Gates of the Myriad Realms Chapter 354

The phone rang.

It rang for too long.

He couldn’t sleep anymore, so he opened his eyes.

All was quiet.

The light was dim, as if dawn hadn’t broken yet.

The phone displayed “6:50”.

Had to get up early… because there was class today…

Shen Ye yawned and climbed out of bed, only to find that Nangong Sirui had already brushed his teeth and washed his face, and was now putting on his shoes.

“I’m heading out first to exercise, see you at the cafeteria later.”

Nangong Sirui patted his shoulder and walked towards the door.

As if remembering something, Nangong Sirui paused and gave Shen Ye a thumbs up:

“Oh, right, you did well yesterday.”

Then he left.

The door closed.

Yesterday?

What did he do yesterday?

Shen Ye was a little confused.

Suddenly, a searing pain shot through the back of his head.

This pain surpassed his limit of endurance, causing him to scream and instantly fall to the ground.

A series of scenes flashed rapidly through his mind.

The Black King.

The one who challenged it.

The battle in the universe.

The little girl.

The split personalities.

The mother body.

Finally—

Purgatory.

The Purgatory world turned blank, and then he woke up.

Woke up…

Was all that just a dream?

Shen Ye lay on the ground, gasping for breath, waiting for the pain to gradually subside.

For a moment.

He couldn’t distinguish between dream and reality.

The phone suddenly vibrated.

“Hello?”

“You’re awake?” Xiao Mengyu’s voice came from the other end.

“Yes, it’s almost seven, and I have class today.” Shen Ye heard himself utter these words so skillfully.

Another unfamiliar memory surfaced in his mind, causing his headache to suddenly intensify.

He couldn’t help but let out a painful groan, but suddenly bit his hand to keep from making a sound.

If—

This sudden memory was real, then Xiao Mengyu would say it immediately.

“Thank you for yesterday—when entering the nightmare world, you used that mechanism to help me forge two swords, and then also helped me fight monsters, I’ve learned brand new swordsman skills!”

Xiao Mengyu said happily.

…It’s true.

Those things really happened yesterday.

But…

The one who kissed me—

Was it just a long dream?

Shen Ye got up, pulled open the curtains, and looked outside.

Xirang High School.

From the playground to the teaching building, everything was intact.

It indeed looked like it was just after the start of the school year.

The great tomb reappearing in the world.

After organization by the teachers, all students and even professionals worldwide were about to start exploring the great tomb.

There was simply no such thing as what happened in the dream.

“No.”

Shen Ye blurted out.

“No? No what?” Xiao Mengyu asked curiously.

“I’ll get back to you later.” Shen Ye hung up the phone, got off the ground, stumbled into the bathroom, and turned on the faucet.

He cupped some water, splashed it vigorously on his face, took a few deep breaths, and then looked into the mirror.

In the mirror was himself.

If…

His hand gently touched the mirror, but the mirror showed no reaction.

Right.

He was no longer the “Lord of No Life.”

But the term “Lord of No Life” also appeared in the dream; with the end of the dream, he realized it had never appeared in reality.

Ridiculous.

Was all that just a dream?

“Charlotte, you’re not like this, I will never admit—”

Shen Ye muttered softly, then suddenly remembered something.

Law Aspect!

His Law Aspect came from the great tomb, it was the “Guanghan Palace,” possessing the future-related attribute “Will meet under the moon on a jade terrace.”

This, she couldn’t possibly turn into a dream!

“Law Aspect Descent.”

Shen Ye softly uttered, retreating a step, directly activating the attribute power, and entering the Guanghan Palace.

The mountains were still mountains.

The sea was boundless.

The wild nests were still there.

The great tomb barracks were also there.

Wait—

Shen Ye walked forward step by step, looking at the scattered bones on the ground.

All the bones spelled out lines of small words:

“I’ve taken the Hun Tian Art, otherwise many high-dimensional universe people would come to snatch it, which would be unfavorable to you.”

“—Left by Pe’a Suo.”

