"That's simple," Thousand Faces replied with a grin."If you want to know, I'll gladly explain. These aren't secret matters—just walk around the city twice, and you'll get a clear picture.But don't ask me about the origin of the city itself. That, I truly don't know."
"What I can tell you is this:
The Nightmare Holy City (梦魇圣城) connects to all sanctuaries across the Nightmare World. Every sanctuary, regardless of race, is tied to it."
"The city is meant for communication, trade, exchanging resources, and sharing information.Fighting is prohibited in the city—but there's an exception: the Sky Arena (天空竞技场)."
"That arena is actually a tower.You can fight duels there—either normal or life-and-death matches."
"If you choose a death match, and enter with your real body—death means true death.But for normal duels, the Sky Arena extracts a strand of your soul to create a combat projection.You retain all your powers, and even if you die in the match, your body is unharmed—just the strand of soul is lost.With some rest, it can be fully recovered."
Yi Tianxing nodded silently.
Thousand Faces continued:
"Every shop here can be rented by the year, though the city opens only once per month, and each visit lasts ten days.Once rented, your shop remains yours—even if you leave between openings."
"Can't afford a shop? No problem.You can rent a stall to hawk your goods—only two Nightmare Coins (梦魇币) a day."
Nightmare Coins were the universal currency of the Nightmare World. No other currency could rival them.
How did they come about?
Only one place—Nightmare Holy City—could mint them. The method of minting was known only to the city. Or perhaps not just the city, but the Nightmare Will itself.
Killing Nightmare creatures produced treasures, techniques, and Nightmare Coins—as if the power of dreams made them real.In truth, this was the ultimate minting technique—built into the laws of the Nightmare World.
Because of this cosmic backing, Nightmare Coins were unshakably stable.
And that wasn't all:
They granted a 4x cultivation boost—second only to the Eternal Coins' 5x.
Here's the known currency ranking by power amplification:
5x: Eternal Coin (永恒币)
4x: Nightmare Coin (梦魇币)
3x: Sun Coin (太阳币)
2x: Blueblood Coin (蓝血币)
1x: Profound Crystal Coin (玄晶币)
Every step in amplification multiplied value by tenfold.
A 4x coin wasn't just one tier below Eternal—it was nearly priceless to cultivators.
Fortunately, Yi Tianxing had no shortage of Nightmare Coins.When he destroyed the Giant Kingdom, he harvested a tremendous amount of them—enough for him to shop here without restraint.
"This Nightmare Holy City… truly fascinating."
Yi Tianxing nodded in appreciation, motioning for Thousand Faces to continue.
"The city is filled with talent from all races and sanctuaries," Thousand Faces said confidently."There's nothing you can't find here. Whatever you need—just name it. The city can provide it."
"If I needed population, could I get that here?" Yi Tianxing asked with a smile.
"Population?" Thousand Faces grinned wider."Absolutely. There are dedicated slave merchants here who specialize in selling people.If you have the money, they have the bodies.Don't worry about them not being able to deliver—just worry about whether you can pay."
In the Nightmare World, life was cheap.Every moment, dream realms collapsed, flooding the world with desperate survivors—most of whom died shortly after arrival.
So humanoid populations were abundant and cheap.Only a fraction ever made it to a sanctuary.Sanctuary space was limited—when full, new arrivals were turned away.
This made slave trading a niche business, often used only to seek special talents.
"Excellent. I'll need you to find me the best slave merchant. If you do, I'll pay you ten Nightmare Coins."
"Done," Thousand Faces replied with a gleam in his eyes."I know a top-tier merchant—well-connected, strong, and reliable.Ask for anything—you'll get it. His reputation is unmatched."
The lengthy conversation wasn't charity—he was doing it for profit.And now, the payoff was here.
Yi Tianxing nodded in satisfaction.
Thousand Faces then led him through a lively street.
Stalls filled both sides, manned by all sorts of exotic beings.The goods were diverse—bizarre, rare, and overwhelming.Just looking around could leave your eyes dazzled.
Suddenly—
"Oh?" Yi Tianxing made a surprised noise.
He'd seen a very familiar figure.
Following his gaze, he saw a castle-like building labeled:
Wolf Fort (天狼堡)
Above the gate was the image of a wolf with a patch on its face.
Even if turned to ashes, Yi Tianxing would recognize him.
"Grey Wolf (灰太狼)," he murmured.
"You know Grey Wolf, Daoist Yi?" asked Thousand Faces, intrigued.
"We traded once, years ago," Yi Tianxing nodded."Haven't seen him in ages. Is he famous here?"
"Very," Thousand Faces said with a complicated expression."He's a genius inventor.His creations are weird but wildly popular.That said… some come with terrifying side effects."
"There was once a Merman cultivator who mocked his inventions as garbage.Grey Wolf responded by creating a 'Bubble Potion', then dumped it into the Merman's sanctuary.
Every Merman caught the disease—constantly vomiting bubbles: black, white, yellow, rainbow…"
"That hellish sight lasted three years, and nothing could cure it.Since then, the Mermen steer clear of him.Many fear him—justifiably."
Yi Tianxing chuckled.
"Still so mischievous, that Grey Wolf."
Without hesitation, he walked toward Wolf Fort.
Thousand Faces gritted his teeth and followed.
Inside, the floor was made of crystal, and the place was lined with glass display cases, showing off hundreds of items.
It was dazzling.
Behind one of the counters, Grey Wolf lay sleeping, snoring and blowing bubbles.
Yi Tianxing tapped the glass.
"Who dares wake me? I was about to catch Pleasant Goat!"
Grey Wolf jumped up, eyes blazing, until he spotted Yi Tianxing.
"Hey—it's you! The kind man who brought me goat meat!"
His eyes lit up.
"Do you… have any goat?!"Grey Wolf leapt over to Yi Tianxing, eyes brimming with hope and longing.
Yi Tianxing smiled."With all your Nightmare Coins, you should've bought plenty of mutton. What happened?"
"Still craving goat, huh?"