After an hour or so of chatting, the group decided to head off to their separate chosen rooms. With nothing left to do, everyone collapsed on a clean bed. As if sealing away all of their worries from the apocalypse, the entire group began swiftly snoring away sometime after noon.
Feng Hui thought it would be best for everyone to get some well-deserved sleep. For the teenagers, this was the first time in months the three of them had a comfortable environment. Soon, the entire apartment was enclosed in complete silence.
There was a coincidence, however. Standing outside on the balcony floor, Feng Hui extended his spiritual sense with a smile. Chuckling, he thought, "Is it due to chance that Zhi Ruo is sleeping in my room?"
In the Eastern World, the number of times the two of them had slept beside each other were innumerable. Their adventures were countless. Each time Feng Hui was injured in the wilderness, the little scarlet-robed Zhi Ruo would slowly nurse him back to health in a cave.
Eventually, Zhi Ruo's energy would become sapped from sleepiness. This led to her always leaning on Feng Hui's shoulder while peacefully falling asleep. In the dark cave, the two of them would snore away.
With the passing years, Zhi Ruo eventually developed a habit of subconsciously moving to Feng Hui's unique scent during her sleep. For some reason, it would always comfort her.
Reminiscing of the past, Feng Hui closed his eyes. Somehow, he was feeling tired. In the end, the nostalgic feeling of his true home was pushing him to sleep. The human mind was a strange thing.
Involuntarily, Feng Hui began moving toward the living room. With a content face, he collapsed on the black-leather sofa. While he was lightheartedly laughing to himself, he pondered Zhi Xingming's words, "To become an Immortal, one must bend the world's laws to their own? Is that even possible?"
The laws of the worlds were established since the beginning of time; thus, Feng Hui was confused. How was he supposed to change these laws entirely? Was he supposed to destroy the world and rebuild it from scratch? No, that was impossible. Nothing would be left then.
Zhi Xingming was too vague with his advice. Feng Hui sighed while resting his head on the couch pillow. Moments later, he abruptly drifted into a deep slumber with a lot of ideas on his mind.
Time flowed like water. Hours flew by. In over two months, this was the first time Feng Hui had ever fallen asleep. Disregarding his heart trials, his eyes were never closed for this long.
Resting in his true home had caused Feng Hui's mind to revert to his wonderful childhood. Truth be told, the early days of their family were unbelievably difficult.
But in Feng Hui's eyes, he could achieve anything when living with his family. Thus, it was still perfect and blissful.
* * *
In a bottomless dream, Feng Hui opened his starry eyes.
With a thought, Feng Hui distinguished that he was residing within a dream. However, he did not attempt to wake himself up. If he willed it so, he could have shattered the dream with no effort. Instead, he walked around with curiosity on the sand.
Admiring the beautiful scenery of nature, Feng Hui saw a younger version of his beloved mother playing with the cute ducks alongside his tiny little sister. Smiling, he thought, "Mèimei is still the cutest."
Amidst the vast blue ocean, there were numerous medieval sandcastles built from children. Somehow, his family was standing atop of the water. Above the extensive sand, there were countless people appreciating the beautiful sea while ignoring the inexplicable family.
As if it was normal to walk on water, no one paid any heed to the two happily playing. Feng Hui smiled in bliss.
This was a beautiful sight Feng Hui could never get tired of. In the vast majority of his dreams, this wondrous view would unfortunately always become the beginning of a nightmare.
This time around, Feng Hui did not force himself to wake up. Having reunited with his family, he was no longer afraid. Furthermore, he was now willing to see this nightmare through. Moments later, the irritating darkness he had expected arrived.
Facing the darkness head-on, Feng Hui's emotions still ended up fluctuating. This sole nightmare had caused him to wake up in a pool of sweat for an innumerable amount of times. In the Long Kingdom, he had nearly gone hysterical.
Luckily, the little scarlet-robed Zhi Ruo would always calm him down. Toward this kindness, Feng Hui could never forget it. From now on, he could never mistreat this persistent little girl.
Sighing, Feng Hui watched the sudden rising of an enormous tsunami in the far distance. In the blink of an eye, the deadly waves were nearing his beloved family.
"Calm down. This is just a dream. Mèimei is back, and Mom will return soon." Taking a deep breath, Feng Hui continued watching the tsunami threatening to swallow his family whole.
In his nightmares, Feng Hui was a mere human. Facing his enemies, he was no different from anyone else. Without the energy of a cultivator, he could not do anything to stop the world's natural disasters.
