Chapter 713: The Path of Sequence (3)

Chapter 713: The Path of Sequences (Three)

“You don’t even pause to consider what you are—a yellow‑Liang ghost—what could you possibly not learn, yet you mimic others playing mind games—are you even the right material?”

Although Zou Jiujiu never witnessed firsthand the events in Liaoning, the Dream Lord’s Rule “Myriad Dreams Hear the Wind” borrowed from Yin Wen allowed him, through yellow‑Liang, to “hear” news from everywhere.

Thus he instantly grasped what Zhan Shun was pondering, seized the opponent’s weakness without mercy, mocked and ridiculed, kicking him while he was down.

“But you needn’t despair, for this surely won’t be the last time you fall into their hands—get used to it.”

A sudden chill flashed in Zhan Shun’s eyes; he lifted his hand and pressed down sharply.

In an instant, a roar erupted; the entire tower began to crumble from its base, layer upon layer collapsing, and in the blink of an eye it lay as a heap of rubble.

“You’re angry already? With such a temper, you still think you can be human?”

A teasing laugh rang out behind Zhan Shun.

He turned and saw Zou Jiujiu, who had somehow appeared there, sitting cross‑legged on a floating boulder.

Yellow‑Liang and the waking world eroded each other, turning Chengdu Prefecture into a dreamscape where fantasies could be realized.

Though he lacked the right to dream, as a Yin‑Yang Sequence Three Dream Lord, Zou Jiujiu could still pilfer a fragment of dream‑walking ability from Zhan Shun’s grasp.

“Actually, you might not have been truly taken in.”

Zou Jiujiu grinned, showing his teeth: “Those Daoist priests are all lofty‑minded; trying to keep them as pets like yellow‑Liang ghosts is bound to end in a bite—so you’re not merely a fool duped by others, but a smug idiot who thinks he knows better.”

The teasing tone stretched out unusually long, every word clean of profanity, yet the sarcasm peaked at this moment.

The surrounding night suddenly surged; a cold shiver shot through Zou Jiujiu’s heart, and he leapt up instantly.

*Bang!*

The massive stone, nearly a zhang wide, crumpled like paper, squeezed into a thin sheet, then shattered from a corner into dust that drifted on the wind.

“All dreams are rooted in yellow‑Liang; before this true form, how much dream‑walking power can you, Zou Jiujiu, steal?”

Faced with Zhan Shun’s retort, Zou Jiujiu had no chance to reply; his figure flickered incessantly in the air, daring not to pause for a moment.

For any hesitation in his movement would summon a barrage of bizarre, phantasmagoric horrors.

Perhaps a bloody, boneless giant hand would thrust from a building, swinging and disintegrating on its own, spraying blood that reeked of rot, corroding anything it touched in an instant.

Or a gleaming flying sword might burst from the void, its tail spitting flame like a neon streak; wherever it passed, gods and buddhas sang in unison, the melody vast and ethereal yet dark and eerie, making listeners’ innards ache and itch as if something struggled to burst out of their bodies.

Or a yellow‑Liang sea beast might glide from the darkness, its eyes reflecting a world on the brink of ruin—floods, earthquakes, war, famine, plague, people as straw, corpses stretching a thousand li; its maw opened and closed repeatedly, gulping down everything before it.

Myriad sights dazzled the eye, yet none were anything but perilous, murder lurking everywhere.

Zou Jiujiu was chased into a sorry state, danger closing in, his life hanging by a thread.

“A band of street‑rats in the waking world—yellow‑Liang gave you a sliver of life, a foothold, yet you never learned gratitude.”

Zhan Shun showed no interest in this chase; his expression was aloof, inhuman, like a deity reigning over this realm of heaven and earth.

“It’s time for the Yin‑Yang Sequence to repay the debt owed to yellow‑Liang with your lives.”

*Boom!*

As Zhan Shun’s words faded, Chengdu Prefecture shuddered violently.

Streets on all sides folded upward like walls standing between heaven and earth.

At the lowest level lay the blood‑stained Water‑Robed Brothers fighting desperately.

