Legend of the Great Sage (Chapter 701-Chapter 833)

“What’s this?” Xiao An raised her head and looked. The nightmare did not seem dangerous.

The Clam King of Mirage Sea answered with a question, “Do you know what the most primitive, deepest, longest lasting, and strongest feeling is?”

“Love!”

That obviously was not Xiao An’s reply. Instead, a young girl leapt out from the Clam King of Mirage Sea’s body, clasping her heart in a yearning manner.

“It burns fiercely, but it doesn’t last.” The Clam King of Mirage Sea shook her head, and the young girl paled.

“Friendship!” A bearded, forthright man leapt out of the Clam King of Mirage Sea.

“Even lifelong friends remain wary of one another!” The Clam King of Mirage Sea waved her hand in contempt. The man fell silent.

“Familial love!” An old granny with white hair emerged this time, speaking amiably.

“Loving mothers are common, but filial children are rare.” The Clam King of Mirage Sea sighed, and the old granny silently shed tears.

“Hatred?” a young man with a twisted face said sunkenly.

“A fabrication of the mind.”

“Thought!” A wise man stroked his long beard.

“Groundless nonsense.”

Figures leapt out one after another, stating various different answers before being rebuked by the Clam King of Mirage Sea and backing down in silence.

She spoke to herself and acted out a performance alone like a madman.

“Dreams!” Xiao An suddenly said.

The Clam King of Mirage Sea paused momentarily. She smiled. “That’s interesting, but still wrong! All people have dreams, but they’re as fragile as bubbles, and they’re just a beautification of desire. This complicated version of desire is nothing compared to the only true answer.”

Xiao An said nothing.

“It’s fear!”

The Clam King of Mirage Sea’s voice trembled, spreading her arms and howling at the sky before hugging her shoulders and collapsing onto her knees. The figures around her all showed fear before vanishing.

“The fear of missing out, the fear of loss, the fear of life, the fear of death. People strive forward valiantly because of fear, and they hesitate and falter because of fear. They cry out because of fear and keep silent because of fear… All creatures feel fear, and behind all of their actions is fear. Failure leads to greater fears, while success brings new fears! Fear, fear, fear!”

The Clam King of Mirage Sea’s voice gradually became feeble. She curled up and collapsed on the ground like a frightened child. She sobbed gently. “So scary!”

“So what?” Xiao An said.

The Clam King of Mirage Sea leapt up as if her performance earlier was merely an illusion. She pointed at the reflection of the dream in the sky. “That’s no regular nightmare. It’s the deepest, darkest fear from the bottom of his heart, free of any unfounded desires and dreams! Hehehehe, do you really think he can survive?”

Xiao An’s face changed.

“Look, even you have fear. I know now. There’s absolutely no need for me to pull you into a dream. It’s too fake anyway. As long as you remain awake and watch what you fear the most unfold right before you, that’ll be enough.”

The Clam King of Mirage Sea rubbed her hands together mischievously and said with her ever-fluctuating voice with an eerie tone.

“Hmm? What’s this?” The Clam King of Mirage Sea was slightly surprised, gazing at the sky.

At this moment, the first sandstorm in the dream arrived. The bellow of the black ox rang out from the dream, echoing through the entire world of the Mirage sea.

“What is this shitty dream? Don’t tell me he’s frightened to death by that ox!”

The Clam King of Mirage Sea was perplexed. Even though he could create dreams, he could not necessarily interpret every single detail. He interfered in a hurry to maintain the dream. Very soon, the black ox vanished in the sandstorm. Li Qingshan found the stone pillar again, but Xiao An had already vanished.

“Hmm? Looks like the ox isn’t fear, but some kind of powerful symbol. To him, it’s an extraordinary, miraculous existence. It actually almost burst the dream, but isn’t this a little too surreal?”

The Clam King of Mirage Sea exhaled. She really did find that quite strange coming from her. After all, he had seen the most bizarre illusions and dreams that were possible. Even the modern city Li Qingshan had imagined only left him slightly intrigued.

“Look, the main show is here. Now that he’s lost you, he can only advance through the desert alone. His fear is growing deeper and deeper!” The Clam King of Mirage Sea sat back comfortably, eating melon seeds as she appreciated the dream. She suddenly asked Xiao An, “You want some too?”

Xiao An completely ignored her. She just watched as Li Qingshan passed through sandstorm after sandstorm as the confusion on his face grew heavier and heavier. Her heart condensed through her powers ached slightly.

“This kid’s fears sure are different. Regular people all see some kind of terrifying monster or enemies who’ve come back from the dead. What’s worth mentioning is I’ve taken the stage multiple times too. However, this kid’s surface-level desires are actually fighting monsters and climbing up the building. He’s basically a battle fanatic, so in other words, he’s not afraid of fighting against me? How audacious. Though, just like what I said, fear is the most primitive and deepest feeling in everyone’s hearts. There is no exception, so resign to your fate! Why don’t we gamble on how he’ll die?”

The Clam King of Mirage Sea then took out a bucket of popcorn as if she was watching a new movie with great interest.

Xiao An drew her sword and said, “Wake him up immediately and let us leave, or I’ll kill you!”

“Kill me?” The Clam King of Mirage Sea pointed at himself in the face, and his ever-changing face suddenly stabilised. The faces all overlapped, filled with the same disbelief. “Do you know who I am?”

“I am the Clam! King! Of! Mirage! Sea! Hahahaha! Hack! Cough! Cough! Cough!” The Clam King of Mirage Sea’s voice reverberated through the air, letting out a wild laugh followed by a wild fit of coughing. She choked on the popcorn.

“I have absolutely no hostility towards you,” said Xiao An.

The Clam King of Mirage Sea leaned against her arm and was troubled. “That sure is a problem! Yeah, I’ll just let you hack me to your heart’s content then!”

Xiao An swung down!

The Clam King of Mirage Sea brought her palms together and caught the sword. “Your sword is a little strange. I feel like I shouldn’t let you slash me.”

In the world of the Mirage sea, even if the Myriad Poison Ancestor struck out at full strength when he was at peak condition, he could forget about harming the Clam King of Mirage Sea with her strength. Just being able to escape from the Mirage sea was already a great blessing.

However, the Buddha Slaying sword was no regular arcane treasure. It possessed a unique power that even made the Clam King of Mirage Sea sense hints of danger.

Xiao An pulled her sword hard, but it refused to budge. The pale-white Samādhi Flames of White Bone lit up in her eyes, and the Skull Prayer Beads slid off her hand.

“Give up. If you’d undergone the third heavenly tribulation, then I might have to be wary of you, but right now, you’re nowhere close to being my opponent. If you continue like this, even your heart of emptiness will become filled with true hostility or even killing intent for his sake. By then, even you will be in danger. I don’t want to kill you.”

The Clam King of Mirage Sea said sternly, both resembling a warning and advice. The colour in her eyes changed, revealing the bearing of a supreme Daemon King. She was even more powerful than Li Qingshan imagined her to be.

However, Xiao An did not care. “Release him!”