Day and night tour

Chapter 404 Ambush from all sides
The river formed from the dream flowed slowly beside Zhou Xuan.

He could even hear the gentle sound of the flowing water in the Dream River.

Hu~hu~
"Drip-drop"
A drop of water fell from above the ninth heaven and landed in the Dream River, creating ripples that disturbed the river's tranquility.

And the dream fish emerged from that drop of water, swimming freely, its six fins paddling through the water in a harmonious motion.

"So these fish don't need to be kept in a fish tank all the time?"

“Master, wherever the dream lies, that’s where this fish will go.”

Mr. Bai Liu introduced the dream fish to Zhou Xuan.

Zhou Xuan nodded.

After witnessing the past of the Earth Child in the long river of fate, he conceived a plan to kill Bi Fang.

The opponent is a Celestial God-level being, and not just a "shame of the gods" like Li Changxun. He is quite skilled in combat, and it will not be an easy task for the disciples of the mortal sect to kill him. It requires careful and meticulous planning.

In Zhou Xuan's plan to kill Bi Fang, he needed this dream fish and the "morbid" psychology of the Earth Child.

However, in order to verify the effectiveness of these two items, Zhou Xuan needed to conduct a rehearsal first.
He said, “To cut down the Bifang in the sky, we need to test its quality… Mr. Bailiu, you have created a bizarre dream that has trapped me. Let me see if I can tear this dream apart, and let me see if he can break this dream.”

As he spoke, he pointed to the earth child again.

The Earth Child is a Nine-Incense Stick. Although the Earth Child form has caused him great trouble and suffering, he is still a Nine-Incense Stick after all, and he has his own pride in the cultivation of incense and deity.

He immediately rejected Zhou Xuan's idea of ​​"inspecting the goods".

"Master, joining forces to kill Bifang is a major event. I agree that you want to see my skills, but having Bai Liu test me might not be the best approach."
The gap between us is too vast; his dreams couldn't possibly sway me.

Mr. Bai Liu did not think that Di Tong was looking down on him, and said, "Yes, Master, I am seven incense sticks, and the chief is nine incense sticks. The difference in level is like heaven and earth. He can not be trapped by my dream by using the power of incense alone."

"Then don't use your incense offerings."

Zhou Xuan said to Di Tong.

Di Tong was completely bewildered, and said in a daze, "That's not right, Master. You asked me to join forces with you because you value my level of influence, right? If I don't use any incense offerings, how can I demonstrate my abilities?"

"To kill the Bifang, we need to do it in two steps: lure the enemy in deep and then kill them together. The former is more important than the latter."

Zhou Xuan pointed to the direction of the roof and said, "That unlucky god Bi Fang is above the Heavenly Kingdom. If he doesn't descend, we can't do anything to him. But if he does descend, I can gather enough manpower to kill him."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "So, Chief, it's true I want to test your skills, but the level of your influence is secondary."

After all, in this battle, I will use the storyteller's dream and the art of magic to deceive Bifang, and then ambush you within this dream.

"And besides you, all the accomplices involved, including myself, must fall into a deep sleep within the dream. The charade must be made as realistic as possible to deceive Bifang's descent to the mortal realm."

Di Tong couldn't understand Zhou Xuan's battle plan at all, nor did he want to use his brain to think about it. He would just do whatever Zhou Xuan told him to do.

He simply asked, "Then what do I need to do?"

"You need to wake up from your deep dream when the incense has completely burned out, and then wake me up."

Zhou Xuan said this.

"No, no, that won't do." The earth child waved his hands incessantly, saying, "The storyteller's dream is too terrifying. If I extinguish the incense, I will definitely not be able to wake up."

As one of the strongest storytellers in the Jing Kingdom, his ability to "create dreams from flat ground" is a major headache for the other major storytellers, and even Di Tong dares not be arrogant.

"Give it a try. If it doesn't work, we'll try other options."

Faced with Bi Fang, Zhou Xuan was strategically dismissive, but tactically he chose to take it seriously.

"Then let's give it a try. I won't use incense offerings to break the dream."

