Chapter 61 Dream Realm Stalemate

The ghostly claw, wreathed in chilling Death Qi, was about to pierce through Chen Mu's chest.

Liu Ziming's eyes were splitting with rage; he wanted to turn back to save him, but it was already too late.

Just at this critical juncture, the sharp claw swung by the Ghostly Creature, along with its entire form, froze in mid-air.

The mist surrounding the Ghostly Creature began to fluctuate violently, and its body, made of paper and paste, began to ripple in an unnatural way.

Like a stone thrown into water, the scene before the Ghostly Creature gradually distorted.

"This is..."

The Ghostly Creature raised its head in shock, a low roar mixed with surprise and fury emitting from its throat.

Before the words had even faded, the vermilion gates of the Zhao residence, the blood-stained bluestone, and the ghastly red lanterns—everything before its eyes was twisting, blurring, and restructuring.

Flying Bear Dream Entry, forced dream dragging!

It turned out that Chen Mu had not fainted at all. From the moment Qi Huan's City God decree failed and he was severely injured, he had already made his decision.

In the current situation, there was no chance of winning a head-on fight; Qi Huan's miserable state was proof of that.

The only thing that could possibly turn the tide was the Flying Bear Dream-Entering Technique he had recently mastered.

Therefore, he had deliberately feigned weakness and fallen to the ground, suppressing all his Qi and blood to create the illusion of unconsciousness, while in reality, he was fully channeling the Flying Bear Dream-Entering Technique.

Just when the Ghostly Creature's mental defenses were lowered due to its arrogance, Chen Mu struck decisively, dragging the Ghostly Creature into the dream battlefield he had constructed.

The world spun.

The next moment, the Ghostly Creature found itself standing in a desolate and frigid place.

Crooked tombstones, exposed coffins, and ghastly white bones were scattered among the wild grass, while eerie winds swirled paper money in the air.

Two collapsed Death-Abandonment Kilns, like the dried-up eye sockets of Blind Li, stared coldly at this dead land.

Mass Grave.

The Ghostly Creature's consciousness gradually solidified into form here. At this moment, the mist around it seemed to have thinned, barely revealing a tall, humanoid outline. Its golden light was dim, and it was looking around in shock and fury.

"A dream? An illusion?"

The Ghostly Creature was stunned for a moment, then let out a harsh, mocking laugh.

"You think you can trap me just by changing locations?"

"Playing with mental illusions in front of me is simply showing off before an expert; you have a death wish!"

During its life, it had seen countless human hearts and ghostly realms, and after death, it took pleasure in devouring Souls and prying into memories.

The crude illusion barriers of ordinary Martial Artists were as laughable as a child wielding a blade in its eyes.

Chen Mu's figure also slowly solidified in the center of the Mass Grave, holding his long sword with a calm expression, unmoved by the other's mockery.

"Whether or not it is showing off before an expert, you will know once you try."

The Ghostly Creature seemed to have heard a huge joke and laughed with a shrill, eerie sound.

Ghostly Creatures are naturally adept at manipulating human hearts and creating illusions.

In many strange tales, malicious ghosts rarely kill people directly; instead, they torture the mind with horrific illusions, causing people to collapse on their own.

They might lure them to walk off a cliff or induce them to hang themselves or drown in a river.

Toying with the mind and spirit was their specialty.

However, before the shrill laughter had even faded, an incredibly sharp Sword Qi slashed over silently.

There was no greeting, and no wasted words. Chen Mu knew deeply that in a duel within a dream, words were the most useless thing.

Chen Mu abruptly stepped out using the Divine Void Step, his figure instantly splitting into three indistinct afterimages, pouncing on the Ghostly Creature from different angles.

The long sword in his hand thrust forward; it was the opening move of the Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique.

The Ghostly Creature sneered, too lazy to even make a large movement. With a slight thought, its body instantly became ethereal and transparent.

The Sword Qi slashed past, like cutting through an illusion, passing through the Ghostly Creature's body without any resistance, and struck a desolate grave behind it.

