Day and night tour

Chapter 408 The Dream of the Celestial Venerable
Why is the little monk shedding tears?

That tear did not escape Zhou Xuan's eyes, and he immediately asked.

The young monk gently wiped away the tears from the corner of his eyes and said, "People are all foolish, always believing in the legend of the Blood God. This tear is shed for the people."

Zhou Xuan felt that there was something to say about the little monk's tear, but when he continued to question him, the little monk refused to tell the truth, so he had no choice but to give up.

Then, he started talking about the Blood God.

“Little monk, I don’t understand why you insist on this. Why do people say that the Blood God will descend, but you insist that he doesn’t exist?”

"Because he never existed in the first place."

The young monk spoke frankly, but Zhou Xuan didn't find this reason convincing. He pressed further, saying, "Young monk, those shamans believed that the Blood God would descend, so they performed sacrifices. And my friend witnessed the Blood God's descent with his own eyes."
"The shaman is skilled in divination, and my friend witnessed it firsthand—can't these serve as evidence of the Blood God's descent?"

The young monk shook his head, but said, "Seeing is not necessarily believing. What your friend saw as the descent of the Blood God was not the Blood God. It is called 'Cheng Huang,' born from blood, with the appearance of a dragon and the body of a horse, and feeds on human brains."
Legend has it that they were the ones who guided the Blood God to descend, but for over a thousand years, we've only ever heard of Chenghuang devouring people; who has ever heard of Chenghuang carrying the Blood God to the mortal realm?

At this point, the young monk sighed, "Alas, the Nine Li Kingdom is in turmoil under the rule of 'Cheng Huang,' and the kingdom is on the verge of collapse."

Upon hearing this, Yun Ziliang whispered to Zhou Xuan, "Jiu Li Kingdom was once our Jing Kingdom. The Jing Kingdom was divided into nine prefectures, hence the name Jiu Li."

"How many years ago was that the Nine Li Kingdom?"

Zhou Xuan then asked Yun Ziliang.

Yun Ziliang was extremely sensitive to time periods, and said, "It was a very ancient era before the twenty-four god-level beings ascended to the heavens."

"Were there any records of blood gods in ancient times?" Zhou Xuan asked again.

“The ancient times are too far removed from our past, and many things have become unverifiable. As for this Blood God, I have never seen his name in ancient books,” Yun Ziliang said.

Thinking of this, Zhou Xuan asked the little monk, "The blood god my friend saw was actually 'Cheng Huang,' so what about the shaman's sacrifice?"
The shamans are skilled in divination; surely their divine prediction of the 'Descending of the Blood God,' obtained through the combined efforts of their entire clan, cannot be false?

“Those who practice witchcraft do not respect the heavens but ghosts and gods. The ghosts on earth worship evil gods in a lewd way. What do they know?”

"You're pretty arrogant, little bald guy."

Zhou Xuan glared at the little monk.

The little monk said, "Those sorcerers' divinations are constantly changing; they never keep their word. One of the sorcerers' divinations was—'The Blood God will descend from the boundless sea of ​​blood, his body will lose its golden luster, and his blood-red will will spread throughout the Nine Realms.'"
And what about their divination from a few days ago? It turned out that the Blood God would descend upon Jinbao Mountain.

They appear to descend from the sea one moment and from the mountains the next; their words are unreliable. Anyone who believes them is utterly foolish.

"The Blood God has descended upon Jinbao Mountain. Where is Jinbao Mountain?"

Zhou Xuan, unwilling to engage in further verbal sparring with the young monk, instead inquired about the location of "Jinbao Mountain".

"Young benefactor, do you believe in the descent of the Blood God or not?"

"I need to continue to observe."

"That probably means you believe."

The young monk picked up a lantern, pointed it in the far distance, and said, "Look, do you see that tall mountain on the other side of the sea? That's Jinbao Mountain."

Zhou Xuan looked in the direction the little monk pointed. Ahead of the hill where he was, there was a village, then a town, and then a fishing village.

The fishing village is adjacent to the dark, boundless ocean, and Jinbao Mountain stands in the sea. The mountain is golden in color, with its two ends raised and the middle concave. From a distance, it really looks like a huge golden ingot.

However, this gold ingot now has some blood-red patterns. The blood-red lines form lines, and one blood line after another outlines a flower - the red spider lily.

"These are my sister's flowers."

Zhou Xuan called out to Yun Ziliang and asked, "Old Yun, take a look. Is that my sister's spider lily?"

