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Bonus chapter! Thank you to Somebody for the donation! ^^
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By now, Xiao Mingyu was a far cry from his former handsome self. His entire body was battered and disheveled, his brow furrowed with irritation and impatience.
Yet he seemed completely unaware of it—his eyes still held that same condescending disdain.
Ruan Qing remained perfectly calm. From their very first encounter, this man had looked down on him.
Even after being killed countless times.
Xiao Mingyu was incredibly strong. The only problem was, this was 'His' domain, and he didn’t dare use any of his power.
And without his powers? This was Ruan Qing’s stage entirely.
The more powerful someone was, the less meticulous they tended to be—because they were used to solving everything with brute force.
His arrogance had actually saved Ruan Qing a great deal of time and effort.
The moment Ruan Qing confirmed this man was Xiao Mingyu, he had woven hypnosis into the very environment, silently working its influence.
Add to that the relentless stimulation of death and pain, and this man was no longer the composed, rational person he’d once been. He didn’t even realize his own state was off.
Now, it was time to end this.
Ruan Qing’s lips curved into a light smile, as pristine as white magnolias after the rain.
His features were already breathtakingly exquisite—enough to captivate even without expression. But when he smiled?
Xiao Mingyu’s eyes widened the moment he saw it. His clear gaze instantly turned dazed, his mind going blank.
As if, in this moment, Ruan Qing was the only thing that existed in his world.
Ruan Qing slowly stepped forward until he stood right in front of Xiao Mingyu. His voice remained gentle, yet it carried a whisper of something darker, laced with quiet temptation.
"Why do you want to kill me?"
A flicker of struggle passed through Xiao Mingyu’s eyes—but in the next second, they dulled again. His answer came in a hollow monotone.
"You have to die."
Ruan Qing pressed further. "Who am I? Why do I have to die?"
"You are this world… You are this world’s—" His pupils trembled with resistance again, but before he could finish, his face twisted in pain, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
Ruan Qing knew immediately—he was fighting the hypnosis. Without hesitation, he drove the small knife in his hand straight into Xiao Mingyu’s heart.
Xiao Mingyu could die as many times as he wanted. But Ruan Qing couldn’t afford to let him break free—because if he did, hypnotizing him again would be nearly impossible.
However, Ruan Qing's knife was blocked by an inexplicable force—no matter how hard he pushed, it wouldn't pierce through.
That was the power Ruan Qing had sensed earlier, the power belonging to Xiao Mingyu.
In the end, Xiao Mingyu had used his strength after all. Not only had he broken free from the hypnosis, but he also seemed intent on seizing the moment to kill Ruan Qing outright.
And that was exactly what Xiao Mingyu intended. He never expected this young man to push him to such extremes, forcing him to resort to his power.
This almost completely shattered their plans.
Once he used his power, that madman would inevitably be drawn here. No one could stand against him on his own turf—let alone kill his beloved right in front of him.
But this man couldn’t be allowed to live. As long as even a wisp of his soul remained, that lunatic would never give up on resurrecting him.
He had to die.
A ruthless glint flashed in Xiao Mingyu’s eyes. Since he’d already used his power, he might as well kill this man before the madman arrived.
Energy rapidly gathered in Xiao Mingyu’s hand before he unleashed it without mercy toward Ruan Qing.
Ruan Qing had been on guard the entire time. His eyes widened, and he immediately channeled his own power to leap back, trying to evade the attack.
But Xiao Mingyu’s strike was terrifyingly fast—his strength nearly rivaled that of a high-level dungeon boss, far beyond anything Ruan Qing could match.
There was no dodging it.
Ruan Qing’s face paled, panic flickering in his eyes. His mind raced, analyzing and calculating desperately, until finally, gritting his teeth, he twisted his body with all his strength, trying to minimize the damage.
He didn’t need to defeat him. He just needed to buy time.
This time, Xiao Mingyu was genuinely surprised. This young man was ruthless—and decisive—to such an extreme degree.
If he dodged like that, his body would practically be severed at the waist, leaving him no better than dead.
The only difference was that he wouldn’t die instantly.
But it was truly the only way to avoid the attack. Most people wouldn’t react this quickly—or be this merciless.
Sometimes, instant death was a mercy.
Unfortunately, Xiao Mingyu couldn’t afford to give him that chance. His figure blurred as he flashed in front of Ruan Qing, ready to deliver a fatal blow.
At this moment, he was utterly defenseless.
Yet Xiao Mingyu's plan ultimately failed—because the moment before his attack could strike Ruan Qing, it was as if something devoured it, leaving not a single trace behind.
And he himself almost suffered the same fate.
If he hadn't retreated fast enough, he too would have been erased without a remnant.
But this retreat cost him his last chance to kill Ruan Qing, because in the next second, the entire space began to distort. A terrifying presence descended from above, crushing all resistance under its oppressive weight.
'He' had arrived.
Feeling that dreadful power, Xiao Mingyu's face twisted even further. Without hesitation, he tried to alter the nightmare world to escape.
But what was once effortless had now become impossible. Xiao Mingyu could no longer shift through the nightmare world at will—he couldn't even leave it.
The master of this nightmare had sealed it shut.
No awakening. No changes. Only death.
And even whether death came at all would be decided by the nightmare's master, who now held absolute dominion over everything within it.
Xiao Mingyu could no longer keep his composure. Staring at the terrifying figure in the air, he spat out a single, crude curse:
"F*ck."
The figure slowly opened its eyes, gazing down at Xiao Mingyu with indifference—the kind reserved for the already dead.
Then, 'He' moved.
Xiao Mingyu didn’t even get a chance to flee. The only thing he could do was fight back, clashing with the man in a desperate struggle.
But he was no match for him. If he could’ve beaten this man in the first place, he wouldn’t have resorted to sneaking around to target Ruan Qing.
Once Ruan Qing confirmed this, he sent his voice directly into Xiao Mingyu’s mind.
[Tell me the truth, and I can save you.]
It was a lingering trace of his earlier hypnosis—something he could use to bypass 'His' detection, as long as he didn’t draw on his power.
[You?] This time, Xiao Mingyu’s tone held no mockery—just sheer exasperation. He rolled his eyes.
[How? By seducing him into calming down?]
[You should save your breath. If anyone tries to kill you, He will absolutely fight to the death.]
[Yes, with me.] Ruan Qing calmly ignored Xiao Mingyu's latter remark and spoke impassively.
[Want to make a deal?]
