Chapter 205: Bubble

The corner of Chaosheng’s mouth twitched.

“Of course, we can’t be missing his Soul Power. That guy is always trying to put a Curse on me.”

“Hahahahaha…”

The black-robed person burst out laughing again. Once he contained his mirth, he looked at Chaosheng.

“Now, go. Go and end your own obsession with your own hands.”

A look of struggle and conflict appeared on Chaosheng’s face.

…

“Oh! Chaosheng, how did you fall asleep again? If you’re tired, go home to sleep. You’ll catch a cold out here!”

Chaosheng slowly opened his eyes, staring blankly at the gentlest face in the world.

The face… that he thought he would never see again.

His voice trembled slightly.

“Mom, I won’t catch a cold. I’ll never catch a cold for the rest of my life. You don’t have to worry about me.”

Liu Niu was stunned for a moment, but then she smiled and pinched Chaosheng’s cheek. Her fingertips were warm, with a slightly rough texture.

“Is my Chaosheng a little Immortal who can’t catch colds? That would be just perfect.”

Chaosheng’s gaze gradually grew resolute.

But from behind that resolute gaze, tears began to stream out uncontrollably.

The tears rolled down one after another, splashing onto the back of Liu Niu’s hand.

Liu Niu was startled and hurriedly wiped them away.

“Oh, why are you crying? Did you have a nightmare?”

Chaosheng pressed his lips together, pulled away from Liu Niu’s hand, and took two steps back.

He was afraid that if he stayed for even one more second, he would never be able to bring himself to leave.

Liu Niu frowned, a hint of hurt in her voice.

“What’s gotten into you? Are you already too grown up to let your mother get close?”

Chaosheng didn’t answer.

With a THUD, he fell to his knees. The dull impact on the gravelly ground felt like a heavy hammer slamming into his own heart.

Then, he slammed his head to the ground—

THUD!

His forehead struck a sharp stone, splitting the skin. Beads of blood seeped out, tracing paths down the stone’s texture like plum blossoms blooming on its surface.

Liu Niu’s face went white. She lunged forward to pull him up.

“Child, have you gone mad! What are you doing? Does it hurt?!”

Chaosheng didn’t look up.

His forehead remained pressed against the blood-stained stone, his entire body trembling.

Tears and blood mixed together, dripping into the dirt.

He raised his face.

His small face was a mess of tears and snot. His lips trembled, opening and closing as drool stretched into threads between them.

Liu Niu panicked.

“Get up, quickly! What’s wrong with you?”

Chaosheng watched her anxious, heartbroken expression, desperately trying to suppress the turmoil inside him. It felt like something in his chest was being torn apart, inch by inch.

With a hoarse voice, he finally managed to force out three words:

“Mom! I’m sorry!”

Liu Niu froze.

“Chaosheng, what on earth is wrong with you?”

Chaosheng bit his lip.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

Those were the only words Chaosheng could say.

His mother was still going to die in that storm-battered temple.

The mother before him… was a beautiful bubble he himself was about to pop.

Liu Niu dazedly wiped Chaosheng’s tears.

“I don’t understand, son. You’re scaring me.”

Chaosheng slammed his head against the stone again.

“I’m sorry! I don’t even have the right to let you live on in a dream! There are too many things I have to do… I’m sorry, I’m sorry. You’re not just some forgotten dust. You’re the greatest, most beloved regret of my life.”

Liu Niu froze.

She slowly lowered her head, looking at her own hands, then at the blood on Chaosheng’s forehead. Suddenly, she smiled—a smile of relief and peace.

“Am I dead?”

She reached out to touch her own face, then stroked Chaosheng’s head.

“No wonder I don’t feel any pain… It’s because I’ve already died once.”

Her acceptance was so swift it was heartbreaking.

Chaosheng looked up with tear-filled eyes, and seeing the smile on Liu Niu’s face, he began to sob even harder.

“Mom, I’m sorry…”

Liu Niu didn’t cry.

She simply crouched there, studying Chaosheng’s face intently, as if trying to etch it into her very bones.

She reached out, her movements clumsy yet gentle, and softly stroked his head.

“I really hate whoever brought me back, just to torment my poor Chaosheng like this.”

She paused, gently brushing aside the blood-matted hair on his forehead.

“Don’t cry. No matter what you do, I will always love you.”

Her voice was soft, as if she were afraid of startling something.

