Chapter 963: The End of the Dream

Within the Great Zen Monastery, Master Hui'en was in the middle of a heated argument with a burly middle-aged monk when a young monk hurriedly rushed in.

"Abbot, something terrible has happened! The Dazheng Empire has fallen into chaos! The holy child returned to the capital from the border to rescue the emperor, but he was stopped by the holy maiden. When the elders intervened, they were suppressed by the holy maiden's avatar," the monk reported.

"What?" Both the abbot and Master Hui'en were shocked.

The monk then carefully explained the situation in Dashun's capital in detail.

The abbot's expression instantly darkened. "Hui'en, what has your disciple done? Does she intend to oppose the Great Zen Monastery once and for all?"

Master Hui'en clasped her hands together and replied, "Abbot, the sea of suffering is boundless, but turn back and you shall see the shore. Dashun has never been the private property of the Great Zen Monastery. Do not cling to it."

"Do not be impudent!" The abbot's eyes blazed with anger.

Moments ago, in Dashun's capital, the holy child had charged straight toward Xiao Nanfeng.

"Who dares?" Liu Miaoyin demanded. One of her bodies soared into the air.

With a deafening roar, the two supreme Buddhist cultivatos initiated a fierce aerial battle.

"The emperor is being held hostage! Save him with me!" one of the rebels accompanying him shouted.

This was merely a pretext to kill Xiao Nanfeng.

With a thunderous clash, the holy child's forces surged toward Xiao Nanfeng.

"Shameless villains!" Liu Miaoyin's other body called out.

She too shot into the sky, brandishing her sword against the leading foe. Her blade's brilliance illuminated the heavens with a resounding explosion.

At the same time, numerous powerful cultivators in the city rose into the air to join Liu Miaoyin in resisting the holy child's forces and their rebels.

Fighting raged on outside the capital.

The holy child and his forces were formidable, but Xiao Nanfeng had been prepared. They were quickly overwhelmed.

Xiao Nanfeng himself didn't engage in battle. Instead, he calmly listened as officials reported to him about the fighting that was unfolding on all sides. It seemed that his intervention wouldn't be necessary.

Liu Miaoyin alone dominated the battlefield. Under her relentless attacks, the holy child was bloodied and gravely wounded in no time.

"Stop, Liu Miaoyin!" A stern shout rang through the air.

At the same time, a radiant staff descended toward Liu Miaoyin.

Liu Miaoyin snorted and countered the blow with her sword.

The staff and sword clashed with a tremendous collision, igniting fiery shockwaves in the air. The staff flew back and landed in the hands of a monk.

"Abbot, you've finally arrived!" The rebels, who had been on the verge of collapse, cheered in unison.

The abbot of the Great Zen Monastery had arrived with many powerful monks in tow. They all exuded a fierce, murderous aura.

Liu Miaoyin eyed them coldly. Instead of paying attention to them, she slashed at the holy child once again.

"Save me, Father!" the holy child cried out in panic.

Liu Miaoyin struck him down. He crashed into the ground with a deafening boom as clouds of dust rose up around him. Liu Miaoyin pursued him relentlessly, her sword descending once more.

"Liu Miaoyin, do you want your master to die?" the abbot shouted sharply.

On a distant mountaintop, Master Hui'en lay covered in blood, grievously injured. She was surrounded by a group of monks. A sharp blade was pressed threateningly against her neck.

Liu Miaoyin blanched. Her sword veered off course at the last moment. It slashed into a nearby mountain with a tremendous crash. The monks seized the opportunity to rescue the holy child.

The fighting abruptly ceased.Both sides faced off in two opposing camps.

"You despicable villains!" Liu Miaoyin shouted in fury.

"Liu Miaoyin, you have been bewitched by a demon. Hui'en has also been led astray. Surrender now, and I will give you both a chance to repent. Otherwise, you will both perish today," the abbot declared coldly.

The monks all glared angrily at Liu Miaoyin.

