Dream King

Chapter 92

Mo Mo laughed and said, "No, it can start right after I finish speaking."

Upon hearing Mo Mo's words, the chattering crowd suddenly fell silent, and then they rushed out in a hurry. One of them, who was in the lead, even had his clothes torn. Tian Haiya'er, who was originally closest to Mo Mo, was now at the very back as they ran.

"You idiots dared to run ahead of me! Stop right there!" Seeing everyone rushing up the mountain and leaving him behind, Tianhai Ya'er couldn't help but roar angrily.

Unfortunately, apart from a few people, the others completely ignored him. However, he was one of the top experts among the younger generation. With his superior strength, he quickly caught up with and surpassed the others. Seeing this, Mo Mo stroked his chin and muttered, "This isn't fun anymore." After saying that, he flicked his finger at Tianhai Ya'er and the others, sealing their strength and preventing them from using their cultivation to run.

"This is more interesting!" With that, Mo Mo returned to the treehouse, took out a handful of melon seeds from his storage space, and then casually pointed at the void. The scene of Tian Haiya and the others appeared in the void in front of him.

"Why is the sun so strong today? I'm dying of heat!"

"It's not that the sun is too strong, but that our cultivation is sealed. Without the resistance of true essence, the sun will naturally feel more scorching than usual."

"I knew it wouldn't be that simple. Sure enough, the moment we left, he sealed our cultivation, forcing us to rely on our physical strength to make the round trip. He's trying to kill us!" Tianhai Ya'er gritted his teeth in hatred, but he understood that Mo Mo was a Saint Realm expert and didn't need to give him any face, so he could only grit his teeth and endure it.

At this moment, they were still a third of the way from the summit, but their strength was beginning to wane. The thought of having to hop back all the way down filled them with a sense of utter despair. They didn't know if they would even see the sun rise again after hopping back. Oh wait, perhaps they didn't even need to hop back, because they would probably be dead by the time they reached the halfway point.

As the sun began to set, the people in the Heavenly Book Mausoleum discovered a peculiar sight: a group of students from the Heavenly Dao Academy were hopping and leaping down the mountain from the summit, attracting a large crowd of onlookers.

"Hey, isn't that Tianhai Ya'er, the young master of the Tianhai family? What's he doing here? Is this a special cultivation method of the Tiandao Academy?"

"I don't know, but judging from their expressions, it doesn't seem like they're being punished."

"Punished? Brother, who's there? He's the one who punishes others, who dares to punish him?" the man said in a low voice, and gestured angrily towards Tianhaiya'er.

Although Tianhai Ya'er heard the discussions of the crowd around him, he didn't pay any attention to them. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but that he was too tired to pay attention. Speaking also requires energy, and he would rather save his energy to jump a few more steps than waste it cursing them.

Seeing that Tianhai Ya'er and the others were ignoring them, the others became even more excited and started discussing things more recklessly. Meanwhile, the other students from the Heavenly Dao Academy who had received the news finally arrived.

Seeing his fellow disciples, drenched in sweat and swaying precariously yet still resolutely leaping forward, Zhuang Huanyu couldn't help but walk up to Tianhai Ya'er and ask, "Young Master Ya'er, what are you doing? Can you tell me what's going on?"

Tianhai Ya'er glanced at him, then turned and continued jumping forward, ignoring him completely.

Zhuang Huanyu frowned upon seeing this, grabbed a junior brother who happened to jump next to him, and asked with a frown, "What exactly is going on? Tell me quickly."

That day, after Zhuang Huanyu captured the students from the Dao Academy, their expressions changed and they said anxiously, "Let go." However, their voices were weak and feeble, as if they might die at any moment.

"Answer me, or I won't let you go."

Seeing Zhuang Huanyu's firm attitude, the man said angrily, "This is punishment. The last place will be punished by doing it again. Let go."

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Huanyu quickly released the man, because if he didn't, the man would end up among the last few people. If the man was punished again because of him, he would definitely hate him.

Left with no other choice, he had to follow them all the way. After all, he was the senior disciple of the Heavenly Dao Academy, and he couldn't let this matter go unpunished, both for his own sake and for his own. So many people were watching, and he was someone who cared a lot about his reputation.

More than an hour before sunset, Tianhai Ya'er and the others finally returned to the forest where Mo Mo's treehouse was located. Mo Mo was standing at the door of the treehouse waiting for them. As soon as they returned to the forest, they found that their cultivation had returned and the soreness in their bodies was slowly fading. However, they were still exhausted. Even when they returned to the forest, they could hardly believe that they had really come back.

