The deal had been smooth and satisfying—Altai was more than pleased.Now with a large payment in hand, his appreciation for Yi Tianxing as a client only grew. He was even preparing to increase his efforts in sourcing human slaves throughout the Nightmare World.
Whether it involved promises of profit or underhanded trickery, the method didn't matter—only the result.
Yi Tianxing didn't care, and Altai cared even less.As long as the people hadn't yet entered Great Yi, they weren't citizens, and thus none of his concern.
All that mattered was what came after:
Yi Tianxing would give these people a better life than what they'd otherwise have.
Time flowed quietly.
Following the first successful deal, Altai's enthusiasm and ambition soared.The remaining portion of the original order—ten trillion people—was swiftly fulfilled, payment complete.
Yi Tianxing promptly issued a second order, ten times the scale of the first:
One hundred trillion people.
Altai went mad with action.
The entire Nightmare World stirred.
Slaver squads poured out like a tide.Wherever dream worlds shattered, wherever living beings fell into Nightmare, these teams would strike—seizing every human survivor they could.
Remarkably, these slavers treated their "captures" with luxury—feeding them well, avoiding beatings, and treating them kindly.Why?
Because Yi Tianxing had strict requirements: he would only accept healthy and unharmed people.Any injuries or defects meant no payment.
Thus, the attitude of the slavers became almost courteous.They were desperate not to lose profits over something stupid.
These humans, after all, were literal gold.Golden Eternal Coins.
Even those who would've been whipped and shackled as slaves were now treated with care and comfort—all for the sake of that golden payday.
In truth, the Nightmare World constantly devoured the ruins of fallen dream-realms.With so many dream-bubbles collapsing every day, and so many beings falling into the Nightmare, there was no end to the supply.
These slaver teams were—ironically—rescuing those who would've otherwise died.
Thus, the second transaction—one hundred trillion people—was fully completed in just three months.
The entire Nightmare World was shaken by the scale.It created an unprecedented shockwave of economic and political activity.
Altai's operations were massive.He couldn't handle the order alone, so he broke it up and distributed tasks to numerous sacred grounds.
While this diluted the profits, it vastly increased speed and efficiency.
Everyone got a cut.
Everyone benefited.
No one would dare sabotage a process that lined their pockets so well.
The profits were too huge—beyond imagination.
Everyone was getting fat off the deal.
No one cared where these people were being sent, or what fate awaited them.In the Nightmare World, life was cheap.There was always another wave of dream-collapse, another flood of survivors to harvest.
It was like turning garbage into gold.
A hundredfold profit, like manna from heaven.
Why question it?
If it makes money, that's all that matters.
Amidst these ongoing transactions, time flew.
Before anyone realized it, three years had passed.
Yi Tianxing had remained in place, rooted in the Nightmare World, continuously absorbing nightmare energy—endlessly feeding his strength.
"The internal world of the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Tower has reached a radius of six million kilometers. Compared to three years ago, it's practically unrecognizable. A complete transformation."
Yi Tianxing couldn't help but marvel.
As the Nightmare Tree grew, its ability to draw in energy grew faster and more powerful.And since it also drew from the Primordial Chaos, his development had advanced immensely.
There was no guilt in siphoning off the Nightmare World's strength—only satisfaction.
Now he began planning even more ambitious moves.
"Thanks to Altai, I've acquired over a thousand trillion people.And with internal births and growth inside the tower, the population now exceeds 2.5 quadrillion.Maybe even more."
Yi Tianxing's estimates filled him with fiery ambition.
"Great Yi has finally broken its shackles."
"We are no longer bound."
Once he returned to the Eternal World, he could push Great Yi into high-speed expansion.
"This is the age of opportunity—when the winds are strong enough to lift even pigs into the sky."And he would not waste the momentum.
"It's almost time to return."
Though the Nightmare World had been bountiful, his true foundation remained in the Eternal World.
Yi Tianxing could feel it:His time was running short.
This astral projection couldn't last forever—when the limit was reached, he'd be pulled back to his true body.
At most, three months remained.
Swoosh!
Just then, a sudden space gate appeared in front of him.From it burst a figure wrapped in golden light, shouting:
"Saint King Yi! HELP ME!!"
It was the monkey—Yuan Gang—who had gone out to explore the Nightmare World.His voice rang with raw panic.
He'd clearly used the emergency token Yi Tianxing had given him, warping through space directly to his location.
But the moment Yuan Gang emerged—
—he froze midair.
A gigantic tentacle whipped out from the gate behind him like a serpent, coiling around his waist and yanking him back.
It happened so fast, so violently—it was terrifying.
Yuan Gang couldn't break free, despite his immense strength.
This was no ordinary enemy.
Yi Tianxing's eyes narrowed.The tentacle was covered in blood-red eyes, each oozing eerie power.
Just looking at them gave the illusion of standing in a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
Chilling to the core.
"You dare act so brazenly before me?"
Yi Tianxing's voice rang out coldly.
"This is my space gate. You dare chase someone through it? You've signed your own death warrant."
A flash of light appeared—his true form descended.
With a thought, he activated the gate-locking art.
The gate snapped shut like a celestial guillotine, unleashing a terrifying wave of spatial force—
SNAP!
The tentacle, halfway through the gate, was cleanly severed.
It dropped to the ground, writhing.
Such was the power of his Gate-Sealing Technique.
"Sweet heavens, that was close! I nearly became monkey jerky!"
Yuan Gang gasped, clearly shaken.
"Thanks, Saint King! If you hadn't saved me just now, I'd be monkey stew for sure!"
Yi Tianxing frowned.
"What kind of creature could chase you across dimensions like that?"
He glanced at the tentacle on the ground, sensing an immense danger radiating from it.
"That thing's strength is... beyond the True Spirit Realm. Possibly Dao Platform level."
POP! POP! POP!
Suddenly, the tentacle's blood-red eyes began exploding—
—and from each burst shot a ray of scarlet divine light!
They streaked directly toward Yuan Gang.
Though he had his Diamond Body, and instantly raised a golden shield, it wasn't enough.
The red rays punched through his defenses—piercing his body full of bloody holes.
The scene was horrific.
Each wound leaked a strange corruptive force, preventing any healing.
If not stopped, Yuan Gang would die within moments.
SWOOSH!
Just then, a holy light descended from above, enveloping him.
It was the divine power of the Light Fate Aperture—Blessing!
This magical ability had powerful healing properties, capable of dispelling dark forces and regenerating flesh.
In legend, if cultivated to the highest level, the Light Aperture could unlock the divine miracle—Resurrection.
Under the Blessing Radiance, Yuan Gang's wounds began to rapidly heal.The blood-colored forces were burned away and dissolved.
"Damn, that was nasty... almost cost me my life..."
The monkey stepped away from the severed tentacle, trembling.
Even he didn't want to get near it again.
"What exactly happened?"
Yi Tianxing's voice was solemn.
"That kind of power… what did you provoke?"
"I was out training," Yuan Gang began quickly, not hiding anything."Then I saw this freak monster with thousands of tentacles tearing through dream bubbles."
"Every time it entered a dream world, it devoured the survivors alive."
"It was feeding on dream realms."
"One of those bubbles was full of monkeys, and when it destroyed the realm, it ate them all…"
"I got pissed and attacked."