Surrounding them was a lush, dense forest. Towering ancient trees radiated vitality and life, and a sweet, floral fragrance wafted through the air, intoxicating and enchanting.
"Beautiful. No worse than Flower-Fruit Mountain," Monkey commented, eyes wide."But... this place doesn't feel illusionary. The soil, the trees, the grass—it all feels real."
Indeed, this wasn't quite the Nightmare World Monkey had imagined.
"Don't be surprised," Yi Tianxing said calmly."The Nightmare World itself is a blend of reality and illusion. It's split between two parts: the Nightmare Domain and the Dream Domain. Nightmare is illusory reality, while Dream is real illusion."
"We're currently standing in the Nightmare Domain—which, paradoxically, is the real part of this realm. As for those colorful bubbles above us, each one is a Dream Realm. When they burst, whatever real fragments remain will fall and integrate into the Nightmare Domain, becoming a permanent part of this world—whether that be people, beasts, or plants."
Yi Tianxing was well-versed in the rules of this realm.
In the Nightmare Domain, every inch of land, every flower and tree, every droplet of water was touched by Nightmare Laws—weird, shifting, and unpredictable. Meanwhile, overhead, countless colorful bubbles floated—Dream Worlds constantly forming and collapsing.
Each time one shattered, something might fall—land fragments, creatures, or treasures—all becoming part of the Nightmare World.
"Look, a dream bubble is falling!" Monkey suddenly shouted.
High above, one of the dream bubbles plummeted rapidly. As it descended, it grew larger until—pop!—it burst. A fragment of solid land emerged from the collapsing dreamscape. On it were terrifying creatures: dragons, skeletons, undead, even humans.
But the glimpse was brief—it vanished into the forest and became part of the Nightmare Domain.
Other times, when dream bubbles shattered, treasures would fall—gleaming and mysterious—waiting to be discovered.
"Killing Nightmare creatures can yield all sorts of Nightmare Treasures," Yi Tianxing explained."Divine abilities, magical artifacts, cultivation techniques—it's all possible. That's what makes this world so tempting. It follows the rule of wish fulfillment."
That was the allure of the Nightmare World.
The Great Yi Dynasty had integrated the Nightmare Gate into the StarNet, allowing countless citizens to spiritually project into the Nightmare World to hunt, explore, and gather rare treasures. Each day, vast resources flowed out of this realm—treasures that fed the cultivation needs of billions.
Even if someone died, only their spiritual projection perished—leaving their true body largely unharmed.
But this time, Yi Tianxing and Monkey had entered in the flesh. Death here meant real death.
"Still," Monkey grinned, "this place is so much fun. I love treasure!"
His eyes gleamed with glee—this was his kind of place.
"Let's scout around. That Nightmare creature—the one that left behind the severed claw—shouldn't be far. Since we entered through its anchor, we've likely arrived close to its body."
Yi Tianxing scanned the surroundings.
"Giants! There are giants!!"
"Two giants! One of them is hairy! They're terrifying!"
"Quick—report to the King! Giants have appeared!!"
Suddenly, panicked shouting echoed through the air.
"Where's that coming from?" Monkey frowned, puzzled. He looked around, but saw no one."Not around us... look beneath us," Yi Tianxing said.
Looking down, they were both startled.
People—tiny people.
A massive crowd had appeared on the ground—each no bigger than an ant. A whole race of miniature humans, too small to spot with the naked eye unless one looked closely.
"Little people! This is new! I've never seen anything like this!"Monkey's eyes widened in amazement.
Indeed, one step from them could easily crush thousands. A gust of wind might blow them away like dust.
And the little people were terrified.
In their eyes, Yi Tianxing and Monkey were enormous beings, towering like mountains. Around them, the tiny people had even constructed a Tiny Kingdom—complete with miniature houses and palaces, exquisitely detailed, like dollhouses for giants.
Interestingly, their features resembled Western humans, and their numbers reached millions—with the potential for more scattered beyond sight.
"By royal command, form ranks! We must defend the Iron Kingdom from the giants!"A tiny herald's voice rang out.
In an instant, hundreds of thousands of tiny soldiers poured out of the kingdom gates, clad in armor and arranged in formation. Though grim-faced, they stood with determined resolve, ready to die defending their homeland.
"Brothers, do not fear! Giants can bleed too! Watch me, General Odory, slay the beast!"
A tiny figure on horseback leapt down, sword in hand. He was the Iron Kingdom's Silver Knight Odory, and his courage burned fiercely. Leaping from his mount, he raced forward, so fast he seemed to blur.
"It's the silver battle aura! That's Silver Knight Odory's power!"
"It can shield and destroy—it even forms an aura domain!"
The soldiers were filled with hope as they watched him blaze forward, trailing silver flames.
Odory leapt—and landed squarely on Monkey's foot.
Then… he jumped again.
And again.
Climbing from the foot to the knee to the hip, trying to reach Monkey's head.
"Go, Sir Odory!!"
"Climb higher!!"
"Slay the giant!!"
Cheers roared behind him.
Until—
"Jumping? Since when did humans become fleas?"
Monkey raised an eyebrow. Just as Odory reached his shoulder, Monkey lazily flicked him off.
Odory saw only darkness. Then—crack!—his body slammed into the ground, reduced to pulp.
A tragic and pitiful death.
The Iron Kingdom's army—once cheering—fell into stunned silence. Their most powerful warrior had been casually swatted… like an insect.
Whoosh!!
A sudden gust of wind swept down from the skies. The neat ranks of a million soldiers were blasted backward, flipping through the air like leaves in a storm. The entire army collapsed in an instant.
It was… quite the scene.
"Hah! What fun! So these are Nightmare World creatures?" Monkey laughed."Too weak! Hilariously weak!"
But just as he finished speaking—
Darkness fell.