Just as the others were celebrating their accomplishment, Tianhai Ya'er looked at Mo Mo with a complicated expression. He had discovered halfway there that whenever they were about to give up, a surge of power would well up in their bodies, replenishing their nearly exhausted bodies and allowing them to persevere. It could be said that without this power, none of them could have completed the task. You have to understand that it is more than two thousand meters from here to the top of the mountain, and a round trip is more than four thousand meters. And since their cultivation was sealed, they were not much different from ordinary people.

"Alright, you can all go back now. I don't like being disturbed." With that, Mo Mo returned to the treehouse.

Seeing this, the others also seemed to leave. After Tianhai Ya'er and the others returned, they found that their cultivation speed was slightly faster than usual, and they could clearly feel that their cultivation level had increased a little. Moreover, their physical bodies were also slightly stronger than before. Although not much, they had indeed improved. As soon as this news was released, the entire capital was shocked, and it even evolved into a cultivation method, which was something Mo Mo had not expected.

Just after the others left, Mo Mo suddenly paused, then disappeared from the treehouse, and the next second he appeared in front of the divine path of the Heavenly Book Mausoleum.

When Mo Mo appeared before the divine path, Xun Mei had already collapsed to the ground. This woman, who had topped the Grand Examination thirty-nine years ago and was once the pride of heaven, had finally fallen here after being trapped in the Heavenly Book Mausoleum by her inner demons for thirty-nine years. Although she had broken free from her obsession, she had failed to defeat Han Qing, the number one general of the Great Zhou Dynasty. However, at this moment, she wore a smile on her face because she could finally see that person again, the one she could never surpass, and the one she loved in her life.

Chen Changsheng and the others walked up to Xun Mei and squatted down. Looking at Xun Mei's smiling face, Chen Changsheng suddenly said, "Treading through snow to seek the invincible mountain, frost flies and the soul is cold, accompanying the plum blossoms."

Tang Thirty-Six asked with a sorrowful expression, "Was it worth it?"

"It's worth it!" Chen Changsheng's tone was low, but full of affirmation.

"To live in the face of death, to attain what she sought, this is her best destiny."

"Sir!" Upon hearing Mo Mo's voice, Chen Changsheng and the others turned around, their faces full of surprise.

Mo Mo nodded and smiled slightly, saying, "Notify the people of the Qingyao Thirteen Divisions to send her back. I think she probably doesn't want to stay here any longer."

Half an hour later, the people from the Thirteen Divisions of Qingyao took Xun Mei's body away, while Mo Mo and Chen Changsheng returned to Xun Mei's courtyard. However, there was now a very serious problem: there were six of them, but only one bed and a small thatched hut, and there was also the girl Luo Luo.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 217 Seven Rooms with Complicated Feelings

"There are seven of us, but only one bed and not enough blankets. How are we supposed to sleep?" Tang Thirty-Six said with a helpless expression.

"The bed is for Princess Luoluo. After all, Your Highness is a girl. We'll just make do outside in the hall." Gou Hanshi, true to his gentlemanly nature, offered the bed.

"What about the gentleman? Is he going to sleep outside with us?" Xuan Yuanpo asked with a silly grin.

Mo Mo smiled slightly and didn't say anything. He simply pointed to an open space in the garden, and his treehouse appeared out of thin air in the yard, blending seamlessly with it, as if the treehouse had grown out of the yard itself.

"Wow! What an exquisite treehouse! Sir, is this where we stay at the International Academy?" Not to mention Xuan Yuanpo, even Chen Changsheng and Gou Hanshi couldn't help but be moved the moment the treehouse appeared, and they had an urge to live inside.

"Would you like to live in a house like this?" Mo Mo asked with a smile.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"It's very simple if you want to stay here. You just need to walk into that treehouse."

After Mo Mo finished speaking, Tang Thirty-Six and the other three, who had been looking longingly at him, immediately put away their longing.

"Let's go, Xuanyuan, let's make the bed."

"Okay, thirty-six."

"Hey, aren't you guys going? It's just a short walk to the treehouse, what's so difficult about that?" Qi Jian was very puzzled when he saw Chen Changsheng and the others go straight back to make their beds.

