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As soon as he finished speaking, the "light of his true self" deep within his heart suddenly shone a little brighter!
The inner demon illusion screamed as if it had been burned, and its figure began to become illusory and transparent.

"You...you actually..." the inner demonic illusion roared unwillingly before finally dissipating completely.

Chen Ye breathed a sigh of relief, but dared not relax. He knew this was just the beginning.

He continued his journey through chaotic dreams, constantly encountering various inner demons, illusions, and logical traps: there was a cage representing "loneliness and fear," trapping him in an endless void; there was a cycle representing "responsibility and pressure," endlessly repeating scenes of failure; and there were even tempting, false points of light trying to disguise themselves as "seeds of truth"...

Each time, he persevered through difficulties thanks to his ever-brighter "inner light" and his firm understanding of his own path.

After an unknown amount of time, just as he felt his mind was about to reach its limit, he saw a unique glimmer of light in the central area surrounded by countless "Islands of Choice".

The light wasn't dazzling; instead, it was soft and restrained, radiating a warm golden hue. It floated there quietly, without any attributes or labels, yet it gave people an incredibly "real" and "pure" feeling.

It is as if it is "existence" itself, the root of "self".

The Seed of Truth!
A sudden realization dawned on Chen Ye, and he walked toward the point of light.

However, just as he was about to touch the light, the entire dream space suddenly shook violently and collapsed!
A grand, chaotic, and malevolent will surged forth from the depths of the dream like a tsunami!
"I've found you... the spark..."

"In the deepest part of my dream... I'll tear you apart..."

The aura of the Dark Abyss! It has actually invaded the Star Speaker's dream?!
At the same time, Vera, the Star Speaker, cried out anxiously, "Oh no! An outside 'Nightmare' has invaded! Chen Ye, quickly take the 'Seed of Truth' and leave! The dream is about to collapse!"

Chen Ye's expression changed, and without hesitation, he reached out and grabbed the golden "Seed of Truth"!
It feels warm and smooth to the touch, as if you're holding a warm heart.

The next second, the sky collapsed and the earth cracked!

The entire dream shattered like a broken mirror! Chen Ye felt his body being thrown by a tremendous force, plummeting towards an endless abyss of darkness!
Behind him, the malevolent will of the abyss transformed into a gigantic, dark claw that blotted out the sky and lashed out fiercely!

A matter of life and death!
The cold darkness, like a viscous swamp, swallowed everything. Chen Ye felt himself falling at an incredible speed, the sensation of weightlessness and tearing intertwined, and he heard the shrill screams of a shattered dream and the terrifying sound of a giant black claw tearing through the void.

He clutched the warm "Seed of Truth" tightly in his hand. The golden light flickered like a candle in the absolute darkness, yet it stubbornly refused to go out. Instead, it conveyed a faint but firm warmth, protecting his last bit of consciousness.

"I can't die here... I haven't gotten the fragment yet... My comrades are still waiting for me... My mission isn't over!"

The instinct for survival and the responsibility he bore burned fiercely like two flames in his fading consciousness! The Star Codex in his arms, the Star Crown on his head, and even the "Ring of Watchfulness" whose energy was depleted, all resonated faintly in this desperate situation!

It's not a resonance of power, but... a deeper resonance of "existence" that stems from the essence of inheritance!
The holy blood flowed faster in his veins, providing no power, but making his life force even stronger.

The light of the "Seed of Truth" seemed to interact strangely with these inherited artifacts, becoming slightly brighter.

The speed of the fall seemed to slow down for a moment.

In that split second, Chen Ye suddenly pressed the "Seed of Truth" against his chest!

There is no physical touch, only a fusion at the level of the soul.

That warm golden light, like a drop of water merging into the ocean, silently seeped into his heart.

In an instant!
An indescribable sense of "anchoring" rose from the depths of his soul! It was as if he was no longer a rootless duckweed, but had a solid and unquestionable "base". The darkness, chaos, and the feeling of falling in the outside world still existed, but it was as if there was a tough membrane between them, which could no longer easily shake his core consciousness.

He "saw"—no, he sensed—beside the rapidly falling path, in the torrent of shattered dreams, there was a tiny, extremely faint, yet strangely resonant, emerald-green light that was scattering along with the fragments of the dream!
"That's... a fragment of the Holy Spirit's Heart?!" Chen Ye's heart trembled violently!
Elvira said the fragments were hidden in the deepest dream of the Lost Garden! Could they have appeared along with this shattered dream?!

