Whoosh—
As the dream realm collapsed, Huang Tian's vision blurred, and he found himself back in Room 201.
Standing steady in the room, he looked up. Master Ke was still kneeling on the floor, shivering uncontrollably. Drifting around his body was a wispy cluster of gray mist—the very nightmare that Huang Tian had shattered with a single punch.
The nightmare seemed intent on possessing Master Ke to cling to life a little longer.
Master Ke had obviously noticed the unholy thing clinging to him as well. A piercing chill sank straight into his viscera, making his teeth chatter and flooding his heart with boundless terror.
"Master Huang! Please save me! I'll never do bad things again! From now on, I'll turn over a new leaf! I'll turn over a new leaf!!" he pleaded in utter terror.
Just then, Dong Qi also jolted awake from his deep slumber and leaped to his feet. The instant he saw Master Ke enveloped in gray mist, he shuddered. "The nightmare! The nightmare isn't dead yet?!"
Before the words had completely left his mouth, a brilliant burst of five-colored light erupted from within the gray mist, blasting it into utter nothingness. A rust-mottled bracelet clattered to the floor and dissolved into ashes in an instant. A stream of pure, refined power surged into Huang Tian's body immediately after.
Seeing the evil creature destroyed, Master Ke was overjoyed. However, failing to notice that the icy chill inside his internal organs still had not dissipated, he said fawningly, "Thank you, Master Huang! Thank you so much, Master Huang!!"
Huang Tian ignored him. Though Master Ke had avoided full possession by the nightmare, undergoing this ordeal had damaged his viscera and severely injured his vital essence, qi, and spirit. It was not apparent right now, but in half a day's time, he would fall gravely ill. If his luck was poor, he would be dead within a day or two; even with good luck, more than half his life would be cut short, his lifespan severely depleted, leaving him plagued by consumption for the rest of his days.
It could be considered a form of karmic retribution. Choosing crooked paths to swindle people out of their money meant he had only himself to blame for meeting such an end.
Seeing the nightmare eradicated, Dong Qi was wild with joy. Looking at Huang Tian and recalling how he had stepped into the dream to slay the evil spirit, Dong Qi knew this man possessed truly extraordinary powers. Filled with reverence, he bowed repeatedly and said, "Thank you, Master Huang! Thank you!!"
With that, he slapped his own forehead, suddenly remembering something. "I only have a hundred and fifty thousand on me. I'll give it all to you right now, and then I'll borrow as much as I can to put together three hundred thousand. It's a bit on the low side—"
He gritted his teeth. "I still have my family house back in my hometown—"
Huang Tian waved a hand. "No need. Thirty thousand will suffice."
To him, money was like waste paper; he could just as well take nothing. But if he truly took no money, Dong Qi would only feel uneasy. Since that was the case, a modest figure in the middle was fine.
Dong Qi said awkwardly, "Isn't that a bit too little—"
"Gold is like soil; money is like mud. What does much or little even mean?"
"Yes, of course! Thank you for the guidance, Master!" Dong Qi nodded repeatedly.
After going through this ordeal, he finally understood: nothing was more important than one's life. Money, wealth, and status were nothing compared to staying alive and enjoying life to the fullest.
Adding Huang Tian on Feixin, Dong Qi transferred the money over, his spirits soaring. In a world where nightmares existed, possessing Master Huang's contact information was practically equivalent to securing more than half his life!
If he ever ran into a nightmare incident again, he wouldn't be left with nowhere to turn for help like before.
Having resolved the nightmare affair, Huang Tian did not linger. He turned and left, leaving only Dong Qi and Master Ke behind in the room.
The former glared fiercely at the latter, snapping furiously, "You! You clearly have no real ability at all, so why did you try to deceive people?! Don't you know this could have killed someone?"
In truth, Dong Qi did not care all that much about being swindled out of a bit of money. The crux of the matter was that after taking his money, nothing had been resolved. If he hadn't happened to get in touch with Huang Tian by chance, he would have lost not just his money, but his life as well!
