Walking out of the prison, Tai Lingxuan initially intended to call for a disciple to take Chen Yuyang to the outer courtyard for placement.
However, the words reached the tip of her tongue before she swallowed them back down.
Ultimately, she decided to lead the way herself.
Tai Lingxuan turned and walked toward the exit of the sect.
Chen Yuyang followed silently behind her, quietly observing the Hehuan Sect of this dream world.
The layout was roughly the same as the Hehuan Sect in reality, but everything here was far more magnificent and grand.
The spiritual energy in this place was several times denser than in the real world, and the scale of the sect was gargantuan.
Along the way, there was a constant stream of disciples, each one possessing stunning beauty and impressive cultivation.
‘Is this… the version of the Hehuan Sect that Master wishes to see?’
Powerful and prosperous.
‘Is this why she is so immersed in this dream and unwilling to wake up?’
If this truly was the dream buried deep within his master’s heart, then the situation here was indeed far more triumphant than reality.
Chen Yuyang speculated privately but did not speak, simply following Tai Lingxuan’s footsteps.
“Twenty-seven years ago, when I took over the name of the Hehuan Sect, there was only one person left in the entire sect—me.”
Suddenly, Tai Lingxuan’s cold, arrogant voice rang out from ahead, breaking the silence.
Chen Yuyang raised an eyebrow and paused slightly.
He looked at Tai Lingxuan’s back but continued to listen.
“By my strength alone, I built everything from nothing. I established a firm foothold in the North Domain and expanded the Hehuan Sect to its current state.”
There was a hint of pride in Tai Lingxuan’s tone.
“Soon, my Hehuan Sect will summon all the sects of the North Domain, large and small, to hold a sect convention here. Afterward, we will hold a Grand Ceremony to officially promote ourselves as the eighth great sect of the North Domain.”
Chen Yuyang cooperated by widening his eyes, putting on a look of appropriate surprise.
“Senior is truly extraordinary. To revitalize a sect by your own strength… such an achievement truly earns this junior’s admiration.”
Tai Lingxuan nodded slightly and turned her head.
The sunlight spilled across her exquisite face, highlighting the faint curve of a smile she couldn’t quite hide.
“Currently, my sect has 1,300 inner disciples and 5,000 outer disciples. There are thirty-two Body Integration Stage elders and three Great Ascension Stage elders. As for this seat…”
Tai Lingxuan paused, a deeper look of pride flashing in her eyes.
“This seat successfully advanced to the Tribulation Transcendence Realm not long ago.”
Following behind Tai Lingxuan and listening to this, Chen Yuyang’s eyebrows twitched uncontrollably.
‘The gap between this dream and reality is a bit too large.’
‘Besides, why is she telling an “outsider” like me so much?’
Though he grumbled internally, Chen Yuyang remained calm on the surface, simply nodding in coordination and maintaining an expression of awe.
At the same time, Chen Yuyang understood that in this dream world, many things could not be explored using common sense or logic.
Tai Lingxuan seemed very satisfied with his surprise.
Without stopping, she continued forward.
After passing through a long corridor and a gatehouse, a wide-open square suddenly appeared before them.
In the center of that square stood a massive statue.
The figure of the statue was none other than Tai Lingxuan herself.
“That is the statue the sect disciples erected for me after I broke through to the Tribulation Transcendence Realm,” Tai Lingxuan said, pointing at the statue as if showing it off.
Chen Yuyang looked up at the statue that towered into the clouds.
‘As expected, Master’s personality in the dream is completely different from reality. She’s even started to become a bit narcissistic.’
However, Chen Yuyang still said respectfully, “Senior’s majesty is world-shaking. It is only right to erect such a statue.”
The corners of Tai Lingxuan’s mouth curled up.
She seemed quite receptive to his flattery.
She continued to lead him across the square toward the outer courtyard.
Along the way, disciples would occasionally see Tai Lingxuan, stop in their tracks, and bow respectfully.
They either called her “Master” or “Sect Master,” their attitudes filled with immense reverence.
Tai Lingxuan merely offered a slight nod in response, her expression indifferent.
Soon, she brought Chen Yuyang to the outer courtyard.
Upon arriving, Chen Yuyang realized that this courtyard was identical to his own courtyard in reality.
Even the smallest details were exactly the same.
However, Tai Lingxuan herself seemed entirely unaware of this.
In her dream world, he was someone who shouldn’t even exist.
“For the time being, you will live here,” Tai Lingxuan said, gesturing to the small courtyard.
“I will instruct a disciple to arrange your daily needs. If you require anything, just look for her.”
“Thank you, Senior,” Chen Yuyang replied with a respectful bow.
Tai Lingxuan glanced back at the youth before turning to leave.
After walking some distance away, the woman looked back once more.
Only after seeing the youth enter the room did she finally depart.
However, at this very moment, Tai Lingxuan felt an inexplicable sense of…
Nervousness.
Yes, nervousness.
But as for what exactly she was nervous about, she didn’t know.
Furthermore, Tai Lingxuan couldn’t understand why she, as the head of a sect, would personally lead this outsider here.
Moreover, she had spoken so much to him along the way, even touching upon sect secrets… The number and strength of the elders were not things that could be casually revealed to the outside world.
