Dream Ghost

The fog was much thinner than when Lin Ye last visited, but it was still there. It no longer resembled a wall, but rather a thin veil, covering everything and blurring and softening the edges of the world. Gu Yan walked in front, his steps steady, as if walking in his own hallway. Chen Xuan followed behind him, his left hand gripping the anchor point, his right hand in his pocket, his gaze sweeping over the fog walls on either side. Su Wanning was to Lin Ye's left, silver threads already dangling from her fingertips, drifting gently in the air like jellyfish tentacles.

Lin Ye walked at the very back, his senses fully extended, covering a range of nearly three hundred meters in front and behind. Su Wanning's network of threads was connected to her senses, allowing him to "see" further through those threads—deep in the fog, something was moving. Not fast, not slow, as if nothing was happening. But he knew they were there.

"How far is the first layer of defense?" Chen Xuan asked.

"Five hundred meters ahead," Gu Yan said without turning around, "you'll smell it first. Not rot, but rust. The air at the edge of the Forest of Fear has a lot of iron ions, because the soil in the forest is red—not the red of iron, but the red of blood. The blood of the Dream Continent, not human blood, but the blood of those forgotten myths."

Lin Ye smelled it. A faint, but unmistakable, metallic scent. As they walked, the smell grew stronger, and the fog thinned. By the time they reached the place Gu Yan had described, the fog had almost completely dissipated, replaced by a vast, dark red forest.

The tree was very tall, at least thirty or forty meters, with a black trunk and bark covered in cracks, like parched mouths. The leaves were deep red, not the red of autumn, but the dark red of congealed blood. The ground was covered with fallen leaves, making no sound when stepped on—not because they were soft, but because they absorbed all sound. Lin Ye stomped his foot, but there was no echo; even the sound of his stomp was swallowed up.

"The Forest of Fear." Gu Yan stood at the edge of the forest, not entering. "The rules here are different from outside. Outside, your abilities can be used normally. Inside, your abilities will be suppressed. How much is suppressed depends on how much fear you have inside."

"What do you mean?" Su Wanning asked.

"The forest will read your mind, find what you fear most, and then use that to suppress your abilities," Gu Yan said. "The more you fear, the stronger the suppression. If you are not afraid, the suppression is weaker."

Lin Ye gazed at the dark red forest. The cracks on the tree trunks were slowly changing, like mouths speaking silently. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but his senses reached out and caught fragments of those "words"—"fear," "escape," "death," "loneliness." They were all single words, like the sounds a baby makes when it first learns to speak.

"Let's go." Chen Xuan was the first to step into the forest.

Lin Ye followed behind him. The moment his feet touched the fallen leaves, he felt his sensory range being compressed. Three hundred meters became two hundred meters, one hundred and fifty meters, one hundred meters. Then it stabilized at around one hundred meters. His fragment level did not decrease, but his sensory range was compressed by two-thirds.

"How much of your perception range is left?" Chen Xuan asked.

"One hundred meters."

"I have eighty meters left," Chen Xuan said. "Su Wanning?"

"Seventy meters." Su Wanning's silver threads were still there, but their sensing range had been compressed. "My residue recognition is still there, but the accuracy has decreased."

"Gu Yan?"

Gu Yan did not answer. He stood at the edge of the forest, looking at the dark red sea of ​​trees, his expression unchanged. But at the edge of his consciousness projection, the illusory image faded slightly.

"My abilities have been suppressed the most," he finally said, "because my fears have been the most."

No one responded.

The four people ventured deeper into the forest. The further they went, the denser the trees became, and the dimmer the light. Dark red leaves obscured most of the sky, with only occasional beams of light filtering through the gaps, casting reddish patches on the ground. The air smelled of rust, of humus, and of some unfamiliar, ancient spice.

"A patrolling creature." Gu Yan suddenly stopped and raised a hand.

Lin Ye's senses extended and detected them—to his left, about eighty meters away, three creatures were moving. They were neither humanoid nor beast-like, but rather a form he had never seen before—like three shapeless shadows flowing between the tree trunks. Their movements were silent and without a trace, as if they were "jumping" from one location to another.