Above, the heavens roiled with the endless yellow‑Liang abyss.

Heaven and earth became a prison; the great rats had no escape.

“Zhan Shun, don’t inflate yourself. The Yin‑Yang Sequence only borrowed your yellow‑Liang as refuge, but are the myriad dreams in your yellow‑Liang abyss truly fallen from heaven? It’s merely mutual exploitation—none of us have clean backsides.”

Zou Jiujiu was now a sorry sight: his left hand corroded to bone, his once‑cherished topknot shaved flat by a flying sword, leaving a ragged tangle of hair.

“And stop gilding your own face—when did the foundation of dreams become your yellow‑Liang? In this world only people dream; where do ghosts get the right to dream?!”

Zou Jiujiu cursed, his lone right hand clutching the void before him and yanking down hard.

In the next instant, a radiant full moon leapt forth from the yellow‑Liang abyss that had replaced the heavens.

Moon rose over the sea; the long‑suppressed Yuan Ming‑Fang broke free, her Buddha light spilling down, instantly shattering the legion of bizarre, indescribable dream‑crafts.

*Roar!*

In the western city, a towering ape seized chains weighing over ten thousand jin, strained against its roar, snapped them, planted its feet on a skyscraper, leapt forward, crossed its fists, and slammed them toward Zhan Shun.

“A pretender of Sequence Two, so shallow in rank as to be almost nil—if you were on the mainland you might retain some strength, but here you lack even the qualification to act rashly.”

Confronted by Yuan Ming‑Fang’s strike, Zhan Shun’s tone dripped contempt; with a casual wave, countless buildings elongated and shot upward like a dense thicket of spears, hurtling from all sides toward the soaring Buddha‑guarding ape.

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

Fur flew, blood spattered.

The enraged ape swung its arms, smashing, yet could not halt the oncoming skyscrapers; it was flung backward, engulfed by the animate structures that closed in from every side, re‑capturing and utterly burying it.

Simultaneously, the yellow‑Liang abyss churned with towering waves, as if trying to drag the risen moon back into its dark depths.

Yuan Ming‑Fang’s sequence rank remained incomplete, bereft of any authority, rendering her powerless in this half‑real, half‑illusory Chengdu.

“Mantis trying to stop a chariot—overestimating oneself.”

Zhan Shun spoke coldly: “When yellow‑Liang fully blankets the mainland, Yuan Ming‑Fang, you’ll find no escape even with wings.”

*Bang!*

The thunderous roar of exploding energy drowned out Zhan Shun’s threat.

In the chaotic, surging airflow, Zou Jiujiu shot forward like a keen arrow, his right hand gripping a strand of solid‑seeming golden Buddha light—the Buddha‑Sequence power belonging to Yuan Ming‑Fang.

*Shred!*

After a sound like tearing silk, the brilliant Buddha light exploded, dissolving into a spray of fading specks.

A two‑finger‑wide gash split Zhan Shun’s cheek, bright red blood like that of a living person instantly staining his neck.

That was all.

The divine‑mind barrier of the Dao Sequence, the protective vigor of the Wu Sequence, the Five‑Senses of the Zongheng Sequence—

As Zou Jiujiu brushed past Zhan Shun, he lost count of how many obstacles he had pierced.

Though the opponent was merely a yellow‑Liang ghost, he wielded the abilities of every Sequence at will—truly terrifying to hear.

Unwilling to accept defeat, he tried to twist his body for another strike, but a violent fist‑shadow followed close behind, slamming his chest and turning into an indistinct black line that vanished into the ground.

*Boom!*

A wind‑like aftershock swept the battlefield; the few remaining Water‑Robed Brothers, their eyes red with slaughter, saw only enemies and ignored all anomalies.

Yet oddly, the yellow‑Liang ghosts locked in fierce combat with them abruptly froze, heads lifted toward Zhan Shun in the sky, unresponsive to the blades slicing around them.

“Zhan Shun, do you think clinging to Zhang Fengyue grants you the right to oppose Me? Since you harbor treason, today I shall seize your yellow‑Liang rank!”