Yun Ziliang nodded and said, "That's right, it is indeed the red spider lily."

"Let's go to Jinbaoshan."

Zhou Xuan said.

He and Yun Ziliang quickly descended the mountain, the little monk carrying a lantern, sighing and lamenting.

……

The main hall of Mr. Ye, with its deep courtyard, was extremely lonely.
In the entire courtyard, only Bifang was sitting cross-legged on the ground.

His folding fan unfolded and lay flat on the ground.

This is a plain folding fan. There are many storytellers in the world, and folding fans and gavels are their weapons, which they accompany them year after year.

Over time, they began to decorate their folding fans and clappers. Some storytellers liked to paint flower and bird patterns on their fans, while others preferred animal patterns.
Bifang's folding fan, however, was made of a blank sheet of paper.
It was as white as snow, untouched by any stain, but now it was stained, blood dripping onto the fan surface.

Bi Fang lowered his head, and the blood was flowing from his nostrils.

He was listless, but a smile lingered on his lips as he said, "Zhou Xuan, Zhou Xuan, you have already entered this 'Celestial Venerable's Great Dream'."
Once you're in the dream, you can't escape...you can't escape...and I can't escape either.

As he spoke, he raised his right hand as if grasping something in mid-air. One of the nine golden tokens, far away in Pingshui Prefecture, seemed to have been summoned and suddenly flew up from the mountains.

This golden stick swept across thousands of mountains and rivers, finally settling heavily around Bifang.

"Boom!"

After the golden token was inserted into the ground, not only did Bifang's nose bleed, but blood also flowed from both eyes.
Bi Fang's once full head of black hair had turned at least a third gray.

He extended his withered knuckles, dipped them in his own blood, and wrote the character "cloud" on the fan. Then he peacefully closed his eyes and continued to preside over the "Dream of the Celestial Venerable".

Bi Fang closed his eyes and concentrated, but then stretched out his hand and grabbed at the air, pulling out a wine gourd from the midst of this great dream.

He stroked the wine gourd, and said with a bitter smile, "Everyone else can die, but you can't."

This wine gourd is none other than the Wine Master's gourd...

……

"This Bifang has a deep foundation; it actually possesses a dream entrusted with an supreme will."

Above Jingchuan Prefecture, the horn of the Dream God sounded softly, emitting an inaudible sound wave.

The sound waves traveled to Mr. Night's main hall.

The dream deity resonates with Bifang's "Dream of the Celestial Venerable" through its own sound waves.

He took in everything that was in his dream.

The more the dream god looked at that grand dream, the more anxious he became. He said, "Old Taoist priest, can you think of a way? If that brat Zhou Xuan dies in Bifang's dream, who will clean up the mess of the Buddhist Kingdom's invasion for me?"

"Are you worried about Zhou Housheng's life or death now? What have you been up to?"

The incense-burning Taoist priest said with great annoyance.

He never expected that Bifang would have such a hidden trick up his sleeve: the Dream of the Heavenly Venerable, a dream created by the supreme will of the Jing Kingdom.

He hadn't expected it, and neither had the Dream God.

He said hurriedly,

"Who would have thought that the Supreme Will would actually give Bifang something good? However, activating this dream is extremely difficult. Bifang's incense power is not enough to activate it. But today... two nine-stick incense sticks, a Celestial-level deity as fuel, plus Zhou Xuan, this extremely monstrous person, becoming the dream eye, actually activated this dream."

There are countless feng shui formations in the world, and they come in all sorts of different kinds. However, every feng shui formation has a "core," which is the core of the formation.

The grand dreams created by storytellers are like feng shui formations, and there is a saying that the storyteller is the "dream eye." In ordinary dreams, the storyteller is the dream eye.

When the storyteller dies, the dream is shattered because the dream has no eyes.

The Dream God then said, "This dream was created by the combined offerings of everyone in the main hall; it wasn't solely due to Bifang's dream-making ability."

Knowing full well that he had no way out, Bi Fang, in desperation, used the dream to forcibly bind his fate to Zhou Xuan's and the others. It's hard to say how many of those who entered the dream, including Bi Fang, will survive.

The incense-burning Taoist priest urged, "Then think of a way to break this dream. You are the God of Dreams."

"That was the work of an unparalleled will."

The dream deity, though willing, was powerless, and said, "Currently, there is only one way to rescue those people in the dream."

"any solution?"

The incense-burning Taoist priest asked.

