Huanmo Sect, the Sinful Yin Altar.
The moon was bright, the stars sparse, and crows cawed noisily as they flew past the front hall, their reflections cast in the nearby waterfall.
Despite it being the dry winter season, the waterfall flowed with an ominous hint of red.
“Join me in worshipping our ancestral god!”
The Holy Son of Huanmo led the way, slicing off a piece of meat from his arm and tossing it into the chilly waters below.
“Worship the ancestral god!”
The followers looked thoroughly pious, their faces full of sincerity.
Emmmm…
In fact, providing spiritual energy to all beings didn’t require tearing off flesh; that was just a suggestion from the Holy Son.
After all, they were a devil-worshipping sect—it added to the atmosphere!
Moreover, people often hold a stronger belief in something they’ve sacrificed for…
In the waterfall, three divine shrines were enshrined, and one of the statues bore a slight resemblance to those in the Ying family’s ancestral home. These were the three founders of the Huanmo Sect, revered by all generations of its practitioners.
Legends said their origins dated back further than the Da Shang Dynasty.
“Holy Son! A vision of the ancestral god!”
At this moment, a wizard next to him suddenly pointed at the waterfall, his voice breaking into a gasp of excitement.
Huh?
The Holy Son shot his head up and gazed at the leftmost shrine in the waterfall, which was now emanating a faint glow.
“The Dream God, it’s the Dream God…”
The Dream God had been silent for many years, even rejecting the energy of living beings, seemingly having completely faded away.
Yet today, it actually showed some sensation!
“Where is the spiritual energy of all beings gathering?”
The Holy Son hurriedly urged the wizard next to him to sense it.
After a moment of silence, the wizard opened his eyes and uttered three words:
“Eastern Wilderness!”
……
In Qinghe County, Li Family.
Li Mo felt a sudden tightness in his chest, his head buzzing as he looked up and realized where he was sleeping—right in the arms of Little Ice Chunk.
Ying Bing had her eyes tightly shut, her eyelashes fluttering subtly, revealing a hint of sparkle.
He recalled what had just happened.
He had entered Little Ice Chunk’s dream, met her parents, saw that terrifying beast of the New Year, and even managed to coax her into calling him brother…
But Li Mo was a bit confused.
Why had that beast targeted the Ying family ten years ago, killing everyone there?
And even after ten years, it was still lurking like a shadow?
“……”
Little Li mulled silently for a moment, deciding that these puzzling questions could be set aside for now.
Because in this position, if his parents caught him… yikes…
And Little Ice Chunk should still remember what happened in the dream…
Li Mo glanced at Ying Bing.
The dream world had shattered, but she had used up quite a bit of her consciousness, so she should genuinely be fast asleep now.
“Better head back.”
Li Mo stood up; dawn was approaching, and he decided to return to his own room first.
However, just as he stepped outside, his pace abruptly halted; his consciousness tingled with alertness.
That’s right.
You guessed it—oh, what a twist of fate!
In the darkened garden, two figures were sneaking toward his room.
It was none other than Old Li and Lady Xueqin, and they were practically at Li Mo’s door. If he went back now, it would be the worst timing imaginable!
Swift as a flash,
the genius Little Li suddenly recalled his newly acquired magical ability.
Body Outside Body!
He dashed back to Little Ice Chunk’s room, gritting his teeth, torn between his hair and his forehead. He yanked out a hair, and immediately felt a tingling emptiness in his consciousness, but he could clearly sense the existence of that strand of hair.
At the doorway.
The couple stared at the pitch-black door, unable to see anything, their faces tinged with suspicion.
“Dear, is Little Mo in there?”
“I can’t hear his breathing, but Little Mo is an Observation Realm warrior; his realm is higher than mine. I can’t sense anything out of the ordinary.”
“So… should we go check?”
Gu Xueqin peeked inside, but unfortunately, the light was behind them, and the bed was blocked by a screen.
They had always respected their child’s privacy and never sneaked into his room.
“I guess I’ll take a look.”
Li Dalong crossed his arms, his serious face accentuated by the dark surroundings:
“If that brat wakes up all of a sudden, I’ll just pretend I was on my way to the bathroom and got lost on the way back.”
Truly, like father, like son.
Unfortunately, while the couple were whispering their plans, they didn’t notice a single hair drifting through the window and landing right on the bed.
Li Dalong entered the room, slipped behind the screen, and saw his son lying there, looking peaceful.
His breathing was so soft that unless you were close, you wouldn’t hear it.
“…..”
“Could it be that my sixth sense is malfunctioning?”
Li Dalong peered once, didn’t linger, and quietly stepped back out.
“How was it?”
“That brat is still in his room.”
“Well, we should head back and rest, then.”
Gu Xueqin nodded, relieved yet feeling a twinge of disappointment.
Li Dalong glanced at the room where Ying Bing resided, but something still felt off in his gut.
“Darling, you go sleep first.”
…..
Meanwhile, in the guest room.
Li Mo lay next to Little Ice Chunk, relaxing his mind and quickly stopped the Body Outside Body technique, as maintaining it was quite demanding for his current level in the Observation Realm, especially after coming out of Little Ice Chunk’s dream.
Ying Bing’s breathing had stabilized beside him.
“She seems to be sleeping deeper for the first time.”
Li Mo quietly watched her sleeping face, his eyelids growing heavier by the second.
【Congratulations, host, you have invested in ‘Ying Bing’ and released her from her nightmares.】
【You have an investment reward waiting to be claimed.】
The system’s prompt chimed in.
But with sky-high mountains and earth-wide plains, the greatest treasure was sleep; Li Mo hadn’t had a good rest in ages. The night was still long, and after Little Ice Chunk, he still had Little Princess Jiang waiting in the world seed for him.
“I’ll check it out tomorrow…”
With thoughts trailing off, Li Mo gradually sunk into a deep, dreamless slumber.
He had no idea how long he had slept in a daze.
When he opened his eyes again, the paper on the window had already been illuminated by the morning light, and the Li Mansion was silent, suggesting it must be morning.
“Huh? This isn’t my room…”
Li Mo yawned, finally realizing he had been too tired last night and had fallen asleep at Little Ice Chunk’s place.
Taking advantage of his parents not being awake, he got up and pushed the door.
“You brat!”
Suddenly, a figure leapt out of the bushes—none other than stern-faced Li Dalong.
“!! Dad, what are you doing here?”
Li Mo’s muscles tensed up.
Li Dalong squinted:
“You little rascal, I finally caught you! Thought you could escape my keen eye, huh? When I passed by this morning, something felt off. How come you’re in Little Ice Girl’s room?”
“Uh? This is Little Ice Chunk’s room? I just came back from the bathroom last night; did I take a wrong turn?”
“?”