Liu Miaoyin trembled with rage and shouted, "The presence of wicked demons like you in the Buddhist sect is a disgrace!"

The abbot sneered. "Hui'en, persuade Liu Miaoyin. She has been ensnared by a demon."

At that moment, Master Hui'en suddenly spoke. "Miaoyin, my disciple."

Liu Miaoyin glanced at her master in concern.

Master Hui'en clasped her hands together and said, "I strayed from the path in the past. You woke me up. You were right: the sea of suffering is boundless, but once you turn back, you'll see the shore. Some people are no longer human. Don't expect them to repent. As a disciple of Buddhism, I cannot allow myself to be coerced by evil spirits and tarnish the purity of our sect. My disciple, fight boldly to slay demons and eliminate evildoers. I am proud of you."

As she spoke, golden light began to radiate from Master Hui'en's body.

"Stop her!" the abbot shouted in alarm.

With a deafening explosion, Master Hui'en self-destructed, transforming into a golden blaze that engulfed the monks around her.

"Master!" Liu Miaoyin cried out in sorrow. Overwhelmed by hatred, she soared into the sky. "Demons, I'll kill you all!"

"Die!"

"Die!" Countless cultivators charged forward alongside Liu Miaoyin.

The battle resumed with even greater intensity.

Xiao Nanfeng took a deep breath and announced loudly, "Citizens of Dashun, I am your Emperor. The holy child and the monks of the Great Zen Monastery have conspired to overthrow our empire. Now, raise your right hand and lend me your strength to vanquish these evildoers!"

His voice resonated through the empire via the sea of fortune overhead.

By then, the citizens of Dashun had learned of the holy child's deceitful behavior over the years. They were furious and eager for revenge. Upon hearing Xiao Nanfeng's call, they final;ly found an outlet for their anger.

"Your Majesty, take my strength! Kill the holy child, that vile demon!"

"Kill all those demons!"

"Kill them all!"

Massive waves of power surged across the empire into the sea of fortune, which funneled the energy into Xiao Nanfeng.

Xiao Nanfeng was already an Immortal. Bolstered by imperial might, his strength quickly skyrocketed.

"Die!" he shouted, joining the battlefield.

Xiao Nanfeng and Liu Miaoyin's main body unleashed overwhelming power and dominated the battlefield together. The ferocity of their attacks left everyone in awe.

"His Majesty is so powerful!"

"How is this possible? Isn't the emperor a mortal? How can he slay Immortals?"

"His Majesty must have endured such humiliation for the sake of destroying these demons today..."

Amidst astonished cries, Xiao Nanfeng and Liu Miaoyin quickly slaughtered their foes. The holy child, abbot, and countless rebels perished one after another, staining the skies with blood.

The rebellion was swiftly quelled, and every traitor eradicated.

In the aftermath, Liu Miaoyin found a necklace of beads that had belonged to Master Hui'en among the ruins of the battlefield. Tears streamed down her face.

One of Xiao Nanfeng's avatars quietly stayed by Liu Miaoyin's side, while another took charge of the government.

Dashun underwent rapid reforms. Corrupt officials were replaced, and power was restored to the emperor. With Xiao Nanfeng's virtuous governance, the people gradually embraced his rule. They also grew curious about and grateful to Liu Miaoyin for her role in quelling the rebellion.

Xiao Nanfeng stayed with Liu Miaoyin through her grief, and their bond deepened over time.

Their feelings for each other grew naturally, untainted by unnecessary drama. They eventually became a couple and, a year later, were married.

On their wedding day, Dashun announced amnesty for all. The entire empire celebrated the union of their emperor and new empress.

Dashun formally adopted Buddhism as the imperial religion. Its emperor was Xiao Nanfeng, and its hierarch was Liu Miaoyin.

They governed the empire together in harmony. Their reign was marked by peace and prosperity, and their empire's influence spread far and wide, earning the respect of countless people.

