Nightmare Legacy

"Have they finally entered the fray...?" In the Distant Sky Realm, Yaxiu and his companions watched the blood-red lightning in the distance grinding away at the golden phantom bubble. Though startled, they were hardly surprised. They had anticipated this moment all along. Among the four legacies, the Lake Light legacy might have held relatively little value and failed to catch the gods' interest. But between the Time legacy's Eternal City, the Spectre legacy's Shattered Dream Kingdom, and the Thousand Wishes legacy's Thousand Wishes Kingdom of Heaven, which one could fail to tug at the gods' heartstrings? What, some might ask—would gods really stoop to squabbling over legacies with petty sorcerers? Surely, as gods, they possessed the magnanimity of the strong, did they not? It was excusable for ordinary folk to think so, but Yaxiu and his team were Sanctuary Sorcerers themselves. They had long abandoned such naive notions—after all, they possessed no magnanimity of the strong whatsoever! Forgo critical benefits within arm's reach just for the sake of so-called dignity? If Yaxiu ever dared to do such a thing, the Sword Princess would bash his head in without hesitation. As the saying went, it was harder to touch someone's interests than to touch their soul. If benefits capable of moving a god truly surfaced, they would step in without a second thought! The Investiture War of the Six Nations on the Time Continent had already demonstrated beyond doubt that the gods possessed both the power and the will to intervene in the lower tiers of the Void Realm. Thinking from a darker perspective, perhaps the Lake Light Angel, the King of Time, the Spectre Prophet, and the Thousand Wishes Mirage Sovereign had all chosen to set up their legacies in the lower reaches of the Void Realm precisely to keep their legacies from being plundered by the gods. Yaxiu had already begun to realize that while a god was an almighty powerhouse in their own right, they were also the ruler and decision-maker of their faction. Each god was an entire nation, an entire power unto themselves. When every move they made affected countless interests, they naturally could not wander carefree and indulge their whims, but had to weigh risks against rewards. So-called magnanimity was simply sacrificing material gain in exchange for emotional gratification. If one were an unattached loner with only their own mouth to feed, doing whatever made oneself happy was fine. But could a leader shouldering the rise and fall of an entire organization really sacrifice tangible interests just to indulge their pride? More importantly, though the gods were currently in a state of peaceful development, they were competitors at heart. If one did not seize these legacies and another god claimed them, would that not tilt the balance of power? It was just like relations between nations: if a newly discovered resource point was left unclaimed and seized by a rival country, would that not bolster the rival's strength while diminishing one's own? Thus, Yaxiu and the others knew that the gods' intervention was only a matter of time. Still... "Isn't this a bit too over-the-top?" Yaxiu murmured, staring at the lightning bolt that seemed capable of tearing the sky apart. "I thought they'd be a bit more subtle about it..." "There are certainly subtler attacks underway," Weise replied. "Perhaps miracles have been infiltrating and eroding the Spectre legacy from day one. Tearing off the mask to attack openly tonight most likely means someone crossed a tripwire." "What tripwire?" Diya asked. "The Spectre legacy's tripwire," Sonia said. "Someone is approaching the finish line. To prevent the victor from monopolizing all the legacy's spoils, they probably intend to tear the Spectre legacy apart directly, leaving everyone to scramble for whatever they can grab." "How could they do that!" Diya gasped in dismay. "Doesn't that mean we won't have a chance to inherit the Spectre legacy either?" "Things in the Distant Sky Realm are still relatively tame; it's probably far more terrifying over at Ruby Mountain," Sonia said. "After all, the Spectre legacy is shielded by the Shattered Dream Kingdom. If the gods want to interfere, they have to tear down the dream kingdom first. But everyone on Ruby Mountain is exposed out in the open. If someone crosses the line there..." "The Thousand Wishes legacy determines the ownership of a kingdom of heaven, which inevitably requires a remote clash between the gods to settle," Weise analyzed. "A Legendary Sorcerer without backing—or without strong enough backing—could never seize a kingdom of heaven through mere effort alone." Diya pouted unhappily. "Then could the Lake Light legacy and the Time legacy be snatched away by the gods too? That's so unfair..." "The Lake Light and Time legacies might actually be safe," Yaxiu noted. "The King of Time exercises powerful control over the Eternal City, such