“Of course. I wouldn’t fail to recognize my father. What’s wrong?” Firework asked.
“Didn’t you say the demon spider could clone anyone? What if he...” Zu An was skeptical because the white bone cage looked eerie, as if it was intended to seal off some demonic creature.
“That demoness likely imprisoned my father here because she wants to obtain Dreamland’s secrets from him. If this were her clone, she could have used him to fool us right from the start. There would have been no need for her to imprison him here,” Firework replied with a smile. “If you're still worried, I’ll ask some questions to verify his identity later on.”
While they were speaking, the imprisoned master of Dreamland woke up. He was initially confused when he opened his eyes and saw Firework, but then his eyes lit up in delight. He stood up in excitement and exclaimed, “Firework, what are you doing here?”
“Father, I’m here to save you.” Firework dropped her usual light-hearted attitude, and her eyes brimmed with tears. She couldn’t wait to shatter the white bone prison and leap into his arms.
“My good daughter...” Tears also flowed down the eyes of Dreamland’s master.
Worried, Zu An scanned Dreamland’s master with the Eye of Truth but didn’t find anything anomalous. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Dreamland’s master noticed his gaze and asked out of curiosity, “My good daughter, who is your friend over there?”
Firework’s face reddened. She pulled Zu An over to introduce him. “Father, this is Zu An. It’s thanks to him that I was able to get here to save you.”
Heartened, Dreamland’s master looked at Zu An with gentle eyes. “What an outstanding youth you are.”
Firework was embarrassed. “Father, you should be thanking him instead of saying such nonsense.”
Dreamland’s master laughed heartily. “My daughter has grown up. You’re mature now.”
Isabella felt uncomfortable. It didn’t sit well with her to see her big brother Zu meeting another woman’s parent.
Fortunately, Firework noticed it and quickly introduced her, too. “Father, this is Isabella, the Acadias’ big miss. She also contributed a lot to your rescue.”
Dreamland’s master bowed to Isabella. “I have long heard about your grandfather. I didn’t expect his granddaughter to be so outstanding as well. Dreamland will remember this favor.”
Isabella quickly responded with a greeting. “Uncle, you know my grandfather?”
Dreamland’s master smiled. “Who doesn’t know about the Acadias of the Universal Conglomerate? It’s just that we have never had the chance to meet. I’ll make sure to pay your family a visit in the future to relay my gratitude.”
After trading some pleasantries, Zu An got to the point and said, “Elder, we're currently being pursued by the demon spider. Do you know of any way to deal with her?”
Upon hearing the words ‘demon spider’, the expression of Dreamland’s master warped.
“That vile demoness! She made us suffer so much! We’re in a forbidden land that has been passed down through generations. There’s a powerful formation here that can suppress her, but the formation has been idle for too long, so we’ll have to reactivate it.”
“How do we reactivate the formation?” Zu An asked.
“Come with me.” Dreamland’s master stretched his limbs before standing up to lead the way.
Zu An hurriedly followed him.
They soon arrived before a circular metal platform. Profound patterns reminiscent of a dark red blood moon were inscribed on its surface.
A red jewel embedded in the center of the headdress worn by Dreamland’s master lit up and shot a light beam at the blood moon, causing it to glow. The moon's color turned as vibrant as fresh blood, and the light reflecting off it made it seem as if it was indeed filled with fresh blood.
A loud rumble echoed, as if some hidden gears had begun spinning. The ground trembled, and Isabella instinctively leaned against Zu An for security.
“Come up.” Dreamland’s master beckoned them to step on top of the circular platform, and the circular platform began descending.
Looking at the stone walls around them, the group quickly realized they were riding on an elevator. Dreamland’s master was probably the only person in the world who knew how to activate it.
Their surroundings grew darker the deeper they descended, but the elevator’s tiles continued emanating a vibrant red glow. It felt eerie.
Zu An suddenly recalled the destructive wind that had risen from the rift valley earlier and asked, “Elder, what lies beneath the rift valley?”
Dreamland’s master shook his head. “I don’t know. Our ancestors only tasked us with the mission to guard this place. If not for the demoness, I probably would have never come here in my lifetime.”
Zu An fell silent.
Dreamland has been guarding this place all this time, but they don’t know what they're guarding. Does he really not know, or is he reluctant to reveal it to an outsider? No matter which case it is, this place has been running amok since a thousand years ago.
I wonder if it’s due to the demon spider’s infiltration.
Some time later, the elevator reached the bottom. The door in front of them automatically opened, revealing a long, well-lit passageway. Zu An couldn’t help but feel as if he had entered a sci-fi movie.
While traveling through the passageway, Dreamland’s master said with a tinge of nervousness, “It’s my first time here as well. Our ancestors strictly forade us from coming here unless it was a matter concerning Dreamland’s life and death. My predecessors have probably never been here, either. But with the demoness having massacred everyone in Dreamland, there’s no better time than now.”
Zu An put up his guard. Isabella took out a couple of defensive artifacts and handed them around. After all the dangers they had been through, they were now more vigilant than ever.
Surprisingly, there were no traps along the way. They soon arrived at a semi-spherical room covered in giant screens. None of the screens lit up, likely because they had run out of energy after a long time.
Dreamland’s master walked up to a metal pillar that was around his height. A crystal sphere sat on top of the pillar. He formed hand seals while murmuring an obscure incantation. Then, he slit his finger and dripped his blood essence on the sphere.
It then lit up and scattered light around. The screens began projecting live images of the surrounding area, such as the devastating storm outside, the fog ocean that warped directions, the labyrinths, and the rift valley Zu An and the others had just overcome.
But what caught their attention were the scuttling little spiders and a massive figure on one of the screens.
All of a sudden, the demon spider sensed something and looked over. Even across the screen, the group still felt her suffocating pressure.
Dreamland’s master was horrified. “Oh no! She has found us. It’ll take her no more than thirty breaths to find this place. We have to activate the formation to seal her right away!”