"Where exactly are you taking me?"
As ghostly hands kept brushing across my body, Mona Ouyang acted strangely, saying nothing as he continued to cross one doorway after another. I simply followed behind him.
"Say something, Mona Ouyang."
I called out, but suddenly Mona Ouyang vanished from sight. Startled, I widened my eyes. I was outside the door, and everything around me returned to normal. I was inside the Golden Temple, but behind me was a wall—no door. The place was pitch-black except for moonlight streaming through a few windows. I wandered through a grand hall, and before me stood a row of grotesque, terrifying Buddha effigies. My skin crawled. I knew this was a nightmare, but no matter what I did, I couldn't wake up. It was deeply unsettling.
Suddenly, I remembered what Mona Ouyang said when he first appeared—this is a dream within a dream. I clearly recalled waking up before rushing to the Golden Temple, but it turned out this was also a dream.
Now I was fully aware. I'd encountered dreams like this before—once, while investigating with the Ghost Burial Squad, we fell asleep and were dragged into a nightmare by a malevolent ghost, nearly dying in our sleep.
Everything I saw was an illusion conjured by that evil ghost in the dream. I straightened up, refusing to be distracted by its tricks.
"I've seen enough of these tricks. If you have something to say, show yourself! Hiding in the shadows—do you really think I'm some rookie who just started out?"
I shouted loudly. Suddenly, I saw that the Buddha effigy in the corner had one eye turn red, glaring at me. Then the entire statue cracked open, and blood seeped from the fissures.
It was admittedly a bit terrifying, but I knew the evil ghost in the dream was just like me—it could only create illusions to weaken my spirit and energy, hoping to devour me. As long as I stayed calm, there was nothing to fear. The key point was, I'd been following Mona Ouyang, and the one who saved me at first should have been real. But after running with Mona Ouyang, I lost track of where I was and got pushed into an even deeper layer of the dream.
I know a fair bit about dreams, thanks to all the things Ethan Zhang has told me before—especially when our minds would recover in that darkness, talking endlessly every night. He shared many stories about what happened in dreams, and explained the essence of it all: once my consciousness is connected to the evil ghost's dream, I'm dragged into its nightmare.
Suddenly, I spotted a lama not far from me, head bowed as if in prayer. I didn't intend to approach, knowing this evil ghost was trying to frighten me. The lama slowly turned his head, and I recoiled in horror—the entire head was attached by a thin layer of skin, twisted at a sickening angle. The cheeks were riddled with tiny holes bored out by corpse worms, which squirmed inside.
Just as I was about to leave, the lama suddenly appeared right in front of me. Without hesitation, I kicked his head off and dashed away. I spotted a small door and rushed through it, only to find myself in a courtyard filled with small stone burial mounds.
"Are you done yet? If you have guts, show yourself."
I shouted, and then I heard crying from the burial mounds. When I looked closer, I saw my own name written on one of them. The moment I saw it, I collapsed to the ground. Around me, lamas with vacant eyes were shoveling dirt. I tried to get up, but couldn't move.
"Let's see how far you can push me."
I was furious. If I could get my hands on that evil ghost, I'd do whatever it took to destroy him. But the dirt was already covering my body, pinning me down, and some of it was pressed over my face.
My breathing grew difficult, as if I were suffocating. Suddenly, I realized that if I suffocated here, my real body outside would suffocate too—I could actually die. I struggled desperately, racking my brain for a way to break free from the nightmare. Only a good dream could save me, but this was the evil ghost's dream and I couldn't control it.
Just then, a flash of silver streaked across my vision and a hand yanked me out of the dirt. I stared in shock, eyes wide.
"Tammy Blade, why are you here?"
"I sensed your presence entering, so don't worry, Roxie. With me here, that evil ghost won't dare try anything."
Tammy Blade said this as she leapt onto the rooftop with me. Only then did I realize that an endless expanse of Buddhist temples stretched out before us, all connected—different eras, different styles, forming a vast complex. Monks and lamas mingled everywhere.
"What exactly is going on here?"
I asked, and Tammy Blade replied.
"All the lamas and monks here were killed by that evil ghost in the dream. You should have seen those bodies—they were all murdered this way. It's truly despicable."
Tammy Blade said this, gritting her teeth and scanning the surroundings, gripping a silver Tibetan knife as she looked around.
"To get out, we have to find the evil ghost's true form. I've been here before and managed to locate it, so don't panic. If your spirit and energy weaken, the evil ghost will seize the chance to strike."
I murmured in agreement, realizing that I'd lost focus earlier because the evil ghost frightened me, which led to me being buried in the dirt.
After that, I followed Tammy Blade, walking along the walls and rooftops of the vast temple complex. She led me everywhere, searching for the evil ghost's true form, but after a long time, we realized we were just circling in place, unable to get out.
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I noticed the Tibetan knife in Tammy Blade's hand—it seemed so real, even though a knife shouldn't be able to exist in a dream.
"I have an idea. Follow me."
Tammy Blade grabbed my hand and led me onward. Soon, we encountered monks with blood streaming from their seven orifices, sobbing. Tammy Blade swung her knife, beheading them in an instant. I jerked my hand free from hers.
"You're not Tammy Blade, you bastard! How dare you trick me like this—I hate it when people mess with me!"
Just then, "Tammy Blade" turned around with a twisted smile. I punched her in the face, caving in her cheek. Then holes started appearing all over her body, oozing pus. Disgusted, I staggered back, but monks grabbed me. The knife in "Tammy Blade's" hand turned into a Tang sword—just as I thought, it was the evil ghost, trying to kill me when I wasn't paying attention.
"Don't even think about it, I..."
The cold blade of the Tang sword was pressed against my neck.
"You meddlesome woman, tonight I'll devour you and make you disappear forever."
Furious, I glared, trying to summon my power, but found nothing—my body was empty. Just then, I heard clapping. I turned and saw Mona Ouyang crouching in front of the temple.
"Not bad—creating a dream and dragging someone into it is powerful. I bet you've experimented countless times to get it right. But when it comes to dreams, I'm even better than you."
As soon as Mona Ouyang finished speaking, I felt dizzy—suddenly, I was standing beside him, and the evil ghost had vanished.
"Do you really like nightmares? Then let me show you what a real nightmare is. Sorry to Yin Choujian, but you brought this on yourself—how dare you try to fool me."
As he spoke, a rumbling sound shook the air. I felt my body float upward, rising with Mona Ouyang. The ground split open, and a massive, pitch-black ghostly hand burst out, smashing buildings with a single slap. Amid the wailing, jets of fiery red magma erupted from the earth.
I noticed the destruction spreading outward—buildings were obliterated in an instant. Wailing evil ghosts flew out from the cracks, biting anyone they saw. Monks and lamas were devoured one by one. Mona Ouyang laughed, clapping his hands.
"Well? Your dream has been dragged into the realm of nightmares. There's no way back now—I'm going to end you."
Under the glow of the fiery magma, I saw a pitch-black figure in the distance, dodging evil ghosts erupting from the ground.
"Dream Swap."
Mona Ouyang muttered. Instantly, everything shattered, and we stood before the Styx Gate. With a thunderous crash, dust billowed— the evil ghost that dragged me into the dream was sprawled on the gate, as four stern-faced Judges emerged, each brandishing a token. The black tokens all bore four words: Certain Death.
The evil ghost began to howl in agony, struggling desperately. I saw its ghostly body start to disintegrate, and the Tang sword in its hand shattered bit by bit.
"Heh, die then. Today, I'll destroy you. The worst mistake you made was provoking me in a dream—every evil ghost that's ever challenged me in the dream realm, I've wiped out without mercy."