Di Tong couldn't be stubborn anymore. Anyway, Zhou Xuan was the boss now, and he was just an employee who was there to collect his "salary". He would do whatever the boss said.

Zhou Xuan nodded, first supporting the Dream Fish with one hand, and asked Mr. Bai Liu, "Can this Dream Fish appear in dreams?"

“Of course,” Mr. Bai Liu said.

Zhou Xuan then leaned close to Mr. Bai Liu's ear and whispered, "Tell Meng Yu'er that after Di Tong and I are both in a dream, Meng Yu'er should transform into a pair of eyes in the dream."

"Master, what kind of eyes do you want?"

"Have you ever seen those wife-beating, alcoholic, and gambling addicts? Just make them look like them."

“I’ve seen quite a few myself. Let me teach Mengyuer.”

Mr. Bai Liu called to Meng Yu'er, and they communicated with her by changing characters in the Dream River.

Meng Yu'er's two big eyes blinked constantly, and sometimes she turned around and swam around, as if to say that she understood.

Then, Zhou Xuan pulled on Di Tong and said, "After you woke up from your dream, you enveloped my whole body with your powerful aura, and then you kept contracting your aura, making me feel a powerful and continuous pain."

The relentless pain could withstand the "storyteller's dream." Zhou Xuan had witnessed this firsthand when he was a novice in the temple, during a fight with a disciple of the Xuanmen sect who used the "coin divination" technique.

“I’m afraid I’ll hurt your health,” the Earth Child said.

"Just take it easy."

Zhou Xuan had great faith in Di Tong's control over the power of incense offerings.

After all, if a top-tier expert of the Nine Incense Sticks Realm couldn't even grasp this level of control, how could he be considered an expert?

After receiving the instructions, both sides made preparations.

"Mr. Shirayuki, please dream."

Zhou Xuan raised his hand and said.

"Easy to say."

Mr. Bai Liu suddenly raised his hand and struck the gavel.

A storyteller's life is a dream, his voice carried by a wooden clapper.

At the same time, Zhou Xuan and Di Tong, who had given up their resistance through incense offerings, were both enveloped by a dream of Mr. Bai Liu.

This is a colorful, bizarre dream.

In my dream, there was a forest with herds of cattle, horses, and deer, all soaring through the air.

Zhou Xuan entered a dream, his eyelids half-closed, but he maintained a sliver of consciousness.
It wasn't that he was deliberately resisting, but rather because Zhou Xuan was also a storyteller, and a storyteller who had gone through the nine levels of methods in the storyteller's hall.

He has an almost instinctive clarity about his dreams, although the degree of clarity has been reduced to an extremely low level, but it is still much better than that of the Earth Child.

That child was like a 500-pound fat man fast asleep, falling asleep as soon as he lay down, and even snoring.

"The appearance of this leader is normal. Although he is a master of the Nine Incense Sticks, he will fall asleep in my dream after giving up the incense to resist. But the eldest master... is a bit scary."

As the storyteller of the Seven Incense Sticks, Mr. Bai Liu has an extremely clear judgment on whether the person in the dream is truly asleep.

He knew that Zhou Xuan had not successfully entered a dream state and was still maintaining a sliver of consciousness. At this level of dream state, a few mosquitoes would probably bite him awake.

"If it were a battle among storytellers of the same caliber, I'm afraid no one could defeat the Great Master."

With his abilities, he couldn't truly put Zhou Xuan to sleep, but this was all he could do. Helplessly, he urged Meng Yu'er to show the strange appearance of "a pair of eyes" in the dream, according to the previous plan.

The dream fish swam lightly in a great dream, its body becoming illusory, transforming into a pair of eyes of a gambling addict.

Those eyes, clearly hanging in that bizarre and fantastical dream, didn't look at anyone.

But Di Tong felt that the eyes in his dream were watching him.

His slightly "morbid" consciousness erupted.

The words his father had asked him before he killed him kept echoing in his ears: "Why are you crying?"
"What are you crying for?"

"What are you crying for?"

The repeated questioning eventually brought the child back to his senses.

He immediately opened his blood-red eyes, filled with murderous intent: "Whoever stares at me with their eyes, I will gouge out those eyes."

