Yaxiu as a Hostage

"Which of you is staying behind?" Yaxiu pulled his teammates aside, his tone as casual as asking who would watch the luggage while the rest went to the restroom. Diya had tried to speak up several times earlier, only to be shushed by Sonia and Weise each time. Everyone knew what she wanted to say, because everyone harbored the very exact thought: run! The vision presented by the Dream Demon was indeed tantalizing—reaping both a god and a kingdom of heaven, seeming to offer a meteoric rise for a few Sanctuary sorcerers. But once they calmed down a little, they could all recognize a critical problem: could they actually hold onto such a fortuitous encounter? Back then, the Nightmare Angel had sought to create the Nightmare god, rule the Kingdom of Heaven in Dreams, and become a new generation's God Lord, only to get thoroughly thrashed. Not only was the Kingdom of Heaven in Dreams he so dearly cherished broken, it had passed through thirteen successive owners. On top of that, even in setting up his inheritance, he had to hide it away in a rathole within the Kingdom of Heaven in Dreams, terrified of being discovered by its new masters. If they truly obtained the complete Kingdom of Heaven in Dreams, could just four Sanctuary sorcerers really fend off the covetous eyes of God Lords, the spiteful envy of demigods, and the siege of countless peers? And that was assuming everything went smoothly; in reality, it was far more likely they would fall short at the final hurdle. After all, the Spectre Inheritance could be breached at any moment. Perhaps halfway through creating the virtual godhead, the Kingdom of Heaven in Dreams would be smashed to pieces, exposing them to the sorcerers' gaze, and the very next second they would be engulfed by countless sorceries. Falling short might actually be a blessing; if they truly succeeded, they would probably be hunted down by God Lords from online to offline. The risk was too high and the returns far too nebulous. No matter how one looked at it, steering clear of this whole affair was the only wise choice. Yet, did they have the right to refuse? Leaving aside the "Same Bed, Different Dreams" curse already hanging over their heads, just judging from the Dream Demon's behavioral logic, if Yaxiu and the others said "I don't want to do this anymore," would the Dream Demon politely see them off and even give them parting gifts by way of apology? Not a chance! Yaxiu and the others even suspected that if their words betrayed any hint of resistance, disgust, or slacking off, they would instantly plunge from the status of "inheritors" to that of "disposable consumables." Whether it was the living Nightmare Angel or the devil Dream Demon after his death, neither ever cared about anyone else's life. Among the four of them, apart from Weise, everyone was replaceable. Or rather, the only reason the other three had been teleported here at all was to serve as hostages to lock Weise firmly into the inheritance. Far from backing out, they weighed every word even in private discussion, dreading that the Dream Demon might catch wind of their reluctance. So when they heard Yaxiu's question, strange expressions crossed the faces of all three women. Yaxiu had said "which of you," clearly excluding himself—he wasn't willing to stay behind as a hostage. Yet none of them thought he was being cowardly. "Witch, you should stay behind," Sonia said. "No way! If the two of you are going, then I'm definitely coming along!" Diya shook her head. "Weise, you stay behind!" "That makes sense," Yaxiu said. "In that case, Weise, you stay behind. It's not that I'm excluding you, but as you know, our relationship is a bit special. Moving forward, we're very likely to relieve stress through rather intimate behavior. If you're right beside us, it'll make things awkward for you and could even become a source of stress." "Besides, you're the newcomer to this team. In the two months since joining, not only have you never caused me any trouble, you've yielded at every turn and quietly done your work. I've always been very grateful to you. Since we have the chance, let us three seniors handle the messy work, and you just enjoy your newcomer benefits." "'Not only have you never caused trouble'—what is that supposed to mean?" Sonia's eyes went wide. "Did I cause you trouble before?" "Yeah!" Diya chimed in. "Could it be that I caused you trouble?" Yaxiu and Sonia exchanged a look, then looked at Diya, their lips parting and closing, wanting to say something yet holding back. This was the first time Yaxiu had openly acknowledged before Weise that an improper romantic entanglement existed between him, the Sword Princess, and the Witch. Yet neither Sonia, Diya, nor Weise showed any shock or offense. "I don't agree with your opinion." Weise said calmly, "I think the Watcher should be the one to stay behind." Sonia was slightly taken aback, but unexpectedly shifted her stance right along with her: "I also think the Watcher should stay!" Though Diya internally leaned toward going with Yaxiu, on one side was Yaxiu, and on the other were the Sword Princess and Weise. She promptly abandoned the dark side to embrace the light: "I... I also agree the Watcher should stay." The corner of Yaxiu's mouth twitched. "You guys..." "Finished discussing?" The Dream Demon appeared silently beside them. "Then let us begin." Six sorcery spirits and three source crystals flew toward the female sorcerers. The Dream Demon said, "I will teleport you into the interior of the Spectre Inheritance, lift the restrictions on your sorcery power and sorcery spirits, and then adjust the stage routes of the other sorcerers so they will actively encounter you. Naturally, the others will still have their sorcery power and spirits sealed." "I have one more question." Yaxiu seized the chance to ask. "Even if we can't reach the fifth layer of the Void Realm, once we create a god, shouldn't we be able to reach Ruby Mountain through the god's Gate of Truth?" Quite unexpectedly, the Dream Demon fell silent at this question. "I do not know," it said. "The original body never heard of