You, a living person, are telling me I've served in the underworld for ten years?

Her voice was clear and firm, each word penetrating deep into Chen Yang's senses.

"You're not dreaming either."

These resolute words caused a slight tremor in Chen Yang's consciousness within his "dream." After a moment of silence, he ceased attempting to conceal his "existence" and responded directly through thought.

"Who exactly are you? Or rather, what kind of being are you? And where is this place?"

When the girl in palace attire saw that he had finally responded, a relieved smile, mixed with a hint of joy, appeared on her face.

She didn't directly answer her identity, but instead spoke softly.

"You were able to come here, touch the 'Dream Box,' and successfully break through its hundreds of outer restrictions. This shows that we are destined to meet. This destiny has spanned a long period of time."

She held the brocade box, which was from the same era as her, in her hand, her gaze fixed on the eternal clouds and mist outside the window, her voice ethereal.

"Inside this brocade box, besides the 'illusory dust' that lures you into your dream, there is also a key. A key... that can open a forbidden door in the deepest part of this floating fairyland. Behind the door lies a treasure beyond your imagination."

"A key? A priceless treasure?"

Chen Yang sneered, his vigilance heightened to the maximum.

"Why should I believe you if you're just spouting empty words? A lingering remnant trapped in the illusion of the brocade box is telling me where there are huge benefits waiting for me to take? This kind of trick is too old-fashioned."

Having experienced too many traps and schemes, he was no longer a naive young man who would be easily blinded by profit.

The girl was not surprised by his questioning, and even appreciated his caution.

She withdrew her gaze and looked again in the direction of Chen Yang's consciousness, her tone flat.

"Whether you believe or not is up to you. If you don't believe, you may leave now. Your consciousness will return to your body, and this 'dream guide' power won't last long. You can also discard the key in that brocade box. I am merely a wisp of obsession that exists based on this box, and I cannot force you to do anything."

The more she said that, the more Chen Yang felt that this matter was not simple.

He analyzed the situation calmly.

"Fine, even if the key and the treasure you mentioned are real, why are you telling me all this? No one accepts something for nothing, and there's no such thing as a free lunch. You're guiding me to get something in return, so you must want something from me, right? Or rather, what do you want me to do for you?"

Upon hearing this, the girl's aloof expression finally changed slightly, as if the ice and snow were melting, revealing more complex emotions beneath.

She nodded slightly.

"As expected of a destined person, with a meticulous mind and a spot-on perspective."

Chen Yang didn't respond, but simply stared at her, waiting for her to continue.

He quickly calculated in his mind.

This girl must have been someone of extraordinary status in her lifetime; the person who could set up such an ingenious "Dream Box" was no ordinary person.

Trapped here, her obsession unwavering, what she seeks must be extraordinary. Is it revenge? Liberation? Or the completion of some unfinished mission?

The girl seemed to be organizing her thoughts as well, and after a moment, she spoke up.

"I need you to go behind that door and break a seal. Deep within the main hall at the heart of that island lies a secret place sealed off by a powerful force."

Once you're inside, find the core of the seal and break it. Then... take out the crystal coffin inside and take it away from there.

"A crystal coffin?"

Chen Yang's heart stirred.

"What's inside?"

The girl paused for a moment, then avoided the question.

"What it is doesn't matter. You just need to help me bring it out."

"Ah."

A soft laugh echoed in Chen Yang's mind.

"Help you? What makes you think I can do that? Since that place is a forbidden area where you say there are treasures hidden, the seal must be incredibly powerful. Even someone like you could only seal it instead of destroying it. What qualifications do I, an outsider, have to break it?"

The girl answered quickly this time, her tone carrying a strange certainty.

"If you can't do it, who can? Ordinary people, let alone breaking through the hundreds of interlocking restrictions on the outer layer of the 'Dream Box,' can't even find the box or enter this frozen space-time."

The fact that you've come here and stand before me proves that your abilities are extraordinary. I cannot see your specific appearance or cultivation level, but I can sense a unique aura emanating from you…

And the power of your 'eyes' is truly extraordinary. Breaking that seal might not require brute force, but rather the kind of insight and skillful manipulation you displayed when you broke the seal on the brocade box.

Chen Yang understood.

This girl, or rather the person who set up this "Dream Box" scheme, was not targeting an ordinary intruder from the very beginning.

