Chapter 521: The Answer Lies in the Deep Dream Layer

I called out Fu Xin's name and guessed the nightmare's identity. I stood before the tall boy, my stance resolute and unyielding.

"The rules of the game were set by you, and I won. Are you going to follow them, or do you want to fight to the bitter end right now?" I held my phone, the camera capturing the tall boy's spectacular expression. He had to be the unluckiest nightmare of them all—rendered completely speechless on his own home turf by an outsider like me.

In fact, having entered dreams multiple times, I had figured out some of the rules governing the Dream Realm. The Shallow Dream Layer and the Middle Dream Layer imposed massive restrictions on anyone inside them. After all, they were merely fictional worlds constructed from the dream owner's memories, not true reality.

If one failed to abide by the local rules or severely damaged the dream itself, two scenarios could unfold.

First, the dream owner would wake up, and the dream would shatter. Every thought and memory living within the dream would be completely annihilated. Even if the dream owner awoke, they would suffer amnesia or be reduced to an idiot.

Second, the dream owner's physical body in the real world would die. All thoughts and memories within the dream would then be dragged into the Deep Dream Layer, a place devoid of any rules or restrictions. There, nightmares and any other entities could slaughter and pillage with absolute impunity.

"Don't get too smug just yet." The fact that the tall boy said this showed he was implicitly backing down.

"I'm just stating the facts. I won. I beat you using the very rules you set." I didn't think the tall boy would actually tear away all pretenses with me. If we plummeted into the Deep Dream Layer together, we would likely face more than just one nightmare. It was simply too chaotic and dangerous there.

"Who exactly are you? Why are you in this dream?" The expressions on the nightmare disguised as Fu Xin constantly shifted, but he ultimately chose to retreat. "Any outsider who enters the dream catches my attention. The moment they speak or alter the scenery, I can track them down using the clues left behind. So how were you able to approach me so silently? I didn't even notice you until you were right behind me. Are you a nightmare too?"

"Cut the crap and tell me your choice." The fog was growing thicker, and an ominous premonition gradually rose in my heart.

"Threatening me? What a joke. You're actually threatening a nightmare inside a dream?" The boy's mouth split open into an exaggerated smile, but both Chu Men and I could feel his burning fury. "Let's see how long you can last in this dream!"

His body slowly dissolved into mist. "You want a hint? Fine, I'll tell you straight: the true owner of this dream is already lost in the Deep Dream Layer. But don't worry. It won't be long before I send you in to keep her company!"

As soon as those words fell, the nightmare vanished into the heavy fog.

"This guy is tough to deal with." Chu Men stood in the distance, afraid to approach. The tall boy had disappeared, but the remaining children were still there.

They stood blankly on the playground, their bodies quickly swallowed by the fog. Even from up close, one could only make out blurry silhouettes.

"We need to get out of here, fast! The dream has changed. We have to find a way out before the nightmare strikes again!" I used the Judging Eye to pinpoint our direction, then grabbed Chu Men and bolted toward the academic building. There was a very easily overlooked location in Ye Bing's dream—the roof of the academic building. That was the promised meeting place between the Hunchbacked Boy and Ye Bing.

"Hey, where are you going?" Chu Men followed closely behind me. "Do you think what the nightmare just said is true? Did Ye Bing really enter the Deep Dream Layer?"

"Who can tell if a nightmare's words are true? He was just trying to mess with us," I said, though in reality, I had already given up much hope of finding Ye Bing in the Middle Dream Layer. Right now, our top priority was escaping. The Underworld Live Show live broadcast and saving people were secondary. Where there's life, there's hope.

"We'll sum up our experience and come fully prepared to deal with the nightmare the next time we enter." We arrived at the roof of the academic building. The environment here looked almost identical to what I had seen in the Hunchbacked Boy's dream.

Climbing atop the utility room, we saw a tattered plush toy sitting right in the middle of the roof.

