But before he could finish speaking, Fang Yuan cut him off.
"I heard you. If I can't save them, I won't leave either. Just eat me!" Fang Yuan waved his hand and said casually.
"Uh..." The Beastman chieftain choked on his words, unable to respond.
The children around them gazed up at Fang Yuan with eyes full of hope and worship, looking at him the way one would look at a hero.
"Little brat, if you can save everyone, I'll step down as chieftain!" The Beastman chieftain laughed darkly, again and again.
But before long, the laughter died on his lips.
Fang Yuan completely ignored the rules of the game. He continuously activated Dream Unraveling, his speed astonishing!
One captured child after another was freed in succession.
If he had to dismantle the Wind Knot Grass by himself, he wouldn't even be able to save his own life.
But once Dream Unraveling was deployed, the difficulty plummeted to practically nothing.
To use an analogy, it was like playing mahjong. While everyone else drew and matched tiles one by one, Fang Yuan simply transformed the tiles into whatever he wanted.
But this brazen act of cheating, as seen through the eyes of those around him, looked nothing of the sort. Instead, they saw Fang Yuan's fingers dancing like the wind. No matter what form the Wind Knot Grass took, after a few turns in his hands, it visibly unraveled at incredible speed, slicing straight to the core until the seed was smoothly extracted.
Easy as flipping a hand.
Effortless.
This was the terrifying power of Dream Unraveling, the dream path killer move!
The children's eyes glistened with tears as they stared at Fang Yuan's figure, hearts brimming with endless gratitude and adoration.
The Beastmen stood slack-jawed, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Everyone's been saved. I did it." Fang Yuan's tone was flat as he spoke to the Beastman chieftain.
It took a long while before the children snapped out of their daze and erupted into thunderous cheers. Some wept with joy. Others jumped up and down with excitement.
The Beastman chieftain had nothing to say. His bloodshot eyes stared fixedly at Fang Yuan. The surrounding Beastmen growled low or bared their fangs, itching to make a move.
But Fang Yuan wasn't worried about the Beastmen going back on their word.
Generally speaking, primitive tribes like these observed their beliefs, customs, and traditions with strict discipline.
Of course, nothing could be taken for granted.
In reality, there was always the possibility that the Beastmen might renege.
But here, it was a special dreamscape.
Not reality!
Just as Fang Yuan had expected, the Beastmen, no matter how furious and unwilling, could only watch the delicious morsel right before their mouths depart at leisure.
Crossing through the dark forest, Fang Yuan led a sizable group of children, leaving the Beastmen tribe and the towering bonfire behind them.
The children clustered around Fang Yuan as they walked together, gradually falling into silence.
In the darkness, that sliver of light kept expanding until it once again filled his vision.
Fang Yuan's soul returned to his body, and he opened his eyes.
Upon closer inspection, a look of astonishment appeared on Fang Yuan's face.
He gazed in shock at the externalized dreamscape behind him, his mind filled with bewilderment: "How is this possible? I've already rescued every single child — I've done everything to the fullest. But why was I still ejected from the dreamscape without entering the second act?"
Fang Yuan's brow furrowed deeply.
"Could it be that my earlier conjecture was wrong? Untying the Wind-Knotted Grass and saving these children isn't the correct method to pass the first act of the dreamscape?"
"What clue have I overlooked?"
Fang Yuan concentrated in deep thought, racking his brains.
Exploring dreamscapes was exactly this difficult. Even with the experience of his previous life and advantages that put him ahead of this era, navigating dreamscapes was still hard to manage.
Every dreamscape was unique.
The methods for exploring them were almost entirely different as well, making it very difficult to distill generalizable experience.
Right now, Fang Yuan could only keep forming conjectures and then attempt them one by one. Only through tireless perseverance and endless patience was there any possibility of clearing a dreamscape.
Of course, in his previous life there had been no shortage of examples — people who had explored dreamscapes for decades without making any progress.
Fang Yuan's head was starting to ache from thinking. He had a few new conjectures, but even he himself didn't have much confidence in them.
"In that case, I'll go elsewhere first and subdue the Scripture-Storing Giant Turtle."
Having hit a dead end with this dreamscape, Fang Yuan didn't dwell on it stubbornly.
Although this Star Constellation Immortal Venerable's dreamscape was his primary objective, the Dragon Fish, the Scripture-Storing Giant Turtle, and that wild plant were all must-obtain items on this trip.
With a shift of thought, Fang Yuan decided to temporarily leave this place and head elsewhere.
An hour later, Feng Jinhuang's pale complexion finally returned to its usual rosy hue.
She opened her eyes.
Her clear eyes gleamed with a sharp light.
"The Courage Gu is incredibly helpful for healing injuries to the soul. It really works fast." A wave of relief washed through her.
Seeing that she was perfectly fine, the four Gu Masters from Spirit Affinity Hall who had accompanied her all let out a collective sigh of relief.
Their role on this trip had been nothing more than attendants keeping the young master company. If anything were to happen to Feng Jinhuang, their days back at the sect would be anything but pleasant.
Feng Jinhuang caught sight of the desolate beast shark-fin wolf Fang Yuan had left behind. Her gaze narrowed slightly. She then questioned the accompanying Gu Masters and learned that no one had approached the area while she was recovering. Her mind eased somewhat.