đź“– Chapter 1311 - A Blessing and a Calamity
Although dense clouds filled the sky, the rain stayed at a constant drizzle. It was as if a celestial being were there in the clouds, slowly squeezing out rain without using too much force.
When viewed from a distance, the falling rain was like a bead curtain. At the same time, it gave off a mysterious intent that made the entire city seem hazy like a mirage, with reality there in the midst of illusion.
The sky gradually darkened. Perhaps it was because the sunset was covered by the clouds, but only a few rays of evening light managed to shine through. Only those under these scattered rays of light were able to feel like it was truly dusk; in other areas, it was as if night had come calling ahead of time.
The busy streets were still the same, with the pedestrians bustling about no differently from when Wang Baole first arrived. The drunkard in the alley had rolled over again and continued snoring, lost in his dreams.
“Interesting.” Wang Baole slowly walked forward in the palace. His expression was calm as his eyes flickered with thought.
“There seems to be something hidden deeper in this dream.” Pausing his steps, Wang Baole glanced back at the hall that contained the Black Earth Emperor. With his current cultivation base, he could sense that something about the Black Earth Emperor wasn’t quite right.
The Black Earth Emperor he had just spoken to didn’t seem very intelligent. It was as if he was merely regurgitating words and actions that had been determined in advance. The same was true for the living beings in the city; at first glance, they seemed true to life, but when Wang Baole observed them carefully, he found that they were all like the Black Earth Emperor.
“Except for Little Fifth…” Wang Baole furrowed his brow and took a step forward. In an instant, he disappeared on the spot, and when he reappeared, he was already in a side hall. Here, he saw Little Fifth stomping over in frustration.
At the same time Wang Baole saw Little Fifth, Little Fifth also noticed Wang Baole. His stomping paused, and he suddenly spoke.
"You shouldn't have come."
As these words echoed out, the spark of intelligence in his body suddenly escaped and disappeared without a trace. Now, Little Fifth had become just like the Black Earth Emperor, and his fluctuating emotions instantly turned calm.
Wang Baole narrowed his eyes. He didn’t pay any attention to Little Fifth, instead swiping at the spot above Little Fifth’s head. He could sense that the spark of intelligence in Little Fifth’s body had turned into a wisp of consciousness that was trying to escape.
However, this wisp of consciousness was bizarre and mysterious. Wang Baole thought he had successfully grabbed it, but in the next moment, it completely disappeared, causing his eyebrows to rise.
“I’m guessing it’s something like the only splash of color in this black-and-white picture. Whoever has the wisp of consciousness will gain intelligence and become just like a real person. And the original owner of that consciousness… is the master of the dream!”
Wang Baole instantly left the palace and flew up into the sky above the city. Lowering his head, he scanned the city for traces of that wisp of consciousness. It didn’t take long for him to find it; eyes flashing brightly, he focused his gaze on the drunkard snoring in an alley.
But just as Wang Baole was about to make a move, all living beings in the city suddenly raised their heads. Pedestrians, merchants, thieves, showgirls, every kind of person lifted their heads and looked at Wang Baole in the sky.
"You shouldn't have come."
"You shouldn't have come."
"You shouldn't have come."
These same words came out from the mouths of everyone in the city. As their voices fused together, it was as if the entire city was roaring, and terrifying sound waves rumbled across heaven and earth.
The divine will that Wang Baole had sent out was blocked by a formless barrier. At the same time, an astonishing force of rejection erupted outward. This rejection came from all living beings, and their united will seemed to replace the natural laws of the Heavenly Dao.
Since they rejected Wang Baole, the entire world was now rejecting Wang Baole.
Wang Baole frowned and was about to suppress everything with a wave of his hand. But at that moment, bursts of coughing suddenly echoed out from the drunkard in the alley.
In an instant, the world turned back to normal. Everyone seemed to have forgotten their previous shouts and returned to business as usual. At the same time, the drunkard’s eyes slowly opened. As soon as they did…
The falling rain stilled in an instant, as did all living beings. The pedestrians who had just started going about their business again all became motionless, and the merchants reaching for their wares came to a halt. Even the playing children froze, legs still raised in a running motion.
A profound light flickered through Wang Baole’s eyes. Walking forward, he came down from the sky and appeared in the alley, standing in front of the drunkard who was now sitting leaning against the wall.
