Mang Shusheng's Ink Painting Practice

Chapter 323 Providing Security

Zhao Yifu was given a brand new mission: to make those two big shots 'have fun'.

Well, how should I put it...

Zhao Yifu's first reaction was, "Could someone be going to ruin this dream?"
No way, who else besides those two big shots would be so bored?

However, considering that there seem to be quite a few people in this world who like to get involved, Zhao Yifu had no choice but to bite the bullet and leave his physical body to enter the dream world.

When his primordial spirit arrived in the dream world, he felt that he could actually do many things in this dream world.

In this land where dreams of all beings are woven, he seems to be able to manipulate the dreams of all beings with impunity.

Well, it's actually a great deal of power, but it's not that useful for cultivators... It's all a matter of how you look at it.

Zhao Yifu did not consider himself invincible in this dream world, after all, he could only reach this dream world, and had no 'control' over it.

Just like those two saints, couldn't they also use dreams to determine who was superior?

To his surprise, when his main spirit was projected into the dream world, he found that the dream world around him had all faded away.

He suddenly realized something.

That is, his primordial spirit has made rapid progress during this period, and it is no longer comparable to what it used to be.

Under the radiation of his powerful primordial spirit, these dreams vanished as if spring sunshine had melted into snow.

It wasn't that the person dreaming had woken up, but rather that at this moment, all the dreams within the radiation area of ​​his primordial spirit had transformed into a lake reflecting his primordial spirit.

The light of the primordial spirit shone in, and only the shadow of a great god remained in the dream.

Zhao Yifu vaguely understood that this dream world, though seemingly magical, was actually incredibly fragile.

It's just that ordinary beings from the Three Realms don't have the opportunity to reach this place, nor do they know of its existence, which is why it seems so peaceful.

Even Zhao Yifu himself was able to come to this dream world by chance. When he was comprehending the void, he fell into this place in order to avoid the gaze of Youquan.

This isn't a place anyone can just come to.

This can be seen from the fact that Zhao Yifu taught the monkey the method of "Dreamlike Immortal Travel" from the beginning, but the monkey always needed him to take it with him to come over.

This is probably not just because he has a special talent for spatial perception, but more importantly because his primordial spirit has acquired the void attribute due to prolonged contact with the dark source power.

This point is probably the most crucial.

In other words, it's highly unlikely that someone like him would enter the dream world directly from the outside. So how did the two sages enter the dream world?
Zhao Yifu suddenly realized that the two of them probably entered this dream directly through the Eight Heavenly Gods who were collectively dreaming outside.

So his main spirit secretly observed outside the dream woven by the gods and immediately discovered that no power was leaking out of the dream.

In other words, the dream world he was in at that moment was always on a transcendent level, while the specific dreams occurred on a level closer to reality, only projected into the dream world.

It's like how the Witch Clan weaves dreams in the City of Dreams every day, yet no one ever actually appears in this dream realm.

In that case, what he needs to do is simple.

That is, how to block the entrance for these two sages to enter the 'Dream of the Investiture of the Gods'.

Of course, this entrance itself belongs to the gods, so blocking it is impossible. But Zhao Yifu has his unique way of thinking, believing that since it can't be blocked, it's better to just...

He's started weaving dreams again.

He began weaving dreams on an enormous scale, not just those of the gods, but also drawing in the dreams of countless celestial beings and mortals.

The gods who were in the process of "conferring the title of gods" had their memories of their past lives pulled out and randomly combined and scrambled together to form a super-large dream group that resembled an "endless parallel space".

Zhao Yifu hid the true 'Dream of Conferred Gods' behind this endless dreamscape.

In an instant, the dream unfolded layer upon layer, turning what was once a clearly discernible dream world into a complete mess.

In some ways, he could even be considered to have 'created the world'!
These intertwined dreams allow all living beings to occasionally experience drastically different lives within their dreams... This has no impact on the mortal realm, but merely adds a touch of fun for all beings.

It was within this dreamlike state that Zhao Yifu sensed another great will sweeping over the eight gods who were drunk and staggering, and the result was that he wanted to enter the 'Dream of the Investiture of the Gods'.

Zhao Yifu didn't know whose will it was, nor did he know why the other party wanted to get involved.

but……

His sages and ancestors had all told him to find a way to keep an eye on things, so naturally he couldn't afford to be lax in the slightest.

So he also 'encrypted' the dreams of each person's many past lives...

He has discovered that these Jie Sect immortals actually had very few past lives.

Some have only had a dozen or so past lives, and some may have only had three to five reincarnations...

