Chapter 3903: A Thousand Years’ Dream

Suddenly, the earth and sky fell silent, and everything around Lu Yin started to shatter. Reality itself peeled away in great swathes.

In a far corner of the Seventh Night Pillar, someone’s eyes snapped open in shock. “A top expert! This is bad!”

Just as he moved to escape, someone appeared behind him, and their shadow fell over him.

He froze where he was, too afraid to move.

“So... is this the Thousand Years’ Dream? Quite the impressive technique. However, what I’m curious about is, just what is it that grants you the power to make me want to fall asleep, even if only for a moment?” A voice spoke slowly.

The man turned to look at the person behind him. “Y- You... who are you?”

Lu Yin laughed, and it was an oddly cheerful laugh. None of the people invited to travel with the Seventh Night Pillar to witness the reset of the Orchid Megaverse were ordinary individuals, and yet there were still some who did not recognize him. This was not even a random cultivator, but rather someone from the Dream Domain. It was such a joke.

“You don’t know me, and yet I know you. Wu Jie, right?”

The man before Lu Yin was indeed Wu Jie, an Ortuser from the Dream Domain. His only pleasure in life was causing people to fall into dreams and then watch the resulting dramas of love, vengeance, and tragedy unfold within their minds... while having a bit of fun along the way, of course.

"Who are you?"

"Lu Yin."

Wu Jie’s mouth fell open. “You’re Lu Yin?”

He had not recognized Lu Yin because, during Lu Yin’s Origin realm breakthrough when he had sent characters raining down across the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, Wu Jie had happened to be inside another person’s dream. Even after leaving that dream, he had never bothered to focus on the real world. To Wu Jie, dreams were the true reality, while life itself was nothing more than a dream.

Before the Seventh Night Pillar had left for the Orchid Megaverse, Wu Jie had heard Gu Duanke welcome Lu Yin, but he had not paid the matter any mind, as he had never planned to expose himself during the trip. It was only after he had witnessed the Orchid Megaverse’s reset and gained enlightenment that he could no longer resist entering dreams. His goal was not just to play tricks on others, but also to explore his new insight.

Unfortunately, he had run into Lu Yin.

The Seventh Night Pillar was home to hundreds of thousands of cultivators, which meant that the odds of Wu Jie encountering Lu Yin were minuscule. He had never imagined that it would actually happen.

On top of that, even if Wu Jie had encountered Lu Yin, he should have been noticed right away. Lu Yin had deliberately entered the dream. He had to have done it intentionally, as there was no other way Wu Jie could have slipped through undetected.

Wait, what did he just say? He felt like sleeping for just a moment? Only a moment? How is that possible?

Wu Jie was an Ortuser from the Dream Domain, and with the aid of dream spirits, he was capable of pulling even Dukkhans into a dream. Given his recent enlightenment, he was confident that he could pull even peak Dukkhans into a dream.

Such skill should place him among the top three in the entire Dream Domain. Even those senior Dukkhans might no longer be a match for Wu Jie’s skills. And yet, he had only managed to make Lu Yin feel sleepy for a single moment? Only that?

Lu Yin observed Wu Jie with great interest. The man had a plain face, and there was nothing charismatic about him to speak of. In fact, he even gave off a dispirited air. If Lu Yin saw the man on the street, he would not even spare him a second glance. And yet, this man had managed to make Lu Yin feel sleepy for a moment. It was unbelievable, considering that Wu Jie was only an Ortuser.

Lu Yin’s strength was enough for him to be regarded as the most powerful cultivator beneath the Immortals. If a peak Dukkhan from the Dream Domain had managed to make him feel a bit sleepy, it would have been understandable. After all, that was the sect’s signature ability. However, for a mere Ortuser to do that? Was the Dream Domain that formidable?

Did that not suggest that a Dukkhan from the Dream Domain could possibly make Lu Yin actually fall asleep?

If that was true, then could the sect master of the Dream Domain, Wu Shang, who was Greater Sancte Mi Jin’s disciple, force Lu Yin to fall asleep without issue?

These questions caused Lu Yin to grow rather serious.

In Wu Jie’s eyes, there was bloodlust in Lu Yin’s eyes, and he quickly said, “Lord Lu, I didn’t mean it! I didn’t even know that I’d targeted you! It was random, and I meant no ill will. I swear, I never meant to offend you. Besides, how did you even manage to find me?”

