"That direction is the Chiyun Mountain Range, right? That area doesn’t belong to Great Li nor Great Yan, if I’m not mistaken, it is the territory of Great Cang and Chi Yu. Why are you telling me to go in that direction..."
"Oh dear, this is hard to explain," the uncle murmured, "I wouldn’t harm you. You can head back to Great Li if you wish, but remember not to stay in Yongning. Keep away from Cangyun all along the way, and you’re not safe until you reach Zhen Nan."
"Who told you all this?"
Hearing the other person’s words, Feng Yuan was certain he must know about the beast tide, because not only did the beast tide attack Yongning, but the entire Cangyun Mountain Range was affected until the forces in Zhen Nan City’s territory were able to mount a strong defense and prevented it from reaching the city.
The uncle hesitated, unable to articulate his thoughts. After a moment, seeing that Feng Yuan was not persuaded, he took a closer look at him, gritted his teeth and said,
"I’ll take you back to the village, and you’ll understand once you see the Divine Lord!"
Glancing at the fish that were almost ready, Feng Yuan hesitated for a moment before saying,
"Alright, lead the way."
Leaving behind a piece of black crystal stone, Feng Yuan followed the hunter. After a while, Xiao Ji flew back with a large bundle of fish, looked around in disbelief at the extinguished bonfire, called out a few times without hearing a response from Feng Yuan, and anxiously flapped its wings, preparing to take flight.
At that moment, the black crystal stone Feng Yuan had left behind glowed, and his image appeared before Xiao Ji. After explaining what had just happened, he said,
"So, I’ve decided to go with him to see if there are any clues. After you come back, finish those roast fish first. If you feel tired, rest here and wait for me. If you’re worried, take the black stone; it will lead you to me."
Xiao Ji glanced at the roast fish but didn’t pay much attention, quickly picking up the black stone. At this moment, the connection with Feng Yuan that was broken upon his earlier departure reappeared. Sensing that Feng Yuan was nearby and apparently not in danger, Xiao Ji reluctantly flew up into the sky, giving one last look at the roast fish.
"Is this... a Dream Stone...?!"
Looking at a large stone covered in runes at the center of the village, Feng Yuan exclaimed. The hunter, confused, glanced at Feng Yuan and said,
"That’s not a Dream Stone; that is our Divine Lord."
"No wonder you’re all informed... Born from good will, perishing from malice, the Dream Stone that comprehends the future within dreams indeed has this ability."
"However, is it truly wise to leave it out in such a conspicuous place?"
"You seem to be very knowledgeable about our Divine Lord?"
A young man dressed like a scholar looked at Feng Yuan with some apprehension. The hunter bowed to the young man and said,
"Xiao Yi, he didn’t believe my warning, so I brought him here, hoping the Divine Lord would be able to persuade him."
At this moment, a series of long cries came from the sky. The hunter’s expression changed as he drew his longbow and warily looked up, while an urgent gong sounded through the village. Feng Yuan, recognizing Xiao Ji’s calls, said somewhat helplessly,
"That’s my partner coming to find me; there’s nothing to worry about."
The next moment, a large black bird appeared in the sky and rapidly descended beside Feng Yuan. He patted Xiao Ji’s head and said with an apologetic tone to the two men before him,
"Sorry, it might be a bit worried about me..."
"It’s okay, I was just concerned about what we would do if the uncle brought back someone with ill intentions."
Seeing the close interaction between Xiao Ji and Feng Yuan, the young man let out a sigh of relief.
"You’re not worried anymore?"
Feng Yuan looked at the young man with some perplexity. Even in this era, the standards of good and evil for Spirit Beasts were not the same as humans, just like Luo. If he were to summon Yimu Qingling to destroy Great Yan, as long as there was a justifiable reason, such as the other party insulting him, Yimu Qingling wouldn’t care if Luo had once been a member of Great Yan. The young man smiled and said,
"Due to certain special reasons, I can generally sense whether you’re harboring malicious intent or not. Although it appears strong, in my sense, it seems about as harmless as a child who’s only a few years old."