“Study hard, don’t fall in love too early.”

“—Nancy.”

“All the bugs have been crushed, you must make good use of the great tomb, your Law Aspect has deep roots with it, and the nightmare world is also arranged.”

“—Annie.”

“Grow strong soon, and come find me.”

“—Charlotte.”

Shen Ye stared blankly at these messages, instinctively taking a deep breath, feeling the reality of it all.

He felt like he had come alive again.

It wasn’t a dream!

It was because she used the Hun Tian Art when she left.

But—

“Hey, are you still alive?”

Shen Ye asked.

The piles of bones on the ground suddenly made a dry sound:

“Heaven have mercy! You finally came in to talk!”

Then all the bones quickly gathered together, making a series of dense clattering sounds, reforming into the Big Skeleton.

The Big Skeleton squatted on the ground, baring its teeth and moving its body.

“What was that just now?”

Shen Ye asked with a smile.

“You remember in Purgatory, when that woman told me to leave while she was talking, right?” the Big Skeleton said.

“Ah, yes, I remember she was very polite then,” Shen Ye said.

“Polite!” the Big Skeleton shrieked, “I went back to the Law Aspect to make room for you guys, and the moment I came back, I ended up looking like what you just saw!”

“—Unless you speak, I can’t move.”

Shen Ye crossed his arms, deep in thought:

“Is that so? She left the message so early…”

“Using my body!” the Big Skeleton said with profound indignation.

“Sorry, I really didn’t know,” Shen Ye quickly said.

“Hmph, that woman is too terrifying—Shen Ye, think about it carefully, she has four personalities, tsk tsk, it won’t be easy to get along with her in the future, this is just me giving you a friendly reminder as a buddy,” the Big Skeleton chattered on.

“You’ve been wronged for your brother, tell me, how should your brother compensate you.” Shen Ye said.

The Big Skeleton was overjoyed: “I want to go back and see my old lady.”

Old lady…

Does Underworld Lord Mictecasihua allow you to call her that?

Has this skeleton been out of touch with the human customs of the Undead Empire for too long from mixing with me?

It seems I haven’t cared enough about you.

“Okay, once I figure things out, I’ll go back and check.” Shen Ye reflected, while also making a promise.

“Then I’ll wait for your news.” The Big Skeleton said happily.

Shen Ye exited the Law Aspect.

Outside, there was a knocking sound on the door.

“Shen Ye!”

Guo Yunye called out.

“Coming.” Shen Ye opened the door to see him and Zhang Xiaoyi standing there.

“Going to eat?”

“Let’s go.”

Shen Ye wiped the water droplets from his face with a towel, then changed clothes, closed the door, and walked with the two towards the cafeteria.

Along the way.

Zhang Xiaoyi and Guo Yunye chatted animatedly about the opening of the great tomb.

Shen Ye, however, noticed a shimmering light dot in the lower left corner of his vision.

…What is this?

As he pondered, the light dot expanded, forming two lines of faint glowing text:

“Traversed too long a time-space to return to the present, all notification messages have been consolidated.”

“Do you want to view the first message now?”

“View,” Shen Ye said.

Lines of faint glowing text quickly appeared:

“You have won the love of Charlotte, the current strongest individual in the universe, and have fundamentally altered the fate of all beings from being slaughtered by the Demon of Fear, Nine Aspects.”

“The name Baxter has transcended planetary limitations, gaining temporarily unknown significant weight in the vast universe.”

“Brotherhood attribute: Vampire Child has now been upgraded.”

“Special note: This attribute, upon leveling up, will be recognized and elevated to a noble status, thus acquiring exclusive high-level terminology to enhance the power of the entire attribute name.”

Shen Ye was a bit surprised.

Add a word?

First time seeing that.

So, the “Vampire Child” attribute is going to change?

What new attribute will it become?

—It couldn’t be “Seven Vampire Children” or “Vajra Vampire Child,” could it?

After all, he hadn’t shown any “Vajra” qualities or behaviors.

