Chapter 840: The Culprit and an Even More Terrifying Dream Calamity
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 840: The Culprit and an Even More Terrifying Dream Calamity
"Talk to me~ How did you get here?"
Once the Village Chief had departed, I no longer needed to play the part of the kindly Sage. Facing this Dream Demon, I wasn't about to show her a friendly face.
Even though I had released the seals on her, her movements remained restricted.
"Who the hell are you?! Why should I tell you anything?"
"A worthless question." My expression turned cold. I reached out and gripped her face. The power of my Body Cultivation Time Sense surged, twisting the very concept of time within the dream. In an instant, the Dream Demon’s expression shifted through a dozen shades of terror.
In her subjective perception, everything in her field of vision had slowed to a crawl, yet her thoughts remained at their usual speed. She was forced to remain in that agonizing posture, ignored by everyone, as this unchanging reality stretched on for a day... a week... a month...
This was the sheer helplessness and terror of cognitive time dilation!
In reality, I could never have achieved this level of control. Even Sister Bai, I suspected, might not be able to pull it off.
Sister Bai’s perfect mastery over the Time Sense was an expression of her dominance over power, centered on her own self-perception. That kind of cognition cannot influence an independent consciousness outside of oneself. Even if Sister Bai could instantly turn someone to dust, that person would only experience their body weathering away in a short span of time; they wouldn't subjectively watch themselves crumble over what felt like "normal time."
I could do it here not just because this was the Primitive Dream Realm—where the framework of information is far more malleable than reality—but primarily because my understanding of "Emotion Body Cultivation" gave me the means to interfere with a "consciousness" other than my own.
It’s fair to say that every path of Body Cultivation has its own brand of horror. Emotion Body Cultivation is, in my mind, the most eerie power of all—the ability to strip away or guide the emotions of another.
This power is truly fascinating.
When I finally ended the "months" of chronological imprisonment, the Dream Demon collapsed to the ground, gasping for air.
To me, it had only been a moment, but for her, months had passed!
She had been stuck in that exact position, unable to do anything, and the mental energy she had expended—the cognition, the memories, the torture—was all "vividly real."
"Speak. How did you get here? If you waste any more of my time, I’ll give you a year of imprisonment and see if you’re still so stubborn," I said, giving her no room to breathe. My tone was one of pure command and threat, completely undisguised.
"I... I’ll talk! Just don't make me go through that again! I... I just followed the Lord's orders to descend into this world and enter the Primitive Dream Realm..."
"And then?"
"Then... then I saw something like a ladder within the Primitive Dream Realm. I followed the dream creatures deeper into the realm... and ended up here..."
"You’re quite capable, aren't you? To be able to enter the Primitive Dream Realm this deeply? It seems you Dream Demons do have some skill after all~" I crouched down, eyeing the creature before me with genuine interest.
In the past, I had relied on Spirit Vision to perform a preliminary deconstruction of dream concepts like Dream Demons and Nightmares. Eventually, I perfected the Primitive Runes, which allowed me to shape Nightmare Spells and Dream Demon Spells, ultimately unifying the two.
Back then, I possessed Floating World Level Spirit Vision; I reached "application" through "trial and error."
Now, I had gained a whole new layer of "understanding."
Studying the existence of a Dream Demon again after so long made me realize just how naive I had been. It also made me marvel at how incredibly lucky I was in the beginning.
After teasing the Dream Demon for a bit, I resumed the interrogation at a rapid pace.
I asked how many Dream Demons had come to the Expansion Realm this time, how many had reached Fool's Village, and if any had already successfully infiltrated.
However, after a round of questioning, I realized this Dream Demon was truly clueless.
She didn't know the exact number of her kind that had arrived—maybe dozens, perhaps even hundreds. As for infiltrating Fool's Village ahead of time... that was even more unlikely.
According to her, she had been "captured" by this specific dream world. Once she realized what was happening, she had no choice but to enter, surrounded by dream creatures. Only then did she discover that this was a unique dream world hidden deep within the Primitive Dream Realm.
They had originally been dispatched by the Abyssal Demon Lords to collect information on the Primitive Dream Realm and to relay the movements and progress of the various Transcendent Academies. If possible, they were also tasked with sabotaging the research of other academies to hinder their deeper exploration of the Primitive Dream Realm.
