Chapter 822: Opening Eyes (1)

The blood-red light thrust like a blade toward the sky of the real world. Black Robe's target wasn't the sky full of Karmic Fire, but the sky hidden behind it.

"Heaven Slaughterer..." The name of this Mahayana Talisman already laid bare Black Robe's ambition. He had prepared for so long in the Deep Dream Layer just for this moment. "Can a Mahayana Talisman really hurt Destiny?"

Everyone held their breath. Black Robe became the focal point between reality and the Dream Realm.

The altar beneath his feet emitted the most blinding light in the entire Dream Realm. As divine runes flowed across it, the building rose inch by inch. Black Robe seemed to tread upon a heavenly ladder, holding the Mahayana Talisman aloft as he stepped into the sky full of Karmic Fire.

It wasn't until this moment that I understood the true plan of the Traitors and the Black-Robed Anchor.

Destiny wanted to control the Deep Dream Layer and burn away the sins hidden here. But the Deep Dream Layer was, after all, a land the will of heaven had never set foot in. Since this was its first time entering, there was a high chance it would expose a flaw.

Black Robe must have been preparing to exploit this flaw to maximize the power of the Mahayana Talisman in his hand.

In fact, he was already very close to success.

The oppressive aura emanating from that blood-red light didn't belong to the will of heaven at all. Even amidst the sky of Karmic Fire, it protected Black Robe from suffering the slightest harm.

The divine runes on the altar continued to spread upward. New black chains surged from beneath it, and just like that, Black Robe slowly arrived at the intersection between reality and the Dream Realm.

He stood at the edge of the two worlds. His gaze was deep and distant, and the blood-red light in his hand cast a distorted glow over everything around him.

"Destiny, let me see your true form." A thin layer of the sentient beings' will had originally existed between reality and the Deep Dream Layer. Now, illuminated by the blood-red light, that layer of the will of the people rapidly melted away. Nothing could stop Black Robe.

He raised both hands and took a step off the altar. It was a distance of merely a single step, yet it felt as if he had crossed from the Deep Dream Layer into reality.

To me, this was almost unimaginable. Even if I used the Dream Wing Gu to leave the Deep Dream Layer, I would only appear in the Middle Dream Layer. It was absolutely impossible to return directly to reality.

'The reason definitely lies with that Mahayana Talisman. A fragmented talisman exchanged for a thousand points, repaired in the Dream Realm for countless years, and it can still only be used once. I underestimated Black Robe before. His vision is no smaller than mine.'

Black Robe's presence reached its peak. It was also my first time seeing an existence capable of clashing head-on with the will of heaven without losing ground. If this continued, Black Robe had a high chance of succeeding. Yet, for some reason, I felt a faint, lingering unease.

'Destiny isn't that easy to deal with. Relying on a single Mahayana Talisman is still a bit too risky for him.' Black Robe's entire reliance in his fight against Destiny came from the Mahayana Talisman. If a problem occurred with that talisman, then everything would be over.

The Mahayana Talisman appeared in the mortal world for the first time. Black Robe raised his hands, holding up the blood-red light in his palms.

Under the illumination of this light, the sky of drifting red clouds and Karmic Fire revealed a completely different appearance.

Deep in the sky, where ordinary people couldn't see, countless golden chains intertwined. Densely packed, they tightly locked the entire human world within them.

'Is this Destiny?!'

The golden chains linked together. What was even more shocking was that they seemed to possess a life of their own, growing, merging, and spawning new chains.

The mortal sky was sealed by the golden chains. Usually, one wouldn't feel anything amiss, but now, illuminated by the blood-red light, the sight was exceptionally oppressive.

"Once I shatter you all, I should be able to see the true sky." Black Robe wasted no words. He chanted an incantation and hurled the Mahayana Talisman toward the densest cluster of golden chains.

After leaving Black Robe's hand, the Mahayana Talisman transformed into a bloody rainbow. It streaked across the horizon, piercing into the golden chains like a blade.

The blood-red edge was condensed with boundless killing intent, surging forward indomitably. It was as if a golden rainstorm had begun to fall from the sky; countless chains were severed, turning into specks of golden light that drifted down to the human world.

The Karmic Fire couldn't obliterate the killing intent of the Mahayana Talisman. Destiny gathered even more golden chains in one place to block the strike.

The momentum of what was once the most lethal talisman remained unabated. Both the Karmic Fire and the golden chains paled in comparison at this moment. The hearts of everyone in the Deep Dream Layer leaped into their throats. If it could pierce through the blockade of golden chains, Destiny's myth of invincibility would be shattered! Its flawless chessboard would suffer a flaw that would be exceedingly difficult to repair!

Though it takes time to describe, in reality, only a few seconds had passed. I was also paying close attention to the situation on the battlefield when I slowly began to sense that something was wrong.

The Black-Robed Anchor wore a grave expression. His fingers trembled, and his body gave a slight shudder. Suddenly, he spat out a mouthful of blood, and Karmic Fire began to burn across his flesh.

At the exact same time, just as the Mahayana Talisman was about to tear across the sky and bore through the golden chains, the killing intent within it abruptly spiraled out of control!

It no longer focused its attacks on the golden chains. Instead, it split into thousands of strands, lashing out indiscriminately at any living creature like a madman.

'Chen Mo tampered with the Butcher! That killing intent is no longer pure. It might even contain Chen Mo's own will.' My eyes turned bloodshot. Chen Mo was Destiny's puppet—a fact only the Butcher and I knew. I had tried to warn Black Robe, but he hadn't listened to a single word I said back then.

Destiny's pressure instantly plummeted. Coordinating with the Karmic Fire, the golden chains forcibly dominated the will of all living beings, slowly grinding away the blood-red light.

Black Robe kept his gaze firmly fixed on the sky. He never turned his head from start to finish, nor did he utter a single word. He only let out a soft sigh.

Boundless Karmic Fire engulfed him. With all their trump cards exhausted, the Traitors and the Black-Robed Anchor had lost.

"Run!" The Man in the Colorful Robe and Xiao A seemed to have realized something. Making no attempt to save me or Chen Mo, they immediately fled toward the uncharted regions of the Deep Dream Layer.

With the two Traitors actively fleeing, there was no one left to stop the Karmic Fire. These flames, meant to burn away all sins, descended into the Deep Dream Layer along the black iron chains, turning the entire block into a sea of fire.

Buildings collapsed, and the memories hidden within them were completely incinerated. Destiny's entry into the Deep Dream Layer was already a foregone conclusion.

Beside the toppled skyscrapers, Chen Mo burst into unbridled laughter. Holding the Black-Robed Anchor's Compass in his hand, he commanded the swarm of spiders to surround me.

"I told you, you can't escape. No one can escape Destiny."

In this life-and-death crisis, I couldn't care less about anything else. I let the Dream Wing Gu carry me as I rushed outside the block.

As long as I could temporarily break out of Chen Mo's line of sight, I could use the Black-Robed Anchor's Dream Dao Talisman to slip away, just as the cicada sloughs its shell.

It was a good plan, but unfortunately, Chen Mo didn't give me the chance. Karmic Fire completely surrounded the block, burning rapidly across the spiderwebs. Even the brilliant wings of the Dream Wing Gu were scorched.

"Where else can you run?" Chen Mo trailed right behind me, like a cat toying with a mouse.