The scenery outside the car window flashed by in a blur—the car was speeding. I was inside, drowsy, my eyelids twitching uncontrollably. Hugh Thompson had a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.
"Ethan Zhang, do you want to stop for a bit and get some fresh air?"
I shook my head. Right now, my strongest desire was to get to Linland County as soon as possible, find Granny Nina, and discover a way for me to sleep.
I never knew before just how painful it was to be unable to sleep. Cold sweat kept breaking out, my whole body felt weak. I knew that as soon as I closed my eyes, I could fall asleep in one second.
Vincent Swallow looked grim, drinking steadily from his bottle.
"Tell me your story, Master," I said.
He sighed. "Back then, my family and my disciples fell prey to that Ghost Sovereign. They're lost in the dream realm now. I still remember I had a disciple, just like you, who held out for seven days and nights. When he finally slept, he never woke up again."
I listened quietly, my attention completely focused on Vincent Swallow's story. The feeling of exhaustion was much less.
Back then, it all happened without warning—no hint at all. It was the day Vincent Swallow's master, Brother Owen, passed away.
Vincent Swallow still remembered—the weather was nice that day. He returned home, ready to celebrate with his family. His master, Brother Owen, after death, directly transformed into a Blue Wraith.
Vincent Swallow had been orphaned by war at a young age. He was adopted by Brother Owen, who became not just his master, but also a father figure to him.
He returned home, expecting his family to have prepared dinner—tonight his master would visit. He wanted a lively gathering to celebrate Brother Owen's rebirth.
But after several days away, when he got home, he found the place eerily quiet. Occasionally, a breeze would stir up fallen leaves, but there was no sound of people, no sign of life at all.
Vincent Swallow stepped into the main hall and saw the leftover bowls, chopsticks, and food from his last meal days ago—no one had cleaned up. Sensing something was wrong, he began searching for any sign of people.
At last, in his bedroom, he found his wife and son. In the courtyard, he found a disciple and some other family members. Each of them looked thin and pale, but they were still breathing.
Vincent Swallow was deeply puzzled. He realized these people hadn't eaten or drunk anything for days, as if struck by a terrible illness, sleeping deeply. He knew some medicine, so he called for a doctor, but there were no symptoms—just an inability to wake up.
Then his twelve disciples arrived, and together they discussed ways to solve the problem, but no one had any idea. Helpless, Vincent Swallow could only wait for his master, Brother Owen, to arrive.
But by 5 a.m. the next day, Brother Owen still hadn't come. That morning, something strange happened—one of his disciples fell asleep just like his family, and no matter how hard they tried, with slaps or acupuncture, he couldn't be woken.
Days passed. Vincent Swallow could only cook porridge, pry open the mouths of those in deep sleep, and feed them.
His disciples fell asleep one by one. Finally, on the eleventh night, Brother Owen arrived—now transformed into a Blue Wraith. He told Vincent Swallow that his family and disciples had all been dragged into the dream realm by a Ghost Sovereign named Dream.
"At that time, our Renegade Monks had no dealings with those Ghost Sovereigns at all. Ever since they founded the Hall of Yama, we never opposed them—in fact, we helped them with many things. Who could have guessed, for no reason at all, that Ghost Sovereign dragged my family and disciples into the dream realm?"
Helpless, Vincent Swallow told his last disciple not to sleep. On his master's advice, he could only seek help from the Nether Syndicate.
Vincent Swallow went without sleep for three days and nights, searching until he finally found an elite from the Nether Syndicate—a woman of the Rat zodiac among the Zodiac Twelve—in a haunted town.
Vincent Swallow revealed his identity and explained the situation, hoping to use the Nether Syndicate's dream-entering techniques to find out what had happened—and what might happen next.
"I still remember her eyes—cold, not human at all. She was beautiful, but her heart was even crueler than a ghost's. Even now, thinking of that look makes my spine tingle."
Vincent Swallow revealed his identity and explained the situation, hoping to use the Nether Syndicate's dream-entering techniques to find out what had happened—and what might happen next.
