Three meters, five meters, and seven metres!
The nightmare in Gao Ming’s heart spread through Dream Break Town. The divine shadow became more realistic. The eight arms opened behind him. As the God of Flesh and Blood as the centre, other things started to appear from Gao Ming’s nightmare. There were faceless disciples, mutated patients and even a ghost in a red raincoat.
“Come out! Don’t hide in my heart!” Gao Ming screamed in pain.
He Er God’s situation was worse. The Minor Xi Gods in their hearts started to fight back. They tried their best to escape. Despair flooded everyone within Gao Ming’s range. The blessings from the Xi God dimmed. Some of the Minor Xi Gods abandoned XI God’s blessing to escape the despair.
“No one is allowed to leave! Xi God is about to return. Think about your choices wisely!” He Er God’s voice boomed. They knew the situation was going out of control. They bowed at the temple. Words of blessing fluttered like golden ribbons. The joyful aura became a giant lock and suppressed Gao Ming.
“Listen. Listen. Listen. Respect your parents. Be united with your siblings. Clear your mind of incendiary words.”
“Heaven. Heaven. Heaven. Heaven’s will is a sign of human will. Do not do anything that violates your heart. The sky is always watching from above.”
“Free. Free. Free. There will be joy. There will be sadness. Everything in life is never free.”
“Fate. Fate. Fate. Five elements and eight characters have decided everything. Do not scam others. Wealth is fate!”
Gao Ming felt the pain lighten as the lock pressed on him. This reminded him of one thing. Ever since he woke up from the nightmare, everyone he met in life was kind. Liu Yi looked after him perfectly. He didn’t have the heart to ruin that beauty. There appeared to be an insidious force silently correcting his fate. The force was similar to He Er God’s power. They used bliss and joy to numb Gao Ming. They took away his memory to seal up his despair. The power didn’t want Gao Ming to figure out the truth.
“Everything has to follow fate’s script, and humans have no freedom?! That is merely what you want!” The pain of being lied to flowed into his heart. However, his anger was silenced by joy. Gao Ming could only feel joy.
“Isn’t that a great way to live? Be happy. Be joyous. There’s no fight. There’s no worry.” The two monks tried to persuade Gao Ming. “This is the best way to live. Use retreat to proceed. Do nothing to accomplish everything!”
“And hand everything over to the so-called Gods and elusive fate? Laughable! I only see cowardice in you! If everyone acts the way you want, then everyone becomes a toy in the hands of the Gods! No wonder the people at Dream Break Town are merely pawns in the games of the ghosts and demons! I have reached the epiphany! Fate must be in my hands or else I’ll end up like the livestock in town!”
Gao Ming consolidated his thoughts. He didn’t want fake bliss. He wanted to grasp his fate in his hands!
The ghosts from his nightmare howled at the sky. Gao Ming tore apart the joy given to him by He Er God. The God of Flesh and Blood charged at the lock. Despair coursed through his body.
The smiles on the two monks finally disappeared. If they could curse, they would be cursing him out. The joy they used a lot of effort to create was shredded. Gao Ming yanked them into despair. No amount of joy could heal Gao Ming’s wounded heart.
The room hidden in Gao Ming’s heart had more cracks. Nightmare gushed out until they spread to more than ten metres away. It fully enveloped the two monks. He Er God’s invincible bodies started to rot. As the joy aura depleted, they could no longer reflect the damage to Gao Ming. The most difficult problem was solved. The God of Flesh and Blood’s arms pierced through the two monks’ stomachs. He swallowed their hearts.
The divine figure was almost solid. However, as the joy was expended, Gao Ming was pushed by despair into a state of half-madness. He couldn’t tell if he was in real life or the dream. There were so many memory fragments in his heart that he couldn’t differentiate between the two realms.
“Gao Ming! Gao Ming!” Fu Shu shouted, “Save Bai Feng! Remember why you are here! You can’t forget that!” He recited the tasks that Gao Ming still hadn’t completed and the encounters that they had. When Gao Ming didn’t look as pained, he sighed in relief. The nightmare didn’t lose control and started to shrink. The altar doors closed.
There was a large gap in his stomach that was healing. Gao Ming looked terrible, but he received great rewards. He had achieved a great mastery of Dream Release. The area of effect increased to ten metres. As long as he was within the range, he wouldn’t be affected by Dream Break Town’s rules.
“You should tell me about the things and people you care about. The next time you lose control, I can be your anchor.” Fu Shu said frightfully.
“You sound so educated.” Gao Ming shook his head. He knew Fu Shu was offering this out of kindness, but he wished to keep certain things to himself. Holding the butcher’s knife, Gao Ming opened the Xi Temple door. No one stopped him this time.
Beyond the red door was a strange temple strung with strange ribbons and papers. Unlike normal temples, which had divine figurines, altars, and worshippers, this temple had twenty-four extinguished lanterns. The walls were pasted with wedding invitations that contained people’s life charts.
“Each invitation represents a dream and a living human’s brain.” Fu Shu grumbled softly, “Xi God is embedded in these dreams, absorbing their happiness and joy, turning the beautiful dreams into nightmares.”