"Persuade Bifang to stop dreaming. Only when he stops can the dreamer come to life. There is no other way."

"Bullshit!"

Upon hearing this, the Taoist priest knew it was a bad idea. Bifang had also entered the dream and was determined to fight Zhou Xuan to the death. How could they stop at this critical juncture?
The Dream God thought for a moment and said, "There is another way."

"What?" the incense-burning Taoist priest asked.

"Didn't you say that there might be a Witch God in Mr. Ye's headquarters?" The Dream God immediately said, "Awakening the Witch God, a Celestial Venerable of this era, still has a chance to break this great dream laid out by the supreme will."

"That's it, he's beyond saving, he can't be woken up." The Taoist priest shook his head.

"why?"

"Did you see the gourd of wine in Bifang's hand? That is the gourd of the Wine Master. He took this gourd out of his dream to save the Wine Master's life. As long as the Wine Master does not enter a near-death state in this main hall, the Witch God will not wake up."

The incense-burning Taoist priest said helplessly, "In other words, Bifang also knew about the mystery of Master Jiu's background all along."

"This won't work, that won't work, it's over, there's no one left to clean up the mess in the Buddhist Kingdom."

The Dream God's voice was filled with deep sorrow and indignation, yet his horn was pointed towards the Realm of Time. For years, the Dream God's true form had remained hidden within the Realm of Time.

At this moment, a sound wave emanated from the realm of time, sweeping beyond the boundaries of the Well Kingdom and traversing the starry sky. It traveled for a short while before being captured by a "Six-Eared Vajra" hidden within the starry mist.

This Six-Eared Vajra, who was a hundred feet tall, was greatly excited after receiving the sound and shouted powerfully in a very high tone.

“Zhou Xuan has entered the dream of the supreme will of the Well Kingdom. He will surely perish today. With the divine might of our Buddhist Kingdom, no one can stop him.”

The Dream God is not without ways to break dreams. As one of the nine great gods, his power is vast and boundless. Even if the dream is a direct transmission from the supreme will, what can it do?

But within the Kingdom of Jing, perhaps no one wanted Zhou Xuan, this "suddenly appearing" young man, to die early more than him. His idea of ​​saving people in dreams? It was just for show.

Its horn, looking towards the incense-burning Taoist priest, began to ponder in silence.

"Old Taoist priest should also have a way to save Zhou Xuan, so why doesn't he take action?"

Both of these celestial beings outwardly appeared to be "willing to kill the enemy but powerless to reverse the situation," but in reality, they each harbored their own agendas.

……

After traveling for a while, Zhou Xuan and Yun Ziliang arrived at the boundless seaside.

Jinbaoshan stands majestically in the middle of the sea.

At this moment, the tide rose and fell, and a salty smell filled the air. Zhou Xuan saw a small fishing boat on the beach. A man wearing a straw hat sat on the side of the boat, with a foxtail grass in his mouth.

He chewed on grass roots, and the grass tips bounced up and down with each chew.

Zhou Xuan walked towards the man and asked, "Is this ship going out to sea?"

"Go!" the man in the straw hat said decisively.

“The two of us are going to sea to Jinbao Mountain,” Zhou Xuan said.

"Yes, but you'll have to wait."

"Why?" Zhou Xuan asked.

“Because this boat isn’t mine… I was on a boat too,” the man in the straw hat said.

"..."

Zhou Xuan never expected that the people in this dream world would be so talkative. If it's not your boat, why are you making such a fuss?
"They've arrived," the man in the straw hat said.

"Who's here?" Yun Ziliang asked.

"Boatman".

The man in the straw hat pointed to a black dot in the distance and said.

The black dot drew closer and closer... until Zhou Xuan could clearly see the figure, and then he heard a faint song.

"On the boundless sea, no boats can pass; for three thousand years, the boatmen have been the sole rulers. They do not believe in gods or heaven; they are the only river god in this vast sea of ​​suffering."

The song sounded somewhat domineering, but the figure in the sea was also quite skilled. He floated on the water, his sleeves fluttering, and in a few steps he reached the shore.

Zhou Xuan could see clearly that this was a young Taoist priest.

"Are you the people who came by boat?" the young Taoist priest asked.

"Yes."

Yun Ziliang spoke first.

The young Taoist priest boarded the boat and said, "Let's get on board."

The man in the straw hat didn't get on. He sneered, "Boatman, your boat is too small. We have a lot of people."

"No matter how many people there are, this boat can still float on the sea."

