#1902 · 1902 of 2048
Chapter 1902: Immortal Astral’s tenth sun, the Death Sect! (Second Update)
The green mountains were no more… they had become barren mountains of death.
The clear green waters were gone, replaced by a putrid stench… even the wind that blew carried a sense of desolation and sorrow, tainted with the smell of decay.
And those exquisite pavilions and grand halls, covered in dust, had also lost all vitality, a scene of desolation.
Many of the stone steps on the small mountains were broken, and the numerous shattered rocks in the wind seemed to play a mournful tune.
All the Donglin Sect Disciples whom Wang Lin had seen moving swiftly before were now skeletons on the plaza, in the main hall, and on the stone steps. They had been dead for so long that their Physical Bodies had long rotted away, leaving only bones.
The Donglin Sect Disciples who had been meditating cross-legged in their respective residences were also the same, all skeletons… This was a Death Sect!
There was no vitality, only dense Death Qi swirling… But within this Donglin, beneath the thick Death Qi, there permeated a dream barrier. This dream barrier was composed of the illusions of countless people before their deaths, as if these deceased Donglin Sect Disciples, when they died, did not know they were already dead… They were still cultivating in that dream.
This was also why, when Wang Lin and Liu Jinbiao stood there, Donglin Sect Disciples walked past them without noticing anything. It wasn't that Wang Lin didn't exist, but that they… didn't exist.
Calling them ghosts isn't quite right; in Wang Lin's view, there were no ghosts here. There was only a dream barrier unaware of death… Under this dream barrier, even outsiders who came here would find it difficult to detect any clues, and might even experience illusions if drawn in. This was actually due to the outsider's dream barrier fusing and blending with this place.
From ancient times to the present, this place has been destroyed for countless years; exactly how long, Wang Lin doesn't know… But he understands that perhaps for these countless years, many people came here without realizing that this was actually a Death Sect, stayed as guests, and then left… But he couldn't be the first to see through the clues of this place!
Because he saw that in the central location of the Donglin Sect, within a massive palace, a sorrowful vitality silently existed.
That vitality was filled with loneliness and sorrow, like a young child who, after their home was destroyed and all their loved ones lost, silently guarded the ruins after crying bitterly for a long time.
There was no one to accompany it, only the ruins of death and countless corpses. In that loneliness and sorrow, it gathered the dream barriers of everyone, allowing these illusory green mountains and clear waters, this illusory prosperous Sect, and these illusory Donglin Sect Disciples to accompany itself… Before Wang Lin comprehended his own Void Origin, even if he came here, he still couldn't see it. But now, he saw it, felt it, and with a soft sigh, he closed his eyes again.
When the wind passed, the decay and death of the Donglin Sect vanished from his opened eyes. In their place were scenes of vibrant vitality and the comings and goings of many Disciples breathing.
"Let's go," Wang Lin said softly, walking forward. Liu Jinbiao couldn't see the changes here, but he could vaguely sense that something was amiss. After looking around for a long time, he followed Wang Lin, stepping forward.
As he walked, subtle ripples emanated from Wang Lin's body. These ripples were invisible to outsiders; this was Wang Lin letting go of himself, allowing himself to merge into the dream barrier of this place.
The moment he and Liu Jinbiao landed on the Donglin Sect's ground, two long rainbows whistled from afar, transforming into a man and a woman Cultivator before them.
These two Cultivators were not old. The male Cultivator was quite handsome and showed no trace of negligence, but rather respect. The woman beside him was very beautiful, and her eyes showed curiosity as she looked at Wang Lin.
"Senior, this Junior has been ordered by the Old Ancestor to invite Senior to Donglin Hall." The young man smiled and cupped his fists, his words respectful, and his expression likewise.
The woman beside him also cupped her fists, her gaze sweeping over Wang Lin.
Wang Lin looked at these two Donglin Sect Disciples, sighing inwardly, his expression gentle, and nodded.
Guided by these two Donglin Sect Disciples, Wang Lin flew towards the central Donglin Hall. The Donglin Sect was vast, and along the way, Wang Lin saw scenes of vitality throughout the entire Donglin Sect.
He saw many immortal cranes flying, and on the ground, whether in the Medicinal Courtyard or the Disciples' residences, there were Cultivators present, either meditating alone or chatting and laughing with each other.
When the wind blew, it also contained rich Immortal Qi, like an immortal realm beyond the Mortal world.
Along the way, Wang Lin also saw some Donglin Sect Disciples flying past swiftly, who, upon seeing him, revealed themselves and respectfully bowed to him with cupped fists.
The people of the Donglin Sect were very gentle and polite towards Wang Lin, as if Wang Lin were an honored guest of their Sect.
As they were about to approach the central Donglin Hall, two long rainbows, with astonishing momentum, whistled up and instantly arrived in front of Wang Lin, emitting hearty laughter.
"Dong Cun, Xiao Yan, you two may withdraw." Amidst the laughter, two Cultivators appeared from within the two long rainbows. The speaker was an old man, and beside him was a middle-aged man, who smiled and cupped his fists in a bow to Wang Lin.
