Chapter 28: Dream realm (Part 1)

Chu Er sat in the quiet room, her small frame hunched over a wooden chair that felt too big for her. Her eyes, swollen and red from a night spent in tears, stared at her brother lying on the bed.

He looked peaceful, too peaceful, as if merely sleeping. But she knew better. His body lay there, unmoving, unconscious, trapped in a place she could not reach. Her heart ached with every second that passed, her mind consumed with worry. She had cried all night, but no amount of tears could change the reality in front of her.

Chu Er's little hands trembled as she clasped them together, her lips moving in silent prayer. She wasn't asking for much—just a small hope, a wish that maybe, just maybe, her brother's mind was free from the pain that had consumed his body. She hoped, with all her might, that wherever his dreams had taken him, they were kinder than the world that had brought him here.

Her voice was barely a whisper, a fragile plea in the silence. "Please, let him have good dreams... please..."

———

In Ning Zu's dream realm

Ning Zu walked down the narrow, man-made road, the rough gravel crunching beneath his boots. The nameless mountain he was traversing was shrouded in mist, its jagged peaks looming ominously in the distance. His black robe swirled around his feet as he moved, the hood drawn low to hide his face. His mind was a turbulent storm of frustration and resentment. 

He was just banished. Driven out of the Eastern Sea by its super forces, his own brother at the forefront of it all. A sour taste lingered in his mouth at the thought. The betrayal cut deeper than any blade. His brother, the one who should have been his ally, had been the main orchestrator of his downfall. He clenched his fists inside his robe, bitterness seeping into every fiber of his being.

Ning Zu sighed, his breath escaping in a low hiss. "It can't get worse than this," he muttered under his breath, trying to shake off the weight of his misfortune.

Fate, it seemed, had other plans.

Just ahead on the road, a figure appeared—

tall, imposing, and drenched in the stench of blood. The man's long, wavy black hair cascaded down his shoulders, and his pitch-black eyes gleamed with a cruel, demonic charm. His sharp features, the high bridge of his nose and lips that seemed carved by a blade added to his menacing presence. 

The man's smile widened, revealing white teeth smeared with blood, his aura of a rank 5 Gu master radiating outward like an oppressive storm.

He carried a beast's severed head in one hand, its fur matted with blood and its eyes lifeless. As the man spotted Ning Zu, his smile grew even more sinister.

No words were exchanged. There was no need.

Ning Zu's hand slipped into his aperture, pulling out a long black sword, its blade gleaming darkly in the fog. The stranger's grin never faltered as he tossed the beast's head into the dirt, stepping forward with a casual menace.

The tension between them was thick, the air heavy with the promise of violence.

In an instant, they collided. Ning Zu's sword slashed downward, but the man's hand, now covered in a blue, scaly armor, blocked the strike with ease. The force of their clash sent shockwaves through the ground beneath them, cracking the earth with the sheer power of their blows. 

The killing intent that surged from both of them was suffocating, driving any nearby beasts deep into the forest, fleeing for their lives.

Ning Zu stepped back, his eyes narrowing as he assessed his opponent. His sword elongated, growing taller and more menacing as he aimed a deadly slash at the man. The stranger, however, inhaled deeply and spewed a burning liquid from his mouth. The acidic fire hit Ning Zu's sword, melting it away before it could strike.

Ning Zu grimaced but remained unfazed. He had been testing the waters, but now it was time to get serious.

With a sharp, piercing sound, two wide, feathery wings erupted from Ning Zu's back. In the blink of an eye, he shot forward, moving with lightning speed. His hand grabbed the man's face with crushing force, and without hesitation, Ning Zu slammed him into the ground. He didn't stop there—he continued to drag the man across the rocky terrain, plowing through the mountain itself, the earth and stone shattering beneath them.

But then, abruptly, Ning Zu lost control. His momentum was thrown off as he crashed into a tree, his grip on the man suddenly gone. He looked down in shock to see that his hand was missing—severed cleanly at the shoulder.

The man, still smiling wickedly, held Ning Zu's dismembered arm in his grasp, burning it with a yellow fire that left nothing but ash. He seemed utterly unbothered by the punishment Ning Zu had just delivered.