Lu Yin stared at Wu Jie with cold eyes. “Should finding you... have been difficult?”

Wu Jie did not know how to answer that. Should it be difficult? He considered the other people on the Seventh Night Pillar. If any of them had asked, he would have an answer.

Gu Duanke might be capable of easily finding Wu Jie, but that was only because Gu Duanke was able to track everyone aboard the Seventh Night Pillar. If not for that, Wu Jie was confident that not even Gu Duanke could have found him.

As for anyone else, nothing needed to be said. Wu Ji had played both Greater Sancte Green Lotus’s disciple and Greater Sancte Blood Tower’s disciple like fools.

If the Dream Domain disciples were too easy to find, they would have never become the strongest faction in the East Domain.

How had Lu Yin found him? He had made it look so easy.

“You’ve done quite a few good deeds recently,” Lu Yin blandly stated, “You even took a shot at me. You know what happens to people who come after me, don’t you?”

Wu Jie revealed a bitter smile. “I didn’t even know that I’d targeted you. I honestly didn’t want to. Even if I were arrogant, I would have never thought that I could beat you, Lord Lu. Please, spare me. My Dream Domain will surely reward you handsomely.”

“With revenge?”

“Gratitude.”

“So, both thanks and a threat, huh?”

Wu Jie shook his head. “No, absolutely no threats. To others, it might be considered as such, but you, Lord Lu... no one can threaten you.”

Even if Wu Jie did not particularly care about what happened in the real world, he had still heard about some of Lu Yin’s feats. The man had single-handedly destroyed the Autumnspring Slip and strewn his characters across the Nine Odysseys Megaverse. He had annihilated the Cheng family. There was more than enough proof that the man feared no one. The Dream Domain was certainly formidable, but not to the point of being able to threaten someone truly peerless.

Wu Jie was not about to risk his life on the off chance that Lu Yin feared the Dream Domain.

Lu Yin chuckled and slowly raised a hand to press a finger to Wu Jie’s forehead.

The man’s expression changed. “Lord Lu, there’s no grudge between us! It was all just a misunderstanding! Please, for the sake of the Dream Domain, spare me just this once!”

“If I’m not wrong,” Lu Yin commented in a mild tone, “You were planning to use your Thousand Years’ Dream to make me slap myself, weren’t you?”

Wu Jie’s heart sank. “You misunderstood, Lord Lu! No, it was just a joke.”

“Are you saying that my guess is wrong?”

“No, wait! Lord Lu!” Wu Jie shouted in shock. Lu Yin’s finger dropped down, tapping the man’s forehead. Consciousness streamed into Wu Jie’s body from Lu Yin’s fingertip, forming a Heaven and Earth Lock that sealed Wu Jie’s spirit seed, external senses, and cultivation.

Wu Jie stared at Lu Yin in a daze. The instant Lu Yin’s consciousness entered his body, he felt as though he had been struck by lightning. His entire body was mired down, and he was unable to escape. Only after Lu Yin withdrew his hand did Wu Jie breathe a sigh of relief, only to then discover that something was wrong with his body. He gave Lu Yin a confused look.

Lu Yin calmly explained, “Tell someone with authority in the Dream Domain to come apologize to me, or else you’ll be ruined for the rest of your life.”

With that, he vanished.

Wu Jie looked around his empty surroundings. When he was certain that Lu Yin was really gone, the man let out a long breath. He was not dead, which was good. There were still many pleasures that he had not experienced yet. He was not ready to die.

Wu Jie tried to use his A Thousand Years’ Dream, but as expected, failed entirely. Lu Yin had sealed Wu Jie’s power with nothing more than raw consciousness.

How did he do it?

Wu Jie immediately tried to break Lu Yin’s Heaven and Earth Lock, but no matter what he did, nothing worked. He felt like a mayfly trying to shake a tree.

Was it really true that only Lu Yin could release it?

Unwilling to give up, Wu Jie moved out to find Gu Duanke. On the Seventh Night Pillar, aside from Lu Yin, Gu Duanke was unquestionably the strongest person. He was the only one who might be able to help Wu Jie.

At this same time, Gu Duanke was speaking with Lu Yin.

“What? Were you afraid that I’d kill him?” Lu Yin asked with a smirk.