Three years later, they welcomed a son, the crown prince of Dashun.

The family of three lived a busy yet blissful life.

Each day, Liu Miaoyin rested in Xiao Nanfeng's arms, feeling a profound sense of peace and contentment. She cherished this life and was willing to do anything to protect it.

One morning, Liu Miaoyin awoke to the sight of their disheveled bed and Xiao Nanfeng sleeping beside her. Suddenly, her mind trembled as countless sealed memories resurfaced.

"The Venerable Buddha? I am the Venerable Buddha? Golden lotus hoods... I became a cursed effigy? I was ambushed by the heavens and became a black lotus. I met Xiao Nanfeng, and I..." Liu Miaoyin's body trembled violently.

Memories flooded back—her injury while helping Xiao Nanfeng fight a saint, her transformation into the black lotus, and the realization that this was her chaotic dreamscape. Xiao Nanfeng had entered her dream to awaken her.

In her dream, she had married Xiao Nanfeng...

"How could this be?!" Liu Miaoyin was momentarily overwhelmed.

Xiao Nanfeng stirred and opened his eyes blearily. He reached out for Liu Miaoyin. "Let me hug you, dear..."

"Don't touch me!" Liu Miaoyin struggled nervously.

Xiao Nanfeng was jostled wide awake by Liu Miaoyin's reflexive reaction, but he didn't let go of her. Instead, he spoke softly, "Did you have a nightmare? Were you thinking about your master again?"

"No, no... You and I, how did we..." Liu Miaoyin stammered, flustered.

"We're already like an old married couple with a child. Are you trying to do some sort of roleplay with me?" Xiao Nanfeng smiled gently.

He planted a firm kiss on Liu Miaoyin's cheek.

Liu Miaoyin's eyes widened in shock.

"What's the matter? What role do you want to play today?" Xiao Nanfeng asked curiously.

"Have you not regained your memories?" Liu Miaoyin asked cautiously.

"What memories?"

Liu Miaoyin frowned. She realized that Xiao Nanfeng must have forgotten everything upon entering the dream.

It took her a while to recover from her initial shock. After a moment of silence, she said, "I want to ask you a question."

"Go ahead. What's gotten into you today?"

"If one day, an unparalleled enemy appears who wants to destroy the entire world, and we are completely powerless to stop them, what would you do?" Liu Miaoyin asked with a complicated expression.

"How could anyone want to destroy the whole world?" Xiao Nanfeng laughed.

"I'm saying if. Tell me, what would you do?" Liu Miaoyin looked at Xiao Nanfeng expectantly.

Seeing how serious she was, Xiao Nanfeng pondered the question for a moment before answering, "I would do my utmost to resist. But if it truly is hopeless, if we're doomed to fail, I would hold you in my arms and face the end together."

"Just accept it? Without resistance?" Liu Miaoyin frowned.

"If there's even the slightest chance, of course I would fight with everything I have. But in your scenario, where there's absolutely no way out, what's the point of running in circles? In the time we have left—whether it's a day, an hour, a stick of incense, or even a single breath—I would want to spend it with you. As long as you're by my side, even life and death hold no fear for me," Xiao Nanfeng said earnestly.

Liu Miaoyin trembled all over. The tension that had been building inside her suddenly dissipated. Her gaze softened as she looked at Xiao Nanfeng, her eyes brimming with affection. Then, she smiled and said, "Perhaps I've already found the answer I was looking for. I now know where my heart belongs."

"My heart and your heart—haven't they always been together?" Xiao Nanfeng said.

With that, Xiao Nanfeng leaned in and kissed Liu Miaoyin's soft, rosy lips. This time, Liu Miaoyin didn't resist. Instead, she responded passionately to his kiss.

As the two shared a deep kiss, Liu Miaoyin gently waved her hand. The surrounding space trembled, and everything dissolved into scattered points of light, fading into nothingness.

The dream shattered.