Without thinking, almost instinctively, he reached out his hand toward the emerald green dot of light!
The hand reaches out, yet it seems to traverse an endless distance. The boundary between dream and reality blurs here, and the concept of space becomes distorted.

But just as that pitch-black giant claw was about to touch his back, his fingertips finally touched that touch of emerald green!

The cool, warm sensation, imbued with a powerful life force and the pure essence of the Holy Spirit, instantly travels from your fingertips throughout your body!
At the same time, the urgent chanting of the Star Speaker Vera, like starlight piercing through layers of mist, rang in his ears:

"With stars as our guide and dreams as our bridge—the journey home begins!"

boom!
Chen Ye felt as if he were being pulled upwards by a gentle yet irresistible force! The surrounding darkness and fragmented scenery receded rapidly like a movie playing in reverse!
Suddenly, my eyes lit up!
He found himself crashing heavily onto the soft, glowing grass at the entrance to the Lost Garden. In his hand, he clutched a crystalline fragment, about the size of a thumb, entirely emerald green, with what appeared to be liquid starlight flowing within.

Fragments of the Heart of the Holy Spirit (Part 1)!
He succeeded! In the final moments before the dream collapsed, he not only brought back the "Seed of Truth," but also caught the scattered fragments!
"Cough cough..." Chen Ye coughed violently, feeling as if his head had been hit by a heavy hammer, buzzing, and his soul was exhausted to the point of death. The exertion in the dream was more terrifying than ten battles.

"You're still alive...it's a miracle." Vera, the Star Speaker, spoke beside him, her voice tinged with exhaustion and lingering fear.

Chen Ye turned his head with difficulty and saw Vera kneeling beside him. The gem at the tip of her silver staff was cracked and dull. Her delicate face was as pale as paper, and her silver hair was somewhat disheveled. Clearly, she had paid a considerable price for forcibly stabilizing the dream and pulling him back.

"Thank you...senior...for saving me." Chen Ye said breathlessly, handing over the emerald fragment in his hand. "This...is a fragment..."

Vera gazed at the fragment, a complex light flickering in her purple eyes—a mixture of relief, nostalgia, and a sense of liberation. "It has chosen you," Vera said softly, not taking the fragment. "Since you were able to seize it amidst the chaos of the collapsing dream and integrate the 'Seed of Truth' into yourself, you have passed my test. As agreed, it is yours."

Chen Ye paused for a moment, then solemnly put the fragment away. He could sense that although the fragment was not large, the pure and vast power of the Holy Spirit's origin contained within it far surpassed any Holy Spirit artifact he had encountered before.

"What was that just now?" Chen Ye recalled the terrifying will and giant claw that appeared at the end of his dream, still feeling lingering fear.

Vera's expression grew even more grave: "It's the 'Nightmare Lord'... at least a Lord-level Dark Abyss being, and proficient in dream manipulation and mind corruption. It has infiltrated the Holy Mountain region at some point, and may even... already be parasitizing some fragile dream outside the garden, waiting for its chance."

“Its target is you.” Vera looked at Chen Ye, her eyes filled with scrutiny and a hint of worry. “Your existence, your heritage, your identity as the ‘Spark’ have clearly attracted the attention of the Dark Abyss’s higher-ups. They risked invading my dream to kill you. If you hadn’t accidentally fused with the ‘Seed of Truth’ to stabilize your existence, and if I hadn’t forcibly activated the emergency teleportation, plus the sudden appearance of that fragment attracting some attention… we might not be able to get out.”

Chen Ye felt a heavy weight in his heart. Being targeted by an entity of this caliber was definitely not good news.

"Then it is now..."

“The dream has collapsed, and it has been temporarily banished back to the dream gap, but it certainly hasn’t perished.” Vera stood up, looking at the Lost Garden around her, which was becoming unstable and its colors were fading. “The garden is connected to my dream, and the impact just now has shaken its foundation. This fragment of the dream probably won’t last much longer.”

As if to confirm her words, the surrounding dreamlike plants began to wither and dissipate at a visible speed, and the pale purple mist thinned, revealing the rough rock face of the sacred mountain behind them. The babbling brook became intermittent, and the ethereal songs and whispers disappeared.

