Chapter 1348: Initial Solution to the Paradise Mystery

Initially, the three would occasionally share their experiences from completing tasks. However, they gradually discovered that all their conjectures and hypotheses were meaningless. The three straw effigies seemed to exist independently of the world. Only wind, rain, thunder, and lightning from the high heavens could interact with them. Other than that, everything in the mundane world seemed oblivious to their existence. Birds, beasts, and insects flew past them, never lingering. Not even a speck of dust from the world would settle on them. Thus, the three gradually fell silent. They lay powerless, watching the world change.

The sun rose and set, and time flowed by. It was as if a fast-forward button had been pressed, and days passed quickly. The mountain peaks where the three lay became gradually thinner and sharper due to erosion from rain and wind. The formerly majestic and full mountain bodies slowly transformed into sharp, solitary peaks standing alone, abruptly rising between heaven and earth. The surrounding landscape of the mountain peaks also changed from continuous green mountains into grand canyons with countless ravines and gulleys. Amidst these vast geological changes, only the black stones on which Sun Erlang and the others lay remained eternally unchanged.

Through the wind and rain, their thoughts were also eroded by the power of time, becoming somewhat decayed and blurry. They even slowly lost the ability to react to events happening around them. If this continued, their consciousness might one day completely dissipate. Just as they were about to sink completely, a majestic and sacred figure suddenly burst forth with myriad rays of light, appearing in their minds. It seemed taller than heaven and earth, blocking all the eroding wind and rain.

"Sacred Master..."

Although their memories were blurred, these two words seemed carved deep within their souls, emerging instinctively. "Sacred Master, Sacred Master, Sacred Master." The three repeated the words obsessively. Like a gushing spring, their past memories resurfaced in their parched minds.

"Ah!!" The three awakened abruptly, as if from a nightmare. They knew in their hearts that the Sacred Master had saved their lives through some hidden means. But if they couldn't find a way to escape, they would likely still face ultimate oblivion. Seizing this rare moment of clarity, the three began incessant discussions.

During their discussions, the three were somewhat surprised to find that they seemed to have truly undergone tens of millions of years of temporal refinement. Their temperaments had become much calmer. Even with crisis at hand, they were no longer as panicked as before.

"The dream trial will definitely not be a dead end. When the mountain peak beneath us finally erodes and breaks due to rain and wind, and the black stones fall, perhaps liberation will come. As long as we persevere until that moment, we can complete the task." The three ultimately reached this conclusion and held onto this as their ultimate belief, gritting their teeth and holding firm.

Countless more years passed, and the image of the Sacred Master in their minds had become barely discernible. Only the persistent, repeating obsession remained as their reason for holding on.

On this day, the mountain body, now "emaciated" to its limit and supported by only a thin stone pillar, could no longer bear the weight of the black stones at its summit. After a gentle breeze, it collapsed with a crash.

As the three straw effigies plummeted from the mountain peak to the mundane world, the world in their eyes seemed to freeze. The clear sky suddenly darkened, as if covered by a black film. A colossal black bird's beak pierced the sky, emerging from beyond the firmament. Just half of its head was almost larger than the entire world. Its two sharp eyes, which dominated the sky, rotated slightly, fixing upon the three falling straw effigies. Sun Erlang and the others saw a satisfied expression in the eyes of this ineffably gigantic ominous bird.

With a terrifying bird cry, the world began to disintegrate inch by inch. From within the three straw effigies, three clusters of light flew out from their brows, hearts, and abdomens, respectively. They slowly ascended, flying towards the ominous bird. Sun Erlang and the others, whose consciousness was still within the straw effigies, vaguely saw scenes of time flowing and mountains and rivers changing within these three light clusters. Immediately after, the world plunged into endless darkness. Even the monitoring simulated celestial framework couldn't ascertain how much time had truly passed.

The consciousness of Sun Erlang and the other two was restored. They had successfully escaped from the dream. Not only were they unharmed, but they had also gained a divine ability called "Observation of Mountains, Rivers, and the Flow of Time." By embodying the straw effigy on the mountain peak, time for them seemed to enter a state of suspended animation. From there, they could observe the changes of the world and the swift passage of time. This was somewhat similar to when Li Fan embodied the Vast Sea Pearl and observed the profound transformations of the world.