Knowing he had no leg to stand on, Master Ke put on a placating smile. "I was wrong, I was wrong! I'll return the deposit you gave me in full, and I'll add extra compensation on top."
Dong Qi snorted coldly. "You're coming with me to see the police!"
Master Ke smiled sheepishly. "Let's not talk about things that hurt our relationship just yet. I'll transfer the money back to you first."
Dong Qi gave him a suspicious glance. His phone chimed with a ding. Looking down at the screen, he saw that Master Ke had not only refunded the deposit, but had also transferred an extra sum.
"Don't think you can just—"
"Master Huang?!"
Master Ke suddenly looked toward the window in surprise. Dong Qi followed his gaze, but saw nothing at all. When he turned back around, Master Ke had already bolted out of the room, racing down the stairs.
"You old swindler!!"
Dong Qi cursed loudly and gave chase immediately. However, as an unscrupulous con artist who lived on shady business, Master Ke's running skills were naturally not bad; otherwise, he would have been caught and beaten half to death long ago.
After chasing him for more than a li, Dong Qi leaned against his knees, panting heavily. Watching Master Ke sprint farther and farther away into the night, he felt utterly helpless.
He thought about contacting the police, but had no idea what he would even say. After all, his money had been refunded in full, and the matter of the nightmare was far too bizarre...
"That old swindler! Aren't you afraid of retribution for walking in the dark too often?!" Dong Qi muttered under his breath.
In the distance, Master Ke noticed Dong Qi had stopped chasing him and let out a hearty laugh. "Want to catch up to me? You're still too green!"
How could a corporate drone who never exercised compare to someone who trained vigorously like himself?
He placed his hands on his hips smugly and chuckled for a moment, but then suddenly felt a chill spreading through his viscera. He frowned. "What's going on? Did I eat something bad, or could it be—"
He recalled the moment earlier when the unholy thing had clung to his body and shuddered. He wished he could track down Huang Tian right this second and beg him to check if some hidden danger remained in his body. But Huang Tian had already departed, and he had no idea where to search for him. What was more, he could tell that Master Huang had no interest in paying him any attention...
His scalp prickled with dread, his heart filled with anxiety. After mulling it over, he gritted his teeth and pulled up Feixin, searching for several people he had previously scammed. He sent a small refund to each of them. He didn't return everything—first, because he couldn't produce that much money, having squandered most of it, and second, because he truly couldn't bear the thought of parting with his ill-gotten wealth. Parting with treasure was agony!
With an aching heart, he prayed earnestly, "Heaven protect me. Seeing that I've recognized my errors and returned to the right path, let all evils fail to touch me, and let all illnesses retreat..."
"Phew..."
Returning to Room 201, Dong Qi sat on the sofa to catch his breath for quite a while. Suddenly remembering something, he pulled out his phone and navigated to the [Night·mare·Club] group chat.
Lonely Mountain Workhorse: "@Huang Tian, thank you for saving me, Master! My heartfelt thanks!"
The moment this message appeared, it instantly blew up the group.
Yearning for the Light: "Holy crap! It really worked?!"
Divine Mortal: "@Lonely Mountain Workhorse, good brother, tell us what happened!"
Gentle Moonlight: "@Lonely Mountain Workhorse, big brother, hurry and tell us! Honestly, none of us have ever been in such close contact with a nightmare incident before."
Accompanied by a flurry of chimes, the group was inundated with a stream of "+1" replies.
Lonely Mountain Workhorse: "Since everyone is curious, I'll tell you all about it. Master Huang's divine abilities are truly vast! Earlier I mentioned that as soon as I fell asleep I would enter the dream. This time—"
He gave a detailed account of how Master Ke had put on a show of exorcism, how Huang Tian had made him fall asleep with a single sentence, and how Huang Tian had entered his dream to slay the anomaly.
When he finished, the group chat erupted.
