Chapter 154: Just Like the Marshal

Stay……everything is here……

You can stay with them forever, never to be separated……

If you wake up, you'll be dragged back to the lab to endure experiment after experiment in endless darkness.

Ye Xi'an's consciousness was a little hazy.

Ye Xi'an! Snap out of it!

Bao Jing's anxious voice pulled her back to reality.

He saw Ye Xi'an's gaze wandering and instantly realized she was surely being bewitched by the dream.

Lin Zhi Jing also furrowed his brow, and the metal shield began to show cracks.

Yi Yang's earthen wall was violently shaking, obviously about to collapse.

Ji Jiangci clutched his head, his body trembling slightly, clearly also affected by the mental shock, though to a lesser extent than Ye Xi'an.

Those dark-green vines took the opportunity to break through the defense, surging toward them like a tide.

Ye Xi'an suddenly came to her senses and shouted loudly.

Get lost!

Ye Xi'an fiercely flicked her wrist; the milky-white mental power threads sliced the attacking vines, and a hint of ferocity flashed in her purple pupils.

She wouldn't fall for the same trick again!

A fierce will burned like fire in her sea of consciousness.

Her mental power, which had always flowed like a gentle stream, now burst like a flood breaking through a dam, surging wildly.

At this moment, the mental power threads became solid and tough, even taking on a faint purple glow.

Her ability level broke through the fourth rank completely.

Ye Xi'an locked her gaze onto the frenzied vines rushing forward.

She focused her will, highly compressing the vast mental power into an invisible blade.

Everyone clearly felt as if the air had been sliced open.

The dark-green vines at the forefront snapped off in unison, their cut surfaces smooth as a mirror.

Even more strangely, the severed vines did not regrow as before; they quickly withered, turned black, and turned to ash.

It was as if their source of vitality had been instantly cut off.

From the pit bottom came a sharper, more painful hiss.

A new round of vines also sprouted from the pit bottom; even if Ye Xi'an's mental power blade could restrain them, abilities eventually run out, but the dream can exploit the Dream Stone's endless growth.

Meanwhile, Ji Jiangci and Lin Zhi Jing were clearly not in good shape either, swaying as if they'd drunk fake alcohol.

Ye Xi'an frowned, knowing this couldn't continue; in a gap between attacks, she shot four mental power threads toward the four people's foreheads, then, like a kiss, pressed them on, entering their seas of consciousness to resist the dream with her own mental power.

On Zhu Shen Xing, the male and female of a married pair are naturally mentally linked; Ye Xi'an's action instantly woke everyone, who wanted to help her, but she stopped them.

Don't worry about me; go to the palace and kill the true body.

Without a word, the four, like well‑teammates, strode forward and leapt into the pit.

What Ye Xi'an said was right; since the vines can't be killed off, we'll go kill the true body.

The four landed at the pit bottom and jointly attacked the Dream Stone; the pale‑blue Dream Stone shattered outward, revealing the palace beneath.

Lin Zhi Jing followed the vines, quickly seeking the Dream; Ye Xi'an had no one to protect her now, so he had to find and kill the Dream in the shortest time possible.

Finally, they reached the Dream's true body in the deepest part of the palace—a supremely beautiful female with her eyes closed, seated on a throne, her limbs continually sprouting vines that shielded her; only glimpses of her could be seen through the gaps in the vines.

Bao Jing's eyes widened: 'Isn't that the Marshal!'

Lin Zhi Jing glanced at the palace's décor and saw it was exactly like the Marshal's Mansion.

But now was not the time to think about that.

'Hurry up and kill her,' Lin Zhi Jing said in an icy voice; he would show no mercy just because the person resembled the Marshal—even if it were the real Marshal, he would strike her down without hesitation, provided he could defeat her.

The closer the four got to the true body, the denser the vines became, making progress almost impossible.

Bao Jing grew a bit anxious, watching Lin Zhi Jing attack nonstop beside him, and found it increasingly strange: 'Lin Zhi Jing! How did you get your seventh‑level ability, and why are you so weak?'

He had seen seventh‑level ability users before; their power far surpassed Lin Zhi Jing's, and even more so than that earlier seventh‑level beast‑man who launched a sneak attack.

Lin Zhi Jing didn't hide anything: 'You think I, a mere researcher, could raise my rank to seventh just by taking missions?'

That was obvious.

'Damn!' Bao Jing spat: 'Again, it's technology and dirty work.'

'I can't, my ability is about to run out,' Yi Yang said; he'd already had little left and was now feeling weak.

'Let's retreat first,' Lin Zhi Jing ordered.

Just then, a white light flashed at the Dream's true body; Ye Xi'an suddenly appeared before it, her mental power blade severing its limbs, and instantly the vines filling the palace stilled and fell to the ground.

Ye Xi'an seized the Dream's throat, her tone icy cold, showing none of her former softness: 'Give back Ji Jiangci's life force!'

The woman with closed eyes slowly opened her dream‑like eyes; she gazed down at Ye Xi'an like a goddess, her pink lips parting slightly.

Who exactly are you.

She had entered the dreams of countless beast‑people, never feeling such mental power before; she vaguely sensed that Ye Xi'an did not belong to the place called Zhu Shen Xing.

Don't waste my time—return the life force, or you'll die!

The female closed her eyes; the part that output her ability had already been cut off by Ye Xi'an, so she was doomed to die. Even if she died, she wouldn't let the person before her have their way.

Can't return it; let him wait for death.

Before Ye Xi'an could act, the female turned into a pool of green liquid in her hand, which flowed down Ye Xi'an's arm.

Ye Xi'an stared at her empty hand, somewhat dazed, wondering whether the Dream had died or fled.

Did she die?

Lin Zhi Jing stepped forward to wipe the disgusting liquid off her hand.

"Hmm, the ability of dreams actually relies on the dream stone; its own strength isn't strong. You cut off her energy source, so she naturally died."

"Just...", Lin Zhi Jing frowned: "Why does she look exactly like the marshal?"

Ye Xi'an's eyes lit up: "So that's what the marshal looks like! So beautiful."

Ji Jiangci walked over to her side, looking at her with a complex expression.

There was worry, there was relief, and also a barely perceptible sense of distance.

He clenched his fists, nails digging into his palms.

She became stronger again.

And he, meanwhile, kept weakening.

Ye Xi'an noticed Ji Jiangci's gaze, turned her head and asked him what was wrong.

Ji Jiangci's eyes flashed, and he explained: "I know why she looks exactly like the marshal."

It turns out that Zhimeng Xing's secondary mutation also has the marshal's share of the pot,

Ten years ago, Zhu Shen Xing had already safely spent ten years without Zerg invasions, and the marshal occasionally took an interest, traveling to Zhimeng Xing for tourism.