At first, the three still occasionally discussed their progress on the task. But they gradually realized that all their speculations and conjectures were meaningless. The three scarecrows were like entities detached from the world. Only the wind, rain, thunder, and lightning from the heavens could interact with them. Everything else in the world seemed oblivious to their existence.
Birds, beasts, and insects flew past them without pause. Not even dust settled on them.
So, they gradually fell silent, lying helplessly, watching the world change.
Days turned into nights, and seasons changed. Time seemed to accelerate.
The mountain peak where they lay, eroded by rain and wind, gradually thinned and sharpened. The once majestic, rounded mountain slowly transformed into a sharp, solitary peak, standing starkly against the sky. The surrounding landscape, once rolling green hills, became a vast canyon carved by countless ravines.
Amidst these dramatic changes, only the black rock where Sun Erlang and the others lay remained unchanged.
Exposed to the elements, their consciousness, too, was eroded by time, becoming fragmented and hazy. They even began to lose awareness of the world around them. At this rate, their consciousness would eventually dissipate completely.
Just as they were about to fade away, a majestic, divine figure, radiating a myriad of rays, appeared in their minds. Seemingly taller than heaven and earth, it shielded them from the eroding wind and rain.
"Master…"
Although their memories were hazy, these words emerged instinctively, as if etched into their very souls.
"Master… Master… Master…" They repeated the words like a mantra. Like a spring bursting forth, their memories returned.
"Ah!!" They awoke as if from a nightmare, realizing that the Master had saved them. But without finding a way to escape this predicament, they would eventually succumb to the same fate. Seizing this precious moment of clarity, they began to discuss their situation.
During their conversation, they were surprised to discover that they seemed to have truly endured millions of years of erosion. Their temperaments had become much calmer. Even in the face of this crisis, they were no longer as panicked as before.
"A trial in a dream world can't be a dead end. When the mountain peak collapses completely, eroded by the elements, and the black rock falls, perhaps that will be our release. We just need to persevere until then," they concluded, clinging to this belief.
Countless more years passed. The image of the Master in their minds had almost faded, but their unwavering faith kept them going.
Finally, the day arrived. The mountain, now reduced to a thin pillar of rock, could no longer support the weight of the black rock. With a gentle breeze, it crumbled.
As the three scarecrows plummeted from the mountain peak, the world around them seemed to freeze. The clear sky suddenly darkened, as if covered by a black film.
A gigantic black beak pierced the sky, descending from the heavens. Just half of the bird's head was larger than the entire world. Its sharp eyes, dominating the sky, fixed on the falling scarecrows.
Sun Erlang and the others saw satisfaction in the eyes of this indescribably massive bird. With a terrifying screech, the world began to disintegrate.
Three spheres of light emerged from the scarecrows' foreheads, hearts, and abdomens, rising slowly towards the monstrous bird. Sun Erlang and the others, their consciousness still within the scarecrows, saw images of time flowing and landscapes changing within these spheres of light.
Boom!
The world plunged into darkness.
Even the monitoring Simulated Heavenly Grid couldn't determine how much time had passed.
When Sun Erlang and the others regained consciousness, they had escaped the dream world. Not only were they unharmed, but they had also gained a divine ability called "Observation of Mountains, Rivers, and Time."
By transforming into the scarecrows on the mountain peak, time seemed to stand still for them, allowing them to observe the changes in the world, the passage of time. It was similar to Li Fan's experience within the Azure Sea Pearl, observing the沧海桑田(cāng hǎi sāng tián - vast changes over time) of the world.
However, the power of "Observation of Mountains, Rivers, and Time" lay in its ability to virtually freeze the user's lifespan. Even if millennia passed in the outside world, the effect on them would be negligible.
Of course, this was just a theoretical explanation provided by the dream. Whether the divine ability truly worked… they weren't eager to find out.
Having completed all three dream boundaries, their surroundings changed once more. They were still within the Council of Five Elders' Qiuxi Region, but unlike before, it was now bustling with activity. Not only were the cities filled with cultivators, but even the previously desolate wilderness was now dotted with buildings, all seemingly inhabited by cultivators.
The changes weren't just external. They had also changed.
"Sun Erlang, peak Golden Core, deaths: 1."
"Land of Blissful Ignorance experience level: 2."
"Currently unlockable dream world level: 3."
"Blissful Ignorance coins: 2000."
…
This was their status information, visible to all three. The pink progress bar was finally full, raising their experience level to 2 and unlocking the option to unlock dream worlds. There was also more detailed information available now. Focusing their intent on the text finally brought up explanations, eliminating the need for guesswork.
Sun Erlang carefully read every detail, afraid to miss anything important.
"So, although native cultivators of the Council of Five Elders also have to undergo the three dream world trials upon entering the Land of Blissful Ignorance, their trials aren't as difficult as ours. According to the Land of Blissful Ignorance, our world difficulty level was 3."
"The reason our experience was so unusual is because we aren't members of the Council of Five Elders. We're intruders who entered without the Blissful Ignorance Celestial Venerable's permission!"
"But the Celestial Venerable is merciful and doesn't expel us directly. Instead, we are given trials. If we succeed, we can officially join the Land of Blissful Ignorance. If we fail, we are banished forever, and as punishment for consuming the power used to construct the dream worlds, a large portion of our soul power is absorbed…" Sun Erlang's expression turned grim.
He exchanged a look with Wang Xuanba and Yue Zhenwei before continuing to read.
"The place we first encountered is a transit point to the trial dream worlds. All first-time visitors to the Land of Blissful Ignorance appear there."
"Cultivators are forbidden from harming each other within the Land of Blissful Ignorance. Ignoring this rule and engaging in combat will result in the attacked party being transferred to a safe zone. The attacker will also be penalized with a deduction of Blissful Ignorance coins, depending on the severity of the offense."