Could it be “Grandpa”?

Or “Pangolin”?

While he speculated, the faint glowing text disappeared.

New small characters emerged:

“Congratulations, you have gained a new attribute:”

“Vampire Bro.”

“Dark Gold Rank (Unparalleled), Self-evolving attribute.”

“Description: Allows attributes, items, skills, and professions of the same category to merge. They will merge into a brand new attribute, item, skill, and profession. The merge will produce a super-evolutionary effect, but will consume a certain amount of mental energy.”

“If you can achieve more commendable deeds related to brotherhood, this attribute will evolve into a higher-level attribute.”

Shen Ye’s whole face stiffened.

The heck with “child” being “child,” I’ve already managed to adapt to that, but now it’s “bro”!

Are you messing with me?!

Perhaps sensing that his emotions were on the verge of erupting, more faint glowing text appeared:

“The Dharma Realm has made a special clarification:”

“Attributes with a ‘Bro’ suffix are high-ranking prestigious attributes.”

“—’Vampire Bro’ is a high-level, distinguished attribute specially recognized to commend your magnificent achievement of saving the living beings of the universe through love, using incredible methods!”

Is there such a saying?

Or is it just a casual excuse?

Unable to restrain himself, Shen Ye directed his mental energy into the Law Aspect and called out:

“Big Skeleton, you always know a lot, I have a question for you.”

“Speak,” the Big Skeleton articulated, adjusting its pelvis.

“In the ‘names’ bestowed by the Dharma Realm, if an attribute has the suffix ‘Bro,’ what does that mean?” Shen Ye asked.

Upon hearing this, the Big Skeleton immediately adopted a serious demeanor, almost reverently saying:

“The Book of the Undead states that all great figures with the suffix ‘Bro’ have accomplished earth-shattering deeds and are destined to be remembered by future generations.”

Shen Ye fell silent.

It seemed to be true.

Looking more closely at the attribute’s effect description—

It seemed pretty powerful too.

Dark Gold attribute.

An unparalleled level of attribute.

And—

Those with “Bro” are great figures?

Will be remembered by future generations?

—Laozi, Zhuangzi, Confucius, Mencius.

It does seem to be the case.

Me.

Vampire Bro.

…Still something’s not right.

Although all have “Bro,” my attribute just doesn’t stand up against theirs.

“Shen Ye, what’s wrong? You don’t look so good.”

Guo Yunye scrutinized Shen Ye, asking with concern.

“It’s nothing, didn’t sleep well yesterday.” Shen Ye rubbed his face hard, trying to calm himself down.

Zhang Xiaoyi chimed in: “A good meal will fix you right up. But speaking of which, after you guys entered the nightmare world from the great tomb yesterday, you really gained a lot.”

“Gains?” Shen Ye repeated.

“Yeah, the whole school is buzzing! They say Xiao Mengyu learned new sword techniques and is about to advance to the third stage of the Dharma Realm!” Guo Yunye said, full of yearning.

—So that’s how this part was arranged.

Perhaps, maybe, Charlotte was afraid others would know she was a songstress.

And the fact that he could merge equipment, she also kept hidden.

She really was thoughtful.

A warm feeling welled up in Shen Ye’s heart.

At this moment, the three had arrived at the cafeteria.

Nangong Sirui was eating noodles.

The group got their food, sat with him, and buried their heads, devouring it.

Occasionally, classmates passing by would call out “Brother Ye.”

Shen Ye responded with a smile to each.

Seems I’m quite respected?

“Who would have thought you could become an assassin for the Shadow Brotherhood in the nightmare world, tsk tsk.”

Nangong Sirui poked his noodle soup with chopsticks, speaking with a hint of sourness.

Oh.

So that’s what it was.

Shen Ye suddenly understood.

Charlotte had turned everything about the invasion of the nightmare world by the “Nine Aspects” and the “Five Desires” into a dream, letting it perish.

So the current nightmare world should be the nightmare world that hasn’t been invaded.

