Chapter 35 An Unsuccessful Start

The deathly silence of the Mass Grave was broken by a series of soft, eerie footsteps.

Deep within the fog, a hunched figure slowly materialized; it was none other than the Cat-Faced Old Woman.

On this night of the full moon, she had originally intended to come here to absorb the essence of heaven and earth through the resentment, but upon suddenly seeing that familiar figure in front of the kiln, a look of bewilderment flashed across her face.

Blind Li, the husband whose loved ones she had devoured, yet who had fortunately survived.

And that black dog that was always getting in the way, repeatedly ruining her plans.

Even after being demonized to this extent, and even though her Soul had been eroded by resentment and greed, the memories belonging to the Old Woman deep within her shell were still influencing her mind at this moment.

This is the moment!

Liu Ziming, who was lurking on the side, took a deep breath and, using all his strength, threw the line he had practiced countless times but still found awkward toward the figure in the thick fog.

"Grandma!"

The voice was soft and sweet, carrying a deliberate disguise and reliance.

Grandma?

This form of address was like a sharp knife, stabbing fiercely into the most chaotic and sensitive area of the Cat-Faced Old Woman's consciousness.

It was the milky-voiced exclamation of her little grandson before he died, the terrified faces of her son and daughter-in-law, the agonizing screams of Blind Li...

Countless fragments of memory that she had devoured, digested, and turned into a source of power were violently stirred up at this moment.

Her scarlet vertical pupils constricted sharply, and the Demonic Qi around her body stalled as a result.

Just at the moment when her mind was lost and a fatal crack appeared in her defenses!

Chen Mu, who had been closing his eyes and concentrating near Blind Li, pushing the Flying Bear Dream-Entering Technique to its limit, suddenly opened his eyes.

A ghostly light appeared in his eyes, and the bear paw gloves on his hands shone brightly for a moment.

A massive and vast burst of Mental Energy, like an ancient Flying Bear that had awakened, opened its giant mouth and let out a silent roar toward the Cat-Faced Old Woman, whose mind had lost its guard.

Forced Dream Drag!

The scene of the blood-mist churning Mass Grave, in the eyes of Blind Li, Liu Ziming, and the old dog, was just the air slightly distorting for a moment.

But in the consciousness of Chen Mu and the Cat-Faced Old Woman, it was a world-shaking change.

The Cat-Faced Old Woman only felt an irresistible pulling force descend, and the blood-red color before her eyes instantly faded.

The familiar scene was like a shattered mirror, and her consciousness was forcibly dragged into a strange Domain dominated by someone else.

The world spun, and light and shadow shifted.

The next moment, the Cat-Faced Old Woman suddenly discovered that she was standing in a familiar, desolate land!

It was still the crooked tombstones, the exposed coffins, and the two half-collapsed Death-Abandonment Kilns in front.

It was still the Mass Grave, yet there was a subtle difference.

The sky hung low, but there was no full moon to be seen, only a heart-palpitating gloom.

"A dream? You dare to drag me into a dream?!"

The Cat-Faced Old Woman reacted instantly, filled with both shock and anger.

She was a master at toying with dreams and devouring Souls; how could she have ever imagined that she would be dragged into a dream by someone else?

Then, a thought crossed her mind, and she sneered coldly.

"Fine, in a dream, my Hundred-Phase Soul Devouring can be utilized to its limit!"

"Kid, you are seeking your own death!"

Without further ado, she dropped to all fours, arched her back, and the fierce aura belonging to a Dao Entry Realm demon erupted.

Although it was a confrontation in a dream, the pressure of this aura was even greater than in reality.

Clearly, her mastery of dreams far exceeded that of Chen Mu, who was just beginning to learn the technique.

"Die!"

The Cat-Faced Old Woman moved, her sharp claws carrying the wind with a shrill whistle, aiming directly at Chen Mu's throat.

Chen Mu's pupils constricted slightly, and he instantly stepped out with the Divine Void Step; in an instant, his figure split into three, rushing off in different directions.

"Rip!"

A phantom image was swept through by the sharp claws and dissipated like a bubble.

"Petty tricks."

The Cat-Faced Old Woman snorted coldly, flickered her body, and went straight for Chen Mu's real body!

Back when Chen Mu first clashed with her in a dream, she had been successfully ambushed by his Divine Void Step, but this time, she was completely unaffected!

