Well, I did read the next chap of the novel after the manhua's "end", and nope, it wasn't supposed to be just a dream.
So, i atleast found solace in the fact that we have another ending.
To be fair, this series is really long and although the story is really original from some point onwards, most readers wouldn't get to that point when you have a few other manhuas that have a similar premise and are shorter and even more interesting.
Most readers read this for the girls.(Even me at the beginning)
But as the story progressed, it got me thinking about the ending,like where would he stop and who would be the final victor among his pursuers.
Tbh, if anilist showed it's status as cancelled, i probably wouldn't have even picked it up