"We've arrived."
Guided by the Dragon God, they bypassed many troubles, stopping at a chaotic region of the starry river. Before them lay a scene of utter chaos, connected above, below, left, and right, its contents completely obscured.
Everything was chaotic.
And full of danger.
"The place Little Buddha dreams of entering," the Dragon God said.
If Ming knew this, he would definitely smile. A place he dreams of entering? How weak must he be? I haven't dreamt of it; I've been there and even picked up a few things.
"Dreams of entering? The entrance is right here. He doesn't need to dream; he can just go in," Lin Fan said.
The Dragon God didn't say much. Some things are better left unheard. Fortunately, Little Buddha wasn't present; otherwise, he would surely have a heart attack, possibly even a stroke.
Shouting…
Who are you looking down on?
"Let's go." The Dragon God gestured for Lin Fan to proceed, indicating he would follow.
As they approached the edge, they could clearly feel a terrifying pressure bearing down on them, a stark difference from the outside. The Starry Forbidden Zone was ancient, its origins unknown.
Lin Fan patted Old Zhang's hand. "It's alright, don't be nervous. I'm here."
Old Zhang nodded.
The Starry Forbidden Zone was frightening, like a chaotic monster opening its massive maw. Lin Fan and the Dragon God weren't afraid, but Old Zhang was.
The Dragon God was puzzled, unable to understand why Lin Fan brought Old Zhang along. This wasn't a sightseeing trip; it was incredibly dangerous, a single misstep leading to irreversible doom.
He thought to himself, but kept his mouth shut.
"We've now entered the Starry Forbidden Zone, currently at the outermost edge. If we go deeper, we must be careful. There are many Starry Beasts within," the Dragon God explained the situation inside. Even he shuddered when thinking about some of the Starry Beasts, a sense of dread washing over him.
Just because he was the Dragon God didn't mean he was invincible.
When encountering certain Starry Beasts, even he had to avoid direct confrontation.
At this moment, numerous shattered meteorites zipped past them at high speed. Even powerful beings would be pulverized if struck.
"Wait," Lin Fan said.
"What's wrong?"
"I need to search for my daughter."
Lin Fan closed his eyes, his perception spreading out, attempting to cover the entire Starry Forbidden Zone. The Dragon God was astonished.
Perception?
According to Lin Fan, he wanted to search for someone in this boundless Starry Forbidden Zone?
Honestly, it seemed like wishful thinking.
Or rather, impossible.
He noticed Lin Fan's brow furrow, as if encountering trouble. After a long while, Lin Fan opened his eyes, sighing helplessly.
"How did it go?" the Dragon God inquired, already knowing the answer. It must have been troublesome; trying to perceive the entire Starry Forbidden Zone was like chasing a dream.
It was simply impossible.
Lin Fan said, "I didn't find her. I encountered many obstacles. Many beings resisted my search. Fortunately, they couldn't completely block my perception. However, a mysterious force obstructed me in some areas, preventing me from fully understanding the Starry Forbidden Zone."
The Dragon God gaped, stunned, as if he'd seen a ghost. He had initially thought it impossible, but Lin Fan's words left him utterly bewildered.
He was at a loss for words.
"Where do you want to go now?" the Dragon God asked.
"There. I sensed something familiar," Lin Fan pointed towards the distance. The Dragon God looked in that direction, but saw nothing.
They traversed the Starry Forbidden Zone.
For now, they hadn't encountered any danger.
After an unknown amount of time…
"We're here," Lin Fan said.
"Hmm?" The Dragon God was puzzled. They had entered deeper into the Starry Forbidden Zone. Although they hadn't encountered any danger along the way, they could sense beasts lurking in certain areas. Their heavy breathing echoed within the forbidden zone. Provoking them would undoubtedly lead to an unimaginable battle.
In the distance, a stone altar floated silently within the forbidden zone, seemingly ancient, weathered by the passage of time.
They landed on the altar.
"This altar is quite old," the Dragon God remarked. He could tell at a glance that the altar itself wasn't remarkable, but its age was significant.
Old Zhang saw Lin Fan standing motionless and approached him. "Something on your mind?"
"No, it just feels familiar," Lin Fan replied.
Old Zhang asked, "Have you been here before?"
"No," Lin Fan shook his head, then squatted down, touching the surface of the altar. He suddenly detected a familiar aura.
Suddenly, images flashed through Lin Fan's mind.
The Dragon God and Old Zhang watched as Lin Fan closed his eyes, seemingly lost in thought. They didn't disturb him, waiting patiently.
After a long while, Lin Fan opened his eyes, a joyful expression on his face. "I can confirm that everything was real. It wasn't a dream."
