Chapter 455

Chapter 455: Awakening from the Dream

As Ji Yang grasped the transparent butterfly, his vision suddenly became blurry.

As his consciousness regained clarity, Ji Yang abruptly opened his eyes.

Looking around, Ji Yang was shocked to find that he had been lying on the ground without realizing it.

Feeling the state of his own realm, he realized he was still only at the late Void Refinement stage, as if his recent advancement to Unity with the Dao had merely been a fleeting dream.

Surrounding Ji Yang were several cultivators lying on the ground.

These cultivators looked familiar, clearly the members of various sects he had just seen, including those who had mastered their essences.

Ji Yang also spotted several fallen puppets, which had been used earlier by the cultivators from Qianji Gate to explore the path.

As he surveyed the scene before him, Ji Yang’s expression gradually calmed.

Looking down, he felt a tiny, nearly invisible transparent butterfly struggling in his tightly clenched hand.

At that moment, a familiar prompt appeared once again:

【Detected Dream Essence, would you like to absorb it?】

【Yes? No?】

The sensation was similar to before, but Ji Yang was certain this time it was not illusory, but a real situation.

Seeing the name of the essence, a glimmer of understanding appeared in Ji Yang’s eyes.

Dream essence, huh?

No wonder even though the scene had been false, it felt incredibly real; even the system’s prompt could flawlessly replicate itself.

That was because it was not an illusion, but rather what had occurred in Ji Yang’s dream.

In a dream centered around his consciousness, distinguishing between reality and illusion was impossible.

However, the fact that no calamity descended when Ji Yang broke through to Unity with the Dao raised suspicions.

He did not believe that the calamity would miss such a great opportunity; this was also the key to Ji Yang’s breakthrough.

As for when he had entered the dream, his memory was somewhat hazy.

Perhaps it was just before, or maybe it was the moment he stepped into the grand hall.

Looking at the prompt before him, Ji Yang chose to absorb it and fuse it into his Essence of War.

Although this essence was extraordinary, as long as his own essence was strong enough, he could avoid its interference.

Moreover, Ji Yang wanted to find out if, after fusing this essence, he could truly break through to Unity with the Dao and actively stimulate the essence within his body, just like in the dream.

As the essence fused, Ji Yang felt the Essence of War within his body rapidly increase in condensation.

In the blink of an eye, the condensation level had already surpassed ten points.

The familiar sensation from the dream returned once more.

Feeling the barrier of his realm within his body shatter, a hint of joy appeared in Ji Yang’s eyes.

Sure enough, while it was only a dream, it was not completely illusory; at least in terms of breaking through the realm, the experience felt very real.

This made Ji Yang feel a bit regretful; perhaps he should have kept the Dream Essence to comprehend a divine ability or to experience a higher realm in advance.

As Ji Yang pondered, he realized that the potential of this essence was also quite significant, and after mastering it, there would be other wonderful uses.

However, Ji Yang quickly felt at ease; even though he could do as he pleased in the dream, it was ultimately false. A cultivator must always face reality.

With the barrier of his realm breaking, Ji Yang stirred the magical energy within his body, preparing to push toward the Unity with the Dao stage.

But as he had just formed this thought, an overwhelming sense of crisis surged from within his primordial spirit.

This premonition was exceptionally strong, as if any further advancement would lead to a deadly threat.

Seeing this, Ji Yang decisively held back.

He was no brute; knowingly taking a risk was not his way. Right now, Ji Yang merely wanted to test the waters.

The results, however, left Ji Yang deeply alarmed.

The calamity he faced during the late Void Refinement stage had been terrifying enough; one could only imagine the strength of this upcoming calamity. Ji Yang did not think he could rely on the same good fortune as before.

Moreover, he sensed that this time it might not just be about the calamity; this was his intuition speaking.

Giving up on the idea of advancing his realm, Ji Yang concentrated his mind on the essence within him.

It still felt the same as in the dream. Once the Essence of War broke through ten points of condensation, Ji Yang could clearly sense its presence and actively stimulate it.

This was a significant enhancement for Ji Yang.

Being able to use his essence freely without the help of external objects meant he was no different from ordinary cultivators at the Unity with the Dao stage in this regard.

The only difference was that his realm had not yet risen, making him slightly weaker in other aspects, but with Ji Yang’s foundation, this gap was not a major concern.

When the aftereffects of the Dream Essence finally faded, Ji Yang’s Essence Condensation had reached 12.3.

This was a greater increase than the fire essence he absorbed in the dream, indicating that this essence itself was incredibly powerful.

Moreover, Ji Yang could feel that as the condensation of his essence increased, the effects of the absorbed essences would gradually weaken.

