Seeking Truth with a Sword-Chapter 613 - 514 Delete

"Wait a moment!"

Lu Qingya’s wife stepped forward, looked directly at Li Ang, and said, "These are all just your speculations, aren’t they? If the Dream Eater has the ability to create such a large-scale Ghost Realm, how can you be sure that this idea was your own and not something the Dream Eater implanted in your mind? Taking a step back, even if Qing Ya dies, you have no idea whether the Ghost Realm will continue. On the contrary, if Qing Ya dies, the rest of us combined would definitely not stand a chance against the Dream Eater."

She hailed from a noble family, and her understanding of Alien Demons was no less than that of ordinary cultivators; she immediately seized upon the flaws in Li Ang’s plan.

"Then how do you know, Madam, that questioning my thoughts is your own doing and not something the Dream Eater implanted?"

Li Ang countered, "Such a discussion is pointless. The only question now is whether to implement the plan."

With that, he glanced down at the pocket watch in his hand again. The hands of the watch were still moving steadily.

He lowered his gaze to the watch, and a noisy clamor once again echoed through the hall. Many people sneaked glances at the expressionless Lu Qingya.

Indeed, if they followed Li Ang’s plan for Lu Qingya to commit suicide, allowing the Dream Eater to concede and dispel the Ghost Realm, it would undoubtedly be most advantageous for everyone else—the truly living wouldn’t have to die, nor would they have to bear the terrible consequences of personally killing their friends and family. But, is this realistic? Lu Qingya was a Candle Cloud Mage. If he wished, he could slaughter everyone present, including the Nightmares subsequently generated to impersonate the living. In the end, only he would remain in the entire Ghost Realm. Then, he could simply outlast the Dream Eater, waiting for it to end the Ghost Realm on its own.

The atmosphere was thick with undercurrents as everyone harbored their own thoughts.

"Ang’er, by saying these things, aren’t you placing Mr. Qingya in an inhumane and unjust position?"

Mother Cui Yi couldn’t help but tug on Li Ang’s clothes and whispered, "Is this really okay? Might there be... danger?"

Cui Yi, once a lady from a prominent family, was not a village woman ignorant of worldly affairs and human relationships.

This was an isolated Ghost Realm. If they pushed Lu Qingya too far, and he, disregarding his status as a senior, actually attacked Li Ang, the outside world would never know.

"Mother, I know what I’m doing."

Li Ang shook his head. He still carried the last Protective Talisman given to him by the Mountain Master and wasn’t afraid of falling out with Lu Qingya. Moreover, he didn’t believe Lu Qingya was so shallow.

The other party, like himself, was contemplating the true way to break the deadlock.

Li Ang thought for a moment, confirmed the time on his pocket watch was 12:10:45, then stepped forward and asked Chen Wanyi, "Priest Chen, where is the item?"

Chen Wanyi was currently confronting his Taihao Mountain companions, all suspecting each other of being Nightmares.

Upon hearing Li Ang’s question, Chen Wanyi turned his head slightly and frowned. "What item?"

"The item for dealing with the Dream Eater."

Li Ang said sternly, "Since the Torch Language Mechanism knew the Dream Eater was about to emerge and sent you to find it, they must have made specific preparations."

This was a Level 1 Demon Beast, a creature capable of trapping even Candle Cloud Cultivators. If it had appeared in any other country, Taihao Mountain would definitely have organized an elite team to hunt it collaboratively, devising all possible means to capture it.

It was only because the Dream Eater appeared in Yu Country that Taihao Mountain couldn’t make a grand display and dispatch Candle Cloud Cultivators; hence, Chen Wanyi and his group were sent.

"..."

Chen Wanyi’s expression changed several times. He was about to retort when Li Ang interrupted him, "The Dream Eater has read your memories. Consequently, all the Nightmares it created are cultivators possessing Qi Seas.

"This means you will die much faster than I will. After you die, I can still find the item by searching your corpse. Not only will you and your companions die in vain, but you will also fail to complete the mission Taihao Mountain entrusted to you."

Chen Wanyi’s expression shifted again and again; the other party was right.

Because his entire group consisted of cultivators, the Dream Eater, for consistency, also created Nightmares that were cultivators. This meant that the speed of extracting Life Force and Spiritual Power would be much faster for them than for other groups.

"Priest! We absolutely mustn’t!"

A Judgement Court cultivator shouted, "Even if we die, we cannot betray the Cardinal’s expectations for us!"

"Shut up! Dying meaninglessly is what truly betrays the Cardinal’s expectations."

Chen Wanyi cut off his subordinate and turned to Li Ang. "The prophetic poetry does indeed mention the origin and weaknesses of the Dream Eater. It was born in ancient times and is not a demon with self-awareness, but more like a kind of... natural disaster. Like thunder or torrential rain.

"The Yin Shang Dynasty found it. Knowing the harm it could cause, they enshrined it—or rather, sealed it—within a bronze artifact, using long-term bloody sacrifices to keep it dormant.

"As the Yin Shang Dynasty fell and the Zhou Dynasty declined, the Dream Eater broke free. In the twelfth year of Qi Huan Gong, it caused a large-scale anomaly that resulted in countless deaths and injuries.

"At that time, the Various Countries did not know of the Dream Eater’s existence, so they recorded it as a plague.

"The last historical record of the Dream Eater comes from the Mo Family. They seem to have found the shattered bronze artifact that once imprisoned the Dream Eater, restored it, resealed the Dream Eater, and placed it in a secluded location."

"The twelfth year of Qi Huan Gong..."

Li Ang instantly realized that the twelfth year of Qi Huan Gong was also the 20th year of Lu Zhuanggong. At that time, an epidemic broke out in the Qi State, and its aftereffects reached the Lu State. This event is recorded in the "Spring and Autumn Annals" and can be traced.

So, Taihao Mountain knew what kind of disaster the Dream Eater would cause and had no intention of informing Yu Country to reduce the losses, right?

Li Ang silently cursed Taihao Mountain’s sinister intentions in his heart and nodded. "And the method to seal the Dream Eater?"

"Using this."

Chen Wanyi took out a long bronze box from his breast pocket. From it, he retrieved several slim, narrow, text-engraved copper needles and said solemnly, "These are the Sin Erasure Nails of the garrison. When hammered into a person’s brow, reaching specific parts inside the skull, they eradicate sin and allow a person to become exceedingly peaceful.

"It is the Judgement Court’s final act of mercy for those unfortunate sergeants infected by demons.

"Moreover, Sin Erasure Nails can also block certain mind-manipulating abilities of demons..."

Li Ang thought for a while, then glanced at his pocket watch. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Wait, 12:15?

He suddenly stood stunned.

The pocket watch time had jumped forward by four minutes.

No, more accurately, the Dream Eater erased my memories of those four minutes! It rewound everyone’s memories to four minutes ago!