Chapter 2828

And there's an added benefit to the Great Vessel doing it this way: it objectively coordinates the time between the dream world and reality, or rather, the Great Vessel uses the divine bone necklace as a tether to forcibly bind the flow of time between the two.

Otherwise, who knows how long He Lingchuan would take to enter the Dreamland of the Goddess of Illusory Music?

What if half a day in the dream equals ten days in reality?

By the time he returns to reality, the yellow flowers would be cold, and the Earth Mother Plains might have changed hands.

Hmm, the Great Vessel really thought ahead.

But we need to act quickly. He tapped the divine bone necklace and whispered again:

"When the countdown ends, pull me back—don't forget to leave a trace, the more obvious the better."

At that moment, a shadow suddenly emerged from the darkness below, darting swiftly toward the two of them.

Bao Chihai braced for an enemy, ready to strike, but He Lingchuan stopped him: "No need."

When the shadow drew near, its true form was revealed:

A tall, dark crimson warhorse.

A long spear was mounted beside its saddle.

Bao Chihai was somewhat surprised—this isn't the real world; normally, physical objects can't enter. So this horse must be...

But upon closer look, he couldn't help but exclaim: "What... what kind of horse is this?!"

This red horse is not a nightmare.

The dark crimson horse snorted loudly, flicked its tail, and snarled: "Cut the chatter!"

It is a Blood Demon.

The Blood Demon is a conglomeration of countless resentful blood-born entities, inherently existing between the virtual and the real. Its master has commanded it to follow, so it came along—though it shifted from a cloak-like form into a warhorse.

Conversely, the long spear hanging on the saddle suddenly went "Bang!" and transformed into a wisp of gloomy shadow, revealing dozens of pallid faces grinning obsequiously at He Lingchuan before snapping back into a spear, still hanging at the saddle's edge.

Bao Chihai realized: this spear is the nightmare!

Moreover, it is a nightmare of exceptionally profound cultivation, bearing countless faces.

Nightmares in the dream world have no fixed form; within the limits of their power, they can assume any shape they wish, unbound by human form.

But how come there's a nightmare just lying around beside the Emperor?

Bao Chihai naturally doesn't know that this nightmare is named Bai Mian—originally formed when an ancient immortal fell into the dream realm, it enjoyed incense offerings in the human world and earned the title "Sovereign of the Hundred Faces." Later, overestimating its abilities, it sneaked into the Panlong World to ambush He Lingchuan, only to be soundly punished by Hundun, after which it became obedient, took up residence in the Panlong World, and is often dispatched by He Lingchuan to gather information in others' dreams—its favorite pastime being dream assassinations.

Yet it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, and He Lingchuan hasn't mistreated it. Relying on the vast dream realms of Ju City's millions of inhabitants and the mandate of his master, Bai Mian's cultivation has surged steadily over the years, even surpassing that of ancient times.

This time, the master must venture into the Dream Realm of the Heavenly Demon's Divine Kingdom, so it too must come, ready to serve at saddle and rein.

He Lingchuan mounted the horse and asked Bao Chihai: "Where is the Divine Kingdom of Illusory Music?"

Bao Chihai pointed straight ahead, toward the sky above the lake's center: "You see, that nebula is it."

If the dreams of the children on the Earth Mother Plains are like faint, scattered starlight, then what Bao Chihai points to is the brilliant nebula in the night sky!

It is a vast expanse of purple cloud-mist, interwoven with countless tiny, crystalline glimmers.

Magnificent, flamboyant, and overwhelming—like a gorgeous, resplendent dream.

"After it tricked the Earth Mother, it became like this." Bao Chihai said, "Our previous range of activity was limited to the Earth Mother Plains region, so we could never get close."

Dreams rely on reality as their foundation; the Wandering Gods cannot reach dreams beyond the plains, only stare anxiously at this nebula.

"Let's go, go meet It." He Lingchuan lightly kicked the horse's belly, and the dark crimson steed flung open its hooves, galloping toward the purple nebula.

He had previously considered setting traps to wait for Illusory Music to come knocking—but then thought, why surrender the initiative to the enemy?

He is the invincible Nine Abysses Great Emperor!

He should stride forward grandly, in full force, to kick open the door and challenge them—let the Goddess of Illusory Music have no choice but to respond passively!

Of course, there's also an objective reason: the time the Great Vessel gave him is short, and he can't afford to wait.

As they drew nearer to the nebula, they felt its immense scale grow.

From afar, it looked like just a nebula; up close, it unfolded into an entire star system!

Within it were countless stars—some bright, some dim, flickering unpredictably—linked by some pattern, together forming a magnificent and splendid stellar cluster.

The Dream Star Cluster.

Even some dreams within it resembled shooting stars, flashing by in an instant.

Even He Lingchuan, accustomed to grand scenes, was left breathless by this sight. No wonder the Holy Sovereign of Lingxu praised the Goddess of Illusory Music's dream realm and divinity—it truly is a most special existence.

Even more special: as the two drew near, the purple nebula suddenly began to deform—the upper butterfly wings on either side rose and turned into eyes, while the lower wings elongated, becoming a face and lips. Though only an outline, it was clearly a woman's visage.

Bao Chihai said: "It has noticed us."

Clearly, the Goddess of Illusory Music has detected their presence and is preparing a grand reception.

The two showed no fear or dodging, advancing straight ahead.

The human face formed from the star river opened its mouth and swallowed them whole!

In the blink of an eye, they had plunged into the purple nebula.

Before the purple mist could engulf them, Bao Chihai transformed into a wisp of light smoke, attaching himself to the horse's reins, lest he and the Emperor be forced apart in the fog.

This is the Goddess of Illusory Music's mist—who knows what mysteries lie within?

Soon, they passed through the thick mist, and their vision went dark.

The nebula, the light points, the Earth Mother Plains, and the Great Lake all vanished.

…

In a valley blanketed with purple alfalfa, the Earth Mother could no longer bear her heavy frame and collapsed to the ground.

A rustling shower of powder fell from the sky—whether pollen or butterfly dust, unknown—settling on its head and shoulders, dyeing it purple. The air filled with the intoxicating sweet scent of cow's milk, honey, and jasmine blended together—the very fragrance of the golden lotus of dew it loved and was accustomed to.

Drowsiness came upon it, and the fervent anger in the Earth Mother's heart seemed to drain away. It couldn't help but yawn, slowly closed its eyes, and fell asleep.

The Goddess of Illusory Music deliberately flew close, circled it twice, then nodded in satisfaction and fluttered away on her wings.

After she left, the entire valley instantly fell silent—only the butterfly dust stirred by her wings still drifted down in profusion, blanketing the whole valley.

One layer, then another, and another.

Layer upon layer, piled up thickly.

I don't know how long passed, but the valley let out a sudden "whoosh," and the stone man sat up from the purple powder.

It looked around, found no movement, and quickly stood up, brushing the purple powder off its body.

The Earth Mother had not fallen asleep, though it had indeed been nearly exhausted moments before, just a hair's breadth from answering the Sleep God's summons.

Just a hair's breadth, yet it stubbornly refused to sleep.

It gritted its teeth and held on.