He grabbed Old Zhang's hand and smiled. "Old Zhang, it wasn't a dream. Everything I experienced was real. Those people I knew, they truly existed."
"Wow, really?" Old Zhang exclaimed excitedly.
"Yes," Lin Fan affirmed.
"I knew it. Something that makes you this happy couldn't be ordinary," Old Zhang said.
"Mm."
The Dragon God's lips twitched. He didn't understand what was happening. What were these two talking about? Lin Fan's words were cryptic, and Old Zhang seemed to understand, sharing in his joy.
Could it be…
That only he didn't understand?
"Could you tell me what this means?" the Dragon God asked.
"I thought the place I went to was a dream, but after touching this altar, I realized it wasn't. It was real. Do you know the Lord of the Bizarre? A powerful being I met in my dream. He was very strong, and we had a great time sparring. Later, I defeated him, and then I woke up. I thought it was a dream, but now, I'm certain."
The Dragon God's expression turned serious, pretending to understand when he actually didn't. He had no idea what Lin Fan was talking about.
Either his comprehension skills were lacking, or Lin Fan's explanation was severely flawed.
"Then…" The Dragon God was about to speak when Lin Fan interrupted him.
"Wait, I can trace the trajectory of this altar to find its origin point," Lin Fan said, then continued his search as the Dragon God stared blankly.
Soon…
"Found it! Follow me!" Lin Fan shouted excitedly, pulling them along as he sped away.
The Dragon God wanted to tell him to calm down, that excitement was a bad thing, that they should be careful. The dangers of the Starry Forbidden Zone were unimaginable. Moving around carelessly could easily disturb truly terrifying beings.
However… Lin Fan was in no mood to listen to the Dragon God's rambling.
"We're here! This is it!" Lin Fan emerged from the void, looking excited, but his smile gradually froze as he saw the scene before him. "How could this be…"
There wasn't the world he sought, only some floating debris.
"There's nothing here," the Dragon God said.
Lin Fan shook his head. "No, I couldn't have sensed it wrong. There should have been a beautiful planet here, possibly the world from my dream."
"I'll help you look," the Dragon God offered.
Lin Fan looked at him quizzically, unsure what he meant.
"The Dragon Clan has a divine ability to trace time. We can confirm whether the world you speak of existed here." The Dragon God raised his hand, gathering the surrounding debris. Using the fragments' causal connection, he traced back time.
Immediately, an image appeared.
Time rewound.
One year!
One thousand years!
Ten thousand years!
Twenty thousand years!
Fifty thousand years!
The image dissipated.
"Tracing back fifty thousand years, there was still nothing here," the Dragon God said. This was his limit.
Lin Fan composed himself. "It's alright. Thank you for your help. Although it's not here, I believe in my heart that my feeling wasn't wrong. So, I'll treat it as if it was here."
Hearing these words, the Dragon God felt something was amiss.
It was as if… you have your opinion, and I have mine. You say it's not here, that's your view. I say it is, and that's my view. If that's the case, why bother having me use this divine ability?
He sighed. Meeting Lin Fan might just be the Dragon God's tribulation.
"Where are we now?" Lin Fan asked.
The Dragon God stared blankly at Lin Fan, his mind filled with confusion. You brought me here, and now you're asking me where we are? If you insist on this, then I'm at a loss.
"We should be deep within the Starry Forbidden Zone," the Dragon God replied.
"Oh, let's take a look around. I promised Ming I'd bring him back some Soul Source Stones," Lin Fan said.
He firmly believed his feeling wasn't wrong.
Being able to confirm one dream as reality meant his daughter's world also existed. There could be no mistake.
The Dragon God felt a surge of regret.
He shouldn't have followed Lin Fan to the Starry Forbidden Zone. Not encountering trouble so far was fortunate, but who knew what dangers lay ahead.
Just then, a ripple emanated from the distance.
It sounded like fighting.
"Let's retreat. Any disturbance in the Starry Forbidden Zone signifies danger," the Dragon God urged.
"No. If we encounter someone we can communicate with, I want to ask some questions," Lin Fan shook his head, rejecting the Dragon God's suggestion. "Come on, let's go."
The Dragon God desperately wanted to say, please don't be so reckless. Roaming freely in the Starry Forbidden Zone is incredibly dangerous. If we encounter serious trouble, retreat might be impossible.
If I were you, I'd proceed cautiously, avoiding any danger.
I definitely wouldn't act so rashly.
But he knew these were just wishful thoughts.
"Lin Fan's right," Old Zhang agreed.
The Evil Rooster trembled, suppressed the entire time. Being here felt like being trapped in quicksand, unable to move.