A Family Neat and Complete, The Figure Outside the Bathroom

Inside Room 303, the middle-aged couple frowned. The man spoke up, "Xiao Tian, where's Jiajia?" "She's dead, of course." His flat, indifferent tone caused the air in the room to freeze. The middle-aged couple stared intently at Huang Tian, their expressions shifting from gentle warmth to cold detachment, and then from detachment to sheer venom. Whoosh— An uncanny aura radiated from the man, and the room rapidly transformed. The walls became mottled and stained, the table and chairs rotted, and the windowpanes were coated in a murky film. The outside light filtering through the glass cast a sickly yellowish hue across the entire room, making the air increasingly thick and viscous. With a low roar, the skin on the man's face writhed violently. Pustules erupted and burst, oozing dark yellow fluid, while clumps of congealed blood formed in his eyes. Whoosh! His five fingers morphed into five bone-white talons dripping with slimy mucus that hissed as it ate small pits into the floorboards. In an instant, his body lunged forward like a hurled glob of rotting sludge, bringing with it a clammy, rank stench as he pounced toward Huang Tian. "Sssss! Aaargh!" Just as his talons came within a foot of Huang Tian, a five-colored canopy draped down, enveloping Huang Tian within. The moment the claws struck the canopy, it was as if they had pressed against a blazing smelting furnace. Engulfed in raging flames, both of his hands were instantly incinerated to ash! Had he not severed his own arms in time, his entire body would have burned to cinders. Terrified, he scrambled backward, white smoke curling up from the severed stumps of his arms. Seeing this, Huang Tian thought to himself, 'With my current cultivation, using the divine ability Five Directions Five Emperors Heaven-Patrolling Calamity-Averting Immortal Robe only unleashes a fraction of its true power. Even so, dealing with this sort of evil apparition is effortless...' Once the Calamity-Averting Immortal Robe was invoked, the immortal robe's canopy draped down, impervious to myriad dharmas and unharmed by all calamities. Of course, he could not truly withstand every conceivable calamity just yet, but yin spirits, demonic thoughts, curses, and foul auras could not come near him. The moment they touched it, they would melt away like spring snow under the scorching sun, dissipating into nothingness. The same held true for nightmares. Huang Tian strode forward, crossing the distance in a single step to appear before the man. Under the creature's terrified gaze, a massive palm print that blotted out all light came crashing down! Boom! Before it could even let out a scream, its head and torso were smashed to pieces, collapsing into a cloud of hazy gray mist. The mist lingered in the air, seemingly attempting to coalesce once more, but beneath the shockwave of an invisible force, it completely dispersed without leaving a trace. Only a blood-red eyeball rolled onto the floor. Snap! With a grind of his shoe, the eyeball burst, turning into a strand of pure spiritual energy that surged into Huang Tian's body. "Next, it's your turn." Huang Tian turned his head toward the dazed woman. Meeting a gaze that looked upon her as mere prey, the woman shuddered. With a terrified screech, she leapt violently backward, attempting to crash into the rotting, moldy wall behind her. Yet before she could smash through it, a hand that moved deceptively fast snatched her right leg in an iron grip. With a hard yank, she slammed onto the floor with a heavy thud! "Skrrrch!" The woman struggled frantically, her talons clawing at the wooden floor. As Huang Tian dragged her back, the gouges grew longer and deeper. Thump! Accompanied by a dull, resounding crash, the woman convulsed, and her body disintegrated into fine powder. In her place, only a single knuckle bone remained. A burst of flame swept over it, burning it entirely to ash. Whoosh— With their deaths, the dilapidated apartment reverted to its original state in the blink of an eye. The tables, chairs, and walls shed their gray, decrepit stains, and the murky film over the windows vanished without a trace. The golden rays from outside spilled inside, bringing with them the lazy warmth of twilight. Standing in the center of the room, Huang Tian closed his eyes slightly as the vitality and spiritual qi within his body surged relentlessly. Splash— His vitality turned from a babbling brook into a roaring river, coursing through his limbs and bones, nourishing every meridian, sinew, and bone throughout his body. Spiritual qi swirled around him, casting a lustrous jade-like sheen across his skin that made him look like a transcendent immortal beneath the moonlight. A moment later, Huang Tian opened his eyes. His gaze was crystal clear, harboring an understated divine radiance. "The Dao Foundation realm—it's done." He gave a soft chuckle, thoroughly pleased. In less than a day since arriving in this world, he had already restored his cultivation to the Dao Foundation realm. Such speed was truly extraordinary. 'And as long as there are enough nightmares, I can break through even faster. Therefore, the top priority right now is finding more nightmares and slaying them, or locating dream relics and destroying them.' "Dream relics" was the term Huang Tian gave to the objects left behind after a nightmare was slain, such as the eyeball and knuckle bone just now. If these two items were not destroyed, the nightmare would never truly perish. Even if killed temporarily, it would make a comeback before long. 