Chapter 464: Limited Dream

The seas of dust from exploded stars acted as layered barriers, separating heaven and earth, as if mythical legends had come true and the world had been divided into nine realms. Sunlight, reflected by the ashes floating in the sky, could not reach the ground. The land was shrouded in dimness, and the temperature dropped sharply.

The aftermath of the meteor explosion continued to spread at an unimaginably high speed. Rolling embers were saturated with intense heat. Within a thousand-li radius, no birds remained, and the swirling dust created a purgatory where no life could endure.

Not to mention the high altitudes, even the land tens of thousands of li away was engulfed by the explosion's heat wave. Fortunately, the center of the explosion was the boundless Mirror Lake...

The water of Mirror Lake had boiled, and vast numbers of fish carcasses floated to the surface.

Bai Zang, her silver gown clinging to her, emerged from the steaming lake. Her snow-white body gently rose and fell with her breathing, fine threads of blood tracing her form. The pale, floating fish carcasses beside her looked like petals scattered upon the water.

That dragon's roar was the last sound Si Ming heard. Her divine consciousness finally gave out, leaving no room for thought. Her Sea of Consciousness went black with a buzz, and she gently collapsed within the temple. The Golden Crow Divine Kingdom disintegrated simultaneously, transforming into a golden ray that soared into the clouds above.

Amidst the dragon's roar, the disoriented Bai Zang suddenly awoke. Her unfocused, silvery eyes sharpened.

She recognized this dragon's roar.

Thousands of years ago, she had heard such a sound...

Back then, she had not yet ascended to the divine throne. In the northwestern lands, a furious storm raged. She stood on the wasteland, witnessing crimson lightning falling from the sky, followed by countless flying serpents and giant pythons surging towards that lightning, as if ravenous Taotie who had starved for a millennium had found a city-wide feast.

Amidst the raging storm, the scent of blood drifted from afar. Bai Zang knew that a fierce battle had occurred there. Afterwards, an ancient, prolonged dragon's roar rang out, drowning all other clamorous sounds.

That dragon's roar belonged to the new Dragon King.

It was... Leilao!

The Divine Lord of the Immortal Realm, the most powerful living dragon king: Leilao!

Bai Zang confirmed that she had not misheard.

But if the one who came was really Leilao, then what was all this about? The Dark Lord was still two months away from sweeping past Leilao Star; even if it accidentally lit up Leilao Star, that would still be two months later. Why had Bai Zang's Divine Kingdom just been destroyed, yet Leilao's Divine Kingdom was already open? Who lit the star?

Bai Zang's first thought was Ye Chan Palace. After all, Ye Chan Palace had not appeared throughout this battle to intercept the star... But the Dark Lord had not been truly expelled yet; even if Ye Chan Palace possessed extraordinary abilities, she couldn't truly defy the heavens!

Bai Zang couldn't find an answer for the moment.

She crawled out of Mirror Lake and came ashore. She looked at the figures of Lu Jiajia and Si Ming lying on the ground. After confirming they were still breathing, she sat between them. Not thinking of anything, she just lay on the grass, looking up at the sky.

A huge dark shadow appeared in the sea of clouds!

The dark shadow moved at high speed within the clouds. Its scales opened and closed, emitting a sound like clashing shields. The ancient dragon's prolonged roar, like a deep and majestic wind across the sky, resonated with authority. This seven-layered sea of dust seemed to be its world. And when its body swayed, it unleashed a colossal spectacle: the four seas churned, and the five continents trembled. If Leilao was already so powerful, how terrifying must Zhulong, the progenitor of all dragons, have been in its lifetime?

The Dragon King passed through the thick dust. Its ancient scales were impervious to the intense heat as it twisted, writhed, and soared into the sky.

Leilao found Ning Changjiu's divine soul.

More than three thousand years ago, Ning Changjiu, as the last reincarnation of Yi, was killed by Yuanfu. His divine soul was stored in Leilao's Immortal Realm for two thousand years until Heng'e returned from Moon Prison. Therefore, Leilao was extremely familiar with this divine soul.

Ning Changjiu's divine soul floated in the clouds, like a butterfly with scorched wings.

Leilao's massive head circled the divine soul.

Leilao's image was similar to the description of dragons in ancient mythology. The difference was that Leilao had three heads!

These were three heads of distinct ages.

Its oldest head was in the center, flanked by the heads of a youth and a mature adult.

Its lantern-like golden eyes gazed intently at Ning Changjiu's fragmented divine soul. Dragon's breath puffed from its nostrils, and complex emotions flickered in its eyes.

