I've let go of my wariness toward Mona Ouyang—for now, at least. She truly has no choice but to cooperate with us. I can tell she's so furious, she can't even sit still.
"All my subordinates are bastards, Ethan Zhang. When the fighting starts, make sure you teach them a lesson. Once you know the Dream Wraiths' weaknesses, they're nothing to fear. In the dream, they can't use their ghost domains or ghost weapons, so don't be afraid of them. Most of them only know how to fight because of their experience as Blue Wraiths."
I nodded, listening intently.
Mona Ouyang told us that after the Sevenfold Sovereigns War, she used her own power to seal the near-dead and severely wounded Blue Wraiths' consciousness into the dream realm. She even called in ghost doctors to treat them, hoping they'd fully recover before returning to the world.
Some Blue Wraiths died during treatment.
"Hmph. John Chou, if you hadn't stabbed Yvonne May back then, I wouldn't have lost so many subordinates. This is all your fault, you bastard!"
As she spoke, Mona Ouyang glared viciously at John Chou. I sighed, but John Chou remained unmoved.
"I stabbed her, but don't you bear any responsibility? Freak. I'm not taking all the blame for this. Besides, Ouyang Wei already apologized to you and Yvonne May, yet you still treated her like that."
"My business is none of yours, John Chou. You're a complete bastard."
With no other choice, Mona Ouyang had to let those Blue Wraiths exist in the dream world as Dream Wraiths. These Dream Wraiths, just like ordinary Blue Wraiths, still have the same weaknesses as other ghosts.
"What exactly is it?" I asked, but Mona Ouyang suddenly looked conflicted, as if she wanted to tell me but couldn't.
"Just say it, freak. You're just like him, Ethan Zhang."
Mona Ouyang spoke, and I was a bit confused, glancing at myself in puzzlement.
"Ghost Soul. All these red Dream Wraiths have their own Ghost Soul, and it's born in the dream—unique, only one. As the Ghost Soul forms, their bodies as Blue Wraiths in the other world start to heal themselves. The power from the dream realm begins to overflow, helping them repair their Ghost Soul."
I sucked in a breath. What the hell is this thing? It's getting more and more unbelievable.
"So you realized your own power was fading, while they were getting stronger and wanted out. But you were afraid they'd betray you once they got out, right? Ha."
John Chou spoke from the side. I understood and nodded. So Mona Ouyang was afraid her subordinates would betray her, so she locked them in the dream realm. But they still betrayed her.
"What do they want? That fragment Nathan Ouyang has—can it really kill you?"
I asked. Mona Ouyang hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Not kill in the true sense, brother. But if they bring that thing into the freak's ghost domain, the freak will never get out of the dream realm for the rest of their life."
John Chou explained, so it's basically the same as being dead.
We could only wait here for nightfall. When Hugh Thompson enters the dream, we'll go in and check on the progress. I need to bring those Dreamborn out of that world, get them into the dream realm, and have them bring the weapons back one by one.
The key is, to get weapons out of the dream realm, you can only do it while people are asleep—which means, with half of the twelve days left, we only have six days. With nearly 1,400 people in the city, and everyone needing an AK-47, the Dreamborn will have to make four or five round trips, at least. And we'll need ammunition too.
I was getting restless.
"Maybe we should head back and let them know what's going on."
But John Chou shook his head.
"If you want to give people hope, you have to let them fall into despair first. Remember this, brother: only those who've tasted despair can unleash real power when they fight for their lives. That's how those people are. Let's wait here for a day or two and let them wallow in it themselves."
I blinked at John Chou. He's best at keeping everyone in the palm of his hand, as if every move is under his control.
Just like before, when Nathan Ouyang was persuading the city's residents, John Chou had him open the city gates. In the end, even though only a few residents joined in, some of them were now helping make weapons for the city's defense, working day and night.
I sighed. The scenes of Dream Wraiths devouring people were still vivid in my mind. I couldn't help but glare at Mona Ouyang.
