Wu Wang was unaware that, as he met and recognized Jingwei in his dream, the Blue Bird who had been lying on his chest asleep had also reverted to its original form.

When he awoke from the dream with a start, he could only see the figure of Jingwei transforming into a Blue Bird and hurriedly flying away, leaving behind her unique refreshing scent in his embrace...

Ah? What?

Wu Wang looked to the hissing snake. Without a word of reminder from him, the snake immediately retreated, following to secretly protect Jingwei.

Following this, Wu Wang forced himself to focus on the matter at hand.

The Sleep God sat up, tucked away his golden pillow. That slightly chubby face, compared to the handsome one revealed in the dream... was incredibly deceiving.

The two of them exchanged glances and then each fell into contemplation.

Wu Wang sorted through the dream he had just experienced.

Despite the constant reminders from his brother, the Sleep God, he couldn't help but immerse himself as the true owner of the dream—an ordinary being from the Outer Sky.

That being became a window, a window through which Wu Wang and the Sleep God peered into the world controlled by the Divine Faction of the Candle Dragon God in the Outer Sky.

The three of them—Wu Wang, the Sleep God, and Jingwei—were actually viewing the memories of that being...

"What should we do?" the Sleep God asked from his side.

"I'll go see Mother," Wu Wang stood up. He was about to take a step forward but paused abruptly. After seeing Mother, what should he say?

Wu Wang fell silent.

The surrounding mists grew denser.

The Sleep God patted the grass beside him and said slowly, "When facing problems, don't be rash, and don't always think the worst. Let's sort through the information we've received and see what valuable insights we can glean from it."

"Mm," Wu Wang let out a soft sigh.

As it involved his mother, it was inevitable that he felt somewhat disturbed.

The two sat down and began to revisit the dream's revelations, piecing together the fragmented memories of that Outer Sky being into a reasonably complete 'half-life.'

This was also Wu Wang's first direct encounter with the Will of Chaos.

The Outer Sky being Wu Wang and the Sleep God saw was a woman with half Human race blood and half Spirit Clan blood.

The Spirit Clan was the race closest to the Gods in that world, each with different physical characteristics that resembled the Divine Spirit they followed.

This woman's name was Wu Zhen.

What is a God?

This was the question Wu Zhen had been hearing from the Priests since she was in swaddling clothes.

Gods are the creators of this world and the masters of its rules. They are omniscient, omnipotent, and perfect, without any flaws. All their actions carry meanings unfathomable to living beings.

Moreover, everything the Gods do is meaningful.

From when Wu Zhen could remember, there were three things she had to do each day.

Together with her family, she prayed to the great Dark Cloud God.

Together with her family, she wallowed in the muck to coat herself with a layer of mud before going to the fields to gather wild fruits.

And every night, when the cold moon appeared in the sky, they would sit together and eat.

In her family, there were no parents, only men and women of similar age.

Their sleeping hut never quite kept out the chill wind and rain, but their bodies were fairly robust, unafraid of anything except the most extreme weather like great sandstorms, heavy frosts, or intense thunderstorms.

Every living being, from the moment of their birth, has their own place.

They are the possessions of the Gods—which made Wu Zhen incredibly secure, knowing they would have enough food to get through day and night.

Life was monotonously the same. A lifespan of a thousand years provided them with plenty of idle time to stare into the sky.

Wu Zhen liked to gaze at the starry heavens.

In the night sky, there was a shadowy outline barely discernible, meandering across the firmament as if a mountain range were suspended above.

The Priests said that it was the body of the supreme God. However, Wu Zhen had no qualifications to pray to the supreme God; none of the clanspeople living in this mountain valley were eligible to pray to the heavens.

They were the possessions of the Dark Cloud God, who was a follower of the supreme God.

The mundane life seemed to be an eternal and unchanging keynote. She quietly waited until she reached a certain age, waiting for her body to change, from her small, frail self into a full-grown adult with distinctly feminine features.

Then she would start entering a sacred site every year, coupling with a man also veiled, and quietly awaiting new life.

It was a tradition.

However, in more than half of Wu Zhen's life, she had entered the sacred site hundreds of times, yet she still hadn't conceived new life.

It didn't matter; no one blamed her for this. The family members by her side comforted and encouraged her.

The sacred ritual could only be performed in a sacred place.

Sometimes, men and women in the family would secretly perform the sacred ritual.

If such a thing happened, the night would become quite restless. Listening to those noises, Wu Zhen felt as if flames were burning in her heart, but she knew it was not allowed.

It was taboo.

When such things were discovered by the Priests, people wearing black masks would always descend from the sky.

These were the envoys of Divine Spirits, who would execute the violators on the spot and utter the phrase that Wu Zhen had heard dozens of times:

"All that you are belongs to the great Dark Cloud God!"

Then Wu Zhen would feel fortunate that she had resisted the stir of that flame, without responding to the burning gaze of the man sleeping closest to her.

In her half a lifetime, Wu Zhen actually had two opportunities to leave the valley.

The first was when her body had just begun to change. Her figure became tall in a few months, and her skin changed from dark to fair.