The killing intent unleashed by the nine-stick-of-incense master was like surging waves, emanating from him and spreading outwards in all directions.

This wave of killing intent easily jolted Zhou Xuan back to his senses, but he did not open his eyes.

He was waiting for the Earth Child to "awaken" him.

At this point, Di Tong had begun to lose his mind; his killing intent grew layer upon layer, and his frail spirit was on the verge of collapse.
Mr. Bai Liu was also filled with trepidation, considering whether to shatter the dream and restore the spirit of the child.

Otherwise, if the nine incense sticks' worth of human experts were caught in a killing frenzy without any level of skill, neither he nor Zhou Xuan could withstand it.

Just as he was struggling with this, he saw Zhou Xuan in his dream gently waving at him, signaling that this grand dream should not end.

"The eldest master has indeed woken up."

With Zhou Xuan's instruction, Mr. Bai Liu gritted his teeth and did not break the dream, while Di Tong, on the verge of losing his reason, heard the emotional doll in his arms speak in a motherly voice.

"Child, it's getting cold, you should wear more clothes."

"Child, it's dark outside, don't run around."

His mother's voice echoed in Di Tong's ears, and his murderous intent immediately began to subside, as reason regained its hold.

He was momentarily bewildered, then looked around. When he saw Zhou Xuan, he remembered his mission, lowered his hands, and released a powerful aura that enveloped Zhou Xuan.

The aura transformed into a plastic sheet tightly wrapping around Zhou Xuan. Under the control of the Earth Child, the sheet rapidly tightened, causing Zhou Xuan's bones, internal organs, and muscles to be subjected to intense compression.
The pain quickly spread throughout Zhou Xuan's body.

Zhou Xuan was extremely satisfied with the exercise. He suddenly opened his eyes, and Di Tong, seeing this, also withdrew his aura.

"Wonderful, absolutely wonderful."

Zhou Xuan clapped his hands and said, "Just as I expected, Meng Yu'er was able to wake up the chief. My method worked."

Seeing that Zhou Xuan was in a good mood, Master Bai Liu also ended his dream and cupped his hands, saying, "Master, there is something I don't understand. Why did you pretend to be asleep even though you were already awake in the dream, waiting for the Earth Child to call you?"

"This is an exercise, so it should be performed according to the real situation. Your dream can't put me to sleep, but my own dream can... I must make sure that when the boss wakes up, he won't lose control and become a killing machine without any limits."

Zhou Xuan said this.

The child was also shaken and said, "Master, aren't you afraid I might really lose control?"

"I know better than you whether you'll really lose control."

Zhou Xuan said, "Don't forget, I have entered the Law of Destiny, and I am very sensitive to the fluctuations of emotions around me. If you really lose control, I will wake you up."

Di Tong nodded and asked, "Then, Master, are you satisfied with the test you gave me and Meng Yu'er this time?"

“Very satisfied. You two are the key to defeating Bi Fang,” Zhou Xuan said.

Di Tong shook his head, still seemingly understanding, and said, "But I still don't know the details of Master's plan to kill Bi Fang."

"Ambush from all sides".

After Zhou Xuan explained the core theme of the plan, he spoke to Zhou Lingyi through the link of the ancestral tree: "Sister, please inform King Xishan, Li Changxun, Brother Peng, and Lao Yun to gather at the Zhou Family Clan and await my summons from the Tree Gate."

Even if you're surrounded on all sides, you still need an ambush force.

Zhou Xuan recruited the strongest ambush force.

King Xishan and Ditong are nine sticks of incense, Li Changxun is a celestial deity, and Yun Ziliang has ten great dragons hidden within him; all of them possess ultimate combat power.

Peng Sheng, however, can bring the ancestral peach tree.
As for the painters and musicians—Mingjiang Prefecture also needed to be guarded, so Zhou Xuan did not invite them.

“I informed the painter by secret letter, asking him to help arrange manpower.”

Zhou Lingyi responded to Zhou Xuan via a link.

"Today, Bifang will surely be slain."

Zhou Xuan made up his mind.

