The Dream Flower

Meng Degang, the Eternal King of a thousand ages, had his incarnation beheaded, his divine city dismantled, and his severed arm fled deep into the Death World. Later generations composed a doggerel about the affair: 'The Stone King's tears flowed in a thousand streams; in one morning, his home was torn apart. The Death World held even more heartbreak—how could he suffer such demolition and shame?'

At this moment, flames all but spewed from Meng Degang's nostrils. After fleeing three hundred thousand li, he sat cross-legged and meditated, exhausting every means to purge the curse power completely.

"I will never rest until I destroy you!" Smoke poured from his seven orifices—ears, nose, mouth, and eyes—this was no exaggeration; he truly fumed from every aperture. He did not immediately return to the Otherworld.

Meanwhile, Xiao Chen followed the Three Skeleton Kings deeper into the Death World.

Ahead lay an endless swamp, veiled in mist. Thin black vapors coiled above, and the stench of decay filled the air. Bones were scattered everywhere among the mud and filth, along with rotting corpses—the remains of demons and zombies, their stench wafting thick and foul.

Deep within the black-misted swamp, an eerie ancient castle stood in solitary desolation.

King Qin Guang clacked his jawbone and introduced, "This region belongs to the old undead who rides the Nether Evil Dragon King. Though we do not fear him, according to the laws of survival in the deep Death World, trespassing upon another's secluded domain invites mortal combat and breeds enmity from other powerhouses."

"We do not intend to disturb him. We will transmit a voice and inform him that we have matters of importance," Xiao Chen said. He had a bold idea: the Death World teemed with experts. If he could gather such a force to stand against the Otherworld, it would be an unimaginable asset.

"This old undead has a strong drive for destruction and possession..." King Qin Guang recounted some details about the domain's master.

"Who disturbs my cultivation?" The voice of the old undead came from the ancient castle in the swamp.

"We come not for strife, but for mutual benefit," Xiao Chen said, clarifying his intent to avoid misunderstanding.

The old undead exhaled a long breath. He had only recently returned and sensed such a powerful group approaching—anyone would be tense. Unless one were a Stone Man King, facing such a battle force would make anyone uneasy.

"Bang!"

The castle gates swung wide open. Unexpectedly, what surged out was not dark mist but a truly holy radiance that dispelled the black fog outside.

Xiao Chen and his party entered the great hall unimpeded. The old undead sat on a throne of white bone, while the massive body of the Nether Evil Dragon King coiled below in the spacious hall.

"What business do you have?"

"We apologize for the intrusion. May I ask your name?"

"My name is Devil Angel," the old undead replied.

Xiao Chen and the others sat down on bone chairs in the hall.

"Devil Angel, why did you attack the master of that imperial city today?"

At this question, Devil Angel's expression changed, and he shot to his feet. "Have you come to exact vengeance on his behalf?"

"Do not be rash. I am not inclined to make enemies needlessly." Xiao Chen waved his hand. "I only wish to know the reason."

"Naturally, for demon city resources!" Devil Angel ground his teeth. "Among the seven demon cities, one was originally mine. He seized it by force ages ago, and I was forced onto a different cultivation path."

Xiao Chen soon learned that all the powerful beings who attacked the imperial city master that day had once had their demon cities taken from them. As for the seven mighty stone men guarding the demon cities, they had been retrieved by the imperial city master from the deepest ancient battlefield in the Death World, bestowing them with a second life.

One could imagine how formidable that imperial city master was.

"Now he is so strong that you will find it difficult to reclaim the demon cities." Xiao Chen gazed at Devil Angel on his bone throne. "In truth, if you simply wish to enhance your power, I have a suggestion."

"What suggestion?" Devil Angel's lips curled in a cold sneer. He did not believe this newcomer would kindly offer cultivation advice.

"Why confine yourself to this world? Look beyond to the myriad heavens. With your cultivation and insight, you must know that beyond the realms of the dead lie other great worlds."

At these words, Devil Angel's expression froze. He nodded slowly. "I know. Indeed, I know more than you imagine. But breaking through the great barriers between worlds to travel to other realms is extremely difficult."