"Blissful Ignorance coins, also known as Land of Blissful Ignorance coins, are earned through exploration and activities within the dream world. They can be exchanged for various resources and items to enhance oneself in the Celestial Venerable's Treasury."
"The Celestial Venerable's Treasury contains everything imaginable…"
Looking at his two thousand Blissful Ignorance coins, Sun Erlang opened the Treasury's details page. He was instantly stunned.
Even with his current experience level 2 access, the limited number of items displayed was still overwhelming. Besides the basic resources, pills, and artifacts, even cultivation techniques were common items in the Treasury. And unlike the techniques prevalent in the Xuanhuang World, the lowest-level techniques here could be cultivated to the Nascent Soul realm.
Moreover, according to the Land of Blissful Ignorance, there was no need to worry about the techniques being too difficult to cultivate. Upon exchange, instant mastery was guaranteed. Further progress could be achieved by spending more Blissful Ignorance coins.
"Exchanged techniques can't be shared with others after being learned, but they can be gifted before learning."
"This effectively removes the 'no restrictions on cultivating multiple techniques' rule, as cultivation still requires payment."
"A cultivator's cultivation level and techniques in the real world are synchronized only upon their first entry into the Land of Blissful Ignorance, becoming their starting point."
"But any progress made within the Land of Blissful Ignorance, under normal circumstances, can't be brought back to reality, to the Xuanhuang World."
Sun Erlang frowned upon reading this, but after a moment's thought, he understood. The powers within the Land of Blissful Ignorance were simply too extraordinary. If everything could be synchronized with reality… then the Land of Blissful Ignorance would be on a completely different level from the Xuanhuang World.
"As the name suggests, the Land of Blissful Ignorance is primarily powered by the Blissful Ignorance Celestial Venerable, constructed from various dream worlds."
"The blueprints for these dream worlds are derived from historical events in the Xuanhuang World, from the dreams of living beings, or from even deeper, grander concepts. Therefore, they aren't always safe, but filled with various dangers."
"To facilitate exploration, there are dream experience levels and dream world levels," Sun Erlang mused, nodding.
With their peak Golden Core cultivation, exploring level 3 dream worlds was their limit. Going any higher would be suicidal. Having a rough estimate of the danger levels prevented explorers from needlessly throwing their lives away.
"Death is possible within the Land of Blissful Ignorance."
"And a cultivator's number of deaths isn't unlimited."
"The number of deaths is a crucial factor in determining a cultivator's status within the dream world, second only to their experience level. Cultivators with similar death counts are generally within the same level of the dream world. The rough divisions are 1-3 deaths, 3-5, 5-10, and 10-15."
"The death limit seems to be 15. Dying after that…"
"…means true death."
"Even in reality." Sun Erlang felt a chill run down his spine.
"Increasing death count not only affects the people you encounter but also diminishes your own spirituality."
"Spirituality is a hidden stat, not displayed, but it exists within the Land of Blissful Ignorance, influencing combat and cultivation efficiency."
"The more you die, the lower your spirituality, and the harder it becomes to progress."
"It seems spirituality has other effects as well…" Sun Erlang pondered.
"Death counts can be reduced through certain methods. Besides exchanging Blissful Ignorance coins in the Celestial Venerable's Treasury, there are also items obtainable within the dream worlds that can reduce it."
"Of course, they are all quite valuable."
"So, although the Land of Blissful Ignorance is fraught with danger, the reason it attracts the entire Council of Five Elders is because it truly lives up to its name, 'Blissful Ignorance.'"
"Every cultivator, by paying a certain amount of Blissful Ignorance coins, can create their own personal dream world."
"Whether it's being an absolute emperor whose words are law, or an immortal emperor controlling everything, it can all be realized within the dream."
"The dreams are almost indistinguishable from reality. The more Blissful Ignorance coins you spend, the more detailed and realistic they become…"
"However, besides the initial creation cost, maintaining a dream world also requires Blissful Ignorance coins."
"This is the driving force behind cultivators exploring the dream worlds."
"Higher-level dream worlds, while more dangerous, also offer greater rewards."
"Dream exploration can be done alone or in groups."
"Every cycle, there are free dream worlds available for exploration. Of course, you can also spend Blissful Ignorance coins to unlock them early."
…
Sun Erlang gradually gained a comprehensive understanding of the Land of Blissful Ignorance. What truly intrigued him was the information he learned last.
"Normally, nothing from the dream world can be brought back to reality."
"But there are exceptions."
"First, through the Blissful Ignorance Celestial Venerable's blessing, it can be achieved almost without cost. However, this has rarely happened in the history of the Land of Blissful Ignorance."
"Second, through key items. By turning them in, you can choose to bring a portion of your dream world power back to reality."
"Third, through exploring deep, unknown dream worlds."
"Fourth… by paying a large amount of Blissful Ignorance coins."
Sun Erlang and the others exchanged glances.
"This Land of Blissful Ignorance is truly beyond our expectations."
"Even the Master might not know everything about it. To create such a vast and powerful realm, the Blissful Ignorance Celestial Venerable's power is unimaginable."
"But a dream is still a dream, an illusion. We ultimately have to return to reality."
"However, that seems difficult now. There are billions of beings in the Land of Blissful Ignorance, but only a handful can return to reality each year," Yue Zhenwei mused.
"Actually, I think even if we can't return, staying here isn't so bad. Look at all the dream world templates in the Treasury. Each one is incredibly fascinating," Wang Xuanba said, gazing at the items in the Celestial Venerable's Treasury.
Sun Erlang remained silent.
(End of Chapter)