Chapter 454: Could It Be Fake?
At this moment, Chu Liang couldn't help but think that Yun Chaoxian's claim of being smarter than everyone else in the Great Astral Sect might not be without reason.
At the very least, Yun Chaoxian had stood by his side in battle countless times and had never once dozed off at a crucial moment!
Chu Liang caught a glimpse of Tang Shi turning her head toward him, her eyes gleaming a disturbing crimson. It was clear a Nightmare Specter had invaded her dream! He knew what had to be done: she must be subdued until dawn!
He could not let her leave the room.
But restraining a core disciple of the Great Astral Sect wouldn't be easy.
"Demonic entity, how dare you!" Tang Shi bellowed.
With a swift leap, her petite frame hurtled forward. As she soared through the air, her body swelled, expanding with a sudden, fierce intensity.
Boom—
In an instant, her body swelled, muscles rippling as veins snaked across her skin like dragons. She looked every bit the part of a wrathful Vajra.
"Miss Tang, snap out of it..."
But words were futile in her current state. Since words could not do anything, Chu Liang had no choice but to fight!
As Tang Shi's massive fist hurtled toward him, he raised his right palm to intercept it.
Boom!
Their fist and palm collided with a resounding crash, like muffled thunder rolling through the room.
Both Tang Shi and Chu Liang took two steps back from the sheer force of their clash.
Chu Liang was cultivating more than one cultivation legacy; including the ones from the dragon race, he was cultivating three in total! His physical strength had reached a terrifying level! Furthermore, he was wearing the Jiuli Armor, which would reflect a portion of the attack back to the attacker.
Yet, Tang Shi was on par with him!
Yun Chaoxian had once mentioned that Tang Shi possessed Vajra blood. As the temperature of the blood in her veins rose, she would transform into a formidable Vajra battle form. Witnessing it now, Chu Liang realized just how incredibly strong she had become.
However, even with their strength being equal, Chu Liang was at a clear disadvantage in close combat. Tang Shi had been practicing martial arts since childhood, which meant that her combat techniques far surpassed his Brick Combat Technique.
Whoosh—
In an instant, she drew a spear, and her aura intensified, surging to a whole new level.
Chu Liang sighed inwardly. With no other option, he used the Army of Beans technique. Five figures materialized, swiftly encircling the Tang Shi, who was in the form of a Vajra. At the same time, he activated the Divine Dragons' Great Blood-Burning Technique, causing his qi to flare violently within him.
"Hah!"
As Tang Shi faced five opponents on her own, she let out a fierce shout and thrust her long spear forward like a striking dragon!
Chu Liang made a step forward and executed the Turbulent Stream Movement Art. In the blink of an eye, he was already three chi in front of her, dodging the long spear.
But Tang Shi, well-versed in martial arts, was not one to be caught off guard.
It happened in a flash, like a bolt of lightning.
She spun around suddenly, charging toward the clone of Chu Liang behind her. Just as she closed in, she swung her spear in a sweeping arc!
Whoosh—
Boom—
With a single, crushing blow, she smashed the clones back into its pill form.
Sensing Chu Liang closing in from behind, she twisted her body, arching backward as her spear whirled around.
A back-thrusting spear!
Whoosh—
Fortunately, Chu Liang caught the subtle shift in her shoulder, instantly sensing danger. Immediately, he used Dimension Compression, narrowly dodging the ferocious spear. In the same heartbeat, he closed in on Tang Shi, his golden right fist fused with the power of Geng Metal foundational qi!
Boom—
He swung his punch, forcing Tang Shi to abandon her spear and meet his blow head-on with her own fist.
The clash echoed like a landslide, causing the entire room to tremble!
As the fight raged on, Tang Shi's Vajra blood burned hotter, her entire body radiating with a golden light as her blood aura surged. Her bones had become harder than legendary weapons. Fortunately, Chu Liang had just fortified his right hand, allowing him to hold his ground!
After a brief stalemate, two more clones lunged from behind, attempting to seize Tang Shi's arms and restrain her.
"I see," the elderly physician said, finally letting out a breath of relief. He turned to the holy envoys and bowed respectfully. "I apologize for making you come all this way."
"It's alright," the leading holy envoy replied, eyeing Chu Liang and Tang Shi. "You seem to possess remarkable power. Would you be willing to accompany us to meet the Noble One?"
