Perhaps not.

Is Ash Mountain a place for the Phoenix's rebirth, similar to a human's grave?

These people barge into someone's grave, digging for treasure and killing. How could any good fortune possibly come to them...?

Despite what he had said, Lu Yuan thought the chance of this orange flame bird being the Phoenix was very low. After all, it's a creature from myths and legends. I feel like it wouldn't easily appear in the present world.

...

「The Quiet Environment.」

Other Shore Flowers swayed over the mountains. The Netherworld River flowed silently, and the round moon seemed submerged in water...

And there was the woman in a black dress, bathing elegantly and mysteriously in the Netherworld River.

Lu Yuan awoke among the Other Shore Flowers by the Netherworld River. Looking at the scene before him, a hint of surprise, followed by a touch of sentimentality, appeared in his eyes.

It's been a long time since I had this dream...

The long-absent Crow Dreamscape.

With the increase of his strength, his mental will continually strengthened, his mind becoming clear, and the number of Lu Yuan's dreams also lessened.

It had been a long time since he last entered the Crow Dreamscape.

Actually... I kind of missed it.

After all, this was the beginning of my extraordinary journey.

Lu Yuan walked slowly down the steep slope covered in Other Shore Flowers, crouched by the Netherworld River, and dipped his hand into it.

The icy river water flowed through his fingers, clashing to create a crisp "DING DONG" sound.

"HOO—"

Lu Yuan let out a light sigh, feeling his body and mind relax.

Lately, he had come into contact with many secrets, and the weight he shouldered became greater and greater.

Although his strength was steadily increasing, he often felt crushed to the point that he couldn't breathe.

But now, after washing with the Netherworld River's water, his spirit felt surprisingly at peace.

He thought back on his journey and his exposure to the Ancient Evil Gods.

The Hunting God and the War God were manipulating the physical world. The Mosa Religion had a global presence—clear signs of a massive conspiracy.

The Elephant God used followers as food, consuming them without discretion—cruel and violent.

The Lady of Nightmares took away Xia Zhijing and attempted to erase him in her dreamscape.

Only the Crow God was good. She had helped him stumble his way to where he was now, leaving him things and allowing him to watch her bathe. She often stepped in at crucial moments to give him a hand, keeping him from being harmed by other Gods...

Returning to the Crow Dreamscape was like returning home. Looking at the woman in the black dress standing in the Netherworld River, he felt a certain familiarity.

Lu Yuan thought about this, and suddenly remembered the Lady of Nightmares.

A thought flashed in his mind. Isn't this the best opportunity?

With that in mind, Lu Yuan hurriedly stepped into the Netherworld River, walking slowly towards the woman in the black dress not far away.

The woman in the black dress stood under the pure white moon, her long hair and black dress merged with the Netherworld River beneath her.

She stood with her side towards Lu Yuan, revealing half of her supremely exquisite face, her long eyelashes lowered as if lost in thought.

This was a scene even the world's greatest master could never paint.

Everything was so breathtakingly beautiful.

Lu Yuan even felt slightly ashamed of himself.

My presence is disrupting the beauty of this entire scene.

The sound of his steps splashing in the river seemed too loud in such a peaceful and beautiful environment.

However, the danger of being erased by the Lady of Nightmares loomed over him like a sharp blade. In the face of such a life-and-death matter, Lu Yuan had to grit his teeth and interrupt, no matter how reluctant he was.

Finally, he stood in front of the woman in the black dress, about four or five meters away.

Lu Yuan stopped in his tracks, lowered his head, and thought about how to start the conversation.

After weighing his words, Lu Yuan, looking at the woman in the black dress who was within arm's reach, hesitated and carefully called out—

"Duo…"

The moment he called out, Lu Yuan immediately noticed the woman's lowered eyelashes flutter slightly.

In an instant, his scalp tingled.

But since he'd spoken up, he had to steel himself and continue, "I... I think I may have stirred up trouble... Well, it's not exactly trouble. There's someone… no, a God, who wants to mess with me. She's called the Lady of Nightmares. Have you heard of her?"

Lu Yuan let out everything in one breath.

He then widened his eyes, watching the woman in the black dress closely, waiting for her reaction.

To be honest, what I'm doing feels a bit shameless.

The Crow God was quite good to him, but in front of her, he was probably less than an ant.

One might appreciate an ant on the ground, but would they really fight someone else over it?

My only hope now is that I'm the sole remaining clue in the human world about the Lady of Nightmares' reincarnation, and that the Crow God is actually interested in this.

This is my only bargaining chip, the only reason I dare ask her for help.

The few seconds it took for the woman to open her eyes, from when her eyelashes fluttered, seemed to last ages to Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan saw the woman in the black dress open her eyes.

On her pale cheeks adorned with beautiful Other Shore Flower patterns, her pure black eyes reflected the moonlight, evoking no emotion.

She seemed to look at Lu Yuan.

A light glance.

Lu Yuan was unsure if he was just imagining it.

As Lu Yuan's heartbeat accelerated, unsure of what was about to happen next, suddenly...

The woman in the black dress began to rise from the Netherworld River.

Her hair and dress, submerged in the river, did not create a single splash.

The entire Netherworld River appeared to merge seamlessly with the strands of her hair.

No. To be more precise...

The gently flowing Netherworld River... is actually made of the black-dressed woman's long, spilling hair!

