The green mountain was no longer green … It had turned into a barren mountain of death.
The green water was no longer clear, and it gave off a fishy smell … Even the wind that blew by was filled with vicissitudes and sorrow, as well as the smell of decay.
The beautiful pavilions and halls were covered in dust, and had lost all signs of life. They were in a state of decline.
Many of the stone steps on the small mountains were damaged, and a large amount of broken stones seemed to be playing a sad song in the wind.
The Dong Lin Sect disciples that Wang Lin had seen moving were all on the square, the palaces, and the stone steps. No one knew how long they had been dead, but their bodies had long since decayed and turned into skeletons.
There were also the Dong Lin Sect disciples sitting in their residences. They were all skeletons … This was a dead sect!
There was no sign of life, and it was surrounded by a dense death aura … However, in this Dong Lin Sect, under this dense death aura, there was a dream barrier. This dream barrier was formed by the illusions of countless people before they died. It seemed like the disciples of the Dong Lin Sect didn't know they were dead when they died … They were still cultivating in that dream.
This was also why when Wang Lin and Liu Jinbiao stood there and the Dong Lin Sect disciples walked past them, they didn't notice them at all. It wasn't that Wang Lin didn't exist, it was that they … didn't exist.
It wasn't appropriate to call them ghosts. From what Wang Lin could see, there were no ghosts here.
There was only a dream barrier that didn't know death … Under this dream barrier, even if an outsider came here, it would be difficult for them to discover anything. In fact, if they were attracted by it, they would even see illusions. In truth, this was because the dream barrier of an outsider had fused with this place and had fused with it.
Since ancient times, this place had been destroyed for countless years. Wang Lin didn't know how long it had been … However, he knew that perhaps many people had come here and hadn't noticed that this was actually a dead sect. They came here as guests and then left … However, he couldn't be the first person to notice this!
This was because he saw that at the center of the Dong Lin Sect, there was a giant palace with a sorrowful vitality silently existing.
That life was filled with loneliness and sorrow. It was like a young child who had lost all his family after his home was destroyed. He wept mournfully for a long time in the ruins, silently protecting his family.
There was no one to keep him company, only ruins of death and corpses. The loneliness and sorrow caused everyone's dreams to form. The illusory mountains and rivers, the illusory flourishing sect, and the illusory disciples of the Dong Lin Sect came to keep him company …. Before Wang Lin had gained enlightenment of his own Ethereal Essence, even if he had come here, he wouldn't have been able to see it. But now, he could see it and feel it. Sighing, he closed his eyes again.
When the wind passed and he opened his eyes, the decay and death of the Dong Lin Sect were gone. What replaced them were scenes of abundant life force and the disciples cultivating.
"Let's go," Wang Lin said softly and walked forward.
Liu Jinbiao couldn't see the changes here, but he could vaguely feel that something was wrong. He looked around for a while before following Wang Lin.
As they moved forward, faint ripples appeared around Wang Lin's body. These ripples couldn't be seen by others. This was Wang Lin letting himself go and allowing himself to merge with the dream here.
When he and Liu Jinbiao landed on the land of the Dong Lin Sect, they saw two rays of light coming from the distance. They turned into a man and a woman, two cultivators.
These two cultivators were not old. The man was very handsome, and he didn't show any disrespect. Instead, he revealed a respectful expression.
The woman beside him was very beautiful. She looked at Wang Lin with curiosity in her eyes.
"Senior, junior is here to invite senior to the Dong Lin Palace by the order of the ancestor." The young man smiled and clasped his hands. His tone was respectful, and his expression was the same.
The woman beside him also clasped her hands and her gaze swept past Wang Lin.
Wang Lin looked at the two Dong Lin Sect disciples and let out a sigh. His expression softened and he nodded.
Under the guidance of the two Dong Lin Sect disciples, Wang Lin flew toward the Dong Lin Palace at the center of the sect. The Dong Lin Sect was very big. Along the way, Wang Lin saw many scenes of life within the Dong Lin Sect.
He saw many celestial cranes flying in the sky. Whether it was the herb gardens or the residences of the disciples, there were cultivators either cultivating alone or chatting with each other.
When the wind blew, it contained dense celestial spiritual energy, making it seem like an otherworldly celestial realm.
Along the way, Wang Lin saw some Dong Lin Sect disciples flying by. When they saw him, they revealed themselves and clasped their hands respectfully.
The people of the Dong Lin Sect were very gentle. They were very polite to Wang Lin, as if Wang Lin was an important guest of the sect.
When they were about to get close to the Dong Lin Palace at the center, two rays of light flew into the air and arrived before Wang Lin. Hearty laughter echoed.
"Dongcun, Lil 'Yan, you two can leave."
As the laughter echoed, two cultivators appeared. The one who spoke was an old man, and beside him was a middle-aged man. They smiled and clasped their hands at Wang Lin.