The gods didn’t die in battle.

The world was flourishing.

As for him still retaining his identity as a member of the Shadow Brotherhood—

Charlotte probably performed a series of complex operations, using the Hun Tian Art multiple times.

Then.

What about the “Peppa” attribute?

A faint light continued to appear:

“You have still been given the name ‘Saint Peppa’ by the prince.”

“The great ‘Roly’ and ‘Peppa’ in history were legendary professional powerhouses in the nightmare world, not saviors of the world.”

“—Charlotte personally covered it up with a dream.”

Roly is Annie.

Peppa is himself.

Being covered up was to protect himself.

Tsk.

To say he wasn’t moved would be a lie.

Shen Ye had something on his mind and couldn’t eat much, just slowly chewing his rice while continuing to look into the void.

All right.

Leave Vampire Bro and Peppa aside for now.

Let’s look at the next prompt.

With his thought, the faint light dispersed and gathered again, forming new small characters:

“Your ‘World Link Gate’ and ‘Hanged Man’s Gate’ have fused into one, thereby dispersing all previous gate skills, leaving only the basic world teleportation gate ability.”

Shen Ye paused, then quickly accepted this fact.

Indeed.

Losing “Time Fluid,” “Unchanging Dharma-gate,” and “Star Shift” was not what he wanted.

But to save Charlotte at the time, he had to get rid of the “Lord of No Life” profession.

So fusion was the only option.

This was a necessary cost.

Besides, it might not be a loss, because—

“Under the effect of ‘Vampire Child,’ this fusion produced a super-evolution.”

“You have gained a brand new talent gate skill:”

“Dimension Gate.”

“Gate ability, high-level talent skill, capable of evolving various branch gate skills.”

“Description: Using an item as a spatiotemporal artifact, opens a gate to the time-space it has experienced, and can open a gate to return to the current time-space at any time.”

“Furthermore, this gate can still link to the world closest to you.”

“—I came, I saw, I conquered.”

Excellent!

This is absolutely excellent!

So-called time-space refers to a certain place at a certain time.

Being able to return to a certain world in the past, and also go to other worlds!

This deal is definitely worthwhile, totally worth it!

Shen Ye’s heart relaxed.

At this moment, a melodious music drifted from the playground.

Upon hearing the music, everyone immediately sped up their eating.

“What are you waiting for, eat quickly, it’s time to assemble.”

Nangong Sirui called out.

“Okay, I was thinking about something else just now.” Shen Ye said.

“We just came back from the nightmare world today, how about we spar again?” Nangong Sirui said.

“Later,” Shen Ye said, burying his head in his rice.

“You’re no fun,” Nangong Sirui grumbled.

“Who knows what the situation in the nightmare world will be like today,” Zhang Xiaoyi interjected.

Nangong Sirui then fell silent.

Yes, the nightmare world was very dangerous. Instead of thinking about what happens after they return, it would be better to think about how to face various challenges in the nightmare world.

Soon.

The group finished breakfast together and rushed towards the playground.

By the time they arrived, the playground was already packed with people.

The music stopped.

The broadcast emitted sounds of news reporting:

“At 7 PM local time, Human King Norton and the three Arch-Priests of the Elven race signed a joint declaration in St. Brunos.”

“Both sides agreed to further deepen cooperation in food, education, health, and security.”

“Both sides unanimously condemned the provocative actions of the Undead race along the borders of the two nations.”

“The Human race will form a joint army with the Elven race…”

Shen Ye noticed that the students around him listened with exceptional focus.

The nightmare world had become a barrier to the Great Tomb Immortal Kingdom.

—One must overcome the trials of the barrier to reach the Great Tomb Immortal Kingdom.

So everyone was very serious.

Immortal Kingdom…

Shen Ye remembered Charlotte’s words:

“…It is a speck of dust fallen from an extremely high-dimensional upper universe, but within that dust lies the secret of the highest-dimensional celestial kingdom.”

Grow stronger.