Xiao Chen smiled and shook his head. "Traveling to other worlds is not as hard as you think. The three giants you saw today, and we ourselves, do not belong to this world—yet we move between realms at will."

"I sensed that you are not of this world..." Devil Angel raised his voice. "But I also know that those who once tried to enter your world never returned—all met with calamity."

"The past is different from the present. The passages connecting to other worlds have now been fully opened. There will be no danger."

"You are so eager to invite me to other worlds—what is your real purpose?" Devil Angel naturally did not believe that Xiao Chen was merely showing him the way out of goodwill.

"Since we have come this far, there is nothing to hide. At my level, resorting to petty tricks would only invite ridicule. I may as well speak plainly. There is a race that claims to have shattered many great worlds; their store of heaven-defying war treasures, stone cities, and other sacred objects is beyond counting..."

Xiao Chen spoke for half a quarter of an hour. Devil Angel listened in silence, not uttering a word until the end, when he finally refused in anger: "You merely want to use me as a hired thug!"

"You are mistaken. I do intend to borrow your strength, but you can seize the supreme treasures you need in the process." Xiao Chen continued, "More importantly, I am not inviting only you. I intend to summon all the powerful beings from the depths of the Death World and invite them to that realm as guests. What waves can a single person raise? If a multitude of experts gather to open the legendary stone gate of that world, heaven-defying war treasures and primordial stone cities will be beyond count. Only by participating personally can one claim a share of the spoils."

"What I aim to do is not merely find a few strong fighters to raid that world. I want to raise a banner, open the passage to that world, and allow every powerful being in the Death World to travel freely between the two realms." After saying this, Xiao Chen added, "With that in place, what do you still have to fear?"

The notion that every powerful being in the Death World would join the assault sent a tremor through Devil Angel's heart. This was a truly monumental undertaking!

If a death army invaded a certain world, he would have nothing to worry about—he could take the opportunity to seize the treasures he needed.

Xiao Chen spoke with Devil Angel for a long time, but in the end, Devil Angel still refused. He could not be swayed by mere words, nor did he believe that Xiao Chen could truly connect the Otherworld with the Death World.

Xiao Chen was not particularly surprised. If a few words could immediately convince a powerful being to act, that would have been far more surprising. All he needed to do now was to sow a thought, leave an impression. When that wind spread across the entire Death World and whipped into a frenzy—when the connection between the Otherworld and the Death World was established—he believed that many would not be able to resist.

This was no small affair. He needed to carefully cultivate it, to drive it into a mighty storm, before there was any hope of success.

Whether he succeeded or failed, Xiao Chen would lose nothing. He genuinely wanted to try—to see if he could raise a great enemy against the Otherworld from the Death World.

When the day came that a banner was truly raised, he hoped to see thousands upon thousands of troops pour into the Death World. Perhaps it would take a thousand years, ten thousand years, a hundred thousand years—but as long as he did his utmost, that was enough.

As they took their leave of the swamp, Xiao Chen said to Devil Angel, "I hope you will consider my proposal. You may also convey my thoughts to other experts."

Journeying deeper into the Death World, Xiao Chen visited several more powerful beings along the way. He could not yet win over any of them; all he could do was plant a seed of thought in their minds.

Finally, they arrived at a death forest. The ancient trees, nourished by yin energy, were pitch-black, their leaves exuding a putrid odor.

Keke wrinkled her nose in dissatisfaction and muttered a few sounds of displeasure.

"There is no choice. The ancient teleportation array is carved here; we cannot move it elsewhere," King Qin Guang explained. Years ago, they had accidentally discovered the divine array here and stepped into an extremely mysterious domain.

Deep in the death forest, a stone platform rose from the ground, its surface covered with intricate patterns. King Reincarnation beckoned the group to step onto it, then began to channel divine power. Light flashed, and the space-time around them grew chaotic—stars spun and chaos surged as they rapidly crossed the void.

A moment later, a radiant light flickered ahead, and a sacred aura rushed toward them. Xiao Chen and his companions found themselves in a new world.

This was a realm of light. Green grass spread like emerald, studded with dewdrops on blossoms; a fragrant scent drifted through the air. Nearby, a stream babbled a cheerful melody. Compared to the gloomy Death World, this was a pure land, beautiful as a fairy realm.