They attained enlightenment relatively early, and their true spirits had already achieved enlightenment after reincarnating several times in the Three Realms.

The fewer times a true spirit reincarnates, the less it is affected by worldly ignorance, and the more suitable its mind and nature are for cultivating the Tao.

Conversely, if a true spirit reincarnates many times, the accumulation of wisdom from past lives can also be considered a form of wisdom.

When one finally awakens to enlightenment in a past life, all the experiences of those past lives within the true spirit will become the foundation that helps the cultivator to improve rapidly.

Zhao Yifu's current problem is that the number of past lives of these Jiejiao disciples is mostly very small, and these past lives are mostly spiritual beings that do not exist in the present world...

This makes it much easier to identify.

So Zhao Yifu had a sudden inspiration and disguised the past lives of these plants and animals as another form.

For example, kittens, puppies, warhorses, and the like.

Since it's a dream anyway, he can confuse it without restraint.

Then the great will that wanted to enter the 'Dream of Gods' from the outside world met with a thwart.

He was led into a series of labyrinthine dreams from which he could not escape.

In those labyrinthine dreams, it was easy for that great consciousness to extricate itself, but taking another step forward was terrifying.

Even if He wanted to use His infinite wisdom to unravel this mystery, He would be helpless, as Zhao Yifu was constantly generating entirely new dreams.

Layer upon layer, endless and boundless, even someone who could pierce through the dream realm with a single thought could create another dream with a single thought, just as Zhao Yifu could.

The same group of people, arranged in completely random combinations, can produce drastically different dreams.

Even more worried that his strength was insufficient, Zhao Yifu swallowed a 'Smart Pill' and took an Enlightenment Golden Pill, instantly boosting his thinking speed to another level.

For him, it was a race against time, a matter of life and death.

That great being rapidly deciphered each dream world and then went to search for the dream of becoming a god, while Zhao Yifu continuously constructed entirely new dreams...

He was becoming increasingly proficient at weaving dreams.

He also discovered that the more realistic the world he created became, the slower the breakthrough would be.

Zhao Yifu felt he had found the trick, and then began to think of ways to create dreams that were as close to reality as possible.

Then, as countless dreams intertwined and sparked different kinds of inspiration, he vaguely sensed the scent of destiny within those dreams.

What is destiny?

In Zhao Yifu's view, fate is simply a matter of probability.

From the moment a person opens their eyes for the first time and sees something, hears something, it begins to influence every thought they have in the future. All experiences added together are an accumulation of probabilities, which determine both the state of the body itself and the decisions made at every critical juncture in life.

The different decisions each person makes at different critical junctures in their lives can lead to different outcomes for the world.

This truly creates an endless series of parallel worlds.

At that moment, Zhao Yifu suddenly realized why he had created so many inexplicable dream worlds.

All he needs is a 'Dream of Godhood', and then, as the Dream of Godhood continues, it spreads into endless parallel worlds according to the different choices of different people.

The consciousness of those gods exists in every parallel dream; they have countless possibilities and live completely different lives.

It was this realization that suddenly made Zhao Yifu less nervous.

When destinies begin to intertwine here, who can say this isn't a real world?
Zhao Yifu was having a blast.

He even built a heavenly court in his dream, which was formed by the collective consciousness of all living beings in the dream, representing all the expectations of all living beings for the dream world.

Thus, the Heavenly Court began to operate in a completely impartial and selfless manner.

Those who make mistakes may be dissatisfied, but as long as the will of the vast majority of beings remains unchanged, this Heavenly Court can continue to function...

And when he established the Heavenly Court in his dream, the invasion of that great consciousness became even more difficult.

Because each time a level of the dream is broken through, that being must overcome the resistance of the Heavenly Court, which is the collective will of all beings in the dream...

Zhao Yifu seemed to sense that the consciousness was becoming increasingly agitated, and he was in a mood to watch the show.

But then he suddenly realized something...

Isn't this Heavenly Court the very 'Heavenly Way' of the dream?

Although it was crude, and although there were deeper mysteries, once Zhao Yifu realized this superficial truth, he immediately connected it to the current Heavenly Court and the Heavenly Emperor who had become a puppet of the Heavenly Dao...

Therefore, the impartial and selfless way of Heaven is the common choice of all living beings, while those who oppose Heaven are standing on the opposite side of all living beings.
Zhao Yifu scratched his head, feeling a bit itchy.

However, he soon realized that while the way of Heaven is indeed impartial and embodies the collective will, every group needs someone who can guide it in the right direction.