‘What on earth am I doing with this kid…?’
Tai Lingxuan clutched her chest.
Her feelings were complex, yet she didn’t even know what she was thinking.
It was just…
She was so bothered…
‘Is it because of that dream?’
‘Was that dream just a coincidence?’
‘Or has someone set a trap for me… Is the appearance of this youth and my dream part of some arrangement…?’
Thinking as she walked, Tai Lingxuan unconsciously returned to her room.
Looking at the empty room, she sat down.
The sense of loss and longing began to grow… stronger, more…uncontrollable…
Tai Lingxuan had left.
Chen Yuyang, meanwhile, was analyzing the situation within this dream.
There was no doubt that his master did not suspect this was a dream.
On the contrary, she enjoyed it. she was fully invested in her current identity and status.
In other words, this was likely the version of herself she dreamed of being.
If that were the case, how could he make her realize that reality was not so beautiful—that it was even cruel?
And how could he make her accept it all?
For someone already deep within a dream, this was very, very difficult.
It was so difficult that even Chen Yuyang couldn’t think of a good solution for the time being.
‘Forget it, I’ll keep observing.’
He had just arrived, so there was no need for extreme haste.
Perhaps a turning point would appear, one he simply hadn’t discovered yet.
For now, he could only maintain his patience and wait.
Just as Chen Yuyang was lying on the bed thinking, a familiar voice suddenly drifted in from the courtyard.
“Oh? So this is the courtyard of that intruder?”
“Master is really something, why would she give a chore like this to me?”
Chen Yuyang’s brow twitched as he looked out into the courtyard.
He realized that, without him noticing, it was already dusk outside.
‘Fine… I forgot, this is Master’s dream.’
Never mind dusk appearing in the blink of an eye; as long as Master felt it was “reasonable,” even a thousand years could pass in an instant.
Under the golden glow of the twilight, Ling Xi approached, dressed in white robes.
She had her hands on her hips, her face full of reluctance.
‘It’s her…’
Speaking of which.
Clearly, in this dream world, he didn’t exist.
Yet, surprisingly, Senior Sister Qiushui and Junior Sister Ling Xi were here.
Chen Yuyang felt puzzled.
If their presence represented their status in Tai Lingxuan’s heart, Chen Yuyang didn’t believe he was inferior to them.
In that case, the only other explanation was…
They played certain roles in this dream.
Certain irreplaceable roles.
But what could they be?
And what were they related to?
Chen Yuyang didn’t know and wasn’t sure.
But what he had to do now was go along with the dream.
Because even though the newcomer had Ling Xi’s appearance, in a sense, she was also a part of Tai Lingxuan’s consciousness—an extension of her vision or emotions.
With that thought, Chen Yuyang stood up to greet her.
“Hello, fellow Daoist. I am Chen Yuyang.”
Ling Xi froze on the spot.
Her bright, large eyes went wide as she stared intensely at Chen Yuyang.
“I’m in love!”
Chen Yuyang: “???”
“You’re so handsome, Yuyang. Do you have someone you like?”
Chen Yuyang: “???”
“Ahem, where are you from?”
Ling Xi restrained her gaze a bit, sat down with a beaming smile, and continued her questioning.
“The Southern Region.”
“Oh! The Southern Region! Quick, tell me what it’s like there.”
Chen Yuyang was momentarily at a loss by the girl’s sudden enthusiasm.
What did this represent?
He didn’t know.
However, since his junior sister was “curious,” Chen Yuyang sat down and patiently began to tell her stories.
He would follow the dream and see how it naturally developed.
This was what Chen Yuyang needed to do now.
An unknown amount of time passed.
Perhaps it was a long time, or perhaps it was only a moment.
Here, Chen Yuyang had lost track of real time.
He only knew that the bright moon now hung high in the sky and the night was deep.
She hadn’t mentioned a single thing about taking care of him.
After Chen Yuyang had spoken for a long time, Ling Xi seemed to have heard enough.
She patted her dress and stood up.
“Alright, it’s getting late.”
Chen Yuyang nodded, also intending to stand up to see her out of the room.
However, in the next instant…
Her clothes slid down.
The girl’s well-developed body was revealed in its entirety.
“Fellow Daoist Ling, this is…”
“Yuyang, I like you.”
Ling Xi looked directly into his eyes, a smile on her face.
“Perhaps this is love at first sight. Anyway, be my man.”
Chen Yuyang: “???”
Dreams were absurd.
But Chen Yuyang hadn’t expected it to be this absurd.
His junior sister was confessing directly and even offering herself… Wasn’t this a bit too direct?
Even in his own dreams, he wouldn’t dare to imagine this!
How could something like this happen in reality?
Moreover, for this scene to appear in Master’s dream, in Tai Lingxuan’s subconscious… what did it actually mean?
The real him and his junior sister hadn’t progressed to this stage.
And the thing Chen Yuyang found most absurd was…
In the blink of an eye, the sky was already growing light.
The girl rose from the bed, her face full of refreshment, happiness, and satisfaction.
“Last night was hard on you.”
Chen Yuyang: “???”
‘It’s dawn already? It’s over just like that?’
‘Where was the process?’
‘Where did the most important process go?’