Chapter 1164: Duke of Zhou's Dream Method

Su Junhan half suspected the stinky loach was playing a joke on him.

Despite his doubts, he made time for a trip to the Tongtian River.

But when he saw Mister Chen lying unconscious on the bed, his astonishment showed plainly on his face. He could hardly believe it.

He had never imagined their reunion would look like this. It even made him doubt his own speculations from years ago.

That fish in The Lake back then...

How could Mister Chen possibly end up in such a state?

Su Junhan probed him with his divine sense, his brows tightly furrowed the entire time.

When he realized a portion of Mister Chen's divine sense was missing, he looked toward the Old Dragon King.

"You noticed it too?" the Old Dragon King asked. "I couldn't figure out the reason, which is why I sought you out."

Su Junhan withdrew his hand. "What do you think happened?"

The Old Dragon King shook his head. "I've never seen anything like it. At first, I suspected foul play, but there isn't a single mark on him. It's more as if it vanished out of thin air. His madness was likely caused by this loss of divine sense, but where did that missing portion go?"

"Exactly."

Su Junhan nodded. "The problem lies precisely with that missing divine sense."

"I don't know much about the path of the soul," the Old Dragon King said. "Do you have any ideas?"

Su Junhan hesitated for a moment before speaking. "If it were anyone else, I might have a way."

The Old Dragon King's heart sank at those words, and he let out a heavy sigh.

It was true.

Trying to locate Chen Changsheng's missing divine sense in this vast world was practically impossible.

Su Junhan exhaled softly. "I'll go see the people at Tianji Mountain. Perhaps they can calculate its location."

The Old Dragon King glanced at him. "You have ties with Tianji Mountain?"

"We've had some contact," Su Junhan said. "You likely don't know, but Tianji Mountain relocated from the Northern Border to the Cultivation World. Mister Chen also became the mountain master of Tianji Mountain around that time, though the news was never made public."

The Old Dragon King paused in surprise and looked over at Chen Changsheng. "He truly accomplishes so much without making a sound..."

"Let's just make the trip to Tianji Mountain," Su Junhan said. "There's nothing beneficial about your Tongtian River anyway. The Spiritual Energy here isn't abundant enough to aid Mister Chen's recovery."

"Bullshit!" the Old Dragon King snapped. "My Dragon Palace is a blessed sanctuary. Is it not better than Tianji Mountain? Is it not better than your Yuanshan?"

Su Junhan waved a hand dismissively. "Nag all you want. Not a single one of you from the Dragon Clan ever knows when to shut up."

There was a pointed implication in his words, likely referring to a certain someone in Beicang.

The Old Dragon King scoffed, but he didn't refuse. Heading to Tianji Mountain was indeed a good choice.

As for Ruyi and the others...

Ruyi fully intended to tag along.

Dong Chiyu hadn't wanted to go at first, but since Ruyi was going, she had no choice but to follow.

Lihua didn't care either way; it made no difference where it went.

It was used to rushing about and making a home wherever it landed.

When they arrived at Tianji Mountain, Xiao Dongxu came down to receive them.

He had received the news in advance and had been waiting by the mountain gates for some time.

"Greetings, Dragon Lord Ying! Greetings, Fox Lord Su!"

After leading the group up the mountain and settling Mister Chen into a room, Xiao Dongxu began to examine his condition.

The same questions were asked once again.

Xiao Dongxu was deeply shocked by the findings.

"Seniors," Xiao Dongxu began hesitantly, "given Mister Chen's condition, even if we manage to retrieve the missing divine sense, I'm afraid..."

"You need not worry," Su Junhan said. "Mister Chen's divine sense is completely different from most."

The more Xiao Dongxu thought about it, the more astonished he became.

He suddenly remembered when Mister Chen had asked him about the Scattering Beans to Summon Soldiers technique years ago.

A thought surfaced in his mind—one that grew terrifying the more he pondered it.

Could it be that splitting his divine sense was an entirely mundane act for Mister Chen?

Xiao Dongxu shuddered at the thought.

The Dragon Lord interrupted his racing thoughts. "We came here to ask you to calculate exactly where Mister Chen lost his missing divine sense."

Xiao Dongxu opened his mouth, but hesitated. "I'm afraid I lack the ability to do that. We would have to ask Mister Zhong, or perhaps Elder Chen."

He paused for a moment before continuing. "However, I don't believe Mister Chen's divine sense is simply lost. His condition actually resembles something I read about in an ancient text."

Upon hearing this, Su Junhan asked, "What kind of situation?"

"There's an ancient tome called the Duke of Zhou's Dream Method," Xiao Dongxu explained. "It contains the notes of an early antiquity cultivator who practiced the Great Dream Art. According to the records, if a cultivator becomes too immersed in a dream and cannot extricate themselves, their divine sense can be consumed by the great dream, rendering them unable to return to reality. In most cases, their divine sense is devoured entirely, leaving their physical body to rot and die. But given Mister Chen's unique state, there might still be a chance for him to return."

Xiao Dongxu paused again. "The text also noted that when this happens, it is usually because the cultivator wants it to. Cultivators who practice the Dream Method can easily distinguish between dream and reality—they simply choose not to wake up."

Both the Dragon Lord and the Fox Lord froze at those words.

"What do you mean?!"

"Please don't be anxious, seniors," Xiao Dongxu said. "This is only my own speculation. In general, it would mean Mister Chen grew deeply disillusioned with reality, causing him to make this choice. Besides, this hasn't been confirmed yet. I still need to consult the ancient text."

The Old Dragon King had a famously fiery temper. "Then what are you standing around for?" he snapped. "Go check!"

Xiao Dongxu broke into a nervous sweat. Not daring to offend him, he quickly said, "I shall go at once."

He practically sprinted to the Library Pavilion.

Digging out the Duke of Zhou's Dream Method once more, he scoured its pages for any relevant clues.

With a clear direction to follow, things became much simpler.

Upon his return, Xiao Dongxu immediately attempted to commune with Mister Chen's remaining divine sense. Just as he suspected, he found traces of a great dream lingering within.

This confirmed it. Mister Chen's missing divine sense was indeed trapped in a dream.

"What could have possibly happened," the Dragon Lord asked, "to make Mister Chen so disillusioned with reality that he would rather sink into a dream than continue living?"

Xiao Dongxu opened his mouth to speak, but the words caught in his throat.

Truthfully, he didn't understand either.

Why would a cultivator like Mister Chen stumble over something like this?

It simply shouldn't happen!

Su Junhan, however, understood perfectly.

"Mister is a common mortal," he said.

That was what he said.

It was a phrase Mister Chen brought up often.

If his mind had truly been resolute, he wouldn't have been so deeply attached to the Red Dust, and he never would have ended up in this state.