A wind began to stir, sweeping in from every direction. The city, which had vanished without a trace, started to reassemble, piece by piece, as if time itself were unraveling backwards. Colors—countless, swirling—bled together, weaving a tapestry both vibrant and unsettling. In the midst of this spectral rebirth, Martin Ouyang rose slowly, his ascent almost otherworldly.
Gradually, the once gray sky turned a fiery red. Vast clouds were dyed crimson, and at the horizon, rays belonging to the sun began to shine through.
Martin Ouyang radiated multicolored light. I stared in awe at everything around me—the ruined city walls and collapsed houses all restored to their original state.
The entire Dream City was completely restored, with only one change: in the center of the city stood a tall platform, slowly appearing beneath Martin Ouyang’s feet. He stood atop it, his long hair flowing, pale face full of scholarly air, eyes smiling, as if reborn.
The changes continued. Earlier, before the city was restored, I saw that beyond Dream City, on what was once a barren prairie, a vast array of modern buildings had suddenly appeared, as if a massive metropolis had emerged out of nowhere.
"Isn’t it liberating here in the dream? Don’t you think so, John Chou?" His voice was gentle, but something in it lingered—an eerie, almost mocking undertone.
Martin Ouyang spoke softly. John Chou smiled, turned to glance at me, then looked away.
"Brother, what is your heart?"
Such a calm question made my mind buzz. John Chou had asked me this many times, but I had never truly answered.
"I’ll allow you all to regain your true forms for a bit. After all, everyone looked so dark and gloomy—quite unsightly for my coronation as king."
As Martin Ouyang spoke, he lifted his hand. Instantly, the Dream Wraiths that clustered around us—each one cloaked in blackness—began to shed their dark aura, little by little.
All around, people of various shapes and sizes—men and women—appeared. But their eyes were gray, lifeless, like walking corpses.
I heard a cry. Three-Eyed stood before me, restored to his true form: towering over two meters, draped in a tiger-skin vest, thick chains wound tightly around his hands and up to his shoulders. Bare feet planted firm, he glared up at Martin Ouyang on the platform—his eyes fierce, his presence menacing.
"So you want to defy me, Three-Eyed?"
With a rush, Three-Eyed soared into the air, looking suspiciously at his own body.
"I’ve only just obtained this power myself, so I need someone to try it out on. Three-Eyed, in the world of the living, I might not have been your equal. But here in the dream, things are different. Besides, the bodies of you Hundred Ghosts have all been sealed away by the Ghost Syndicate. Unless you submit to me completely—otherwise…"
"You reckless brat, you just want to show off, don’t you?"
Three-Eyed said in a dull voice, then floated up to Martin Ouyang.
"John Chou, you are, without a doubt, the most devious ghost I've ever encountered. Just now, you showed me an illusion—Blood Fiend's power—forcing a preconceived terror into my mind. Using your Specter Web, you made my strength spiral out of control. I truly believed your Blood Fiend had shattered my ghost soul, drowning me in fear and anxiety. Emotions you hoped would make my instinct for fantasy turn against me. If your plot had worked, it would have been truly dangerous."
As Martin Ouyang spoke, he suddenly appeared in front of John Chou.
"Well? Even now, you still refuse to cooperate with me, John Chou? You..."
John Chou burst out laughing, then floated into the air, sitting cross-legged, hands together, chin resting on them, looking down at Martin Ouyang with disdain.
"Do you really think you can suppress everything you snatched from Mona Ouyang by force? The temperament of a king—you don’t have it. Cooperate with you? What a joke."
John Chou spat out the words viciously. Martin Ouyang just laughed loudly in response.
"That’s true, it’s only temporary. The instinct called fantasy acknowledges me, and I’ve managed to control the Nightmare Stone and command the Hundred Ghosts. But with my abilities, I can’t fully control everything. As long as I have Ethan Zhang, though, nothing is a problem."
Martin Ouyang stretched out his hand, pointing at me.
"Enough talk, Martin Ouyang. Since you’ve let me use my ghost powers, let’s have a proper fight."
With a whoosh, Three-Eyed radiated green light as he charged at Martin Ouyang.
"John Chou, watch carefully. I’ve only just gained this power, but I’m certainly no worse than Mona Ouyang!"
Before Martin Ouyang’s words had faded, he suddenly turned his head, smiling as he raised a hand.
