Gentlemen, it's time to enter the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls.

Chapter 371 Ordinary people are like ants

The reason why the Yunlu Immortal Sect was helpless against this plague was mainly because mortals are too vulnerable.

Unable to resist the plague, and unable to accept the pain of reality after having a beautiful dream, they will think of forever sinking into the dream.

The desire for pleasure is human nature; it cannot be eradicated or reversed. Some people can distinguish between what is real and what is fake, but most people cannot.

Therefore, this plague is incurable; even immortals cannot change human nature.

However, the dream was devoured by that strange monster, which dispelled its influence. The more beautiful the dream was beforehand, the more painful it would be when it shattered.

However, having nightmares is better than indulging in beautiful dreams, but it's unclear how this person managed to turn a beautiful dream into a nightmare.

On the way back, Chen Ye wanted to ask him more questions, but the man was lying prostrate on the auspicious cloud, trembling with fear, and could not even speak properly.

Chen Ye comforted Shuo, "Don't worry, you won't fall."

The man closed his eyes and squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth: "I... am afraid of heights..."

Mo Suixin laughed and said, "You're afraid of heights but you still dare to climb the Heavenly Ladder, and you even made it halfway up."

Chen Ye remarked with emotion, "I guess he came for help because of his family. No matter how scared I am, I have to keep climbing. Besides, this cloud-flying technique is indeed quite frightening because it makes one feel weightless."

Although the auspicious cloud can lift people up, the ground still feels soft and squishy. If you're not used to it, you might feel like you could be thrown off at any moment.

Chen Ye simply sped up, climbing the ladder all the way to his small courtyard.

After putting the man down, Chen Ye personally warmed a pot of tea for him until the man stopped trembling before asking about his origins.

"I am Xu Youli, from Wuling Township, Heishi Town. A few days ago, a celestial master passed through my hometown and said that there was a plague spreading. He told us to stay at home and not go out. But later, people in the village kept dying..."

After listening carefully to the man's description, Chen Ye realized that it was similar to his guess: the family members would be eaten while having pleasant dreams, turning them into nightmares, so they did not have the urge to commit suicide.

However, more and more people died in the village, and the village was sealed off after the immortals came. Although the Yunlu Immortal Sect gave them a few bottles of Bigu Pills, one pill could serve as a month's worth of food.

But even the most fasting pills eventually run out, and Xu Youli's family couldn't just wait to die inside. So Xu Youli left Wuling Township and went to Yunlu Immortal Sect for help.

When Chen Ye asked Xu Youli what methods his family used to ward off dreams, Xu Youli presented him with a small tuft of hair that he kept close to his body.

“This is the hair of the Earth God, whom my family has worshipped for generations. Although I have never seen anything miraculous about it, my father said that it must have been the Earth God who protected our family so that we were able to survive. As for the immortal's formation, I don’t know what it is. Anyway, we just forced our way through.”

Chen Ye took the tuft of hair and scanned it with his spiritual eyes. He could indeed see a trace of spiritual energy attached to it.

This is clearly the hair of a monster, and perhaps that monster is the reason why the dream was devoured.

Chen Ye carefully stroked the tuft of hair, sensing the changes in its spiritual energy, until Xu Youli started yawning again, at which point he returned the hair to him.

"Keep this hair safe for now."

Seeing that Xu Youli's eyelids were drooping, Chen Ye simply let him lie down in his room to rest.

After stepping out of the room, Mo Suixin asked, "Should we notify the Yunlu Immortal Sect?"

Without hesitation, Chen Ye said, "Of course, I'll go find Yu Shenxing in a bit. This matter is of great importance and must be made known to the Yunlu Immortal Sect."

Mo Suixin sensed a hidden meaning in Chen Ye's words: "Wait a while? What are you waiting for?"

Chen Ye said in a low voice, "You will protect me, and I need to test some of my conjectures."

Seeing Chen Ye's solemn expression, Mo Suixin took out several talismans and, with a flick of her finger, affixed them to the surrounding void. The talismans vanished, but a barrier was formed, enveloping the two of them.

