With a sudden whoosh, a fierce wind swept past us. Instantly, a blue tornado appeared before our eyes, and Mona Ouyang, who was surrounded on all sides, was swept up into the tornado and vanished from sight.
The moment Phantom Sage reappeared, he darted toward the ground. I glimpsed a flash of white—then, with a bang, Mona Ouyang’s figure emerged. He grabbed Phantom Sage’s outstretched index finger, then immediately raised one hand and stepped forward with one foot.
"Hungry Ghost Hell..."
With a chorus of wailing, a horde of black, half-bodied starving ghosts suddenly appeared, their tattered white robes fluttering. In an instant, the ravenous ghosts lunged at Phantom Sage, mouths agape, ready to bite.
"It’s useless."
Phantom Sage muttered, and with a thunderous crash, Mona Ouyang was struck by a powerful force and slammed to the ground. His arms and legs were splayed out in the shape of a cross. Phantom Sage’s index finger pressed precisely to Mona Ouyang’s brow. Mona Ouyang screamed in agony, unable to move, while the starving ghosts flying toward Phantom Sage vanished one after another.
Ding-ling...
I heard the sound of a bell, eerie as a ghost’s whisper. I felt as if my own ghostly soul was being drawn out of my body. Startled, I saw Yuna Ji already shrouded in a black-green ghost aura.
"Qingyuan."
A faint green ghost aura surfaced on my skin—it was the Wailing Spirit Bell, previously handed to Mona Ouyang by the Second Tribunal Yanluo.
A massive black bell appeared between heaven and earth, humming loudly. The bell was less than a hundred meters from us, sending waves of sonic ripples through the air. Yuna Ji and I covered our ears as our ghost souls wailed in pain, the sounds of ghosts crying and wolves howling echoing all around.
Suddenly, the starving ghosts that had vanished reappeared. In an instant, Phantom Sage’s body was bitten by the ravenous ghosts, his eyes wide as he became completely immobilized. Mona Ouyang broke free of his restraints and rushed to the Wailing Spirit Bell, raising his hand to strike the bell.
The ghostly sounds kept spreading through the air, growing louder and stronger. Yuna Ji and I were already half-kneeling on the ground. We didn’t fully understand the Wailing Spirit Bell’s effect—Second Tribunal Yanluo had only explained it to Mona Ouyang.
Phantom Sage was still engulfed by the horde of starving ghosts. The ghosts whimpered and frantically gnawed at his body, biting off chunks of clothing and flesh, only for them to regenerate again. Mona Ouyang laughed wildly as the bell’s sound grew even louder, booming like a great bell. Suddenly, I coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Now I understood—the bell’s sound resonated directly with the ghost soul, causing it to vibrate violently. Drawn by the ringing, the ghost soul would become immobilized. Yuna Ji looked terrible as well. At this point, Phantom Sage was completely subdued.
"I’ve prepared a spectacular show for you, Phantom Sage. You’ve never seen anything like this, have you? In dreams, anything can become reality."
Mona Ouyang radiated a purple glow all over his body and charged at Phantom Sage.
"If you’re devoured by the dream, you’ll never escape this place for the rest of your life."
As Mona Ouyang spoke, he was already in front of Phantom Sage, raising his hand. I felt the space around us begin to distort. Suddenly, Mona Ouyang was surrounded by swirling, multicolored fragments, twisting and warping. Phantom Sage’s form began to change; as the ghosts vanished, Phantom Sage was engulfed by the kaleidoscopic colors, his body trembling with them, completely immobilized. Mona Ouyang held up his hand.
I saw a red glow behind Phantom Sage—an eye, slowly opening. Yuna Ji and I had retreated far away. The bell’s ringing stopped, and we felt a sudden wave of relief.
"Didn’t expect that dead freak to have a few tricks up his sleeve."
Yuna Ji giggled as she spoke, and I sighed.
"No matter what, we’re still inside the dream world."
Mona Ouyang looked triumphant, holding up his hand. I noticed the swirling, multicolored fragments were contracting.
"The dream I created for you will stretch on forever. You’ll remain trapped in this world, in a dream named after you, sleeping for eternity. Phantom Sage, it’s over. Today, we’ll finish you three off and end everything."
With a buzz, I saw the multicolored fragments contract instantly, forming a kaleidoscopic sphere. Yuna Ji and I quickly flew over.
Now Mona Ouyang produced a purple sphere in his other hand, pressing the kaleidoscopic sphere into it.
"It worked. I’ve sealed Phantom Sage. We don’t need to worry now—let’s go out and take care of Emperor God and Sylvia Yan together."
I nodded, but Yuna Ji looked skeptical, eyeing Mona Ouyang suspiciously.
