Chapter 25: Mission Accomplished
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Wu Que had long since lost count of how many people he had killed. He was like a machine, endlessly raising and lowering his blade.
His heart fought desperately against the pleasure born of slaughter, but the melodious flute sounded like a demonic enchantment, relentlessly shattering his mental defenses.
The dream demon within this nightmare was not particularly powerful. In fact, it would not even rank among the strongest nightmares Hong Lei had ever experienced.
What was truly terrifying were the thousands upon thousands of people—and the desires buried within their hearts.
The townspeople of Serpent Rider Street could serve as nourishment for the great serpent, while the patrons of the brothel had become sharp blades aimed at destroying Wu Que’s nerves.
The jade pendant swung against Wu Que’s chest as he fought. Each time it touched him, it granted him a brief moment of clarity.
But precisely because of that fleeting lapse in concentration, a short woman seized her chance and climbed up. She did not attack immediately. Instead, using the thick fog as cover, she slipped behind Wu Que.
The crowd in front of him was not frightening by itself. But with enemies on both sides, he was in grave danger.
Wu Que hurriedly gathered his thoughts, yet the instant the woman concealed herself, the flute grew louder. Every note pierced his ears. In an instant, the puppets both inside and outside the building went berserk. The sounds of people tumbling down the stairs, puppets shrieking and roaring, and the black blade sinking into flesh rose without end.
Wu Que fought against the surging masses before him while remaining constantly on guard against an attack from behind. The extreme tension pushed his nerves to the brink of collapse.
A ferocious grin spread across his face, and crimson crept into his pupils.
“Heh heh. Damn it, the moment I get my hands free, I’ll tear you to pieces.”
As his nerves gave way, he suddenly swung wildly at the space behind him. Then a sharp pain burst from his ankle.
The woman had hidden beneath his feet. She seized the instant his guard slackened, and her wide mouth, lined with jagged teeth, flashed silver-white through the fog as she tore away a large chunk of flesh from Wu Que’s ankle.
With the blessing of the Master of Blades, Wu Que located the woman the moment she attacked. His body twisted at an impossible angle, and he struck backward, severing her head. But the wound in his ankle made him lose his balance, and he collapsed sideways.
Wu Que slumped weakly against the serpent’s tail, drenched in sweat.
If this continued, he would eventually be devoured by the endless tide of puppets.
The agony of having his Achilles tendon bitten through also brought Wu Que back to his senses.
He held the black blade horizontally in both hands, summoned every ounce of strength in his body, and shoved hard against the puppets in the front row.
Fortunately, the thick fog obscured not only his vision. The puppets at the front were forced backward, and the army behind them toppled like a row of dominoes, rolling and tumbling down across the scales.
Seeing that he had temporarily stalled the puppets’ advance, Wu Que pressed the jade pendant tightly against his chest and began thinking furiously.
“There has to be a way… There has to be. What is it? What?”
“The rules. The rules. The way to break through must be hidden in the rules…”
At that moment, the black blade suddenly began to hum.
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Following the blade’s hum, Wu Que rapidly reviewed the brothel’s rules in his mind.
“What you see is not necessarily real. What you hear is always real.”
“So… that’s how it is?”
He glanced again at the masses reforming their ranks and climbing toward him, then tightly closed his eyes.
Slowly, the chaotic sounds began to fade, leaving only the melodious flute.
“I found it!”
Wu Que abruptly opened his eyes. As countless hands reached out to seize him, he leaped into the air.
“Go to hell!”
He gathered all his strength in his hands, gripped the black blade, and drove it straight into the golden serpent’s eye.
The melodious flute stopped abruptly, and the lingering fog vanished in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, the crimson eyes regained their clarity, and the hearts shrouded in malice were overtaken by fear.
The young man on the ground was drenched in blood and trembling violently. Those around him could see him clearly now, yet no one dared take another step forward.
When they could not see, they had swarmed toward him. Once they could see clearly, they shrank back in fear. No one knew whether the fog had obscured their eyes—or their hearts.
Wu Que ignored them. Using the black blade to support himself, he limped toward the dungeon.
Yes, he had heard it clearly. The instant the flute stopped, a pained groan had also sounded from within the dungeon.
He pushed open the dungeon door and walked deeper inside. Just as he expected, he found the limbless woman.
She was no longer inside the cell. Blood seeped from the corners of her mouth as she lay helplessly on the floor.
Wu Que dropped heavily into a seated position opposite her and said with a soft laugh, “So you really were working together from the very beginning.”
He should have realized it long ago. The reception room in the brothel fragment had contained three chairs from the start.
Bai Xian’er had forced Red Apricot aside and taken the second chair. Then who had occupied the third chair in the beginning?
More importantly, the system had offered a clue from the very start. Wu Que simply had not been able to confirm it then.
“The gift of the dungeon’s serpent woman.”
“Heh heh. And what of it? You dared enter the dungeon alone, so why not take a good look at where you are now?”
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The woman’s eyes were filled with hatred as she spoke with a vicious grin.
Wu Que had sensed it from the very first second he entered the dungeon. He was all too familiar with that sticky, slippery sensation.
The dungeon had already transformed into the body of a colossal bottle serpent.
“Heh heh. Before half a day has passed, you will be completely digested and turned into nourishment for the bottle serpent!”
The woman’s shrill laughter stopped abruptly. In the next instant, her head rolled away across the floor.
“That is none of your concern,” Wu Que said coldly.
He staggered to his feet and pressed his palm against the enormous inner wall of the bottle serpent.
“Slaughter Brand.”
The young man said nothing. He merely swung his blade again and again. Black flames greedily devoured the bottle serpent’s flesh, while the wound on his ankle slowly began to heal.
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The great serpent dodged the blades of wind. Seeing Hong Lei charging forward, it immediately realized what he intended to do.
It opened its enormous mouth and gave chase, but how could it possibly outrun Hong Lei, who was riding the spirit of the wind?
The old woman sang incoherently on the platform. When she saw Hong Lei rushing toward her, her smile grew even wider.
“Hahahahahaha! Daughter, Mother really summoned the Serpent Immortal! From now on, you and I will live a life of happiness together!”
A hand blade wrapped in violent wind pierced through her chest, and the madness in the “mother’s” eyes slowly faded.
“My girl, Mother is sorry.”
Smiling, she reached out to touch the daughter before her, but she could no longer raise her arm.
The great serpent arrived in haste, only to be greeted by a storm of wind blades.
As the two great serpents of Serpent Rider Street and the brothel were annihilated, the system’s cold notification sounded in the ears of both men.
“Congratulations, Dream Menders. You have successfully slain the dream demon—the Serpent Fiend. The Lustful Dream mission is complete.”
“All Dream Menders within the dream receive: Strength +10, Agility +10, Faith +10, Vitality +10, Immunity +10, Perception +10. Selectable rewards have been archived and may be chosen at any time.”
“Dream Menders will now be transported back to the Dreaming Space.”
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