The yellow‑Liang ghosts chorused, their voice unmistakably that of Zhu Yi Yan.

In the next instant, a vast Zongheng force surged into this realm, compelling the yellow‑Liang ghosts of Chengdu to turn as one, lunging at their fellows in a indiscriminate bloodbath.

Likewise, the dream‑sea beasts within the yellow‑Liang abyss went mad, chasing and biting each other; each dream world collided and annihilated, all perishing together.

The respective domains of Zhu Yiyan’s Vertical and Horizontal Order and Zhan Shun’s Yellow Millet Order began to clash and devour one another.

"Zhu Yiyan, so you truly intend to steal this venerable one's Yellow Millet Order."

Zhan Shun’s expression remained placid, his brow utterly devoid of the slightest trace of panic that should have accompanied a sudden ambush.

Every player here was scheming, trading with tigers. Since he had orchestrated Shi Qing's death, it was only natural that Zhu Yiyan would strike back.

Having reached this critical juncture, whether they openly broke ties no longer mattered; what mattered was seeing whose hidden blade was more concealed, and sharper!

Yet, the hidden hand Zhu Yiyan had played this time clearly posed no great threat in Zhan Shun’s eyes.

"With such meager methods, you cannot shake the foundation of this venerable one's order!"

Zhan Shun drew a long, slow breath, summoning the countermeasure he had prepared long ago.

A multitude of figures emerged within the deep sea that had already been stained a crimson blood-red; their expressions were cold, solemn, and unsmiling, and gripped in their hands were straight ceremonial rulers that resembled blades!

Needless to say, the asset Zhan Shun used to guard against Zhu Yiyan was precisely the judicial authority and that Yellow Millet Jurisdictional Realm he had plundered from Shang Lu.

As well as the Lawkeepers garrisoned within it!

With the appearance of the Lawkeepers, the power of law, which naturally countered the art of political manipulation, began to restore order to this chaotic deep sea.

One by one, the 'Flag Bearers' whom Zhu Yiyan had planted within the Yellow Millet Dreamscape were targeted and slain; stripped of their controllers, the manipulative forces were driven away with extreme speed, and the marine beasts that had plunged into madness gradually regained their calm.

Seeing an insurrection that threatened the Yellow Millet Order on the verge of suppression, and before a complacent Zhan Shun could launch a counterattack against Zhu Yiyan through the Yellow Millet dreamscape spanning the entire Ming Empire, a magnificent, towering figure with graying hair and beard, resembling an aging lion, suddenly stepped out from the deep sea.

The old man raised the ceremonial ruler in his hand, pointing it shockingly at himself!

"You were originally an illusory entity born to carry the hopes of the countless populace, yet you did not think to benefit the world to repay that debt of gratitude,"

Amidst the booming words, the Lawkeepers stepped out from the deep sea one after another, standing behind the old man, roaring in unison.

"Arrogantly birthing a personal will, indulging selfish desires. Yellow Millet Will Zhan Shun, this is your first unpardonable capital crime."

"Inverting Yin and Yang, confounding truth and falsehood. Yellow Millet Will Zhan Shun, this is your first unpardonable capital crime."

"Releasing ghosts to cause calamity, rampaging through the mortal realm. Yellow Millet Will Zhan Shun, this is your third unpardonable capital crime."

Every word vibrated like heavenly thunder, and the power of law, stern as winter frost, instantly swept across the entire deep sea, freezing the surging waves.

"The crime is unforgivable, execution on the spot!"

Only now did Zhan Shun’s expression finally change.

He distinctly felt that the ten percent of judicial authority he had completely reclaimed was now slipping from his control once more, transforming back into shackles that tightly bound his body.

"Zhang Fengyue, so this was the hidden card you planted!"

The internal strife of the judicial order was merely a ruse to deceive the eyes, and the uncle-nephew duo of Shang Sigu and Shang Lu were merely acting with their lives.

Everything had been orchestrated so that Zhan Shun would comfortably swallow this judicial authority into his belly, allowing these Lawkeepers to walk out of the Yellow Millet and step into the mortal realm at the very moment the dreamscape and reality overlapped!