'The humans in this world seem unable to destroy dream relics, only able to coexist with them to fend off other nightmares. Yet I can eradicate them completely. What is the reason for this? Is it due to my unique ability, or because of my divine abilities and wondrous arts?' Huang Tian pondered for a moment. 'Never mind. There is no point dwelling on it. Whatever the reason, as long as I can completely destroy dream relics and absorb their power, that is enough.' He pulled out his phone and began searching online for any information related to "nightmares." At first, all that popped up were messy, sensationalized articles. Only after digging deeper through various forums did he gradually uncover a couple of relevant posts, within which were several chat group numbers. He tried applying to them, but only managed to join a single group. [Night·mare·Club (57 members)] After joining, nobody was chatting. Huang Tian did not mind. He clicked on the group files and browsed through them, finding that they were all kinds of nightmare stories—well, just stories, not real encounters experienced by any of the members. Thinking about it, that made sense. If anyone had actually encountered a nightmare event, they would practically be guaranteed to die; how could they still be around to join chat groups? All the members in this group were simply curious thrill-seekers intrigued by supernatural occurrences. If they were ever truly swept into a nightmare event, they would probably be scared out of their wits, like Lord Ye who professed to love dragons until a real one appeared. Just as Huang Tian found nothing of value and prepared to leave the group, a new member suddenly joined and immediately sent an eye-catching message. Beast of Burden of Solitary Mountain: "Excuse me, are there any dream expellers in this group? I think I've run into a nightmare, help!!" Ding-dong, ding-dong— The moment the message was sent, it instantly drew out many lurking members. Yearning for Light: "What's going on? Someone actually encountered a nightmare?" Godman: "A dream expeller? Probably not... Don't panic just yet, newbie. Tell us what happened clearly so we can get an idea of the situation. Who knows, maybe there really is an expert lurking in the group." Gentle Moonlight: "Yeah, tell us what's going on first so we can analyze it for you. If we can help, we definitely will." This was followed by a string of "+1" replies. Beast of Burden of Solitary Mountain: "Actually, I'm not entirely sure whether I've encountered a nightmare event or if I'm just having a mental breakdown... "About ten days ago, a female tenant living next door to my rental apartment committed suicide for some unknown reason. Nobody knew at first, and it was only discovered when a foul stench seeped out into the hallway. "Back then, quite a few tenants on my floor were terrified and fled. I've always been pretty bold and figured there was nothing to fear from a dead person, so I didn't move out. "Then, for the first few nights, nothing strange happened. But five days ago, I started having dreams—the exact same dream every single night. In the dream, I'm alone in the bathroom brushing my teeth, and footsteps start echoing in the living room. The footsteps are very, very soft, yet I can hear them with terrifying clarity. "With each passing night, the footsteps get a little closer. On the third day, I woke up in a fright once again, drenched in cold sweat. I hurried and moved out of that place, renting a new apartment, thinking that changing my environment would stop me from having the same dream. "But that night, I was still pulled uncontrollably into that dream!! "These past two days, I've been begging for help everywhere, but nothing has worked. I even visited a psychiatric department at the hospital, but the doctor just said I was overly anxious and told me to get plenty of rest. How could I dare sleep? The moment I fall asleep, I'm right back in that dream! "Driven to wit's end, I kept searching online, and only then did I learn that I might have run into a 'nightmare'! Only the legendary dream expellers can save me, but where could an ordinary guy like me possibly find one... "Last night, I entered the dream again. This time, through the mirror above the sink, I saw a figure with disheveled hair pressed tightly against the bathroom door, looking like it would burst through at any second. "Maybe today, or maybe tomorrow, the moment I enter that dream again, that figure will break in and kill me! "I don't dare sleep. I've been splashing cold water on my face to stay awake, posting everywhere for help, and I even paid to hire a master online. He said he would come to my place before seven tonight to help resolve the disaster, but I don't really know if he's the real deal... "Are there any dream expellers in this group? Please, I beg you, help me! I'm willing to give you all my money. It's only a hundred-odd thousand, which isn't much, but I can borrow more! Please save me!!!" After reading through the long message, people in the group quickly responded. Yearning for Light: "Are you sure you've been having the exact same dream for consecutive nights? Hiss, that really doesn't sound like a psychological issue." Godman: "If