Chapter 7: The Dream-Stealing Shennü

Luo Feng Mountain lies in the northern Gui region of the Youming World, the source of the Wangchuan River.

At first glance, Luo Feng Mountain is not particularly large; its projection in the mortal realm spans merely thirty million li in circumference and rises twenty-six thousand li high.

But if you can pierce the boundary between illusion and reality, you may enter the true Luo Feng Cave Heaven and behold its authentic form.

Upon entering the Cave Heaven, you see a crimson moon hanging high, its blood-red light spilling across the Zhou Tian, flowing through infinite dimensions and covering every corner of the Luo Feng Cave Heaven.

The ancestral vein of Luo Feng Mountain extends in all directions, branching into hundreds of millions of tributaries, stretching across the Zhu Tian Shi Jie to spawn countless Ling Shan Fu Di, which in turn give rise to numerous Xiao Qian Shi Jie and Da Qian Shi Jie.

These worlds are rich with Xian Tian Ling Qi, and a significant portion even possess complete Fa Ze, where the radiance of Dao and Li intertwines like scattered star fragments among the mountains.

Xuan Qing developed several Da Qian Shi Jie with complete Fa Ze, primarily as gardens to cultivate Tian Cai Di Bao.

After all, he occasionally crafts Ling Bao out of personal interest.

There are few structures within the Cave Heaven—only seven in total: one Fengdoudadian dominates the mountains and valleys; six Tian Gong hang in the heavens, each separated by forty-six billion eight hundred million light-years.

One Dian and six Gong form an array, constructing a magnificent Xian Tian Da Zhen.

Xuan Qing arrived before the Zhu Jue Tian Gong gate, peeled off the talisman on the door, then pushed it open and walked straight to a great ding.

Dang dang!

He tapped the ding, and it immediately split into two.

“Let me recall what materials I need…” Xuan Qing rummaged in his sleeve and pulled out two twigs, tossing them into the ding.

Then he snapped his fingers. Outside the Tian Gong, specks of light leapt forth, forming countless Shi Jie, which converged into a rainbow of dazzling colors.

As the rainbow reached the Zhu Jue Tian Gong, it split apart—countless Tian Cai Di Bao floated in midair, awaiting their turn to enter the ding.

“And this too!”

Xuan Qing took out two talismans and stuck them on the ding—one inscribed with “Luo Ying Shen Fu,” the other with “Ku Sang Bang.”

These were the two Ling Bao he intended to forge.

“Alright, begin refining!”

After allocating the primary refining materials, Xuan Qing turned and left.

As is well known, Xian Tian Ling Bao possess spirit.

As the forger, Xuan Qing only needed to prepare the materials—the two dings had far more to consider.

They would complete the remaining refining process on their own.

Leaving Zhu Jue Tian Gong, Xuan Qing planned to meet a Shennü.

He sat down in the Fengdoudadian, then peacefully fell asleep.

When Xuan Qing opened his eyes again, he stood upon a sea of light.

Endless radiance drowned all his vision.

Here, nothing existed but light—nothing else.

Vast beyond measure, the radiance shone through time and space, covering above and below, left and right, past and future.

“Every time I enter a dream, it seems I arrive somewhere different—where am I this time?” Xuan Qing walked across this unimaginable sea of light.

He looked up toward the highest reaches of the heavens, where countless specks of light drifted like snowflakes falling ceaselessly, dissolving into the boundless sea of light, becoming part of it.

Xuan Qing’s heart stirred—he drew in some of the drifting specks. “Is this… Hun Ling Guang?”

Within the specks, Xuan Qing read fragments of information—entire lifetimes of myriad beings, from birth to death, every detail vividly real.

“Pity.” Xuan Qing shook his head, opened his palm, and let the specks slip through his fingers.

“Pity what?”

A hollow voice echoed above the sea of light.

“Pity this is merely a friend’s dream.” Xuan Qing looked up at the sky, stepped out of the sea of light, and arrived in another realm.

“I thought you might be confused—even for an instant.”

Before Xuan Qing stood a Shennü, clad in red, barefoot, her face lit with a sweet smile.

“I am somewhat puzzled.” Xuan Qing turned to gaze at the floating sea of light—a tiny bubble among many, exactly three thousand in total.

“Where do these Hun Guang come from?” Xuan Qing recalled the scene—when he touched those Hun Guang and realized they formed a sea of souls, he nearly believed he had entered the final resting place of all beings.

“Where do they come from?”

The Shennü smiled warmly at Xuan Qing. “Stolen, of course—from one dream after another.”

“Dream theft?” Xuan Qing raised an eyebrow. This divine art was indeed impressive.

“Precisely.” The Shennü nodded lightly. “To test a possibility.”

“Lately, I’ve been wondering—if I could draw all the Hong Huang beings into dreams, could I recreate a Wu Shang Zhen Jie?”

Xuan Qing considered it. “Sounds like a decent idea.”

“Exactly! You think so too!” The Shennü’s eyes brightened; she grew excited, her voice as melodious as a skylark’s: “But I’ve encountered difficulties in my experiments.”

“First, the strongest beings can’t be pulled in—you, for instance. If you don’t want to come, I can’t force you.”

“Then, whenever they meet, they always fight. My carefully woven dreams end up riddled with holes. It’s heartbreaking—are the gods you meet out there the same?”

The Shennü extended a finger and earnestly listed her troubles for Xuan Qing.

“Later, I thought it too tedious to pull people into dreams one by one—it’s faster to steal dreams myself.”

The Shennü’s tone carried a hint of pride: “With a little guidance, I can effortlessly take what I want from dreams. That sea of light is my achievement.”

“And then?” Xuan Qing asked.

“Then I failed.” The Shennü sighed, her delicate brow furrowing. “I tried shaping a complete world from these Hun Guang, but no matter what I did, I could only achieve the most basic accumulation.”

She gazed at the sea of light, then raised her right hand and gently pierced it with a slender fingertip.

“In the end, it’s but a dream, a bubble.”

A path that leads nowhere is better shattered early.

“Sigh, enough about me—tell me about yourself.” The Shennü’s sorrow vanished as quickly as it came; she turned to Xuan Qing with renewed enthusiasm.

“Have you stirred up trouble out there? Recently, a very powerful being came by.”

“That projection?”

“Yes!” The Shennü nodded. “He’s powerful—came from an extremely distant time-space, saying he came to deliver something to you.”

“What did he deliver?” Xuan Qing’s heart stirred slightly.

“A door.” The Shennü waved her hand, and a bubble appeared in her palm.

As she handed it to Xuan Qing, she said: “He said he hopes you’ll reconsider your previous invitation.”

As the bubble touched his hand, a voice echoed in Xuan Qing’s mind.

【Fengdou friend, I believe we shall meet again soon!】

“What’s wrong?” the Shennü asked, concerned.

“Nothing.” Xuan Qing returned to himself, gazing at the bubble in his hand—within it floated a pitch-black gateway.

Indeed, it’s Hong Jun…

The author’s previous novel, completed at two million words, had a rather peculiar tone—friends interested may give it a read.

(End of chapter)