“Oh, Chaosheng… don’t forget me… I really do love you.”

The river wind blew, making the green grass ripple like waves.

Liu Niu stood there, her figure so faint it looked as if the wind could scatter her at any moment.

And yet, the smile on her face was more real than ever.

…

「Dream Island Resort, Main Hall」

The Evil Qilin sat cross-legged in meditation, holding a baby.

He was soothing the infant while chanting a Buddhist mantra.

Suddenly, his eyes shot open. He stared at Jiang Chaosheng in disbelief.

“How is this possible? Are you really waking up?”

“You… You overcame your own desire and chose to destroy a perfect dream with your own hands?!”

The corner of the Evil Qilin’s eye twitched. He gritted his teeth, his voice trembling for the first time.

“What… what kind of monster are you?! Don’t you have a heart?!”

He grew agitated, the hand holding the baby trembling slightly.

“Impossible. It can’t be. How could my Joyful Buddhist Dharma lose to someone who doesn’t even understand the Dharma? You must be the world’s only anomaly!”

The anxiety in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by an almost fanatical conviction.

“That’s right, you’re an anomaly! The only person who cannot be saved by the Joyful Buddhist Dharma! No, I have to do something… Yes, I must do something!”

The Evil Qilin tremblingly pulled a pocket watch from his robes.

Item 3-44, the Killing Pocket Watch!

He dangled the Killing Pocket Watch in front of Jiang Chaosheng’s eyes.

Jiang Chaosheng’s eyes were vacant, his gaze merely tracking the watch’s swing mechanically.

A maniacal smile spread across the Evil Qilin’s face.

“Let me enter your dream, kill the you inside, and make sure you never wake up!”

“Don’t you dare harm my husband!”

A clear, furious shout erupted from within Jiang Chaosheng’s robes.

A dark light shot out, materializing into a beautiful woman with a furious expression. She hovered in the air, her long hair drifting as if in an unseen wind.

The Evil Qilin’s pupils contracted.

“The Renfeng Daji that Lucifer mentioned? You wish to kill me?”

He shook his head, his tone dismissive.

“Give it up. You can’t stop me. Time in the Dream World flows differently than in reality. All I need is half a second to kill Dusk in the dream.”

Feeling the icy killing intent, the Evil Qilin just smiled brazenly.

“Why don’t you try to save your husband in the dream? Of course, that’s assuming you even have a way to get in.”

With that, the Evil Qilin’s eyes went vacant. He had clearly entered Jiang Chaosheng’s dream.

…

「The Dream World」

On the green fields by the river, a Buddhist chant suddenly rang out.

“Amitabha Buddha!”

Chaosheng and Liu Niu abruptly turned to look at the river.

A colossal black mountain was slowly rising from the water.

Carved upon the black mountain were figures of naked men and women—the very image of the Joyful Buddha.

Rubble slowly crumbled from the black mountain, like stone chips flaking off a sculpture in progress.

The Evil Qilin had spent his whole life carving the stone in his heart, sculpting his own Buddha.

After using the Killing Pocket Watch, he was a Buddha of immense Divine Power within the Dream World!

Gradually, after this “carving,” the black mountain took on the appearance of the Evil Qilin.

High in the air, his hands were pressed together in prayer.

Those clasped hands were as large as a skyscraper, sending startled birds fluttering away in a panic.

His immense, closed-eyed face was like a dark cloud, blotting out the sky and sun.

A flash of terror crossed Liu Niu’s eyes, and she quickly pulled Chaosheng into a tight hug.

“Don’t hurt my child!”

Chaosheng narrowed his eyes dangerously and spat out, word by word:

“E… vil… Qi… lin!”

The Evil Qilin slowly opened his colossal eyes. They were like two bottomless, cold pools, gazing indifferently down at the ant-like figures below.

“Benefactor, you are still attached to worldly forms.”

Chaosheng’s mind raced.

He tried to summon the Scythe of Death and the Penalty Fire Flintlock Gun.

But in the dream, he was just a child. He didn’t have those two powerful weapons.

He stretched out his hand, trying to use the Primordial Desire Snake.

But without the Scythe of Death, he couldn’t wield Lucifer’s Soul Power.

He couldn’t use any of his powers.

The Evil Qilin’s giant hand was already rising, its five fingers like mountains, casting a shadow that enveloped the entire meadow.