"Are you sure it’s absolutely foolproof?"
Mona Ouyang smiled and then spoke.
"Since that time, do you know what I’ve really been doing?"
I knew Mona Ouyang was referring to the time he forcibly dragged me into the dream world, and the rebellion of Chris Dawn that followed. After that, Mona Ouyang seemed to have disappeared from the living world for a long time, and I’d heard that Ouyang Wei often slept deeply.
"I’ve been constantly creating new dreams, stacking them one atop another. As long as I drag an enemy in, they’ll wander forever in these dreams I’ve crafted—they’ll never escape. Each dream is layered and connected, and the dreams are interlinked, like an endlessly spinning sphere. No matter which dream you enter, there’s no way out. Hurry up!"
With that, Mona Ouyang put away the Wailing Spirit Bell.
"This thing is really useful."
Yuna Ji glanced over, and Mona Ouyang shook his head and said:
"You can’t use it, Yuna Ji. Phantom Sage and the others are all ghosts, and as long as they’re ghosts, they possess ghost souls. So they can’t escape either. I took advantage of the moment when he tried to completely subdue me and used the Wailing Spirit Bell to trap him. All right, let’s go!"
With that, Mona Ouyang excitedly raised his hand, and a purple halo appeared before us. Now we could leave.
We followed Mona Ouyang and flew straight into the purple halo.
"What the hell is going on?"
I stared in disbelief, eyes wide, at the familiar apartment building before me. With a crack, the purple halo behind us shattered.
"Dead freak, I asked if you’re sure it’s absolutely foolproof?"
Yuna Ji raised her long spear and thrust it toward Phantom Sage, who was sitting atop the cherry blossom tree. With a swish, Phantom Sage grabbed Yuna Ji’s spear and glared at us coldly.
"Don’t attack, Yuna Ji. This is Zhang Qingyuan’s core dream. If you destroy it, Zhang Qingyuan will die."
Mona Ouyang shouted loudly. I looked around in astonishment as Mona Ouyang took out the purple sphere, trying over and over to open the Gate of Dreams, but still couldn’t.
"What did you do... what exactly did you do?"
With a whoosh, Phantom Sage exerted a bit of force, sending Yuna Ji flying toward us. She skidded to a stop after landing.
"Things aren’t looking good now, dead freak. We’re trapped here!"
"The Gate of Dreams is the only passage connecting the dream world and reality. You said so yourself—our powers are similar, but fundamentally different. But I can tell you, my power surpasses both dream and illusion. If you can open the Gate of Dreams, so can I."
As Phantom Sage spoke, he pointed with a finger, and suddenly a purple halo appeared in front of him. Mona Ouyang stared in shock, immediately raising the purple sphere in his hand, as if trying to control the halo.
"Why isn’t the dream responding to me?"
"My power has already surpassed yours. That’s how dreams work—the strong rule. Disappear! In this dream, you’re no longer king."
I stared in astonishment as Mona Ouyang’s body was covered in purple beams of light, smoke rising from him.
"Stay back, both of you."
Mona Ouyang glared, gritting his teeth.
"Don’t worry, I still have one last trick."
With a splash, Mona Ouyang dissolved into a stream of water, which quickly evaporated. Phantom Sage stood before Yuna Ji and me.
"Let’s talk for a moment, Zhang Qingyuan—about my father."
"There’s nothing left to talk about, is there?"
I looked around, completely at a loss for what to do. This really was my core dream. Yuna Ji gripped her spear tightly beside me, but didn’t dare to move.
"Even if we resurrect Father, he won’t meddle in the affairs of yin and yang anymore. Afterward, you can do whatever you want. The three of us will follow Father beyond illusion, into the path of the gods, searching for Nuwa."
I stared in shock, eyes wide.
"Hmph, sounds nice, but can the Ghost Ancestor really be reasoned with? If he comes back, both the yin and yang realms will be thrown into chaos."
Yuna Ji retorted angrily, and I immediately shook my head.
"Impossible."
Just then, Phantom Sage raised a hand. I stared as a faint blue glow emerged from my body. Alarmed, I raised the Soul-Slaying Sword, ready to strike.
"Don’t panic, Zhang Qingyuan. In the dream world, I can’t retrieve Father’s soul."
I saw that Phantom Sage was indeed holding a Ghostblood Jade. Yuna Ji couldn’t hold back any longer.
"Father, is there truly no room for compromise?"
Phantom Sage spoke to the Ghostblood Jade. It emitted a blinding blue light, and I saw the Ghost Ancestor standing in midair.
"You’re all useless now. You tried everything to revive me, but my decision is already made. I won’t let you interfere."