However, the power of this "Observation of Mountains, Rivers, and the Flow of Time" lay in the fact that, after activating the divine ability, their own lifespan would be almost frozen. Even if tens of millions of years passed in the outside world, the impact on themselves would be almost negligible. Of course, this was just a theoretical explanation provided by the dream's prompts. As for whether this divine ability was truly effective, Sun Erlang and the others had no immediate plans to test it.

After completing all three dream boundaries, their environment finally changed again. They were still within Qiu Creek Prefecture, a territory of the Five Elders Association. However, unlike the previously sparsely populated area, this Qiu Creek Prefecture was bustling with people. Not only were there cultivators everywhere in the cities, but even the formerly desolate wilderness suddenly saw countless buildings spring up. And these buildings seemed to be inhabited by cultivators.

The changes were not just external; they also affected Sun Erlang and the others personally.

"Sun Erlang, Golden Core Completion, Deaths: 1.""Land of Bliss Experience Level: 2.""Current Unlockable Dream World Level: 3.""Carefree Coins: 2000."

This was the personal information visible to Sun Erlang and the others. When the pink progress bar finally filled, their so-called Land of Bliss Experience Level finally advanced to 2. It now included the option to unlock dream worlds. In addition, there was other, more detailed information. And when they focused their thoughts on the text, detailed explanations finally appeared in their minds. They no longer had to rely solely on guesswork. Sun Erlang carefully read each item, so as not to miss any crucial information.

"It turns out that while native cultivators of the Five Elders Association also undergo three dream world trials when entering the Carefree Paradise, their experience is never as difficult as ours. According to the Paradise's terminology, our world difficulty level had already reached Level 3."

"The reason our experience was so unique is that we are not members of the Five Elders Association; instead, we are outsiders who intruded without the permission of Heavenly Venerate Wuyou!"

"However, the Heavenly Venerate is benevolent and will not directly expel us. Instead, a dream trial is imposed. If successfully passed, one can officially join the Dream Paradise. If the trial is failed, one will be banished from the Paradise forever. Simultaneously, as punishment for the energy consumed in constructing the dream, more than half of one's soul power will be absorbed..." Sun Erlang's expression turned grim. He exchanged a glance with Wang Xuanba and Yue Zhenwei, then continued to read.

"The place we encountered upon first entering the dream was the transit hub to the trial dreams. All cultivators entering the Paradise for the first time appear there."

"Within the Dream Paradise, cultivators can harm each other. If this rule is ignored and a forced battle occurs, the attacked party will be transferred to a safe area. Concurrently, depending on the severity of the offense, Paradise Coins will be deducted from the aggressor."

"Carefree Coins, also known as Paradise Coins, are obtained by cultivators through exploratory activities in the Dream Paradise. They can be exchanged for various resources in the Heavenly Venerate's Treasure Vault to strengthen oneself."

"The Heavenly Venerate's Treasure Vault contains everything imaginable, encompassing all things..."

Sun Erlang looked at the two thousand Paradise Coins he carried, his heart stirred, and he opened the detailed page for the Heavenly Venerate's Treasure Vault. A moment later, Sun Erlang was stunned on the spot. Even with his current Level 2 Paradise Experience privilege, the number of items he could see was limited. Yet, the list of resources within this Heavenly Venerate's Treasure Vault was still unbelievable to him.

Not to mention basic heavenly materials, earthly treasures, pills, and magic artifacts. Even cultivation techniques were ordinary items in the Heavenly Venerate's Treasure Vault. Moreover, unlike the cultivation techniques prevalent in the Xuanhuang Realm, the techniques here could at minimum be cultivated to the Soul Transformation realm. Furthermore, according to the Paradise's description, there was no need to worry about being unable to cultivate due to overly profound techniques. As long as one completed the exchange, they could instantly grasp the basics. Consuming Paradise Coins could accelerate the progress of one's cultivation technique.

"Once exchanged and learned, they cannot be shared with others. However, they can be transferred as gifts before being learned."

"This means that while there's no restriction on multiple people cultivating the same technique in the Paradise, it's not significantly different. To cultivate, one still needs to exchange and pay."

"One's cultivation and techniques from the real world are only synchronized once upon entering the Paradise, serving as their starting point within it."

"However, future progress made within the Paradise generally cannot be brought back to reality, i.e., the Xuanhuang Realm."

