Chapter 11: Awakening from the Dream

The moon still hid behind the mist, yet under the reflection of all the white paper scattered across the world, the earth appeared far brighter. West Willow Street was unrecognizable; the white sheets covered the forest of corpses and eaves, merging into a vast snowfield. A place once filled with malevolence had instantly turned pure and white.

A beauty in colorful robes stood atop the paper-white mound, her hairpins swaying gently, layers of flowing skirts fluttering like butterflies amid the snow.

What was supposed to be a straightforward contest had become a twisted saga — producing a self-proclaimed Miss Xie, then a spirit bandit, and finally an enigmatic nightmare master of uncertain origin.

Ren Tang scrutinized the suddenly appearing beauty, his brows furrowing. “You are Miss Wen Ci from earlier, aren’t you an entertainer from the Moon-Picking Pavilion?”

Wen Ci tilted her head, jade earrings jingling softly. Compared to the manipulators of the white paper, she truly resembled a delicate and beautiful dancer.

“What’s this? Is there a law forbidding entertainers from becoming nightmare masters now?”

Ren Tang’s expression turned wary. “I’m ignorant and have never heard of Miss Wen’s name before. But if you are truly a nightmare master, you should have presented your credentials and participated openly in the Nightmare Master Alliance. Why launch a sudden attack?”

Wen Ci narrowed her eyes. “I’m willing—what’s it to you?”

Ren Tang’s gaze darkened.

Wen Ci raised a finger and pointed at him; the colorful bells on her hand rang without wind, lively and clear. “Now that only you remain, when I defeat you, the position of alliance leader should rightfully be mine, shouldn’t it?”

Ren Tang sneered coldly. “A spoiled little girl, yet such arrogance.”

Wen Ci never let insults fall unanswered. She immediately retorted mockingly, “An old geezer half-buried in the earth, yet your ambitions are no less grand.”

Ren Tang’s eyes blazed with fury as a bloodied hand suddenly shot up from beneath the white paper mound and clutched Wen Ci’s leg tightly. Countless corpses burst forth from under the paper, blood soaking the sheets as a tide of death surged toward Wen Ci like a spring flood breaking the ice.

The more vicious the dream, the harder it was to control. Ren Tang skillfully manipulated this deadly dream, proving his power. Without accident, he should have claimed the top spot.

But fortune was not on his side; Wen Ci was that unexpected twist.

Wen Ci barely took a step back. Beneath her embroidered shoes, the white paper trembled, and countless bloody hands reached up, grasping her feet—cold limbs hanging from her, dragging her downward.

She raised her hand, using the white paper to bind Xie Yuzhu and Yun Chuan together nearby, folding her phoenix-shaped eyes with impatience. “Always dealing with such gory things—what a bunch of hopeless fools.”

She stretched her hand into the air; the golden ring and multicolored bells on her fingers sparkled, their chimes clear and piercing. Just as the tide of corpses was about to overwhelm her, she snapped her fingers.

The white paper that blanketed the earth suddenly lifted, taut and sharp as blades, suspended midair before scattering like a blizzard, slicing the corpses into pieces.

The paper cut through bones like mud, endless and inexhaustible—killing, burying, then killing again. Fresh blood was immediately covered by pure white layers upon layers, raising the ground higher and higher.

Ren Tang was stunned, his eyes shaking. Wen Ci summoning other nightmare creatures in his dream was already a disadvantage, yet the power of this white paper was astonishing. This girl’s strength far surpassed his own!

How could such a nightmare master exist in this world, and why had he never heard of her?

The white paper swept across the sky, killing more wildly, the corpse tide utterly defenseless. The sky tore asunder; the moon split in two, revealing a pale gash that widened and widened.

Wen Ci finally opened her eyes, smiling faintly. “Facing me, you only have one outcome: defeat.”

***

In the blink of an eye, the blood moon and darkness vanished, leaving only the falling white paper. Yun Chuan, Xie Yuzhu, and Wen Ci stood atop the high platform of the Moon-Picking Pavilion, surrounded by bright lights.

The tables and chairs were in disarray, toppled in chaos. From the first floor up to the fifth, railings were crowded with sect disciples in varied attire, many with swords drawn. Below the platform gathered the defeated nightmare masters, looking equally disheveled, as if freshly tangled in combat with the white paper.

The past hour at the Moon-Picking Pavilion had been lively and thrilling, rivaling even the nightmare contest.

The disrupted nightmare masters, the anxious servants of the pavilion fearing for Xie Yuzhu, and the shocked and uneasy disciples of the immortal sect—all three groups suffered humiliation. No one mocked the others; each had lost face and harbored their own surprise and worry. Their emotions ebbed and flowed with the shifting scenes inside the bronze mirror, creating a spectacle more lively than a normal contest.

Now, as the dust settled, the uninvited guests who had stirred the chaos stood on the paper-covered platform, all eyes fixed on them.

In this brief silence, an untimely light sound came from the rooftop—the gilded pearl symbolizing the alliance leader’s token fluttered down alongside a red paper slip, landing perfectly in Yun Chuan’s hands.

All eyes followed the pearl’s descent. Yun Chuan weighed it before placing it gently into Xie Yuzhu’s arms.

Gazes then shifted to Xie Yuzhu, who respectfully cupped the pearl and handed it to Wen Ci.

Their swift actions seemed to suggest the golden pearl was scorching hot.

Wen Ci took the pearl with casual ease, twirling it idly as she said, “I’m incompetent, but I accept the position of alliance leader.”