It's as if an ancient grudge will erupt in the future, and all living beings could be corrupted. At that time, the collective will will naturally be corrupted as well, and the Way of Heaven might become a very evil thing.

In that situation, can we still conclude that the will of Heaven is correct?

No, that won't work. A powerful figure is needed to reverse the situation and allow all people to return to their most basic state...

Zhao Yifu has figured out many things, and it can be said that he now has a deeper understanding of the Way of Heaven, and he will no longer have any hesitation.

This dream experience was also a kind of enlightenment for him, giving him a very intuitive understanding of the operating logic of this world.

This continued for a while, and then that great consciousness quietly faded away.

Clearly, He didn't want to get entangled any further.

Zhao Yifu breathed a slight sigh of relief, but he dared not let his guard down for even a moment.

Sure enough, not long after, that consciousness quietly returned, pulling off a 'comeback' trick!
Good heavens, who is this great being? Has he no shame?!

Zhao Yifu almost cursed, but he barely managed to hold back.

However, he wasn't worried about being troubled in real life, since he had a powerful background. As long as the Grandmaster Taiqing didn't want to, no one could hold him accountable.

Zhao Yifu cautiously lay low until, at some point, the eight righteous gods who formed the foundation of this dream awakened one after another, and the endless sea of ​​dreams that extended from the dream of the Investiture of the Gods shattered like a bubble.

Its existence lasts only a short day, just like that of a mayfly.

But how can one define a dream as a 'day' for someone who has experienced a lifetime or several lifetimes?

Zhao Yifu suddenly realized something: the so-called time is actually determined by the collective consciousness of all living beings.

Even his perception of time is based on his long-held understanding. So what would happen if he broke away from this understanding?
Zhao Yifu felt a surge of excitement, wanting to experience what it was like to be independent of the Three Realms and time.

However, now was clearly not the time. After the dream of the gods and the related endless dream sea had vanished like bubbles, Zhao Yifu's main spirit returned, and then he created a dream avatar to check on the monkey.

He had been busy keeping an eye on things and hadn't seen what happened next.

When he arrived, the eight righteous gods stood up, rubbing their heads, looking very tired.

"I think I had a very strange dream..."

Someone hesitated, clearly feeling an urge to speak out about the dream.

Immediately someone said, "I also had a strange dream, as if we had returned to the War of the Gods..."

"I had the same dream too. Is this a common dream for everyone?"

The room suddenly became noisy.

The monkeys joined in the commotion.

Zhao Yifu looked at the monkey who was befriending the eight righteous gods and suddenly felt that things were about to go wrong.

It's true that the Sage Taiqing would help him conceal the secrets of heaven, but it's really too conspicuous for a guy like the Monkey King, who was born after the Investiture of the Gods, to be making a fuss here. Anyone with eyes can see that this dream of the Investiture of the Gods is related to the Monkey King.

Then, by following the clues, wouldn't it be easy to find him?
Soon the monkey realized that he was somewhat out of place with these immortals.

Then, taking advantage of the moment when no one was looking, he quietly ran away.

He had to run.

Even though He was unaware that a third great being had intervened in this dream, the mere clash between the wills of the two saints within that dream already made Him feel extremely dangerous.

Without saying a word, he went straight to Zhao Yifu's Baiyun Mountain, sat down and drank a big gulp of wine to calm his nerves, before saying to Zhao Yifu, "Brother, what should we do?"

Zhao Yifu shook his head helplessly and said, "I didn't expect it to be like this either. How could it have attracted the attention of a sage?"

He actually knew that the Sage would pay attention to this matter, but he did not expect that the Sage would suddenly personally intervene in this dream and cause trouble.

The monkey finally realized what was happening; this was bad!

Zhao Yifu said, "Brother Monkey, why don't you go back to your master's place to lay low for a while?"

The monkey asked in surprise, "Do you know who my master is?"

Zhao Yifu said, "We can only guess who it is, but it must be a very powerful being who can protect Brother Monkey."

The monkey shook its head and said, "No, I can't go back. I can't cause my master so much trouble."

I never expected that this monkey would have such thoughts.

Zhao Yifu said, "This doesn't mean you caused trouble; they have no reason to come looking for trouble."

"You were just treating your friends to drinks, you didn't do anything out of line."

The monkey thought that made sense, and said, "In that case, I'm not afraid of anything anymore. But you, my dear brother..."

Zhao Yifu also said with a bitter face, "What else can we do? We can only deal with it as it comes and take it one step at a time."

I'm afraid he's not good enough. The monkey has a powerful backer, but he doesn't.

It's just a hassle.

(End of this chapter)