Chapter 349: Entering a Dream

Chapter 349: Chapter 349: Entering a Dream

The middle-aged cultivator had not the slightest hint of an incense aura about him, and he showed no intention of speaking to anyone.

He walked alone on the mountain.

"Our Uncle-Master has engaged in quite a few taboo matters. The Dharma Protector divine generals on the mountain are unwilling to accept his offerings."

Yuan Chu glanced at their Uncle-Master’s receding figure and lowered his voice.

"Junior Brother, if you don’t have to, don’t go near him. You don’t want to get entangled in his karmic affairs..."

Upon hearing this, Bai Mo couldn’t help but steal another glance at the man’s figure before nodding in solemn agreement.

But as he watched the dozen or so figures—some Foundation Establishment, some Core Formation—enter the black jail and get to work, Bai Mo grew more puzzled.

"Senior Brother, you said they are all people of heavenly mandate. Such individuals, blessed with the essence of heaven and earth, are a rare sight. Where did our Uncle-Master find them all?"

Yuan Chu grinned.

"Being a child of heavenly mandate doesn’t guarantee a smooth journey. They still have to face the tribulations they are fated to."

"Our Uncle-Master took notice and saved those who failed to overcome their tribulations. Over time, their numbers grew..."

Their casual conversation was likely to touch a raw nerve, so the three of them moved farther away to speak.

And so, Bai Mo learned that those disciples could no longer leave the sect gates easily and were now under the sect’s protection.

"They are people our Uncle-Master saved through trickery—swapping the dragon for the phoenix, you could say. If they lost that protection, they would likely face their fated calamity immediately, putting their lives in grave danger..."

People were coming and going around the black jail, so Bai Mo and Yuan Chu, not wanting to get in the way, chatted idly at the foot of the mountain.

As before, Ah Er brought out a table, chairs, and a tea set to serve the guests.

Seeing how well-behaved it was, Yuan Chu remarked that it must be a Spirit Beast Bai Mo had bought and specially trained.

Only after asking did he learn that this was not the case.

"Your Spirit Beast is certainly a clever one, Junior Brother!"

The three of them began to speak of the battles beyond Jade Spring Pass, then moved on to the various trivial matters of the inner sect.

Yuan Chu and his companion were rarely idle, always too busy to stop.

"We’re constantly out eliminating Demon Beasts and slaying heretics. It’s all perilous work. Our peers are all advancing bravely and diligently, so we can’t afford to slack off."

"Cultivation resources don’t just fall from the sky, so we have to put in that much more effort. You have it good, Junior Brother, with your valuable skills..."

Aside from Bai Mo, none of these old acquaintances had the leisure they once enjoyed in the outer sect.

As the three of them reflected on this, they saw a swan goose circling overhead. After a moment’s hesitation, it descended.

"It’s a goose from the Foreign Affairs Hall."

After receiving another Feeding Pill from Bai Mo, the goose left a letter, glanced at the people bustling about on Mi Mountain, and soared into the sky.

Bai Mo took the letter, at first assuming it was from his staff in Immortal Arrival City.

A glance told him it was not.

’So it’s a letter from fellow Daoists of the Pill Pavilion...’

He unfolded the letter. The contents were quite simple.

It said that several Pill Grandmasters had received his message and were overjoyed, celebrating the discovery of another on their path.

They happened to have some free time and had already set off for Celestial Mountain City, traveling day and night to meet him.

They were coming to meet Bai Mo, to see if he truly possessed the skills of a Grandmaster, and also to take advantage of the rare opportunity for a gathering.

However, the journey was long, and there was no telling what might happen along the way. Their arrival date was uncertain, but they hoped Bai Mo would await them.

Bai Mo was deeply moved after reading the letter, his heart stirring with emotion.

Yuan Chu noticed the change in his expression and couldn’t help but ask.

"Did something happen, Junior Brother?"

Bai Mo quickly shook his head, folding the letter and putting it away.

"Not at all. I’ve arranged for a Pill Grandmaster assessment, and this is the reply."

"I was just moved by the lofty bearing of these seniors, which I could glimpse even in their few words. That’s why I was distracted for a moment."

Yuan Chu and Gong Gui exchanged a look of astonishment.

After a long moment, Yuan Chu finally said:

"Junior Brother, your Alchemy Dao has already reached such a level?"

Bai Mo’s expression was serene.

"I believe I am worthy of the title of Pill Grandmaster."

Gong Gui chimed in with a sigh.

"Incredible. A Foundation Establishment Cultivator lives for one hundred and fifty years, while a Core Formation Cultivator lives for four hundred."

