Longzang

Chapter 658 The Cult Leader's Face
Today is an important day.

Today marks not only the 24th anniversary of Ji Liuli's return to Qingming, but also the day when Wei Yuan, having refused three times, was forced to take up the position of leader of the cult.

For the past ten days, Ji Liuli has developed a routine: half a day in dreams, half a day in the mundane world, with virtually no physical activity.

She is now able to handle 96 tasks stably and is working on running 128 tasks in their entirety.

This is also a form of spiritual practice, making final preparations for the Dharma form.

When Wei Yuan arrived in the Netherworld again, Dream Eater greeted him with a grave expression, saying, "Something has happened!"

Here we go again… Wei Yuan didn’t take it seriously.

This is a common trick of the Dream Eater: they habitually exaggerate trivial matters to make Wei Yuan anxiously enter the dream and embark on a cult adventure.

At this moment, the Dream Eater was pale and appeared somewhat uneasy. This unease felt incredibly real, even Wei Yuan almost believed it. Although the dream was Ji Liuli's creation, it was constructed within the Dream Eater's supernatural power; what did it have to fear?

Wei Yuan knew that this was the Food Dream's way of luring him into the trap. It had been almost a month, and Senior Sister's Dao Heart Tribulation still hadn't made any progress. The key was that Wei Yuan didn't even know what this tribulation was.

As Shi Meng suggested, it is indeed necessary to place Ji Liuli in an environment of pain, despair, helplessness, and humiliation to see what extreme reactions she might have. Only then is it easiest to break down her defenses and reveal the real problem. Once the problem is identified, targeted measures can be taken.

“Something’s not right with her; she’s been having strange dreams. I think you…you should go in and check on her.”

Wei Yuan admired Shi Meng's acting skills even more; he had even mastered the art of stuttering. He remained calm and asked, "What kind of program is it today?"

Dream Eater quickly said, "The scene is all set up. You go in first, and I'll show you the anomalies in her dream before I become your cult leader."

"Okay, can the leader's appearance be changed?" Wei Yuan asked.

"I've changed your appearance, figure, and accent to ensure no one can recognize you. I've also planned everything out; you don't need to interfere, just keep an eye on things."

Wei Yuan was very satisfied. This was his special request, just in case something unpleasant happened in the dream, and his senior sister discovered that he was the leader of the cult, she would still have room to explain herself.

Wei Yuan had already thought of how to explain himself: I was just looking outside, I didn't go in.

During this period, Ji Liuli's dreams became increasingly rich, and some unusual scenes began to appear, some of which were quite bizarre, and neither Shi Meng nor Wei Yuan could quite understand them.

But one thing is clear: in the dream, Ji Liuli's vigilance grows stronger and stronger regardless of his age, sometimes to the point of being paranoid.

This indicates that the hidden tribulation is slowly approaching, and Ji Liuli has begun to instinctively protect himself.

Wei Yuan sat down on the couch in the side hall and said, "I'm ready."

The next moment, Wei Yuan's vision changed.

It was a pitch-black night, and a torrential downpour was pouring down, making it almost impossible to open one's eyes.

Wei Yuan looked around and found himself in a desolate wilderness, surrounded by barren land and no sign of human habitation. Beside him were a few bare trees, their gnarled branches twisted and unsightly. Beneath his feet lay a field overgrown with weeds, devoid of any path or trace of other life.

Ahead, a small hill loomed, with a grove of trees faintly visible on it. The rain shrouded the high ground, making it difficult for Wei Yuan to see clearly, which surprised him. The dream world of the Dream Eater was quite unique, somewhat similar to the mental world, where most of the primordial spirit's abilities could be used.

Wei Yuan possessed extremely strong spiritual sense; in the past, he had used this very ability to see through the Dream Eater's scheme in the Paper Wedding Dress Scheme.

Even the Dream Eater couldn't restrict Wei Yuan's divine sense, but now, in this dark, rainy night, Wei Yuan's divine sense was suppressed to the point that it was almost indistinguishable from that of an ordinary cultivator.

Wei Yuan could vaguely see a girl standing not far in front of him, which should be Ji Liuli.

Suddenly, Wei Yuan spotted an old house ahead! Two large red lanterns hung at the entrance, swaying wildly in the raging wind and rain, yet their flames refused to go out. The two bright red lights flickered before the door, casting a dim, shimmering glow. The door was slightly ajar, but through the crack, he couldn't see anything inside the courtyard.

Wei Yuan had a feeling that he could only find out what was inside the courtyard by entering the gate.

The girl in front of him trembled as she took a step forward, paused for a moment, and then took another step forward.

Wei Yuan immediately realized something was wrong. The girl was resisting desperately, but it seemed like something was pushing her from behind, leading her step by step toward the courtyard gate.

Under the bright red light, the doors of the old house show the marks of time; the red paint is peeling off, the door handles are rusted, and the stone steps are covered with moss, indicating that no one has walked on them for who knows how long.

Wei Yuan stared at the door, his impulse growing stronger and stronger, and he subconsciously took a step toward the door.

suddenly!

A pale hand grabbed Wei Yuan.

Wei Yuan turned his head and saw that the Dream Eater had already taken shape and was tightly holding his arm.

"We can't go over there!" it said urgently, this time the thought not coming from the puppet, but directly from its true form hidden in the darkness.

"Is something wrong?" Wei Yuan asked.

"I don't know either; it's the first time I've seen that mansion. In short, we can't go in!"

Just as Wei Yuan was about to ask for more details, the girl in front of him suddenly screamed, and her spiritual power erupted like a storm, instantly tearing the scene apart and disappearing.