If he obtained the inherited power of the celestial kingdom from the highest dimensional universe, he should be able to become stronger.

Besides, his Law Aspect and attributes already came from this inheritance.

—That’s why Charlotte emphasized the celestial kingdom.

She must hope that he would ascend to the high-level universe soon.

Shen Ye thought silently.

On the broadcast, the news gradually finished reporting.

A majestic voice then sounded:

“The current situation is dire, and war in the nightmare world could break out at any moment.”

“Today, only a handful of approved students are allowed to enter the nightmare world, everyone else return to your classrooms for lessons!”

“The list is currently being reviewed and will be announced in ten minutes!”

The square immediately erupted in a clamor of dissatisfaction.

But no matter how dissatisfied, once the school had decided, it was unchangeable.

Shen Ye suddenly pulled out his playing card.

On it was a message from Xu Xingke:

“Come see me at the back mountain.”

It had been a long time since he’d seen his teacher.

“Yes.”

Shen Ye replied, then strode away from the square.

Behind the school mountain.

Xu Xingke was talking with a few people.

As soon as Shen Ye arrived, Xu Xingke said, “Alright, that’s enough for today, I need to tend to my student now.”

Those people seemed a bit reluctant.

But since Xu Xingke had spoken, they had no choice but to leave.

“Teacher.”

Shen Ye greeted him.

“Hmm, there’s a situation worth noting, so I’ll brief you on it,” Xu Xingke said.

“Please tell me, Teacher,” Shen Ye said.

“The power fluctuations of the great tomb are growing stronger, attracting attention from outer space. Recently, quite a few strangers have secretly descended and entered the nightmare world, intending to reach the great tomb,” Xu Xingke said.

“Are they very strong?” Shen Ye asked.

Xu Xingke was silent for a moment, then said:

“Some are emissaries from higher worlds, they are ruthless and will stop at nothing to achieve their goals.”

“—So I’m reminding you, be careful when you meet strangers.”

“Yes, thank you for the warning, Teacher.”

“You may go.”

Shen Ye was about to leave, then suddenly had a thought.

“Teacher, where exactly does the Tower of Tarot come from?”

“Why suddenly ask about that?” Xu Xingke looked surprised.

“Just a bit curious,” Shen Ye said.

“The Tower of Tarot naturally has its origins, but not telling you about it is actually protecting you.”

Xu Xingke mused, then summoned a book, drew a card from it, and handed it to Shen Ye.

“I originally planned to give it to you later, but since you asked, and I’m about to comprehend the ninth realm and won’t have much time to teach you—”

“Teacher is about to break through?” Shen Ye asked happily.

“I’ve been having some feelings lately, it’s very possible I’ll advance another step,” Xu Xingke said.

Countless thoughts surged in Shen Ye’s mind.

Charlotte’s battle changed the past—

The great tomb was originally controlled by the Mother of the Swarm.

Then Xu Xingke and others entering the great tomb would be like sheep entering a tiger’s mouth.

But in the past, Charlotte killed the Mother of the Swarm, “crushing those bugs.”

So the great tomb could be safely explored.

This saved everyone.

Xu Xingke also gained an opportunity because of this, and began to break through to the ninth level of the Dharmakaya.

—What a stroke of luck.

“Shen Ye, this Tarot card is for you to use for a while, it’s a unique piece, cherish it well.”

Shen Ye looked at the card.

On the card was a drawing of a table with a pot of lilies on it.

A bearded man sat behind the table, smiling at Shen Ye.

“This is the Master of Combat Guidance; he can guide anyone in many aspects, making it an extremely valuable Tarot card,” Xu Xingke said.

“Thank you, Teacher.” Shen Ye said.

“Hmm, work hard, come find me anytime if you need anything. Contact me via card is fine too,” Xu Xingke said.

“Yes.”

Shen Ye left the back mountain.

Throughout the school, loudspeakers blared:

“Below is the list of students approved to be teleported to the great tomb. Students whose names are called, please gather in the plaza; the teleportation will begin shortly.”