She was conducting a selection process! She used that intricately complex and dangerously restrictive brocade box as the first and most crucial screening hurdle. Only those who could break the seal were qualified to know of the existence of the "key" and the "treasure," and only then could they be used by her to achieve her true purpose—to retrieve the crystal coffin.

I'm probably the first person in countless years to successfully open the brocade box and trigger the "dream trigger." Otherwise, the box would have been taken long ago, or the "key" inside would have been used long ago.

Having figured this out, Chen Yang felt a little more relaxed. At least it meant that the other party hadn't been deceiving him on a whim, but had a pre-existing "recruitment" plan, and he had essentially passed the "interview." However, the risks associated with the "job content" and the other party's true intentions remained shrouded in mystery.

"last question."

Chen Yang's mind became serious.

"What benefit would I get from helping you retrieve the crystal coffin? Besides that elusive 'treasure' you speak of, what guarantees can you offer me? Or, if I retrieve the crystal coffin and discover it's a trap, or releases something it shouldn't have, who will be responsible?"

The girl seemed to have anticipated this question, and she bowed slightly, performing an ancient ritual.

"I swear with the last vestiges of my Daoist heart and obsession that the place I guide you to contains treasures left by our ancestors. They are useless to me, but they should be an opportunity for you."

Retrieving the coffin will not directly harm you. As for the rest… I am merely a fading obsession, unable to offer you further assurances. The choice is yours.”

She threw the choice back entirely. Chen Yang pondered. Risk and opportunity coexist; this is the norm in the cultivation world.

Although the girl's words contained some concealment, they were logically consistent and tempting enough so far.

More importantly, he has a certain degree of confidence in his current strength and trump cards. If it's just about breaking the seal to retrieve the item, rather than directly confronting a powerful being, then it's worth a try.

"Okay, I promise I'll go take a look."

Chen Yang finally made a decision.

"Now, let my consciousness leave this illusion." Upon hearing this, the girl revealed a hint of genuine surprise that was barely perceptible.

"You...you know this is an illusion? And you know how to leave?"

Chen Yang's thoughts carried a hint of mockery.

“I not only know this is an illusion, but I also know that you are not simply a ‘lingering regret’. Although your soul is weak in essence, it is structurally complete and has obvious characteristics of a ghost.”

Moreover, it has been cleverly 'nurtured' within the illusory dust of this brocade box in some way, allowing it to endure. It's just that you are almost completely isolated from the outside world, and your soul power cannot be replenished, which is why you appear to be on the verge of dissipation. Am I right?

The girl's surprise deepened, even turning into a hint of horror.

"How...how do you know so much? Who are you?"

Chen Yang no longer concealed himself. In his mind, a majestic aura unique to "Yin Messengers," which naturally restrained and recognized souls, faintly emanated.

The aura was faint, but for a soul-like being like the girl, it was as clear and oppressive as a lighthouse in the dark.

"Who am I?"

Chen Yang's thoughts were calm, yet carried a condescending scrutiny.

"You can think of me as... a messenger who walks between the realms of Yin and Yang, and is responsible for capturing and guiding souls."

"A messenger from the underworld?!"

The girl gasped in surprise, and even the illusory figure trembled.

"This is impossible! The path between Yin and Yang has long been severed, and order has collapsed. How could Yin officials appear in the mortal realm? Even more impossible... for a living person to possess such authority!"

Her understanding seemed to have been greatly shaken.

Chen Yang did not explain in detail the origin of his identity as a patrol banner and a ghost messenger, but simply said calmly.

"The Yin-Yang Path is not fully repaired, but I have my own special destiny. You only need to know that I have the ability to see through your secrets, and also the ability to... take you in."

The last three words carried a hint of coldness.

He wasn't just bluffing; the Soul-Binding Technique, combined with the Patrol Banner, had a very high success rate against such weak and trapped souls.

The girl's shock gradually turned into a complex expression, a mixture of fear, doubt, and a bewilderment at seeing a glimmer of hope in a desperate situation.

She tried to remain calm, but her voice trembled slightly.

"You... if you are a messenger of the underworld, why were you lured here by the 'dream guide'? And why didn't you point it out before?"

"I just want to hear what you're trying to say."

Chen Yang's thoughts carried a sense of composure and control over the situation.