In the darkness, only the Dream Eater doll was faintly glowing. She seemed somewhat weak, saying, "I need to rest. Everything else has been arranged. You...go and see for yourself..." The Dream Eater's words grew slower and slower, her tone becoming distorted and elusive, before disappearing without giving Wei Yuan a chance to ask any questions.

The scene then changes.

"Let me go! Who are you people? Why are you arresting me...?"

A young girl struggled desperately, but she was firmly bound by the Immortal Binding Rope and could not use any of her Taoist power.

Two strongmen, shrouded in black robes and towering half a body height above ordinary people, carried her through a gloomy corridor and deeper into the main hall.

The girl was like a chick in their hands, helplessly wriggling and struggling.

A strongman sneered, "You stole our sect's most precious treasure? Do you think you can escape? The sect leader will interrogate you personally in a moment. You'd better cooperate obediently and honestly tell us where you hid the treasure, or you'll die a quick death. Otherwise, our Bone-Eating Demonic Sect's reputation isn't for nothing!"

Another strongman, finding the girl too noisy, simply gagged her with a rag. Then the two strongmen carried her to a quiet side hall.

A somewhat effeminate, eerie voice echoed from inside the hall: "Come in."

Two strongmen entered the hall, not daring to raise their heads, and said, "We have successfully captured the thief and brought her back. However, she refuses to reveal the location of the treasure, so we can only ask the sect leader for a decision."

The throne was high above, and a shadowy figure looked down at the three kneeling people below, saying, "You have done a good job! Step down."

The atmosphere inside the hall suddenly became somewhat strange. The two strongmen revealed a cryptic smile on their faces, withdrew from the side hall, and then carefully closed the hall door.

The moment the palace doors closed, a magical force enveloped the entire hall, preventing any sound from escaping.

Then the cult leader on the platform walked up to the girl, lifted her chin, examined her closely, and then let out a laugh like that of an owl, saying:
"I know you must be eager to tell me where the treasure is hidden, but don't rush. The night is still long, and dawn is still a long way off. If you enter my Hall of a Hundred Flavors and don't taste all one hundred of the most bitter flavors of life, then you've come for nothing."

The cult leader picked up the girl, walked to the nearest rack, hung her up, and then removed the gag from her mouth.

"I truly have no idea where your treasure is, I've never even heard of it! I also have absolutely no idea about this Bone-Corroding Demonic Cult, and I warn you, I am far too..."

The cult leader covered her mouth and said softly, "...Don't rush. I need to go get some tools first. You can take a good look around here in the meantime, and we'll talk about it when you've thought it through."

Then the cult leader stepped into the shadows and secretly observed the girl.

Wei Yuan cursed inwardly. This Dream Eater was indeed a demon from beyond the realms, its only contact being with the Witch Clan. Its human storybook was terribly written. If it read what he had written for Ancestor Yuan Jin, wouldn't it immediately prostrate itself in worship?
But since things had come to this, Wei Yuan could only watch silently, not daring to say or do anything rash. He had just been physically aggressing; if his senior sister noticed anything amiss, things would be terrible.

Peeking from the shadows wasn't to see the senior sister's figure...

According to the Dream Eater, the idea is to give the eldest sister some time alone, during which she will try to escape and become more active, making it easier to trigger her inner tribulation.

This makes sense; Dream Eater is indeed a master at manipulating dreams, with many clever tricks up his sleeve.

Sure enough, Ji Liuli began to look around and struggle. When she realized she couldn't break free, she suddenly twisted her body strangely, and a snow-white body emerged from her clothes.

The original Ji Liuli was still bound to the rack, still struggling, but her eyes were already empty. The girl who crawled out was only wearing her underwear, and she was clearly another Ji Liuli.

It was as if she had shed a layer of clothing, thus freeing herself from constraints.

She then ran towards the palace gate, preparing to escape. Wei Yuan, in disguise as the sect leader, remained motionless, merely sneering in the darkness, waiting for her to run into the trap on the palace gate.

When the trap is triggered, the feeling... The cult leader chuckled inwardly, making Wei Yuan roll his eyes.

As Ji Liuli approached the palace gate, he suddenly stopped, looking at the gate warily, and did not push it open rashly.

The cult leader's smirk abruptly ceased.

Just as Ji Liuli was about to change direction, a sudden commotion erupted outside, and the main hall began to tremble slightly. Before the sect leader could figure out what was happening, a loud crash resounded as the hall doors were smashed open. The shattered stones, sharp as knives, instantly shattered the sect leader's hard work inside.

Two people dressed as children entered through the broken palace gate and immediately fixed their gaze on Ji Liuli.

Ji Liuli, who was usually fearless, suddenly seemed to have seen his nemesis. His face turned ashen, and he retreated continuously.

The boy on the left sneered, "You wicked beast, you stole the treasure, do you think you can escape capture just because you've fled to the mortal realm?"

The boy on the right said, "You think you're safe hiding in this broken dream world? Look at you dressed like that, what kind of behavior is that!"

The boy on the left said coldly, "Appearance reflects the heart. This isn't the main realm. The way she dresses is what she wants."

"Fine, then so be it. If you want to see, then see everything. Let's just remove this last bit of covering her face and then take her back to the Immortal Sect like this."

The two boys looked cold and immediately took out their magical weapons, ready to make a move.

At this moment, Wei Yuan realized something was wrong. These two children carried the chaotic energy of the Immortal Heaven and were not from the Netherworld at all.

Despair flashed across Ji Liuli's face.

Just then, a short, stout figure emerged from the darkness, speaking in a deep, authoritative voice: "Insolence! Do you even respect this leader?"

(End of this chapter)