Infinite Terror: Infinite Reversal

Chapter 426 Holy Land
“Nightmare should be nocturnal, but under Master’s command, they are behaving the opposite… This shows both their sincerity and that their so-called battle is indeed urgent,” Mu Xiang said to the two in his mind.

Zhang Jie pondered for a moment in the next room: "We'll see when the time comes. If the main god also issues a mission, then we'll know what to do."

Zheng Zha chimed in, while Mu Xiang remained noncommittal.

“This place is huge,” Zheng Zha suddenly remarked.

Zhang Jie agreed, saying, "Indeed, this place is even larger than Earth, and my mental scan cannot easily monitor the entire area."

"Tsk, you've already said that..." Zheng Zha sighed, then asked worriedly, "With such a big map, won't we run out of time?"

Mu Xiang smiled and said, "There's no need to worry about that. One hour on Earth is equivalent to one week in the Dream Realm... and we've exchanged for two months of time, which is more than enough. But one thing to note is that, according to the setting, the available time in the Dream Realm is related to one's will."

"Moreover, the flow of time in the Dream Realm is not uniform, and the consumption of time varies in different areas. One hour is equal to one week, which is a fairly common calculation." Mu Xiang pushed up his glasses and continued in his mind, "This is also one of the reasons why I only brought the two of you in. Even though Zheng Zha and I haven't overcome our inner demons yet, our willpower is still at the fourth level, not to mention Zhang Jie."

Zheng Zha asked in confusion, "Why? If the others can't stay, they can't stay. Didn't you say that unless they physically smuggle themselves in and then die, they'll just wake up?"

“No, Mu Xiang probably means the punishment for the mission…” Zhang Jie’s voice became serious. “If you accept the mission in the Dream Realm and then fail, even if you don’t die on the spot, can you make up for it? Going back to the horror movie, if we don’t complete the mission, the deduction of reward points and side quests isn’t a big deal for us, but the problem is…”

"For a team like ours, the punishments are also increasing... We've had our share of being wiped out."

Mu Xiang nodded: "That's right, that's the problem... According to the original setting, if you die in the Dream Realm, you can no longer enter it through dreams, and you will lose all memories related to the Dream Realm. Let alone bringing others, even we can't afford to encounter this situation."

Zheng Zha couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine. If he really encountered this situation... even if he didn't die on the spot, he would die without realizing it when the time came!
Zhang Jie gave a wry smile: "Yes, even the main god cannot easily eliminate a fourth-tier expert... but we can't gamble. Let alone the others, apart from the two of you, even I might not receive such preferential treatment."

Mu Xiang closed his eyes and said in his heart, "Thinking about failure now is a bit too pessimistic... Once we meet the main god of the Dream Realm, we will naturally get the information, and we will most likely receive a mission, which will make things much easier."

The three of them fell silent and rested in the stable sedan chair, waiting to arrive at their destination.

Since entering the Dream Realm, the time on the God Watch has become chaotic. This forces Mu Xiang to set a timer in his mind and calculate the time by reading it at a stable frequency.

The dreamscape was larger than they had imagined, but the Nightmare Guard was also quite fast. Finally, after two hours, Mu Xiang and his companions were delivered to their destination.

"Hehe, this chief god isn't in such a hurry, quite courteous indeed." Mu Xiang chuckled inwardly, then saw two Nightmares lift the curtain of the sedan chair and gesture for him to enter. He nodded and jumped down from the sedan chair. The Nightmares treated them like people who couldn't fly, even placing the sedan chair smoothly on the ground.

Mu Xiang watched as the other two alighted from the sedan chair, nodded to them, and then followed the staff of the leading Nightmare, looking into the distance. Countless Nightmares descended from above, forming two rows in front of the three, drawing a long path leading upwards. The leading Nightmare held its staff in a strange posture, flying forward almost skimming the ground, yet guiding the three in the right direction.

Seeing Zheng Zha and Zhang Jie looking somewhat bewildered, Mu Xiang smiled and said, "Keep up, both of you, and be mindful of your appearance... This should be the holy site, Mount Engranik."

The three followed the Nightmare's guidance and headed up the mountain. Just as Zhang Jie was muttering, "There's no reason to let guests climb the mountain on their own," a light and shadow appeared ahead. A strange and beautiful light swirled out, and a hoarse conch shell and a piercing seashell sounded at the same time. Surrounded by the sea god, the merman, and the fairy, an old man in a gray robe with white hair and beard descended.

The Nightmares on both sides knelt down to welcome the arrival of the chief god.

Mu Xiang narrowed his eyes. To him, the gray-robed old man in front of him was not terrifying... but this gray-robed old man was not just the power of one person.

Zheng Zha's voice echoed in his mind: "This guy... is so much stronger than the demigods of the Polar Day Society!"

“But not a spirit tablet,” Mu Xiang added. “His strength is definitely enough to be a major god of this plane, much stronger than those octopuses, which is not surprising at all.”

"Just as the prophecy of the Abyss Tide has been fulfilled, the three distinguished guests have indeed graced the Dreamland with their presence." The gray-robed elder spoke with a smile, his voice and expression quite amiable. "I should have guided the three of you to the highest peak of the Holy Land, but unfortunately the war has not yet ended, so I can only simplify things. I hope the three of you will forgive me."

Mu Xiang adjusted his glasses: "It's alright, please feel free to ask if there's anything I can help with... But before that, shouldn't you introduce yourself?"

"Right, Mr. Nordens..."

The gray-robed old man chuckled: "It seems you are indeed a visitor from a higher, more distant world, and you know something about me and the Dream Realm."

“Indeed, I am the Lord of the Great Abyss, the Chief of the Ancient Gods, the Guardian of the Dream Realm, and the Protector of Earth… The three of you may call me Nordens.” Nordens waved his sleeves, and the surrounding space rippled like water. In the blink of an eye, the three of them followed him to the highest peak of this so-called holy land, with an unobstructed view of the surrounding ocean.

The Nightmare, blotting out the sky, roared silently as it charged toward the deep black ocean. Meanwhile, on the eastern sea, black waters coalesced into a twisted divine form, spewing forth horn-like droplets every instant to meet the Nightmare army descending from the heavens.

Mu Xiang and his two companions knew, of course, that Nordens's action was also a display of his strength... Although there was the home-field advantage, he could still wield that power. However, this was not the time to dwell on that, because the eastern sky and sea were shrouded in darkness.

"Because of the corruption and distortion of the dream realm, the power of the ancient gods has greatly diminished... In order to protect the stability of the Dream Realm, the remaining ancient gods have all fallen into slumber, merging their power into the Dream Realm." Nordens looked at the three and said sincerely, "I implore the three of you to lend a hand and help me repel the distorted invasion. A generous reward will be given!"

At this moment, the Supreme God's notification sounded: "End the War of the Dream Realm, and you will be rewarded with one A-level side quest for each team member present... Kill the Great Old One, and you will be rewarded with one C-level side quest; kill the Outer God, and you will be rewarded with one B-level side quest... Completely kill Nyarlathotep, and you will be rewarded with one A-level side quest."

(End of this chapter)