Divine Mortal: "@Huang Tian, big boss is freaking awesome! Entering a dream all on your own to slay the evil spirit—that's ridiculously badass!!!"
Traveler in the Wind and Snow: "@Lonely Mountain Workhorse, lucky you got in touch with the big boss, or that bullshit Master Ke would've gotten you killed!"
Gentle Moonlight: "@Huang Tian, worshiping the big boss! Excuse me, big boss, are you taking disciples? This disciple is sincere and eager to learn, hardworking and uncomplaining. If you tell me to go east, I won't dare go west; if you tell me to hit a dog, I won't chase a chicken! I only ask to stay by your side and learn some skills!"
Another cascade of "+1" followed.
Inside a brightly lit bedroom, a middle-aged man with thick eyebrows and a square jaw gazed at the messages on his phone, lost in thought.
Yearning for the Light: "Brother Zhou, a rather powerful dream expeller has suddenly appeared in our Qingyang City."
Below this message was a long screenshot of the [Night·mare·Club] group chat history, stretching from Dong Qi's initial plea for help all the way to the end of the chain of "+1" replies.
Yearning for the Light: "Brother Zhou, do you think this 'Lonely Mountain Workhorse' and 'Huang Tian' staged this act together to scam money, or did they really resolve a nightmare incident?"
—
Zhou Zhenhong pondered for a moment before replying: "Eighty percent chance it's real. If it were staged, it would be very difficult to describe the details so thoroughly... However, stepping into a dream to purge evil—such ability is something even I cannot accomplish."
Yearning for the Light: "*Hiss!* Could that person named Huang Tian be a rank-two dream expeller?!"
Zhou Zhenhong was the head of the Dream Expeller Association's Qingyang City branch, a veteran rank-one dream expeller who had fused two dream relics!
As long as he fused one more to complete the Three Powers, he could advance to a rank-two dream expeller!
If even he admitted he couldn't enter a dream to slay evil spirits, wouldn't that make Huang Tian a rank-two dream expeller?!
Such powerhouses were scarce even across the entire country. Although Zhou Zhenhong was only one dream relic away from becoming a rank-two dream expeller, that gap was practically an insurmountable chasm.
After all, fusing dream relics was done at the cost of one's life. Once a fusion began, there was no turning back; the slightest misstep meant dying on the spot!
Zhou Zhenhong replied: "Not necessarily. It could be that the dream relic he possesses is rather peculiar, allowing him to enter others' dreams. Even so, his strength is definitely not below mine.
"Moreover, from what we can see, his character is quite good. Hearing that a nightmare appeared, he was willing to take the risk to handle it, and after resolving it, he didn't demand much money. His moral conduct is admirable. If he is willing, we can recruit him into our Qingyang City branch.
"Send me his contact card. I'll try adding him."
Yearning for the Light: "Sure thing. image.jpg."
Scanning the contact card, Zhou Zhenhong sent a friend request: "Hello, Mr. Huang. I am Zhou Zhenhong, head of the Dream Expeller Association's Qingyang City branch. Having heard of your feat of entering a dream to purge evil, I would like to make your acquaintance and become friends. I hope you accept. Thank you."
"Hm? The Dream Expeller Association... This must be the official organization that combats nightmares, right?"
Having returned to his residence, Huang Tian saw the friend request sent by Zhou Zhenhong on his phone, and his mind stirred.
What he needed most right now was to acquire more information regarding nightmares. If he could establish contact with the Dream Expeller Association, it would undoubtedly prove beneficial.
In truth, he had another ambition: to spread his name across the entire world. When living beings found themselves ensnared in nightmare incidents, they would only need to call upon his name, and he could eradicate the evil from afar.
However, there was no rush for the time being. It wouldn't be too late to announce himself to the world and reveal his divine manifestations once he recovered his Golden Core realm. There were two reasons for this: first, he did not yet possess the overwhelming strength to suppress everything. High-level dream expellers, guided missiles, nuclear weapons, nightmares, and so forth, combined together, might be enough to kill him...
