Chapter 342
A massive black shadow lay sprawled in the hall.
It looked just like the beast from his dreams, though it wasn’t quite as large as in the dream.
“It hurts... it really hurts…”
“Let me out... let me out!”
The beast writhed in agony, crashing into the crumbling wall beside it.
Yet, despite its violent movements, it couldn’t wake from the dream.
Moreover, various grotesque wounds began to appear on its body, from which billowed thick, dark malevolence. This made it seem as if it were deflating, its form shrinking rapidly, becoming smaller and smaller.
Gradually, it shrank to the size of a calf and lay still.
Black blood pooled on the ground.
...
Inside the ancestral hall.
The once fearsome black beast now lay on the ground, submerged in the silvery moonlight, vanishing from sight.
With the absence of the beast and the guardian of the tomb, the hall fell into an eerie silence.
“Is it dead?”
Li Mo had a premonition that this creature hadn’t just died in the dream; it was likely to meet a grim fate in reality as well.
Hmm?
He suddenly realized that his perspective of the ice lump had shifted; he was no longer looking up at it but had reverted to his former self.
Li Mo understood.
This dream was becoming increasingly ‘real.’
So he was no longer a child but had returned to his youthful appearance.
The lively New Year scene had vanished, the winning clan members were gone, and the surroundings were blurring, collapsing.
Only Ying Xuliang and his wife remained, clinging to the moment, unwilling to depart.
But the ones clinging were not them; it was...
“Ice lump…”
Li Mo glanced at Ying Bing beside him and noticed her complexion had paled a bit.
The lunar essence of the ice lump was tied to time.
Now, she was the one maintaining the dream, delaying its rapid descent into reality.
“Father... Mother…”
The couple gazed at their grown daughter and the boy from the Li family, their eyes filled with unspoken words, yet they only smiled:
“Daughter, the moon will set, and the sun will rise. No matter how beautiful the dream, it will eventually end.”
“Once you wake, may it be a beautiful dream... a beautiful dream…”
Their forms began to dissolve into shimmering silver, fading into nothingness, their faces gradually blurring.
But Li Mo distinctly felt that Uncle Ying and Aunt were watching him.
“Thank you for coming into Bing’er’s dream…”
...
More than a decade ago, on an ordinary day.
The sun rose as usual, illuminating the awakening of the Ying family courtyard.
Some clan members practiced in the square in front of the ancestral hall, while others squatted on the threshold slurping noodles, greeting the morning sun and the new day.
Sunlight streamed through the window of the guest room, and Ying Xuliang stirred awake, gazing at the morning light outside, murmuring:
“Wife, I think I had a very long dream…”
“I dreamed that Bing’er was feeding me dumplings, I dreamed she grew up, I dreamed... she was standing with a boy, it seemed to be... the boy from the Li family?”
“I... I had the same dream.”
Ying Mu also woke, wiping the corners of her eyes, realizing she had been crying at some point.
“You dreamed too?”
“Yeah…”
“Haha, it seems we won’t have different dreams while sharing the same bed.”
Ying Xuliang laughed heartily.
“Stop it…” Ying Mu managed to hold back her tears, giving him a playful glare.
“Wife, let’s make some dumplings today and take them to Li Ge’s house. Let’s see if his boy is as clever and infuriating as in the dream.”
“I’ll ask Bing’er if she wants to go out.”
...
P.S.: Dreams are a continuation of reality, and reality is the end of dreams. This saying has stuck with me for a long time.
The ice lump’s subsequent divine abilities are also related to this; even now, she isn’t in her complete form, not just in terms of realm.
The reason for her rebirth won’t be glossed over; it will take time for their realms to gradually rise before it can be slowly revealed. Telling it in a detailed manner will surely be more captivating than laying it all out plainly.
Dinner is out for the Mid-Autumn Festival, and there will be two more chapters tonight, though they might not be on time.
Wishing all the viewers a happy Mid-Autumn Festival in advance. May we all enjoy the beauty of the moon together, even from afar.
---
Chapter 374: Little Li is Caught on the Spot
In the Cult of Summoning Demons, the Abyssal Yin Altar.
