Once locked on by the Void Spirit Demon Hook, escape was almost impossible.
Unless one could completely conceal their qi signature, the hook would strike inevitably—even if it had to chase across the ends of the world. Dodging only delayed the moment of impact; it did not avoid it.
Despite a flicker of surprise, Chen Xuerou did not panic.
She raised her hand and plucked a willow leaf from her Jade Purity Bottle. The leaf rapidly expanded, transforming into a green shield wall in front of her. It radiated vibrant life force, and upon closer inspection, her own image shimmered upon the leaf's surface.
Crack!
The Void Spirit Demon Hook tore through the air and embedded itself in the leaf. In that instant, the illusory weapon became solid, snagged the leaf, and yanked it backward.
"Interesting," murmured the Faceless Holy Son, eyes flashing."A leaf capable of mimicking its master's qi completely. That's not something you see every day."
Life-Saving Secret Art – Immortal Willow Substitute (仙柳替身)
Origin: Life-bound Fate Diagram – Immortal Willow Jade Purity Bottle (本命命图·仙柳玉净瓶)
Effect: A specially nurtured leaf from the Immortal Willow takes on the user's qi and presence, and can substitute for them once in a life-threatening attack.
Limit: The consumed leaf must be regrown and nurtured again—a resource-intensive process.
"You blocked the first strike. Let's see if you can block the second."
The Faceless Holy Son sneered coldly, preparing to unleash the hook again.
But then—
"Hmph. Rats in the dark, always striking from the shadows.Void Spirit Clan—you dare act again and again? Are you so eager to die?"
A cold, commanding voice echoed through the void.
A dazzling, multicolored butterfly appeared out of nowhere, exuding dreamlike radiance. Upon its back stood a man and a woman, poised like celestial beings. As they arrived, the Faceless Holy Son's expression instantly darkened.
"Impossible! There are countless nightmare domains in this realm—how did you get here so fast?!"
"Didn't I already say it?" replied Yi Tianxing, eyes calm."The nightmare realms are no obstacle to me.I go where I please. Did you really think you could trap me with a mere Gate of Nightmares? Delusional."
He cast a brief glance at the Faceless Holy Son—Then dismissed him entirely and turned toward the sword formation.
"Big Brother Yi… is it really you?"
Chen Xuerou's body froze.
Then her expression turned to disbelief, and then to uncontainable joy.
Back during the fusion and separation of the Eternal World, she had never forgotten the man who once saved her from countless beasts during the cataclysm.
Even while cultivating in Shushan, she would occasionally remember him.
Now—he had appeared, like a dream made real.
And over the decades, Yi Tianxing had created the Great Yi Emperor Dynasty, becoming the most powerful ruler beneath the heavens—an unparalleled legend.
"Of course it's me," Yi Tianxing smiled."It's been decades, Xuerou. You've become even more beautiful."
Seeing an old friend always brought warmth to the heart.
"Don't worry. With me here, you are all safe.Come—we'll speak on the butterfly."
At his thought, the Rainbow Dream Butterfly drifted down to the island. A shimmer of seven-colored light swept across, and Chen Xuerou and the others were silently transported to its back.
"Jiang Ming of the Shushan Sword Sect greets the Emperor.Thank you for your timely intervention."
Jiang Ming bowed deeply.
Though his face remained calm, his heart trembled.They had been relocated without even realizing it—a level of power few in the world could rival.
No one in the sect had expected the sovereign of a destiny dynasty to reach such terrifying heights.
"Big Brother Yi, how do we escape from this place?"
Xuerou quickly returned to the issue at hand.
"Don't worry," said Yi Tianxing with a soft smile."This dream realm can't trap me. I'll take you out—now."
"What a joke!" the Faceless Holy Son snapped."You think you can just walk in and out of the Nightmare Gate like it's your own home?Do you really think so little of us?!"
His expression burned with anger.
They were Heaven's Chosen. To be so completely disregarded was unbearable.
"Why should I think anything of you?"
Yi Tianxing replied bluntly.
With a single thought, he prepared to activate the Rainbow Dream Butterfly and leave the nightmare realm.
But then—
Another butterfly appeared.
It looked very similar to the Rainbow Dream Butterfly, but this one radiated a unique energy:
A sense of unfettered freedom, of limitless ease.
It danced through the void—sometimes ahead, sometimes behind, drifting left and right, up and down—without pattern or constraint.
With one gentle flap of its wings, the entire Blood Sea Nightmare World began to crack like shattering glass.
The collapse happened in mere heartbeats.
Cosmic Phenomenon – Butterfly Effect (蝴蝶效应)
It was like the fabled tale: A butterfly flaps its wings on one end of the world, and a storm arises on the other.
This butterfly's flutter had disrupted the very core of the nightmare space.
Not only did the Blood Sea realm collapse—other nightmare realms began to fall apart in succession.
One by one—Dream worlds shattered. Nightmares crumbled.
A silent catastrophe.
"That butterfly… did you bring it, Big Brother Yi?It's so powerful. Just one flap, and entire nightmare worlds collapse!"
Xuerou's eyes widened in astonishment.
"Definitely not a normal butterfly… but I sense no qi. Strange."
Jiang Ming's brows furrowed in awe.
"It's not mine," Yi Tianxing said, shaking his head."I've never seen it before."
Still, it clearly wasn't aligned with the Eternal Night faction. Instead, it was helping them.
Even more importantly:
As each nightmare realm collapsed, the Rainbow Dream Butterfly absorbed massive amounts of nightmare energy, feeding it to the Primordial Heavenly Emperor Tower within Yi Tianxing's body.
The tower's internal space was expanding rapidly.
This sort of pure nightmare collapse provided unmatched energy—Ideal fuel.
Shua!
In the blink of an eye—
Countless nightmare realms had fallen.Then, the strange butterfly fluttered again—and a seven-colored tunnel opened in space.
It drifted in, vanishing.
Through the tunnel, the real world was visible—the Battlefield of Gods and Demons.
"That tunnel leads out!Hurry—we're leaving!"
Yi Tianxing urged the Rainbow Dream Butterfly forward.It shot into the passage, taking everyone with it—
And in a blink—
They emerged on the battlefield.
"We're out!"
"Back in the real world!"
"That butterfly… what was it? How could it be so powerful?"
Jiang Ming and the others looked around with relief.
They were still at the entrance to the Nightmare Gate, but they had shattered their way back out.
But just as they regained their footing—
The mysterious butterfly suddenly turned around—
And flew back into the Nightmare Gate.