That time, she was taken by a Priest to a cave, where she quietly waited for a while.

Wu Zhen didn't know what would happen, nor did she know exactly what had happened; she just waited for a while and then was told to return to her family.

The white-haired Priest's face was full of disappointment. On the way back, he even scolded her, calling her useless, incompetent...

Wu Zhen was somewhat puzzled.

After all, she hadn't done anything.

The second time she left the valley was due to a disaster.

That time, in the sky, the sun and moon appeared simultaneously, and that strange light revealed the enormous divine body stretched out across the sky.

That was the supreme God.

Its divine body occupied half of the sky, as if furious, constantly colliding with the depths of the heavens.

In the sky appeared multicolored grid-like patterns, which, although appearing fragile to Wu Zhen, managed to block and push back the supreme God...

Then, the sky began to rain down fire, and scorching lava flowed from the cracked earth.

A fireball unfortunately fell on the valley where Wu Zhen lived. A wave of heat rolled over them, and half of her family was swallowed by the blaze, turning into heaps of ash.

They had no choice but to flee in disarray, panicked and shouting, occasionally praying to the Divine Spirits.

But their Dark Cloud God did not appear.

That time, Wu Zhen traveled far. She met new family members and embarked on a long journey. Every day she worried about hunger and also had to endure some family members who took advantage of the chaos to perform the sacred rites.

What left a deep impression on Wu Zhen was this:

She climbed to the top of a hill and saw a thin film of light in the distance.

Through that film, she saw rolling 'square' stone mountains, and figures laughing and frolicking; those figures were almost identical to her and her kin.

No, not the same.

The figures within the light film were all wearing clothing.

"That must be the Land Beyond the Skies," Wu Wang whispered softly amid the cloud-covered grassy hillside. "The scene that the lady from the Land Beyond the Skies remembered seeing is likely the Candle Dragon striking at the Heaven and Earth Seal."

"Yes," the Sleep God replied slowly, "It's probably right. The situation in the Land Beyond the Skies is quite similar to the conditions of creatures from the Third and Fourth Divine Eras. It seems the Candle Dragon and their ilk are still up to these antics."

"The Dark Cloud God really isn't anything decent," Wu Wang cursed. "He directly treats beings with Spiritual Wisdom as livestock, cultivating Divine Envoys and Priests to control the creatures within his own territory. Stripping them of their right to Reproduction, what's left for living beings!"

The Sleep God let out a soft sigh and whispered, "Compared to the situation in the Land Beyond the Skies, the current order of Heaven and Earth is actually not bad."

"That's because Heaven Palace has something to fear," Wu Wang's voice was a bit loud, but he quickly subdued it.

He propped his chin, pondering for a while, then asked, "Why do I feel like the membrane that Wu Zhen touched so closely resembles a Human Domain Formation?"

The Sleep God spoke slowly, "In the Dream Realm, we can only see light and shadows; we cannot feel how that thing operates. After all, we are seeing it through Wu Zhen's memories. Some Divine Arts can also produce this effect, so it's not easy to make such a judgment."

"Hmm... Can I feel that world in the Dream Realm?"

"You," the Sleep God said with a wry smile, "always finding tiresome tasks for me. But I can try."

Wu Wang raised his eyebrows, just about to praise the Sleep God when he heard his brother grumble, "Since getting to know you, brother, I've done more work than in the previous tens of thousands of years combined!"

"The capable are burdened with more tasks, the capable are burdened with more tasks," Wu Wang quipped.

His Immortal Consciousness swept out. He saw Jingwei at a riverside a hundred miles away, reverted to her original form from the Blue Bird. Lin Suqing was pressing on her shoulder, constantly saying something beside her.

Jingwei nodded shyly and timidly.

Ah, the power of a helpful aunt! A raise is a must, a definite must! The offerings 'saved' from Yang Wudi should all be gathered up and arranged for her!

Jingwei had also witnessed the entirety of Wu Zhen's Dream Realm. But as far as she was concerned, it was up to Wu Wang to worry about such big issues; she still hadn't snapped out of the shock from the dream's recognition.

Wu Wang looked at the Sleep God and asked, "Is the current situation in the Land Beyond the Skies one where Innate Gods rule their marked-off territories?"

"It seems so," the Sleep God replied. "That Dark Cloud God's domain isn't large, and he doesn't even dare to protect his own followers; he's probably just a minor, insignificant God."

"The area protected by that membrane seems rather peaceful, at least."

"Not all Innate Gods are bloodthirsty and cruel."

The Sleep God smiled and said, "Among the Innate Gods who followed the Candle Dragon and were later exiled, if judged by the moral standards of the Human Domain, they were half good, half bad. Ahem, the Water God and Ice God are good Gods. The former is quite gentle; the latter, the latter... is decisive in killing and acts very swiftly! Yes, that's about right."

Wu Wang almost laughed out loud.

But soon, he paced with his hands behind his back, falling into deep thought again.

What would happen to Heaven and Earth if the Candle Dragon returned?

Emperor Shun had always been exaggerating the threat of the Candle Dragon, branding it as the 'Will of Chaos,' and had even claimed that seeds of chaos had appeared within the Candle Dragon's body.