The moon was bright, and the stars were few. Crows cawed noisily as they flew past the dojo, their pupils reflecting the distant waterfall.
Despite it being a winter drought, the waterfall cascaded down, faintly tinged with a hint of blood.
“Join me in honoring our ancestors.”
The Holy Son of the Cult led the way, slicing a piece of flesh from his arm and tossing it into the pool.
“Honor the ancestors!”
The cultists wore expressions of deep reverence.
Emmmm...
In truth, offering the power of all beings didn’t require flesh to be cut; this was a suggestion from the Holy Son.
After all, they were a demon cult, and this added to the atmosphere.
Moreover, people often believe more deeply in things they have sacrificed for...
Within the waterfall, three altars were dedicated to deities, and the statues bore a slight resemblance to those in the Ying family’s old residence. These were the three founders of the Cult of Summoning Demons, revered by generations of cultists.
Legend has it that their origins predate the Great Shang Dynasty.
“Holy Son! The Ancestor is manifesting!”
At that moment, one of the法王 (Fa Wang, a title for a high-ranking priest) beside him suddenly pointed at the waterfall, exclaiming.
Hmm?
The Holy Son of the Cult quickly raised his head, looking at the leftmost altar in the waterfall, which was now emitting a faint glow.
“It’s the Dream God...”
The Dream God had been silent for many years, not even absorbing the power of all beings, as if it had completely vanished.
Yet today, it seemed to have sensed something!
“Where is the power of all beings gathering?”
The Holy Son quickly urged the法王 to sense it.
After a moment of silence, the法王 opened his eyes and uttered three words:
“East Wilderness Domain!”
...
In Qinghe County, Li family.
Li Mo felt a wave of suffocation. His head buzzed as he looked up, realizing he was sleeping in the arms of the ice lump.
Ying Bing had her eyes tightly shut, her eyelashes fluttering gently, and he could vaguely see some glistening tears.
He recalled what had just happened.
He had entered the ice lump’s dream, met her parents, encountered the terrifying beast, and even coaxed her into calling him “brother”...
But Li Mo was puzzled.
Why had that beast found the Ying family ten years ago and killed all of them?
And why did it continue to haunt them even a decade later?
“...”
Little Li fell silent for a moment, deciding to set aside these unanswerable questions for now.
Because in this position, if his parents were to catch him, yikes...
And the ice lump should also remember everything that happened in the dream...
Li Mo glanced at Ying Bing.
The dream had shattered, but she had expended a lot of her spirit essence, so she must have truly fallen asleep this time.
“Time to go back.”
Li Mo stood up; dawn was approaching, and he decided to return to his own room.
However, just as he stepped out, he paused, sensing something with his spirit essence.
That’s right.
You wouldn’t believe it.
In the dark garden, two sneaky figures were approaching his room.
It was none other than Comrade Li and Ms. Xueqin, and they were almost at the door of Li Mo’s room. If he returned now, he would definitely be caught red-handed.
In a flash, the genius Li Mo recalled his newly acquired divine ability.
**External Avatar!**
He returned to the ice lump’s room, gritted his teeth, and painfully plucked a hair from his head. In an instant, he felt a wave of emptiness wash over his spirit essence, but he could clearly sense the existence of that hair.
Moreover, he could attach true essence to it, controlling its rise and fall.
At the door.
The couple peered into the pitch-black room, unable to see anything clearly, and began to feel suspicious.
“Darling, is Xiao Mo inside?”
“I don’t hear any breathing, but Xiao Mo is now a Spirit Observer, his realm is higher than mine, so it’s normal that I can’t sense him.”
“Should we... go in and check?”
Gu Xueqin looked inside, but unfortunately, the room was backlit, and the screen blocked the view of the bed.
The couple respected their child’s privacy and had never sneaked into their son’s room.
“Then I’ll go in and take a look.”
Li Dalong crossed his arms, his face serious in the darkness:
“If this brat suddenly wakes up, I’ll just pretend I was going to the bathroom and accidentally walked into the wrong room.”
As expected of him; like father, like son.
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