A crackling sound echoed—the newly drawn violet balloon was glowing and on the verge of bursting, so I quickly put it away.
It really looks like we’re inside a dream now.
The Undertaker muttered, sounding a little dejected. At that moment, my mind turned to Elder Peach and Poison Dreadstar—if a devouring calamity like this really appeared, they should have come here as well, but I didn’t see either of them. As for Sylvia Blue and Rachel Lan, the reason they’re trapped in this dream is because the Dark Will resides at the city’s highest dimension.
“Qingyuan, are you saying I should use my instinct to strengthen this dream, so we can break free from this nightmare?”
I responded with a low hum.
“It’s the only solution I can think of. I’ll use the instinct of coexistence to connect with you, and within the instinctive space, this good dream shouldn’t shatter. You can then inject your newly awakened instinct directly into it.”
As we spoke, the Undertaker was pressing his forehead, looking deeply troubled.
“What’s wrong? You look so grim—did something come to mind?”
The Sleeper asked, but the Undertaker just shook his head.
“I don’t know… Something feels off with my body.”
"What are you doing? This is a dream, not the darkness. Keep your head clear, Zhang Qingyuan."
Suddenly, I realized—Tianhun had already passed through the wall beside me.
I immediately reached out my hand and passed through the wall. We moved straight down, and after a few minutes, we found ourselves in the center of thirteen massive pillars. I let out a sigh of relief while Sylvia Blue pressed her hand to her forehead.
"What’s going on? My powers feel off."
"Don’t overthink it, Sylvia. Maybe this isn’t something you can grasp—or even a world you can stay in. You should be lying in bed, dreaming. But Rachel and I are different, we should..."
Tianhun laughed, shaking his head helplessly. He patted my shoulder.
"Strictly speaking, this disaster dream created by the will of darkness managed to pull Sylvia’s consciousness in, but couldn’t bring her full power. Isn’t that right, Qingyuan?"
"Yes."
I replied quickly. Rachel Lan stretched and smiled.
"Little sister, why are you so worried? It’s fine. Experiences like this aren’t common."
Sylvia Blue pouted, looking at Rachel Lan with some dissatisfaction.
From what I saw just now, Sylvia’s kick at The Undertaker was powered only by her physical strength. If she had used her true power, that single kick could have shaken the entire darkness.
"Let’s head to the city first."
As I spoke, I grabbed Sylvia and Rachel by the arm. I led them as we flew straight into the city, returning to the shop.
"For now, don’t go out."
"Qingyuan, didn’t you experience a dream world before? What’s going on—why did The Undertaker turn into that kind of monster?"
I nodded and began to explain.
It’s probably something like the Dream Fiends from the dream world—creatures that devour good things within dreams. But this situation is different. It’s trying to consume the darkness itself. I suspect the real Undertaker is still inside the darkness, dreaming he’s become a monster, tearing this nightmare apart.
For now, there’s no solution. We have to keep watching. I once thought we could rely on instinct, but not this time. This nightmare is different from those I know. If we can’t break it with a good dream, we’ll lose our last resort and be swallowed by the nightmare created by the will of darkness.
"We have to find the source."