"Chen Jiuge! The nightmare has already found us. If you truly want to save Ye Bing, tell me everything you know!" I roared at the Plush Bear. This scene left Chu Men astonished, but something even more shocking soon followed.

The moldy Plush Bear, covered in ripped seams, actually began to move on its own. It slowly stood up, just like Chen Jiuge once had, and stood at the edge of the building, gazing at the distant city—a cluster of blurry buildings resting at the edge of the dream, making it impossible to tell whether they were a hallucination or a real landscape.

"Say something!" Heavy fog sealed off the orphanage, gradually blurring the distant scenery. Within the mist, more and more figures vaguely emerged from the depths of memory.

I narrowed my eyes. Even with the Judging Eye, it was difficult to make out their faces clearly now. However, judging by their heights and builds, they were very likely the children from the orphanage.

"So many of them?" Figure after figure appeared. They had all become pawns in the nightmare's hands, sprinting toward the academic building. "I beat the nightmare just now, so this guy is finally bringing out his real skills."

Driving everyone in the entire dream to attack me—even with my Daoist arts and ghost arts, my only option was to run.

"Chen Jiuge, what exactly are you trying to do? Earlier, you dragged me into your own dream and helped me see through the nightmare's true identity, but now you're just watching as I fall into a death trap? Do you not want to save Ye Bing anymore?" I felt extremely uneasy, having no idea what the Hunchbacked Boy was actually thinking.

Soon, my doubts were answered. The zipper on the back of the Plush Bear slowly slid open, and lines of bloody text appeared.

"I know the way to leave the dream, but you must follow me to save Ye Bing before I tell you how!" The bloody text looked malevolent yet carried a resolute determination. I had to admit, the Plush Bear had chosen the perfect moment. The nightmare was weaponizing the entire dream to annihilate Chu Men and me. If we didn't cooperate with it, we would only find a dead end. We had no choice but to agree right now. Fortunately, its demand wasn't unreasonable.

"I entered the dream specifically to find Ye Bing. Our goals align. Are you still afraid I'll run away at the last second?" My tone grew urgent as the figures in the fog multiplied.

"Are you sure? If I tell you that Ye Bing is truly imprisoned in the Deep Dream Layer, would you still be willing to go with me?" The bloody words on the ground were glaring. "I know you hide a great secret, and even if the nightmare attacks you, you might not die. Therefore, I will only tell you how to escape the dream after we enter the Deep Dream Layer and find Ye Bing!"

The Plush Bear didn't trust me; deep down, it still harbored a trace of hostility toward me. All it cared about was Ye Bing. After all these years, the only person it constantly yearned for was still her.

"The Deep Dream Layer?" My voice was tinged with bitterness. The Deep Dream Layer could be considered an entirely different world; I had never heard of anyone making it back alive.

"You still have time to make a decision—before those things formed of negative memories tear you and your companion to shreds."

"Do I have a choice?" I gave a bitter laugh. Even if not for myself, I had to agree for Chu Men's sake. Following the Plush Bear into the Deep Dream Layer didn't guarantee death, and we could still obtain the method to escape the dream. If we stayed here, we wouldn't find a way out, and we might become the nightmare's playthings, trapped for all eternity with no release.

"I accept. I hope you won't go back on your word when the time comes." The Plush Bear must have known all along that Ye Bing was taken into the Deep Dream Layer. It had deliberately kept that from me, waiting for me to be pushed into a desperate corner with no other options before revealing itself.

"Then do as I say." The zipper closed, and the bloody text faded. The Plush Bear climbed onto my back like a sloth, its hands wrapping around my neck. "Take your friend and run toward the edge of the dream. There is a city over there. Once you enter the city, I'll tell you what to do next."

By this point, I had no better options. I called out to Chu Men, hurried downstairs, and charged into the heavy fog under the Plush Bear's direction.

Within the all-encompassing mist, countless eyes fixed upon Chu Men and me. A shrill voice echoed through the sky above Heaven's Gate: "You can't escape!"