65. Illusory Dream or Past Life

Damn it! Lin Jiuge couldn't help but curse out loud. The horns on her head felt as though they were submerged in magma. Seeing this, Zhou Yan no longer hesitated and shoved Lin Jiuge into the Star River Spring. Nourished by the spring water, Lin Jiuge felt much better, but a moment later, the furious roar of a Dragon-Bear cub echoed through the air.

"Senior Brother, what is going on?" The horns on Lin Jiuge's head still ached fiercely, but seeing the Dragon-Bear cub rolling on the ground, she frowned. Hadn't she driven out a portion of that black orb? Could the remaining ones not be handled by the Dragon-Bear clan?

"The little bear cub is undergoing a demonic transformation." Zhou Yan dared not make any sudden movements, fearing he would wake Lin Ji辞 (Lin Jiuci) sleeping on his back. But how could Lin Jiuci sleep so soundly? Such a loud noise hadn't woken him up!

Enlightened Origin Sovereign and Li Yun shared the same suspicion.

"Brute, has Jiuci been sleeping for too long?"

"Indeed, but why do I feel like he isn't just sleeping too long, but rather trapped in a dream?" Li Yun held a different view. The reason he wasn't certain was simply because the smile on Lin Jiuci's lips was far too sweet, looking entirely like a pleasant dream.

"Let's wait and see."

Several adult Dragon-Bears were barely able to hold down the rampaging bear cub.

"What on earth is happening?" Lin Jiuge could not understand the direction events were taking.

"Jiuge, Ah Yan, you're here. Because it wasn't a complete invasion, this partial intrusion lost too much essence and directly underwent demonic transformation," an adult Dragon-Bear standing nearby explained to the two.

"Roar, roar, roar!" The roars of outside Dragon-Bears echoed from the distance.

"Oh no, enemy attack!" The expression of the Dragon-Bear who had just spoken shifted drastically.

"Let's go outside and take a look."

In the end, only three adult Dragon-Bears remained behind to suppress the young Dragon-Bear cub.

With the chaotic noises outside, the little Dragon-Bears inside were also terrified. Their ritual had been interrupted, and none of them had awakened the innate abilities of the Dragon-Bears.

After a long while, a Dragon-Bear on the verge of death stumbled inside.

"Our clansmen are nearly wiped out, and they will be here shortly. We must use the ancestral secret technique to seal this place and never let those people obtain it!" The entering Dragon-Bear had lost one eye.

"But Dragon-Bears have always only inherited their legacy here. Now, due to the accident, the little Dragon-Bears have not received the complete inheritance," said one of the Dragon-Bears holding down the cub.

"Only this one received the full inheritance, yet it has been corrupted." The Dragon-Bear's eyes were filled with profound grief.

"Is there really no other way?"

"If a Dragon-Bear does not receive the inheritance, it will not possess Dragon-Bear abilities. Then, if they receive it later on, will they have them?" Lin Jiuge raised this point.

"Yes." The injured Dragon-Bear was stunned at first, then understood Lin Jiuge's meaning.

"Then, send them away. This place will eventually be reclaimed. Without the inheritance, they will at most be like ordinary spirit beasts, but as long as they live, there is hope," Lin Jiuge said.

"Jiuge, Ah Yan, please help us," the injured Dragon-Bear pleaded.

"Children, come to the totem." The injured Dragon-Bear summoned the Dragon-Bear cubs curled up into furry balls.

The little Dragon-Bear cubs shuffled beneath the totem, brimming with panic and unease.

Lin Jiuge and Zhou Yan stood at the edge of the totem.

The horns of the injured Dragon-Bear began to glow, and the horns on the heads of the two humans involuntarily began to shine in response.

The totem instantly lit up, merging with the faint moonlight, and the little bear cubs began to emit a glow. Their clear eyes were filled with curiosity.

Suddenly, the little bear cub went berserk. Without time for hesitation, Lin Jiuge and Zhou Yan pushed the injured Dragon-Bear and the ones suppressing the enraged cub directly into the totem.

