Chapter 695 Zhuang Zhou Dreams of a Butterfly, a Butterfly Dreams of Zhuang Zhou

Chapter 1 In his first life, Eldrin awoke from the haze of consciousness only to find the world enveloped in primordial chaos.

All creation was plunged into chaotic darkness, when from the distant horizon of heaven and earth, a mythic sun of unparalleled grandeur slowly rose from the 9 Heavens Above (Time & Distance).

The heavens and earth stretched vast and boundless, the sun an immense shroud across the sky, its endless light flooding the world.

He found himself unable to speak, trembling in the hazy twilight as the sun descended, until—through some mysterious metamorphosis—a pair of wings emerged from his fading form.

He strained to spread his wings, yearning to soar toward the sun, yet unwittingly found himself eternally unable to touch even a sliver of its radiance.

Until he was exhausted, with not a shred of strength left, and landed upon the vast earth, only then did he notice the setting sun gradually sinking. Yet within him, the vitality continued to wither and fade away.

He jolted awake, only to realize there were insects as colossal as mountains in the distance, butterflies with wings that blotted out the sky, and towering humanoid figures piercing through the clouds.

"So that's how it is."

"The mayfly is born at dawn and dies by dusk, forever ignorant of the distinction between day and night—so this is how it feels."

In a daze, Eldrin experienced a sudden enlightenment—he was living through the entire lifespan of a mayfly.

In his second life, he transformed into a cicada, slumbering in the soil for 20-1 years. By the time he awoke, the sweltering heat of midsummer had arrived, leaving him unaware of the passage of the 4 seasons.

In his third life, he transformed into a tree. Standing silently in a secluded corner, he weathered storms and watched the shifting clouds with detached amusement. Each passing season carved another ring upon his being, until woodcutters finally felled him, reducing the withered wood to ashes.

Chapter 4... 1 100 years had passed. In the secluded valley where peach blossoms never faded, Lin Feng sat cross-legged upon a moss-covered stone, the final wisps of heavenly tribulation lightning dissipating between his fingers. His azure robes, though torn, revealed skin gleaming with jade-like radiance—the hallmark of successfully overcoming the tribulation. He murmured to himself, "9 Revolutions of the Nascent Soul... completed at last." A system panel materialized before him: [Cultivation Base: Early Nascent Soul Stage (1st Revolution)] [Lifespan: 1,203/5,000 years] [Techniques: • Grand Primordial Scripture (7th/9th Layer) • Heavenly Thunder Dominion (Perfected) • Soul Division Art (3rd/7th Layer)] Just then, a crimson messenger talisman pierced through the clouds, its urgency scattering peach petals in its wake. It dissolved into a familiar voice that echoed in the air: "The 10 1000 Demons Abyss has reopened. The various sects are gathering at Mount Kunlun. Fellow Daoist Lin, your assistance is needed." His gaze sharpened. The 10 1000 Demons Abyss—where he had fallen in his second life, torn apart by 3 Great Demons. Now, at the Nascent Soul stage, it was time to settle old debts. With a flick of his sleeve, 32,000 spirit stones flew out, forming a teleportation array beneath his feet. The Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss hummed at his waist, its blade thirsting for battle. "Some debts," he whispered as spiritual light enveloped him, "are best paid in blood."

Eldrin (Person Name) cycled through dreamlike reincarnations, perpetually experiencing different lifetimes. His comprehension of life and all things in existence gradually deepened, stirring profound reflections within him.

At times he would take human form, other times transforming into a fish, and still other times becoming a young sapling.

He simply meditated in silence, walking alone through the mortal world, quietly contemplating all things under heaven. Thus, 1 lifetime after another slipped away.

Meanwhile, within a void at the abyssal end of the demonic realm.

The Demon Lord of Garuda sat cross-legged before a wooden cabin, his expression grave as he gazed at the figure before him.

Before the Demon Lord of Jialuo stood a woman of unparalleled allure, draped in a sheer crimson gauze dress that left little to the imagination, her figure nearly fully exposed—a truly brazen display.

However, Lord Galo dared not look too long. He lowered his head and asked with a grave expression, "Nightmare, can you truly accomplish what I have entrusted to you?"

"What's the rush?"

The Nightmare Fiend gazed quietly at the portrait of Eldrin, a few traces of enchantment shimmering within its pupils.

She unconsciously licked her lips, then suddenly giggled coquettishly, "I had no intention of helping you, but this person's appearance and aura are unparalleled in all my years. It wouldn’t be so bad to take him as my cultivation furnace."

"Let's be clear upfront—once this is done, you will hand this person over to me."

The Demon of Nāgalou furrowed his brow, yet he understood the woman’s temperament all too well. “You may have the physical form,” he declared coldly, “but the soul is mine to eradicate!”

"I only care about the physical form. Why would I need his soul?"

The Nightmare Demon shook his head as he spoke, carefully retrieving a treasure box from his bosom.

As the treasure box opened, an extraordinarily magnificent and resplendent crimson flower blossomed forth from within.

"This is?"

The Demon Lord Jialou’s expression shifted, and he could not help but exclaim in astonishment.

