Chapter 34

The sky was filled with stars, and the calm lake was still.

Xun Yi stood alone on the water, listening to the deep and pleasant bell sounds that echoed around.

The sound was melodious and profound, carrying the secrets of ancient times, praising the glory that had once passed.

"Where am I?" Xun Yi looked around; the long, quiet night was filled with stars, reflecting the shimmering ripples on the water. But there was no one around, only he stood alone on the water.

Looking at his reflection in the lake, Xun Yi suddenly noticed something was wrong.

Although the reflection's appearance was identical to his, it was different from his own green-robed, barefoot self. The reflection wore a dark red divine robe, was bound by chains, and was sleeping at the bottom of the lake.

"Is that another me?" Xun Yi was filled with doubt, thinking of the part of his memory that he had lost. He bent down and instinctively reached out to touch the water.

The water rippled, and the light on the lake stirred, the person at the bottom of the lake opened their eyes.

The crimson eyes met Xun Yi's, and the ancient bell sounds abruptly stopped. Instead, the sound of chains clashing could be heard. The person at the bottom of the lake slowly extended a hand, with countless chains clashing around them, making their movement extremely difficult.

"You—" Xun Yi seemed to sense something and reached into the water to grab the hand.

But there was still a long distance between them, and Xun Yi, lying on the water, couldn't reach the person.

The person seemed to realize this and slightly moved their fingers, a red light bursting from between them.

A firebird spread its wings and soared from the dark, cold lake to the surface.

The black water continuously weakened the firebird's form. When it flew to Xun Yi's side, the flames had completely disappeared, and a three-legged golden-feathered divine bird transformed into a white feather, resembling a crow, circling around Xun Yi and chirping.

"What is this?" Xun Yi instinctively reached out, and the white crow suddenly flapped its wings and dissipated into countless white feathers.

The surroundings changed dramatically, and when he opened his eyes again, he saw a seal-like talisman in front of him. Looking around, he saw islands rising from the vast ocean. The talisman was floating above one of the desolate and barren islands.

The power of the dream that explores a thousand autumns unfolded, and a passage appeared beneath the talisman, leading Xun Yi to explore his sealed memories.

Suddenly, the divine talisman emitted a myriad of rays of light, forcing Xun Yi back. This movement immediately caught the attention of many deities in the dream, including the deity who had sealed his memories.

In the celestial realm, the seventh heaven, the Clear and Subtle Heaven, the sky was filled with auspicious clouds and the nine rays of red light, with the primordial aura always present. The purple and green images changed, and the golden terraces and jade buildings reflected each other. The divine trees and precious grasses were everywhere, connecting to the celestial pivot, the primordial energy spreading through the five constants, regulating the nine heavens and harmonizing yin and yang.

The heavens valued the yang numbers, and the seventh heaven circulated the celestial energy, where only the primordial great sages who were immortal and indestructible could reside for a long time.

In one of the purple dan divine palaces, a great deity who observed the heavens suddenly sensed something and looked down, muttering to himself, "The spell I cast has been opened? No, the twin spell seals both of their memories. Even if one is strong, it's impossible to open the other half of the seal from the other end."

Observing the three realms, apart from Xun Yi sleeping soundly in his bed, there was another person sleeping on the ground in a desolate mountain, also entering a dream to seek the memories they had lost.

Both of their foreheads had a talisman, with the strokes of the talismans undulating and orderly. Only when the two talismans perfectly merged would they form the true divine sealing spell. Only by combining the two talismans could the spell be removed.

"Strange, strange, could it be that both of them are coincidentally using the dream exploration technique to probe their past?" The great deity calculated with his fingers, understanding the essence of the universe, and sighed, "Well, although the seal isn't broken now, the heavenly destiny has already been set. In the future, they will surely work together to unseal and resolve the case from the past." Thus, he did not reinforce the seal and watched as Xun Yi and the other person entered the dream to explore.

Dreams are the extension of thoughts. What one thinks during the day, one dreams at night. In the dream world, a group of special deities manage the dreams of all living beings. The leader of the dream deities is a primordial, immortal great sage, revered in the seventh heaven. However, he does not often reside in the Clear and Subtle Heaven but travels between the dreams of all living beings, using their thoughts to create a wondrous and mysterious holy realm. In this holy realm, he leads a group of dream deities to manage the dreams of millions of living beings.

When Xun Yi entered the dream, a deity in the dream world sensed it and put down the pen in his hand, "Another one has obtained the spiritual dream technique?" The spiritual dream technique is a dream inspiration that can foresee the future and explore the past. If the gods of fortune favor the virtuous, then the dream deities favor those with the power of "dreaming."

Reviewing the records, the goddess named Qianye saw Xun Yi's name and smiled, pulling out a piece of paper from another pile.

This five-colored light-emitting paper contained a dream of a young girl, with the name "Yingxiu" written in the corner.

"This girl's dream seems to be about meeting her lover? If so, I'll help her achieve her wish." She drew a red line with a vermilion pen, forcibly connecting the two. Xun Yi, who was originally searching for his past memories, was pulled by this red line into another dream.

Beside the goddess, a god looked up, "A being with the power of spiritual dreams, with the talent of spiritual dreaming, is beneficial for us to communicate with the outside world. Why are you messing with him?" This god was named Zhiqiu, a dream deity created by the lord of the dream world when he initially created the spiritual power. This power was precisely the "Dream Exploration of a Thousand Autumns" that Xun Yi used.