Could it be the blessing of the full moon? Or was this person before him not a dream Clone of the cat demon? But rather...

Chen Mu's real body retreated rapidly, holding his sword horizontally in front of him, barely blocking the cat claws.

"Clang, clang, clang!"

The sound of metal clashing exploded in the dream, and Chen Mu felt his arms go numb and his Qi and blood churning.

A cold, resentful aura followed the sword blade, attempting to erode his will.

"Your reaction isn't slow, but can you escape?"

The Cat-Faced Old Woman let out an overlapping weird laugh, her facial features suddenly switching rapidly—men, women, old, young, painful, and ferocious.

Each time she changed a face, the resentment and mental pressure she emitted grew stronger.

She was not in a hurry to kill him with full force, but rather acted as if she were toying with a mouse.

Utilizing her familiarity with the Mass Grave, she used the crooked tombstones and half-collapsed Death-Abandonment Kilns as cover, appearing and disappearing, launching attacks from all sorts of tricky angles.

Chen Mu also pushed the Divine Void Step to its limit, his eight figures constantly weaving through the graveyard, trying to create distance and find an opportunity.

His Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique was certainly sharp, but the opponent was elusive and constantly used the wailing of resentful Souls to conduct mental interference, making it difficult to lock onto her for a moment, and several of his sword strikes landed on empty air.

The Cat-Faced Old Woman seemed to know this imitated Mass Grave like the back of her hand; sometimes she would dart out from behind a grave mound, other times she would transfer using a dead tree, catching Chen Mu off guard.

"Pfft!"

Sharp claws suddenly attacked from the grave soil beside Chen Mu; he barely avoided a vital hit, but a claw mark deep enough to see bone was still left on his waist.

Although it was in a dream, the pain was incredibly real; Chen Mu groaned and couldn't help but stagger a few steps.

"Hehe, kid, the dream is my home turf; your consciousness, memories, and fears will all become my food."

The Cat-Faced Old Woman's voice came from all directions, and her attacks became increasingly elusive.

Chen Mu gritted his teeth and persisted, but his Protective Aura seemed to be greatly diminished in the dream.

"I cannot fight head-on; I must utilize the characteristics of the Dream Domain."

His thoughts raced, and while fighting, he retreated toward the depths of the Mass Grave, where he had imitated more complex terrain.

The Cat-Faced Old Woman pursued relentlessly, becoming increasingly smug.

She lunged, feigning an attack on Chen Mu's front, but halfway through, her figure flickered and she sank downward.

In the real Mass Grave, there should have been a gap there leading to an underground dark cave.

"Bang!"

A dull thudding sound rang out, accompanied by a slight groan of pain.

The Cat-Faced Old Woman hit the cold, hard ground in astonishment, a bump swelling up on her forehead.

What's going on? There should clearly be a gap here to let her perform a perfect ambush, so why is it solid grave soil now?

She froze for a moment, a trace of confusion flashing in her vertical pupils, which was accurately captured by the fully alert Chen Mu.

It was as if lightning had flashed across Chen Mu's mind.

That's it, this is my dream!

Although he had tried his best to imitate the Mass Grave, the details could not be perfectly restored.

He did not know if there were secret passages under the grave soil, nor did he know the direction of each secret passage, so the dream could not perfectly present these details!

Thinking of this, Chen Mu's mind suddenly cleared, and a sense of control instantly surged into his heart.

The previous embarrassment was largely because he had treated the Dream Domain as reality, subconsciously fighting according to the logic of reality, but forgot that he was the true Dominator of this Dream Domain.

The Cat-Faced Old Woman obviously realized something was wrong, too; several ambushes launched using the terrain were greatly diminished because the details did not match her memory, and she nearly put herself in an awkward position several times.

She couldn't help but be shocked and angry, her attacks becoming increasingly frantic, attempting to crush Chen Mu with absolute power and speed.

"Hundred-Phase Soul Devouring, Ten Thousand Ghosts Wailing!"

The Cat-Faced Old Woman let out a sharp cry, and the hundred faces on her head simultaneously opened their mouths, emitting countless shrill wails, rushing straight toward Chen Mu's Sea of Consciousness.

This time, she used her trump card, vowing to completely tear Chen Mu's Soul to shreds!