"Simple? Yes, very simple. We're letting you know, do you understand? Go ahead. Anything made by the master is bound to be of high quality. The treehouse will definitely be very comfortable, and there might even be some unexpected benefits." Tang Thirty-Six turned around and smiled slightly as he replied.

"Brother Chen, is what Brother Tang said true?" Gou Hanshi asked Chen Changsheng in a low voice.

"Brother Hanshi, I strongly suggest you give it a try. It will be very beneficial for you. If we didn't often encounter such situations, we wouldn't have given it to you." Chen Changsheng smiled very sincerely, his smile was particularly bright.

Having received Chen Changsheng's assurance, Gou Hanshi and Qi Jian cautiously made their way towards the treehouse.

After Gou Hanshi and Qi Jian walked away, Chen Changsheng and the others quickly sat down at the table, while Mo Mo was already seated and had taken out some dried fruit and other things.

"Hey, hey, how long do you think they can hold out?" Tang Thirty-Six grabbed a handful of peanuts and whispered.

"It's hard to say. They are all elites of the Lishan Sword Sect, and Gou Hanshi has already reached the level of the Netherworld. Moreover, we don't know what kind of formation the master has set up. If it's an ordinary defensive formation or a maze, that's fine, but if it's an illusion formation..."

"Then they're in big trouble." The four of them laughed at the same time.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, this is just a maze that will only prevent people from getting close to the hut."

"Sir, have you changed your ways? You only set up a maze. According to your usual practice, shouldn't you have set up an illusion array or a killing array or something?" Bai Luoheng asked with great confusion.

"Luo Luo, how can you say that? The master has always been so kind, we just didn't notice." Chen Changsheng quickly pulled Bai Luoheng back, stopping her from continuing.

Mo Mo maintained a smile, as if he hadn't heard them at all, but secretly added another training exercise for them in his heart.

At that moment, Gou Hanshi and Qi Jian were excitedly circling the treehouse, as if the door of the treehouse was right in front of them.

"Senior brother, no wonder Chen Changsheng and the others gave up. I didn't expect there to be such a hidden world here. The mountain path is winding and slippery. If you are not careful, you will fall off the cliff and be smashed to pieces."

"That's good, but this mountain path won't be a problem for us. Let's go. Judging from the looks of it, we'll reach the treehouse in about half an hour. And look at this treehouse, it's more than enough for all seven of us. Plus, the scenery here is really nice!"

At this moment, what Gou Hanshi and Qi Jian saw was a completely different scene from what Chen Changsheng and the others saw.

What Chen Changsheng and the others saw was Gou Hanshi and the others circling around the treehouse, while Gou Hanshi and Qi Jian saw them climbing on a mountain path on an exceptionally steep mountain, with the treehouse, which was much larger than it appeared from the outside and was about the size of Xunmei's courtyard, standing on the mountaintop.

"Watching them go around in circles is so boring, it's making my head spin, so boring!" After half an hour, Tang Thirty-Six finally couldn't take it anymore.

"Then go in and give it a try!" With that, Mo Mo kicked Tang Thirty-Six into the treehouse's array.

"Haha, serves him right!" Xuan Yuanpo said with a gloating expression.

After being kicked into the formation's range, Tang Thirty-Six quickly quieted down, looking as if facing a formidable enemy. He didn't believe that Mo Mo had simply kicked him in without adding anything extra.

However, Mo Mo didn't actually add anything to him; he simply threw him in to let him experience what Gou Hanshi and the others felt.

Meanwhile, Gou Hanshi and Qi Jian had already reached the summit, just a step away from the treehouse.

"After going through so many hardships and climbing such a long mountain, we have finally arrived here. I never expected it to be such a test, but it's not as difficult as I imagined. Chen Changsheng and the others actually gave up, yet they still topped the list of the Grand Examination."

"Seven rooms, do not underestimate him. I have fought with him before, and he is indeed formidable. There must be a reason why they gave up. After all, this treehouse belongs to their master, and they know him far better than we do."

"I understand, senior brother. Let's go inside first. I'm really curious about what's inside this strange treehouse."

As he spoke, Qi Jian stepped onto the steps of the treehouse, but when his foot touched the step, he missed. Just as he was shocked, he found himself outside, where Chen Changsheng and the others were leisurely enjoying fragrant tea and snacks, looking quite comfortable.

"Sir, what do you mean by this? We had clearly reached the treehouse, but you moved me out of there. You are a saint, you can't go back on your word!" Qi Jian said angrily after leaving the maze.

