Chapter 312 - 303: Nightmare

Chapter 312: Chapter 303: Nightmare

[Nightmare].

Gazing at the single, simple white word that had appeared behind his Talent Bar on the panel, Fu Juemin’s eyes glinted.

The name alone didn’t reveal much. He would have to test it to find out what this [Nightmare] actually did.

With a flicker of his thoughts, the Talent silently activated.

In an instant, wisps and threads of gray mist began to seep out of Fu Juemin’s body.

The mist was quite similar to the gray fog he had seen in the Mu Mansion’s rear garden during the day, the kind that appeared with Admiral Yin Crow. It quickly grew thick, filling the entire room.

As the gray mist spread, the already quiet room fell even more silent.

It was as if all external sounds were sealed off by the fog. Even the snores of Gu Shouyu, who was sleeping in the Buddhist hall on the first floor, could no longer be heard.

As the gray fog swirled, the furniture and decor within the room blurred. The single point of candlelight on the central table grew dimmer and more spectral, giving Fu Juemin the hazy, illusory feeling of being in a dream.

Fu Juemin walked slowly through the mist but felt nothing out of the ordinary.

He also couldn’t detect any special effects from the gray fog.

The furniture enveloped by the mist remained perfectly normal, showing no signs of change.

’Does it only work on a specific, living target?’

After a moment of thought, Fu Juemin walked to the southeast corner of the room. There sat a small, two-foot-long table with a rotary-dial telephone on it.

The Mu Mansion’s entire rear garden and the Prince’s Pavilion were restricted areas, unsuitable for stationing servants. After Fu Juemin took residence, Mu Feng had thoughtfully installed a Western World telephone on the second floor.

The other end of the line connected directly to his own bedroom, which was monitored twenty-four hours a day, making it convenient for Fu Juemin to give orders at any time.

Fu Juemin picked up the receiver. He inserted a long index finger into the dial and turned it gently.

After three turns, Mu Feng’s voice came from the other side.

"My Lord."

"Have Xu Chu come see me."

Fu Juemin said flatly, then casually hung up the receiver.

He waited in the room for less than a minute before he heard the faint sound of something cutting through the air outside, followed by a soft knock on the door.

"Your subordinate, Xu Chu, pays his respects to the Spirit Lord."

Fu Juemin lifted his eyelids, and the door to the room swung open silently.

Standing outside was a middle-aged man of average height and ordinary looks, his respectful expression tinged with nervousness and unease.

Of the Mu Family’s three Martial Tributors at the Gratitude Sensing Realm, Tong Ling was dead. Besides Hong Huan, the only one left was this man, Xu Chu.

"Come in."

Fu Juemin said faintly.

Summoned in the dead of night for an unknown reason, Xu Chu answered and stepped slowly into the room, filled with trepidation.

The room was wreathed in gray mist, and the candlelight was dim. He couldn’t see Fu Juemin’s face clearly, only barely making out a figure standing silently in the center of the room, exuding an air of mystery and gloom.

"May I ask what orders the Spirit Lord has for this subordinate?"

Xu Chu didn’t dare to look around. He immediately kowtowed in salute after entering.

Fu Juemin wasted no words with him. With a thought, the gray mist in the room began to flow rapidly, and like a living thing, it poured into Xu Chu’s seven facial orifices.

The moment the gray mist entered his body, Xu Chu froze completely.

He remained fixed in his kneeling position, his expression went cold, and his gaze instantly turned vacant.

Fu Juemin stared at Xu Chu’s reaction, only to feel a thread of his Consciousness suddenly get pulled along with the gray mist into Xu Chu’s body—

WHOOSH—

After a moment of daze, Fu Juemin came to his senses and was startled to find that he had somehow appeared in the Mu Mansion’s rear garden.

’No. This isn’t the Mu Mansion’s rear garden...’

Fu Juemin surveyed his surroundings and found that the scenery was translucent and blurry, carrying a strong sense of unreality.

He pondered for a moment and quickly understood.

’This is Xu Chu’s dream.’

It just so happened that the dream Xu Chu was having was set in the Mu Mansion’s rear garden.

And Xu Chu himself was standing not far from Fu Juemin.

His face was ghastly pale and drenched in sweat. He seemed terrified, his whole body trembling slightly as his eyes remained fixed on a certain direction.

This rear garden was also filled with gray mist. Fu Juemin followed Xu Chu’s gaze—

"KLAK KLAK KLAK.... KLAK KLAK KLAK..."

Accompanied by a strange sound like clattering bones, a bizarrely tall and thin figure emerged unhurriedly from the depths of the mist.

’It’s that Yin Crow...’

A glint flashed in Fu Juemin’s eyes as he continued to watch.

He watched as the Yin Crow in the mist drew closer and closer, and the terror on Xu Chu’s face intensified.

Fu Juemin could tell that Xu Chu had wanted to turn and flee several times, but in this dream, he seemed unable to move. He could only stand frozen in place, watching helplessly as the strange figure approached step by step.