Gu Duanke chuckled. “Not really. You aren’t one to kill indiscriminately, Mr. Lu, and Wu Jie didn’t cross your bottom line.”

Lu Yin replied, “You’re wrong about that. He tried to cross my bottom line, but lacked the strength to succeed.”

Gu Duanke sighed. “Regardless, thank you for sparing him.”

Lu Yin asked, puzzled. “What connection does he have with you?”

Gu Duanke replied, “All of this takes place on my Seventh Night Pillar, and I have a responsibility. Besides...”

The man paused and glanced in Wu Jie’s direction. “People from the Dream Domain are... special.”

“Because they’re considered Greater Sancte Mi Jin’s disciples?” Lu Yin asked.、

Gu Duanke shook his head. “Not just that. When people from the Dream Domain die, they either leave nothing behind, or only a dream spirit. They don’t leave spirit seeds behind, or even a corpse.”

Lu Yin was surprised. He had not heard any of this before. “People from the Dream Domain don’t cultivate with spirit seeds?”

He had clearly just sealed Wu Jie’s spirit seed, which should prove that the people from the Dream Domain did cultivate with spirit seeds.

“They do,” Gu Duanke replied, “But A Thousand Years’ Dream changes them. I’m not entirely clear on how, as this goes back a very long time. There is only one certain thing: the honor that they enjoy in life, they must repay in death. That’s why they’re so special. If you want specifics, Mr. Lu, you’ll have to visit the Dream Domain yourself. I’ve said all that I can. Still, thank you for sparing him.”

Lu Yin had not expected to learn that the Dream Domain harbored such secrets. The Nine Odysseys Megaverse truly had too many of them.

Were Dream spirits, which seemed to be the unique power that the Dream Domain cultivated, actually born after death?

Lu Yin was growing increasingly curious about the Dream Domain. He was the only one who could release Wu Jie’s Heaven and Earth Lock, aside from the Immortals. If the Dream Domain wanted to help Wu Jie, they would be forced to approach Lu Yin, which would give him an opportunity to ask more questions.

...

The moment the Nine Odysseys Megaverse came into view, time seemed to accelerate until the Seventh Night Pillar entered it.

The sight of the great Mother Tree put everyone’s hearts at ease.

Having seen the destruction of the Orchid Megaverse’s Mother Tree, those who did not belong to the Nine Odysseys suddenly realized that they had experienced a significant shift in their perception. They understood why the people of the Nine Odysseys were different.

The Seventh Night Pillar streaked across the sky like a meteor before finally slamming into the ground, kicking up a massive cloud of dust. Underground, the Morrow Behemoth let out a deep growl as it rolled over and went back to sleep.

As the dust settled, numerous cultivators raced out of the Seventh Night Pillar. Many had not exchanged even a single word with others throughout the entire journey. Everyone had their own secrets, and for some, simply accompanying the Seventh Night Pillar to witness the Orchid Megaverse’s reset was a secret.

As soon as the Seventh Night Pillar returned to the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, Luo Ning reached out to his family.

He knew the danger that the Luo family was facing. Eighteen years had passed since he left, and he had no idea what might have become of the Skyward Gate.

Before long, his face grew pale, and he turned to stare in the North Domain’s direction. In front of his eyes, a display flickered to life, and he saw the face of a middle-aged man, whose voice carried his grief. “Young Master, don’t come back! The Luo family is doomed. No matter what you do, don’t come back! Go to the Scion Spire. This is the patriarch’s order: never return to the Northern Realm!”

Luo Ning clenched his teeth as he put his communication device away. He then started to silently make his way towards the Mother Tree.

Lu Yin looked away. His first thought had also been of the situation at the Skyward Gate, and so he had kept an eye on Luo Ning and overheard the Luo family’s message.

What had been bound to happen had finally occurred.

Some years ago, a group of cultivators from the Nine Odysseys Megaverse who had long since been considered to have died in the Spirit Nidus had appeared outside the Skyward Gate. The Spirit Nidus was using those people to pressure the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, as they were demanding that the Skyward Gate be opened so that they could return home. The Luo family had held firm under the pressure, severing all connections between the Spirit Nidus and the Nine Odysseys Megaverse. They even kept all the cultivators outside in order to prevent the Spirit Nidus cultivators from taking advantage of the gate’s opening to launch an attack.