Shen Ye strolled back to the plaza.

Sure enough, the broadcast called out his name.

Everyone else had already left.

Only a few scattered individuals still stood in the plaza.

Shen Ye saw Nangong Sirui, Xiao Mengyu, and—

Guo Yunye.

Xiao Mengyu was talking with another girl some distance away, seeming a bit shy to come over.

The few boys chatted while they waited.

“Yunye? You’ve broken through?” Shen Ye asked.

“Hmm, I can now cooperate with others to use their professions to achieve my own,” Guo Yunye said.

“I don’t understand.” Shen Ye shrugged.

Guo Yunye walked over to Nangong Sirui and whispered, “Third brother, is it okay?”

“Yes.” Nangong Sirui nodded proudly, hands behind his back.

Guo Yunye placed his hand on his shoulder, and with a “slap,” turned into a handsome adult male with beast ears and claw-like hands.

“What is this?” Shen Ye asked curiously.

“The most famous power of our Nangong family is the Yaksha’s strength, Yunye can borrow my Yaksha’s strength and transform into the corresponding non-human profession,” Nangong Sirui explained.

Shen Ye looked again at the familiar-looking beast-eared man, his heart suddenly skipped a beat, and he blurted out:

“Inuyasha!”

The beast-eared man and Nangong Sirui showed surprise, and said in unison:

“You actually recognized it at a glance?”

Shen Ye awkwardly rubbed his forehead, unsure how to respond.

Folks.

That copyright is very expensive.

“You’re right, but the order of the names is a bit off—mine is called Yaksha Hound—I think that name sounds better,” the beast-eared man added.

“…Alright, alright,” Shen Ye muttered to himself.

He became interested and curiously said, “My profession is ‘Night Roamer,’ I wonder what you could turn into if you borrowed it.”

“Try it?” the beast-eared man said.

“Okay!” Shen Ye said happily.

The beast-eared man walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Slap.”

The beast-eared man instantly transformed into a dirty cur, tail drooping, looking dispirited.

“Brother Ye, I’m not cooperating with you anymore.”

The cur said.

“Why?” Shen Ye asked.

“Your ‘Night Roamer’ blessing on me turns me into a stray dog.” The cur was on the verge of tears.

Shen Ye and Nangong Sirui exchanged a glance.

It seems… that makes sense…

Normal dogs don’t roam at night.

Only stray dogs do.

“It seems you two aren’t compatible enough,” Nangong Sirui commented.

“Yes, sorry, Yunye should go find Little Third instead.” Shen Ye sighed.

The stray dog ran over, put its paw on Nangong Sirui, and with a “snap” turned back into the handsome man.

The broadcast suddenly blared:

“Attention, students on the list!”

“Teleportation is about to begin!”

“Countdown 10 seconds.”

“10.”

“9.”

“…”

Everyone stopped chatting and prepared themselves.

Finally.

Light surged from underground, forming individual rune arrays that enveloped them.

Shush—

They all vanished.

Nightmare world.

A flash.

Several people appeared simultaneously in the forest outside the barracks.

“Shen Ye.”

Xiao Mengyu walked over, smiling at him.

“I’m heading to the recruit training camp, come find me when you have time.”

With that, she walked towards the barracks outside the forest.

“Me too.” Nangong Sirui patted Shen Ye and walked out of the woods.

“Me too.” The beast-eared man said.

Several classmates left together, leaving only Shen Ye.

“…” Shen Ye.

No—

Brothers and sisters, you’re all at the recruit training camp, but what about me?

As he was thinking, he saw a hand emerging from behind a tree not far away.

The hand bent its middle and ring fingers, extended its pinky, index, and thumb, forming a “I love you” gesture as if at a concert.

—It was the secret signal of the Shadow Brotherhood!

Shen Ye immediately made an “I love you” gesture back, and said:

“May the shadows protect us all.”

“The shadows protect those who uphold justice,” a voice responded from behind the tree: “Welcome back, Brother Peppa.”