"Now, I've said everything I needed to say. I'll give you two choices. First, cooperate obediently, dispel the illusion, and guide me on the path. I'll then consider whether to help you retrieve the coffin. Second, I'll use my methods to capture your soul and interrogate you slowly. Believe me, you wouldn't want to experience that."

The girl fell silent, seemingly weighing her options. But the faint, chilling aura emanating from Chen Yang, which sent shivers down her spine, and the sharp insight into her true state he had revealed, made her realize that resisting might not end well.

However, she still seemed unwilling to accept it, or rather, the long loneliness and obsession made her somewhat paranoid.

She suddenly raised her head, a sad yet resolute sneer appearing on her face.

"Underworld messengers? Ha... Even if you really are an underworld messenger, so what? I have been lying dormant here for ten thousand years, my obsession runs deep. How can you scare me with a few words? You want to arrest me? Then try and see!"

Before she finished speaking, her entire illusory figure suddenly exploded, turning into a thick, viscous, dark red mist. Within the mist, countless mournful wails and resentful faces seemed to appear and disappear, carrying a chilling coldness and a mind-altering power.

Like a ferocious beast ready to devour its prey, it pounced on the location of Chen Yang's consciousness! The temperature within the illusionary space plummeted, the light distorted, as if it were about to collapse with her rampage!
"Stubborn."

Chen Yang's will remained as cold as iron, without the slightest panic. Facing the onrushing red mist of vengeful spirits, he needed no dodge, for in this special realm of consciousness clash formed by "Dream Guidance," his reliance was precisely on absolute restraint against the soul!
"Hunting!"

He silently chanted, and an invisible force specifically targeting the essence of the soul suddenly erupted from his consciousness! This was not a physical spell, but a suppression and pull at the level of consciousness based on his underworld authority and the essence of the Soul-Binding Technique!
"what--!"

The red, vengeful mist that rushed forward seemed to have struck an invisible, high-temperature wall, letting out a sharp, painful screech before its forward momentum came to an abrupt halt.

The fog churned and twisted violently, as if gripped and squeezed by an unseen hand. The wailing faces within the fog became clearer and more pained, and the girl's voice, filled with shock and anger, emanated from it.

"No! What kind of power is this?! Let me go!"

Chen Yang remained unmoved, and even "simulated" the image of summoning the procession banner—an ancient, majestic banner with a deep, ethereal light faintly appeared behind his consciousness.

This banner has an unparalleled power to intimidate souls; it is the pressure from a higher level of rules.

"A procession banner?! You...you really are..."

The girl's voice, emerging from the red mist, was instantly filled with boundless fear; her previous resolve and ferocity melted away like ice and snow.

She clearly sensed that if that illusory banner were to wave even slightly, her wisp of soul, which had been struggling for ten thousand years, would be immediately sucked away and annihilated like a candle flickering in the wind, without even a chance to be reincarnated!
"Your Majesty, have mercy! My lord, have mercy! I was wrong! I was blind and didn't recognize your greatness, I offended you! Please, my lord, have mercy on me this time!"

The red mist contracted rapidly, reforming into the shape of a palace-dressed girl, but she was more ethereal and transparent than before. She knelt on the ground, her voice trembling, filled with pleading.

Chen Yang "looked" at her, but his expression betrayed no emotion.

"Now you know to beg for mercy? Weren't you so tough just now?"

"It was my ignorance and arrogance that led me here! I did not know that Your Excellency was a true god! I beg Your Excellency to have mercy on me, for I am but a pitiful remnant soul with lingering obsessions, and for my past offense! I am willing to obey Your Excellency's every command and will never dare to have any disloyalty again!"

The girl begged for mercy repeatedly, her posture extremely humble. The intimidation of the procession banners completely shattered her last defenses.

"Humph."

Chen Yang snorted coldly, dispelling the illusory image of the parade banner. The suction force of the soul-binding also relaxed slightly, but it still maintained its deterrent effect.

"Then stop with your illusionary tricks and let my consciousness return."

"Yes, yes, yes! Right away! Right away!"

The girl felt as if she had been granted a pardon and quickly agreed.

She formed a peculiar hand seal and pointed it at the void.

Chen Yang felt the light and shadow around him rapidly flow and fade. The magnificent palace, the fairy island and clouds outside the window, and even the kneeling girl in front of him all rippled like a stone thrown into water, and then quickly blurred and disappeared.

A slight feeling of dizziness washed over me. (End of Chapter)