"Don't look at me. I never ordered the Dream Wraiths to attack the Dreamborn. When I became king of the dream realm, both Dream Wraiths and Dreamborn were already there."
Mona Ouyang explained that Dream Wraiths and Dreamborn actually complement each other. They're not enemies—instead, for centuries, Dream Wraiths have devoured people's nightmares, while Dreamborn fill in what's missing in dreams.
Thinking about it, I really can't remember any of my old nightmares. Over time, they've all faded away.
And sometimes, in dreams, when I see something blurry or vague, there are moments in real life when something suddenly feels familiar—like I've seen it in a dream before.
"Then why are they fighting?"
"It's not really fighting. It's like how people and wild animals sometimes clash. The real conflict started when outsiders entered that world and became residents."
(This chapter is not finished yet~.~ Please click next page to continue reading!)
I let out a sound of surprise and looked at Mona Ouyang.
"Wasn't it you who trapped them in your dream realm, tortured them, and sent them into that world?"
"Me? Ethan Zhang, who do you think I am?"
I grew even more confused, looking at Mona Ouyang.
"I don't have time to torture so many people. This is all your own doing."
In the human world, there are often people who become vegetative—bodies still alive, but never waking up, their brains still active. Their consciousness enters the dream realm on its own.
Many who enter the dream realm die there, devoured by Dream Wraiths and transformed into Dream Wraiths themselves. Gradually, because of one person—Nathan Ouyang—who ran into the Dreamborn's world, that's when Dreamborn started rescuing people in the dream realm, pulling them into their own world.
All large-scale invasions started from that moment.
"I always thought you were the one behind all this."
"Hmph. Ethan Zhang, what do you take me for? I'm a Ghost Sovereign—do you think I'd waste my time on those ants? Modern medicine is advanced, so many vegetative people can survive for years. Where does their consciousness go? It sinks into the dream realm, but you humans don't know that. In ancient times, with less developed medicine, there were hardly any vegetative cases—most people died before they got that far."
What Mona Ouyang said made sense. People with severe head injuries couldn't get brain surgery in the past—if there was bleeding, they were done for. But now, surgery is possible, and many who undergo it become vegetative, their consciousness ending up in the dream realm, becoming residents there.
"What about Vincent Swallow's family and disciples? Didn't you..."
"That has nothing to do with me, Ethan Zhang. Remember this—go out and tell that monk, it has absolutely nothing to do with me. His family and disciples ended up that way for reasons that have nothing to do with me. Except for when he entered the dream realm and tried to fight me—I found him arrogant, so I gave him a lesson, that's all."
I stared at Mona Ouyang in surprise, still half-doubting what he said about Vincent Swallow's family and disciples.
Time ticked by, and I was getting restless. Just then, John Chou stood up.
"Brother, it's about time."
I made a sound of surprise. It's only been a few hours—how could it be evening already?
"Go ahead, Ethan Zhang. I need to suppress the Dream Wraiths wandering in the dream. I'll be back when night falls."
Mona Ouyang said, striding quickly toward the purple light circle. John Chou waved at me, calling me over.
"What do you mean, it's about time?"
"Your time as a ghost, brother. Do you really think you can stay a ghost forever?"
I made a sound of surprise and tried to summon my baleful energy, but found my body empty.
I touched my hands—my body couldn't channel baleful energy anymore. Suddenly, John Chou punched me hard in the chest, sending me sprawling to the ground.
"Why did you suddenly do that?"
"Your consciousness has fully accepted this world now, brother. Don't rely too much on your ghost powers, or you'll pay dearly for it."
I looked behind me at John Chou, who walked over step by step.
"Against those evil ghosts, the Vermilion Mantle in your body is your trump card. Hehe, brother, let me tell you something—the freak didn't tell you the whole truth."
I looked seriously at John Chou, and he spoke slowly.
"The ghost power in your body can hurt those Dream Wraiths, but it can't kill them. Remember this: only pure yang flames can pierce their Ghost Soul and make those Blue Wraiths in the dream realm vanish completely."