Taken together, these bits of information pointed toward a fairly standard exploration of the Primitive Dream Realm. It was just wrapped in the layers of power plays between the Expansion Realm and the various Transcendent Academies, plus the uncontrollable accidents inherent to the Primitive Dream Realm. All of this had ultimately led to my encounter with this Dream Demon in Fool's Village.
But... what I was most curious about was a concept she had mentioned.
She said that the culprit behind the Dreamscape Calamity in the outside world was the abnormal movement of this very dream world.
Wasn't that indirectly saying that I was the one behind it all?
For the first time, I began to take the "aftershocks" of my actions in the Primitive Dream Realm seriously.
Forcibly shaping a Dream Domain Order under my dominance, anchoring a specific dream between reality and the dreamscape...
I truly hadn't considered what kind of impact these actions might have. I just thought the techniques were impressive... and that was it. I didn't have much of a sense of the real-world consequences.
Once I confirmed that the Dream Demon really didn't know anything else, I tossed her aside in annoyance.
Then, I used the Tree of Great Knowledge to proactively contact Sister Bai again.
I needed to confirm something.
I remembered Sister Bai telling me that the Primitive Dream Realm's invasion of the Expansion Realm had entered a relatively "stable" phase.
Previously, I thought it was just a coincidence that the Primitive Dream Realm had stabilized right when I was about to anchor Fool's Village and enter the shallow dreams.
But now, a terrifying possibility occurred to me.
If my previous actions had already triggered such a massive Dreamscape Calamity, then by forcibly anchoring Fool's Village using [Transcendent Knowledge] and pulling it into the shallow dreams, wouldn't I be...
Thinking of this, I suddenly realized that the so-called stable period wasn't a sign of the Primitive Dream Realm calming down. It was the calm before the storm!
If my previous actions were like waves hitting the shore, then what was coming next was a literal super tsunami!
"I'm screwed..."
The mere thought of it gave me a massive headache. Even if this was all just my speculation, if I was "guessing right," the consequences would be unthinkable!
I stared at the communication link between Sister Bai and me on the Tree of Great Knowledge.
But with the barrier between dreams and reality, even using the Tree of Great Knowledge as an anchor for information exchange, I still couldn't establish an order that was perfectly equivalent to reality on a macro level. In the Primitive Dream Realm, order is always the exception; chaotic disorder is the fundamental theme.
I no longer had the heart to care whether the Dream Demon lived or died. After sealing her and tossing her aside again, I focused entirely on the information from the Tree of Great Knowledge.
At the same time, I reclaimed my absolute dominance and perception over my domain.
Normally, I wouldn't go to such trouble. Being in a constant state of receiving and processing a massive influx of information is incredibly draining. That was why I had set a filter specifically for the "Nightmare" concept—to solve my problems in one go.
And that was exactly why this Dream Demon had almost managed to break through my defensive line against dream creatures.
Fortunately, things were still salvageable, and the Village Chief had been a huge help. She truly lived up to her role as the guardian of Fool's Village.
To prevent this from happening again, I took up the burden of guarding the village once more. Even though it was exhausting, it was the only way.
After a long time, my Tree of Great Knowledge finally received a response from Sister Bai.
My question had been simple: I just asked about the current state of the Primitive Dream Realm and whether it was still stabilizing as before. After all, my theory was just a guess; to verify it, I needed to coordinate my efforts with the outside world.
However, the current situation in Fool's Village made it impossible for me to leave, so verification was difficult.
Sister Bai’s response was very formal, lacking the usual intimacy of our private chats.
This was likely what Sister Bai had mentioned before. This was currently the only channel for communicating with the Primitive Dream Realm, so the contents of our messages would be made public to some extent.
"It's already starting to recede?" I looked at Sister Bai’s response, which was very detailed.
It included the current range of the Primitive Dream Realm’s influence on reality, comparisons with previous data, statistical analysis, and real-time updates on how many people were currently trapped in the dreamscape.
I could already imagine the scene: Sister Bai replying to my message while the Academy Dean and a large group of other witches watched from the side.
I felt a bit bad for Sister Bai.