For example, if he were to absorb the Essence of Fear at this moment, the growth in Essence Condensation might not be as significant as before.

Although the essence itself remained unchanged, the quality of his current Essence of War had greatly improved, and its effects had been further enhanced.

This suggested that the difficulty of advancing to the later stages of essence would be much greater.

While Ji Yang focused on understanding his progress, the others who had fallen nearby gradually regained consciousness.

"What happened?"

"Where is this?"

"What was I just doing?"

…

Many cultivators displayed puzzled expressions, but upon seeing the other cultivators beside them, they quickly stood up and prepared themselves.

The Qianji Gate cultivator, who had previously been exploring the path, hurriedly stepped forward to retrieve the puppet he had released.

After examining it, he found his puppet was unharmed, which filled him with excitement. He had almost resigned himself to losing the puppet, but now that it was recovered, how could he not be happy?

“Senior Brother Zhonglou, Senior Brother Jinyu, what happened just now?”

A cultivator from the He Dao Sect asked the two beside him.

Just moments ago, they had been discussing how to open the bronze door, but in the blink of an eye, all the nearby cultivators, including those from his own sect, had vanished.

When they woke up, this was the situation they found themselves in.

"It must be some peculiar essence that pulled us in."

As true heirs of the He Dao Sect, the two quickly analyzed the situation.

The previously invisible thread had now completely vanished, and many cultivators in the surrounding area had awoken from the region behind that thread without appearing to be injured, indicating that what they had just experienced was merely a dream.

"If that’s the case, why are we here now?"

"There’s no need to explain; someone must have broken that essence, allowing us to escape."

Listening to their explanation, the other cultivators present nodded in agreement and promptly looked around to see who among them might have the ability to break that essence.

Their gazes fell upon a few individuals present who wielded essence; after all, these individuals possessed the strongest abilities and had a higher chance of dispelling the essence compared to other cultivators.

However, after scanning the room, they could not identify anyone who stood out, and ultimately had to give up.

But those, like Jin from Bell Tower, who held essence, briefly shifted their gaze to Ji Yang.

Yet, upon seeing the confusion on Ji Yang’s face, they inadvertently redirected their attention.

Regardless of how they arrived here, the immediate crisis had been resolved.

"Senior Brother, it seems like these people are dead!"

At that moment, someone in the crowd spoke up.

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to see a few cultivators nearby who lay motionless on the ground.

Logically, after the essence was broken, all the cultivators present should have awakened; yet these few showed no response. One person approached to check closely and found that they had no life left.

Moreover, there were no visible wounds on them; their bodies seemed unchanged, but their primordial spirits had vanished.

The primordial spirit is the soul of a cultivator; without it, the body is merely a lifeless shell.

Upon seeing their faces, everyone quickly remembered that these were indeed the individuals who had collapsed in the dream. They hadn’t expected that even after the essence was broken, these cultivators could not be saved.

Such an outcome was beyond the expectations of those present and raised a sense of fear among many cultivators.

If they had remained trapped in the dream, unable to escape, would their fate have mirrored that of the lifeless bodies before them?

As cultivators, their emotions only flickered briefly before they turned their attention to the storage bags on the fallen individuals.

After all, they were Void Refinement stage cultivators, and their storage bags should contain plenty of valuable items.

Seeing others showing interest in these storage bags, the atmosphere in the crowd subtly shifted.

"Hmph, foolishness, just a few storage bags! Let’s not forget our purpose for entering here."

As this remark echoed, everyone turned their gaze toward the familiar bronze door.

Indeed, compared to the storage bags of a few Void Refinement stage cultivators, the treasures behind the bronze door perhaps held far more value.

Any potential dispute dissipated in that moment, and the storage bags were ultimately divided among a few elite sects.

However, Jin from Bell Tower and a few others looked on with disdain.

A storage bag from a Void Refinement stage cultivator was not impressive to them.

But as powerful individuals, they knew they still had to claim their share; even if they weren’t interested, their junior disciples would be. Gaining favor using these storage bags would still be beneficial.

Amidst the division of spoils, Ji Yang chose not to participate.

Although he could have claimed a portion of it based on his displayed strength, he saw no need; it would be better to see if there were indeed treasures behind the door.

After the division, everyone focused their attention on the bronze door ahead.

Though it had just been confirmed that there was no danger nearby, the events that transpired in the dream still left everyone with lingering apprehensions.

As their gazes wandered, soon the cultivators turned their sights back to the Qianji Gate cultivator.

"Why is it still me?"

Facing everyone’s eyes, the Qianji Gate cultivator displayed a wry smile.