Chen Ye concentrated and began to circulate the Eight-Nine Arcane Technique. A layer of brown hair grew on the back of his hand and then spread to his entire body.

The human body hunched over, transforming into a chubby, endearing wild beast.

Mo Suixin blinked repeatedly as she looked at it, unable to resist reaching out to touch it.

Chen Ye quickly dodged, but the round body seemed to have difficulty maintaining its balance. As soon as it moved, it tilted and rolled uncontrollably to the side, belly up and kicking wildly.

Mo Suixin wanted to touch it even more after seeing it, but before she could rub its belly, Chen Ye immediately transformed back into human form.

Seeing Mo Suixin's regretful expression, Chen Ye laughed and said, "Since you like fluffy things so much, I'll give you a cat later."

Mo Suixin shook her head and said, "I never keep pets, lest I be heartbroken when my lifespan ends. But what kind of wild beast did you just transform into? I've never seen one before."

After thinking for a moment, Chen Ye replied, "It's probably a dream-eating tapir."

Chen Ye had never seen a Dream Eater before, but he could sense from the residual scent on that tuft of hair that it could barely transform into the appearance of this monster.

This was thanks to Sheng Huai'an's swordsmanship, which seemed to point Chen Ye in the right direction, allowing him to gain a deeper understanding of the art of transformation, which enabled him to barely manage to perform the transformation.

As for the Dream Eater's talent of devouring dreams, Chen Ye felt that he could also use it after some practice.

Chen Ye described this dream-devouring talent to Mo Suixin, but Mo Suixin said, "This sounds like a temporary solution. People afflicted with the plague will keep dreaming. We can't give everyone in the world a dream-devouring tapir."

Even a well-informed disciple of the immortal sect like Mo Suixin had never seen a Dream Eater, which shows that this monster is rare. Faced with the Dream Plague that can infect hundreds of thousands of people at a time, it can only be considered a drop in the ocean.

"Of course, we can't rely on monsters to solve this, but magic is just an array, and an array is magic. Even the innate supernatural abilities of humans and monsters are the same. As long as we spend time studying and breaking them, they will eventually become magic that everyone can cultivate."

"The Yunlu Immortal Sect is the number one magic sect in the world. If we can crack the innate supernatural abilities of these dream-eating beasts, then perhaps we can find a way to eradicate them."

Chen Ye's words were not an exaggeration. So-called innate supernatural abilities are actually just a person's understanding of the principles of heaven and earth. Although individuals are different, the basic principles are the same.

The first magical technique a practitioner learns upon entering the path of cultivation is actually the innate supernatural power that predecessors have comprehended.

Some people not only grasp the concepts but also understand, summarize, and teach them to others, while others only have a superficial understanding, know how to use them but cannot teach them.

Therefore, in theory, all supernatural powers in the world can be transformed into spells that everyone can learn; it's just that the degree of difficulty in this transformation varies.

Chen Ye alone could not possibly transform his Dream Eater talent into magic, but the Yunlu Immortal Sect might be able to, though it's unknown how much manpower and resources would be required.

Success is not guaranteed, but having hope is always a good thing.

Mo Suixin asked, "But would the Yunlu Immortal Sect really expend so much effort for mortals? I heard that after this disaster relief effort, there has been considerable conflict between the Yunlu Immortal Sect and mortals. Moreover, the plague has spread to this day, and those mortals who were severely poisoned have already died. Would it be a waste to develop this technique again?"

Chen Ye did not answer the question, because that was also what he was worried about.

Most righteous practitioners do not need offerings from ordinary people. Saving their lives is a good deed, but it is met with complaints from ordinary people. Who wouldn't be angry?
It's enough to do your best to save them; there's no need to risk your life for mortals. Even the Yellow Springs Sect operates in this way: save them if you can, and accept your fate if you can't.

The Yunlu Immortal Sect doesn't need incense offerings, so their willingness to save people is definitely even weaker.

Such is the way of the world; mortals suffer greatly. Seeking immortals or Buddhas is not as good as relying on oneself. If one cannot become an immortal or attain enlightenment even for a day, one is ultimately just an ant.

(End of this chapter)