Chapter 62

In front of him, six dragons were soaring through the sky, roaring and weaving in and out, creating intricate patterns in the air. Lu Zheng woke up, realizing he was back in this dream again.

Why do I always have this dream? No, although it’s the same dream every time, the events are always a bit different.

Lu Zheng got up and looked at the six golden dragons, their bodies shining with incomparable might, and shouted loudly, "Hey, I’m back!"

Sure enough, the largest golden dragon roared and instantly appeared before him, coiling its body and floating in front of him, speaking in a human voice, "You’re back again!"

Lu Zheng scratched his head and said, "Sorry, I just want to ask you, am I dreaming? I remember I was practicing archery, so why did I end up here?"

The golden dragon replied, "This isn’t a dream, but a manifestation of your thoughts. As for why you’re here, you should ask yourself, not me."

Lu Zheng: "A manifestation of my thoughts?"

The golden dragon nodded and said, "Yes, everything you see doesn’t actually exist; it’s just a reflection of your thoughts, making you see it!"

A reflection of my thoughts? Lu Zheng couldn’t help but think of the minor supernatural power. Could it be that he had triggered the minor supernatural illusion again? But Mr. Le said he had sealed his meridians with his supernatural power, so he wouldn’t trigger the minor supernatural power anymore. So what’s going on here? Thinking about this, Lu Zheng rubbed his eyes hard and then pinched his thigh fiercely. Indeed, it didn’t hurt at all!

Lu Zheng also remembered that the last time, the golden dragon said it had been waiting for him for many years and that he hadn’t awakened yet. He thought it was just a random dream, but now it seemed things weren’t that simple.

Lu Zheng asked again, "You said you were waiting for me, who are you exactly?"

"I’m waiting for you, but not the you of now. As for who I am, you’ll know when you awaken." The golden dragon paused for a moment, but gave an answer that was as good as no answer at all.

It seems this golden dragon doesn’t intend to tell me anything. What does it mean by ‘not the you of now’? Lu Zheng thought for a moment, then decided, since the teacher said to act without doubt, and since he doesn’t understand anything, he shouldn’t act rashly. He should go back and practice archery!

Having figured this out, Lu Zheng shouted at the golden dragon, "Golden Dragon, I need to go back and practice archery. Can you tell me how to get back?"

The golden dragon nodded and said, "I can send you out, but you have to agree to one condition."

Lu Zheng: "What condition?"

Golden Dragon: "You must promise me that you won’t tell anyone about meeting me!"

Lu Zheng: "Why is that?" He was thinking about telling Xin'er about the strange encounter with the golden dragon, or asking the teacher and Mr. Le about it.

The golden dragon said, "There’s no reason, it’s just a condition for the exchange. If you agree, I’ll send you out. Otherwise, you’ll stay here forever, and you’ll only leave when your physical body slowly dies!"

Lu Zheng was startled and quickly said, "I agree, I agree, I won’t tell anyone, or I’ll die a terrible death. Okay, send me out quickly!"

The golden dragon nodded and said, "Close your eyes, don’t resist, let me send you out!"

Lu Zheng closed his eyes as instructed, relaxed his body, and suddenly, a blinding golden light appeared before him. Even with his eyes closed, he could feel how dazzling it was. Then, something seemed to approach his forehead.

The pressure on his forehead made him feel a slight soreness, and that thing continued to collide with his forehead, as if trying to enter his brain. Lu Zheng remembered the golden dragon’s instructions not to resist. So he didn’t resist it, and as soon as his thoughts relaxed, that thing instantly drilled in. His mind exploded, and Lu Zheng lost all consciousness.

After an unknown amount of time, the sound of voices reached his ears, and Lu Zheng woke up. His head was still extremely heavy, and he struggled to open his eyes, but found he couldn’t move a single finger. This situation was all too familiar. Could the poison have flared up again? Thinking of this, he became anxious. At this moment, he heard voices, which belonged to Mr. Le and the teacher, and they seemed to be talking about him.

The teacher asked Mr. Le, "Everything seems normal, when will he wake up?" Lu Zheng heard a hint of worry in the teacher’s voice, which warmed his heart. Knowing that the teacher and Mr. Le were by his side, he wasn’t as anxious about the poison flaring up.

Then, Mr. Le’s voice came, and he sighed deeply before saying, "I don’t know. The situation is too bizarre. There’s no trace of any magical power in him, and the poison hasn’t flared up; it seems to be even more suppressed. If someone really did something to him, that person must be far more skilled than any of us."

From Mr. Le’s words, it seemed that something was wrong with him, but it wasn’t related to the poison, and even Mr. Le couldn’t figure out the cause.