Both of them were clearly Golden Venerate Cultivators, extremely extraordinary. The old man, with hearty laughter, cupped his fists towards Wang Lin.
"I am Xu Tiannian, the Grand Elder of the Donglin Sect, and I have been ordered by the Old Ancestor to welcome Senior to Donglin Hall."
"This Junior, He Dao, Sect Master of the Donglin Sect, greets Senior." The middle-aged man smiled, his expression very polite.
Looking at the two of them, Wang Lin's eyes revealed sorrow. What kind of loneliness could make a person conjure a dream barrier for companionship… "Let's go," Wang Lin sighed, speaking to the two.
Accompanied by these two Golden Venerate Cultivators, who showed Wang Lin ample respect, they arrived at the central location of the Donglin Sect, the Holy Land of the entire Donglin Sect, Donglin Hall!
"The Old Ancestor is inside. We are not permitted to enter without a summons. Please enter by yourself, Senior." The old man with the hearty laughter cupped his fists towards Wang Lin and spoke respectfully.
Wang Lin nodded, looking at the door of Donglin Hall. In truth, he could have arrived alone and walked into this sorrowful hall in the ruins after seeing through the dream barrier earlier.
He didn't need to speak with the illusory figures in the dream barrier.
But he didn't do so. He could feel that sorrow and loneliness, and he gave the Donglin Sect Old Ancestor respect. In return, the Old Ancestor, within that dream barrier, gave Wang Lin respect.
"Jinbiao, wait for me outside," Wang Lin said softly, stepping towards Donglin Hall, one step at a time.
Liu Jinbiao respectfully agreed, then subconsciously looked around. He always felt that this place was a bit strange, but he couldn't pinpoint what exactly was wrong.
He slowly walked towards Donglin Hall. The moment Wang Lin's right foot fully stepped into the hall, a滄桑 voice, filled with loneliness and sorrow, echoed within the grand hall.
"You've come…"
Inside the grand hall, directly in front of Wang Lin, stood three massive statues. The statues depicted two men and one woman, looking up towards the east with smiles on their lips, and a magnificent aura emanated from these three statues.
Beneath the statues, an old man in a gray robe sat cross-legged. His face was covered in brown spots, like an elderly Mortal in their twilight years. His expression was bitter, showing endless sorrow.
He sat there, but on his body, besides the sorrow, there was also a powerful aura deeply buried within him, an aura that surpassed all Heavenly Venerates Wang Lin had ever seen.
"I've come…" Wang Lin sighed, walked to the old man, sat down cross-legged, and with a raised right hand, took out a flask of wine.
"Want some?" Wang Lin offered the wine flask to the old man.
The old man was silent for a moment, then took the wine flask and took a sip.
"I sense a familiar aura on you. You shouldn't be the first to come here." The old man looked up at Wang Lin.
"I've been here in a dream." Wang Lin took out a second wine flask and took a sip from it.
"Perhaps… I've sat here for a very, very long time. Perhaps you truly have been here in a dream," the old man said slowly, looking at the distant hall door.
"Is the Donglin Sect in your dream the same as it is now?" the old man asked softly.
"The same." Wang Lin looked at the old man; he could feel the other's sorrow.
"Thank you…" The old man closed his eyes, and two lines of tears slowly flowed out. With his cultivation, he should have long forgotten what tears were, but now, after Wang Lin's simple
"I have sat here for a very, very long time. You are the only one who, after seeing all of this, still gives me a sense of familiarity… This is my home… I left in my early years, and by the time I returned home after becoming a Sky-Ascending Venerate, it was already like this…" The old man opened his eyes, filled with pain and deep sorrow.
Wang Lin was silent.
"I don't know who did it… and I can't find out. Even the Great Heavenly Venerate can't deduce it… I can only sit here, using my memories to weave a dream, letting this dream accompany me, letting the Donglin Sect continue to exist… until the day I die…" The old man spoke softly, his voice hoarse.
Wang Lin looked at the old man, saying nothing.
What kind of emotion could make a person like this? What kind of sorrow could make someone deceive themselves with dreams? What kind of loneliness would make a person use illusions and memories for companionship?
"If Wan'er never awakens… if Ping'er can't open his eyes… if the Vermilion Bird Star is destroyed… perhaps I, too, would be like him, sitting alone in the vast starry sky, on my own Cultivation Planet, silently numbing myself with dreams, weaving a dream barrier world. In that world, there would be my parents, myself, Wan'er, Ping'er, and many other familiar faces… If that day truly comes, perhaps I would do the same…"
"Lock the fate of the perished heavens, seal the underworld, those among all beings who cannot attain the true Dao shall forever sink in the sea of suffering, forever lose the true Dao, and dedicate themselves to the path of cultivation!" The old man suddenly spoke, uttering words that shocked Wang Lin to his core!
"These words, written in the blood of my Donglin Sect members by that murderer, were inscribed on a stone tablet…"
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