Lu Yuan watched in a daze as the winding Netherworld River transformed into the woman's long hair, and the Other Shore Flowers on the river's bank, along with the moon on the water, wove into her long dress.

The scene was rather strange.

It's as if the entire Crow Dreamscape was just a piece of cloth laid flat on the ground, and now someone has picked it up and gently draped it over themselves.

The beautiful and tranquil scene disappeared. In Lu Yuan's view, aside from the woman with waterfall-like black hair, stunning in a long dress adorned with Other Shore Flower patterns, nothing else existed.

But soon enough.

Lu Yuan's vision began to be filled with specks of light once again.

Those lights got closer and closer...

It turned out that they were glowing planets.

Unknowingly, he had found himself in the vast Starry Sky.

Lu Yuan was still marveling at the unexpected transition when the woman in the black dress slowly raised a hand, her pale, moon-like finger pointing towards the distant Starry Sky.

In an instant!

A vast, dark river, filled with the aura of decay, death, and withering, surged forth from her fingertip.

Within a blink, it swept over the vast Starry Sky.

Wherever this dark river passed, the glowing planets were swallowed up...

Lu Yuan watched in horror as the vast, shining Starry Sky rapidly extinguished, as if the power had been cut off, plunging quickly into silence.

The scent of death and decay filled the entire Starry Sky. Wherever the dark river passed, all life was harvested, and all living creatures were returned to the embrace of the Netherworld...

After an unknown amount of time, it all ended.

Lu Yuan found himself amidst a desolate and silent wasteland, still immersed in the unspeakable and overwhelming shock of the spectacle.

The woman with long black hair and dress turned her head to look at him quietly.

From her black eyes, Lu Yuan felt he understood a message—

This... is the true Netherworld River.

...

"HUFF... HUFF..."

Lu Yuan suddenly woke up from his dream. He opened his eyes, the shock not yet fully receded.

He was still in the Fly Shuttle cabin. Lan Chen was nowhere to be seen.

He glanced out the window. The Fly Shuttle seemed to be slowly landing, and the shadows of a forest and land could be vaguely seen beneath.

Lu Yuan withdrew his gaze and sat in the chair, frowning deeply as he sank into thought.

What did that Crow Dreamscape mean?

Why, after I mentioned the Lady of Nightmares, did the woman in the black dress show me that scene of the Netherworld River sweeping across the Starry Sky?

Was she trying to tell me that she's incredibly strong, that the Lady of Nightmares is no big deal, and that I should just keep relying on her?

Seems like it... Is that the only explanation?

Lu Yuan's mind was a complete mess, unable to make any sense of it for the time being.

At this moment, the door to the front cabin opened automatically, and Lan Chen quickly came out.

"Prepare yourself, we're about to arrive," Lan Chen greeted him.

Lu Yuan grunted in acknowledgment and rose from his seat.

He checked the time. The Fly Shuttle had been flying for nearly twelve hours, and they were currently over a small state in the southern part of the Distant Star Federation.

Ahead was a dense, primeval forest. The entrance to Ash Mountain was hidden within this forest.

"The entrance to the Ash Mountain Secret Realm was found within the Distant Star Federation's territory. They have a natural advantage that extends into the Secret Realm..." Lan Chen stood next to Lu Yuan, looking down at the landscape with him as he spoke.

Lu Yuan put the matter of the Crow Dreamscape aside, thought for a moment, and asked Lan Chen, "What is the specific format of the joint exploration?"

Lan Chen grimaced slightly and replied, "They call it a joint exploration, but it's really everyone for themselves. This so-called cooperative exploration has established a contribution ranking system. Officially, the final rewards will be distributed based on the ranking data. But in reality, it's just an excuse so that if someone gets lucky and finds something good, others can use the banner of fair distribution to demand a share…"

Lan Chen turned to look at Lu Yuan, warning him solemnly, "Just remember, once you're in the Secret Realm, aside from our Yellow Bear team members, nobody from the other exploration teams can be considered an ally. If we happen to find something good, they'll be fiercer than anyone in trying to snatch it. It's not unusual for them to secretly resort to deadly measures either…"

Lu Yuan's eyes flickered slightly. He nodded without saying a word.

After the Fly Shuttle entered the airspace of the primeval forest, it flew for a good half hour.

Lu Yuan was wondering how those who discovered the entrance had ever found this place, so deep within the forest, when the entrance to the Secret Realm finally appeared before his eyes.

A colossal light screen, almost a thousand meters tall.

Mysterious, strange lights swirled within it, forming a massive vortex. At a glance, it gave the distinct impression of being an entrance to some unknown realm.

Beneath this light screen was a mass of modern machinery, Fly Shuttles, Mechas, armed forces…

People bustled about, and various flying machines zipped through the air.

Lu Yuan even saw a deep-gray giant Mecha, about a hundred meters tall. Shaped like a beast, it stood quietly on the open ground in front of the light screen.

"What is that?" Lu Yuan blurted out instinctively.

Lan Chen answered, "The Distant Star Federation's Ice God Mech, one of the few God Level Mechas in the world. Just this one Mecha alone would be enough to easily destroy ten super-large cities within an hour…"

Lu Yuan fixed his gaze on the deep-gray Mecha below, which resembled a steel behemoth. He thought to himself, If I were in my ultimate form, at full power... could I defeat that thing?

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.