"Ordinarily, those who master the Alchemy Dao do so only by relying on a long life and the heightened senses that come with Core Formation. Only then can they attain the skill of a Grandmaster."

"Even if you are blessed by the heavens, Junior Brother, you must have poured an immense amount of effort into it!"

Bai Mo waved his hand dismissively.

"The realm of a Pill Grandmaster is nothing special. One has only just broken free from the shackles of physical herbs and minerals."

"Having reached this stage, my questions have only multiplied as I contemplate the Dao. I’ve come to realize just how vast the Alchemy Dao of heaven and earth truly is, and how shallow my perspective used to be."

"From now on, the real test of endurance begins—to gradually comprehend and master the mysteries of the Alchemy Dao..."

At this moment, the significance of the Pill Pavilion’s existence felt all the more profound. Without it, how could fellow practitioners separated by thousands of miles ever hope to gather?

And if they couldn’t gather, it would be even harder to exchange ideas and discuss the Dao.

...

The Uncle-Master from Divine Dao Mountain kept everyone busy for a full three days before finally leaving with his entourage, with a flick of his large, red sleeves.

Bai Mo finally had some peace and quiet.

He returned to his stone house, then made a circuit to inspect the black jail.

Nothing seemed different.

The prisoners in their cells wore varying expressions.

One was a disheveled, crazed-looking old man, his hands gripping the wooden bars of his cell.

"Heh heh, heheheheh..."

"All these sudden preparations... Is someone planning a jailbreak? Which one of my fellow inmates is so lucky?"

"Warden, tell us! Tell us!"

"Otherwise, when they launch their surprise attack, I’ll tell them all about your little arrangements..."

Prisoners in other cells also turned their gazes on him, a hidden, divine light glinting in their eyes.

This was the first time since his arrival that Bai Mo had been the focus of so much attention.

These were all demons of old. In the outside world, their sheer might and oppressive Spiritual Qi would have been more than enough to snuff out Bai Mo’s life.

Even in their sorry state, their combined gazes created an intangible pressure that weighed down on Bai Mo.

Without a word, his face tense, Bai Mo strode away.

The jailbreak was still just a rumor, nothing certain, and completely beyond his control. Bai Mo didn’t intend to waste any more mental energy on it.

To prepare for the arrival of his peers in the Alchemy Dao, Bai Mo once again opened his many Pill Books, reading through them one by one to patch up any gaps in his knowledge.

It wasn’t a lack of confidence, but a desire to be thorough. He didn’t want to lose face in front of so many esteemed seniors.

After five or six days of this, a disciple arrived, escorting a Core Formation Cultivator who had been captured at Jade Spring Pass.

No brigands from Jade Spring Pass had been sent over for many days, so Bai Mo inquired about it.

The disciple from the War Hall who was escorting the prisoner sighed in response.

"The great brigands beyond Jade Spring Pass were originally a coalition of several fallen major sects. They’ve been plundering and growing stronger ever since, and now they’ve become a considerable force."

"Although they can’t stop our offensive, they still fight with desperate ferocity. It’s hard for us to hold back, so very few are taken alive."

Bai Mo locked the captured Core Formation Cultivator, who had been taken in an ambush, into the black jail.

Ignoring the incessant shouting of a few prisoners, he finished the registration and returned to his stone house.

Dusk was approaching.

After finishing his meal, Bai Mo read half a scroll of a Pill Book. Feeling mentally exhausted, he lay down on his bed.

He had barely closed his eyes before he fell asleep.

Ah Er blew out the lamp, went to its own meditation cushion, and closed its eyes, feigning sleep.

Brilliant starlight shone down from the heavens, illuminating Mi Mountain.

The door to the stone house was shut tight, blocking out the unsettling murmurs from the black jail. All was peaceful.

But Bai Mo did not sleep soundly.

In the muddle of a dream, he found himself in a desolate land. Around him was nothing but rubble and skeletal remains.

The skeletons were too shattered to identify.

CRUNCH... CRACK...

The sound of something chewing on hard objects came from all directions, sending a baseless chill through his heart.

Bai Mo suppressed his fear and scanned his surroundings, but saw nothing.

’My mind is at peace. I haven’t dreamed in a long time, so why...’

’Could this be the work of the black jail’s prisoners?’

An inexplicable pressure descended upon him, and the chewing sound grew closer.

’This is bad...’

Bai Mo’s train of thought was cut short.

In a daze, he suddenly spun around and saw Mi Mountain in the distance behind him.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Bai Mo scrambled toward Mi Mountain without a moment’s hesitation...