Strange Dream

Xia Lun had long since hit a bottleneck, and his strength had stopped increasing.

There was no longer any possibility of continuing to improve through ordinary training. Even if he managed to build a physique like Musen’s, his strength probably wouldn’t increase in the slightest.

But Xia Lun seemed to have found another way forward.

Only after confirming that Aina had been fed until she was completely satisfied—and certainly wouldn’t try anything else—did Xia Lun slowly close his eyes.

His consciousness was like a fish diving into the depths of the sea. With ease, it broke through the boundary between reality and illusion and entered that mysterious, unfathomable realm—the Spirit World.

In the beginning, he had needed to rely on Aina as a medium just to touch the edge of the Spirit World. Later, he gradually became capable of entering it on his own.

Now, he could travel through it at will. The only way to describe the feeling was that of a fish returning to water, as if this were where he had always been meant to exist.

The scenery here was entirely different. Silver streams of light flowed slowly through the void, while countless soul-orbs dotted the boundless space like stars, radiating a gentle glow.

Xia Lun had described his feelings to Aina before, but even she couldn’t explain them.

“It can only mean that your talent for the Spirit World is truly extraordinary,” Aina had once said. “After all, you managed to enter the Spirit World with me successfully on your very first attempt… And it was the true Spirit World, not a fragmented space between reality and the Spirit World like a dream. For an ordinary person, that would be practically impossible.”

In any case, having talent was probably a good thing.

Now, within the Spirit World, Xia Lun could unleash power far greater than what he could use in reality.

This was the result of his training over the past five years. Almost every night, he would immerse himself in the Spirit World.

The Spirit World was truly a strange place.

Before the Age of the Void, it had not even existed. After all, the concept of death had not existed back then, and the Spirit World was the resting place of souls. Whenever someone died in reality, the corresponding soul-orb in the Spirit World would rapidly fade away.

The longer Xia Lun stayed in the Spirit World, the more closely connected he felt with it. The surrounding space seemed to have become an extension of his own limbs. Wherever his thoughts went, the energy of the Spirit World would gather at his command, even giving him the illusion that he was omnipotent here.

Aina, however, had expressed her concerns about this.

“Xia Lun… If you remain in the Spirit World for too long without returning to your original body, there’s a chance that the Spirit World will devour your consciousness and turn you into one of its creatures.”

Xia Lun had never forgotten that the Spirit World was an extremely dangerous place. Even Aina had to remain vigilant there.

Naturally, Xia Lun had no intention of abandoning his body, so he always strictly limited the amount of time he spent in the Spirit World.

After all, he still had a wife who cried out for nourishment every night. Now they even had a son. He couldn’t bear to leave the mother and child behind.

Tonight, after wandering through the Spirit World for a short while, Xia Lun’s consciousness left that realm.

Aina had already fallen asleep with her head resting on his arm. Her small face was very close to his, and he could feel her gentle breath.

Aina had been incredibly forceful earlier that day, but at this moment, she seemed so fragile that it tugged at his heart.

Xia Lun had no intention of waking her. Carefully, he drew her into his embrace, then slowly closed his eyes while holding her.

…

He was dreaming.

It was a strange feeling.

Before going to sleep, Xia Lun had just returned from the Spirit World. He hadn’t expected to return there again after falling asleep.

Aina had told him that the dream world was a space wedged between reality and the Spirit World. The laws of both realms were mixed together there, making it a place of utter chaos.

Xia Lun hadn’t expected himself to dream.

It was highly unusual. Ever since he had gained the ability to freely enter and leave the Spirit World, he had never dreamed again.

At the moment, Xia Lun was still fairly lucid. He was aware that he was dreaming.

He could break free of the dream at any time… but some instinct told him not to. Instead, he decided to observe the situation a little longer.

This place seemed to be… a scarlet desert.

Crimson sand stretched all the way to the horizon, filling his entire field of vision. There was no wind, yet the dunes shifted of their own accord, as though the entire desert were a living creature.

Perhaps sensing the arrival of an outsider, countless grains of sand floated into the air. Manipulated by an invisible force, they gathered before Xia Lun and eventually formed a gigantic, hideous monster.

The creature had six arms growing from its back, a scarlet face, and fangs. Chaotic energy from the void coiled around its entire body. Its very existence was enough to make one feel suffocated.

Xia Lun stood before that being, as tiny as an ant facing a mountain. An unparalleled pressure crashed over him.

“Roar—!”

The monster let out a deafening roar at Xia Lun.

Xia Lun’s face paled slightly. Even on Aina, he had never sensed such a terrifying aura.

“Chieftain of the Heavenly God Clan… you can’t kill me!” The monster’s roar shook the entire desert, causing the grains of sand to leap within the waves of sound. “Though you’re stronger than I am, you’ll never be able to kill me! One day, I will return!”

Xia Lun lowered his head and discovered that a spear formed from pure white light had somehow appeared in his hand. His body began to move against his will. Like a shooting star, the spear pierced the Chaos Demon God through the chest.

The strike was smooth and flawless, as though he had practiced it thousands of times.

Xia Lun felt as if he were watching a film from a first-person perspective.

Then, to his astonishment, the spear suddenly reversed direction and pierced into his own chest.

The expected pain never came. Instead, he felt a strange sensation of being torn away from himself.

Golden blood gushed from the wound. The blood seemed to possess a life of its own, rapidly evolving in the void.

Xia Lun felt his body beginning to dissolve. Each drop of blood expanded into boundless space.

“Chieftain!”

A somewhat familiar voice came from behind him.

Xia Lun turned around and saw a priest whose appearance was identical to Aina’s reaching out toward him from afar.

Xia Lun felt his form gradually growing insubstantial. Then, endless radiance began to emanate from within him.

The light swallowed Xia Lun, along with the entire dream.

…

Xia Lun woke with a start.

It seemed that not much time had passed since he fell asleep.

Aina was still sleeping soundly beside him. Compared with before he had gone to sleep, nothing about her had changed.

Had that been a memory from the past?

Had it really happened?

A fragment of memory lost within a dream?

Why had he suddenly come to know all of this?

Xia Lun took a deep breath and slowly turned his gaze toward the window. A full moon still hung high in the sky, its moonlight casting a hazy, sacred glow across the gauze curtains.

He felt somewhat restless.

“Xia Lun…” Aina murmured in her sleep, then raised one leg and draped it over him, pressing against his abdomen.

A cool, soft sensation passed over him, suppressing the agitation in Xia Lun’s heart.

He felt a little calmer. Pulling his wife even closer, Xia Lun held her tightly.