……

Assembling a team takes time.
Taking advantage of the break, Zhou Xuan returned to his secret realm. When Miss Wall saw Zhou Xuan, she immediately said happily, "Ah Xuan, you're going to slay a god today! I'm going to have a good show to watch."

The engineer then said to Zhou Xuan, "Boss Xuan, your incense sticks have burned three inches and are now burning the fourth. You can start learning the techniques for burning the fourth incense stick."

"What was the method used in the fourth incense stick ceremony?"

"Creating something from nothing."

The engineer stated, "This layer of technique is an extension of the third layer, 'Illusory Image, Fleeting Moment'."

"The so-called 'flowers in a mirror and the moon in the water' is simply a fabricated scene, whether it's a pavilion or a street alley, that can deceive others into believing in its existence."
But pavilions, towers, and alleyways are ultimately inanimate objects. If you learn to "create something from nothing," you can conjure up people and animals within them, bringing them to life.

"This is a good move; it's perfect for dealing with Bifang."

Zhou Xuan's mood improved even more.

The engineer added, "By the way, Jia Dao has been contacting you; perhaps he has the latest news about Bi Fang."

"I'm going to Mingjiang Prefecture to take a look."

Upon hearing that Jia Dao was looking for him, Zhou Xuan quickly left the secret realm and told Mr. Bai Liu and Di Tong, "You two, please stay here and wait for me. I'm going to Mingjiang Prefecture."

After saying this, Zhou Xuan's spirit traveled away.

At that moment, a white beard that had been drifting inside the room landed in a crack in the wall and couldn't hide.

……

This white beard is an eye that the Taoist priest scattered into the human world.

Through this eye, he saw everything that happened between Zhou Xuan, Di Tong, and Mr. Bai Liu.

If he saw it, it was as if the gods of dreams had also seen it.

“Old Meng, I’ve said it before, Zhou Xuan’s goal is not as simple as killing the Eight Incense Sticks. Look, in such a short time, he has persuaded Di Tong to be his helper.”

"Ha, it's just relying on the remaining power of the Mother of a Hundred Demons."

The Dream God was not convinced of Zhou Xuan's abilities and said, "However, with two Nine Incense Sticks and one Li Changxun, you think it's... a bit difficult to kill Bi Fang."

"It's not difficult."

The incense-burning Taoist priest said, "People of the world have underestimated one person."

You mean Li Changxun?

The celestial being in the dream asked.

"Li Changxun is just as his name suggests..."

"You mean he is 'humble and respectful in his conduct'?" the Dream God asked the Incense-Worshipping Taoist.

"What I mean is, he's as bad as his name suggests... He's really weak. Compared to the other nine incense stick masters in the human world, he might not even be able to defeat them. He might be able to bully Li Zougui, but against Bifang, his role might not be as good as Di Tong or Xishan Wang."

He might not even be as good as Yun Ziliang.

Mr. Xianghuo's evaluation of Li Changxun was extremely low, but it was a very realistic one.

If Li Changxun were truly strong, he wouldn't have been imprisoned in the Abyss for decades.

"If it's not Li Changxun, then who could it be?"

The celestial being in the dream asked.

The incense-burning Taoist priest smiled and said, "Naturally, it is Lord Jiu from Pingshui Prefecture."

"He...he was just an insignificant figure, almost killed in the game of chess between heaven and earth."

"That was in Mingjiang Prefecture, but this time, the battle will take place in Mr. Ye's headquarters."

Upon hearing this, the Dream God immediately scoffed with a disdainful "tsk".

"Old Taoist priest, stop bragging to me. Mr. Ye, this is a branch of my Dream God. Do you think I don't know what kind of branch it is? A little wine seller can't turn the world upside down."

"Do you know that the former Master Jiu of Pingshui Prefecture was judged by Di Zi to be an ominous person? He should have been killed by Master Ye's forces on the day he was born. But why is he still alive and well, and even became a master in Master Ye's gang?"

The incense-burning Taoist priest inquired.

"Such a thing is true? Why didn't he die?" the Dream God asked.

"A dog heard a little child's voice, why didn't it dare to attack? It's simply because there was an adult holding a stick standing next to the little child."