Here, the essence of heaven and earth was dense, and every plant was infused with spiritual energy. Many fruit trees bore fruit that sparkled with light.

"That is..." Xiao Chen stared ahead.

There, a divine root was planted atop a heap of ruined city debris. Its enormous ancient roots burrowed deep into the rubble, continuously drawing the essence of the stone city.

The vine reached into the sky, a hundred zhang high, covered with lush leaves. Some were crescent-shaped, others heart-shaped—each leaf was crystalline and shimmering with green light, like the most exquisite works of art.

The entire huge divine root bore only a single flower. Radiant with five-colored light, it scattered a hundred hues; crystalline petals trembled with dew.

Within that enormous blossom, a white-clad maiden lay asleep, her eyes closed, resting quietly like a sleeping beauty.

"Qingqing..." Xiao Chen called out and rushed forward.

"Qingqing!" Keke also cried out in her childish voice, transforming into a ball of soft light as she flew toward the sky.

"No!" King Qin Guang urgently stopped them. "That flower is very special—you cannot approach."

Indeed, as he spoke, Xiao Chen and Keke encountered a powerful resistance a hundred zhang from the divine blossom. Had they not stopped in time, they would likely have suffered a violent backlash.

"Xiao Chen... Keke..."

At that moment, a voice like an immortal's song came forth. The beautiful flower glowed with crystalline light. The white-clad maiden, pure and ethereal, still lay motionless on the flower. But an image coalesced above the blossom—a figure with cascading hair, bright eyes, and a graceful form, light and transcendent, flew out.

"You... you have come." The maiden was clearly moved; her peerless face was filled with joyful surprise.

"Qingqing, this is..." Xiao Chen was both excited and puzzled.

"This is the Dream Flower. I obtained a seed from the deepest battlefield of the Death World. It grew and merged with my body to aid my cultivation," Qingqing explained.

"Ya ya..." The little creature cared nothing for explanations; she happily charged forward. Qingqing caught her and held her close.

Xiao Chen was joyful and emotional, and he noticed that this divine root looked very familiar. Suddenly he remembered—on the Ancestral Dragon skin map, was there not exactly such an imprint?

"Dream Flower... does the path to that place require such a flower?" he murmured. At the same time, he saw that at the base of the flower, besides the shattered stone city, lay several broken stone bodies. He was inwardly shocked—this divine blossom was truly formidable.

Xiao Chen and Qingqing met again. A thousand words were hard to speak. The scene was quiet, but both could feel each other's concern.

"It is good that we can see each other..."

"Yes, as long as we still live, it is good."

The two finally smiled. After the sorrow of life and death, what could be more joyful than reunion?

"Ya ya... I am hungry."

Feeling neglected, Keke muttered discontentedly, her long lashes fluttering.

Qingqing was amused. Holding Keke, she came to Xiao Chen's side, and together they walked forward into the grove of immortal fruits.

The emotion of reunion did not require words or tears. Sometimes silence spoke louder than speech.

They strolled quietly through the garden, not saying much, but seeming to understand each other's thoughts.

Only the little creature kept chattering, as if she had an endless stream of words.

Finally, she hugged an armful of immortal fruits and began to eat with relish, occasionally offering one to Xiao Chen and Qingqing.

Xiao Chen had many things to say and many questions to ask, but he did not know where to start.

"I never imagined I would be resurrected in the Death World," Qingqing said softly. "It was as if a voice guided me deeper and deeper. I journeyed with King Reincarnation and the others for many years. First, I was baptized by the Source of Life, then I passed through countless divine and demonic forbidden lands..."

Xiao Chen listened quietly, learning that over these ten thousand years, Qingqing's experiences with the three skeletons had been breathtakingly perilous. The depths of the Death World held countless secrets.

"The ancient battlefield..." When she reached this point, Xiao Chen was astonished.

"Yes. That is a forbidden zone. Few have ever crossed it to this day. We too were blocked there. Eons ago, the Death World was the center of all heavens and myriad realms—its history is older than even the Celestial Realm. It can be said that experts from every world came to pay homage. Even now, within it..."