379: Dream

“Your Majesty...”

The palace doors were suddenly pushed open, and Ksitigarbha, along with Pigsy and the others, had already appeared in the main hall.

At this moment, only a few people were in the main hall: Li Chengqian, the current Emperor of the Great Tang; Li Shimin, the retired Emperor of the Great Tang; as well as Zhang Anan, Sun Simiao, Yuan Tiangang, and Li Chunfeng.

The Mortals who had already met Ksitigarbha all bowed to him. Then, Li Chengqian grabbed Pigsy, saying anxiously, “Elder Zhu, something is wrong. The entire palace, from the inside out, everyone except my father and me has fallen into a deep sleep and cannot be woken up!”

“We are already aware of this...”

Ksitigarbha said in a deep voice from the side, “Let me ask you: did they suddenly fall asleep as if they had fainted, or were they in a natural sleep that they simply cannot be woken from?”

“After such a major event tonight, hardly anyone dared to sleep!”

Li Shimin said in a deep voice, “Bodhisattva, this is a serious matter. We have never encountered such a situation before. Please instruct us on what we should do!”

“Hmm, we suspect that everyone has fallen into the same dream, and this dream seems to be connected for everyone!”

Pigsy said, “We don't know the opponent's specific goal yet, but it definitely won't be anything good...”

“So, our plan is to enter the dream and take a look!”

Wu Zhen said eagerly, “Your Majesty, you are the Son of Heaven. If we enter the dream through your dream, we should be able to see the truth of the matter from a unique perspective. I wonder if you... would be willing to try?”

“Hmm... As the Son of Heaven, it is my duty to look after the people of the Great Tang... I agree! But... but who will perform this dream-entry?”

Li Chengqian asked.

“I am somewhat familiar with it, but I have no idea how to specifically connect to everyone's dream,” Ksitigarbha frowned slightly.

“Don't worry, we're here!”

Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng suddenly stepped forward. Yuan said, “We've actually been researching this topic recently... Hmm, it's this... I even carry it with me...”

As he spoke, Yuan Tiangang pulled a jade pendant from his waist. It looked very similar to the communication device he had developed, but it was thinner and lighter, with both sides covered in runes that looked like circuit boards.

“This thing is called a Dream-Linking Bookmark...” Li Chunfeng said in a deep voice. “As soon as Your Majesty falls asleep, it will immediately trace the strongest brainwave nearby and connect to it, thereby linking others' dreams with your own...”

Wu Zhen looked at him strangely and couldn't help but ask, “Immortal Master Li, forgive my presumption, but His Majesty and the Emperor are both Sons of Heaven and can only escape because they are in constant contact with the imperial jade seal. Why are Zhang Anan and you all safe and sound?”

Sun Simiao, standing to the side, stroked his beard and chuckled, “It is the incense I gave them that is working; smelling it keeps one's spirit vigorous. As for Zhang Anan, he has served two monarchs and is in constant contact with Dragon Qi, so this is not strange!”

“I see. Then without further ado, let's begin...”

Ksitigarbha walked up to Li Chengqian. Just as he was about to act, he noticed Li Shimin suddenly stand up, smiling bitterly. “Let this old bag of bones do it. I have fought my whole life and enjoyed half a lifetime of blessings. Before I die, let me make one last contribution to this country... My son is young, and you still have great things to achieve!”

“Father... I...”

Li Chengqian was deeply moved and hugged Li Shimin, on the verge of tears.

“Alright, alright, you're an adult now, stop crying. It's not like this is a final farewell!” Little White Dragon Ao Lie said impatiently. “We will enter with you, so if anything happens, we can protect you... It makes no difference which of you goes!”

They say the Emperor is the True Dragon Son of Heaven, but the one before them was a genuine Dragon; the aura on his body was almost identical to the two monarchs, perhaps even stronger.

“Father is advanced in years; it is better that I go!”

Li Chengqian smiled awkwardly and then said to Ksitigarbha, “Then please proceed!”

Ksitigarbha nodded, then pressed his palms together and chanted scriptures. Golden ripples emanated from his mouth, eventually falling onto Pigsy and the other three, turning into Sanskrit characters that seeped into their foreheads. Immediately after, another Sanskrit character suddenly appeared on Li Chengqian's forehead. The five of them narrowed their eyes slightly, as if drunk, and fell asleep one after another. On this side, Li Chunfeng placed the Dream-Linking Bookmark in his hand onto Li Chengqian's forehead, and with that, the task was completed.

...

“Ugh... I... Where is this? Why is the smell of blood and gunpowder so strong?”

Opening his eyes in a daze, Li Chengqian stood up, leaning against the city wall, only to find himself standing on the ramparts.

“Oh, right, we were just about to enter the dream... Is this the world inside the dream?”

Looking up, he saw the sky was overcast, with dark clouds pressing down almost onto the city walls. Outside the city, the sounds of battle were deafening, and there was smoke and blood everywhere. It seemed the Great Tang soldiers were fighting someone.

Looking down, he saw that the ones fighting the Great Tang soldiers were all those hideous-looking monsters.

“How can this be? Could it be...”

Li Chengqian was bewildered when he suddenly felt someone approaching from behind. He drew his sword, turned around, pointed it at them, and shouted, “Who?”

“Your Majesty, don't be alarmed, it's us!”

Pigsy walked in front and couldn't help but smile bitterly, “It seems that old guy Darwin's goal is simple: to move the battlefield into the dream. We just took a look around the city and found that almost all the commoners are awake, and their faces are full of worry... Oh, Qin Shubao and the other generals are also outside the city fighting the enemy. It seems everyone who fell asleep has ended up here!”

“That's right!”

Wu Zhen, who had some research into illusions and souls, said in a deep voice, “I have already felt it; everyone here has a soul. They are real people, not illusions manifested from the dreams of any of us!”

“In other words, everyone who fell asleep has come here!”

Li Chengqian said in a deep voice, “But what is their goal in doing this?”

Everyone fell into silence. They were completely confused by this situation. Although they knew there was a conspiracy, they had no idea where this conspiracy was hidden.

This sense of mystery alone was enough to make people wary.

“Wait, do you feel like the whole city seems to be... shaking?”

Ao Lie asked curiously.

“That's right, it is shaking... Wait... wait, oh no...”

Pigsy suddenly looked up and was shocked to see a dozen huge fireballs tearing through the clouds, crashing fiercely toward the ground...