Sun Erlang frowned upon seeing this point. However, after a brief thought, he quickly relaxed. After all, everything in the Paradise was truly too heaven-defying. If every single thing could be synchronized in reality, then the scale of the Paradise would definitely not be on the same level as the Xuanhuang Realm.

"As the name implies, the Paradise is primarily guided by the power of the great Heavenly Venerate Wuyou and constructed from various different dream worlds."

"The blueprints for constructing these dream worlds originate either from historical fragments that once occurred in the Xuanhuang Realm, from the dreams of sentient beings, or from deeper, grander concepts. Therefore, it is not always safe but is instead full of various dangers."

"To facilitate exploration, there are distinctions like Dream Experience and Dream World Levels." Sun Erlang nodded slightly. With their Golden Core Completion strength, exploring a Level 3 dream world was already their limit. Any further, and they would surely die. Having a rough assessment of the danger level would prevent dream explorers from dying in vain.

"Death can occur in the Paradise."

"Cultivators' number of deaths is not unlimited."

"The number of deaths, as a crucial part of identifying cultivators within the dream, is an indicator second only to Dream Experience Level."

"Cultivators with similar death counts generally reside in the same layer of the Paradise's world. The rough divisions are 1-3 times, 3-5 times, 5-10 times, and 10-15 times."

"The death limit should be 15 times. If one dies again after reaching that point, they would truly die. And in reality too."

Sun Erlang's heart tightened.

"An increase in death counts not only signifies a change in the people one interacts with but also indicates the decline of one's own spirituality."

"Spirituality is a hidden value, not displayed, but it truly exists within the Paradise. It can affect the practical efficiency of combat and cultivation."

"The more one dies, the lower their spirituality, and the harder it becomes to make progress."

"It seems this spirituality has other effects too..." Sun Erlang pondered silently.

"Death counts can also be eliminated through certain methods. Besides exchanging them for Paradise Coins in the Heavenly Venerate's Treasure Vault, one can also use certain items obtained in dreams."

"Of course, they are all quite valuable."

"From this perspective, the Carefree Paradise is fraught with dangers. Yet, the reason it attracts the entire Five Elders Association like moths to a flame is because this dream truly lives up to the name 'Carefree'."

"Every cultivator, by paying a certain amount of Paradise Coins, can generate a dream world unique to themselves."

"Whether it's an unrivaled emperor whose words carry ultimate authority, or an immortal emperor who controls everything, it can all be realized within the dream."

"Within the dream, it's almost indistinguishable from reality. The more Paradise Coins paid, the richer the details..."

"However, in addition to the initial dream-creation fee, maintaining the dream's existence also requires Paradise Coins."

"This is also the driving force for cultivators to explore dream worlds."

"The higher the dream world level, the greater the risks, but the correspondingly greater the rewards."

"One can explore dreams alone or with companions."

"Every cycle, there will be free dream worlds available for exploration. Of course, one can also spend Paradise Coins to unlock them in advance."

Sun Erlang gradually gained a detailed understanding of all aspects of the Carefree Paradise. What truly concerned him was some information he learned at the very end.

"Normally, nothing from within the dream can be brought back to reality."

"But there are exceptions."

"First, through the blessing of Heavenly Venerate Wuyou's power. This can be achieved with almost no cost, but it has rarely occurred in the entire history of the Paradise."

"Second, by surrendering key items. Upon their submission, one can choose a portion of their dream power to bring back to reality."

"Third, by deeply exploring unknown dreams."

"Fourth... by surrendering a large amount of Paradise Coins."

Sun Erlang and the others exchanged glances again and began to communicate.

"This Paradise truly exceeded our expectations."

"Even the Sacred Master might not fully understand it. The power of Heavenly Venerate Wuyou, who could create such a magnificent Paradise, is truly unimaginable."

"However, a dream is still a dream; it's illusory. Ultimately, we must return to reality."

"It just seems rather difficult now. There are billions of beings in the Paradise, yet only a handful can return to reality each year," Yue Zhenwei mused.

"Actually, I think it wouldn't be bad even if we couldn't go back and just stayed in this Paradise. Look at all the various dream world templates in this Treasure Vault. Any one of them is incredibly fascinating," Wang Xuanba said, gazing at the contents of the Heavenly Venerate's Treasure Vault.

Sun Erlang remained silent.