Seeing Xiao Ji looking somewhat unhappy, Feng Yuan laughed and stroked its neck, saying,
"You’re quite accurate; it was indeed born only a few months ago."
"But..."
The young man wore a skeptical look, sensing the enormous energy contained within Xiao Ji’s massive body, indicating that Xiao Ji was very strong.
"Though I don’t know what methods you used to make it so powerful, the youth of a Divine Lord is the most critical period of their growth, and you..."
"I know what you want to say, Xiao Ji, go back to your original form."
Glancing at the young man disapprovingly, Xiao Ji obediently transformed back to its original shape. When the young man saw Xiao Ji, now held in Feng Yuan’s arms, he was astonished. Naturally, he could sense that as Xiao Ji reverted, the vast energy swiftly dissipated. Now, Xiao Ji’s power was only comparatively stronger than that of a young Divine Lord.
"This is..."
"This is its true form. It’s just very strong-willed, so it found a temporary way to borrow power. By the way, can I have a talk with it?"
Feng Yuan said and pointed to the Dream Crystal Stone. The young man hesitated before replying,
"That depends on whether the Divine Lord is willing. Even so..."
"It’s just entering a dream, isn’t it? Xiao Ji, guard me~"
After carefully placing Xiao Ji on the ground and using Coming of the Future again, Feng Yuan casually sat down, seemingly intending to sleep against a stone pillar nearby. Xiao Ji sat down close to Feng Yuan. Smiling at Xiao Ji, Feng Yuan leaned on Xiao Ji and entered the dream.
"After gaining precognitive abilities not inferior to those of Lorraine Tower, even our conversation has to take place in a dream..."
Looking at the giant stone radiating white light in front of him, Feng Yuan sighed. At that moment, the image of an old man with white hair appeared in front of the stone. Seeing Feng Yuan approaching, the old man waved his hand kindly and smiled. Feng Yuan walked over and said,
"What’s this? Have you adopted the guise of a sage to be more convincing to others?"
The old man simply smiled without speaking. Feng Yuan sat down beside him and said,
"Do you regret revealing yourself? Although the Dream Crystal Stone was born from kindness, in the face of foreseeing the future, how many can truly hold on to their original intentions?"
The old man glanced at Feng Yuan, smiling as he replied,
"This is my destiny. When they offered me warmth, I intended to repay them without any hesitation."
"Where do you plan to send them?"
The old man looked at Feng Yuan curiously and asked,
"How did you know I would make them leave?"
"After all, this beast tide is going to cleanse the entire Cangyun Mountain Range. Why else would you have them guide others to the Chiyun Mountain Range?"
Saying that, Feng Yuan sighed and looked at the old man, saying,
"It’s you, though, with the immovable nature of the Dream Crystal Stone... those rampaging beasts might not spare you..."
The old man laughed heartily and replied,
"No matter, if this is my fate, why not accept it?"
"You seem very open-minded about it."
"Do you know how a beast tide occurs?"
Seeing Feng Yuan’s curious look, the old man fell silent for a moment before saying,
"I’m not sure."
"You can’t see through it, can you?"
"Do you plan to investigate this matter?"
The old man looked at Feng Yuan with a bit of puzzlement and nodded. Feng Yuan replied,
"Exactly. I’m really curious about what’s going on with this beast tide. After all, there’s no historical record of any treasures found before or after such an event."
"Do you think it’s man-made?"
"Yeah, given the current situation within Great Li, it’s hard not to overthink..."
Having conversed with the old man for quite a while, Feng Yuan, though without much new insight, still expressed his regret,
"It’s a pity you can’t move..."
The old man smiled calmly and replied,
"Since I possess the powerful ability to foresee the future, it’s normal to have some restrictions. Compared to you humans, I have existed long enough."
After sighing, Feng Yuan didn’t say much more and, taking one last look at the old man and the giant stone behind him, he left the dream.

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