Both of them were Golden Exalts and were extremely extraordinary. The old man laughed heartily and clasped his hands at Wang Lin.
"I'm Xu Yaonian, the head elder of the Dong Lin Sect. I'm here on the order of the ancestor to lead senior to the Dong Lin Palace."
"Junior He Dao, the sect master of the Dong Lin Sect, greets senior."
The middle-aged man smiled and his expression was very polite.
Looking at the two of them, Wang Lin's eyes were filled with sadness. What kind of loneliness could make someone form a dream barrier to accompany them … "Let's go," Wang Lin sighed and said to the two of them.
Under the accompaniment of these two Golden Exalts, they gave Wang Lin enough respect to arrive at the center of the Dong Lin Sect, the holy land of the entire Dong Lin Sect, the Dong Lin Palace!
"The ancestor is inside. We don't have an audience, so it's not convenient for us to enter. Senior, please enter by yourself." The old man with the hearty laughter clasped his hands at Wang Lin and said respectfully.
Wang Lin nodded and looked at the door of the Dong Lin Palace. In truth, he could have broken the dream barrier and come here by himself. He could have walked into the palace that was filled with sadness.
There was no need for him to talk to some illusory figures in the dream barrier.
However, he didn't do so. He could feel the sadness and loneliness. He gave the ancestor of the Dong Lin Sect respect, and in exchange, the ancestor gave Wang Lin the same respect in the dream barrier.
"Jinbiao, wait for me outside," Wang Lin said softly as he walked toward the Dong Lin Palace.
After Liu Jinbiao respectfully nodded, he subconsciously looked around. He felt that there was something strange about this place, but he couldn't tell what was wrong.
He slowly walked toward the Dong Lin Palace. When Wang Lin's right foot completely stepped into the palace, an ancient voice filled with loneliness and sadness echoed in the palace.
"You're here … In the palace, there were three huge statues in front of Wang Lin. The statues were of two men and one woman. They were looking toward the east with smiles on their faces, and there was a powerful aura coming from the three statues.
Sitting cross-legged beneath the statue was an old man dressed in a gray robe. His face was covered with brown spots, and he looked like an old man in his twilight years.
His expression was bitter and filled with endless sadness.
He was sitting there, but aside from the sadness, there was also a powerful aura buried deep inside his body. This aura surpassed all the Empyrean Exalts Wang Lin had seen.
"You're here …" Wang Lin let out a sigh as he walked toward the old man and sat down. He raised his right hand and took out a jug of wine.
"Do you want it?" Wang Lin handed the jug to the old man.
The old man pondered for a moment before taking the jug and taking a sip. "I feel a familiar aura from you. This should not be your first time here." The old man raised his head and looked at Wang Lin.
"I came here in my dream." Wang Lin took out a second jug and took a sip.
The old man looked at the door of the palace and slowly said, "Maybe … I've been sitting here for a long time. Maybe you really came here in your dream."
The old man softly asked, "Is the Dong Lin Sect in your dream the same as it is now?"
"It's the same." Wang Lin looked at the old man. He could feel the old man's sadness.
"Thank you …" The old man closed his eyes and two streams of tears slowly flowed down.
With his cultivation level, he shouldn't have known what tears were, but after hearing Wang Lin say "it's the same," tears flowed down.
"I've been sitting here for a long time, and you're the only person who gave me a sense of familiarity after seeing all of this … This is my home … I left a long time ago and became an Ascendant Empyrean. When I returned home, it was already like this …" The old man opened his eyes, which were filled with pain and sadness.
Wang Lin silently pondered.
"I don't know who did it … I can't find out. Even Grand Empyreans can't find out … I can only sit here and weave a dream with my memories. I'll let this dream accompany me so that the Dong Lin Sect can continue to exist … until the day I die …" The old man's voice was soft and hoarse.
Wang Lin looked at the old man and didn't speak.
What kind of emotion could make a person like this? What kind of sadness could make a person deceive themselves with a dream? What kind of loneliness could make a person use illusions and memories to accompany them?
"If Wan Er never awakens … If Ping Er can't open his eyes … If Suzaku is destroyed … Perhaps I'll be like him. I'll sit alone in the vast expanse of space, on my own cultivation planet. I'll use dreams to numb myself and weave a dream world. There will be my parents, me, Wan Er, Ping Er, and many familiar faces … If that day comes, perhaps I'll do the same …"
The old man suddenly said something that shocked Wang Lin! "Lock the fate of the heavens and seal the Dark Dynasty. Those who can't obtain the true dao will sink into the sea of bitterness and forever lose the true dao. I will follow the path of the true dao!"
"These words were written on a stone tablet by the murderer with the blood of my Dong Lin Sect's people …"
There will be more updates. Will there still be monthly tickets?
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