It wasn't necessarily completely believable, though.

From Wu Zhen's memories, it could be seen that the Candle Dragon, in the Land Beyond the Skies, in that vast Heaven and Earth, was still enforcing his order.

With its eyes as the sun and moon, it delineated day from night.

And even in harsh conditions like Wu Zhen's, they still had concepts of years and seasons, indicating that a basic calendar had been passed down in the Land Beyond the Skies.

From this perspective, the Heavenly Emperor's claim that the Candle Dragon's return would bring chaos actually means instigating a war among Gods... When order is destroyed, chaos naturally follows.

Wu Wang turned his gaze towards the direction of his clan's territory, murmuring softly, "Perhaps, unless absolutely necessary, the Candle Dragon really shouldn't be allowed to return."

"Do you have a plan already?"

"What kind of plan?" Wu Wang asked, somewhat puzzled.

The Sleep God smiled and said, "Is it to let the Candle Dragon return to personally slaughter, or to help Heaven Palace strengthen the order, seeking a path of development for the Human Domain under the current order?"

Wu Wang blinked and mumbled, "Brother, are your perspectives on issues... usually this profound?"

"HAHAHA!" The Sleep God burst into hearty laughter, then said, "You've definitely thought about it more deeply than I have, brother."

"That's really not the case."

"You just happen to be caught in the middle of the three great forces, you know."

The Sleep God counted carefully on his fingers. "Look, Heaven Palace is the maintainer of the current order. If Heaven Palace falls, the present order will vanish with it. Even if the Bear Hugging tribe of the Northern Wilderness, whom you care about most, could be protected by your mother, the Human Domain would certainly suffer. The Candle Dragon only has one enemy in its eyes: Emperor Shun. The Human Domain allying with the Candle Dragon is unthinkable. Once Emperor Shun is destroyed, the Human Domain would be next. You've also seen what happened to Wu Zhen... Whether it's the Human Domain, the Northern Wilderness, or even the Hundred Races of the Great Wilderness, if they were reduced to such a state, this world would regress by hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of years."

Wu Wang couldn't help but fall silent.

The Sleep God continued, "I'm not asking you to side with Heaven Palace, but reminding you that you should still persuade your mother when necessary. Your mother seems different from how she was in ancient times. I suppose it's because she has a child now, her maternal instincts are overflowing... Ahem, I mean, her gentle side has been brought out. This is an opportunity for the beings of the world. Actually, I really dislike Emperor Shun, but I detest the Candle Dragon even more."

Wu Wang asked in return, "Then, is there a way to achieve the best of both worlds—one that doesn't destroy the current order of Heaven and Earth, yet allows the Human Domain to rise and truly stand on equal footing with Heaven Palace?"

The Sleep God fell silent.

Both pondered and contemplated on their own.

The Sleep God sighed, "If there really were such a perfect solution, several cataclysmic wars at the end of Divine Eras could have been avoided long ago."

"For the Human Domain and Heaven Palace to coexist peacefully is akin to a fairy tale. They've already become mortal enemies."

Wu Wang looked towards the south, as if he could already hear the thunderous battle drums, seeing the figures gathering in the sky above the Human Emperor Pavilion.

The great battle between Heaven Palace and the Human Domain was on the verge of breaking out.

And no matter how Wu Wang tried to deduce, this battle seemed unavoidable.

Soon, Wu Wang shook his head, temporarily suppressing these thoughts, and asked the Sleep God, "Leaving aside the rest, back to the original question: does the Northern Wilderness truly have a passage connected to the Outer Sky?"

"You've experienced the Dream Realm." The Sleep God spread his hands. "I couldn't fabricate such a dream, and your own Great Dao can also lead you to a judgment."

"I'm not doubting you, brother."

Wu Wang mused for a moment, taking out the necklace his mother had given him from the Yin and Yang Ring.

He chose his words carefully, establishing contact with his mother, and asked with a tentative tone, "Mother, do we have any way to contact Grandpa?"

Cang Xue's reply came with a trace of amusement, "Why do you suddenly want to contact your Grandpa?"

Wu Wang said, "Didn't Mother say before that there's a way to make contact with the Outer Sky, but it's somewhat slow..."

"Right, Mother's Dao of Ice is embedded within the Heaven and Earth Seal," Cang Xue chuckled. "Through this Great Dao, I can occasionally get in touch with your Grandpa, though the chance is slim, and it costs a considerable amount of Divine Power every time."

Wu Wang couldn't help but blink.

His mother just told him outright?

He felt somewhat guilty, hesitating whether to mention his joint venture into the dream with the Sleep God. Unexpectedly, Cang Xue added, "Also, tell that Cloud Dream God beside you to behave himself. He has already touched the Dao of Ice several times. If he offends again, Mother might have to make him suffer a bit."

Wu Wang silently looked at the Sleep God.

Somehow, I suddenly have an urge to see Mother in action... A contest between the supreme Great Daos of Heaven and Earth would surely be spectacular. Seriously though, that absolutely must not happen.

The overall situation for all living beings naturally points towards a united front against Heaven Palace.

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