Massive spatial storms and turbulent currents raged, instantly annihilating the entire troop.
Such a terrifying sight left the onlookers below completely speechless.
"Brother, he's... actually this strong?" Guo'er stared at Leylin's retreating figure, her gaze slightly unfocused.
From within the spatial rift, streams of silver light leaked out, even manifesting points of radiance like a galaxy.
"First the key, then the backlash, and now I have to open the passage myself!"
Leylin murmured as a radiant moon rose behind him. The luminous crescent cast its clear light downward, stabilizing the void and revealing a silver passage.
"Come here!" In the instant before departing, Leylin beckoned with his hand, and Guo'er flew up from the ground to stand before him.
"Brother..." The little girl called out timidly, but could say no more, clearly sensing the change in Leylin.
"The power of destiny brought us together in this world. I'm not sure whether this place is real or illusory, but take this as my gift!"
Leylin chuckled softly. A mote of light sank into Guo'er's forehead, and then he stepped into the silver passage and vanished without a trace.
......
Atop an altar in the Dark Polar Domain.
The surface of the black altar was covered with runes and energy circuits, and Carol sat in the very center, with the crystal ball that had gathered Leylin's aura positioned before her.
Wisps of black energy continuously swirled around. Eugene and another Wizard watched from the side.
Suddenly, the entire crystal ball shattered. A massive amount of black energy surged outward, and Carol let out a piercing scream before her eyes rolled back and she collapsed unconscious.
"What happened? A curse backlash?"
The Wizard leader furrowed his brow. A flash of green light from a magical artifact appeared and instantly sank into her body, bringing Carol back to consciousness.
"What happened? Didn't you say your astral magic had reached the level of communing with the dreamscape, and could absolutely ensnare any Morning Star Wizard?" Eugene shouted.
"We've all been deceived! He's likely already advanced to the Brilliant Moon! A Brilliant Moon-level true spirit is not something a superficial dreamscape manipulator like me can confuse..."
Carol's eyes were somewhat vacant. "Moreover, although I couldn't perceive everything within the dreamscape, I'm absolutely certain that he harbors an enormous secret!"
"That's for certain. Someone without a great secret could never have broken through the threshold of the fifth tier!"
The Wizard leader's voice turned cold. "Prepare for battle! He's certainly discovered us!"
Leylin felt his body grow light, and then he was floating in a void.
After escaping from that dreamscape world, he had entered this state — before his eyes lay nothing but a vast expanse of hazy gray mist that seemed to stretch on without end.
"I can't keep getting lost — I need to get back as soon as possible!"
Leylin pressed forward with all his might, his entire body radiating a cold, ethereal soul radiance. Beneath this glow, the mist gradually dissipated, revealing a small island.
Leylin's eyes lit up as he arrived on the island. The sensation of solid ground beneath his feet brought him a measure of reassurance.
The island was not large — its longest diameter was no more than a thousand meters. At its very center stood a small fountain, with several strange wisps of light drifting about in the water.
"Gurgle! Gurgle! Hi! Hello there!"
Perched atop a black palm tree, a one-eyed owl greeted Leylin cheerfully.
"Hello! Friend! May I ask where this is?" Leylin waved.
【Ding! Scan complete. No life-form fluctuations detected ahead. Thermal and radiation responses are both zero!】
The Chip also reported back quietly.
"This is the gap between the Dream World and the real world. Let me think… when was the last guest here? Hmm! She arrived five hundred and seventy-two years after you — a very pretty young girl!"
The owl spoke words that Leylin found somewhat difficult to follow.
"Wait… isn't this the Cursed Dreamscape? And how could a future guest possibly arrive here before me?" Leylin voiced his doubts.
"The Dream World is an otherworld composed of the dreams of all sentient beings. It is everywhere, and utterly absurd. Time and space — for dreams, they are nothing but illusions…"
The one-eyed owl looked at Leylin. "Your dream, of course, is also a part of the Dream World!"
"Is that so?" A look of hesitation appeared on Leylin's face.
He had heard of the Dream World before. Even in ancient times, it was a place that made countless Wizards pale at the mere mention of it. There had even been an invasion from the Dream World that inflicted devastating losses upon the entire Wizard World.
Many of the evil gods dwelling within the Dream World were beings no less powerful than Rule Wizards of the seventh rank or above.
Of course, this world was filled with instability. Even the lowliest insect could potentially grow into an evil god by the next day, while the most formidable evil god could vanish without a trace in the blink of an eye.
Because of these characteristics, the Dream World's invasion dissipated quickly, but for ancient Wizards, it remained an indescribable taboo!