"You—"

"They are still young; they need their elders," Zhou Yan said.

"Thank you."

Suddenly, the enraged little Dragon-Bear cub charged into the totem. Without a second thought, Lin Jiuge flung out the Spirit-Binding Rope tied around her horns, snaring the right hind leg of the cub.

She pulled hard, holding on until the little fur-ball cub and the large Dragon-Bears vanished into the radiance, leaving only the restrained little Dragon-Bear cub roaring in fury.

"Thank you. I will send you out," the mother of the little Dragon-Bear cub said.

"Roar."

Dragon-Bear roars echoed from outside as a continuous stream of ice-blue light motes poured into the totem. The body of the little cub's mother also began to dissolve.

"Jiuge, Ah Yan, thank you both. Please accept the gift of the Dragon-Bear clan." The body of the little cub's mother dissipated, transforming into power that surged into the Spirit-Binding Rope, while she herself turned into a soul entity to restrain the corrupted little Dragon-Bear cub.

The two were enveloped by the gift of the Dragon-Bear clan, their bodies enduring the empowerment as their physical strength continuously increased. The *Thunderous Movement* technique began to circulate, its second stage solidifying rapidly. With their eyes closed, they failed to notice that they had transformed from Dragon-Bears into human forms, though Lin Jiuci behind them still retained the form of a small Dragon-Bear cub. Seeing their appearance, the mother Dragon-Bear was first startled, then smiled—the chance of rebirth for the Dragon-Bear clan lay right here.

Unconscious and still absorbing the energy, the two remained unaware of the changes in their bodies. Lin Jiuge's hair turned flaxen, and a blood-red floral mark appeared between her eyebrows. Lin Jiuci remained in the form of a small Dragon-Bear cub, but a golden floral mark blossomed on his forehead.

As for Zhou Yan, his hair turned golden, his skin became fairer, and a green, leaf-like floral mark appeared on his forehead, radiating an aura of profound holiness.

Watching the changes in the three of them, the mother Dragon-Bear closed her eyes in peace. It was the Hidden Clan and the Spirit Clan that had saved them. She left behind the Dragon-Bear clan's unique method of information transmission.

When the two opened their eyes, their hair had returned to black, and the floral marks flickered and vanished like an illusion.

They looked at each other. Zhou Yan instinctively went to bounce his back, nearly dropping the small bear cub in his hand, and hurriedly caught it. Lin Jiuci was no longer on his back.

"Was it a dream?" Zhou Yan muttered to himself, holding the little Dragon-Bear cub.

"It feels real." Lin Jiuge noticed that half the items in her blood-bound storage pouch were missing.

"Because of that totem." Recalling the events carefully, they realized it was the power of the totem.

Lin Jiuge touched the Spirit-Binding Rope hidden beneath her hair ribbon. Was this thing originally hers, imbued with the power of the Dragon-Bear? Was this a Zhuang Zhou dreaming of a butterfly, or a glimpse of her past life?

"Let's leave." After a long silence, Lin Jiuge spoke. Staying here any longer was meaningless, though it was probably best if this little Dragon-Bear cub wasn't seen by others.

"Leave it to me." Zhou Yan took a drop of blood from the little Dragon-Bear cub, and the two formed an equal contract. Zhou Yan then tucked the cub into his beast-taming pouch.

At the same moment, far away at the Daiyue Sect, Lin Jiuci also opened his eyes. The floral mark between his brows flashed and disappeared. He stretched lazily, feeling that he had slept wonderfully and his body was full of strength.

"Jiuci, do you feel any discomfort anywhere?" Enlightened Origin Sovereign asked.

"No, I feel like this sleep was wonderful, and I even saw my sister and Senior Brother." And they had turned into such strange bears, but they were so cute. Lin Jiuci kept this last thought to himself.

"As long as you're fine." The two of them dismissed the flash of golden light they had just seen as tired eyes.

"Wait, no... Jiuci, your cultivation realm..."