The Lost Garden is "awakening," or rather, "dying."

“You must leave immediately,” Vera said to Chen Ye. “Take the fragments and do what you need to do. The garden is about to close, and I will also fall into a deeper slumber to repair the damage and strengthen the dream barrier to prevent that 'Nightmare Lord' from invading again.”

“Senior, then you…” Chen Ye looked at Vera’s pale face and her cracked staff.

“I’m fine.” Vera smiled, her smile somewhat ethereal. “I am but a dream, existing only by the power of the garden and the fragments. When the garden closes, I will fall into slumber until the next destined person, or… the light of the Holy Spirit will shine upon this place once more.”

She paused, looked at Chen Ye, and her eyes became solemn: "Chen Ye, you have gained the mark of Lady Elvira, passed my test, and obtained the first fragment. But the burden on your shoulders is heavier than you imagined. The corruption of the Dark Abyss is all-pervasive, and even dreams cannot escape it. The Holy Mountain may not be safe either."

"The 'Guardians' within the Tower of Eternity may have become corrupted; the lair of the 'Fallen' may be more dangerous than anticipated. The Starry Sky Puzzle Corridor tests wisdom, but wisdom sometimes appears pale in the face of absolute malice and madness."

"Remember, no matter what you encounter, believe in your 'truth'. The 'seed of truth' you found not only helped you pass the test, but may also guide you in the future when you are lost."

Chen Ye nodded, keeping Vera's warning in mind. He struggled to his feet; though physically weak and mentally exhausted, his eyes had regained their resolve.

"I will certainly remember this. Take care, senior."

“Go.” Vera waved her hand, and a path vaguely appeared in the depths of the soon-to-disappear garden behind her. “Follow this path, you can bypass the core area of ​​the collapsed garden and reach the mountain road to the main peak of the Holy Mountain directly. Your companions, there was a slight fluctuation in the communication chip earlier, they seem to be in a relatively safe place near the foot of the mountain.”

Chen Ye bowed again, then turned and stepped onto the hazy path.

Behind him, Vera's figure gradually became transparent, merging with the rapidly dissipating dreamlike scenery around her. The entire Lost Garden, like a faded, burst soap bubble, silently dissolved in the eternal aura of the Holy Mountain.

In the end, only the meadow where the glowing mushrooms had first grown and the stone tablet with the warning inscription remained, with a last glimmer of light before it completely dimmed and turned into ordinary rocks and moss.

It was as if there had never been a garden here, and it was all just an overly realistic dream.

Chen Ye didn't look back and walked quickly along the path. The path wasn't long, and soon he reached its end, stepping back onto the hard, cold rocky ground of the sacred mountain.

He found himself on a secluded ridge on the main peak of the Holy Mountain, with steep cliffs below and the winding main mountain path leading to the Tower of Eternity above. The air was crisp and cold, carrying the faint, sacred pressure unique to the Holy Mountain.

He took out the "Star Key Resonance Disc". The pointer at the center of the disc clearly pointed in two directions: one straight up, pointing to the Eternal Tower at the top of the mountain, with strong and chaotic fluctuations; the other pointed to a certain place at the foot of the mountain below, with weak but familiar fluctuations—that was the direction of Jiu Feng and the others! Moreover, the disc's sensitivity to the emerald fragment became clearer, emitting a stable resonance in his arms.

At least the tools are still usable, and the fragments are fine.

He took a deep breath, determined his direction, and then carefully moved down the mountain towards where Jiufeng and the others were.

He is in extremely poor condition and urgently needs to reunite with his companions, recover, and share information.

The descent was more difficult than the ascent, especially given his current condition. He had to find a secluded crevice in the rocks and rest for half an hour to recover some of his physical and spiritual strength before continuing onward.

About two hours later, as he rounded a protruding rocky outcrop, a hushed exclamation came from ahead:

"Brother Chen?!"

It was Jiu Feng's voice! A voice filled with unbelievable surprise.

Chen Ye looked up and saw Jiu Feng, Yu Xu, Dong Xu, Zhi Yin, Wan Yi, Shi Jian, and Guang Hu all waiting there unharmed in a sheltered rocky depression ahead. They seemed to have rested and were in much better condition than they had been in the valley, but their eyes still held weariness and worry. (End of Chapter)