100: The figure in my dream

The night was deep and quiet.

The bright moon hung high above the Yaochi Holy Land, draping a layer of light gauze over this ancient Sect.

At this moment, all was silent, with only the occasional sound of mountain winds sweeping past.

However, within the sleeping quarters of the Saintess Hall, Chu Qianqian's sleep was extremely unsettled.

She lay on a Cold Jade Bed, her brows locked tightly together, and her smooth, full forehead was now covered in fine beads of sweat.

Her hands gripped the brocade quilt beneath her with a death grip, her knuckles turning white from overexertion, and her body trembled slightly.

It was as if she were experiencing some immense pain that was unbearable for ordinary people.

Within the dream.

This was a vague, ethereal, and vast sea of clouds.

The surroundings were a vast expanse of white; there was no sky, no earth, only the churning mist beneath her feet.

This was the same nightmare she had been having for several consecutive days since her wretched escape back from the Hehuan Sect.

At first, she thought it was because she had been tortured by Chu Qianqian, causing her mind to be unsettled and resulting in nightmares.

But as the frequency increased, the dream did not disappear; instead, it became clearer and more real.

At the summit of that sea of clouds, a beautiful white figure always stood.

The figure's back was turned to her, clothes fluttering, and long hair cascading like a waterfall.

Although the face could not be seen, just the back profile exuded an Aura that looked down upon the world, yet was cold and aloof to the extreme.

That high-and-mighty Aura that disregarded all living beings made Chu Qianqian feel a shudder from the depths of her Soul.

"Who are you?!"

In the dream, Chu Qianqian tried to shout loudly, wanting to question the other's identity.

But no matter how hard she tried, her throat could not produce the slightest sound.

And whenever that back profile slowly turned around.

Chu Qianqian would feel an irresistible, terrifying suction force suddenly erupt from that figure!

Buzz—!

In that instant, she felt as if her Soul was about to be forcibly stripped from her body.

Her body began to float uncontrollably, drifting toward that white figure against her will.

That feeling... was too terrifying.

It was as if her body no longer belonged to her, but had become some kind of "vessel" waiting to be filled.

And that figure was opening its arms, waiting to return to its place!

"No... don't..."

She screamed frantically in her heart, struggling desperately to escape.

But that suction force grew stronger and stronger, and that back profile got closer and closer to her.

Just as she was about to touch that figure—

The feeling of suffocation as her Soul was about to be swallowed suddenly reached its peak!

"Ah—!!"

In reality, Chu Qianqian suddenly let out a short cry of alarm, her entire body springing up from the bed.

Hoo... hoo... hoo...

She gasped for air, her chest heaving violently, her eyes filled with terror and distraction.

Her thin undergarments were already completely soaked with cold sweat, clinging tightly to her body.

The breeze from outside the window brushed over the clinging undergarments, bringing waves of bone-chilling cold.

Still shaken, she reached out her hand to touch her sweat-drenched forehead.

"Again... it's this dream again..."

She murmured to herself, her voice raspy and trembling.

At her Realm, there was no such thing as "dreaming at night what one thinks of during the day."

Dreams were often an omen, or a sign of some external force invading!

She could clearly perceive that the feeling of being pulled and stripped in the dream was by no means illusory.

It was a summons from the depths of her Divine Soul, or rather... an erosion!

Compared to the visible and tangible Hehuan Heart-Devouring Gu in her sister's hand,

this bizarre dream from the unknown, which felt as if it wanted to completely Possession her, made her feel another, deeper level of fear.

The Gu poison only wanted her life or to control her person.

But this dream... seemed to want to completely erase her existence and replace everything about her!

"What on earth is going on?"

"Could it be that something went wrong with the Mind-Cultivation Technique I Cultivate? Have I suffered Qi Deviation?"

"Or... is this some mysterious power I don't know about?"

After calming her mind slightly, Chu Qianqian shook her head vigorously, trying to shake off that lingering, aloof back profile from her mind.

But that back profile was like it had taken root in her head; no matter what, she couldn't dispel it.

"No, I can't just sit here and wait for death."

Her eyes narrowed as she made a decision in her heart.

She had to find the answer!

She turned to look out the window; although it was already late at night and the moon was at its zenith, she didn't feel the slightest bit sleepy.

"Scripture Pavilion..."

She thought of the Yaochi Holy Land's Scripture Pavilion.

It housed all the records and secrets of the Yaochi Holy Land over the tens of thousands of years since its founding, including many rare volumes that even the Elders had never read.

Perhaps she could find records about this bizarre dream within, even if it was just a fragment.

Thinking of this, she no longer hesitated.

She rose quickly and simply wiped away the cold sweat.

Then, she changed into a clean white long dress, sat before the bronze mirror, and carefully tidied her appearance.

No matter when, she was the Saintess of Yaochi; she must never let anyone see her weakness or distress.

Whoosh—

Having done all this, she pushed open the window, her figure turning into a streak of light, and under the cover of night, she silently flew toward the Scripture Pavilion deep within the Holy Land.

The night was deep, and the Scripture Pavilion of the Yaochi Holy Land stood majestically.

As a vital place for the Holy Land's Legacy, Elders were stationed outside the Scripture Pavilion year-round, and it was shrouded in powerful Formations, making it heavily guarded.

Chu Qianqian's trip was to investigate clues about the bizarre dream, and she didn't want to attract attention.

She arrived at the pavilion's door and showed the token representing her Saintess identity to the Elder guarding the pavilion.

The Elder's Divine Sense swept over her, and he nodded slightly without saying much, letting her pass through the Restriction.

The Yaochi Scripture Pavilion was divided into nine floors.

The bottom three floors contained basic Cultivation Techniques and miscellaneous notes, open to all Inner Sect Disciples.

The middle three floors held advanced Secret Manuals, requiring an Elder's written order or sufficient Sect contribution points to enter.

And Chu Qianqian's destination this time was the top three floors, which were only open to Personal Disciples and above, containing Sect secrets and profound classics.

She ascended the spiral staircase with familiar ease.

Because it was late at night, combined with the extremely high access threshold, these upper floors appeared exceptionally empty and quiet.

The air was filled with the smell of old paper mixed with special insect-repelling incense, with only her light footsteps echoing.

Chu Qianqian did not stop on the sixth or seventh floors, but went straight to the eighth floor.

This floor mainly housed records concerning the "Divine Soul," "Strange Chronicles," and some rare fragments handed down from ancient times.

She wanted to find some trace of that repeating bizarre dream here.

However, just as she stepped onto the eighth floor and passed a row of tall bookshelves,

the corner of her eye suddenly caught a slightly familiar figure.

"Hmm?"