Throughout the entire process, Leilin had merely used the World Origin Force as a weapon for attack, without absorbing any of it — this was evident from the fact that his Origin Force saturation level remained the same as before.
Therefore, after this battle, the greatest beneficiary was the Dream World's primordial will, with Leilin coming in second.
"But... Calamity, and Decay?"
Leilin stroked his chin. "They don't really match my path. And while the Calamity Rule is powerful, it comes with many restrictions. The Decay Rule has more potential — after all, it touches upon one aspect of the
"Fortunately, none of the Rules have high fusion rates, and the degree of parsing isn't much either..."
The current Leilin, having decided on his path, would not change it easily — let alone for these Rules that seemed rather incompatible.
"High... more... more..."
At that moment, the powerful Dream World also descended its will, transmitting a fragmented stream of information directly into Leilin's heart.
At the same time, Leilin felt his connection with the entire world instantly grow more harmonious, and the share of World Origin Force he could mobilize increased significantly.
He even raised his hand — a wisp of Dream Force flowed faintly across his fingers, emanating an aura of decay that coiled between them.
Suddenly, that wisp of Dream Force trembled violently, its color deepening as a tremendous surge of power was transmitted outward.
"An increase in Dream World authority! And now I have the ability to alter the peak and trough periods of Dream Force? It should only work for myself — otherwise, it would be even more terrifying..."
Leilin sighed. After sacrificing a Calamity Lord, he had indeed reaped tremendous benefits from the Dream World.
At the very least, the Dream Force he used to refine Rules was now more than sufficient.
Moreover, if this ability could be strengthened further — even influencing the strength of Dream Force within other Calamity Lords — then in future battles, he would have yet another trump card.
Using his peak Dream Force to strike Calamity Lords trapped in their trough periods — just the thought of it was exhilarating.
"More than that, the entire world shows signs of revival..."
Leilin keenly sensed the difference in the Dream World at this moment.
The Dream World had originally been like a dying tree, with pests and weeds around its roots competing for water and nutrients. Now, having eliminated one pest, the tree could finally catch its breath and regain a trace of vitality — this was the feeling the Dream World was giving Leilin.
"Pity... it's only recovered a tiny bit. To restore the entire world to its former state would require killing at least five or six more Calamity Lords..."
Even Leilin himself couldn't help but draw a sharp breath after estimating that number.
The damage the Calamity Lords had inflicted on the Dream World had reached such terrifying proportions!
"The entire Dream World survives by absorbing the thoughts and dreams of intelligent beings across the Starry Abyss. The Calamity Lords steal Origin Force — they're stealing the Dream World's very foundation. And the terror of Level 8 existences is something even a great world can't withstand, let alone a whole group of them..."
The current Leilin was beginning to deeply understand the Dream World.
If it were him — if a group of uninvited guests moved into his home and kept devouring his resources — even the most compassionate monk would leap up and start killing.
...
"Bardock. How are you?"
Leilin arrived at the shattered edge of Chaos and found the One-Eyed Dragon lying on the ground. The creature's body was already mostly shattered, its heart and other organs exposed and fractured, but its consciousness was clearly still quite lucid. Certain wounds had already begun to heal on their own — if not for the lingering Calamity and Decay forces nearby, it would have already recovered most of its injuries. This showed the terrifying vitality of a Rules-level existence.
"I'm... I'm alright... Lord Leilin!"
Bardock looked at Leilin with awe. Leilin furrowed his brow, and a thin line of red split open from the center of his forehead, absorbing the curse and Calamity forces from Bardock's body.
*Gurgle...* With Leilin's help, Bardock quickly cleansed his body and reverted to his original form — a middle-aged one-eyed humanoid.
He stared at Leilin, his Adam's apple bobbing, and his words came out stammering: "L-Lord Leilin! You've appeared here — does that mean you repelled Ceruleth?"
Even having witnessed the anomalies earlier and knowing Leilin's power, Bardock didn't dare leap to any other conclusion. In his view, being able to repel Ceruleth was already an excellent outcome.
"No! I killed it. It will never come after you again!"
Leilin smiled and chose to tell the truth.
"K-Killed it?" Bardock scratched his head. "By the Creator! Am I still hallucinating? Lord Leilin, are you sure you used the right word? Killed, not repelled?"