Witnessing his mother and little sister being swallowed whole right in front of him, Feng Hui clenched his fists.
In the Long Kingdom, Feng Hui could not aid his family because he was in another world, and he subconsciously realized this. However, it was different this time; his beloved family was within his vision.
In the end, Feng Hui was still powerless.
Moments passed. A while later, Feng Hui's nails dug into his palm, "No… why must I accept this?"
"I can't. Why must I accept the will of this accursed world?" Seeing his drowning family, Feng Hui couldn't stomach the heart-wrenching pain anymore. Stepping into the blackened ocean water, he tried to make his way toward his family.
In his mind, Feng Hui knew that it was all a dream, but he did not want to stop himself. Furthermore, his high soul realm guaranteed that this ocean world was a simple human nightmare: there would be no negative consequences upon failure. Thus, how could he not help?
No matter what, Feng Hui could not willingly watch his family's demise in this nightmare.
The water level was quickly rising. A few seconds later, Feng Hui was swallowing mouthfuls of black water. With each step, he coughed in pain, and his lungs screamed in agony.
Feng Hui's starry eyes turned bloodshot. In his vision, the water was blocking nearly everything. However, he could still make out the faint outlines of his family.
"Mom… Mèimei." Soon, Feng Hui's eyes were watering. With each passing second, the two figures were moving further and further away, "No… don't leave. WAIT FOR ME!"
With the final roar, Feng Hui's eyes flashed with a peerlessly bright light, "Shatter."
"Bang!"
* * *
Nighttime.
Abruptly, Feng Hui sat up in a pool of sweat; his entire body was trembling. Looking at the darkness of the night, his heart threatened to burst out of his chest.
Feng Hui felt the urge to vomit, but his Golden Dragon body meant that this was impossible. Instead, it was solely his mind that was influencing his impulses.
Upon waking up, Feng Hui struggled to breathe; he was suffocating in a world full of air. Struggling to halt his violently beating heart, he utilized his supreme Qi to calm his nerves.
Finally, Feng Hui's fierce breathing slowed a bit. With a helpless face, he was about to rest his hand onto his chest. To his surprise, he noticed something small and soft there.
"Xiao Ruo…?" Looking to his broad chest, Feng Hui noticed a small pale hand resting on top of his heart area.
In the night, Zhi Ruo was hugging a white pillow while sleeping on the carpet floor. With a content smile, she rested her soft hand atop of the black-robed man's chest. As if finding a comfortable pillow, she snuggled against the couch like a little kitten.
Rubbing his reddened eyes, Feng Hui's vision became clear. "No… it's not Xiao Ruo."
Since childhood, Feng Hui has always believed that it was one's life experiences and environment that would decide their true character. This meant that this black-haired beauty wasn't his scarlet-robed Xiao Ruo. The two did not share the same memories at all.
Thus, there shouldn't be too much resemblance… so why? Feng Hui looked at this black-haired beauty with a stormy heart, "Why are you so similar?"
"Is the soul the center of everything? Is our consciousness decided from birth?" Feng Hui's mind was jumbled. The two were both Zhi Ruo, but their minds were separate.
No matter what, the two girls were not the exact same. Feng Hui acknowledged this. In his mind, the sole woman he loved was his Xiao Ruo; however, the two girls were undoubtedly connected. Thus, he approached this black-haired Zhi Ruo amicably with a similar level of respect that he would treat his Xiao Ruo.
The two Zhi Ruos had different personalities; however, their subconsciousness remained the same. When unconscious, their instinctive actions were practically identical. Slowly taking the little hand off his chest, Feng Hui stood up from the couch.
"Zhi Ruo…" Under the cover of the night, Feng Hui's tall shadowy figure watched the slumbering black-haired beauty while clenching his white teeth.
Moments later, Feng Hui's eyes flashed as he lifted the sleeping Zhi Ruo with his unseen Qi back into the bedroom. After this, he stepped outside into the cool air to calm his mind.
"Xiao Ruo, wait for me." Feng Hui calmly thought while recalling the little scarlet-robed beauty who had sacrificed everything for him.
Until Feng Hui cleared all of his doubts within the Long Kingdom, he could not rest. There was also the Secret Legion filled with his close friends too; he could not rest upon reuniting with his dear mother. Having regained his feelings, he needed to return alongside his family to the Eastern World. Finally, he acknowledged that there was still so much left to do.