Ning Zu's hand began to heal almost instantly, the bones and flesh knitting back together. He took off from the tree, but before he could gain height, the man appeared above him, driving his knee into Ning Zu's face until his head hit the ground. The impact shattered every bone in Ning Zu's face, but his body was already repairing itself, regenerating at a rapid pace.

Ning Zu reached up, trying to grab the man's knee, but a swift slash from a qi sword severed his hands once again. A barrage of punches followed, each one powerful enough to crack the earth beneath them. The man's scaly arms battered Ning Zu relentlessly, pinning him to the ground with a savage fury. Blood sprayed across the battlefield as the man tore down Ning Zu's wings, ripping his body apart each time he tried to regenerate.

The sight was brutal, blood smeared everywhere, the ground soaked with it.

But then, a sudden explosion rocked the area, sending the man flying into the air. Burn marks scorched his face as he struggled to regain his footing. From the center of the explosion, Ning Zu emerged, his hair now ablaze like fire, strange tattoos glowing across his body with an otherworldly light.

The man's smile faltered for the first time. Before he could react, Ning Zu drove his hand his chest, piercing his heart. The man gasped in pain, his eyes wide with shock as Ning Zu made him feel as if his own heart was getting pierced.

But then, in a move that defied reason, the man stabbed his own heart and ripped it out of his chest. Ning Zu's eyes widened in disbelief as the man held his still-beating heart in his hand.

"Don't worry about me," the man said, his voice filled with dark amusement. "I don't need a heart."

Ning Zu quickly deduced that the man must be using a blood pumping Gu to sustain his life, making it play the role of his missing heart.

Ning Zu realizing that his method was no longer working, he removed his hand from his chest wish healed instantly, while the strange tattoos were gone.

The man's body began to shift, thick scales multiplying and growing over his skin until the hole in his chest was completely covered. His mouth ignited with black flames, his entire form enveloped in the eerie fire.

Ning Zu didn't waste a moment. Two black swords appeared from his aperture, and his wings, now fully healed, spread wide. His body glowed with the power of his Heal Injuries Gu, his vitality restored in an instant. He looked at the man across from him, his expression cold.

"Your name?" Ning Zu asked, his voice steady.

The man grinned through the flames. "Ming You," he replied, his entire body now consumed by the black fire that shielded him like armor.

Ning Zu nodded. Bones erupted from his own body, twisting and forming into a protective armor that enveloped his whole body with his wings. His eyes gleamed with deadly intent as he spoke. "I'm Ning Zu."

Without another word, they charged at each other, their clash shaking the mountain to its core.

Ning Zu's eyes burned with fury as he slashed Ming You across the chest and stomach with both of his swords, the strikes vicious. However, his triumph was short-lived—the swords, once gleaming with deadly intent, now began to melt, sizzling and crumbling as Ming You's fire consumed them. They dropped from Ning Zu's hands, now useless.

Ming You seized the moment, his legs sweeping out with brutal force. A double kick sent Ning Zu flying across the battlefield, his body skidding violently along the scorched earth. He gritted his teeth, the searing pain in his face unlike anything he'd ever felt before. His armor regenerated, but his face—it wouldn't heal. It wasn't just flesh that had been scorched. The fire had burned the very essence of his soul, making recovery take longer.

His hands trembled as he tore the bone armor and burned skin from his face, the pain intensifying. Through blurry vision, his sight finally returned just in time to see Ming You appear before him. Without hesitation, Ming You drove a lower punch into Ning Zu's face. The brutal impact obliterated his features, leaving nothing but a smoldering ruin covered in the sinister fire.

Ning Zu staggered, barely able to stay on his feet as Ming You launched into the air. With a savage battle cry, Ming You struck him with a phantom hand, sending Ning Zu crashing back to the earth. The ground trembled beneath the force, cracks splintering outwards.

Hovering above, Ming You took a deep breath, and a river of molten steel erupted from his mouth, cascading down like a flood of liquid death. The molten steel wasn't ordinary—it burned with the same green fire that had scarred Ning Zu's soul. The fiery liquid engulfed Ning Zu's body, and though his Gu worked desperately to regenerate his form, the green fire and molten steel smothered his efforts.

