Seeking Truth with a Sword-Chapter 670 - 603: Cloud Dream

"If only we could tame the Dream Eater," Xi Yangyu sighed. "After one dream, deserts would become vast fields, rugged mountain roads would turn into smooth avenues, and even enemies could be transformed into allies. We wouldn’t be so passive now."

Lian Xuanyao shook his head. "Blessings and misfortunes are intertwined."

"That’s true." Xi Yangyu nodded in agreement and smiled. "The only good news is that people outside still don’t know the situation here. We can use our spies to release rumors, pretending we’ve tamed the Dream Eater to intimidate them. Tsk, I don’t even know what Taihao Mountain is thinking, insisting on initiating this meaningless war, even condoning Zhao Ming."

"Mm." Lian Xuanyao nodded slightly and waved his hand. "It’s getting late. You should head back."

"Yes."

Xi Yangyu turned, picked up the stack of experiment records from the table, and handed them over. Lian Xuanyao reached out to take them.

However, in the next instant, immense Telekinesis centered on the papers exploded, filling the entire room. Lian Xuanyao’s figure froze, every inch of his skin enduring a massive pressure comparable to the dark depths of the ocean. If he were an ordinary person without Cultivation abilities, he would have been flattened by now.

Paper scraps fluttered around. Xi Yangyu, still maintaining the pose of handing over the papers, narrowed his eyes and looked ominously at "Lian Xuanyao." "Who are you? No, *what* exactly are you...?"

Immense Telekinesis continued to bear down relentlessly on "Lian Xuanyao."

CRACK! CRACK!

The robe "Lian Xuanyao" wore was the first to give way, its edges disintegrating and drifting to the ground. Upon touching the floor, the fragments of cloth quickly lost their color, turning into a dull, light-absorbing black silk. "Lian Xuanyao’s" face also began to flake and peel like an ancient, weathered statue or mural, revealing bloody musculature beneath.

"...Where was the flaw?" the Ink Silk Clone rasped. It had perfectly mimicked the Mountain Master’s appearance, clothing, tone of voice, and movements. Even the Jade Pendant it wore emitted the Mountain Master’s distinct Spiritual Power fluctuations.

"Heh." Xi Yangyu had no intention of explaining. Several Demon Suppression Talismans flew from his wide sleeves, slapping onto the Ink Silk Clone’s body. He then released his Telekinesis again, retrieving two rusty, chipped iron rings from a nearby cabinet.

Li Ang had seen similar iron rings at the garrison, specifically used to detain Cultivators whose crimes were too heinous for simple execution. Once these rings pierced a Cultivator’s scapulae, no amount of effort to draw upon their Qi Sea could produce even a wisp of Spiritual Power. However, compared to the standard-issue torture devices of the garrison, these two iron rings radiated an ancient, grim aura. The bloodstains on them, countless years old, still looked fresh, emitting a faint metallic tang.

Xi Yangyu spoke leisurely, "I don’t care if you’re a secret agent from the Taihao Mountain Judgement Court or an assassin from the Zhou Kingdom. Now that you’re here, don’t even think about leaving. Daring to sneak into the Academic Palace, even disguising yourself as the Mountain Master... I don’t know whether to praise your fearlessness or pity your foolishness. Running headlong into certain death like a moth to a flame, undertaking such a suicidal mission."

With that, Xi Yangyu flicked his fingers. The pair of iron rings shot forward, embedding themselves into the Ink Silk Clone’s shoulders. He gave a sharp twist, and the rings pierced through its scapulae.

THUMP.

Piercing its shoulders, the seemingly light iron rings felt as heavy as mountains. The Ink Silk Clone buckled, its knees slamming into the ground and leaving indentations. Its lips trembled as if trying to say something.

Xi Yangyu frowned slightly, listening intently.

"HRRNGH... HRRNGH..."

The Ink Silk Clone’s jaw suddenly unhinged, stretching to an unnatural degree like a snake’s, revealing a shining light within its mouth.

Xi Yangyu sensed the aura and said uncertainly, "Radiance...?"

BOOM!

The orb of light exploded within the room.

Xi Yangyu faced the blinding radiance, every hair on his face starkly illuminated. His eyes were cold as he raised his right palm.

A telekinetic barrier—this was a basic ability almost every Cultivator mastered, used to block rain or deflect stray projectiles. Even Cultivators who focused on Body Refinement and martial skills knew the simple operation of manipulating their Qi Sea, gathering Spiritual Power, and forming such a barrier. However, after reaching the Body Concealing Realm, Cultivators of various Dao Paths mastered more diverse and efficient abilities that could replace the telekinetic barrier. Magic Masters had Armor Techniques, Talisman Masters had Protective Talismans, and Sword Masters were shielded by their Sword Qi. Only Telekinesis Masters themselves would continue to refine this fundamental ability, constantly enhancing the barrier’s strength and improving the efficiency of their Spiritual Energy usage.

BUZZ—

A spherical telekinetic barrier formed instantly, enveloping not Xi Yangyu himself, but the radiant orb fired from the Radiant Crossbow. The intense light and heat, capable of destroying a skyscraper, pulsed violently within the sphere, its energy dissipating harmlessly, unable to breach the barrier. The shapeless orb, outlined only by its own incandescence, rapidly shrank until it was merely a speck, the size of a firefly.

Xi Yangyu clenched his palm.

BANG!

The speck of light vanished like smoke.

"Radiant Crossbow." Xi Yangyu lowered his arm, nonchalantly continuing the previous topic. "How did it end up in your possession?"

The Ink Silk Clone, having used the brief distraction of the explosion to tear the iron rings from its shoulders, didn’t answer.

"Unwilling to speak, are you?" Xi Yangyu’s Telekinesis lashed out again. He snatched a small toy drum from a display table in the corner of the room and, using the tiny wooden mallet held by the accompanying drummer figurine, struck the drumhead forcefully.

DONG! DONG! DONG—

After three drumbeats, the room and everything in it instantly dissolved, replaced by the surface of a vast lake. The water was endless, waist-deep, and bone-chillingly cold. Though there was no discernible light source in this entire space, the surroundings were clearly visible.

Connection to the outside world was severed.

Li Ang, controlling the Ink Silk Clone, calmly assessed the situation. There were only three figures in the lake: himself (as the clone), Xi Yangyu several dozen meters away, and, even further in the distance, the drummer. The drummer wore red clothes and a yellow sash, its indistinct face marked with crudely drawn features. It, or he, continuously struck the drumhead with a wooden stick, producing an eerie music.

Xi Yangyu, standing on the water’s surface, said, "First-level Abnormality, number nineteen. Name: Cloud Dream Heavenly Sound. Unearthed from a dried lakebed in Cloud Dream Lake. Creator unknown. As long as one strikes that toy-like drumhead, anyone who hears the drum’s sound is forcibly dragged in here. Meanwhile, time in the outside world also halts..."

As he uttered the word "halts," Xi Yangyu suddenly lifted his right palm and slammed it downwards.

The terrifying, mountain-like oppression descended again. Li Ang, as the clone, pushed off the solid lakebed, launching himself out of the water. His figure shot backward over a hundred meters, as if surfing, while simultaneously throwing up a telekinetic barrier, narrowly escaping through the crushing pressure.

WHOOSH—

The water, flattened by the Telekinesis, caved in abruptly. As the force dissipated, the water surged back, creating tumultuous waves.

"Indeed, it’s you." Xi Yangyu’s strike had missed, but he had already gleaned the information he wanted from the brief exchange. His gaze was indifferent as he stated coldly, "At this moment, shouldn’t you be getting married in Furong Garden, Li Ang?"