Chapter 676: The Crimson Hell
In the midst of complete darkness, Xiao Cheng kept his eyes tightly shut.
He felt that he must have already infiltrated Qi Xia's dream.
Strange breezes brushed against his skin all around, the touch warm and humid.
Although he couldn't smell anything in the dream, Xiao Cheng still felt as if his nostrils were filled with a scorching gas.
This sensation was very peculiar—it seemed he wasn't breathing air at all, but rather some kind of eerie vapor.
At this moment, every cell in his body was sending him danger signals, and his subconscious was screaming at him to run, that he absolutely must not open his eyes.
It was as if he hadn't invaded someone's dream, but had instead stepped into an Avici Hell filled with rakshasas.
Even though he hadn't seen anything yet, instinctive reactions kept surging from the depths of his brain. Before he even opened his eyes, he felt every hair on his body stand on end, and a chill ran down his back.
Xiao Cheng had invaded dreams a few times before, but never had he encountered anything like this. It seemed that this person's dream wasn't just a "strong psychological defense"—it was like the man had gone completely mad.
"Brother Qi... you gave me a hand... so I'm here to help you too... you wouldn't hurt me, right?"
Xiao Cheng slowly opened his eyes, facing Qi Xia's dream directly. But the mere glimpse nearly scared the soul out of him.
He had seen perhaps seven or eight people's dreams before—whether ordinary dreams or nightmares—none of them struck the soul as powerfully as this sight.
Is this really a dream?
The first thing that met Xiao Cheng's eyes was massive patches of blood-red. It was an extremely vast space. At first glance, it seemed like the corner of some medium-sized city, but upon closer inspection, whether it was the road beneath his feet or the buildings in view, everything without exception was constructed from pulsating, dark red flesh.
This flesh was a deep, vivid red, beating rhythmically with a faint pulse. A layer of crimson mist hung over the flesh. Calling it "Avici Hell" wasn't quite accurate either—it felt more like he had been swallowed into the belly of some enormous beast.
And on this blood-red street, countless figures stood in utter silence, every single one of them faceless.
Their faces were like smooth planes, all features gone. They stood motionless in place, the muscles on their faces twitching constantly, as if they were making expressions or trying to speak.
All the blood in Xiao Cheng's body turned ice-cold in that moment.
He noticed that none of those faceless people made any move—they just stood there like scarecrows. Only then did he relax slightly, repeatedly telling himself in his mind, "It's just a dream."
Then, somewhat dazed, he lifted his head to look at the sky, only to find that the sky was also a massive slab of flesh, with countless faint pulses beating upon it. It truly felt as if he were inside some creature's body, and this crimson sky was the stomach wall of that gigantic monster.
Fortunately, there was no smell in the dream; otherwise, Xiao Cheng could already imagine the unbearable stench that would fill the air.
He swallowed his saliva, moving his gaze blankly from left to right across the blood-red "sky." A few seconds later, he froze again.
On that flesh so vast it resembled the sky, one enormous, living eyeball was scanning its surroundings. The moment Xiao Cheng saw it, it immediately turned its gaze and locked eyes with his terrified stare.
Just that one look made Xiao Cheng feel as if his soul had been ripped from his body. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, scraping against his clothes.
How could there be such a huge eyeball in this world?
The pupil of that giant eyeball trembled slightly, as if it were examining him from above.
This eyeball was growing on this sky made of flesh... Was this mass of flesh really alive?
If it was alive, then what exactly was it...?
"It shouldn't be able to see me either..." Xiao Cheng muttered to himself, as if trying to bolster his courage or comfort himself. "After all, I'm just an outsider... My abilities are weak; it can't see me..."
Even as he said this, the eyeball kept staring straight at him. Xiao Cheng had to look away, trying not to be affected by it.
They say "what you think about during the day, you dream about at night." What could Qi Xia be thinking about every day to produce such a bizarre nightmare?
Just as he stood there dumbfounded, the sound of trickling water reached his ears. He turned his head and followed the sound. A "small river" was rolling and flowing through the center of the city, cutting across it.
The river was some distance away from him. It seemed a small man-made arched bridge had been built over it for pedestrians to cross.
Xiao Cheng blinked and slowly walked toward the "river."
He stood on the arched bridge, prepared himself mentally, and looked down. Sticky blood collided and churned, splashing up countless bloody droplets before flowing away into the distance.
Looking more closely, there were even large, pitch-black fish in the river. They leaped up with the splashing currents, nearly jumping onto Xiao Cheng's face.
Only then did Xiao Cheng realize that these fish, like the people standing on the street, had no facial features at all.
They had neither mouths nor eyes. Their bare, streamlined bodies flashed before him for a moment before plunging back into the river, sending up more splashes of blood.
It seemed their leaps weren't meant to greet anyone standing on the shore—they were gasping for air.
They struggled in the river of blood. They wanted to live, but they couldn't breathe. They didn't even have gills—how could they survive in water?
No... even if they had gills, this wasn't water. It was a sticky, dark red river of blood.
Where was this a "nightmare"?
This was the real hell.
Xiao Cheng trembled uncontrollably. Before long, he fell to his knees, holding onto the railing of the bridge, retching repeatedly.
He had met Qi Xia, had even exchanged a few simple words with him. The man seemed mentally normal on the surface, but how could his inner world be like a hell?
Did he see a world like this every time he closed his eyes...?
Although Xiao Cheng hadn't entered many dreams, he felt that only a sociopathic madman could possess such a terrifying psychological world.
"What the hell..." Xiao Cheng retched for a long time, then wiped his mouth. His whole body still shook uncontrollably.
Even though he knew it was a dream, everything in it was too real.
He knelt on the ground and reached out to touch the arched bridge beneath him. It felt as if it were truly made of flesh—not only did it give off a bright red color, but it also had a slight elasticity.
When he placed his palm gently on it, he could feel the heartbeat of this city.
Xiao Cheng asked himself: if he were to have a nightmare like this, he would rather choose never to sleep again. Otherwise, he would go mad in no time.
"I can't do this... I can't handle this 'dream'..."
Whether in terms of its eerie nature or the scale of the scene, this "nightmare" had already far exceeded anything Xiao Cheng could interfere with. Most people's dreams took place in a single room or a small, fixed area. But here, Xiao Cheng had found a city of blood.
In this city, it wasn't just a matter of finding Qi Xia's broken mental state—simply finding Qi Xia himself would be extremely difficult.
Xiao Cheng slowly closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and immediately tried to sever his "dream entry." If he stayed here any longer, death would be the only outcome.
A few seconds later, Xiao Cheng opened his eyes slightly.
But what greeted him was not the "Land of the End"—it was still this crimson hell.