It let out an equally profound sigh.

In accordance with its promise to Ye Chan Palace, Leilao opened its massive maw, in a gesture capable of swallowing mountains and rivers, and consumed Ning Changjiu's divine soul. Then it burst through the layered clouds, soared into the firmament, and entered the Immortal Realm located within the void.

Ning Changjiu once said when the Sin Lord's Divine Kingdom collapsed, "As I depart, so shall I return."

He had originally been retrieved by Ye Chan Palace from the Immortal Realm. Now he was returning there to be resurrected again. Only, it was unknown when he would awaken next.

The dragon's roar faded into the distant skies.

Ye Chan Palace dismissed the water mirror before her. Her countenance remained largely unchanged, only when her finger touched her cheek, her fingertip brushed against something moist.

Zhao Xiang'er sat on the white clouds of the Three Thousand Worlds. Here, it remained a serene scene of drifting white clouds and cranes passing by. She drew her gaze back from the distance. A breeze brushed her cheek, but her calves, which had been swinging like a pendulum, stilled. The girl's figure was as still as a statue.

A snow-feathered sparrow flew from afar, traversing thousands of mountains and rivers.

She transformed into the likeness of a snow kite, knelt on one knee, and handed the letter to Zhao Xiang'er.

Zhao Xiang'er took the letter, unsealed and unfolded it.

'Xiang'er, how have you been lately?

The flowers in the Sword Pavilion's courtyard bloomed yesterday. I stole a moment to admire them and couldn't help but be reminded of days past.

If it were Zhao Kingdom, the flowers should bloom even earlier. I have always regretted that I couldn't stay long for that three-year agreement. Recently, I've been restless, and I often feel the urge to come to the Western Kingdom to see you, but I never dared to, because I knew I couldn't hide it from you. I just didn't expect that even without us meeting face to face, you would already have guessed what was going to happen. Xiang'er truly possesses keen intellect.

The Dark Lord will sooner or later cast meteorites onto the human world. I'm not sure when, but I suspect it will be when Bai Zang's Divine Kingdom or Quan Lin's Divine Kingdom collapses. There are no city walls in the sky, only clouds and birds, so someone must use their body as a wall to hold them back in the heavens.

This can be considered the first true confrontation with the Dark Lord.

Xiang'er, there's no need to worry. Five hundred years ago, though we could not foresee this exact moment, we were nevertheless prepared for death.

The Immortal Realm will be my temporary place of slumber. The Life Authority will reshape my physical body, and don't worry that we will forget each other; the Dream Authority will be the anchor of my memories from this life... Just regard it as a dream, and after I awaken, everything will be as it was.

My master said I would slumber for eight years.

Six thousand years have passed since we first emerged from the sun. If we consider the continuation of the flame of civilization, that spans an unimaginably long 1.5 billion years. Compared to that, eight years seems like merely the blink of an eye, but I still feel a bit uneasy.

I love you all, and I love this world.

Regarding the Authority of Space, I also have some undeveloped thoughts. I've considered Yuanfu's infinity, which is composed of time and destiny, an infinity on a single timeline. And back then, could Master have teamed up with you to create a brand new infinity using time and space? I didn't return to twelve years ago, but rather leaped from one timeline to another timeline set twelve years ago. In this world, I am living an entirely different life.

Of course, this notion might seem a bit incredible...

Over these years, I've spent little time with Xiang'er, and my heart has always been filled with concern and guilt. Although our previous gatherings were brief, I will always remember Xiang'er's smile and the beauty of the Three Thousand Worlds.

See you in eight years.'

The letter folded, Zhao Xiang'er read it calmly, then tucked it back into her sleeve. Wind blew from afar, carrying the turbulent heat waves across the vast sky, brushing back her distinctly black and white eyebrows.

"See you in eight years."

She waved to the distance, her phoenix gown unfurling and flowing within the clouds.

Lu Jiajia woke up from her dream with a start. She sat up, her chest heaving violently.

She turned her head and found Si Ming also slumbering nearby. It was unclear if Si Ming was merely asleep or unconscious, her brows still subtly furrowed.

Lu Jiajia couldn't suppress her gasping. Her fingers tangled in her long hair, tightly gripping her splitting headache. She recalled the previous nightmare, turning her head to look to the right.

Bai Zang was sitting by the window, looking at the sparse light outside. Before her lay a neatly folded, spotless scarf.

Bai Zang turned her head, looked at Lu Jiajia, and said, "You're awake."