But she rejected him with just two cold words. Vincent Swallow followed her, begging for help for another three days and nights. No matter how he pleaded or threatened, she was unmoved—completely impervious.
Desperate, Vincent Swallow tried to restrain the woman. But the moment he did, she immediately tried to kill herself. He stopped her several times.
"Honestly, Ethan, maybe I'm just like your family's ghost. Deep down, I hate the people of Exile—maybe even loathe them."
Only now did I remember—Vincent Swallow had visited the homes of the old man and the blind woman. Apart from a few brief words, he never said much at all.
With no other choice, Vincent Swallow let the woman go and hurried home. By the time he returned, his last disciple had endured seven days and nights without closing his eyes.
"Heh, I still remember—the kid said he held on just to see me one last time, and asked me to avenge them."
Vincent Swallow's voice choked with emotion. He gulped down his wine.
In the end, everyone close to Vincent Swallow fell into deep sleep. Even then, he and his master and fellow disciples kept searching for a solution.
Vincent Swallow and several junior disciples went out to look for answers, leaving his junior disciple, Master Cloud, to care for his students and family.
Vincent Swallow and several junior disciples went out to look for answers, leaving his junior disciple, Master Cloud, to care for his students and family.
Now I remembered why, when Vincent Swallow was in the apartment building and Master Cloud and Victor Chen were in trouble, he stepped forward and promised to personally deliver the Buddha Statue of Visions to Brother Owen.
"I once thought about going straight to the Nightmare Hall to face that Ghost Sovereign—fight to the death. Even if I died, at least I'd have peace of mind."
Seeing the sadness in Vincent Swallow's eyes, I didn't know what to say. Maybe nothing could help—no words of comfort could ease his grieving heart.
"It was my master who told me I had to survive, find a way, and rescue my family and disciples from the dream realm."
According to Brother Owen, once you're dragged into the dream realm, even if your body dies, your soul won't leave it. It's a terrifying thing—trapped, unable to reincarnate, your consciousness locked in dreams.
Just as Brother Owen said, Vincent Swallow called for the Brahma Order and the Mount Mason Order, and tried everything himself. His family and disciples' bodies were barely cold, their souls still trapped inside, even as their flesh decayed. Even when they were only bones, Vincent could still see their souls clinging to them, as if peacefully asleep.
Vincent Swallow gripped his wine gourd, watching in silence, his face expressionless.
After that ordeal, Vincent spent three more years searching for a solution, but found nothing except for the Nightmare Hall. His mind gradually broke down. He stopped returning to the sect, spending his days drunk, until he became the Vincent Swallow everyone knew.
At first, alcohol could numb Vincent Swallow, but after a year, no matter how much he drank, he couldn't get drunk anymore.
"Eventually, I was dragged into the dream realm too."
Vincent Swallow said this and began to laugh.
"So how did you get out?" I asked.
"I don't know how long I was in that dream. In it, I fought monsters and ghosts, but in the end, I lost—badly. I knelt and begged the Ghost Sovereign to let my family go, but no matter how I pleaded, he just wove new dreams to torment me."
Hearing this, I couldn't help but feel a chill in my heart. But it made me even more determined—I bit my lip hard, refusing to fall asleep.
"Master, if I find a way this time, I'll bring your family out too."
Vincent Swallow smiled. He told me that in the end, it was his master, Brother Owen, who somehow rescued him from the dream realm. After escaping, Vincent was like a pile of mud, drinking all day. All his fellow disciples and even his master tried to console him, but no one's words could wake him.
After that, I went to the Forest of Desire. From the start, I noticed all the changes inside—every kind of desire tormented me. But after all I'd suffered in the dream realm, I was numb. Desire didn't trouble me much.
"Just twenty more minutes until we're there, Ethan," Hu Tianshu said. I looked ahead—the Stagnant River was in sight, and Linland County was close. I wondered how Niu Quanfang was doing, whether he was still searching for his friend.