Baili Weisheng still hadn’t woken up!

In that instant, Baili Xiaosheng’s expression froze. Little Xiong Bao spoke up timidly, “Xiaosheng… what did he kill this time…”

“Kill a living thing…” Baili Xiaosheng murmured, staring at her master’s peacefully sleeping form, nearly bursting into tears. How could this be — this method had never once failed before. Master was supposed to wake up for sure!

But the reality was right in front of her — he hadn’t.

Seeing this, Ziqing immediately grew uneasy. “What’s wrong exactly?”

“Master… Master…” Baili Xiaosheng panicked. If her master couldn’t wake up, the consequences would be dire!

His injury was to the body — his willpower and spirit had always remained exceptionally strong. But if he couldn’t wake now, did that mean his very soul was…

The thought sent a wave of terror through Baili Xiaosheng. She lunged forward and began shaking Baili Weisheng frantically. “Master, don’t scare your disciple like this! Master, wake up! Master!”

Little Xiong Bao understood what was happening too, and rushed to help shake him along with Baili Xiaosheng. But even with the two children practically shaking Baili Weisheng right off the bed, he remained utterly motionless.

Watching all of this unfold, Ziqing couldn’t help but admit that even she was thoroughly panicked now, unable to imagine just how terrifying it would be if Baili Weisheng’s willpower had truly given out.

Could it really be as Nanny Gu had said — that the deterioration of his limbs was now directly threatening his mental faculties, threatening his very soul?

Ziqing turned immediately and ran outside, and at that moment, Jun Beiyue happened to be walking toward her.

“What’s happened?” Jun Beiyue asked, alarmed — it was rare to see Ziqing so panicked.

“Something’s wrong with Baili Weisheng — hurry, faster, we need to reach the Dream Clan and see the clan elder right away, he can’t hold on much longer!”

Was it Baili Weisheng’s own fault, being too carefree and energetic all this time, combined with the fact that a human-gu body showed no obvious organic deterioration, that had kept everyone from noticing just how quickly his condition was worsening? Or should everyone be blamed for being so caught up in the journey that they’d overlooked him?

This wasn’t the time to assign blame — this was the time to solve the problem!

“What exactly happened?” Jun Beiyue needed a clear answer.

“He won’t wake up. He’s been asleep so long, and no one knows exactly when he slipped into unconsciousness! His mental faculties are compromised, his very soul is in danger — his body’s injuries have completely deteriorated!”

Ziqing was frantic — how could she not be?

This wretched scholar had ended up in this state entirely because he’d saved her. This wretched scholar had destroyed the secret to opening the poison-beast world, trapping her there forever, so that he himself would remain forever safe.

And yet he’d chosen to save her instead — the first to appear in the poison-beast world, arriving right on time, smiling so brilliantly, saying to her, little Qingqing, I thought it over, and decided to come take you home after all.

Ziqing couldn’t bear to imagine what state of mind she’d be in for the rest of her life if something happened to this wretched scholar.

This wretched scholar, in her heart, was no longer just a carefree, joking friend — he was family. Family from the isolated island, family who shared her suffering.

Baili Weisheng, no matter what, I will save you. You promised to take me home, to bring me back to that island. You’re not allowed to go back on your word!

Only now did Jun Beiyue realize the gravity of the situation. He immediately grabbed hold of Ziqing — he knew this woman, once panicked enough, might well be capable of knocking out the ship’s captain and steering the vessel herself.

“Calm down. Call the four elite poison beasts — we’re flying there!”

Jun Beiyue made the decision instantly. Though seeing Ziqing so desperately worried about another man stirred a faint twinge of jealousy in him, he’d never been a man who let personal feelings cloud his judgment.

Baili Weisheng was someone he genuinely cared about too.

Hearing Jun Beiyue’s words, Ziqing suddenly remembered the four elite poison beasts and hurried with him toward the cabin.

Jun Beiyue personally carried the unconscious Baili Weisheng and mounted him onto the Zizhu Beast’s back, while Ziqing, Xiong Bao, and the others rode separately on Henggong Fish, Roaring Rabbit, and the others.

