Breaking the Cage

He was by no means the first choice for the black-robed sorcerers—the Spectre Prophet was well aware of this. The Spectre Manual had exposed far too much of his operating style; no sane person would ever place their trust in him. Yet the Prophet had acted out of dire necessity, as "spreading knowledge of the Spectre Prophet through his inheritance" was a vital link in his resurrection. Thus, if he wanted to seize the god, he could not allow these four black-robed sorcerers to successfully finish the god-forging. Furthermore, once sorcerers forged a god, the god would immediately recognize them as master. At that point, he would have no chance of snatching it. The Spectre Prophet quietly activated a miracle, squeezing out countless thoughts to fuel a brainstorm. A thought suddenly struck him—back when his true body was alive, he had never discovered that the Nightmare Angel had actually left behind an inheritance! Not just him; none of the previous twelve owners of the Kingdom of Heaven in Dreams had discovered the Nightmare Inheritance either. Yet when the Spectre Prophet looked up, comprehension dawned on him at once: the Nightmare Inheritance was hidden in the weakest spot of the Kingdom of Heaven in Dreams, which also served as the realm's final pillar. Unless an owner went mad and wished to thoroughly destroy the kingdom, it was utterly impossible to discover the Nightmare Angel's handiwork. Yet the question remained: why hide the Nightmare Inheritance until now, concealing it from all demigods, only to insist on letting mortal sorcerers obtain it? More often than not, an angel's inheritance would be claimed by other demigods; choosing to leave it in the lower layers of the Void Realm was a rare exception. After all, when facing impending death, would anyone truly care whether their successor was a mortal or a demigod? However, when the Nightmare Angel fell, the Spectre Prophet had already ascended Ruby Mountain and did not know the truth behind the angel's demise. Regardless, the Nightmare Angel's death must have been hasty and panicked, leaving him little time for elaborate arrangements. Yet he had still treated "stealth" and "passing it only to mortals" as the inheritance's most essential rules. That proved only one thing: the Nightmare Angel had never genuinely intended to leave a true legacy. If another demigod obtained it, the angel's schemes would be ruined; only mortals could be thoroughly deceived! As fellow evil sorcerers, the Nightmare Angel's mindset was practically transparent to the Spectre Prophet! "If you value your lives, stop right this second!" the Spectre Prophet sneered. "If I am not mistaken, the god you are preparing to create is the Nightmare God, is it not?" The black-robed sorcerers hesitated slightly. "You've been duped," the Spectre Prophet continued. "Yes, it is true that you are very likely to forge the Nightmare God. But the question is: will it truly be your Nightmare God? "Would the Nightmare Angel so easily hand over a Nightmare God that took him years to conceive? And to make matters worse, you are merely Sanctuary sorcerers. It would be child's play for that devil to seize the Nightmare God from your hands. "Not only that, he could use the Nightmare God to directly invade your souls and reincarnate within you. If you don't wish to become the Nightmare Angel's vessels, stop and wait for us to shatter this golden hall. As long as you surrender the god, no one will stop you from leaving!" Though the Spectre Prophet spoke with utter conviction as if stating absolute facts, he had largely fabricated the whole story. Still, he was completely certain that the Nightmare Angel harbored no goodwill. These black-robed sorcerers were bound to feel suspicious. As long as he stopped them from finishing the god-forging, he would have an opportunity to fish in troubled waters! Hearing the Spectre Prophet's words, the Dream Demon showed no facial expression, but curled its finger and urged, "Hurry." As its finger curled, the dark cloud chains around the necks of the four black-robed sorcerers surfaced once more. The Spectre Prophet cursed inwardly—the Nightmare Angel was despicable enough to use curse miracles to control these sorcerers, just like himself! Sure enough, unable to resist the Dream Demon's command, one of the slender black-robed sorcerers stepped forward and gently scooped up the little fox from the crystal wall. "Enter the virtual godhead holding the entering dreams concept," the Dream Demon's voice seemed to take on a hint of urgency. "When dreaming begins, the nightmare descends!" At that moment, not only did the two thousand Sanctuary sorcerers hold their breath, but even the Spectre Prophet could not help doing the same. Even the Spectre Prophet had never witnessed the instant of a god's birth! The Sanctuary sorcerers were overwhelmed with excitement—the vast majority of mortals had never even seen a god, let alone witnessed such a historic moment! Even beneath the Dream Demon's deadpan, rippleless face lay a deeply hidden sigh of emotion: *Finally, this moment has arrived.