any precedent where a Sanctuary sorcerer created a god, and does not know what will happen. Moreover, whether a god possesses a Gate of Truth at all, the original body was likewise uncertain." "Sorcery spirits and gods are vastly different. A sorcery spirit's knowledge can originate entirely from the sorcerer, but the concept of a god must come from the outside world. Therefore, though a sorcerer may create a god, whether that god 'fully belongs' to the sorcerer, and whether the Gate of Truth will open for the sorcerer, is something I do not know." Sonia was somewhat surprised. "Did the Nightmare Angel never create any other gods?" "During his lifetime, the original body did not foster any gods." The Dream Demon gave an unexpected answer. "In fact, because each god is unique, gods are not only rare, but no God Lord would ever scoff at having one more god join their Kingdom of Heaven. Thus, if a demigod wishes to contend for a natural god, they must not only compete with other demigods, but snatch food right from the mouths of God Lords." "Many demigods can never possess a single god in their entire lives. Often, after stepping into the divine realm, one discovers that all gods already have masters." Yaxiu nodded thoughtfully. He thought back to the ancestor of the Burdette family in the Gospel Country—the Angel of Necromancy. Back then, Yaxiu had merely thought of him as some ancient tomb remnant thoroughly pummeled by Harvey. Looking back now, he realized that man had truly been an extraordinary figure—not only able to arrange a resurrection ritual, but possessing a god at such a young age! This also showed just how audacious the Nightmare Angel had been. Without even a single god to his name, he had dared to reach for the Kingdom of Heaven in Dreams and aim straight for the rank of God Lord. No wonder he had gotten his head bashed in. But in that case, even if they successfully created a god, they would most likely still be unable to smuggle themselves onto Ruby Mountain. "Since you have no god, how do you cast divine miracles?" Yaxiu pressed. "Even if they're all Four-Wing sorcery spirits, that could only be called a miracle at most, couldn't it? Something like 'Yearned for in Dreams' uses six Four-Wing spirits—why can it be called a divine miracle?" At that moment, the Dream Demon waved its arm lightly, and the Sword Princess, the Witch, and Weise vanished from the golden hall. Only then did it answer Yaxiu: "The difference between a divine miracle and an ordinary miracle lies in whether world laws are utilized. A god is the embodiment of a law; sorceries involving a god are naturally divine miracles. But even without a god, so long as you can leverage the laws of the world through other means, an ordinary miracle can also become a divine miracle." "Anywhere else, those six sorcery spirits could at best form a miracle. Only in the Kingdom of Heaven in Dreams, only in the Distant Sky Realm, can the miracle they form stir the remnant laws of the kingdom and take effect through the operational mechanisms of the Distant Sky Realm." "At this moment, the miracle's power encompasses not just the sorcery spirits, but also the backing of the Distant Sky Realm and the relevant laws. In other words, if the target wishes to resist, they must possess power capable of defying the Distant Sky Realm itself; otherwise, they will be crushed by its laws." "A miracle is using one's own will to scrawl across the reality of the world." "A divine miracle is turning one's own will into the will of the world." "This is the difference in how the two manifest." Yaxiu looked at the spot where the Sword Princess and the others had vanished, his gaze flickering. He couldn't be certain whether the Dream Demon had seen through his attempt to stall for time with questions, but the creature's actions proved it knew how to prioritize. Little tricks used to fool artificial intelligence probably wouldn't derail the plan to create the Nightmare god. Right now, all he could do was trust the trio. Yaxiu asked, "If I said I want to switch with them, would that be all right?" "Teleporting you and controlling the Spectre Inheritance both consume source crystals," the Dream Demon refused. "The reserve of source crystals is tight, and creating the god later will consume a great many more. None can be wasted here." "Furthermore, you give me a deeply unsettling feeling. No matter what arrangement you settled on, I would have kept you as the hostage." Yaxiu blanked. "How do I make you feel unsettled?" "I do not know," the Dream Demon said. "Nor do I need to know. Keeping an unstable variable close at hand is enough." Fuck! This was the first time Yaxiu had ever encountered such blatant, completely groundless profiling! He argued no further with the Dream Demon, sitting down to rest and bonding with his sorcery spirits to prepare. Watching his back, the Dream Demon also pondered the source of its unease. To feel something yet be unable to recall it meant this was not recorded in the sorcerer's manual, but rather stemmed from the faint, scattered memories of the devil Dream Demon itself. After a long while, the Dream Demon finally remembered. It was the Spectre Prophet. It had once caught a glimpse of the Spectre Prophet in the Kingdom of Heaven in Dreams. At that time, the Spectre Prophet had slain the twelfth owner, the Ultramarine Night Knight, and seized the Kingdom of Heaven in Dreams. The million-soul state possessed by the Spectre Prophet was a realm that even the Nightmare Angel had never attained in life. However, while the Nightmare Angel's ten-thousand-soul state had been achieved through rigorous cultivation, pure and clean, the Spectre Prophet's million souls were murky and reeking, clearly condensed and refined through slaughter. During the period when the Spectre Prophet resided in the Kingdom of Heaven in Dreams, the agonized wails of wronged souls permeated every corner, leaving a deep impression on the Dream Demon. The man before it, dressed in a black-and-silver chain trench coat, gave the Dream Demon a feeling as if he were none other than the Spectre Prophet's heir.