"Chapter-level, Nightmare Hounds." Gu Yan's voice was low. "Their rule is 'tracking.' Once they lock onto a target, they will keep chasing until the target leaves the Dream Continent or is caught by them. Don't run, you can't outrun them. Don't fight them either, you can't defeat them all. Their numbers will split; defeat one and it becomes two, defeat two and it becomes four."

"Then how do we deal with it?" Su Wanning asked.

"Wait until they lock on," Gu Yan said. "They can only lock onto one target at a time. Once locked on, the other targets are safe. The person being locked on needs to shake off their pursuit within an hour. If they fail to do so within an hour, they will attack."

"What if I can't get rid of it within an hour?"

"Then we'll have to fight. But the more we fight, the more there will be, and eventually all the Nightmare Hounds in the entire forest will be attracted." Gu Yan looked at Lin Ye. "So it's best not to get locked on."

Three shadows leaped between the tree trunks, drawing ever closer. Lin Ye's sense of form told him they weren't choosing their targets—they were being "attracted." What drew them was the bottle in his pocket.

No, the bottle is in the vault. But he carries the lingering aura of consciousness from his prolonged contact with Lin Yuan's consciousness fragments. The Nightmare Hound detected that aura and targeted him.

"They came at me," Lin Ye said. "I have remnants of my father's consciousness within me."

Three shadowy figures stopped thirty meters away. They had no eyes, but Lin Ye could feel them "looking" at him—not at his body, but at the "mark" in his consciousness. A blue, chapter-level mark, imbued with Lin Yuan's aura.

The shadow in the middle jumped. Not forward, but in place. It was like a confirmation.

Then, three shadows rushed toward him at the same time.

"Lin Ye!" Su Wanning's silver threads instantly wove into a net, blocking Lin Ye's path. But the shadows passed through the threads—not physically, but according to the rules. The threads' rule was "weaving," while the Nightmare Hound's rule was "tracking." The two rules did not intersect, so the threads could not stop them.

Lin Ye did not retreat. His rule crack locked onto the shadow at the very front, finding its weakness—not its physical location, but its temporal location. Its "tracking" rule was only effective when it moved; when it "jumped," the rule was in a brief window of vulnerability.

He waited.

The shadow leaped. The instant it landed—during the rule's window of opportunity—Lin Ye reached out and caught it.

[Rules Broken - Chapter-Level Nightmare Dog]

[Devouring—]

[Fragment Evolution: Chapter-level (31%) → Chapter-level (33%)]

[Residual consciousness: 6.2% → 6.5%]

The first shadow dissipated. The remaining two stopped, no longer attacking. They hopped around a few times, then turned and disappeared among the tree trunks.

"They're gone," Gu Yan said. "You took down one, and the rest, realizing you weren't ordinary prey, gave up."

Lin Ye looked down at his palm. The blue mark glowed faintly in the dark red light.

"Let's go," Chen Xuan said. "We don't have much time left."

They continued deeper. The forest grew denser, the cracks in the tree trunks multiplied, and the silent "words" became clearer. Lin Ye stopped listening to them and focused his attention on extending his senses. Within a hundred meters, he could feel the forest's "pulse"—not a heartbeat, but a slower, deeper rhythm, like the earth breathing.

After walking for about an hour, Gu Yan stopped again.

"The second layer of defense has been reached."

Before them lay a ravine. It wasn't wide, about ten meters, but it was deep, its bottom invisible. On either side of the ravine were vertical rock walls, covered with dark red vines. On the other side of the ravine was a clearing. In the clearing stood a structure—not a human-made structure, but a pyramid-shaped building made of black stone. Its spire disappeared into the dark red canopy of trees, its top invisible.

"The fourth processing plant is right under that tower," Gu Yan said. "The tower is the entrance. But there are gatekeepers inside—not one, but three. Three gatekeepers at the peak of the chapter level, each with their own rules."

"Three?" Chen Xuan frowned. "You said there was only one before."

"My previous information was outdated," Gu Yan said. "DedeCMS has strengthened its defenses. Perhaps because the third processing plant was raided, they are afraid that the fourth processing plant will also be attacked, so they have increased the number of gatekeepers."

"Can we still fight?" Su Wanning asked.

No one answered.

