Chapter 35: The Dream-Eating Mo

Headquarters of the Exorcism Bureau, Observation Tower.

"He's awake," the Chief of the Bureau, Luo Chuan, said calmly.

Shangguan Jin fell silent for a moment.

She knew that the Chief was referring to Gu Xu - he had already uncovered the secret of Peace Blossom Town and was about to awaken from the dream, seeing the truth.

"Gu Xu... he's really amazing," she exclaimed sincerely.

Shangguan Jin admired beautiful people, but she admired intelligent people even more.

Young men like Gu Xu, with their handsome appearance and quick wit, easily earned her respect and admiration.

Luo Chuan remained silent.

He felt that the current appearance of Gu Xu was gradually resembling that of someone from his memories.

He felt a sense of nostalgia, joy, and melancholy.

Now, the long night was approaching.

He wondered if that person was safe and sound.

...

In the Illusionary Realm, Peace Blossom Town.

"What's that sound?" Ma Qin asked alertly.

"Perhaps... we will soon see the true form of Peace Blossom Town," Gu Xu smiled and said.

"The true form? What do you mean? Could this town still be alive?" Ma Qin's words were cut short as a thick, eerie black mist enveloped Peace Blossom Town.

Soon, the scenery around them rapidly twisted and distorted like melting wax or a spinning kaleidoscope.

Ma Qin felt dizzy, his surroundings a blur.

A faint buzzing sound echoed in his ears, causing a slight headache.

After a few minutes, the environment finally stopped changing.

Ma Qin was surprised to find that the bustling and lively Jiangnan town had vanished without a trace.

At this moment, they found themselves on a desolate hillside.

The sky was gloomy and grey.

A chilly wind rustled through the air.

Between the withered weeds, several heavily weathered tombstones stood, scattered with fragments of bones.

It was a gloomy and cold scene.

Only a peach tree stood proudly in the middle of the hill.

Its branches were adorned with vibrant, vivid red blossoms, a riot of colors against the desolate backdrop.

Beneath this peach tree lurked a creature, roughly the size of a leopard.

It had a body like a horse, a nose like an elephant, a face like a lion, a forehead like a rhino, a tail like a cow, and legs like a tiger.

Its eyes opened slightly, but they still appeared somewhat unfocused.

"What kind of monster is this?" Ma Qin pointed to the creature and whispered to Gu Xu beside him.

By now, Ma Qin regarded Gu Xu as a walking encyclopedia. Whenever he encountered something he didn't understand, he would simply ask Gu Xu, which was much easier than thinking for himself.

The corners of Gu Xu's mouth curled up slightly.

If it was before this moment, his mind was filled with numerous speculations, as soon as he saw this grey-black creature, everything became clear - the origin and fate of Peace Blossom Town were completely known to him.

Without hesitation, he answered, "This is the Dream-Eating Mo, a 'Evil Spirit' level monster. This creature feeds on the negative spiritual energy of humans and can devour their nightmares, causing those swallowed dreams to reappear in the world.

"I suspect that the Peace Blossom Town we were just in was a nightmare created by this Dream-Eating Mo.

"In the dream, whether it's the lack of details or the repetition of time, everything is undoubtedly reasonable.

"This Dream-Eating Mo traps outsiders in a nightmare, making them experience pain and despair in a cycle of time, absorbing their negative spiritual energy to strengthen itself and continually expanding the scope of the nightmare.

"That's why Peace Blossom Town's area has been expanding historically, with its population constantly increasing.

"If my guess is correct, as long as we find a way to kill this Dream-Eating Mo, our trial will be successfully passed."

However, Ma Qin's attention was completely focused on the term "Evil Spirit."

"But, Gu-Xian, an 'Evil Spirit' level monster is not something that the two of us can easily deal with!" Ma Qin anxiously said, "With one of us being a First Realm cultivator and the other a Second Realm cultivator, together we might not even be able to scratch this Dream-Eating Mo!"

"Brother Ma, don't worry," Gu Xu said in a relaxed tone. "Look, there's a peach tree next to the Dream-Eating Mo, right?"

Ma Qin nodded.

He always felt that whenever Gu Xu spoke, he looked at him with a caring look, as if he were looking at someone intellectually disabled.

Gu Xu continued to explain, "In Feng Shui, the peach tree represents the essence of the Five Elements and has the power to suppress all kinds of spirits. That's why the sword cultivators of the Exorcism Bureau often choose peach wood swords as their weapons.

"This peach tree in front of us was most likely planted here by a powerful cultivator to suppress this Dream-Eating Mo. With this peach tree, the Dream-Eating Mo shouldn't be able to unleash its full power. We might still have a chance to fight."

"I hope you're not tricking me..." Ma Qin muttered softly.

At the same time, he tightened his grip on the "Yan Wing Blade" in his hand, taking a few steps forward, ready to engage in a life-or-death battle with the Dream-Eating Mo.

"Wait!" Just then, Gu Xu suddenly stopped him. "I have a better way to deal with it."

"What method?" Ma Qin turned around, puzzled.

"Brother Ma, as a Second Realm cultivator, your true Qi is much more abundant than mine," Gu Xu said. "I want to borrow your true Qi to draw a more powerful 'Supreme Northern Pole Demon-Slaying Ghost-Killing Talisman"

"Can True Qi be borrowed?" Ma Qin was astonished.

"It's simple," Gu Xu smiled. "Have you heard of the 'Invocation Spell'?"

"Of course!" Ma Qin knew this common knowledge.

As the name implied, the "Invocation Spell" was a specific chant used to request powerful abilities from heavenly gods.

"Just replace the names of the deities in the Invocation Spell with your own name, and I can use your true qi," Gu Xu explained further.

Upon hearing this, Ma Qin was stunned, taking a good while to come back to his senses.

"This... This isn't quite right!" he stuttered.

In the eyes of someone like Ma Qin, who was a native of the Great Wilderness, heavenly gods in the Nine Heavens held a very high position. It was said that it was those heavenly gods who bestowed the cultivation methods upon the human race, enabling them to confront the ghosts and monsters.

He felt that Gu Xu's casual modification of the "Invocation Spell" was a disrespectful act towards the gods.

"There's nothing wrong with it," Gu Xu said. "In my opinion, any method that can eliminate ghosts and monsters is a good method. I believe that the lofty heavenly gods are magnanimous and won't bother with insignificant ants like us over such minor offenses."

Ma Qin sighed and finally nodded in agreement with Gu Xu's idea.

With the decision made, Gu Xu closed his eyes, and in a soft, firm voice, he began chanting the incantation, "I beseech thee, oh great Sir Ma of Qingzhou, manifest your powerful spirit. Wield your treasured blade as you traverse the world, tread upon the Five Thunders as if walking on clouds. May the true self annihilate all wicked spirits in the world, and shatter all demons without cease. May all mountain goblins submit and night creatures hasten to comply. I, acting on the supreme decree of the High Heavens, burn incense in thy honor and invite you to this altar. Divine orders must be executed with urgency, as strict as the law!"

How utterly mortifying! So utterly mortifying!

Hearing this incantation, which Gu Xu had creatively adapted as an 'invocation', Ma Qin wished he could find a hole and crawl into it right then and there.

He dared not imagine what people — especially those familiar faces from Qingzhou — would think of him, hearing this chant, hearing the term "Great Sir Ma of Qingzhou". Their perceptions of him could change in ways he didn't dare contemplate.

...

Footnotes:

(1) "The tree is full of beautiful, vibrant red, countless branches with fiery colors ignite spring." - Tang Dynasty, Wu Rong's "Peach Blossoms."