That earthen grave, along with the rotten wooden coffin inside, was instantly split in two, kicking up dust and smoke, yet it still did not harm the Ghostly Creature in the slightest.

"Virtualization."

Chen Mu was not surprised; it seemed that the problems faced in reality had no better solutions within the dream.

"The transition between reality and illusion is but a single thought."

"Moreover, in this mental Domain, my power will only be stronger; your attacks are meaningless."

The Ghostly Creature's response was arrogant. As the words fell, its ethereal body suddenly solidified, and a ghostly claw, accompanied by a piercing whistle as it tore through the air, lunged fiercely toward Chen Mu's head.

The speed was even faster than in reality.

Chen Mu rapidly utilized the Divine Void Step; this time, he split into eight, eight indistinct figures dodging hurriedly in different directions.

The ghostly claw instantly tore through three of the figures, but it did not touch Chen Mu's true form.

"This movement technique of yours is quite interesting; it seems familiar..."

The Ghostly Creature commented leisurely, not in a rush to fight for its life, instead carrying a sense of cat-and-mouse ease.

"But how long can you hide? When I have had enough fun, I will swallow you, along with this Dream Domain of yours, whole!"

Chen Mu did not answer. The eight figures closed in again, Sword Intent crisscrossing as they attacked the Ghostly Creature from all angles.

However, the Ghostly Creature's form shifted between reality and illusion in a bizarre and inexplicable way. All of Chen Mu's attacks missed, while the opponent's counterattacks became increasingly tricky and vicious, several times nearly striking Chen Mu's vital points.

"Insignificant tricks, and you dare to show them off?"

Before the Ghostly Creature's mocking voice had faded, its ethereal figure suddenly solidified, and a ghostly claw snatched at Chen Mu's true form with lightning speed.

Chen Mu retreated rapidly, but the ghostly claw followed like a shadow; it seemed there was no way to avoid it.

"Pfft!"

The sound of sharp claws entering flesh rang out. A flash of cruel pleasure had just crossed the Ghostly Creature's eyes, which immediately turned into astonishment.

The scene of flesh and blood flying that it had expected did not appear. The ghostly claw swept across Chen Mu's chest, causing only a flicker of light and shadow, and immediately returned to normal, not even forcing him to retreat half a step.

"Hmm? This..."

The Ghostly Creature let out a sound of shock and suspicion, quickly withdrawing its claw and turning back into an ethereal shadow.

Chen Mu slowly raised his eyes, his gaze icy.

"This is my Dream Domain."

These simple words contained the unquestionable rules of this world.

This dream was constructed and maintained by his Mental Energy; he was the Dominator of this world.

As long as his consciousness was not extinguished and his spirit not exhausted, this dream world would not collapse.

Unless the opponent possessed the power to shatter the entire Dream Domain or could find his consciousness core and annihilate it.

Otherwise, his existence here was nearly eternal.

The Ghostly Creature quickly understood the crux of the matter and laughed in extreme anger.

"A fine 'your Dream Domain'; so that was your plan."

Then, the look it gave Chen Mu actually carried a hint of appreciation.

"Not bad, you have a bit of cleverness to have actually managed to drag me into a Dream Domain, creating a stalemate."

"But you cannot kill me; it is nothing more than stalling for time."

Chen Mu looked at it and replied calmly, "Stalling for time is enough."

"Hmm?"

The Ghostly Creature was confused.

Chen Mu spoke slowly, his voice clear and icy, "Your Soul is trapped here, so what about that paper-pasted shell in reality? If one were to hold a fire to ignite that gold paper, I wonder if it could still remain unharmed?"

Once these words were spoken, the mist around the Ghostly Creature vibrated violently.

On its face, which had always been blurry, two rays of red light burst forth, staring fixedly at Chen Mu.

Anxiety, shock, fury, and a trace of panic at having its vital point exposed could be clearly sensed, even through the mist.

"You dare!"

The Ghostly Creature was furious. Its figure suddenly solidified to the extreme, the mist almost dissipating, revealing the golden-glowing shell beneath.

This time, it no longer played the trick of shifting between reality and illusion, but instead concentrated all its power to shatter this dream!