Lin Ye gazed at the black pyramid. The stones of the pyramid were covered in runes, the same system as the ones he had seen in the Third Processing Plant, but denser and more complex. The lines of the runes seemed to flow slowly, as if they were alive.

"I can take one down," Chen Xuan said.

"I can fight one," Gu Yan said, "but my consciousness projection can only last for four hours. After that, I might not have the strength to go back."

"I can't fight," Su Wanning said. "My abilities are support-oriented; direct combat isn't my forte."

All three of them looked at Lin Ye at the same time.

"I'll take one," Lin Ye said. "I've never swallowed a chapter-level peak before. This is a good opportunity to give it a try."

Chen Xuan looked at him, without saying anything like "Are you sure?" He simply nodded.

"The plan: I'll attack the left, Gu Yan will attack the right, and Lin Ye will attack the middle. Su Wanning will provide support from the outside, using the silk threads to provide us with a sensory network," Chen Xuan said. "After defeating the gatekeepers, enter the tower. Once inside, don't split up; move together."

The four of them crossed the ravine. Lin Ye used his senses to locate several protruding rocks on the ravine's rock face, and used them to jump across. Su Wanning's silver threads wove a small bridge, making their crossing more stable. Chen Xuan and Gu Yan jumped directly—ten meters was nothing to the Dream Weavers.

They landed in the open space in front of the pyramids.

The ground of the open space was made of black stone slabs, with huge rune arrays carved into them. As soon as Lin Ye stepped on it, the rune arrays lit up. Dark red light seeped out from the cracks in the stone slabs, like glowing snakes crawling on the ground.

On the front of the pyramid, a stone door slowly opens.

Behind the door was complete darkness.

Three "people" emerged from the darkness.

The one on the left is an old man with white hair and beard, wearing a gray robe and leaning on a wooden cane. His eyes are white and have no pupils, but Lin Ye can sense that he is "seeing"—not with his eyes, but with his consciousness.

The one in the middle was a young woman with black hair and dressed in black, holding a long sword formed from black mist. Her face was expressionless, like a wax figure.

The one on the right is a child. A boy of seven or eight, wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and shorts, barefoot. He has no weapon in his hand, but there is a smile on his lips—not the innocent smile of a child, but a chilling, eerie smile.

Three gatekeepers.

Lin Ye's form perception swept over them—they weren't human. They were shells. Like the gatekeepers of the Misty Coast, they were humanoid on the outside, but dream creatures inside. But what was inside was stronger and more complex than the one on the Misty Coast.

"An old friend," Gu Yan said, looking at the old man. "He was the one guarding the door when I came last time."

The old man smiled slightly, his white eyes devoid of any emotion.

"Gu Yan, you're back." His voice was calm, as if greeting an old friend. "Did you bring any help this time?"

"Get out of the way," Gu Yan said.

"You know the rules," the old man said. "To enter the tower, you must pass our test."

Gu Yan didn't waste any more words. In a flash, he was already in front of the old man. His hand emerged from his trench coat, holding a short knife formed from his consciousness—not a physical object, but a manifestation of his ability.

The old man raised his wooden cane to block the dagger. The sound of metal clashing echoed across the open space.

Chen Xuan moved at the same time. He rushed towards the child on the right—not because he wanted to hit the child, but because that child's rules were the most bizarre, and he was afraid Lin Ye wouldn't be able to handle them.

The child tilted his head, looked at Chen Xuan, and his smile widened.

"Hello, Uncle," he said in a clear, crisp voice, like an ordinary little boy greeting an elder.

Then he stretched out his hand and pointed at Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan's body stiffened.

It wasn't a physical freeze, but a temporal one. Time around him was slowed down—not stopped, but slowed down drastically. His movements were like a slow-motion replay, every frame clearly visible.

"Time rules," Lin Ye said softly.

But he didn't have time to help Chen Xuan. The woman in black in the middle was already walking towards him.

Her steps were slow, but each step was perfectly timed to match Lin Ye's heartbeat. Thump—one step. Thump—one step. Thump—one step. Lin Ye's heartbeat was carried along by her steps, faster and faster, until it felt like his heart was about to leap out of his chest.

[WARNING: The target is interfering with the host's heart rate]

[Recommendation: Block the target's perception of heart rate]

Lin Ye used his consciousness to sever the connection between his heart and his senses. He could still feel his heartbeat, but it was no longer affected by the woman in black's footsteps.