* Just as everyone's hearts churned with a tangled mess of anticipation, greed, and jealousy, they saw that the black-robed sorcerer holding the little fox had not stepped toward the godhead at all. Instead, she took a step backward. "Finally, this moment has arrived." Weise smiled faintly and activated a miracle aimed at the slumbering little fox in her arms. Truth Miracle: Misplaced Love! If Yaxiu's ability to host any Senluo grand law stemmed from innate talent, then Weise's ability to steal so many Senluo grand laws had relied entirely on this Misplaced Love miracle! Under the effect of Misplaced Love, every Senluo grand law would view Weise as a kindred spirit whose worldview was completely aligned with its own! When she discovered that the sects of the Senluo wasteland were remarkably similar to the "incubation method" of the Soul Godhood Path, and that grand laws and concepts seemed to be of the exact same nature, Weise had theorized whether her Misplaced Love miracle would work on concepts as well. This was the premise of her entire plan, for assimilating a concept normally required a vast amount of time. If she could not take the concept into her soul right here and now, their plan would be impossible, and they would have had no choice but to submissively serve as the Dream Demon's tools! And yet— The little fox fluttered its eyes open, let out a lazy yawn, nestled into Weise's embrace, and vanished directly into her soul! Seeing this, the pupils of both the Spectre Prophet and the Dream Demon trembled with shock! How was that possible?! How could anyone merge with a concept so quickly?! Before they could react, Weise called out, "Watcher!" Yaxiu immediately seized Weise's hand and spoke to the Sword Princess and the Witch: "Hold our other hands!" The moment the four joined hands, Yaxiu instantly activated the Spectre Apocrypha he had acquired—Miracle: Soul Merging! In an instant, their four souls merged into a single indivisible whole! The Dream Demon was just about to trigger Same Bed, Different Dreams to harm the others and threaten Weise, but it froze at the sight. It could not and dared not harm Weise—the entering dreams concept was inside her. If Weise died, the concept would dissipate as well! Yaxiu asked nervously, "What do we do now?" "Fly out!" Weise answered resolutely. At that moment, the three gave Weise their complete trust. The four unfurled their three pairs of wings, soared into the air, broke out of the Golden Hall, and flew straight toward the Spectre Prophet and the Sanctuary coalition! Sonia and Diya simultaneously launched miracles at the dream bubbles encasing the Golden Hall, seeking to puncture the thirty layers of bubbles. Although the Spectre Prophet did not know what was happening, this development was undeniably advantageous to him, so he once again unleashed the divine miracle Soul Pressure Furious Waves to strike the dream bubbles! Not only the Prophet, but the other Sanctuary sorcerers also received orders to assault the dream bubbles with everything they had! Igola, having grasped the underlying truth, had persuaded Baiyu, Zhuozhou, Bad Omen, and the other faction leaders within seconds, making them understand that greater chaos meant greater spoils. If they could capture these four black-robed sorcerers, they might even obtain a god—provided the four managed to break out first! Pummeled from both inside and outside, the more than thirty layers of dream bubbles collapsed in an instant. Yet the greatest contributors were neither the Spectre Prophet nor the Sanctuary coalition, but Sonia and Diya! The dream bubbles boasted immense defense against external damage, yet were utterly fragile from within! The offensive miracles of the two girls easily popped the vast majority of the bubbles! The moment Yaxiu's group of four flew out of the Golden Hall, they were naturally greeted by a barrage of hostile miracles! "You have made a wise choice." Though the Spectre Prophet spoke pleasant words, he swept his great hand, flicking out several clusters of resentful spirits that transformed into shackles and lunged toward them! "Don't be afraid!" Weise and Yaxiu shouted in unison. Clasping hands tightly, the four hurtled like a single bird straight into the Spectre Prophet's miracle! Just as they were about to become captives, a bubble enveloped them, effortlessly deflecting the Spectre Prophet's offensive! It was the Dream Demon! It had tipped over its treasure chest, continuously expending source crystals to cast defensive miracles over the four! "Just as I thought," Weise's voice sounded in their minds. "The entering dreams concept is our best hostage. The Dream Demon is merely a rigid execution program. As long as we collectively hold the concept, it must protect us at all costs! "So, fly with confidence!" With hands clasped and void wings surging, beneath the gaze of the two thousand Sanctuary sorcerers and the Spectre Prophet within the brilliant Kingdom of Heaven in Dreams, they charged unflinchingly toward the horizon! Suddenly, the sound of drums wove around