This drunkard had disheveled hair and blurry eyes, and he absolutely reeked of alcohol. However, it was still possible to tell that his features were the same as the Black Earth Emperor’s.
When he saw this, Wang Baole instantly came to understand. The person in front of him was the real Black Earth Emperor, and the real master of this dream. As for the one in the palace, that was just an illusion he had dreamt up.
At this moment, the drunkard turned his head upward and emptied his wine jug of its last few drops. Then, exhaling a long breath that reeked of alcohol, he looked at Wang Baole.
“Do you have nothing better to do aside from disturbing people’s dreams? If not for the fact that you have the aura of my useless son on you, I would have kicked you out right away.”
“I had no choice but to disturb you, Senior.” Speaking calmly, Wang Baole cupped his fists.
“You came looking for me because you want to use my dream to enter Source Universe Dao Void, right?” The drunkard shook the wine jug, and upon finding nothing left, tossed it casually to the side.
“Senior, I hope you can help me succeed.” Wang Baole wasn’t surprised that the person in front of him was aware of all this. For powerhouses at the level of the Black Earth Emperor, it was easy to see through such things at a glance.
“It’s getting dark.” The drunkard suddenly threw out some completely irrelevant words, then closed his eyes.
“Huh?” Wang Baole narrowed his eyes. He was about to speak, but in the next instant, his expression changed drastically as his divine will swept across the city. At that moment, the dark clouds in the sky covered the final ray of sunshine, and the lands were thrust into night. At the same time, the living beings who had originally fallen motionless while he was talking to the drunkard all recovered movement.
However… their expressions were completely different from during the day. The couples cuddling beneath their umbrellas together suddenly started arguing, faces twisting with hatred as they spewed vile curses at each other.
The children playing happily in the streets suddenly turned ferocious and began to fight.
The merchants hawking their wares suddenly pulled out knives and rushed toward their customers, stabbing viciously.
Even the showgirls who had been singing and dancing a moment earlier suddenly turned into malevolent ghosts. Similar things happened throughout the entire city. Now that night had fallen, the city that had been peaceful during the day suddenly turned into a ghoulish world.
Howls, shrieks, roars, and all sorts of sounds of madness all broke out at this moment.
During the day, everything was righteous and good.
But with nightfall came evil and wickedness!
This scene caused Wang Baole’s heart to stir. He didn’t understand what kind of mentality would give rise to a dream like this.
“In this dream, everyone has both good and evil thoughts.” Eyes closed, the drunkard almost seemed to be sleep-talking. At some point, another jug of wine had appeared in his hand.
“If you want to get into Source Universe Dao Void through my dream, then you have to answer my question.
“Am I good? Or am I evil?
“If you guess right, I’ll wake up and let you enter Source Universe Dao Void. If you’re wrong, then please leave. You… shouldn’t have come.”
Wang Baole looked at the drunkard and fell silent for a long time. Eventually, he turned his head and looked up at the palace.
“If you say you’re good, you will be good. If you say you’re evil, you will be evil. It all depends on your own thoughts.”
As soon as Wang Baole spoke, the drunkard’s movement of bringing the wine jug to his lips suddenly paused. After a while, his closed eyes slowly opened. There was an unspeakable complexity in the drunkard’s bloodshot eyes as he looked at Wang Baole again.
“Sure enough, it’s you…” The drunkard murmured. Smiling bitterly, he waved his right hand. Suddenly, the whole world turned blurry. It was like a bubble gradually shrinking, with everything on the edges disappearing into nothingness.
Wang Baole frowned. The Black Earth Emperor’s words just now gave him a bit of a strange feeling.
“Senior, what do you mean?”
The drunkard didn’t answer, instead laughing loudly. The world around them faded away, and even the alley they were located in began to disappear.
Only the drunkard’s laughter, full of bitterness and complexity, continued echoing.
“Wandering far under the light of the lantern, only for turbid wine to pull me back to the mortal world. Throughout three lives I am lucky to meet you, both a blessing and a calamity…”
“Senior?” Wang Baole was shocked. These words made the strange feeling in his heart grow stronger and stronger.
At this moment, the entire city vanished entirely, along with the alley Wang Baole and the drunkard were chatting in. Even the drunkard was about to disappear, but just before he did, he looked at Wang Baole and suddenly spoke.
“Let me ask you another question.
“What about you? Are you good, evil, or… does it all depend on your own thoughts?”