Chapter 326 – Oh, Lamashtu…

Not necessarily.

Lu Yuan mused, “Embers Mountain is the resurrection place of the Phoenix, akin to a human tomb, isn’t it?”

You guys barging into someone’s tomb, digging for treasure and killing people, how do you expect to have any good fortune?

That being said, Lu Yuan also thought that the chances of the orange-red flame bird being a Phoenix were very slim.

After all, this was a creature from mythical legends. It just didn’t seem likely to appear so easily in the present world.

…

Tranquil Realm.

Hills covered with swaying Red Spider Lilies, the silent flow of the Styx, the Full Moon reflected in the waters…

And the elegant, mysterious woman in a black dress bathing in the Styx.

Lu Yuan awoke among the Red Spider Lilies on the bank of the Styx, gazing at the scene before him. After a moment of surprise, a touch of sentiment appeared in his eyes.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had this dream…”

The long-lost Crow Dreamscape.

With the improvement of his strength and the continuous enhancement of his mental will, his mind had become more lucid, and his dreams entered less frequently.

He hadn’t entered the Crow Dreamscape for quite some time.

Truth be told… he missed it.

After all, this place marked the beginning of his extraordinary journey.

Lu Yuan walked slowly down the hillside adorned with Red Spider Lilies, heading to the Styx. He squatted and placed his hand in the water, gently stirring it.

The icy water flowed through his fingers, producing a crisp tinkling sound.

“Whoosh-“

Lu Yuan exhaled softly, feeling his body and mind relax.

Recently, he had been uncovering many secrets, and the burdens on his shoulders were growing heavier.

Although his strength had been steadily increasing, he often felt suffocated by the weight.

But now, immersing in the waters of the Styx, his mind surprisingly found peace.

He reflected on the Ancient Evil Deities he had encountered along his journey.

The Deities of Combat and Hunting scheming in reality; the Mosa Sect’s presence spread globally, hinting at a grand conspiracy.

The elephant deity treating its followers as food, consuming them at will, cruel and violent.

The daughter of the nightmare took away Xia Zhiqing and attempted to eradicate him in the dreamscape.

The crow deity was still the best. The crow deity aided him through his stumbling journey, left him resources, let him watch her wash and bathe, and occasionally pulled him out in critical moments to save him from other gods’ traps…

Returning to the Crow Dreamscape felt like coming home. Looking at the woman in the black dress standing in the Styx, Lu Yuan felt an unexpected closeness.

Lu Yuan, lost in his thoughts, suddenly remembered the matter of the daughter of the nightmare.

His heart stirred. Wasn’t this the perfect opportunity?

With this in mind, Lu Yuan quickly waded into the Styx, making his way step by step towards the woman in the black dress up ahead.

The woman in the black dress stood under the bright Full Moon, her long hair and dress blending seamlessly with the Styx beneath her.

She stood sideways to Lu Yuan, revealing half of an exceedingly exquisite face, her long eyelashes lowered as if she were lost in thought.

It was a scene that even the greatest artists in the world could never hope to capture.

Everything was breathtakingly beautiful.

Lu Yuan felt a pang of self-consciousness.

His presence was marring the beauty of the scene.

In this serene and beautiful setting, the sound of him wading through the water was incredibly jarring.

However, the threat of the daughter of the nightmare was like a sword hanging over his head. In matters of life and death, no matter how reluctant, Lu Yuan had to press on.

He finally reached the woman in the black dress, stopping about four or five meters away from her.

Lowering his head, he pondered how to start the conversation.

After much deliberation, Lu Yuan looked at the woman in the black dress who was now within arm’s reach, hesitated, and carefully called out-

“Lamashtu…”

As soon as he spoke, he noticed the eyelashes of the woman in the black dress tremble slightly.

His scalp tingled for a moment.

But having come this far, he could only muster the courage to continue: “I… I think I may have caused some trouble… not exactly trouble, but someone… no, a deity is trying to get to me.

She is called the daughter of the nightmare; have you heard of her?”

Lu Yuan said everything he needed to in one breath.

He then widened his eyes, staring intently at the woman in the black dress in front of him, awaiting her reaction.

To be honest, Lu Yuan felt that his current actions were somewhat shameless.

The crow deity had treated him quite well, but in front of the crow deity, he probably didn’t even count as an ant.

A person could appreciate an ant on the ground, but would they fight someone else because of that ant?

Lu Yuan could only hope that he was the only clue left in the human world about the daughter of the nightmare’s reincarnation and that this fact intrigued the crow deity.

This was his only bargaining chip and the source of his courage to seek help from the woman in the black dress.

From the moment her eyelashes trembled to when her eyes fully opened, the few seconds felt like centuries to Lu Yuan.

He watched as the woman in the black dress opened her eyes.

Her fair cheeks, adorned with intricate patterns of Red Spider Lilies, reflected the Full Moon in her pure black eyes, showing no trace of emotional fluctuation.

It seemed she glanced at Lu Yuan.

Just a faint, fleeting glance.

Lu Yuan wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination.

As his heart raced, unsure of what was to come, suddenly…

The woman in the black dress began to rise slowly from the Styx.

Her hair and long dress, submerged in the river, made no sound as they emerged.

It was as if the entire Styx had seamlessly fused with her hair.

No.

To be precise.

