291: Fifth Incarnation: Heavenly Physician (83)

The unique dream rules of the Deep Dream Marsh, capable of twisting perception and eroding the Divine Soul, surged forward like a tide, rapidly severing all connection between the inside and the outside.

Behind him, the several Dao Monarch intentions that had been clinging to him like maggots on a bone fluctuated and twisted violently at the edge of the mist, eventually becoming blurred and difficult to pinpoint!

"He's inside!"

"Dammit!"

"Shang Qing! This matter will definitely not end here!"

...Within the Deep Dream Marsh, the moment Xu Yuan broke in, he felt the world spinning and his five senses in chaos. Countless bizarre illusions surged like a tide, attempting to drag his consciousness into the endless abyss of dreams.

"Finally... I've temporarily escaped the direct lock-on of the Dao Monarchs..."

Inside the Deep Dream Marsh, Xu Yuan endured the dizziness and tearing sensation caused by the impact of countless bizarre illusions on his Divine Soul. Using his newly formed 'humanity golden elixir' as the core, he strove to maintain a sliver of clarity in his mind.

His Order Dao Rhyme flickered like a candle in the wind amidst the violent and chaotic waves of dream rules, yet it tenaciously protected his core consciousness.

The slight relaxation that had just risen in his heart was immediately replaced by deeper vigilance and calm.

This brief moment of respite was not safety, but rather the more dangerous silence before a storm!

"The Deep Dream Marsh can block a Dao Monarch's intentional lock-on entirely because this is a 'Land of Dao Sorrow' formed by the fall of the 'Illusory Dream Dao Lord'. The residual broken dao laws and unwilling grievances within have interwoven into this chaotic field of rules, sufficient to interfere with the precise perception of beings at the same level."

Xu Yuan's Dao Heart operated at high speed, analyzing the current situation.

"But, that is all!"

He clearly recognized the limitations of this desperate land.

"For those below the level of Dao Monarch, this place is naturally a dead end with no chance of survival. But for a Dao Monarch, especially one like Dao Lord Shang Qing who wields multiple Great Daos and likely knows the Origins of this place inside out, this is by no means an insurmountable chasm! Isolation does not mean it's impossible to enter, nor does it mean it's impossible to search!"

"The reason I am temporarily safe right now is not because of how safe the Deep Dream Marsh itself is, but because outside the marsh... Revered Master and those few Dao Monarchs are in a standoff, restraining each other! They are wary of one another; no one is willing to be the first to charge into this place of chaotic rules with full force, lest they be taken advantage of by others or meet an unexpected end here."

"But this balance is extremely fragile! Once the standoff outside changes—for instance, if a certain Dao Monarch temporarily retreats or if they reach some kind of temporary agreement—then a Dao Monarch's true body will inevitably descend to hunt me down with all their might! Within the relatively limited scope of this desperate land, I will have nowhere to run against a Dao Monarch acting with full power!"

"Time... the time I have might be even shorter than I imagined!"

A massive sense of crisis, like icy cold water, soaked through his entire body.

However, under the pressure of this desperate situation, Xu Yuan's gaze became increasingly sharp and focused.

Fear and panic were useless; he had to utilize this precious, life-risking moment of respite to find that one sliver of survival!

"I must accomplish two things within this limited time!"

Xu Yuan made his plan, his thoughts crystal clear.

"First, I must adapt to and gain a preliminary understanding of the rules of the Deep Dream Marsh as quickly as possible. At the very least, I need to find a way to move relatively safely and hide my aura here! I can't just stumble around like a headless fly; that would only lead to faster exposure."

He took a deep breath. Instead of blindly using his Order Dao Rhyme to forcibly repel the surrounding illusory dream rules, he tried to cautiously split off a strand of Divine Sense, using it like a probe to contact, perceive, and analyze the omnipresent power of dreams.

He wanted to understand how this 'chaos' and 'unreality' operated, to find patterns within it, and even... to see if he could use the orderly concepts of the 'Human Dao' to provide limited guidance or utilization of it. This was incredibly perilous; a slight mishap could lead to him being completely lost in the illusion, but it was a necessary first step.

"Second, and more importantly... I must find the key to 'breaking the game'!"

His gaze swept across this bizarre world, which seemed to be pieced together from countless broken dreams.

The mountains and rivers could be distorted memories, the flora and fauna could be condensed emotions, and even time and space could be disordered.

"Since this is the place where the 'Illusory Dream Dao Lord' fell, there must be residual 'Dao' fragments or a core area formed by their unwilling grievances. These are lethal poison to others, but for my newly established 'Human Dao', they are precious resources for understanding a completely different Great Dao and gaining insights through analogy! More importantly..."

A bold idea rose in his heart.

"If I can find and refine a sliver of the essence of the 'Illusory Dream' dao laws, perhaps it will give me deeper control over 'dreams' and 'illusions', or even... allow me to simulate a similar aura to better hide myself! Furthermore, if I can use this to glimpse the mysteries of 'transforming the void into reality' or 'manifesting thoughts', it might open up new applications for my Human Dao concepts of 'contracts' and 'consensus'..."

Xu Yuan was naturally well aware of just how dangerous and bold the idea of refining a fragment of the 'Illusory Dream' dao laws was!

It was no different from dancing on the edge of a blade or snatching chestnuts from a fire!

When a Dao Monarch falls, their Dao Origin shatters, but every single fragment contains their lifelong Dao insights, obsessions, and even their unwillingness and madness!

That was by no means docile Spiritual Qi, but rather 'Dao Poison' carrying a strong self-will and corruptive nature!

With the slightest carelessness, not only would he fail to refine it, but his Divine Soul would be eroded by the power of illusory dreams contained within. At best, his Dao Heart would be damaged, and he would sink into an illusion never to wake; at worst, he would be possessed by the residual will within the fragment, becoming a vessel for the revival of the Illusory Dream Dao Lord!

More crucially, Xu Yuan knew that the complete Great Dao of the 'Divine Soul Dream Dao', which could be used to attain the Dao, had long since been incorporated into the seven daos wielded by Dao Lord Shang Qing after he slew the original owner!

This meant that Dao Lord Shang Qing possessed supreme control and perception over this Dao!

"If I only dabble in it, borrowing the Profound Truths of 'transforming void and reality' and 'interweaving thoughts' to inspire my own 'Human Dao' and perfect the forms of 'contracts' and 'consensus', it might be fine. After all, what Dao Lord Shang Qing wields is the complete 'Dao Lineage', while what I am stealing is merely a spark of 'concept'—like observing the tide to understand the nature of water, not trying to seize his sea."

"But if I am insatiably greedy and attempt to deeply study the 'Illusory Dream' dao laws themselves, or even try to use them as a core to condense Divine Abilities and increase my cultivation, then I would be directly touching upon, and even challenging, Dao Lord Shang Qing's authority over this Dao!"

"It would inevitably trigger a violent rejection and backlash from the Dao Origin, and I would be instantly sensed by Dao Lord Shang Qing!"

The sense of propriety here was extremely delicate; one wrong step would lead to eternal damnation!

"However... to survive amidst danger, there is no other way!" Xu Yuan's gaze was sharp, and his Dao Heart was firm. "Only by mastering a sliver of the true intent of Illusory Dreams can I better hide myself here and open up more profound applications for the 'Human Dao' like 'Heart Pacts' and 'Dream Oaths', increasing my chances of survival! This is something that must be done; to be timid is to wait for death!"

"The key lies in the 'degree'! Take only the 'use', do not encroach upon the 'Origin'! Use my 'Human Dao' Order as the framework and the Illusory Dream fragments as the material to forge a new tool, rather than changing my allegiance!"