Chapter 672: Dark Dreams (Part 2) (1/2)

Where, where have I seen you before? Ning Que looked at the sky and the Wilderness; he looked at where the light and darkness met and at the corpses that littered the ground. He recalled, that he had seen this in a dream.

Several years ago, when they traveled from the City of Wei to Chang'an, he had a discussion and studied about cultivation from Lyu Qingchen on his journey. That night, he had a dream.

That night when he slept, he hugged Sangsang's cool feet. Perhaps because of this reason, the beginning of the dream he had was very odd.

He dreamt of a sea covered with white flowers. Perhaps they were lotus flowers. When the white flowers dispersed, the green of the sea waters could be seen. However, deep in the sea was a world made of thick blood.

The world of blood was filled with featureless faces. They were sorrowful and filled with fear. He was terrified in his dream. Then, he returned to reality which was on the Wilderness.

He was surrounded by countless corpses. The cavalry of the Tang Empire, warriors from the Yuelun Kingdom, archers from the South Jin Kingdom and many skillful gra.s.sland barbarians' horse-riders. A large amount of blood flowed out from these corpses and dyed the whole wilderness blood red.

Then three columns of dark smoke appeared in the distance, as though they were alive and were coldly staring at the b.l.o.o.d.y scene that was happening on this side.

In the wilderness, many looked up to the sky in astonishment, as did Ning Que. He realized that while the sun blazed, its rays were dim as if the night was approaching. A patch of darkness loomed.

Sangsang stood on the snow lotus, holding a black chess piece in her palms. She looked at the terrifying West-Hill Divine Palace coalition army across her, as the cold aura in her body gushed forth to the world unceasingly.

The night flourished and the light in the south gradually dimmed. Darkness grew, and the Wilderness in spring grew colder and colder. The corpses lying in pools of blood gradually froze.

Ning Que felt a chill when he saw the image before him growing familiar. He was even more certain that what he had seen in that dream was what was happening today. However, there were some minute changes, such as, not seeing corpses of The Desolate in his dream, and that there was a blazing sun in it.

Then, Ning Que recalled that when he had ascended the mountain as a test to enter the Second floor of the Academy several years earlier; he had yet another dream just before the last rock.

He came to the Wilderness in that dream. There were numerous people who were looking up at the sky where the endless darkness was slowly pervading. Their faces were filled with desperation and fear.

In that dream, he spoke to someone.

The imagery of the dream had been seared in Ning Que's memory and it frightened him. He had never told Sangsang about it, becoming his greatest secret, one that he subconsciously tried to forget.

Until today, when the dark dreams became reality.

Ning Que looked at Sangsang and at the swirling black aura around her. He trembled lightly. He only understood then, that the omen in the dreams were not about anything else but Sangsang.

He had stayed with Sangsang throughout this life, so the dreams stayed with him.

The first time he had dreamt this dark dream was in the horse carriage where he hugged Sangsang's feet to sleep. Now that he thought about it, that was probably the night Sangsang awakened.

In that dark dream, he had seen three columns of black smoke. Sangsang should be one of them, then where are the other two terrifying black columns?

Ning Que looked around him but did not see any. He thought about it for a long while until the darkness in the sky gradually defeated the light in the south. However, he still did not come to any conclusion.

Suddenly, he turned around to see the Big Black Horse raising its front hooves and crouching in front of the black horse carriage like a dog. It looked up at the light and darkness in the sky pitting against each other and looked petrified.

Sangsang was standing right in front of the Desolate Man's tribe, facing the West-Hill Divine Palace coalition army. She was looking very alone, and by her side, stood only Ning Que and the Big Black Horse. The cold aura spewing forth from her body stirred up the gravel and gra.s.s bits on the ground, enveloping him and the horse into it.

Ning Que froze up slightly, understanding that the other two black columns of smoke were him and the black horse carriage.

In that dream, he stood in front of the West-Hill Divine Palace coalition army and looked to the north. There, he saw three columns of black smoke. In reality, he stood in the north today and was part of the three columns of black smoke.

He turned out to be part of the three columns that brought fear and despair to the whole world.

However, he was standing in the south in that dream, so why was he standing here now? When had he switched camps, turning his back against the light and heading to the dark? When had he made the choice?

Had he made his choice as a child, at that moment when he waved his cleaver at the chamberlain in the woodshed? Or had he made the decision when he ascended the mountain to the Second floor of the Academy, when he killed the young master and chamberlain in the mirage and absconded into the darkness?

Was it when he got to know that Sangsang was the Daughter of Yama in Lanke Temple, or when he did not hesitate to walk into the Light of Buddha and opened the Big Black Umbrella. Could it be when he was running for his life in the Wilderness, or was it when he butchered the innocent ma.s.ses in Chaoyang City...

He made a decision in his dream.

And in reality, he made the same choice.

Ning Que remembered that the dark dream had occurred again.

It occurred in Chang'an when he first started to cultivate and was able to sense the Qi of Heaven and Earth. He was so moved that he teared up and then hugged Sangsang until he fell asleep.