Her words shattered the silence. The pavilion erupted into noise once more. The factions surged toward their goals: the nightmare masters wanted to confront Wen Ci, the pavilion servants wished to retrieve Xie Yuzhu, and the cultivators from the Carefree Sect and Canglang Villa sought to capture Yun Chuan.

The crowd erupted into chaos, white paper swirling wildly—everyone attempting to ascend was toppled by Wen Ci and thrown back down.

She scanned the crowd coldly. “I haven’t finished speaking yet. Why the rush?”

Fearing her strength, the crowd hesitated, whispering among themselves, debating who exactly this Wen Ci was.

Ren Tang’s brows knitted tightly, his dark skin rough like iron. He murmured, “Miss Wen will stop at nothing to claim this alliance leader position. What is her true aim?”

Wen Ci lowered her eyes, turning the gilded pearl slowly. Then, smiling, she lifted her gaze. Her smile was remarkably beautiful, momentarily shaking the hearts of those present.

“Instead, I want to ask why you all want to hunt Ye Minwei.”

The answer was obvious, needing no response from Ren Tang. Several nightmare masters below shouted, “Ye Minwei harmed our master’s ancestor; naturally, our nightmare sect seeks vengeance!”

Wen Ci sneered, strolling leisurely across the stage with the golden skirt brushing the white paper. “Ancestor? He set up thirty-two layers of dreams in the Dream Ruins, accepting all challengers. Passing over twenty layers grants one the title of nightmare master. Your master is but those thirty-two layers of dreams; who has ever seen the master of the Dream Ruins? Even you, Ren Tang, have passed twenty-nine layers—have you heard a single teaching from the Dream Ruins’ master? You haven’t offered tea or bowed; you don’t even know the master’s name. You claim him as your ancestor, but he might not recognize you.”

“Besides…” Wen Ci’s voice paused, as if finally hitting the main point.

The beauty’s face bore disdain, her words deliberate. “What does the grudge between the Dream Ruins’ master and the Sect of Myriad Phenomena have to do with you? Does he need you lot to stand up for him?”

Outraged voices rose from below, countless nightmare masters accusing Wen Ci of arrogance and blasphemy.

Wen Ci deflected hidden arrows and knives, pressing her palm down calmly. “Let’s be honest. You’re just looking for an excuse to profit from the chaos of spirit artifacts. If you want Ye Minwei’s nightmare beasts, seize them openly; if you want her cultivation, memories, techniques, spirit artifacts, or azure crystals, then rob them openly. If you want to kill Ye Minwei…”

Her gaze briefly met Yun Chuan’s, laden with ambiguous meaning, then passed.

“…then kill her openly. Don’t use the Dream Ruins’ master as a pretense and make everyone sick.”

Having spoken, she pressed her forehead, ignoring the fury below. “What else was there to discuss in this alliance?”

Ren Tang held back the nightmare masters eager to challenge Wen Ci, knowing none could defeat her. He said coldly, “To reopen the Dream Ruins and find the place where wishes come true.”

Since the disappearance of the Dream Ruins’ master, the twentieth layer and above had been sealed. Nightmare masters could barely scratch the surface of nightmare arts, leading to a great decline in their powers over the past twenty years.

Hearing this, Wen Ci’s eyes suddenly darkened. Holding the golden pearl, she said gravely, “The Dream Ruins’ master sealed the ruins for a reason. You’d best not act rashly.”

“Now I know who you are,” Old Zhao Six suddenly leapt forward, pointing at Wen Ci. “So young and yet such mastery of nightmare arts, defeating Ren Tang in moments. But never before has your name been heard. Then you must be…”

For the first time, Wen Ci showed a trace of nervousness, pointing back at Zhao Six. “Don’t speak recklessly…”

“You must be Su Zhaoqing!”

Wen Ci was silent for a moment, then lowered her finger, sighed, and calmly replied, “You guessed right.”

The crowd buzzed with discussion: she was indeed Su Zhaoqing, the only nightmare master to have conquered all thirty-two layers of the Dream Ruins, but who had never appeared since. Unexpectedly, Su Zhaoqing looked like this and had such a temperament.

Xie Yuzhu, dazed from studying the situation, finally gathered her wits. She never imagined that Wen Ci, one of the twin fiends of the Moon-Picking Pavilion, was also one of the two standout nightmare masters alongside Su Zhaoqing. Her manner was wild and unruly, her eccentricity rivaling that of her accounting sister.

But that had nothing to do with her.

At this moment, the white paper on the platform piled like a mountain, burying Xie Yuzhu up to her knees, rendering her immobile. She whispered to Yun Chuan, who was half-buried by the white paper beside her, “Once they finish speaking, Wen Ci will surely withdraw the paper and come for you. Do you have any ideas now?”

They could still remain mere bystanders for the moment, but time was tight; if they didn’t figure out an escape soon, they would be trapped.

In this critical moment, Yun Chuan remained true to herself, speaking unexpectedly.

“I want to vomit,” she answered plainly.

“...What?”

Frowning, Yun Chuan tried to remove the vision stone. “There are too many people; I want to vomit.”

Xie Yuzhu had forgotten Yun Chuan’s quirk and hurriedly pressed the vision stone back. “No, no! If you take it off, you’ll be blind and won’t escape!”

They had no solution yet, but Wen Ci had already finished her instructions. From her vantage point, she loudly declared to the nightmare masters, “Alright, the first alliance leader’s orders end here.”

Then she tossed the gilded pearl forward in a perfect arc, landing in Ren Tang’s hands. Ren Tang looked at Wen Ci with suspicion and asked, “Miss Su, what are you doing?”

“Abdication. Congratulations on becoming the second alliance leader. I resign.”