"Of course. Ceruleth has been completely and utterly destroyed..."
Leilin admitted it without hesitation. "Well — its True Spirit has been annihilated. But when a Level 8
Existences above the Rules had already left their mark on the River of Space-Time. Even if destroyed, they had a chance to make a comeback — much like the ancient wills in the God World, only far more difficult.
"That was a Level 8 Calamity Lord... Heavens... I've traveled through fifty-seven worlds and hundreds of planes, and I've never heard of such a thing... Even in the ancient War of Ending, Level 8 existences rarely fell, let alone Calamity Lords renowned for their combat power..."
The One-Eyed Dragon Bardock murmured, his massive single eye devoid of any light, as though he had received a tremendous shock.
"Now's not the time to dwell on this. We have to leave — otherwise, things will get ugly!"
Leilin pulled Bardock to his feet without any intention of explaining further.
"Leave? Where are we going?" Bardock's head was still spinning.
"Out of the Dream World. Anywhere is fine — find a small plane to hide in first, unless you want to get ganged up on by a whole pack of Calamity Lords..."
Leilin glanced at the surrounding space, which was gradually losing its restrictions now that the Dream
It was only because of the Dream Will's seal that he had dared to reveal his ultimate trump card and take out a Calamity Lord in one strike!
But once that seal was lifted, Leilin could no longer afford to be careless.
After all, he carried the Nightmare Bloodline — he was absolutely irreconcilable with the other Calamity Lords.
This secret absolutely could not be exposed.
If he left now, the Calamity Lords would only know that Ceruleth had last been seen with two external Level 7 existences and was taken down by their trump card. They wouldn't necessarily connect it to the Nightmare Energy-Draining Physique.
But if they met face to face — even with Leilin fighting at full power, he would be overwhelmed by a swarm of Calamity Lords!
Let alone the fact that after feasting once and obtaining a delicious prey, the Dream Will now needed to return and slowly digest its accumulated gains — whether it would even be willing to come out and help Leilin was another matter entirely!
Therefore, Leilin chose to leave immediately, letting those Calamity Lords puzzle it out on their own.
Calamity Lords had great difficulty leaving the Dream World, especially during a trough period of Dream Force when the entire Dream World became an enormous cage.
And the sole exception was Leilin, who possessed the Nightmare Energy-Draining Physique!
Though he had inherited the Nightmare King's bloodline, his unique physique allowed him to freely enter and exit the Dream World.
"This is probably a restriction the Dream World originally imposed — granting the not-yet-fully-grown Nightmare King the ability to retreat in time. Kill a Calamity Lord, leave immediately, rebuild one's strength. The other lords, no matter how furious, could only glare helplessly within the Dream World. And once one's strength was sufficient to crush everything — that would be the end of those Calamity Lords!"
The more Leilin thought about it, the more convinced he became that his theory was correct.
Every time the Dream World sealed itself, every trough period of Dream Force — it was actually a hunting feast for the Nightmare Energy-Draining Physique!
Using guerrilla tactics, even a Level 7 Nightmare Energy-Draining Physique could keep those Calamity Lords running ragged, because an entire world was tipping the scales in their favor.
And when the Dream World's seal lifted, those Calamity Lords would frantically invade other worlds, hoping to track down the Nightmare Energy-Draining Physique — or at the very least, gather enough soul energy and World Origin Force to avoid becoming the next prey!
Only the strongest could survive the longest!
The Dream World was just that cruel!
Having worked out these patterns, Leilin chose to leave without a moment's hesitation.
His choice proved to be entirely correct. No sooner had he departed than several Calamity Lords pushed through the World Will's barrier and arrived at the scene.
"Hssss... no traces, no scent... they cleaned everything very carefully before leaving..."
The Calamity Lord who spoke had a bloated, corpulent form — a massive, mountain-sized body bearing three distinct heads: a black goat, a green serpent, and a bizarre human face. It was the serpent head that had reached the conclusion.
"No traces are themselves the greatest trace. Their haste to cover everything up means they have secrets they can't afford to reveal..."
Another Calamity Lord floated in midair — an enormous wheel covered in densely packed eyes, with spectral flames circling around it.
"Share your guess, Messenger of Eyes!"
The last Calamity Lord was a female giant, crackling with the power of lightning.