Since he was going to fish in a dream, he certainly couldn't go empty-handed.
His previous visit had been in a rush, and he hadn't brought anything of value, using only a few 6th-grade pills as bait.
Although his luck had eventually exploded, and through a combination of Jiu'er's fortune and sheer persistence, he had managed to reel in a small fish, the process had been agonizing.
He had truly sat in silence by the Wanchuan pond for hundreds of years.
"This time, I need to make it quick."
Chen Zhou sat cross-legged on the Bone Altar and began to take stock of his belongings.
From the trip to the Northern Region, Ksitigarbha of Great Vows had already been sacrificed, leaving behind no intact flesh.
However, he still had the corrupted realm earthworm, which was also a 7th-stage creature.
While Piao had devoured much of it during the final battle, some parts remained. Chen Zhou wasn't picky and had packed it all up to bring back.
He organized the scraps left by Piao and exchanged for several 7th-grade pills from the system store to use as lures—it was the perfect combination.
"Main courses alone aren't enough; I need some seasoning."
Chen Zhou stroked his chin. Since he was fishing for big game, he had to invest heavily.
He pulled out the unaging pine cones and extracted two pine seeds.
"The seeds of the unaging pine contain the aura of longevity. For those old ghosts trapped in the dream world who don't even know how many years they've been dead, this should be an irresistible temptation."
Chen Zhou crushed the two precious seeds and kneaded them into the pills.
Next, he took out two blood-red fruits.
These were the bodhi fruits of the blood bodhi.
They were the harvest of the mutated blood bodhi carefully cultivated by Zhang Cuigu, nourished by a massive amount of flesh and blood.
Fish interested in Flesh-Reconstitution Pills would have no reason to dislike this purer form of blood energy.
Chen Zhou crushed the bodhi fruits as well, letting the bright red juice mix into the medicinal paste, which began to emit a strange, peculiar scent.
Finally, he pulled out the feather he had just plucked from the Nine-Age Crane.
The system description said it was for cooking, capable of purifying the spiritual rhythm of food.
'Bait should count as a dish, shouldn't it?'
Chen Zhou thought righteously. If it was a dish prepared for fish, then it certainly counted.
With a rub of his fingers, he molded everything together into a single sphere and nodded with satisfaction.
After stowing the clump of luxurious materials—enough to make countless experts in the outside world fight to the death—into his ghost domain, he looked down at his feet.
"Wake up. Stop sleeping. Time to work."
Chen Zhou reached out, pinched the piglet's long snout, and gave it a shake.
"Oink... oink?"
Progressing into a fiend, the Dream Demon piglet opened its eyes in a daze, looking completely bewildered.
How had it been shaken awake just after falling asleep?
As a terrifying existence that had just ascended to become a fiend, if anyone else had dared to treat it this way, they would have been dragged into an endless nightmare and tortured to death long ago.
But seeing it was Chen Zhou, the piglet had no trace of irritation.
It oinked good-naturedly a few times and rubbed its head against Chen Zhou's palm.
"Lead the way. To the dream interlayer, the usual spot."
Chen Zhou patted its head.
The piglet understood immediately. It stood up, its pink body suddenly erupting with a surge of black fiendish qi.
The Dream-Weaving Shuttle spun in mid-air, drawing in the fiendish qi to weave a dreamscape.
Chen Zhou stepped inside, and the piglet floated behind him as the pair entered the dream interlayer.
Countless shimmering bands of light represented the dreams of mortals, and in the gaps between those bands, the fork in the road leading to the 【Immortal-Slaying Shrine】 appeared once more.
Chen Zhou stepped onto it with practiced ease.
In the shadows flanking the road, countless deformed monsters born from shattered dreams still lurked.
They were dream residue, manifestations of resentment.
When Chen Zhou had come last time, these monsters were like flies drawn to blood, pouncing on him frantically. Though he had dealt with them easily, they had been quite a nuisance.
This time, Chen Zhou had just raised his hand to clear the path.
"Hiss—!"
A terrified hiss suddenly echoed from the shadows.
Chen Zhou was surprised to find that the shadows, which had been stirring restlessly, were now shrinking back into the corners, trembling as if they had seen some great terror.
Their eyes, once full of madness, were now wide with fear, staring fixedly behind Chen Zhou.
There, the piglet floated leisurely. It didn't even look at the monsters, simply emitting a trace of absolute suppression belonging to a superior being.
It was like a mouse meeting a cat, or a commoner meeting a tyrant.
In the realm of dreams, the Dream Demon was a natural king, the sovereign of all fear and illusions.
The ferocious dream residue was now incredibly submissive, each monster wishing it could bury its head in the ground for fear of attracting the tyrant's attention.
"Oink!"
The nightmare piglet seemed dissatisfied with the messy and dilapidated environment.
Its nose wrinkled, and a violent red light flashed in its eyes.
How could it let its master walk such a dark and broken path? That would be a disgrace to its status as the Lord of a Thousand Dreams.
Thinking this, the piglet opened its mouth and let out a silent roar.
Rolling fiendish qi swept out.
The shadow monsters hiding by the road didn't even have time to scream before they were annihilated in the fiendish qi, transforming into the purest dream energy.
Next, the piglet controlled the Dream-Weaving Shuttle to draw in this energy and began to renovate.
The fiendish qi transformed into golden bricks for the floor, and the withered shadows on both sides became magnificent palace lanterns. It even wove a layer of auspicious clouds over the murky grey sky.
In the blink of an eye, a rugged and eerie path was forcibly transformed into a grand golden road.
Only after completing this did the nightmare piglet retract its aura with satisfaction, returning to its harmless piglet appearance.
It trotted over to Chen Zhou, tilting its head back and wagging its tail, its big eyes pleading for praise.
"Well done," Chen Zhou said with a smile, stroking its head.
"Oink~!"
The piglet was overjoyed, performing a somersault in the air. It felt as though its life had reached its peak.
Chen Zhou walked with his hands behind his back, treading upon the golden path with nothing to block his way.
Passing through the ruins of the ancient battlefield, the two golden-armored celestial soldiers, each ten feet tall, still stood before the gate of the Immortal-Slaying Shrine.
The moment Chen Zhou approached, both soldiers knelt on one knee, lowering their giant blades and golden maces.
"Welcome, Great One!"
After paying their respects, the two eagerly opened the gates for Chen Zhou.
Chen Zhou remained expressionless, looking straight ahead as he stepped over the threshold and entered the interior of the Immortal-Slaying Shrine.
Inside the shrine, everything was as it had been.
The purplish-red sky, the bone-ash ground, and those few Wanchuan ponds emitting eerie auras.
As for the three old figures who had been dead for countless years, they still stood separately around the massive blood pond in the center.
They looked as if they were fishing, or perhaps just passing the long, seemingly endless boredom of their existence.
The moment Chen Zhou had stepped onto the golden road, they had already sensed the familiar aura.
Seeing the return of an old acquaintance, the palace-dressed woman, who was most familiar with Chen Zhou, stuck her fishing rod into the ground, smoothed her robes, and flew over to land before him.
"Oh? The youngster is back again?"
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