"Chip! Scan!"
Leylin commanded.
[Devil White Phosphorus Snake: A rumored descendant of the Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes, inheriting the power of dreams. It enjoys tormenting its prey within dreams before devouring them. An adult specimen is a rank five creature!]
The Chip quickly projected a data segment before Leylin's eyes.
"Even for the Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes, projecting her power through dreams into such a distant world must require enormous energy expenditure. So the first time she was the one who triggered my Curse of Ten Thousand Snakes, and after that the cost was handed off to her other offspring?"
Leylin instantly figured something out.
"Hsss..."
At that moment, the Devil White Phosphorus Snake flicked its scarlet tongue, its two blood-red eyes fixed squarely on Leylin.
Boom! It lunged forward, its body transforming into a streak of white lightning.
"At this point, I really have no choice but to fight!"
Leylin let out a bitter laugh, the energy within his body boiling over once more, "Dream wecraft..."
Flash! It was as though white lightning flickered through the entire space, and when awareness returned, Leylin found himself back in the real world.
But now, Leylin's expression was twisted and savage. The Curse of Ten Thousand Snakes sigil on his forehead had spread a mass of black veins outward, seemingly absorbing Leylin's original bloodline power with ravenous greed, converting his own strength into the curse and feeding it back upon him — an inescapable death loop.
[Warning! Warning! Subject's bloodline power has reached critical threshold. Radiant Moon rank about to be lost!]
The Chip also flashed a red warning frame, making Leylin's heart sink. Although he had done his best to restrain his power, escaping from the dream realm had forced him to repeatedly use both dream wecraft and his bloodline power, giving the Curse of Ten Thousand Snakes its opening.
"No! I can't let this continue! Chip! Construct a Dream Labyrinth!"
The possibility of being dragged into the dream realm at any moment and falling under siege turned Leylin's expression dark as a storm, and he immediately barked his order.
[Ding! Task established. Initiating induction coordinate projection! Constructing Dream Firewall!]
The Chip responded immediately. This was one of Leylin's own research achievements in dream studies — a method to prevent an enemy from dragging him into the dream realm. He had no idea how effective it would be, but anything was better than nothing.
Seizing this hard-won reprieve, Leylin quickly made his next move.
"Chip! Begin Program D-23! Construct the Dreamless Mask!!"
Leylin issued the command without hesitation. Now that he knew the Mother of Ten Thousand Snakes had the means to attack through dreams, taking the necessary precautions was only natural.
[Task established! Simulation in progress. Physical materials required: 300 grams of Rocke alloy, One-Eyed Snake fangs...]
These were the same materials that had proved effective at blocking the power of dreams during Leylin's previous experiments.
The Chip reported rapidly, and over Leylin's body, a layer of black qi surfaced.
Light flashed over Leylin's waist pouch, and the materials mentioned by the Chip floated out one after another.
A mass of black, eerie flame formed and devoured all of the materials within it.
Leylin's expression remained calm as he watched the various materials melt within the flame, and from time to time he formed hand seals, striking alchemical runes into the fire.
Just a few casual movements, yet the execution was flawlessly smooth, revealing the terrifying ability of an Alchemy Grandmaster.
Under Leylin's powerful control, it wasn't long before a half-mask slowly emerged from the flames.
It was a pure black mask, covered in flowing lines and patterns that radiated a unique beauty, and from it emanated a most peculiar aura.
After the mask flew out, it settled directly over Leylin's face, concealing the Ten Thousand Serpent Curse Mark on his forehead.
With the mask on, Leylin's entire demeanor shifted, as though an air of mystery had been added to him.
【Witchcraft Curio — Dreamless Mask. Weight: 200 grams. Materials: Rocke alloy, One-Eyed Snake fangs. Effect: Can block the prying power of dreams, protecting the true soul from being disturbed by dream intrusion...】
Soon, within the Chip's inventory, all manner of information about the Dreamless Mask surfaced.
The cold mask pressed against the skin of his face, giving Leylin a sense of security: "Good thing I had specifically addressed dream intrusion before and led the research and development of the Dreamless Mask..."
Leylin's fingers traced over the mask, feeling the intricate and precise patterns upon it.
This mask had been developed as a witchcraft curio, built upon the Chip's database and calculations, combined with Leylin's vision and creativity as an Alchemy Grandmaster.
Though it could only counter dream intrusion and its function was very limited — and therefore did not qualify for the tier of Magical Items or Magical Artifacts — its effectiveness was in no way inferior to some Magical Artifacts.
Ever since donning the Dreamless Mask, Leylin — who had undergone dream transformation and possessed a certain sensitivity to that power — immediately felt his entire body relax.