The Li Huan Palace is a sacred place for the Qiong Yao tribe, ordinary demons are not allowed to enter, how can three people from different tribes..."

  Yan Yu raised a hand, stopping him from continuing: "Never mind."

  "Master Yuanyou......" Xi Zhong furrowed his brow, his eyes filled with confusion.

  "I, Yuanyu, have always been clear about gratitude and resentment. Since this young man's father has shown kindness to my mother and me, these three people have also been kind to Lirui, so I will allow it this time." Yuanyu said calmly, but her face was already filled with joy. However, she coldly glanced down at the steps below, "But if these three people harbor any malicious intentions, I will not forgive them lightly!"

  Liu Mengli bowed deeply and said: "Thank you, Mother!"

  She gazed at her with a profound and mysterious look, shook her head, and ignored the crowd. She closed her eyes and muttered to herself: "Dreams, shadows, mist, and flowers are all empty, because of thoughts and desires, all things come into being, following... emptiness... reality... becoming!" As soon as she finished speaking, her eyes snapped open, and her fingers pointed towards the steps below like lightning. A purple light burst forth from her slender jade finger, growing stronger and stronger until it enveloped everything.

  When Shen Bailian opened her eyes, she found herself in another palace, with a warm object in her hand, which was Mu Rongziying's palm. She glanced sideways and saw that Mu Rongziying's eyes were also full of surprise, looking around.

  A grand hall, with jade and stone paving the ground, so clean that it can reflect people. Unlike other palaces in the Huanming Palace, there are no heavy curtains hanging in the hall, nor is there any decoration at all. Only a few clusters of purple crystals are scattered in the corner of the hall, emitting a faint soft light, bringing a hint of brightness to this dark palace.

  "Meng Li, where is this?" a clear voice asked. Shen Bai Ling turned her head around and saw Han Xiang standing in front of a row of stone steps, curiously tilting her head upwards, "There... it's so beautiful, what is that thing?"

  Everyone followed her gaze and saw a ten-foot-square jade platform on the stone steps, with an object suspended in the center of the platform slowly rotating. The soft glow spilled around the jade platform, reflecting on the purple crystal stones in the hall, reflecting a brilliant light. It looked like a huge round pearl, transparent and beautiful, and also like a pool of water that had solidified into a spherical shape, flowing endlessly. The dim light flickered bright and dark, like mist and waves, and was like a dream that was hard to wake up from.

  "That is......" Shen Bailian stared blankly, his line of sight unable to see anything else except for that mass of light, and in the midst of that swirling purple glow, something seemed to be moving. He stood there dazed, staring...

  "Ba Ling!"

  A sudden loud shout suddenly awakened him from his daze, Shen Bailian abruptly came back to himself, only feeling cold sweat pouring down, his right hand was tightly grasped by a bony palm with distinct joints. The hand gripped so tightly that it hurt a bit, but Shen Bailian knew that this pain and the shout were what brought him back to consciousness, he looked at the owner of the palm with great gratitude.

  Murong Ziyin looked at him, seemingly unharmed, and only then did he let out a sigh of relief. In a low voice, he asked: "What exactly is that thing, to be able to bewilder one's mind like that?" His words were directed at Liu Mengli, with a hint of inquiry, apparently because Shen Bailian had almost been bewildered and was displeased.

  Liu Mengli looked at Shen Baiying with a hint of shock: "This is the treasure of the Qiong Yao tribe, containing countless dreamscapes... Brother's demonic power is indeed much stronger than mine, able to see through the illusions at a glance. But if one can't control it, the stronger the demonic power, the easier it is to be bewitched. Brother should still be careful."

  Shen Bailian was taken aback, and upon careful thought, it seemed that in the brief moment of distraction just now, many images had flashed by, but as soon as he recalled them, the emotions hidden in those dreams surged up again, making him feel uncomfortable, his face also turning pale.

  "Brother, don't think about it anymore, listen to me carefully." Liu Mengli hurriedly whispered a password in his ear, Shen Baiying's mind was quick and agile, following her words, he began to mobilize the demonic energy according to the password, and indeed, his breathing gradually stabilized, and his mind was no longer chaotic.

  Liu Mengli finally whispered in his ear, "Brother, this is the method to control numerous dream realms. Only the head of the Qiong Yao tribe can cultivate it, but since you are also a member of the royal family, it doesn't matter. Just don't let Mother know that I passed it on to you." She smiled slightly at him.

  She led a few people up the steps and came to the edge of the jade platform. The light ball that collected countless dreams was still rotating, and the light flowing on it cast a faint shadow on everyone's face. Liu Mengli looked around at them and said softly: "The Qiong demon is also called 'dream Qiong', our clan is born to shuttle back and forth in dreams, with dreams as food, but our clan has never harmed those dream owners, and the swallowed ones are often nightmares. Whether it's human or demon, the dreams that have been dreamed are always useless, and our Qiong demon clan will collect them together. This treasure is a treasure for the Qiong demon, but when it falls into someone else's hands, it is useless.

  “Dream...” Shen Bailian lowered her head in contemplation, no wonder she had often dreamed of scenes unrelated to herself since childhood, and even things she had never seen or heard before. It seemed that it was just an instinctual reaction, accidentally entering someone else's dream.

  "But relying on cannibalistic dreams to survive is still a demonic way of doing things..." Murong Ziyin said with a frown, her tone somewhat disapproving.

  Shen Bailian gave him a sidelong glance: "If you're acting properly and doing the right thing, why worry about others seeing your dreams? After all, my clan is also picky, but not to the point of eating spring dreams, so you can rest assured."

  Murong Ziyin was suddenly speechless. Han Qinglian burst out laughing beside him.

  Liu Mengli smiled and said, "Ziying doesn't have to worry, this treasure can see other people's dreams, but it is stored in the Li Huang Palace, where it is well hidden. Generally, demons cannot see it, and without a way to control it, they cannot use it. I brought you here just to let you see the dream of someone who experienced those old events nineteen years ago..." As she spoke, she lightly waved her sleeve and pointed at the light ball.

  The originally flowing light sphere suddenly rolled up like boiling water, gradually spreading out in circles of ripples, and scenes also gradually appeared before everyone's eyes.