All Things Are Contracts

Chapter 224: Nightmare (1)

In the vast sea, waves surged. Golden streaks of light charged towards the mountain-like creature.

“I’ll charge in and clear the way for you,” Yunyao said to Zhanyue.

Zhanyue nodded, holding the rusty Sword of Courage in his left hand and the Heaven-Punishing Demon Sword in his right. His red wings flapped behind him as he rushed at top speed towards the monster’s head. His task was to plunge the Sword of Courage into the creature’s crown, though he didn’t know if it would be effective.

The enormous being sensed danger and let out a deep roar. Countless tentacles rose from the sea surface like skyscrapers. Zhanyue ignored them, focusing solely on his charge.

Just as a huge tentacle was about to hit him, a powerful sword energy sliced it in half. The tentacle, which would normally regenerate instantly, had its cut surface covered in a layer of golden light, preventing regrowth.

Yunyao was now covered in golden armor, her snow-white wings spread behind her, wielding a snow-white sword. She looked like a Valkyrie, protecting Zhanyue as he charged towards the monster’s center. “Don’t hold back!”

Hearing Yunyao’s words, Zhanyue immediately donned his Silver Moon Armor, his speed increasing dramatically.

“┗|`O’|┛ Roar~~” The monster continued to bellow, tentacles sprouting like bamboo shoots after rain, endlessly breaking through the sea surface. These tentacles could injure with a touch and maim with a graze, their power boundless. However, being small had its advantages. Zhanyue and Yunyao dodged them at top speed, getting closer and closer to the monster’s head.

Hundreds of tentacles suddenly appeared before them like a wall, blocking their path.

“Thousand Peak Sword Rise!” Countless sword energies rose from the sea surface like mountain peaks, a magnificent sight. The tentacle wall was directly torn open, and Zhanyue seized the opportunity to charge through.

Finally, Zhanyue landed on the monster’s head. As before, it was covered in scales, each scale bearing a face filled with fear.

Zhanyue thrust down with the Sword of Courage, but it couldn’t break through the armor at all.

“Not good, this thing is useless!” Zhanyue’s eyes widened, looking incredulously at the so-called divine artifact in his hand.

At this moment, the tens of thousands of densely packed faces moved, all turning to look at Zhanyue.

In an instant, Zhanyue felt a great terror surge through his heart. That power of fear reached deep into his soul, impossible to defend against by any means. Holding the sword, his body simply collapsed, unable to offer any resistance.

“?” Seeing Zhanyue fall, Yunyao sliced through two more tentacles and flew over, scooping him up and fleeing. Countless tentacles pursued, unwilling to let them escape.

Yunyao couldn’t easily fight back while carrying Zhanyue, but thankfully she had the newly refined Frost Spring Feather. A pale blue feather swiftly weaved through the mass of tentacles, spreading intense cold wherever it passed, freezing all the pursuing tentacles. After a long time, they finally escaped the giant beast’s territory. After the battle, Zhanyue had fallen into a coma, while Yunyao was exhausted to the point of collapse. In contrast, the monster had only lost some self-regenerating tentacles. It was a completely unequal fight.

In a mountain cave, Yunyao looked at Zhanyue lying on the ground, her face gloomy. Zhanyue was probably in the same state she had been in before. Last time, Zhanyue had saved her; this time, the roles were reversed.

She took out pillows and animal skin bedding from her spatial ring, making Zhanyue comfortable. Now she could only wait for him to wake up, and she needed rest too. Although the battle wasn’t long, every moment was perilous. The giant beast was truly terrifying, and cutting off its tentacles was no easy task.

Zhanyue woke up, feeling his limbs pinned down and unable to move. A familiar yet strange smell filled his nostrils, like disinfectant.

He suddenly opened his eyes. This wasn’t the sea at all. The white ceiling looked pale under the lights, and he was lying on a hospital bed.

“Patient 72 is awake, quickly notify his family,” a nurse’s voice sounded nearby.

Soon after, hurried footsteps approached, and Zhanyue once again saw that familiar white hair and kind face.

“Zhanyue, you’re finally awake.”

“Teacher?” Zhanyue said weakly, looking confusedly at the person before him. It was his doctoral advisor, Gu Chengxi.

“Ah, you had me so worried,” Gu Chengxi sat by Zhanyue’s bedside.

“What happened to me?” Zhanyue felt very confused.

“Sigh… seems you’ve forgotten. We went on a desert expedition to search for lost texts. We encountered a sandstorm and quicksand, and you were buried in the sand. By the time we rescued you, you had fallen into a coma. These past few months, I’ve been on edge, fearing the worst for you, you poor child. Thankfully, you’re awake now.” Gu Chengxi’s face showed rare relief.

“Desert? Expedition? Coma? Didn’t I transmigrate? How did I come back?” Zhanyue’s mind was still foggy.

“Transmigrate?” Gu Chengxi put his hand on Zhanyue’s forehead. “Is your brain alright? You probably had a dream while in the coma.”

“A dream?” Zhanyue suddenly sat up, startled. “No, it wasn’t a dream. I should be in the Myriad Spirits Realm. I met many people: Baizhi, MuMu Lixi, Xueqing, Yunyao, and sister…”

“What… what are you doing?” Gu Chengxi was startled. “You should lie down, your body is still very weak.”

Zhanyue stared blankly at the ceiling, feeling endless fear wash over him. It was a dream. Everything that had happened before was just a dream. He felt completely lost.

Gu Chengxi looked at him helplessly. “Sigh, it’s about time you had a romance. Don’t overthink things, just rest well for now.”

In the cave, Yunyao frowned. Zhanyue’s reaction was too intense, his forehead covered in sweat, as if he was having a terrible nightmare.

“Baizhi, MuMu Lixi, Xueqing, Yunyao… and sister,” Zhanyue muttered in his sleep.

Yunyao was stunned. How did her name get in there? And why was Feng Xueqing mentioned? Could they really have had something going on? She took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from Zhanyue’s forehead. This was probably the first time she had ever cared for someone.

Zhanyue suddenly reached out wildly, grabbing Yunyao’s wrist.

“No, don’t leave me. No, this isn’t real,” Zhanyue continued to ramble.

Yunyao’s expression changed. She was about to slap him but held back, struggling to remove her hand.

“What kind of dream is he having to scare him like this? A noble Divine Son, frightened to this state by a nightmare, how unseemly,” Yunyao couldn’t help but criticize. But she understood this must be the work of the Fear Beast. It could indeed evoke the deepest fears in one’s heart and manifest them as dreams. She had barely woken up from it before, and thinking back still sent chills down her spine. After all, she had been affected from a distance before, while Zhanyue had faced it up close this time. The impact was incomparable.

“Does this thing even work?” Yunyao placed the Sword of Courage beside Zhanyue, feeling exasperated.