This was the merit bestowed by the Dream Butterfly World.
Using this true dream realm, coupled with the abilities of the Cloud Dream Phantom Butterfly, it had directly connected to the Nightmare World, opening a subtle channel that continuously siphoned dream power and infused it into the Dream Butterfly World, transforming it into source power that nourished the space within the tower. It must be known—what was expanding wasn't just a single internal space, but twenty-eight tower spaces, plus the Chaos Space.
One could imagine the magnitude of the dream power drawn from the Nightmare World over the past few years.
It was like an inexhaustible fountain.
This played a critical, irreplaceable role in the growth and evolution of the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Tower, becoming a bottomless wellspring of nourishment.
Naturally, this made Yi Tianxing increasingly curious about the Nightmare World. If it could truly be brought under his control, it could become a pivotal force in advancing Great Yi to a new height.
...
That night.
Inside Dixin Palace, after an intense session of intimacy, Yi Tianxing and Cai Yan lay cuddled together on the bed.
With a thought, their Primordial Spirit Manifestations naturally entered the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Tower.
It's worth noting that over the past few years, Cai Yan, blessed with abundant resources and vast fortune, and possessing exceptional talent, had broken through to the Manifestation Realm, condensing her own Dharma Aspect—a Celestial Phoenix Zither.
A flash of light from the Celestial Phoenix Zither transformed it into Cai Yan's appearance.
Any Dharma Aspect, regardless of its previous form—whether magical treasure or divine weapon—could freely take on the cultivator's likeness. It was, after all, another version of oneself, a Dharma Body fused with one's soul.
For someone like Cai Yan—with her talent, resources, and frequent dual cultivation with Yi Tianxing—her advancement had outpaced ordinary cultivators, eventually reaching the Manifestation Realm.
Instead of traveling with her true body, she accompanied Yi Tianxing with her Primordial Spirit Manifestation.
"This... is the Dream Butterfly World!!"
Cai Yan looked around curiously after entering the realm.
She saw that this world appeared eerie and desolate.
It didn't seem much different from other realms at first glance, but there was a pervasive layer of gray mist veiling heaven and earth, and an overwhelming sense of lifelessness. It felt illusory—yet real.
As she scanned the land, it stretched vast and boundless.
Even the earth was ashen gray.
The ground was dull and lifeless, and so was the sky—gray and cloudless, shrouded only in fog. Even with a cultivator's sharp vision, one couldn't see very far.
But in the void, countless bubbles floated—each a different color: gold, white, black, pink. They drifted unpredictably.
These bubbles seemed fragile, on the verge of bursting at any moment.
They filled the world, concealed in the mist. Some were newly born, others vanished abruptly.
It was an eerie sight.
A seven-colored butterfly danced through the sky around Yi Tianxing and Cai Yan, radiating multicolored light, shifting between illusion and reality.
It fluttered between the bubbles.
"This is the Dream Butterfly World, a realm of true dreams. Only such a world can bear the dreams of all living beings. With the Cloud Dream Phantom Butterfly, we are protected from the intrusion of nightmare power. Without it, we'd be consumed by the dream power and lost in delusion—or trapped in the dreams of the masses. Each of these bubbles is a dream—manifestations of dreams from sentient beings."
Yi Tianxing explained.
The Dream Butterfly World he had established essentially stole a portion of the Nightmare World's authority.
Since it was a true dream, it had the foundation to contain and bear dreams.
This realm was now a part of the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Tower and—thanks to Great Yi's national fate—any living being within the borders of Great Yi, so long as they dreamed, would have their dreams appear here. None of these dreams would be taken by the Nightmare World.
As Great Yi expanded, the number of citizens—and therefore the number of dreams—would also grow.
This was a theft of authority from the Nightmare World.
Right now it seemed negligible, but in time, it could lead to a world-shaking reversal.
In this Dream Butterfly World, Yi Tianxing could never be lost. On the contrary, he could freely enter and exit any dream using dream power.
"Husband, what kind of dream is inside that pink bubble?"
Cai Yan curiously eyed one of the pink bubbles. It was particularly striking, especially attractive to women.
"If you want to know, let's go in and see for ourselves."
Yi Tianxing smiled.
With a thought, the Cloud Dream Phantom Butterfly lifted them and gently entered the pink bubble.
As they entered, Cai Yan froze—and then blushed deeply.
Before them was a wide, endless prairie under a blue sky—so beautiful it calmed the soul.
But on the green grass, a man was passionately embracing a snow-white figure, their bodies locked in movement. Moans of pleasure echoed around them—clearly a scene of intimate springtime passion.
"Pfft! It's a spring dream!"
Cai Yan scoffed, clearly understanding what she was seeing.
"There are all kinds of dreams. Spring dreams are perfectly normal."
Yi Tianxing chuckled, unfazed by the scene.
Spring dreams are natural, a product of biology and emotion. And they generate particularly rich dream power.
Not long after, the passionate couple climaxed.
At that moment, the entire dream world began to collapse.
The man and woman disappeared.
The grass and trees withered, the sky dimmed, and the earth cracked violently. The void fractured, the sky collapsed. The entire space shattered like fragile glass.
It was like witnessing the end of the world.
That destructive power could annihilate even a Nascent Soul cultivator, leaving no trace.
"The dreamer has awakened. So the dream world collapses."
Cai Yan grasped the concept immediately.
Under the protection of the Cloud Dream Phantom Butterfly, they were unharmed despite the surrounding destruction.
Whoosh!
As the dream collapsed, Yi Tianxing and Cai Yan were returned to the Dream Butterfly World.
The pink bubble had disappeared, and in its place, a wisp of pink mist emerged, which then fused into the dream realm below.
With its fusion, the true dream realm expanded slightly, almost imperceptibly.
"That was dream power. When people dream, the true dream world holds them. Once they awaken, the dream collapses—but the dream power doesn't disappear. It becomes part of the true dream world—its nourishment, its source of growth."
Yi Tianxing contemplated.
Dream power is fantasy, desire, obsession—spiritual force, a fragment of the world's origin. Though each is minuscule, they are perfect nourishment for the dream world's growth.
The dreams of the masses are thus preserved.
"What about the black one?"
Cai Yan looked toward a black bubble.
"Let's find out."
Black gave off a sense of ominous unease—clearly not a pleasant dream.
With the butterfly's help, they entered.
They saw a man walking alone in a snowy wasteland, thinly clothed and frozen purple. His body was stiff, consumed by fear.
He walked... and walked.
Eventually, he fell—his body freezing over.
At the moment of collapse, terror and despair filled his eyes.
A nightmare, through and through.
Then the nightmare world also collapsed.
A thick wisp of black gas remained, then fused into the true dream realm.
"Nightmares produce more dream power than spring dreams. Fear gives rise to immense energy."
Yi Tianxing murmured thoughtfully.
By comparison, nightmares contained far more dream power than spring dreams.
"This must be a reflection of real-life fears. Perhaps he feared the snow disaster and thus dreamed of it."
Cai Yan added.
Nightmares stem from deep fears.
The snow calamity must have scarred many citizens, leaving an imprint on their hearts.