The gently flowing Styx…

Was actually formed by the cascading hair of the woman in the black dress.

Lu Yuan stared in awe as the winding Styx transformed into the woman’s long hair, while the Red Spider Lilies on the riverbank and the Full Moon in the water wove into her long dress.

This scene was exceedingly strange.

It was as if the entire Crow Dreamscape was a piece of cloth spread out on the ground, and someone had just gently lifted it, draping it around themselves.

The exquisitely serene scene vanished. Before Lu Yuan’s eyes, nothing remained except the stunning woman with cascading black hair, wearing a dress adorned with Red Spider Lily patterns.

But then, quickly…

Tiny points of light began to appear in Lu Yuan’s field of vision.

These lights grew closer and closer…

He suddenly realized that they were glowing Stars.

Unknowingly, he had arrived in the vast cosmos of the Starry Sky.

Lu Yuan was marveling at this unexpected shift when the woman in the black dress slowly raised one hand. Her forefinger, pale and cold like moonlight, pointed gently toward the distant Starry Sky.

In an instant!

A dark river, filled with the aura of decay, death, and withering, surged forth from her fingertip.

In the blink of an eye, it swept towards the vast Starry Sky.

As the dark river surged ahead, one by one, the glowing stars were swallowed…

Lu Yuan watched helplessly as the brilliant Starry Sky before him went dark, like a blackout, plunging quickly into silent oblivion.

Death and decay filled the entire Starry Sky as the dark river passed, harvesting all life and returning every living soul to the embrace of the underworld…

It was unclear how much time had passed before everything finally ended.

Lu Yuan found himself in a barren and deathly silence, engulfed in an indescribable, overwhelming shock.

The woman with long hair and a black dress turned her head to look at him quietly.

From her black eyes, Lu Yuan felt he could read one message-

“This… is the true underworld river.”

…

“Whoosh-Whoosh-“

Lu Yuan awoke from his dream with a start, his eyes wide open, still filled with a lingering sense of awe.

He was still inside the shuttle pod and didn’t see Lan Chen.

Glancing out of the window, it appeared the shuttle was slowly descending, with faint outlines of forests and land appearing below.

Lu Yuan withdrew his gaze, sat in his chair, and furrowed his brows in deep thought.

What did that Crow Dreamscape he just experienced mean?

Why did the woman in the black dress show him the scene of the Styx sweeping through the Starry Sky after he mentioned the daughter of the nightmare?

Was she trying to tell him that she was strong and that the issue with the daughter of the nightmare was nothing to worry about, putting his mind at ease?

It seemed… that was the only explanation?

Lu Yuan’s mind was in a whirl, and he couldn’t make sense of his thoughts.

Just then, the front cabin door automatically opened, and Lan Chen walked out briskly.

“Get ready, we’re almost there.”

Lan Chen greeted him.

Lu Yuan responded with a nod and stood up from his seat.

Lu Yuan glanced at the time; the shuttle had been flying for nearly twelve hours. Right now, they were hovering over a small state in the southern part of the Distant Star Federation.

Ahead lay a dense primeval forest, within which the secret realm entrance of Embers Mountain was hidden.

“The secret realm entrance of Embers Mountain was discovered within the Distant Star Federation’s territory, giving them a natural advantage that extends into the secret realm itself…”

Lan Chen stood beside Lu Yuan, observing the landscape below as he explained.

Lu Yuan set aside thoughts of the Crow Dreamscape and pondered for a moment before asking, “What’s the specific format of the joint exploration?”

Lan Chen smirked a bit and replied, “They say it’s a joint exploration, but in reality, it’s every team for themselves.

This time, they’ve set up a contribution ranking, and nominally, the final rewards will be distributed based on this ranking.

But in truth, it’s just to ensure that if someone else gets lucky and finds something good, they can claim a share under the guise of fair distribution…”

Lan Chen turned to Lu Yuan and solemnly advised, “Just remember, once inside the secret realm, apart from our own Yellow Bear team, none of the other exploration teams can be considered allies.

If something valuable turns up, they’ll be more ruthless than anyone else. It’s not uncommon for them to resort to underhanded and deadly tactics…”

Lu Yuan’s eyes flickered slightly, and he nodded without saying more.

The shuttle continued to fly over the primeval forest for a good half hour.

Lu Yuan wondered how far into the forest they had gone and marveled at how the secret realm entrance had ever been found in such a remote place. Finally, he saw the scene of the secret realm entrance before him.

It was a gigantic light screen, nearly a thousand meters high.

Mysterious and exotic lights swirled within it, forming a massive vortex that immediately gave the impression of an entrance to some unknown realm.

Beneath this light screen were numerous modern mechanical devices: shuttles, mechas, armed forces…

People bustled about, and various aircraft were woven through the air like threads.

Lu Yuan even spotted a massive dark gray mecha, towering over a hundred meters high, resembling a colossal beast, standing quietly on the ground in front of the light screen.

“What is that?” Lu Yuan asked instinctively.

Lan Chen responded, “That’s the Ice God Mecha of the Distant Star Federation, one of the few divine level mechas in the world.

Just that one mecha can easily destroy ten super large cities within an hour…”

Lu Yuan fixed his gaze on the colossal dark gray mecha below, thinking to himself: If I were in my ultimate form, with everything fully activated… could I beat that thing?