Out of consideration, Zhiqiu reached out and touched Xun Yi, sending him to another dream before he fell into the dream.

This was a dark cave, where cries echoed continuously.

Xun Yi instinctively wanted to stand up but found his body completely unresponsive. Moreover, his form was that of a child, staring at his small hands in a daze, feeling a sharp pain in his heart.

Wait, did he already have a heart condition at this time? Then, this time must be...

"Brother, is your birthday also on the 15th of the first lunar month?" A hand suddenly reached out and patted Xun Yi on the shoulder.

His body turned involuntarily, and he spoke, "You too?" This was his childhood memory, his consciousness attached to his body, watching his child self act.

Turning his head, he saw a simple and honest boy, seemingly a bit older than him. "Everyone here was born on the 15th of the first lunar month."

Looking around, there were no fewer than a dozen children sitting in the cave, both boys and girls.

The child Xun Yi softly said, "I was born in the year of Bing Shen, and you are..."

"The year of Jia Wu. Meng Han, get up! This kid is about the same age as you, both born in the year of Bing Shen." The boy pointed to a child wearing a green cap, "Don't pretend, get up."

The child named Meng Han opened his eyes, jumped up, and extended his hand to Xun Yi with a smile, "What a coincidence, to meet someone born on the same day, month, and year. I'm Meng Han, what's your name, brother?"

"Beginning of spring, boundless sea?" Xun Yi hesitated for a moment and extended his hand, "I'm Xun Yi."

"Change of the sun and moon?"

"Exactly."

"Perfect, the Confucian principles of Meng and Xun, it seems we have a deep connection." Meng Han grinned and sat next to the child Xun Yi, "Unfortunately, I don't believe in inherent goodness. By the way, I was born at midnight, the beginning of the day. What about you?"

"At the hour of Chen."

Xun Yi silently watched his child self and this boy named Meng Han.

"Seems like a younger brother, then." Meng Han put his arm around him, "I have a nickname, Tangyuan. Your parents didn't give you a similar name, did they?"

"Yes, I have one. Yuanxiao." The child Xun Yi said softly.

"Ah, I knew it! All parents are the same!" Meng Han hugged his head and leaned against the wall, "They don't care how many people will mock their children in the future!"

The child Xun Yi seemed unfamiliar with the environment, sitting quietly without a word, but he resonated with Meng Han's words. He had been mocked many times because of this nickname.

Suddenly, Meng Han grabbed his small hand, looking serious, "Brother, remember! No matter what others say, this name was given by your parents, even a nickname has its significance." The initial words were serious, but the tone changed, "But it's fine for family to call you by it. If outsiders want to call you by it, just give them a slap."

"Hit people?" The child Xun Yi seemed to not understand, "Father said hitting people is bad."

"But they are the ones who bring it up, mentioning our taboos." Meng Han kept brainwashing the child Xun Yi, patting him on the shoulder, "Don't be afraid, just a beating to teach them a lesson. Now, no one around here dares to call me by my nickname. This is not just for ourselves, but to help these bad kids correct their bad habits, so they don't do it to others in the future. It's our duty and responsibility."

The child Xun Yi listened in a daze, nodding continuously.

Xun Yi covered his face, watching Meng Han teach his child self these things, thinking, "So that's why I get so angry every time someone calls me by my nickname. It's because of you?"

Boom—

Just as Xun Yi wanted to continue watching, the dream was suddenly shattered by countless rays of light.

The fragmented dream gradually dissipated, and Xun Yi's consciousness was ejected from the dream.

"Is it time?" Before leaving, Xun Yi caught a glimpse. In the fragments of the dream, he could still see Meng Han and his younger self on the other side. On the other side of the dream, another person was also ejected.

"It's you?" Meng Han and Xun Yi were both surprised. Meng Han's consciousness returned to his body, but Xun Yi's consciousness was pulled to another dream by the red line from the dream goddess.

In a desolate wilderness, Meng Han opened his eyes, "Sure enough, my meeting with this guy must have been when I was eight, on the Lantern Festival? So, my lost memories are also from there? That person called Boyang..."

His heart ached, vaguely recalling some unpleasant experience.

Looking at the burning fire in front of him, the shadow under him suddenly showed a ghostly face, "What, you want to investigate your memories?"

"I didn't understand as a child, and I still don't understand now. There are only a few blood sacrifice rituals using children born on the Lantern Festival. It could be the birth of an evil god, a great purification spell, or using these children to summon some evil spirits that shouldn't exist." He stirred the fire with a stick, his face expressionless, "No matter which one, the person behind it is not someone I can provoke now."

"Exactly, so don't foolishly risk it. Your body is my future. I can't let you lose it. Even if you die, you must protect your body, and even if your soul dissipates, you must leave the flesh for me."

"I understand, it's the deal we made. When I die, my body will be for you to revive." Meng Han suddenly put out the fire, "Forget it, I've rested enough. Let's go to Miaoxian County. There's nothing to find in Qinglong City. Yesterday, I sensed the power of an evil god growing in Miaoxian County, so there must be something happening there."

"Miaoxian County?" The evil ghost in the shadow silently looked in the direction of Miaoxian County, its soul returning to Meng Han's body. There was something he didn't say: in Miaoxian County, he seemed to sense a familiar power, possibly from a fellow disciple.

"If possible, using his hands to kill Meng Han might allow me to truly revive." Mobile users, please visit http://m.piaotia.net

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