The incense-burning Taoist priest stared at the Dream God and said, "The Earth Child is that dog, the Wine Master is that little child, and the adult holding the stick is very likely the last Heavenly Venerable in the Well Kingdom who has never shown his face."

The Kingdom of Jing has four Heavenly Venerables.

Taoist Ancestor, Ancient Buddha, Witch God, Blood Well.

Needless to say, the Blood Well, and the Dao Ancestor personally imparted the "Two Scriptures of the Valley" to Zhou Xuan. Two avatars of the Ancient Buddha have already manifested—Wuya Chan and Huanxi Chan.

Only that sorcerer god, who has not shown himself for many years, is a Taoist priest who controls the time and space world of the Well Kingdom.

In the world of time and space, the Taoist priests who worshipped incense had once seen traces of the sorcerer god in the main hall of Master Ye in Jingchuan Prefecture.

"The Witch God is in Jingchuan? Is what you're saying true?"

"I can't guarantee its authenticity; it's just my guess, but I'm pretty sure it's accurate."

The Taoist priest smiled.
Upon hearing the name of the Witch God, the Horn of the Dream God turned to run away, but was entangled by the whisk.

"Old Meng, don't run away! The Witch God won't kill you; at most, he'll give you a small punishment..."

The incense-burning Taoist priest knew why the Dream God was afraid of the "Witch God"—because the Witch God, in terms of character, was closest to the Supreme Will, extremely cruel, yet deeply concerned about the fate of the Well Kingdom.

The incompetence of the Dream God led to the invasion of the Buddhist Kingdom, and this witch god must have harbored resentment.

"Bah! What right does this Witch God have to kill me? Jingchuan Prefecture is in such a terrible state. He didn't stand up when Canglong Mountain was massacred three hundred years ago. To be honest, the invasion of the Buddhist Kingdom has little to do with me. What right does he have to shift the blame onto me?"

The dream gods were shouting wildly.

"You'd better keep your stubbornness until the God of War arrives in person."

The Taoist priest flicked his whisk, freeing the dream god from his bonds and forcing him to watch the spectacle of "slaying Bifang."

……

Inside the bamboo hut of Huifeng Medical College, Jia Dao had been waiting for a long time.

Upon seeing Zhou Xuan, Jia Dao hurriedly stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Great Master."

"How's Bifang doing?"

Zhou Xuan grabbed the teacup on the table, poured himself a glass of water, and asked.

“Bifang’s Heavenly Book is already broken. He can’t wait any longer and is going to force his way to the mortal realm.”

Jia Dao said, "I will kill you right here in Jingchuan Prefecture."

"Oh, Lao Bi is losing patience."

Zhou Xuan asked, "And then?"

"Then he has agreed to join forces with the Abyss Rat. Once the alliance is formed, he will descend to the mortal realm and go to Jingchuan Prefecture."

That's what Jia Dao said.

"That's good."

Zhou Xuan said, "Now that he has descended to the mortal realm, I will have enough manpower to kill him."

Jia Dao shook his head and said, "However, Bi Fang is extremely cunning. He's the kind of person who won't act until he sees something for himself. As far as I know him, he will never make a move unless he sees you unprotected."

"Don't worry, I will hide those who protect me."

Zhou Xuan said.

Upon hearing this, Jia Dao said, "When you say 'hidden,' do you mean to send your helpers to Pingshui Prefecture and then use the Tree Gate to lure them to Jingchuan?"

"Is there a problem?"

"It's a huge problem."

Jia Dao said, "Bi Fang has nine golden tokens in his hand. Those nine golden tokens are the ancestral magical artifacts of the storyteller. They form an array when they land and can temporarily sever connections, including the connection between you and the Zhou family ancestral tree..."

"Without the link, the Zhou family's tree gate will not function."

"Oh, thanks for reminding me. I didn't intend to hide anyone in Ping Shui Prefecture, even though my helpers are gathered there," Zhou Xuan said calmly.

"Where are you going to hide him?" Jia asked.

Zhou Xuan said with a smile, "It's hidden in Jingchuan Prefecture, hidden in a great dream I created. I'm going to give Bifang a surprise attack from all sides."

(End of this chapter)