that even the Heroic Spirit Legion couldn't break in. Barring unexpected developments, the Heroic Spirit Legion represents the strongest force of intervention the gods can deploy on the Time Continent. "The Lake Light legacy is the safest of all. The power level of the Sea of Knowledge is too low; normally, it only permits One-Wing Sorcerers to enter. One-Wing Sorcerers are like children—no matter how powerful the weapons prepared for them, they can't wield much strength. The gods' intervention in the Sea of Knowledge likely cannot exceed the second-wing level, which can hardly make waves in a demigod-level angel legacy. "Compared to One-Wing Sorcerers, Sanctuary and Legendary Sorcerers are already adults. As long as the gods furnish them with sufficient armaments, they can unleash power far beyond their natural limits. That is why the gods' level of intervention in the Distant Sky Realm and on Ruby Mountain can escalate straight to the miracle tier!" Even though they understood what was happening, there was nothing Yaxiu and his companions could do. If One-Wing Sorcerers were children and Sanctuary Sorcerers were adults, then the gods were aircraft carriers. Whatever they chose to do, Yaxiu and the others could only watch from the sidelines, careful not to get caught in the collateral damage of their indiscriminate strikes. The question now was whether to continue challenging the Spectre legacy. After a brief discussion, the group reached a unanimous decision: keep pushing forward! The Spectre legacy would not collapse immediately. Even if it did, they could deploy their Sanctuaries to flee, or even take advantage of the chaos to scoop up whatever they could for free! More importantly, they had already cleared Stage 60 and were not far from the next Spectre Side Story or Main Story! Giving up benefits within their grasp just because of these worries would be far too cowardly. This was the Void Realm; even if they died, they could start over. When a risk had to be taken, they took it! "Watcher, your new outfit looks so good!" Only now did Diya notice that Yaxiu had changed into a chilling Demonic Soul appearance tonight: chained ornaments, alternating black and silver, trailing visual effects that sounded like howling aggrieved souls with every step. After all the trouble it had taken to pull it, even if he wasn't entirely satisfied with its practical effects, he at least had to wear it out for everyone to see. Otherwise, those source crystals would have truly gone to waste! "Right?" Yaxiu beamed. "Thanks!" Weise had naturally noticed it long ago, but only chimed in after the Witch spoke up: "It suits you well." "Thank you." Yaxiu glanced at the Sword Princess, and seeing that she had no intention of commenting, said, "Let's go." The four focused on the golden phantom bubble, stepping into the Spectre legacy in the very next second. Although it was being forcefully dismantled on the outside, the interior of the legacy seemed largely unaffected and functioned as normal. They pushed all the way to Stage 15, where countless points of light appeared in the subterranean hall, alongside a pattern formed by light specks. Yaxiu and the others stepped back, leaving Weise free to work her magic. This trial had appeared several times before, and the solution was simple: connect all the points of light in a single continuous stroke to perfectly replicate the given pattern. Though it resembled a mini-game, the points of light were far too dense and arranged in a three-dimensional spatial structure. Yaxiu and the others had tried and failed; it wasn't impossible, but it consumed vast amounts of time and soul energy. Only Weise took to this trial like a fish to water, clearing it with effortless ease. Whenever a similar stage appeared, it was handed to her. This was the advantage of tackling trials as a team. The Sword Princess excelled in combat trials, the Witch performed wonders in agility and movement trials, and Weise reigned supreme in intellectual challenges. With them around, Yaxiu only needed to ride their coattails, faithfully performing his duty as the punching-bag defender. While Weise worked on solving the puzzle, Yaxiu stood beside the Sword Princess and lightly brushed his fingers against her hand. No reaction. The Sword Princess stared intently at the rapidly forming pattern. He scratched her palm. Still no reaction. She didn't even spare him a glance. (¬_¬) Yaxiu huffed softly through his nose, taking a step back to put some distance between them. Weise completed the trial before long, and three reward options materialized in the hall. She glanced at them and said, "Witch, come take this 'Flowing Soul' sorcery spirit." They had long since developed a routine for which sorcery spirits to pick in the earlier stages. There was no need for discussion; they simply took what they needed on sight. While the Witch stepped forward to collect the reward, Sonia finally leaned in close to Yaxiu and whispered, "You look very handsome tonight. Happy now?" Yaxiu: "(*￣ー￣) That was so perfunctory." Sonia couldn't suppress her smile. She touched her fingers to her own lips, then swiftly pressed them against Yaxiu's lips, stifling a laugh. "Can you please stop being so adorable?" *Thud!