Then, a very firm voice spoke, one Lu Zheng had never heard before. The voice said, "To be able to break the illusion in the Sun and Moon Hut without Mr. Zhonggui noticing, this person must indeed be at a level beyond all methods!"

This person called himself a poor monk, so he must be a monk. Could it be the ascetic monk? Lu Zheng felt a surge of excitement, but the voice didn’t sound like the ascetic monk, so he felt disappointed.

"Throughout history, although many cultivators have reached the first level of Transcending Heaven, most stop at the level of ‘beyond all things.’ As for the highest level of ‘beyond all causes,’ it’s said that only the Daoist Ancestor and the Buddha have reached it. The level of ‘beyond all methods,’ which is in between, I, a poor Daoist, have only heard of one person!"

Another unfamiliar voice, sounding somewhat old, spoke. This person called himself a poor Daoist, so he must be an old Daoist. The Daoist mentioned the three levels of Transcending Heaven, which the ascetic monk had told him about. The monsters defeated by the Holy Sect had reached the level of ‘beyond all things,’ while the Holy Sect was at the higher level of ‘beyond all methods.’ Could this Daoist be talking about the Holy Sect?

After the Daoist finished speaking, no one replied, as if everyone already knew who this person was. Then, Lu Zheng heard the old Daoist say, "Recently, a rumor has been spreading on Mount Danci. Have any of you heard it?"

The monk said, "Amitabha, is it the rumor about the Three Teachings Child? I’ve heard of it, and I believe the two gentlemen have also heard it."

The Daoist hummed and said, "Eating the Three Teachings Child can grant immortality, such a ridiculous claim, naturally, no cultivator would pay attention to it. At worst, it might incite some ignorant monsters, but it won’t cause much trouble. What I’m worried about is how this prophecy, which is a highly secret matter of Buddhism and Daoism, has spread."

Upon hearing this, the teacher, Li Yi, interrupted, "Although this matter is strange, we can discuss it another time. The immediate priority is to wake Lu Zheng up."

His tone was displeased, clearly unhappy that the topic had strayed, and he had forgotten about Lu Zheng. It turned out that the teacher, who seemed strict, was actually the most concerned about him. Lu Zheng, hearing this, felt a surge of emotion and struggled to open his eyes to tell the teacher he was awake. However, as he became emotionally agitated, a severe dizziness hit him, and he fainted again, unable to hear any more.

Upon hearing Li Yi’s words, everyone noticed his displeasure. Mr. Le stepped forward to mediate, saying, "To be honest, I’ve already been to Mount Danci for this matter, but the incident at the thatched hut happened suddenly, and I didn’t have time to investigate the source of the rumor before rushing back. Mr. Zhonggui is right; we can discuss this another day. For now, we should focus on Lu Zheng!"

The Daoist said, "The two gentlemen have misunderstood. What I’m saying is related to this child. Lu Zheng is the Three Teachings Child, and the rumor started on Mount Danci. Therefore, I speculate..."

At this, the monk interjected, "Could it be that the person who broke the illusion in the Sun and Moon Hut and spread the rumor is the same person?"

The Daoist said, "Exactly. I believe that since even the four of us can’t wake Lu Zheng, the person who did this must either be at the level of ‘beyond all methods’ or have a different kind of supernatural power! According to my knowledge, there is a lineage of monsters from the Wushan Spirit Land whose techniques are different from those of Buddhism and Daoism, and they have their own unique methods."

At this, Mr. Le suddenly interrupted, "That’s impossible. Although the techniques of the Wushan Spirit Land are profound, they are far from being undetectable by Mr. Zhonggui. Moreover, I can vouch for him; he would never do such a thing!"

Mr. Le’s words were resolute, and the Daoist sighed, "I’m just making a guess, I hope you don’t take offense. But the spread of the Three Teachings Child rumor and the breaking of the Sun and Moon Hut illusion are not coincidences. The events left by the Holy Sect and the Heavenly Monsters in the past may be manifesting now. Once the calamity begins, the future is unpredictable. Now that a master at the level of ‘beyond all methods’ has appeared, it’s worrying..."

The monk also said, "What you said is also what I’m worried about. Since the two gentlemen are also concerned about Lu Zheng’s safety, why not visit the Wushan Spirit Land? First, to verify the facts, and second, to seek a glimmer of hope for Lu Zheng. If there is indeed a master at the level of ‘beyond all methods’ in the Wushan Spirit Land, then..."

At this, the monk sighed, unable to continue.

Mr. Le looked at the two, his brows furrowed, unsure how to respond. At this moment, Li Yi, who had been paying attention to Lu Zheng, suddenly said, "Hey, this is...!"

Everyone was startled and quickly gathered around.