The Noble One was the leader of all holy envoys on the Holy Mountain and the most powerful practitioner of the Dream Techniques in the Kingdom of the Dream Immortal.
Given that they were on someone else's territory, Chu Liang and Tang Shi could not really refuse.
And so, they followed the holy envoys toward the nearby Holy Mountain.
As they walked, Chu Liang noticed fresh signs of battle along the streets. Feeling intrigued, he asked, "Do you fight the Nightmare Beasts during blood moon nights?"
"Yes," the leading holy envoy replied. "As long as the Nightmare Beasts exist outside of dreams, we can kill them."
"Then, aren't you afraid of being exposed to the blood moon?" Chu Liang asked again.
"Those of us who have mastered the Dream Techniques do not fear the blood moon," the holy envoy responded calmly.
Chu Liang nodded slightly and asked no more.
When they reached the foot of the Holy Mountain, they found no path leading upward. The holy envoy raised his hand, and a flash of light burst forth, transforming into a large white bird.
The group mounted the bird, which soared into the air, carrying them toward a grand hall nestled halfway up the mountain.
Chu Liang gently stroked the bird's feathers and realized it was truly alive, pulsating with a lifeforce. This wasn't some summoned creature; it was a living mount conjured out of thin air.
He had never seen or heard of such a divine ability in the outside world.
This was life created from nothing—a miraculous feat! Yet, it seemed almost casual here.
Moments later, the bird landed, and the holy envoys led them into the grand hall.
When they were inside, they saw a middle-aged woman in a luxurious white robe. She was slightly plump, with a kind face, and seemed fully absorbed in her work. As they entered, she looked up and immediately smiled. "So, these are the powerful young people from the outside that you spoke of?"
Evidently, the envoys had somehow relayed information ahead of time. But as Chu Liang thought back, he couldn't recall any of them taking action to send a message.
He had no idea how they had done it.
The Dream Techniques seemed to follow an entirely different cultivation system, filled with mysterious elements.
"Noble One," Chu Liang and Tang Shi both greeted her with a nod.
"Ah, young ones from afar," the Noble One said cheerfully. "The moment I saw you, I knew you were the two mentioned in the prophecy!"
"Prophecy?" The two exchanged puzzled glances.
The chubby Noble One turned around and took out an ancient, weathered stone tablet, clearly eroded by the passage of time. A line of half-faded text was carved into it.
A powerful couple from afar shall arrive to eliminate the Nightmare Specters that have tormented the Dream Immortal Kingdom for three thousand years.
The Noble One handed them the stone tablet and said, "This is a prophecy left by the Noble Dream Immortal himself! A prophecy from five thousand years ago!"
"Huh?" The two were utterly astonished at the sight of the stone tablet.
Chu Liang pondered for a moment before speaking, "Noble One, I'm afraid we might not be the people in the prophecy. We're not a couple; we're siblings."
"Oh? Is that so?" The Noble took back the stone tablet, examined it, and said, "Perhaps you misread it. It says siblings."
When she showed them the stone tablet again, the ancient text had indeed changed to: Two powerful siblings from afar shall arrive to eliminate the Nightmare Specters that have tormented the Dream Immortal Kingdom for three thousand years.
"Heh." Chu Liang chuckled. He then said, "Actually, I was joking earlier. We're just traveling companions, not siblings."
"I see..." The Noble One glanced back at the stone tablet. "That seems accurate as well."
When she placed the stone tablet down again, the ancient text had changed once more: A pair of powerful companions from afar shall arrive to eliminate the Nightmare Specters that have tormented the Dream Immortal Kingdom for three thousand years.
"Wooow!" Tang Shi marveled, "The prophecy was actually right."
"..." Chu Liang paused before saying, "Actually, we're not just companions; we're twins with different moms and different dads. We didn't know each other but felt like we had known each other for a long time from the moment we met."
The Noble glanced at the stone tablet and looked troubled.
After all, the tablet was not that big, and there were far too many words...
They couldn't fit on it.
Seeing her silence, Chu Liang added, "You made this up using the Dream Techniques, didn't you? You can just say whatever you want; no need for tricks like this."
"Huh?" Tang Shi gasped in surprise. "It's... actually fake?"