At this point, the Taoist priest waved his sleeve, summoning a mountain that pressed down on the bow of the boat.

The ship was under the pressure of a mountain, yet it remained unmoved.

"No matter how many people there are, this boat can carry them all."

“There are many of us,” the man in the straw hat added.

These words left Zhou Xuan and Yun Ziliang completely bewildered—even if there were three people, could they possibly be more than a mountain?

"You can talk about this once you're on the boat," the young Taoist priest said impatiently.

The man in the straw hat jumped onto the boat, and the small boat that could carry mountains suddenly sank because of him, until it was crushed by the man in the straw hat.

Zhou Xuan and Yun Ziliang: "..."

Upon seeing this, the young Taoist priest immediately said, "There are too many of you; it is a bit heavy."

As he said this, he jumped into the sea, spread his arms and legs, hoisted the boat onto his back, and said, "Come up and try again."

The man in the straw hat jumped back onto the boat, and this time it was alright—the boat still swallowed some water, but at least it didn't sink.

"You two get on the boat too."

After the young Taoist priest called out, Zhou Xuan and Yun Ziliang also boarded the boat.

Is this reality or a dream?

Sitting on the boat, Zhou Xuan was somewhat confused. If it was a dream, why did this world feel so real?

If this is reality, why is it so bizarre and fantastical?
A boatman-Taoist who can walk on water and move mountains at will;

A man capable of crushing a small boat carrying a mountain,
Now, the boatman and the Taoist priest were supporting the boat underwater, swaying like seaweed, looking just like a water ghost.

The atmosphere on the boat was very strange. By the moonlight, Yun Ziliang said to the Taoist priest, "Boatman, let's go to Jinbao Mountain."

"Everyone who gets on this ship is going to Jinbaoshan, and we are all going to Jinbaoshan too."

The man in the straw hat echoed this sentiment.

Zhou Xuan found it increasingly strange. This man always referred to himself as "we" and said that there were many others.

"Aren't you just one person? Why do you keep saying 'we'?" Zhou Xuan finally couldn't help but ask.

“There were a lot of us. Some of us were old friends, some were new friends, and some were not well-behaved. I taught them a lesson and locked them up.”

The man in the straw hat continued speaking to himself.

Zhou Xuan was getting annoyed and said, "Where are you all? I can't see any of the others except you."

"They're here."

The man in the straw hat took off his clothes, revealing a tattoo on his back.

The tattoo depicts an ancient well.

The well is crooked, and although it looks like a tattoo, it seems like a real object.

When Zhou Xuanping looked straight ahead, he couldn't see the well opening, but after he stood up, he could see the well opening because of the well's tilt, and he could even look down to the bottom of the well through the opening.

He saw countless people inside the well, each wearing different clothes, but there were a few people that Zhou Xuan recognized very well.

An old man wearing a fox fur coat;

A fat man weighing around 500 pounds;

A Taoist priest holding a compass and constantly divining the future.

An old man holding a fish in his hands, listening intently to the little fish talking;

A person who drinks as if he has a gourd in his hand, even though he doesn't actually have one.

A middle-aged man holding a bone needle in his hand...

"So they were all in this well."

Peng Sheng, Xishan Wang, Di Tong, Mr. Bai Liu, Li Changxun, Master Jiu... all the helpers Zhou Xuan had invited were swallowed up by the sea of ​​people in the well.

Zhou Xuan immediately used "I am the master of dreams," and a grand dream enveloped the man in the straw hat and the Taoist priest underwater.

These two, like the little monk, immediately became moving skeletons, while Zhou Xuan's companions, one by one, broke free from the influence of the Bifang Dream and regained their senses.

However, Zhou Xuan counted carefully and found that two people were missing.

Master Yuan Buyu, elder sister Zhou Lingyi.

At the same time, Zhou Xuan looked at Jinbao Mountain not far away. After staring blankly for a while, he suddenly said, "So, I have unknowingly entered Bifang's dream."

"I finally understand what Bi Fang meant when he said there were two people who would become his puppets, and that I had to kill them ruthlessly, or they would kill me."

Zhou Xuan stood up and said meaningfully, "Bi Fang's real trump card is on that Golden Treasure Mountain... He wants me to go to Golden Treasure Mountain. If I go, I will die, but if I don't go... my sister and master will die..."

"You saw through it after all. This is not a dream of bloodshed and violence, but in this dream, Zhou Xuan, you cannot win."

Bi Fang's sickly voice echoed across the sea...

(End of this chapter)