Lu Jiajia hurriedly asked, "Where is Changjiu? He... where is he?"

Bai Zang looked at her quietly, without answering.

Lu Jiajia's gaze dropped slightly, her voice trembling: "I just had a nightmare. I dreamed that he... he was... Ah!"

Lu Jiajia groaned miserably, her hands clutching her head, pressing against the quilt. In the nightmare she just had, she saw stars falling, and Ning Changjiu suspended in mid-air, utterly shattered by the meteor.

Bai Zang could guess what she had dreamed. She said, "This is not a dream."

Lu Jiajia's hands stopped trembling. When she looked up again, tears streamed from her eyes. Her eyes were misty, hollow, and pale, staring blankly at Bai Zang, devoid of any vitality.

Lu Jiajia stopped thinking; her body shivered with cold. Her heart ached uncontrollably. The gently smiling youth from her memories was gone, and an endless, bitter ache felt like cumulonimbus clouds floating in her Sea of Consciousness.

She couldn't accept it, nor dared to think about it. She hadn't even experienced the ultimate separation of life and death...

Bai Zang looked at Lu Jiajia, who was on the verge of collapsing, and said, "Don't worry, he's not dead."

Lu Jiajia remained still, only slowly raising her head after a moment, frowning, as if wondering if she had just imagined it.

Bai Zang repeated, "He's not dead. In this world, only Leilao's Immortal Realm can save Ning Changjiu. Now, Leilao's Divine Kingdom has opened, and it has brought him back to the Immortal Realm. If nothing unexpected happens, Heng'e should also be in the Immortal Realm at this very moment."

Lu Jiajia didn't understand. Immortal Realm... that was Leilao's Divine Kingdom, Leilao...

"Have I... been unconscious for two months?" Lu Jiajia's heart sank. Could all this have happened two months ago?

Bai Zang said, "No, you've been unconscious for three days."

Lu Jiajia was even more confused: "What exactly happened?"

Bai Zang said, "Come to the window and look up."

Lu Jiajia stumbled off the bed. Her weak legs barely gathered enough strength to support her body. She stood up straight, holding onto the edge of the bed, walked to Bai Zang's side, and looked up in the direction Bai Zang was pointing.

In the sky, countless cultivators were dispatched. They were responsible for driving the sea of dust towards desolate regions, preventing it from obscuring the sun and descending upon the human world.

Such efforts had been ongoing for three days and three nights.

Large amounts of dust clouds still floated in the sky, but the sky above the Sword Pavilion had been cleared by the cultivators. Looking up, the clear sky was visible.

"That is..."

Lu Jiajia immediately noticed that in the night sky, at a certain spot, there seemed to be an extra star.

Was that Leilao Star...

As Lu Jiajia wondered, Bai Zang provided the answer: "That's Uranus."

She explained what happened then: "Ning Changjiu used his body to block the meteorite. His physical body was destroyed, leaving only his divine soul. Only Master and Leilao, by joining forces, could save him. No one in the human world could light up Leilao Star, but the demon race on Uranus could! They were already free, having escaped the Dark Lord's control. Old Six of Bukeguan was on Uranus; he should have known about this plan."

Lu Jiajia vaguely understood.

The demon race on Uranus lit up Leilao Star and saved Ning Changjiu...

"Then where is he? Where is he now?" Lu Jiajia asked.

Bai Zang said, "He should be in slumber."

Lu Jiajia's head throbbed, and amidst the pain, she slowly regained her consciousness. She remembered their parting scene: she had asked him about the duration, and he had said eight years...

Eight years...

For a cultivator, eight years should only be a short segment in life. But for Lu Jiajia at this moment, it felt like an endless stretch with no end in sight.

Ning Changjiu's previous life had ended at twenty-eight.

Would this life suffer the same fate? Could they meet again?

Lu Jiajia had no confidence at all.

After her emotions calmed down a bit, she also sat down beside Bai Zang. They looked out the window together. In the continuous strong winds, many trees in the courtyard were broken, and the flower petals had fallen completely, piling up haphazardly.

Only the scarf was folded neatly, like snow that refused to melt at the end of spring.

Time stretched out endlessly.

The dust in the sky was gradually cleared away. Some of it was driven into the deep valleys of the wilderness, and some was used to fill the sea. Many rivers were directly submerged, forming new land.

Two days later, Si Ming also woke up.

When she awoke, she immediately saw Shao Xiaoli's tear-reddened eyes.

Si Ming, like Lu Jiajia,