The woman nodded, her face filled with yearning as she said, "The Red Spider Lily blooms for 1 1000 years, sheds its leaves for 1 1000 years. Flowers and leaves forever miss each other's time, destined never to meet across eternity."

"This flower grows only in the Netherworld, possessing the 2 extreme forces of life and death, making it virtually unfindable in the mortal realm."

"This flower was acquired all those years ago when I accompanied the Demon God to the Netherworld on official business, procured at no small cost. To employ it against a mere Nascent Soul cultivator—failure is simply inconceivable."

Hearing this, the Eldrin Demon revealed a smile, then couldn't resist adding, "Using this flower as a medium allows us to bypass most divine abilities and spiritual treasures' defenses. It will surely curse him through 3 lifetimes and 7 generations, forever drowning in misfortune, eternally sinking into the underworld without awakening."

A year in the mortal world, yet a lifetime has passed in the dream.

Eldrin's life had once again reached its end, descending into the dreamscape of his next incarnation, poised to embark upon a new existence.

At that very moment, within Eldrin's sea of consciousness, an extraordinarily brilliant crimson flower bloomed, instantly invading his very soul.

This Netherbloom is an object of the underworld, scarcely found in the mortal realm, possessing an aura of death that annihilates all things.

Once completely tainted by its deathly aura, even a Primordial Spirit Dao Lord might face utter annihilation of their soul, leaving behind nothing but an empty vessel in the mortal realm.

However, at this critical moment, an astonishing transformation occurred within Eldrin's sea of consciousness.

That immortal art from the Celestial Realm transformed into an ethereal, hazy Mundane Dream Butterfly, its wings quivering as it alighted upon a petal of the Manjusaka.

The Dream Butterfly of the Mundane World plucked the exotic bloom from the Netherworld Abyss, instantly triggering a breathtaking spectacle.

Within the blossom, the boundless aura of death was thoroughly devoured by the Red Dust Dream Butterfly, while specks of emerald-green petals and leaves gradually unfurled upon the Manjusaka.

The flower of the other shore, where blossoms fall and leaves wither in perpetual misalignment, destined never to meet across lifetimes, now displayed a miraculous sight—petals and foliage coexisting as 1.

"Bzzz—"

Perhaps having absorbed sufficient power, the Butterfly of Mortal Dust fluttered its wings ever so slightly, actually causing a variable to emerge within the dream of Eldrin’s next life.

Eldrin walked along the dimly lit Path of the Yellow Springs, flanked on both sides by blood-red flowers stretching endlessly toward the horizon. Their hauntingly magnificent splendor made 1's footsteps falter in awe.

He casually plucked a blossom, brought it to his nose with detached grace, then stepped serenely into the next cycle of mortal dreams.

The path stretched on with an extraordinary length, as if traversing an immeasurable expanse of time and space, before finally arriving before an ethereal gateway.

This life seemed somewhat unusual. Eldrin raised his hand, hesitating for a long while before finally pushing it open with decisive force.

“Eldrin (Person Name)，Eldrin (Person Name)！”

A sudden call echoed in his ears, and Eldrin abruptly opened his eyes.

He lifted his head and spotted a figure—1 that felt both distant in time and strangely familiar, with eyes sparkling like stars and teeth gleaming like pearls.

Xia Huaixu!

He stood frozen for a long while before finally letting out a faint smile and, for once, speaking this person's name.

He shook his head again with a wry smile. What a distant memory that name evoked. It had been 8 100 years since he submerged himself into the cycle of reincarnation to endure his heavenly tribulation, never expecting to encounter it again within this mortal dream of a butterfly.

"What happened to you?"

Xia Huaixu felt his forehead and couldn't help remarking, "No fever either. Why are you acting so strange today?"

"It's nothing." Eldrin shook his head, speaking calmly. "It's just... seeing you again after all this time stirs some emotions within me."

Eldrin felt as though he had returned to the time before his reincarnation tribulation, continuing to live out a lifetime with Xia Huaixu.

This life felt exceptionally real, so vivid that it made Eldrin doubt and lament whether the existence he had experienced on the other shore was ever genuine.

He even felt a trace of doubt, wondering whether all he had experienced was but a dream.

Was it the Red Dust Dream Butterfly that carried him across the endless shore, arriving at the moment before his previous life's transmigration, or was all this merely an illusory dream?

Eldrin had no idea how long he had been drifting through the dreamscape. Unconsciously, some mysterious force seemed to be gradually erasing his memories of the Violet Realm, leaving them increasingly blurred.

Until 1 day when he was old and frail, and could no longer clearly distinguish between dreams and reality.

As his life was nearing its end, he finally said to Xia Huaixu, "Over the years, I once had a dream."

He spoke calmly, telling Xia Huaixu everything.

Xia Huaixu listened in silence, and only after a long while did he speak: "Truth be told, a few years ago, I too experienced an exceptionally vivid dream."

In the dream, you died suddenly, and in my grief, I chose to end my own life for love. Then, inexplicably, we were reborn in a world of kaleidoscopic wonders—until a great calamity swept everything away, and the memories of those bygone days faded into oblivion.

Eldrin’s heart trembled as he couldn’t help but ask, “In the dream, what is your name?”