you didn't make this story up, newbie, then you really might have run into a nightmare event." Traveler in the Wind and Snow: "I'm not sure if there are any dream expellers in the group, but I strongly advise you: do NOT fall asleep! At the very least, hold out until that master arrives tonight. Maybe he'll actually be able to help you. So no matter how exhausted you are, whatever you do, do not sleep!" Gentle Moonlight: "I heard that nightmares kill people according to specific rules. If this really is a nightmare, you absolutely cannot sleep. Otherwise, once that figure enters the bathroom, you're dead for sure!" "..." A chorus of people offered their advice. Beast of Burden of Solitary Mountain: "Thank you all for the advice. Still, I can hold out for a day or two without sleep, but I can't keep going forever. Sooner or later, I will fall asleep. And if that master can't solve my problem tonight either... sigh!" His words were laden with overwhelming despondency and despair. Huang Tian: "Where do you live?" Beast of Burden of Solitary Mountain: "I live at Building 25, Apartment 201, Fengdian Residential Complex, Minghua Street, Qingyang City! May I ask, are you a dream expeller? Can you come save me? I don't want to die!!" Huang Tian: "Yes." He was indeed a dream expeller, though compared to other dream expellers, his methods were far more blunt, violent, and clean-cut. Gentle Moonlight: "Holy crap! There really is an expert in the group!" Godman: "Expert! Master! What kind of abilities do dream expellers actually have? Can you do things like Superman, flying through the sky and tunneling into the earth?" Yearning for Light: "@Beast of Burden of Solitary Mountain, you're in luck! You actually ran into a real dream expeller." The members of the group chimed in one after another, asking all sorts of questions. Naturally, not everyone believed that Huang Tian, a newcomer who had just joined the group, was one of the legendary dream expellers. A few secretly suspected he was a fraud trying to seize the opportunity to swindle money. Beast of Burden of Solitary Mountain: "Please save me! I'm willing to pay, as much as it takes!" Huang Tian: "Let's not talk about money for now. We can discuss it after I resolve your issue. I'm also in Qingyang City, not too far from where you live—about an hour's drive. It's just past five in the afternoon right now; I can get to your place by seven at the latest." Seeing that Huang Tian intended to solve the problem before accepting payment, those who suspected him of being a scammer decreased significantly. After all, a real fraudster would at least demand a deposit up front; who would resolve the matter before talking money? "Beast of Burden of Solitary Mountain" obviously understood this as well. He hurriedly sent a message: "Thank you! Thank you so much!! I'll wait for you at the entrance of the complex!" Gentle Moonlight: "All eyes on the master now!" Godman: "Hope everything goes smoothly!" "..." Turning off his phone, Huang Tian walked downstairs, hailed a taxi by the roadside, and headed straight for the Fengdian Residential Complex. It was the evening rush hour, and the roads were packed with vehicles. Fortunately, there was no gridlock, and the taxi arrived smoothly at the complex. After paying the fare, Huang Tian stepped out of the car. Sweeping his gaze around, he spotted a young man in a brown jacket with heavy dark circles under his eyes standing by the entrance. The young man was talking to a middle-aged man dressed in gray robes, bowing and nodding repeatedly in an exceptionally respectful manner. "Master Ke, thank you for waiting a moment. Another expert is arriving shortly; he's a dream expeller. I-it's not that I don't trust you, it's just that by a stroke of luck, I was able to get in touch with this expert, so..." Master Ke waved a hand with an air of magnanimity. "No matter, I understand." The young man gave a sheepish chuckle, only to suddenly notice a handsome youth with an extraordinary bearing walking straight toward him. "Are you... Huang Tian?" The young man realized at once and hurried forward to greet him. "My name is Dong Qi. You can just call me Xiao Dong." Huang Tian gave a slight nod. "It's me." His gaze then shifted toward the nearby Master Ke. He sensed no aura of a dream relic on the man; evidently, he was not a dream expeller. Master Ke looked Huang Tian up and down. Seeing how young and handsome he was, he thought to himself, 'With such good looks, why come and steal my business? Wouldn't accompanying wealthy older women be better? The money comes fast and safe.' Despite his inner thoughts, a genial smile appeared on his face. "Your name is Huang Tian? My surname is Ke. You can call me Master Ke or Teacher Ke, whichever you prefer." Huang Tian merely nodded and paid him no further mind. Extending his divine sense, he swept it over Dong Qi. He found no nightmare lurking within him, only the residual trace of a chilling, sinister aura. 'He truly has been targeted by a nightmare... That nightmare is either at his apartment, or it will only manifest after he falls asleep,' Huang Tian deduced inwardly before saying, "Let's go. Take me to your place." Dong Qi nodded vigorously. "Yes, right away!" Noticing out of the corner of his eye that Master Ke's expression looked somewhat sour, he quickly added, "Master Ke, please, after you." Master Ke gave a hollow smile. "Lead the way."