* Suddenly, the entire legacy space trembled violently! The four instantly snapped into combat readiness, the same thought flashing through their minds: Had the Spectre legacy been breached already?! In the next second, however, all four were teleported into a golden palace hall. Unlike the crude, gloomy underground chambers, this golden hall was magnificent, solemn, bright, and warm. Its marble-patterned floor tiles were polished so brightly that they reflected crisp mirror images. The four immediately backed up against one another to survey their surroundings, quickly noticing a massive black-leather tome resting on the floor in the center of the hall. Before they could probe it, the massive black book flipped open on its own, and a sharp, sinister, pitch-black arm thrust out from between the pages. For every portion of the creature that crawled free, the giant book shrank slightly. By the time its shadowy, mist-like form emerged entirely before their eyes, the tome had vanished without a trace. It possessed no lower body; its upper torso was woven from black mist, yet clad in black-and-silver armor. Its head lacked any facial features, save for a thin white slit resembling a serpent's eye carved across where its eyes should have been, from which a cold, eerie gleam scrutinized Yaxiu and his companions. "I am the Nightmare Angel's sorcerer manual, the devil Dream Demon." The Dream Demon's voice echoed relentlessly through the hall. "Sorcerers, so long as you complete my trial, you will not only inherit the entire estate of the Nightmare Angel, but may even take command of the Kingdom of Heaven in Dreams—an intact Kingdom of Heaven in Dreams!" The Nightmare Angel?! The four immediately recalled the contents of the *Spectre Manual*—the original master of the Kingdom of Heaven in Dreams had been none other than the Nightmare Angel! Back when the Spectre Prophet was still a mere sorcerer, the Kingdom of Heaven in Dreams had not yet shattered, though it was already the Nightmare Angel's private domain, strictly off-limits to ordinary sorcerers. "You're the Nightmare Angel's sorcerer manual?" Yaxiu asked in disbelief. "Sorcerer manuals can talk?" "A sorcerer manual is the accumulation of a sorcerer's entire life. The manual of an ordinary sorcerer can only manifest legacy projections, but once a sorcerer sets foot into the divine realm, the manual they leave behind can give birth to angels and devils." Although the Dream Demon offered an explanation, it only raised more questions, and it clearly had no intention of solving their riddles. "Now, are you willing to accept the Nightmare Angel's trial?" The group exchanged glances. Judging by either reputation or name, the Nightmare Angel was hardly a benevolent predecessor; refusing outright would likely lead to a grim end. "We have entered the Kingdom of Heaven in Dreams many times before," Weise asked cautiously. "Why did you pull us in here only now?" "Because part of the seal placed upon the Kingdom of Heaven in Dreams by the Spectre Prophet has been broken," the Dream Demon answered candidly. "During my master's lifetime, he had nearly merged into one with the Kingdom of Heaven in Dreams and secretly left behind his legacy. Though the Spectre Prophet obtained the kingdom's wreckage, so long as I remained in hiding, he was utterly powerless against me. "To ensure the smooth operation of his own legacy, he placed multiple seals upon me. But now that those seals have been broken, my power has seeped through the cracks, allowing me to reclaim partial authority over the Kingdom of Heaven in Dreams. Thus, I have summoned all eligible sorcerers here." Understanding dawned on Yaxiu and the others. The Kingdom of Heaven in Dreams actually housed two distinct legacies, inner and outer! Beyond the Spectre Prophet's outer legacy lay the Nightmare Angel's inner legacy! Yet the Nightmare legacy had remained hidden through more than a dozen successive owners without ever being exposed—until the past few days, when the gods intervened and damaged the Spectre legacy, allowing the Nightmare legacy to finally activate! Diya asked curiously, "Didn't the Kingdom of Heaven in Dreams pass through the hands of many demigods? Among all those sorcerers, was not a single one qualified to inherit the Nightmare legacy?" The Dream Demon shook its head. "If a demigod sought to plunder it by force, I would have had no way to resist. My master foresaw this during his lifetime, and stipulated that only mortal sorcerers are qualified to inherit it." Weise asked, "Then what is the trial for the Nightmare Angel's legacy?" "Condense a godhead, and create a god."