them. Yet the drumming did not act upon their bodies, but rather the space surrounding them! As the drums sounded, space grew viscous, even trying to push Yaxiu and the others backward! Miracle: Beat a Retreat! Right then, the Spectre Prophet caught up and shook out dozens of clusters of resentful spirits. These spirits let out prolonged snores; any Sanctuary sorcerer who heard the snoring was instantly trapped within a pink cage, snoring and drifting into slumber themselves! Miracle: Back-to-Sleep Nap! Beyond that, countless miracles and numerous sorcerers stood directly in their path, attempting to halt their flight—or rather, seize their concept! "Don't be in such a hurry to leave!" Bad Omen, transformed into the Shadow Evil Dragon, reached out to snatch them. "Halt!" Zhuozhou commanded, leading a squad of Curse Elf archers to fire at them. "Why don't the four of you consider following our Ultimate Lord..." Baiyu led the Blood Saint sorcerers to intercept them. Yet no matter what miracles or obstacles they faced, Yaxiu's group paid them no mind, focusing solely on racing toward the edge of the realm. Every attack directed at them was deflected by the dream bubbles cast by the Dream Demon, and anyone standing in their path was bounced away by the bubbles! "You cannot escape!" a Star Sanctuary sorcerer chased after them, shouting, "The Kingdom of Heaven in Dreams has been sealed by the Starry Sky Divine Miracle! Stop and surrender the concept to me, and the Divine Lord of Stars' promise will still stand!" Indeed, even with the Dream Demon's full support, there was still one formidable hurdle barring Yaxiu's path—the Starry Sky Divine Miracle! The Starry Sky Divine Miracle had already sealed off the Kingdom of Heaven in Dreams, its vertical lines of starlight trapping everyone inside like a birdcage. Approaching the edge of the realm, the four naturally saw the completely sealed birdcage embedded within the realm's walls! Knowing this, neither the Spectre Prophet, the Sanctuary sorcerers, nor the Dream Demon felt any urgency. In their eyes, no one here could escape! "What do we do?" Yaxiu asked. "Weise, do you have any more trump cards?" "None!" Weise shook her head. "My plan was thrown together in haste, with far too many uncertain factors. Making it this far is already a stroke of luck woven from countless coincidences. How could I have a trump card against a divine miracle?" Sonia asked with tense anticipation, "Does that mean our only option is to surrender to the Divine Lord of Stars?" "Wait!" Diya cried out through their mental link. "Look at the entering dreams concept!" Peering into their souls, they saw that the closer they got to the edge of the realm, the more excited the little fox became. It stared fixedly toward the outside of the Kingdom of Heaven in Dreams, as if it, too, could hardly wait! In a flash, Weise and Yaxiu spoke at the exact same moment: "Gamble!" "We've come this far—how could we accept giving up without trying?!" Yaxiu gritted his teeth and roared, "Break through for me!" Just as the four were about to crash into the starry birdcage, the little fox let out a joyous cry, coating them in a wondrous layer of rainbow light! *Crack!* Cloaked in rainbow radiance, the four smashed a massive breach straight through the starry birdcage that had left the Spectre Prophet helpless and the two thousand Sanctuary sorcerers sighing in despair! Starlight threads collapsed, and the divine miracle shattered! Outside the Kingdom of Heaven in Dreams, the Sanctuary sorcerers observing the situation caught sight of what seemed to be a rainbow phantom bird bursting out from within. The sky light of the Distant Sky Realm fell upon the bird, plating its iridescent hues with glistening arcs of light that left onlookers inside and outside utterly spellbound! Some birds were simply never meant to be caged; every feather they possessed shone with the brilliant radiance of freedom. "How is that possible?!" "The Starry Sky Divine Miracle was actually broken just like that?!" "Wait, are they suicidal?!" Under countless horrified gazes, Yaxiu and his companions followed Weise's instruction and directly dispersed their own Sanctuaries! The Dream Demon attempted to shield them with a miracle, but they had already left the Kingdom of Heaven in Dreams—far beyond its reach! It was common knowledge that without the protection of a Sanctuary in the Distant Sky Realm, a soul would be subjected to the Wind, Flowers, Snow, and Moon Synchronization Forbidden Ritual until death claimed it! Yet that was precisely Weise's objective! "It has begun," Weise's voice echoed in their three minds, tense yet brimming with anticipation: "The true god-forging ritual!" Yaxiu added, "And it is *our* god-forging ritual!" Indeed, Yaxiu and his companions also planned to forge a god, but their target was not the Nightmare God, nor were they using the path of virtual godheads! What they prepared to use was the ritual method of the Soul Godhood Path! And what they intended to create was an unknown god that had never before existed in history!