Mo Mo didn't care. After all, anyone would be angry and furious if the fruits of victory were snatched away when they were within easy reach. At this moment, Gou Hanshi also appeared behind Qi Jian. Although he had noticed something was wrong when he left, he couldn't figure out what was going on. Moreover, he had just come out and didn't know what had happened before, so he didn't say anything.

"Don't misunderstand our master. You've never been able to get close to the treehouse. If you look back, you'll know what's going on!" Xuan Yuanpo quickly defended Mo Mo.

Upon hearing Xuan Yuanpo's words, the two quickly turned around, only to see Tang Thirty-Six struggling to walk forward, leaning on his Wenshui Sword.

"Is this what it looked like when we first arrived?" Qi Jian asked, his expression somewhat grim.

“That’s right. Actually, the tree has been surrounded by a maze set up by the master. People who enter it will think they have entered another space and will walk towards the treehouse, but in reality, they are just going around in circles. There are only two ways to get out: one is to walk to the treehouse, and the other is to break the formation. This way, you can reach the real treehouse, but even I would find it difficult to do so.” Chen Changsheng explained to them with a smile.

Gou Hanshi and Qi Jian were shocked after hearing Chen Changsheng's words, because they had never realized that this was just a maze; they had always thought it was a real space.

Looking at Chen Changsheng and the others who seemed completely unconcerned, Gou Hanshi felt for the first time what a difference in skill truly meant. He hadn't even noticed the illusion array, yet Chen Changsheng had the potential to break it. Keep in mind that during the Grand Examination, he was slightly stronger than Chen Changsheng. If Chen Changsheng could make such progress, then Tang Thirty-Six and the others must be quite formidable as well. This showed just how unfathomable the dean of the International Academy truly was.

Mo Mo had no idea what Gou Hanshi was thinking. At this moment, he gave Qi Jian a mysterious smile and said, "Alright, now no one wants to live in the treehouse with me, right? Of course, Qi Jian, you're an exception!"

Yan Ba got up and casually pulled Tang Thirty-Six out of the void, then went to prepare dinner.

At this moment, Mo Mo sensed that demons were quietly infiltrating the Heavenly Book Mausoleum. Presumably, Xu Yourong and the others were about to find the key to Zhou Garden, otherwise the demons would not have insisted on infiltrating the Heavenly Book Mausoleum knowing that he was there.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 218 The Taste of Going from Hell to Heaven

After Mo Mo left, the others started gossiping. Gou Hanshi even pulled Chen Changsheng aside and seriously asked Mo Mo if he had any bad habits or if he had been holding back for too long. Otherwise, why would he say such a thing? Although Qi Jian looks very handsome and has some feminine traits in his daily life, he is still a man.

Chen Changsheng thought about it very carefully and said, "As far as I know, you don't have any bad habits. Moreover, given your status, do you think you would lack female companions? Perhaps there is another reason for Qi Jian's matter. You and Qi Jian are fellow disciples. Have you noticed anything unusual?"

"No," Gou Hanshi answered quickly, but really not? Recalling the bits and pieces of Qi Jian's past, Gou Hanshi couldn't help but ask himself, but he quickly denied it. Qi Jian was their most beloved junior brother, so how could he hide anything from them?

Only Qi Jian herself knew that Mo Mo didn't have any special hobbies, but rather that he had seen through her true identity as a woman. However, she didn't know why Mo Mo treated her this way. Perhaps he really liked her, or perhaps he was just after her beauty, or perhaps he had some other ulterior motive. But it could also just be casual teasing after seeing through her identity, since Mo Mo's peculiar personality was very famous throughout the entire God Realm.

Meanwhile, Bai Luoheng carefully observed Qi Jian's every word and action. Gradually, she discovered something astonishing: many of Qi Jian's unintentional, subconscious movements carried a strong feminine quality. Coupled with his handsome features and Mo Mo's usual personality, Bai Luoheng came to a startling conclusion: "Qi Jian is a woman." However, she did not voice her conclusion.

After dinner, Chen Changsheng and the others all began to cultivate. This was a routine of the National Academy, because all the dishes made by Mo Mo would contain a certain amount of spiritual energy. Therefore, Chen Changsheng and the others would try their best to absorb and refine this spiritual energy to avoid it being dissipated and wasted. Gou Hanshi and Qi Jian finally understood why Chen Changsheng and the others were progressing so quickly.