Chapter 2614: Tree and Beehive

He couldn't help but be shocked, because the name sounded just like Empress Sister's.

Recalling how he had initially thought Mi Li was the Empress of Qin Shi Huang, his subsequent interactions with her clearly showed she was not; her entire being was shrouded in mystery.

She seemed to know a lot, but every time she revealed information to him, it was like pulling teeth; she constantly spoke in riddles, which was quite similar to the style attributed to the deity of chaos and mystery.

So, after all this time, while others got an old man as their cheat, my cheat was actually one of the top deities in all the heavens and realms?

Even though Zu An considered himself well-traveled, this thought truly startled him the moment it arose.

"You're dreaming!" Mi Li's sneering voice suddenly rang in his ear. "If I were that mysterious deity, would I stay by your side like a nanny every day?"

Zu An thought about it and realized it made sense. When he first met her, she was sealed in the tomb of Qin Shi Huang's Empress, without even a physical body, and he had to find materials to help her reshape it. It would be highly unlikely for a supreme deity to be in such a state.

At this moment, the masked black-robed man was startled. He instinctively looked up at the sky, then lowered his voice and said, "Even with my identity as a historian and the protection of the great God of Memory, I cannot frequently utter that being's name. If I were to draw His gaze, it would be over. Judging by your reaction, have you heard His name before?"

Zu An forced a smile. "No, I must have remembered incorrectly."

The masked black-robed man then cautioned, "You must remember from now on: unless special devotees of those gods personally mention the names of the relevant deities to you, merely hearing such names will lead to great disaster."

Zu An was a little curious. "What would happen if that occurred?"

"It would draw the gaze of a deity, and you would be instantly annihilated," the masked black-robed man replied.

"Will it definitely draw a deity's gaze every time?" Zu An sought confirmation.

"That's not clear," the masked black-robed man hesitated, "but generally, no one in the world dares to be disrespectful to deities and risk their lives to test this."

Zu An thought about it and agreed. Who would dare test something like that? It was certainly better to err on the side of caution.

At this moment, the masked black-robed man took out a black-gold card from his pocket and handed it to him. "I promised you a gift earlier. This is an invitation to the Land of Dreams. With it, you can enter the Land of Dreams, a place yearned for by countless beings across all the heavens and realms."

"The Land of Dreams?" Zu An was momentarily stunned.

"As its name suggests, it is a dreamlike place," the black-robed man said, his voice filled with yearning. "There is no war, only happiness. Legend has it that no matter who you are, you can find what you desire there and realize your hopes. Of course, the more precious what you desire, the greater the price you must pay."

Hearing this, Zu An's breathing quickened. Whether it was the spatial-temporal separation from the Mermaid Queen and the Wushan Goddess, the materials Mi Li needed to reshape her body, or Chu Yan trapped beneath the Bridge of Forgetfulness...

He had too many wishes that could not be realized with the abilities of this world. If that Land of Dreams was truly that miraculous, he absolutely had to go.

"The Land of Dreams opens only once every millennium and operates on an invitation system," the black-robed man continued. "They send out specially made invitations, and only those holding them are qualified to enter. Throughout history, various forces have often engaged in bloody conflicts to obtain such an invitation. Some emperors of certain worlds are even willing to pay an entire planet as a price, yet might not necessarily obtain such an invitation."

Noticing Zu An's moved expression, the masked black-robed man smiled faintly. He had been so certain that this gift would satisfy the other party, and now it was clear he was right.

"Aren't these invitations specifically issued by the Land of Dreams to certain individuals? How can they be stolen then?" Zu An asked, puzzled.

"Because these invitations are not nominative," the masked black-robed man chuckled. "They recognize the card, not the person. That's why I could give it to you."

"It feels like the Land of Dreams issuing these non-nominative invitations is clearly intended to incite conflicts among various forces," Zu An said, frowning slightly. He was somewhat displeased with this practice.

The masked black-robed man, however, didn't mind. "Because this is also a kind of test," he explained. "If someone's invitation is seized by others, it proves they don't have enough strength to enter the Land of Dreams. After all, the Land of Dreams doesn't want to waste time on ordinary people; the strong can offer more and more valuable things."

Zu An fell silent, acknowledging that it was indeed the law of the jungle. He couldn't help but look at the masked black-robed man curiously. "As you said, this invitation is incredibly precious. Why would you give it to me?"

The masked black-robed man sighed. "I received this invitation because of my identity as a historian. All significant events across the heavens and realms need to be recorded by us. However, I have another important task this time, and having just learned that the Historian of Time is hidden among us, I need to rush back to inform my companions, leaving me no time. You've helped us greatly, so this invitation is the perfect way to thank you."

Zu An took the invitation. It resembled neither gold nor jade, and was completely unlike any material he had ever seen before.

As if knowing his confusion, the masked black-robed man replied, "This is made from Dream Crystal Amber, a special product unique to the Land of Dreams. Outsiders cannot replicate it, which is why these invitations are fought over by various forces."

"Thank you, sir. May I inquire about your esteemed name?" Zu An asked as he put away the invitation. The other party had a good attitude, and since Zu An was unfamiliar with the heavens and realms, he thought it would be good to make more friends.

The man immediately seemed a little happy. After all, historians have a strong obsession with leaving their names in history, and a world lord actively asking for his name meant his name would thus be preserved:

"My name is Zuoqiu Bushiming."

"That name certainly has a historian's flair," Zu An remarked, his expression strange. The name was indeed a bit too peculiar.

Zuoqiu Bushiming, however, was very happy. "I also think this name is very good," he said. "We Mirror Historians generally change our names ourselves later, often finding inspiration from revered figures in the river of history to express our aspirations."

As Zuoqiu Bushiming went on and on about the various predecessors in his profession, Zu An felt a headache coming on. He finally found an opportunity to ask, "Brother Zuoqiu, what are the major forces in all the heavens and realms? Information is scarce here, and we don't know much."

Zuoqiu Bushiming replied, "The so-called heavens and realms is a general term for all individual universes combined. Between universes, there are some hard-to-cross barriers that prevent communication. If a civilization's level isn't high enough, it's very difficult to cross these barriers to other worlds."

"Your universe originally had many civilizations," Zuoqiu Bushiming continued, "but all others were conquered by that demon world, leaving only the demon world and your world. However, the demon world was also destroyed recently, so you are now the sole remaining civilization in this universe."

"There are many theories in various worlds regarding the form of existence of the heavens and realms," he explained. "A more mainstream one is the Tree Theory, where countless leaves grow on a gigantic World Tree, each leaf being a universe. Each such universe would have many galaxies and civilizations, and communication between leaves is very difficult."

"However, I personally believe the heavens and realms are more like a beehive," he added, "with each cell being a universe and barriers existing between cells, making communication between two universes very difficult."

Zu An's heart stirred, and many concepts in his mind gradually became clear. "Then, which deity's followers were those who destroyed the demon world?"