Zhan Shun suddenly understood, and a surge of intense shame, anger, and resentment instantly rushed to his heart, malice and murderous intent roiling across his brow.

"If I slaughter you all, this ten percent of judicial authority remains mine!"

The city, distorted by the dreamscape, began to grow restless once more, as various fantasies that could not possibly exist in the mortal realm appeared one after another, rushing toward the group of Lawkeepers.

"Who told you... there was only this ten percent?"

Suddenly, a disdainful voice floated up from the deep pit in the ground.

Zhan Shun snapped his head down, his gaze filled with horror.

He watched as Zou Sijiu slowly floated into the air, his lowered head veiling the expression on his face, his twisted and broken limbs snapping back into place with crisp, echoing bone cracks.

A strip of white silk, carrying immense significance within the Buddhist Order of the western regions, wrapped around his elbows, billowing and floating behind him.

A majestic Buddhist manifestation clad in a grand red robe rose from the ground, palms pressed together, eyes lowered in solemn contemplation.

"My name is Zou Sijiu. In the name of the Dream Master of the Yin Yang Order, I command the Yellow Millet: Let 【Longevity of Heaven and Earth】 assume ten percent authority to serve as this venerable one's sharp blade."

"Let 【Gods Dispelling Calamity】 assume ten percent authority to serve as this venerable one's hands."

"Let 【Boundless Great Dream】 assume ten percent authority to serve as this venerable one's feet."

"Let 【Lineage of the Celestial Realm】 assume ten percent authority to serve as this venerable one's head."

"Let 【Billion Dreams Listening to the Wind】 assume ten percent authority to serve as this venerable one's ears and eyes."

"The Great Exorcism traverses dreams, the ravenous beast devours ghosts. Today, this venerable one takes sixty percent of the Yellow Millet authority to execute the evil ghost, Yellow Millet Zhan Shun!"

As his voice fell, Zou Sijiu and the red-robed Buddhist manifestation raised their heads simultaneously, their gazes as brilliant as gods.

Clang!

The sound of a blade vibrated, and a flash of cold light pierced through heaven and earth.

In an instant, it engulfed Zhan Shun’s figure, cleaving a boundless, yawning chasm right through that frozen deep sea that occupied the vault of heaven.

"The Yellow Millet should never have birthed a will; Yin and Yang are the true masters of the dream. To dare impersonate your Grandpa Zou—go back to being a prisoner!"

Zou Sijiu licked his lips, muttering to himself, before suddenly baring his teeth in a burst of hearty, unbridled laughter.

The heroic laughter rolled forth, shattering the dreamscape that enshrouded this realm.

The Buddhist shadow within the bright moon quietly departed, and the enraged ape imprisoned within the buildings also dissolved into a patch of shadow.

The streets that had been tilted vertically toward the sky fell back to the ground; though the torrential rain still battered down, the distorted Chengdu Prefecture had regained its former appearance.

Everything felt just like a dream.

"Our thanks to Dream Master Zou."

With their ceremonial rulers resting across the webbing of their thumbs, the crowd of Lawkeepers held their rulers and clasped their hands, bowing in unison toward Zou Sijiu.

"You don't have to be like this, Grandpa Zou is not one to default on a debt..."

Zou Sijiu exhaled a heavy breath of bloody, hot air; though his tone remained casual, his eyes were tightly shut, concealing the reluctance deep within his gaze.

In the next moment, clusters of fist-sized light and shadow flew out from his body one after another—precisely the sixty percent of Yellow Millet authority he held.

At this moment, they all detached themselves completely, falling into the hands of that magnificently built Lawkeeper.

"Old Man Zhang, everything is returned to you. Grandpa Zou owes you nothing more..."

Zou Sijiu cracked his eyes open slightly, watching the group of Lawkeepers turn and walk into the Yellow Millet deep sea, still murmuring under his breath.

"If your Yellow Millet equal distribution doesn't work out, don't blame Grandpa Zou for genuinely growing thick-skinned enough to play the fat rat just this once..."