Ming You descended back to the ground, his blackened smile widening as he looked upon the molten steel trap that Ning Zu was trapped in. 

But then, a tremor rippled through the mountain beneath his feet. The ground shook violently before falling still again.

Ming You's eyes narrowed as he stared at the molten steel. "Is it Ning Zu?" he muttered to himself, wondering if his foe was still fighting, trying to escape. Just as the thought passed through his mind, a shadow darkened the sky above him.

Ming You looked up, his blood running cold.

A colossal river was descending from the heavens, spiraling downward in the form of a dragon. The roar of rushing water filled the air as the massive water dragon curled its serpentine body through the clouds, plunging toward the earth with terrifying force.

From within the molten steel, a skeleton emerged—Ning Zu's body, reforming as it healed. His flesh regrew, his eyes burned with rage, and as soon as his tongue returned, he screamed, "Mortal Killer Move—Earth Flooding Dragon!"

The dragon of water crashed into the mountain, obliterating everything in its path. Rocks and debris scattered like leaves in a storm as the mountain was completely destroyed by the dragon's mighty impact. In the midst of the destruction, Ning Zu rose from the chaos, fully healed but stripped bare. His body glistened with new life, his bare skin glowing with vitality. His eyes, however, still burned with vengeance.

He wasn't done yet.

As he floated in the air, Ning Zu summoned his sword, preparing a final killer move. But before he could act, the ground beneath him erupted. From the shattered earth, a towering figure emerged—a creature as large as the mountain that had once stood there. It had three Buddha-like heads and multiple limbs, each hand glowing with deadly energy.

With all its hands, the creature prepared a colossal killer move, the air crackling with raw power. Its form loomed like a deity of destruction, and its many eyes locked onto Ning Zu with relentless focus.

Ning Zu gripped his sword tightly, his aura flaring as he prepared his own killer move. He screamed, his voice echoing across the ruined landscape, "Mortal Killer Move—Egoistic Sword!"

The creature let out a deafening roar in response, readying its own move: "Mortal Killer Move—Demon's Wrath!"

Both powers collided with a blinding explosion, the shockwave obliterating everything in its path. The land that had once been full of life, now lay in ruins, the explosion leveling mountains and wiping out dozens of creatures that had no chance of escaping. Fire, water, and raw energy merged into a chaotic maelstrom of destruction.

When the dust and mist finally settled, the aftermath of the battle was clear. The once majestic landscape was a desolate wasteland, charred and broken beyond recognition. Laying amidst the destruction were two figures, sprawled on their backs in the scorched ground.

One was fully burned, his body still steaming as the last remnants of life clung to him. The other was cut into multiple pieces, his body shattered but his head and torso still intact.

Both warriors had exhausted their primeval essence. Their energy spent, their bodies too broken to heal, death loomed near.

Ning Zu, his burned mouth barely able to move, let out a ragged scream. "I will kill your entire bloodline! I will wipe them out, every last one of them!"

Ming You, surprisingly, let out a weak laugh, his voice cracked and hoarse. "You're too late," he rasped. "Done that already myself."

Ning Zu cursed under his breath, bitter regret swirling in his mind. He knew that if he had access to his full set of Gu, if he hadn't left his inheritance behind while running from his brother, he would have ended Ming You in less than a minute.

With great effort, Ning Zu turned onto his stomach, dragging himself forward with his one good arm. His other was completely burned beyond repair. His body in tatters, he crawled toward the now unconscious Ming You, hatred burning in his eyes.

Reaching Ming You, Ning Zu shakily raised his hand, intending to stab his fingers into the man's brain to finish him off. But in his weakened state, he misjudged the distance and instead tore out Ming You's eye. The eye fell to the ground, rolling toward Ning Zu's mouth.

As Ning Zu's vision blurred, a figure appeared on the horizon. A woman, her form hazy, approached with an aura of calm amid the destruction. Seeing her, Ning Zu thought his end was near. His strength faded, and his mind began to drift into unconsciousness.

But before he could slip away, a blue lotus mark appeared on his forehead. 

Instinctively, Ning Zu opened his mouth and swallowed the eye, refining it as the blue lotus mark vanished. 

With that, Ning Zu succumbed to the darkness, passing out beside his fallen foe.