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Chapter 450: Even Dogs Won\'t Go Back

During the Mount Shu Summit, he and Jiang Yuebai had fallen into the sea of clouds and found a small cabin beneath Mount Shu. It was at that place that they found a diary that belonged to the ancestor of the Yan family. The name, Caiyi, was mentioned in the diary.

It was a woman named Caiyi who had revealed to that ancestor of the Yan Family the method to break the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda.

But five hundred years had passed since then. This Caiyi might not be that same person... And so, although Chu Liang was inwardly surprised, he kept this thought to himself.

Xue Ziyang continued, "The murmuring sounded like a demonic melody, and the weakest among us, Chunyu Tu, began hallucinating and nearly lost his mind. I had to use a secret Confucian technique to restore his sanity, but even I myself was barely managing to hold on. We could feel that something was gravely wrong. The demonic qi around us thickened, and most of it seemed to be coming from that Lady from the Western Regions.

"I was the first to suggest turning back. The hidden realm was far too strange. This was not a place that people of our cultivation level could explore. While the others were still hesitating, the woman told us that now that we had reached this point, she no longer needed us... and allowed us to leave.

"By then, we understood that her cultivation was likely far superior to ours. She had only needed some people who were familiar with the Southern Bastion Mountain to guide her way in here. So, one by one, we left the hidden realm."

"But even after returning to Kaoshan City, I felt incredibly sick, as if... something was affecting my soul," Xue Ziyang said as he pointed to his head. "Sure enough, on the first night after our return, when the blood moon rose over Kaoshan City, I felt countless voices calling out to me. I felt like my head was being split apart and I nearly lost my mind.

"Although I barely survived the first night, I could feel the calling getting stronger and stronger. That\'s why I rushed to my teacher for help."

"It seems that the moment you entered that hidden realm, your souls were implanted with Nightmare Specters," Wei Lang explained.

Nightmare Specters, mysterious and eerie entities, remained incomprehensible and known only as something indescribable.

Ji Lingyu asked, "Can a Nightmare Specter be implanted in a person, like a curse insect?"

Wei Lang, being a renowned Confucian master of the current age and highly knowledgeable in matters of the soul, explained, "A Nightmare Specter exists somewhere between reality and illusion. The real world and the illusory world are entirely separate dimensions. Though in the real world it may seem a million li away from Ziyang, in the illusory world, it could be right next to him.

"In ancient times, humans developed the Dream Techniques, a cultivation legacy tied to the Great Dao of Reality and Illusion. They explored it extensively, but with the disappearance of its creator, the Great Noble Dream Immortal, the Technique of Dreams was lost. Later generations could only gather a limited understanding from the fragmented records that remained."

The Great Dao of Reality and Illusion was a profound concept, and Chu Liang had only a limited understanding of it.

He understood that the illusory world existed independently from the real world, yet could still exert influence over it. For example, the Dark King Sect\'s Soul Subjugator Token could send messages through this illusory realm.

Something that seemed distant in the real world could be right at hand in the illusory world.

That was all he knew and anything beyond that was a knowledge gap.

Wei Lang continued, "To lift the curse, we must find its caster. To end the threat of the blood moon, we\'ll need to return to the hidden realm and destroy its source. To save your life, I have no choice but to go."

Yan Qihu nodded. "I\'m going too."

Chu Liang observed the two of them. With Wei Lang\'s scholarly wisdom and Yan Qihu\'s martial prowess, there was a high chance that they could resolve this issue if they ventured into the mountains together. It was also the perfect opportunity for Chu Liang to fulfill Second Madam Gu\'s request.

So, he spoke up, "If you two esteemed seniors are going to explore the hidden realm, I know someone exceptionally knowledgeable about Southern Bastion Mountain. She could join us."

...

Yan Qihu was naturally reluctant to bring his juniors along, but with Xue Ziyang in his current condition, there was no way he could return to Southern Bastion Mountain. Their previous guide had died, leaving Chu Liang as the only one capable of leading them to the Deep Pool of Dreams.

If it were only for the Great Astral Sect, Chu Liang wouldn\'t be willing to risk his life like this. But he owed Gu Qingyuan a favor, and he had to bring Second Madam Gu to find him, no matter what.

With two powerful experts accompanying them, this was his best opportunity to join the expedition.

After carefully questioning Xue Ziyang, Chu Liang confirmed that the place they had followed the Lady from the Western Regions to was indeed the Deep Pool of Dreams—the same one he had visited with the Southern-Route Guider. However, why the hidden realm beyond the abyss looked so different remained a mystery, one that could only be solved upon arrival.

When Ji Lingyu heard that Chu Liang had found her thirteenth aunt, she immediately demanded to come along. Seeing her join, Tang Shi naturally didn\'t want to be left behind either.

In the end, Yan Qihu had no choice but to bring along all these juniors.

Fortunately, they were all among the top of the younger generation, so they might not be a burden.

"When we enter that treacherous realm full of demons and monsters, stay close and don\'t charge ahead," Yan Qihu reminded them cautiously, worried that the younger ones might fall prey to the Nightmare Demon and meet the same fate as those who had perished before.

Nevertheless, with Wei Lang joining them, Yan Qihu was brimming with confidence.

A Confucian master from the Noblemen\'s Hall was bound to be intelligent, and with this, the only shortcoming in the Great Astral Sect\'s plan was now resolved.

The great confucian scholar was well-prepared, even bringing a Soul-Pacifying Scroll from the Noblemen\'s Hall, specifically designed to counter strange and malevolent spirits that target the soul.

Upon returning to Kaoshan City, Chu Liang immediately went to see Second Madam Gu.

And he brought Ji Lingyu along with him.

"Done with your business already?" Second Madam Gu asked upon seeing Chu Liang.

Previously, Chu Liang had told her that he needed to handle matters with the Great Astral Sect first, so she had expected to wait a few more days.

But when she noticed Ji Lingyu\'s Xuan Yuan Eyes, her expression turned a bit wary.

Upon seeing her wary expression, Chu Liang realized she might have assumed he had informed the Ji family and that Ji Lingyu had come to confront her. He very quickly clarified, "There has been a change of plans. It turns out the members of the Great Astral Sect are heading to the same place, so I figured you could join us. With two powerful figures from the Great Astral Sect and the Noblemen\'s Hall, it\'s quite safe. And as for this young lady, Ji Lingyu... well, she ran away from home."

Upon hearing this, Second Madam Gu\'s expression softened slightly.

Ji Lingyu timidly approached and said, "Thirteenth Aunt, I\'ve heard your story..."

Chu Liang was certain the two would get along—after all, in a way, Second Madam Gu was the reigning champion of the Ji family\'s "runaway contest" from the previous generation.

After some conversation, the aunt and niece quickly hit it off. Ji Lingyu was captivated by her aunt\'s story, while Second Madam Gu grew fond of Ji Lingyu\'s sharp wit and cleverness.

After a while, Second Madam Gu turned back to Chu Liang, "Since we already have two powerful figures joining us, I won\'t bother gathering more people. We\'ll head into the mountains tomorrow."

"That sounds good," Chu Liang agreed.

Since it was already late, venturing into the mountains was out of the question, so they chose to stay in Kaoshan City for the night. Whether Xue Ziyang would make it through the night at the Noblemen\'s Hall remained uncertain, but with so many Confucian masters watching over him, Chu Liang felt a flicker of hope.

Ji Lingyu stayed with Second Madam Gu, and the two seemed to share a few drinks, their conversation stretching late into the night. The cool night breeze drifted through the city, carrying their voices in soft echoes. The phrase that lingered the most was...

"Even dogs won\'t go back to the House of the Ji Family."