I wondered what kind of impact my "baseless speculation" would have if I sent it back to them. After all, I had zero evidence to prove that I was the cause of everything, or that the current calm was merely the eye of the storm.
And if I was wrong, it would be a massive embarrassment...
"Phew~ Calm down, calm down... I'm not who I used to be... Why couldn't I cause such a massive stir?" I slapped my cheeks, trying to reassure myself.
"Transcendent Witches have only touched upon Real Time... yet I have reached the Primitive Dream Realm and shaped a Dream Domain... Why couldn't I be a Saint Realm expert within the dream?"
I kept trying to comfort myself, even bordering on nonsensical rambling, but I knew exactly what I was lacking.
I lacked the confidence... to correctly perceive myself!
It all came back to the deep-seated issues from my original family...
I gave a soft laugh at the thought, but I made my final decision.
"Sister Bai... the stabilization of the Primitive Dream Realm might actually be the calm before an even greater disaster. I can't easily explain what I've done, and I have no evidence to prove it's related to me, but please take this seriously... A true Dreamscape Calamity is very likely to descend in the near future."
Once I finished composing the message and sent the information through the Tree of Great Knowledge, a weight finally lifted from my heart.
As it turned out... I really wanted to do this, regardless of whether my guess was right or wrong. This was my contribution.
Not long after I sent the message, I sensed "existences" other than dream creatures arriving outside the Dream Scroll.
With a heavy gaze, I ascended into the air to welcome them.
Were these newcomers more Dream Demons, or were they students lost in the Primitive Dream Realm? Or perhaps... were they Transcendent Witches walking the path of the Great Soul Subject?
I didn't know, but the answers would eventually be revealed.
Before long, a figure appeared.
The second "visitor"... was another Dream Demon!
Seeing this result, my mood soured instantly.
* * *
In reality.
"Xiao Bai~ No reply yet? Is the time difference between the dream and reality really that large?"
"Not yet." Bai Yu shook her head.
She was currently surrounded by a group of witches at a temporary observation station built at the very front line where the Primitive Dream Realm was breaching the boundaries of reality.
None of the witches who knew about Bai Yu’s ability to communicate with Xiao Han had informed the other academies. A windfall like this was best kept to themselves.
Most of the witches gathered around her were those who simply enjoyed a good spectacle. Of course, Mei Lind, the Academy Dean, and Sheryl, the Rebel Witch, were also present.
Sheryl had been allowed to know simply because they couldn't stop her. If possible, Mei Lind would have preferred to keep her in the dark. If Sheryl decided to interfere or cause trouble, the situation would become far more complicated.
"A message from Xiao Han!" At Bai Yu’s voice, the witches immediately crowded around.
But after seeing the content, the group fell into a sudden silence.
The mention of a "true Dreamscape Calamity" and the "calm before the storm" weighed heavily on them.
To be honest, they couldn't disprove the theory either. Even if Xiao Han couldn't provide evidence, the fact that she had reached this conclusion meant she must have sensed something.
Describing the current state of the Primitive Dream Realm as the calm before the storm was actually quite fitting. It was a possibility they hadn't considered—or rather, one they hadn't thought was very likely.
But now that Xiao Han had brought it up, they truly needed to take this opportunity to think it through.
Before any discussion could begin, Mei Lind had already guessed the final outcome: not a single witch would back down.
After all, witches were not the type to retreat in the face of disaster. Moreover, since there was no evidence for the message, there was no way they would simply withdraw.
"Why is everyone so quiet? I think Xiao Han makes a lot of sense. Aren't you going to discuss it?" Sheryl was the first to break the silence, bringing the topic out into the open.
* * *
The Primitive Dream Realm.
Fool's Village.
Following the arrival of the Dream Demon, Fool's Village began to receive a steady stream of new visitors.
So far, I had "received" four Dream Demons and two fragile consciousnesses that had already fallen into chaos and madness.
The consciousness-bodies of these two fragile souls had become blurred even within the dream—a result of their self-perception collapsing.
These must be the students Sister Bai mentioned, the ones pushed forward as experimental fodder by the other Transcendent Academies... I offered them a silent second of mourning.
Even if their physical bodies in reality were still alive, it was clear that they were now as good as dead.