The Empress's No.1 Lackey

Chapter 1020 - 571: Slaying a Worldly Realm

The sudden sound of silk and bamboo at the end of the silent long street quickly drew Zhao Douan’s attention.

He looked in the direction of the sound and vaguely saw a brilliantly lit pavilion standing at the end of the street, though he didn’t know when it had appeared.

The pavilion had multiple stories, with red lanterns hanging under its black eaves.

"This is how the Dragon Girl kills," Pei Niannu said softly, her gaze calmly fixed on the pavilion.

Zhao Douan was taken aback and respectfully asked for clarification: "Please enlighten me, elder."

Pei Niannu explained: "After the Dragon Girl draws you into a dream, unless your divine soul is powerful enough to directly tear apart her blockade, there’s only one way to leave. You must enter the Dream Tower she creates here. Each floor of the tower contains various things that will erode, shake, and disturb your mind. Any creature that enters the dream becomes emotionally vulnerable, easily influenced. Once you are influenced, you’ll become eroded and sink deeper by the Dragon Girl, and when your mental defenses crumble, you’ll die completely in the dream. Unless you can withstand the erosion layer by layer and leave from the topmost floor of the Dream Tower."

Zhao Douan felt a sinking feeling in his heart: "Elder, can I... withstand it?"

He had always been confident in his willpower, yet he was a mere human who couldn’t help but fantasize whenever he saw the Empress.

Which official could endure such a test?

Pei Niannu cast him a contemptuous glance, a cold laugh emanating from beneath her mask:

"On your own, there’s no way out. However, you’re quite lucky; don’t you have two items hidden in your Sea of Consciousness? You can summon them here."

Zhao Douan was taken aback, suddenly enlightened.

Did he have something in his Sea of Consciousness? He indeed did.

One was the Green Lotus bestowed by the "Worldly Venerate," and the other was the Daluo Mountain Jade he had confiscated from the Gu Huo Daoist.

Moved, he tried to sense them, and soon a plump and water-fresh lotus flower appeared in his left hand. It was indigo, diffusing a misty radiance, with its petals unfolding and Buddha Light swirling inside, while Zhao Douan held only a piece of its stem.

In his right hand, there suddenly appeared a jade leaf that flickered as if breathing.

He couldn’t carry weapons like the Chasing Saber into the dream, but these two items concealed in his Sea of Consciousness could come with him.

Pei Niannu stared at him with complex emotions, seemingly a bit envious of his fortuitous luck, and said quietly: "Wear the Daluo Mountain Jade; it can protect your divine soul from intrusion. As for the Green Lotus, hold it, and use it when I instruct you."

"Oh, oh." Zhao Douan obediently followed her advice.

Then, he followed Pei Niannu toward the brightly lit pavilion.

As they drew closer, the sound of silk and bamboo music inside the pavilion became clearer. The door was slightly ajar, and Pei Niannu waved her hand, causing it to open with a "bang."

The bridal-clad female sorcerer entered gracefully, with Zhao Douan right behind her.

Passing through a curtain, Zhao Douan squinted at the golden light that stung his eyes, raising a hand as a "shade," waiting for his eyes to adjust to the light in the pavilion before gently inhaling:

"So... much money..."

The ground floor of the pavilion was extravagantly decorated with gold bricks, each enormous red lacquered wood pillar luxurious and opulent, with the pavilion brimming with radiance and splendor, even the omnipresent lamps made of solid gold.

In the center, a mound made of gold and silver ingots, mixed with precious gems and pearls, formed a small mountain!

This amount of wealth... could truly rival the wealth of a nation. If taken out, it could sustain the entire court’s operations for ten years... Zhao Douan’s mouth went dry, his heart thumping wildly, greed rising instinctually within him.

His legs instinctively moved toward the Gold Mountain, but the Daluo Mountain Jade hanging around his neck suddenly flickered intermittently.

An invisible force rippled out.

Zhao Douan stopped abruptly, the greed in his eyes disappearing instantly! Astonished, he discovered that he had unknowingly reached the edge of the Gold Mountain, one hand extended, almost touching it!

"I was affected..." He gasped in shock, cold sweat trickling down his back.

Pei Niannu walked over, feigning disappointment at not seeing him make a fool of himself, teasing:

"Were you tempted?"

Zhao Douan, holding the lotus flower, met her gaze with righteousness:

"I’m a farmer’s son, even if my grand villa were stacked with gold and silver, not a penny would I spend!"

?? Pei Niannu was briefly bewildered, not quite understanding.

"Just joking, thanks for the warning, elder. This pavilion indeed has a sinister nature." Zhao Douan smiled.

Pei Niannu snorted and said: "Illuminate it with the Buddha Light in the lotus."

Zhao Douan was startled, looked at the Green Lotus in his hand, and intuitively blew on it.

The Buddha Light in the lotus heart emerged like ethereal flames, setting the entire Gold Mountain aflame.

The fire burned fiercely, reducing the Gold Mountain and Silver Sea to nothing in an instant. When the Buddha Light retracted, Zhao Douan, surprised, found one of the lotus petals had transformed into the shape of indigo dragon scales, resembling the Dragon Girl’s scales.

"Each layer here possesses a portion of the Dragon Girl’s power. This Wild God, nurtured and driven by the Buddhist sect, indicates that a high monk from the Divine Dragon Temple expended considerable effort to convert this Dragon Girl, an already tame Wild God, guided by the World Honored Buddha Light. Truly, who knows whether you are simply lucky or what else.

Without this lotus flower, I could at most help you awaken, but with this lotus flower, it may even be possible to subjugate this Wild God. Haha, the decades of effort by high monks from the Buddhist sect truly ended up as a wedding dress for you, boy."

Pei Niannu explained and then stepped over the Gold Mountain, moving toward the stairs.

What? Subjugate the Wild God? Zhao Douan was startled:

"Hey? Elder, wait for me..."

...

On the second floor of the Dream Tower, the ground had been dug into large pits, each filled with fine wine, the aroma wafting everywhere.