By now they weren’t far from the Dream Clan islands — they’d also put enough distance between themselves and Nanzhao proper that discretion was no longer necessary.

With the help of the four elite poison beasts, a sea journey that should have taken two days was covered in no time at all. As for the Dream Clan itself — not even Jun Beiyue or Ziqing knew the terrain, and even Baili Xiaosheng, well-versed as she was in Nanzhao, had no familiarity with it either.

The original plan had been to arrive at the harbor, where Old Meng Five would come to meet them.

But now, Jun Beiyue and Ziqing couldn’t be bothered with formalities like harbors — they flew straight to the main island, heading directly for the palace atop its highest peak. After all, the main island’s tallest summit was surely where the clan leader resided.

The four elite poison beasts soared through the air. At first no one noticed, but once they began circling the palace atop the mountain, numerous guards spotted them.

“Assassins! Quick, report to the clan leader — assassins!”

“Could it be someone from the Beast Clan? Heavens, such enormous creatures!”

“Look, there are people riding on top — how dare they charge straight into Xuyu Peak! Send word down, form ranks, notify the clan leader!”

…

In an instant, the entire mountain erupted into commotion. Xuyu Peak was a forbidden zone of the Dream Clan — aside from the clan leader and the permanent guards stationed there, no one had ever dared set foot there before!

This time, the misunderstanding was severe indeed!

Soon, the entire mountainside was covered with guards, each standing in a very particular position and posture — viewed from above, they formed some indescribable geometric pattern.

Meanwhile, the Dream Clan leader was at the harbor with Old Meng Five, brimming with excitement, preparing to welcome his grandson and awaiting the arrival of the Qiankun Poison Pouch containing the Liuguang Dagger.

Whether it was Jun Beiyue himself, or the Qiankun Poison Pouch and Liuguang Dagger, both objects held the utmost importance in the Dream Clan leader’s heart.

Meng Wanyue was his most gifted daughter; Jun Beiyue was the renowned overlord of Longyuan; the Liuguang Dagger was the Dream Clan’s supreme treasure; and the Qiankun Poison Pouch was a treasure prized across all of Nanzhao, even the entire Longyuan continent. The Dream Clan leader had already been waiting at the harbor for two full days — even when the Nanzhao king himself came to visit, the Dream Clan leader had never once given such a welcome.

Unfortunately, Ziqing’s group had missed it entirely — the four elite poison beasts had flown a direct path that veered far from the harbor, and they now had no idea what was unfolding atop Xuyu Peak.

They assumed that no matter how tightly guarded things were below, once they announced their names and origins, any misunderstanding could be cleared up easily.

And so, they quickly touched down.

The moment they landed, everything around them instantly changed. Amid everyone’s shock, Baili Xiaosheng was the first to speak. “This is bad!”

“What’s going on!” Ziqing cried out in alarm.

“This must be the Dream Clan’s formation array. Don’t tell me we’ve stumbled into the Dream Clan’s forbidden ground…” Baili Xiaosheng murmured.

At those words, Ziqing, already anxious, could no longer contain her frustration.

“What formation? Can we not get out?” Jun Beiyue asked, puzzled.

“Mountains surround us on every side — how could we possibly walk out? If it’s truly a formation array, even flying out would likely be difficult,” Ziqing said, glancing worriedly toward Baili Weisheng.

If Baili Weisheng had slipped into unconsciousness just days after falling asleep, did that mean he’d actually been unconscious this entire journey — meaning his body had begun deteriorating much, much earlier than they realized?

“What mountains? Aren’t we standing on the summit? There’s a path right ahead — and it looks like there are guards too.” Jun Beiyue looked puzzled, confused by the question — to his eyes, everything appeared perfectly normal!

Baili Xiaosheng exclaimed in shock, “Prince Yao, don’t tell me you can actually see through the Dream Clan’s formation array?”

At these words, Xiong Bao immediately strained his eyes, looking harder and harder. If Father could see through it, why couldn’t he? He shared the same Dream Clan bloodline as his father — why? Why couldn’t he see it?