This was the third layer of the dream realm.
The night was gentle, sparse stars dotting the sky.
The lake was perfectly still. The moment Fang Yuan entered the dream, he found himself in the pavilion at the lake's center.
His gaze was locked on the female Immortal within the pavilion, his heart filled with astonishment.
Star Constellation Immortal Venerable!
Throughout all of history, among the ten great Immortal Venerables, only Red Lotus Demon Venerable remained shrouded in mystery, her true appearance unverifiable. The others all had their voices and likenesses recorded for posterity.
Star Constellation Immortal Venerable was the second Immortal Venerable in history, a disciple of Primordial Origin Immortal Venerable, and the second Immortal King of Heavenly Court.
Her great deeds, her voice and appearance—naturally, these were widely recorded, which was why Fang Yuan recognized her at a glance.
Star Constellation Immortal Venerable was tall and slender, dressed in a long blue gown whose trailing hem swept along the ground.
She had raven-black hair that cascaded like a waterfall down to her waist.
Her eyelashes were thick and long, and her eyes were like the moon reflected in a well—serene, yet brimming with a subtle spiritual luminosity and an air of mystery.
Her skin was pale as snow, her body as luminous as jade. Now she gazed softly at Fang Yuan while her slender fingers brushed the ancient zither before her.
"You've finally come." She spoke slowly, her voice as gentle as this beautiful night.
"Interesting. In this dream, whose role am I playing?" Fang Yuan looked down at himself, only to discover that he appeared in his own true form!
This surprised Fang Yuan considerably.
By all logic, this should not have been the case.
In the first layer of the dream, Fang Yuan had been a displaced child. In the second layer, a mortal youth seeking the path of Immortals. How was it that in this third layer, he had reverted to his original appearance?
"Before entering the dream realm, I was continuously activating the Immortal killer move 'Meeting as Old Acquaintances.' Now even this killer move has failed—could it be that this dream runs so deep that my soul has been unknowingly ensnared?"
As this thought crossed Fang Yuan's mind, his vigilance only deepened.
When he had explored the first two layers, he had been keenly aware that this was all a dream, nothing real.
But if one's soul was fully ensnared, one would lose that awareness and believe everything was real. Just as Hei Loulan had once fallen into a dream during her tribulation, trapped in its endless cycle while being unable to free herself.
"Discovering my true appearance within this dream is one of the signs of soul entrapment. It seems this third layer is no ordinary matter!" At this realization, Fang Yuan dared not let his guard down, raising his alertness to its peak.
But the Star Constellation Immortal Venerable before him seemed to perceive his thoughts. She smiled faintly. "You need not be afraid. Just listen to a melody."
As soon as she finished speaking, her fingers—slender as young green shoots—danced across the strings.
Under her touch, the zither produced a melodious, enchanting sound—flowing and unhurried like a spring, each note lingering beautifully.
Then she parted her lips and began to sing in an ancient style and ancient manner.
Fang Yuan heard her sing:
"Sparse and scattered songs of old, fallen heroes in rags—fate's cruel twists impossible to withstand."
"A broken sword sinks in sand. A thousand ages of rise and fall, the endless River of Heaven surges on."
"Sorrow..."
"Long, long the dark night, the soul wanders in dreams—where, oh where, is home?"
"Things change, hearts shift through how many springs and autumns? Only the will of heaven stretches vast and boundless."
Star Constellation Immortal Venerable sang her long song into the night, her voice clear as a mountain spring, flowing into the deepest reaches of Fang Yuan's heart.
Fang Yuan frowned deeply. At first hearing, the song seemed to contain a prophecy, steeped in profound meaning, pointing toward something he could not yet grasp.
When the Immortal Venerable finished her song, her figure slowly dissolved. A mysterious smile still lingered at the corner of her lips.
Fang Yuan had been concentrating with every fiber of his being, his senses at their sharpest—but in the next instant, the dream abruptly vanished!
"What happened?! Why did this dream realm suddenly disappear?!" Outside the dream, Feng Jinhuang, who had been recovering from her injuries, abruptly opened her eyes, shocked and bewildered.
Fang Yuan withdrew his presence in time, avoiding exposure.
He quietly left the place, his mind equally shaken. "How could this happen? I hadn't even explored the third layer, and it dissipated on its own. What kind of dream was this, and why was it so strange? Even with five hundred years of prior experience, I've never heard of a dream like this!"
Fang Yuan's brows were tightly knit. He had a faint feeling that this dream realm was extraordinarily special—it seemed to hold some immensely significant meaning for him.
"In the dream, what exactly did Star Constellation Immortal Venerable sing? What was she trying to tell me?"
Fang Yuan tried desperately to recall, but could remember nothing at all.
Just like an ordinary person waking from a dream—knowing they had dreamed, yet unable to recall the details.
Fang Yuan pondered agonizingly, even resorting to Wisdom Path techniques, but still could not recover the content of the Immortal Venerable's song. Only the slow, lingering melody of her zither echoed in his mind.
Almost simultaneously, in the Southern Border.
Shadow Sect's stronghold—the Life and Death Blessed Land.
Within the Life and Death Blessed Land lay the Gate of Life and Death, and before this gate, there too existed a dream realm.
Inkstone Elder, holding nine Eighth Transformation Immortal Gu, walked at an unhurried pace into the dream.
The moment he entered, Inkstone Elder felt a killing intent as biting as the depths of winter!