Finally, the Yin Crow walked completely out of the mist, and the fear on Xu Chu’s face magnified to its absolute peak.

"KLAK KLAK KLAK..."

The eerie, chilling sound came from the Yin Crow’s mouth. Its neck was twisted at an inhuman angle as it leaned down to inspect Xu Chu.

Fu Juemin inadvertently glanced at the Yin Crow’s face and froze.

The next second, an expression of both amusement and exasperation appeared on his face.

’What a... mess.’

The Admiral Yin Crow, the nightmare representing Xu Chu’s deepest fear, now had a familiar human face on its head.

The corners of the human face’s mouth were split to its ears, revealing a mouthful of fine, serrated teeth. Its pupils were the size of pinpricks. Though its appearance was unspeakably demonic and terrifying, filled with a chilling aura...

...a closer look at the facial features revealed that they were identical to Fu Juemin’s!

...

In the quiet room, Fu Juemin’s Consciousness returned.

He looked at Xu Chu again. The man was still kneeling on the ground with his eyes closed, but his eyeballs were darting frantically beneath his lids. His face was pale, his forehead covered in cold sweat, his muscles were tense, and he twitched lightly from time to time... all the classic signs of someone having a nightmare.

Fu Juemin lightly lifted a finger, and a large amount of gray mist slithered out from Xu Chu’s mouth and nose like living snakes.

As the last wisp of gray mist left his body, Xu Chu’s eyes snapped open.

The very first thing he did after waking was to slam his forehead hard against the floor with a THUD.

"Spirit Lord... Spirit Lord!.."

He kowtowed repeatedly to Fu Juemin, his tone filled with terror, as if he had committed some grave mistake.

If his feelings toward Fu Juemin had previously been seventy percent reverence and thirty percent fear, then now, fear accounted for at least fifty percent, if not more.

"That’s enough. You’re dismissed. Leave."

Fu Juemin didn’t even look at him, simply waving his hand dismissively.

"Yes."

Xu Chu stood up and dazedly retreated from the room.

Only after Xu Chu had left did a pensive look appear on Fu Juemin’s face.

"Nightmare."

He murmured the word as a wisp of gray mist slowly coiled around his finger.

He had a general understanding of this Talent’s effect now.

To put it simply, it could forcibly drag someone into a nightmare. The nightmare stemmed from the deepest fear, the personal ’nightmare’, in the victim’s heart.

And in the dream, the appearance of this nightmare would be replaced by Fu Juemin’s own image.

’A very good crowd-control Skill, similar to Fan Wuyan of the Black Tower’s Great Success Illusionary Tower Fist combined with his Heart Scene. But its effect is far stronger than the Illusionary Tower Fist...’

Fu Juemin mused silently, ’However, Xu Chu is only at the Gratitude level, and he already held me in great awe. If I were to use this on a guarded Heart Intent Realm Martial Artist, or even a Demon Fiend... I wonder how effective it would be?’

With the test concluded, Fu Juemin deactivated [Nightmare] and strolled down to the first floor.

In the Buddhist hall on the first floor, Gu Shouyu was still sleeping soundly. The Umbrella Ghost accompanying him seemed to be taking care of him.

Seeing Fu Juemin come down, the Umbrella Ghost vanished with a WHOOSH, as if startled.

Fu Juemin glanced over casually. It was the first time he’d gotten a clear look at the Umbrella Ghost—she was a delicate woman with the demure beauty of someone from a good, humble family.

He couldn’t be bothered with them. He left the man and the ghost to their tender moment in the Buddhist hall and walked outside alone.

With the Yin Crow gone, the entire rear garden of the Mu Mansion had become Fu Juemin’s territory.

He directly activated his [Demon Body], assuming his [Flame Monarch] form as he strolled through the garden.

Orange flames drove away the darkness. Waves of heat from the personal Fire Prison that accompanied him washed away the lingering gloom and chilling filth left by the Yin Crow.

Fu Juemin became the sole source of light in the rear garden.

’With Dragon Elephant at Perfection, the framework of my Demon Martial Arts has become even more solid and stable.’

Fu Juemin’s thoughts wandered. ’Next, I should try constructing a Demon Body with Five Souls, or even a Six Souls in One Body.

And then there’s the Demon Magic Dharma Form, which has shown some progress since I’ve Fallen into Demon...’

In the night sky, the cold stars were sparse and lonely.

The night passed uneventfully.

...

「The next morning, in front of the Mu Mansion.」

The two great Vermilion Gates swung open slowly. A procession of several dozen servants, all with braided hair and wearing uniform clothing, filed out from the mansion.

Upon reaching the bottom of the stone lion steps in front of the gate, they all immediately split to either side and knelt down respectfully.

Following them, the two great Martial Tributors, Hong Huan and Xu Chu, walked out with imposing dignity. The Mu Family Patriarch, Mu Feng, walked humbly in front, bowing as he led the way.

Only after this grand display of pomp and circumstance was complete did a handsome and elegant Young Master slowly emerge from beneath the Golden Plaque of the Blue Banner Mu Family.