The woman in black paused for a moment.

Then she raised the black longsword and thrust it at Lin Ye.

The speed was astonishing. Lin Ye dodged to the side, the blade grazing his shoulder and cutting a gash in his clothes. It wasn't a tear in the fabric, but a tear in his consciousness—a crack appeared on his dream body's shoulder, the edges slowly crumbling.

"Her rule is 'cutting'," Gu Yan's voice came from afar. He was locked in combat with the old man but still keeping an eye on Lin Ye. "She can cut everything—matter, consciousness, even the rules themselves. Don't let her touch you."

Lin Ye took a few steps back, distancing himself from the woman in black.

Her sword was long and had a wide attack range, but her movement speed was slow. Her steps still followed a certain rhythm, but now that Lin Ye's heartbeat was beyond her control, her rhythm lost its meaning.

Lin Ye's rule crack locked onto her sword.

It's not the sword itself, but the "rules" of the sword—this sword isn't a physical object, but the embodiment of her power. The rule of her power is to "cut everything," but the word "everything" has boundaries. She can cut matter, consciousness, and rules, but she cannot cut "nothingness."

She couldn't cut anything in a place where there was nothing.

Lin Ye created a "nothingness" in front of himself—not that there was really nothing there, but that he used the rules to create a "blank area" in his consciousness and then projected that area in front of his body.

The woman in black thrust her sword forward.

The blade encountered that "nothingness" and stopped. Not because it was blocked, but because "there was nothing to cut." The blade hovered in the nothingness, like a knife plunged into a vacuum, having lost its target.

For the first time, an expression appeared on the woman in black's face—not fear, but confusion.

She didn't understand why her sword couldn't cut through that patch of air.

Lin Ye didn't give her time to figure it out. His hand passed through the void and grasped the blade.

[Rule Breaking - Chapter-Level Slicer]

[Devouring—]

[Fragment Evolution: Chapter-level (33%) → Chapter-level (38%)]

[Residual consciousness: 6.5% → 7.1%]

The woman in black vanished. The sword in Lin Ye's hand turned into black smoke and dissipated.

He turned around and looked towards Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan was still locked in a standoff with the Time Boy. The air around him seemed frozen, and every movement he made was as slow as walking underwater. But he didn't give up—his hand was moving slowly, inch by inch, toward the boy.

The boy's smile vanished. He sensed a threat—Chen Xuan held something in his hand, an anchor point. Not an anchor point for returning, but an anchor point for "fixing" time. Chen Xuan was using his anchor point to create a "fixed point" within the rules of time. As long as this fixed point existed, time could not completely control him.

The boy took a step back.

Chen Xuan's hand moved. It wasn't slow motion anymore—he broke the limitations of the time rules. The anchor point exploded in his hand, turning into a ball of white light that struck the boy.

The boy's body began to shatter, like a mirror cracking open from the center. The fragments fell to the ground, turning into black smoke.

Chen Xuan defeats the Chapter-level Child of Time.

Chen Xuan knelt on the ground, panting heavily. A few strands of his hair had turned white—the backlash from the rules of time had drained several years of his lifespan from his body.

Gu Yan's side was also finished. The old man's wooden cane broke in two, and for the first time, emotion appeared in his white eyes—not fear, but relief.

"You've become stronger," the old man said.

"You're just getting old," Gu Yan said.

The old man smiled, and then vanished.

All three gatekeepers were defeated.

Lin Ye walked over to Chen Xuan and helped him up.

"Are you alright?"

"I won't die." Chen Xuan stood up, rubbing his knees. "I've just aged a few years. I'll go back and eat some good food to make up for it."

Su Wanning walked over and put away the silver threads. Her expression was not good—not because of the battle, but because her sensory network had detected something inside the tower.

"There are a large number of dream creatures in the tower," she said. "At least three times more than in the Third Processing Plant. There are also at least two consciousnesses at the level of Dream Domain Overlords."

Lin Ye looked at the entrance to the pyramid.

Something was waiting for him in the darkness behind the door.

He gripped the anchor point tightly in his palm.

"Let's go," he said.

The four people walked into the darkness.