Although he could make a comeback and descend across the boundaries once more, there was no need to waste time and go back and forth unnecessarily. Second, once he stepped into the Golden Core realm, all the nightmares currently appearing in this world—even ferocious-rank nightmares—could be suppressed with a wave of his hand. That way, he could sit serene in his courtyard while his spirit answered across all eight directions, banishing evil and purging wicked things from tens of thousands of li away!
At the Dao Foundation realm, he still fell a bit short after all. When power was transmitted through voice lines, there would inevitably be attenuation...
After considering it briefly, Huang Tian tapped to accept the request.
Zhou Zhenhong hadn't expected the other party to accept so quickly. He froze for a second, then sent a message: "Hello, Mr. Huang."
Huang Tian: "Hello."
Zhou Zhenhong: "May I ask, Mr. Huang, are you a local of Qingyang, or are you residing here temporarily? We hadn't previously heard of any dream expellers in the city outside the association."
Huang Tian: "I am a local."
Zhou Zhenhong: "May I ask if you have joined any civilian dream expeller organizations?"
Huang Tian: "I haven't."
Zhou Zhenhong: "Are you interested in the Dream Expeller Association? If you are willing, I can act as your sponsor to recommend you into the association..."
Immediately afterward, he detailed the various benefits of joining the association.
For instance, the monthly salary was very high—though salary was actually the most trivial perk.
Aside from money, the association provided members with set quotas of gold, spirit candles, spirit incense, and other items.
Gold was an absolute necessity for containing dream relics. Spirit candles and spirit incense were not dream relics, but rather derivatives developed by the association that had certain effects within a dream domain.
For instance, a spirit candle could stay lit continuously inside a dream domain, preventing a dream expeller from plunging into absolute darkness.
Huang Tian: "May I ask how many dream expellers are currently in the Qingyang City branch?"
Zhou Zhenhong: "As for genuine dream expellers, only I remain. Half a year ago, there were two others, but due to an evil-rank nightmare... they both sacrificed their lives."
Ferocious, Vicious, Evil, Baleful!
Evil-rank was already a rank-two nightmare. For Zhou Zhenhong and his two comrades to resolve it had been extraordinary in itself; casualties were unavoidable.
In fact, from the moment they fused dream relics and became dream expellers, they knew they had embarked on a road of death.
They would either die from the erosion of their dream relics, or die in other nightmare incidents...
Zhou Zhenhong: "After joining the association, you'll receive various forms of resource support. That's the benefit. Naturally, there are drawbacks as well: whenever a nightmare incident of extreme severity occurs, you are obligated to handle it. Therefore, I will not force you to join; I only hope you will consider it carefully."
In this world, there were selfless people, and there were also selfish people. Dream expellers possessed superhuman power. Even though they suffered constant erosion from their dream relics, many still considered themselves superior beings. Why would they willingly fight nightmares just to save the lives of ordinary people?
If they failed, death was certain. Even if they resolved the nightmare incident, there was no good outcome, because the more times a dream relic was used, the more severe the erosion became.
Huang Tian: "Allow me to consider whether to join the association. If it is convenient, I would like to know about the unresolved nightmare incidents currently existing within Qingyang City."
Not every nightmare incident needed to be resolved immediately. Some nightmares were confined to a single building or temple and could not move. This type of nightmare posed very little threat; as long as the public was prevented from entering, there was no need to intervene.
Zhou Zhenhong paused, not understanding why Huang Tian would ask this. However, it wasn't some grand secret—nightmares weren't hidden treasures, so there was no need to conceal their locations. Thus, he replied straightforwardly: "There are six locations in total: one evil-rank and five baleful-rank. Their locations are..."
After sending this information, Zhou Zhenhong pondered for a moment and asked, "May I ask, Mr. Huang, what is your purpose in inquiring about these...?"
"To purge Qingyang!"
Chapter 165