Chapter 887: Dream

Yan Buji remains calm, waves his right hand, and the essential force forms a barrier. Rainbow light strikes the barrier, stirring ripples, yet cannot breach it.

"Just this little progress?" Yan Buji mocks.

Yang Qing suddenly manipulates a point, and the stars in the night sky begin to move, forming a staggering sword formation.

"Starfall!" she shrieks coquettishly, and countless stars rain down on Yan Buji like raindrops.

Facing this overwhelming attack, Yan Buji finally gets serious.

Blood Heaven Ascension Degree fully activated!

The incoming stars are twisted and deformed in midair by Yan Buji's Chaotic Break, ultimately turning into void.

"What?!" Yang Qing's face changes dramatically.

Yan Buji gives them no reaction time, flashes to stand before Yang Lan, unleashing fists, palms, and a barrage of sticks and clubs. Though seemingly simple, it embodies his Heavenly Heart Four Symbols Technique of fast‑against‑fast and also prevents Yang Qing's encirclement, cutting off all of Yang Lan's exits.

"Bang!"

Yang Lan hurriedly blocks with a colorful silk, but is blasted away by a single punch. She rolls hundreds of zhang through the starry sky before stabilizing, a strand of fresh blood spilling from her mouth.

"Sister!" Yang Qing hastily swings her sword to rescue.

Yan Buji sneers, summons the Swallow Desire Pot, which spews thick golden mist from its mouth. The mist turns into countless golden chains, tightly binding Yang Qing.

"It's over." Yan Buji gathers a golden long sword with his right hand and slashes down at the immobilized Yang Qing.

At the critical moment, the entire starry sky suddenly trembles violently!

Distant dream bubbles burst one after another, a terrifying suction rises from below. Yan Buji's stance wavers, the golden sword tilts, and only a lock of Yang Qing's black hair is cut.

"What's happening?" Yang Lan exclaims.

The starry sky begins to collapse, the three of them fall uncontrollably downward. Yan Buji tries to steady himself, but finds all powers here are nullified.

They plunge into a massive dream bubble...

When Yan Buji opens his eyes again, he finds himself standing in a bustling city. Pedestrians fill the streets, vendors' cries never cease, everything is frighteningly real.

"Damn, are Yang Qing and Yang Lan also protected by fate? And this place... the deep dream?" Yan Buji frowns. He attempts to mobilize the essential force, discovers it still works but its power is greatly reduced.

A commotion suddenly arises in the distance.

Yan Buji follows the sound, sees Yang Qing and Yang Lan fighting several black‑clad men in a narrow alley. Strangely, they seem to have also lost most of their power, fighting with great difficulty.

Yan Buji hadn't intended to intervene, but when he recognizes the faces of those black‑clad men, his pupils suddenly contract; they look exactly like the people who once hunted him!

"Illusion? Or..." Yan Buji has no time to think, leaps into the battlefield.

Yang Qing sees him, her face changes dramatically: "You..."

"Shut up!" Yan Buji punches a black‑clad man away, "Deal with these brutes first!"

The two sisters are puzzled but know it's not the time for infighting. The three stand back‑to‑back, temporarily forming an alliance.

In the dream, occasional massive terrifying warning cries echo, shaking Yan Buji's mind repeatedly; even if he wants to kill Yang Qing and Yang Lan, now is not the time.

They have all lost their power; Yan Buji cannot guarantee whether these damned scoundrels know the inside information that could trap him here.

If possible, a temporary alliance is naturally both sides' urgent need.

The black‑clad men's strength is weak, and they are quickly cleared.

Yan Buji grabs the last survivor and harshly asks, "Who sent you?"

The black‑clad man sneers, his body suddenly swells.

Yan Buji retreats hastily, only hearing a "Bang", as the black‑clad man self‑detonates into a cloud of black smoke.

"Dream guardian..." Yang Qing's face turns solemn, "This dream is rejecting us."

Yan Buji coldly says, "What exactly have you provoked?"

Yang Qing squints, "What does it have to do with you?"

Yan Buji snorts, "I only know I want to survive, so cooperating for now is best."

He now feels numb all over, cold sweat streams down his back. Coupled with the previous strange events and the state of the 'Yang Qing Yang Lan' before him...

Yan Buji deduces this place is not the real world, but that his and their consciousness have entered a dream!

Yang Lan coldly says, "When we entered the secret realm, we thought it was a demonic‑infested secret realm, but we later found it was a dream. You probably guessed, this is not the real world, just our consciousness sinking here. And we accidentally awakened the 'Dream Master'..."

"Dream Master?"

"It's the Existence that maintains this secret realm," Yang Qing explains, "It is said to have Devoured countless cultivators' dreams, possessing near‑immortal power."

"What about that Duo Gu?"

"A fragment of a Demon King, possessing the strength of a Peak of Refining Void."

Yan Buji feels a weight in his heart.

If what they say is true, the current situation is indeed dangerous. He looks around, sees the city slowly fading, replaced by a barren desert.

"The dream is changing; we must find an exit," Yan Buji says gravely.

Yang Qing hesitates, pulls a crystal‑clear key from her pocket, "This is the 'Dream Key', it can open a passage to reality. But it requires three people to inject their cultivation at the same time..."

Yan Buji stares at the key in her hand, suddenly understands, "So you were besieged earlier because someone wanted this?"

Yang Lan nods, "The Dream Guardian will stop anyone from leaving."

The wind in the desert grows stronger, and on the distant horizon a wall‑to‑wall sandstorm approaches. Worse, countless silhouettes can be seen within the storm, the army of the Dream Guardian.

"No time!" Yan Buji snatches the Dream Key, "Three people, right? Then we cooperate for now."

Yang Qing and Yang Lan exchange glances and nod. The three form a circle, channeling their cultivation into the Dream Key. The key emits a dazzling light, and a luminous gate slowly takes shape.

Just as the light gate is about to fully open, the sandstorm arrives at their eyes. Countless Dream Guardians swarm out, led by a tall figure wearing a bronze mask.

"Dream Master incarnation!" Yang Lan exclaims.

The bronze‑masked figure raises a finger, the light gate shakes violently. Yan Buji acts instantly, pushes the two sisters toward the gate, "Run!"

"Damn..." Yang Qing, burning with anger, looks at him.

Yan Buji sneers, "Don't misunderstand, I just want to kill you myself."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Yang Qing gave him a glance, anxiously pulling Yang Lan to leap into the Light Gate. At the instant the Light Gate closed, the two sisters both heard the bronze‑masked man emit a strange, light laugh...

In the real world, Yan Buji suddenly opened his eyes and found himself lying on a clearing outside the cave.

Not far away, Yang Qing and Yang Lan had just awakened.

The three exchanged glances, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.

"Helping us in the dream was just to take revenge with your own hands?" Yang Qing gripped the long sword tightly.

Yan Buji rose slowly, a murderous intent glinting in his golden pupils: "That's right. Now, it's time to settle the final account."

Just as the battle was about to erupt, the entire Ten Thousand Paths Mountain Range suddenly shook violently! In the distant sky, a massive fissure split open, and a gigantic eye flickered faintly behind the gap...

"Dream master... chased us out?" Yang Lan's face turned ashen.

Yan Buji stared at that eye, feeling an unprecedented pressure. He realized the real danger had only just begun. And the sisters before him might still have some use...

"Temporary ceasefire," Yan Buji said coldly. "First we deal with this trouble, and we'll settle our account slowly."

Yang Qing clenched their teeth, finally nodding in agreement. The three stood together again, facing the terrifying Existence that pursued them from the dream.

Under the starry sky, a new round of battle was about to commence.