"Impossible."
Martin Ouyang muttered in disbelief, staring at John Chou and the Three-Eyed Dream Wraith. The other black Dream Wraiths remained motionless as Martin Ouyang raised his hand and shouted.
"Kill them."
Yet the black Dream Wraiths still showed no reaction. The Three-Eyed Dream Wraith slowly approached the barely recognizable, unconscious figure of Lord Dream—Martin Ouyang—lying on the ground.
"Dream..." The Three-Eyed Dream Wraith paused, his voice weak, then continued.
"Has he completely lost consciousness?"
"It's over, Martin Ouyang. You should know what happens when my Bloodbane power enters your body."
"It's not over yet!" Martin Ouyang continued to shout, trying to stand. But on the surface of his once pale skin, dark red marks began to appear.
"It's useless, Martin Ouyang. Your powers have been completely destroyed by the Bloodbane power. You can't use them anymore." The Three-Eyed Dream Wraith said, glancing at John Chou. Suddenly, John Chou fell from the sky, crashing heavily to the ground.
"Thank you, Boss John. Thank you for waking me up."
John Chou struggled to support himself, then managed to stand and smiled.
"What on earth has happened?"
I quickly looked at the Three-Eyed Dream Wraith. He reached out, trying to touch Lord Dream, but couldn't. Frustration filled his eyes.
"Dream is like a cornerstone for this world, for us Hundred Ghosts. He's the one who links us to this side. But ever since that old man from the Ghost Syndicate ambushed him, and after the last great war weakened his power, he's become even more feeble."
As Three-Eyed spoke, he gazed at Lord Dream, a trace of sorrow in his eyes.
After Lord Dream became king of this world, he became the bond connecting Dreamborn and Dream Wraiths, including his Hundred Ghosts. Only through Three-Eyed's account did I learn that Lord Dream had lost his instincts, and even the Nightmare Stone no longer recognized him. In other words, even if he reclaimed the Nightmare Stone, he could never be king again.
Yet what I heard next shocked me to the core.
Members of the Ghost Syndicate, together with the Immortality Society, found the gathering place of Lord Dream's Hundred Ghosts in the living world. Their consciousnesses had all been sealed into this world by Lord Dream's magic. But now, Lord Dream himself can't undo the spell he placed that trapped the Hundred Ghosts.
"Oh, that's truly troublesome, haha. Three-Eyed, sigh, that damned corpse demon—he dies and still wants to drag you all down with him. What a bastard."
John Chou laughed and glanced at Lord Dream.
"Our Blue Wraiths' bodies in the outside world have all been taken over by the Ghost Syndicate. Once we regain consciousness, we'll likely all become their captives. They're even using our bodies for their own purposes."
I remembered that Three-Eyed once called this a disgrace. Now I finally understood why Three-Eyed and the others were so desperate to escape from this world.
"At first, we just wanted to use this action to make Dream remember, to force him to once again shoulder the burden of being king. But things didn't go as planned. Dream seems so tired now."
Three-Eyed sighed.
"He probably can't hold on much longer. Gather your strength and sever the connection between this world and the outside completely."
John Chou glanced at the gray sky and spoke. Three-Eyed nodded.
All of this stemmed from an agreement between Lord Dream and Ouyang Weng. In my mind, I remembered the story I saw: in the Human-Ghost Residence, no matter the weather, Ouyang Weng would open for business every day, and Lord Dream would come, lying on the table, quietly watching Ouyang Weng.
I couldn't help but look at Lord Dream. In an instant, everything went black, and I was back in that Intertwined Realm of black and white.
Scenery began to form around me—a small riverbank, the surface of the river shimmering gold in the dim sunlight. Two figures, Ouyang Weng and Lord Dream, sat side by side on the riverbank, watching the water flow quietly by.
"That story you told before—you just made it up, didn't you? There's no way something like that could really happen."
"Haha, of course not! It's true, Dream, I'm not lying to you. That story is real."
I quietly watched the old man and the young one sitting by the riverbank, laughing and chatting together.
"It feels like something's missing from this scene," Lord Dream said, raising his hand.
"A flock of wild geese in the sky—how could such a beautiful sunset be complete without them?" Ouyang Weng said. Lord Dream smiled and nodded. Then, in the sky, a flock of wild geese formed a V and slowly flew across the golden-red sky, their cries echoing through the air.
"Dream." Ouyang Weng stood up, as if he had something on his mind, but didn't want to say it.
"What's wrong, Ouyang Weng? It's almost dawn. You should wake up soon. Let's continue tomorrow night."
"Sigh, I'm old. I can't keep you company anymore, Dream. Life and death are fate; I probably don't have many days left."
Lord Dream burst out laughing and stood up.
"What's the big deal? After you die, just don't reincarnate. I'm doing pretty well these days—I've even gathered a few followers."
For a moment, Lord Dream and Ouyang Weng looked at each other. I quietly watched the two of them. They seemed like kindred spirits, able to understand each other without words—just a glance was enough.
"Is that so? You really don't want to keep this dream going any longer?"
"Ah, Dream, it was only because I received your blood that I've lived this long. I think that's enough. It's just... my son and grandson aren't doing so well these days, as you know. In the human world, well..."
"That's nothing. I'll help them."
"Thank you," Ouyang Weng said, bowing deeply.
"So, the world is about to lose another dreamer?" Lord Dream said quietly. Ouyang Weng laughed.
"You too—if you ever feel that life in this world is too exhausting, just reincarnate. Come with me."
Lord Dream looked quietly at Ouyang Weng. Finally, under the setting sun, Lord Dream nodded.
Yet things did not go as Lord Dream wished. He did not get to reincarnate. I watched as the scene changed abruptly, and suddenly, I was in a grand hall.
"Where are you sending me?" It was Lord Dream, being escorted by ghost messengers. At the far end of the hall sat a figure with a black face, wearing a beaded crown, and a crescent moon on his forehead.