"In the dream, anything is possible."
Suddenly, a giant black snake head appeared, tongue flicking, mouth wide open, about to swallow Three-Eyed whole. Instantly, Three-Eyed froze in place. With a crack, the chains wrapped around his arms whipped out like ribbons, lashing in all directions and weaving a net in the sky.
The snake head suddenly dissolved with a splash, turning into a puddle of water. It was as if a torrential rain fell from the sky, the streams swirling around Three-Eyed.
The chains controlled by Three-Eyed seemed infinitely long, spinning outward from his center in all directions, deflecting the streams of water that shot toward him.
Martin Ouyang smiled faintly and floated closer. Suddenly, the ground beneath Three-Eyed split open with a bang, like a volcanic eruption. Lava surged up and instantly swallowed Three-Eyed’s figure.
I stared in astonishment at all this. In the dream, such power was unleashed with just a wave of Martin Ouyang’s hand.
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With a crack, a chain stretched out from the erupting pillar of lava, spinning toward an empty spot on the right. Instantly, it wrapped around something—it was Martin Ouyang. I stared in surprise; the Martin Ouyang before us was a phantom, and he vanished.
"Got you."
It was Three-Eyed. He burst out of the lava column, unharmed, chains in hand, his whole body glowing with green light.
"Did you forget something? This is the world of dreams."
Martin Ouyang spoke easily. Suddenly, thunder rumbled across the sky, and with a crash, bolts of lightning struck down. Just as Three-Eyed was about to reach Martin Ouyang, he was hit by the lightning.
With a bang, flames burst out, a massive explosion sending powerful shockwaves outward. When the fire faded, Three-Eyed stood charred but unfazed, continuing his attack on Martin Ouyang.
"In an illusion, reality can exist. I just reminded you of that."
With a crash, a bolt of lightning descended from the sky. As Three-Eyed neared Martin Ouyang, it struck him. Amid the flashing light, I saw a shadowy figure.
Suddenly, all the bizarre sights around us vanished. It was Martin Ouyang—with one hand, he pierced Three-Eyed’s chest from behind. Green blood dripped down.
I looked on in worry, while John Chou gave a cold smile, his eyes thoughtful as he watched the events unfold in the sky.
"Maybe I’m overthinking. Three-Eyed, once the Hundred Ghosts see you defeated by me, they’ll understand my power."
"Three-Eyed, show this ignorant brat your true strength. I haven’t seen it in centuries."
John Chou suddenly shouted.
Martin Ouyang, panic-stricken, yanked his hand out of Three-Eyed’s body and vanished into thin air.
"It’s useless…" Three-Eyed said in a low voice. Instantly, Martin Ouyang reappeared a short distance behind Three-Eyed, his eyes wide with terror as if he’d witnessed something unimaginable.
I stared, confused, as John Chou turned to me.
"Hey, let Ethan Zhang see a little."
I looked at John Chou and remembered—my powers had already been sealed by Mona Ouyang. I was just an ordinary person now, unable to see anything.
"Alright, I get it. I’ll lend you a bit of power, Ethan Zhang, but you’ll have to return it to me."
Thank you, I muttered in my heart. Black mist rose from beneath my feet. Gradually, I saw Mona Ouyang, her eyes cold, blocking Martin Ouyang’s path.
"No… impossible. You clearly..."
I too was shocked. I glanced at Mona Ouyang lying on the ground—her form still blurred and fading. Yet the Mona Ouyang in the air was no illusion; she was truly present.
John Chou laughed again.
"Kid, maybe you know about us and the dream, but our bond with the dream was forged through countless encounters and life-or-death struggles. The Hundred Ghosts have always existed—not just by gaining the dream’s power can you surpass us. Our connection to the dream isn’t just power; the dream’s presence has always been in my eyes, no matter how much time passes, no matter how strong or weak—dream…"
Three-Eyed turned and pointed to the third eye on his forehead.
"Heh, kid, feel it for yourself. Your power is nothing but child’s play. This is the real Mona Ouyang, and she’s in her Ghost Sovereign form—the Mona Ouyang I haven’t seen in ages!"
As John Chou spoke, he actually stood up. I watched in disbelief, especially at Three-Eyed—I was even more confused about how he made Mona Ouyang appear here.