Chapter 821: Heaven Slaughterer

Abandoning Wang Shi might have bought me a sliver of time, but I had a much safer alternative.

Thousands upon thousands of chains locked down the sky. To break out, I first had to escape this block.

Flaming chains crisscrossed the sky, piercing through the Dream Realm and reality alike. The city overhead pressed down like an inverted mountain range. I was running out of time.

Without a second thought, I drove the Dream Wing Gu to change direction, hurtling toward the edge of the block.

"It seems you really have forgotten everything. Your path has already failed. In the past, you never would have fled." The Black-Robed Anchor did not even look back at me. He stared at the sky, a hint of regret in his voice. "Under Destiny, no one can remain unscathed. Furthermore, Destiny wants you dead far more than it wants me. That is why I brought you into this. Since you have failed, you might as well increase the odds of my success. I believe that if you still had your memories, you would gladly do so."

His expression was certain. He allowed the needle of the Compass to track my movements, but otherwise did nothing.

The chains were locking onto their target under the guidance of the Compass, which confirmed my earlier suspicions.

Seeing Black Robe's overconfidence, I realized this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and pushed the Dream Wing Gu to its limits.

Karmic Fire descended into the Deep Dream Layer along the chains. The halos in the night sky were torn apart by the blaze, and the silent earth began to boil.

At the edge of the block, Xiao A and the Man in the Colorful Robe retreated once more, but they did not stand idle. They drove thoughts and nightmares to melt into the black chains. These memories, abandoned by all living beings, flowed upstream to clash with the Karmic Fire. For a brief moment, the two forces actually reached a stalemate.

However, the situation remained highly unfavorable for the Traitors. The number of nightmares and thoughts was ultimately finite, while the sky-filling Karmic Fire was boundless.

I had already guessed the outcome before this duel even began. The Traitors controlled a mere thousandth of the Deep Dream Layer's territory. In fact, even factoring in the Live Show, exploration of the Deep Dream Layer remained at a very early stage; the charted lands accounted for roughly one percent of the entire realm.

Trying to use that single percent to fight Destiny was simply too hasty.

The existence of the Deep Dream Layer was ultimately a hidden threat to Destiny. If they had just bided their time and only struck at Destiny after taking control of the entire Dream Realm, they might not have found themselves so passive.

Judging by the current situation, the Karmic Fire would sooner or later descend completely into the Deep Dream Layer. Unless the Traitors had other trump cards, their defeat was only a matter of time.

I split my focus, keeping an eye on the shifting battlefield while maneuvering the Dream Wing Gu to dodge the black chains.

As I drew closer to the edge of the block, a terrible premonition suddenly welled up in my heart. My sea of consciousness churned. That single wisp of Red Building obsession proved no match for Chen Mo's fate and was utterly obliterated, and spiders symbolizing Destiny began to frantically devour my memories.

"I told you, you cannot escape." A cold sneer echoed in my ear. Before I could look back, a massive spiderweb dropped over my head.

My willpower erupted, and the Dream Wing Gu's speed increased once more, allowing me to dodge it by a hair's breadth.

Heart pounding, I looked toward the outskirts of the block. Countless massive spider silhouettes had already been waiting there for a long time.

"No one in this world can transcend Destiny, and that includes you!" A colossal spider, far larger than its peers, crawled up from behind me. Its abdomen tilted upward, revealing Chen Mo's upper torso.

The swarm of spiders and the iron chains worked in tandem. Chen Mo seemed to realize that carrying the Butcher restricted my movements, focusing his attacks on that exact vulnerability. Facing enemies that outnumbered me hundreds to one, I burned through a massive amount of willpower, but the Butcher was ultimately snatched away by Chen Mo.

It was then that I noticed a small detail. While Chen Mo verbally expressed immense hostility toward me, his true target was the Butcher.

Even stranger, the moment he succeeded, he immediately eased his assault on me. Shielded by the spiderwebs, he seemed to plunge a "poison needle" into the Butcher's body when no one was looking.

I caught sight of this but was powerless to stop it. 'Chen Mo is a puppet of Destiny. Why exactly is he doing this?'

What happened next gave me a faint inkling of why.

After tampering with the Butcher, Chen Mo tossed him toward the black chains in the sky. Completely unaware of this sleight of hand, Black Robe manipulated the chains to drag the Butcher back to the altar.

The confrontation between the Deep Dream Layer and Destiny had reached a critical juncture. Karmic Fire filled the sky. One misstep, and relying on the Deep Dream Layer to fight Destiny would be out of the question—the entire Dream Realm could be incinerated by the flames. Worse still, Karmic Fire was the fury of all living beings, Destiny's method of punishing rebellion. Once it began to burn across this land, it would signal that Destiny had officially gained a foothold in the Deep Dream Layer.

The Traitors and Black Robe relied on the Deep Dream Layer to oppose Destiny, but Destiny was plotting against them just the same. As far as Destiny was concerned, the Deep Dream Layer—this filth-harboring Third World—should have been brought back under its control long ago.

As the Karmic Fire burned, the Traitors desperately bought time for Black Robe. Right now, Black Robe, standing atop the altar, was the main character. He held the final trump card against Destiny in his hands.

"Under the restrictions of heaven's will, there is not a single complete Mahayana Talisman in this world. For so many years, I have wondered why such a restriction exists. It wasn't until later that I arrived at an answer: Mahayana Talismans possess the power to hurt you! You are afraid, too!" At this moment, Black Robe appeared exceptionally calm. Looking up at the sky, he drew a streak of light from his robes.

I watched closely. Countless characters were woven into that light. The moment Black Robe brought it out, the entire Dream Realm fell silent, all sound completely suppressed.

"I spent a thousand points to redeem this fragmented Mahayana Talisman. Here in the Deep Dream Layer, where you could not detect it, I expended countless treasures and immeasurable time to repair it. Now, it only needs one final step to be completed." Black Robe gently swept the light over the Butcher's head. Fine threads of blood poured from the Butcher's body, dyeing the light a deep crimson.

"In the first fifty years, the one with the heaviest killing intent was a fox immortal. In the latter fifty years, the one with the most concentrated murderous desire is the man before me. I am using his killing intent as a sacrifice to this talisman. Do you feel the threat as well?" After absorbing the Butcher's murderous aura, the light turned completely blood-red, its sharp edge fully exposed. Just looking at it from a distance felt like it would scorch the eyes.

Black Robe held the blood-red light in his hands. Bloody cuts opened across his arms and palms, but he seemed completely oblivious. Staring up at the sky of reality, he fully activated the altar.

"I have never believed that heaven's will is absolute. This talisman is unprecedented, forged for the sole purpose of killing you. I call it—Heaven Slaughterer!"