Chapter 287 - 283: Devour

At that very moment, the figure’s body began to twist violently, as if sensing some immense threat.

It struggled with all its might, trying to break free from the hand that held it captive.

However, the hand was like an unbreakable shackle, locking it firmly in place. No matter how it struggled, its efforts were futile.

"Run. Why aren’t you running anymore!?"

CRASH! Crushed stones and bricks scattered as a figure walked in from outside.

Beyond the opening, the sky was as dark as ink. A fierce wind howled, carrying icy threads of rain that danced wildly.

The wind poured through the opening, quickly scattering the dust that filled the room, and a towering figure appeared inside.

The man stood at least two-point-two or two-point-three meters tall, with the long arms and narrow waist of a powerful fighter, and a cold, stern face.

A faint, cold smirk played on his lips. It was Hu Qi.

He looked down from his great height, gazing at the figure he held in his hand like a helpless chick.

His gaze was so intense it felt tangible, as if it could see right through the creature.

And this thing before him was the main body of the Mirror Person Nightmare monster.

Having devoured a portion of its power, Hu Qi could clearly perceive its changes. Compared to before, its strength had grown significantly, to the point where it could now split into numerous figures at once.

’Still, it’s no big deal,’ Hu Qi thought. ’It only has one true body. The rest are just Clones.’

He had detected it the moment it appeared.

The figure remained silent in the face of Hu Qi’s taunt, simply staring back at him.

Then, an even stranger scene unfolded. The face it wore—an imitation of the young woman—slowly began to melt and distort, as if trying to morph into Hu Qi’s likeness. But for some reason, it couldn’t.

Half of its face was missing, making it impossible to fully replicate Hu Qi’s features.

Seemingly realizing this, its mouth gaped open. Its teeth sharpened as it lunged forward to bite Hu Qi’s arm.

The incomplete face made the sight all the more grotesque and terrifying.

A single glance was enough to make one’s scalp tingle with fear.

However, when the gleaming fangs were just a few centimeters from Hu Qi’s arm, they were blocked by a layer of Qi Blood True Strength, unable to bite down no matter how hard they tried.

"Hah!" Hu Qi scoffed dismissively.

The next second.

WHOOSH! A far more terrifying dark red flame instantly erupted, engulfing the figure completely.

"Aaargh—"

A miserable shriek echoed from within the flames, a sound like nails scratching on glass that was enough to make one’s skin crawl. But after just a few seconds, it fell completely silent.

In Hu Qi’s hand now lay an ancient-looking Copper Mirror, as if it had been scorched by fire. A faint crack ran across its surface.

’So this is the Dream Eye of the Mirror Nightmare?’ Hu Qi brought it closer, examining it carefully.

One must understand that monsters in a Nightmare are formed from Nightmare Power.

The reason this Mirror Person Nightmare had a physical body was because its Dream Eye was hidden within.

CRACK!

As the Yang Fire continued to burn, a large number of cracks began to appear on the surface of the Ancient Mirror.

If any other Dream Master had witnessed this scene, they would likely be shocked into questioning their very existence.

The Dream Eye, as the vessel of Nightmare Power itself, had one common characteristic despite its varied appearances.

They were indestructible. No matter the method, they were nearly impossible to destroy. Forget burning it with fire; even shelling it with a cannon would be useless.

Yet now, in Hu Qi’s hand, it was cracking like an ordinary mirror.

POP! As if reaching its limit, the Copper Mirror shattered completely.

It dissolved into a large cloud of black energy, which Hu Qi inhaled through his nose and mouth.

Modification Points +89 (13%)

Crimson text floated before his eyes.

With the Modification Points he’d acquired before, this was just enough to make a hundred points.

The moment Hu Qi completely devoured the ancient Copper Mirror, the numerous Mirror Person figures that had filled the residential building popped like bubbles.

They burst on the spot and vanished without a trace, as if they had never been there at all.

’I wonder if other Dream Eyes provide this many Modification Points, or if there will be differences.’

As his eyes glinted, Hu Qi looked directly at his status panel.

...

[Crimson Sun Demon Elephant Flame Prison Skill△ (Essence Element Chapter Ninth Layer) Traits: Yang Fire, Elephant Power]

[Dream Eye: Mirror Person]

...

[Modification Points: 12768 (49%)]

The panel had changed slightly compared to before, with a new line of text appearing.

It was the Dream Eye he had just obtained: Mirror Person.

His Crimson Sun Demon Elephant Flame Prison Skill had already reached the Essence Element Chapter’s Ninth Layer. However, because it was impossible to open a Qi Vein Divine Treasure in this world, he wouldn’t be able to advance any further under normal circumstances.

But the Crimson Sun Demon Elephant Flame Prison Skill was a Secret Martial Art specifically developed for this world.

It was naturally not limited to just this.

The reason the Crimson Sun Demon Elephant Flame Prison Skill couldn’t be advanced before was simply the lack of a prerequisite: a Dream Eye.

Now that he had met this requirement, he could naturally advance it.

However, considering he was currently inside a Nightmare...

Hu Qi chose not to apply the modification now. He closed the panel and his gaze fell upon a corner of the room.

The young woman from earlier was slumped to the side, completely motionless. Dark red blood trickled from her forehead; she had clearly been struck by the shrapnel from the collapsing wall.

Hu Qi placed a hand on her, and by sensing her Qi and Blood, he knew she had only fainted and was not in serious danger. Only then did he withdraw his hand.

A Martial Arts Family member might not be an expert in medicine, but their understanding of the human body was far beyond that of an ordinary doctor.

This was especially true for Hu Qi.

’Still, it’s a bit inconvenient not being able to use the Power of the Heart.’

Then, his gaze shifted to the crying child. He picked up a pacifier that had fallen to the floor, dusted it off, and casually stuck it in the child’s mouth.

SLURP... SLURP...

The infant’s little mouth suckled on the pacifier, and in an instant, the crying stopped.

It even gave Hu Qi a small smile.

Seeing this, Hu Qi’s expression faltered for a moment.

He pointed a finger, and two streams of Qi Blood Power shot out, entering the bodies of the young woman and the infant.

Visibly, the color returned to their faces, their complexions growing rosy.

Seeing this,

Hu Qi paid them no more mind. He walked toward a meter-high mirror in the distance.

Perhaps due to its angle and distance from the hole in the wall, the mirror hadn’t been hit by any debris and was still perfectly intact.

Arriving in front of the mirror, Hu Qi placed his hand on its surface.

The next moment, something strange happened. The mirror’s surface, which had been clearly reflecting the room, began to ripple like water.

The once-ordinary surface now seemed to be divided into countless smaller mirrors, each reflecting a different scene: a kitchen, a living room, a space with a sofa.

There were also hallways and more—these were images from all over the residential building.

Hu Qi even saw Wei Fan’s location among them.

That guy seemed to be using the Dream Eye in his right eye to restrain a woman in a red dress outside his door.

He was opening his door at that very moment.

In his hand, he held a ghastly white candle. It was already lit, emitting a faint green glow.

However, due to the angle, Hu Qi couldn’t clearly see what Wei Fan was doing.

Besides them, not many people were left alive in the entire building.

Most were already dead. Some had their bodies mangled, while others had been replaced by the Mirror Person.

Their real selves had been pulled into the Mirror World.

After devouring the Pupil Mirror Dream Eye, Hu Qi found himself wielding the power of the Mirror Person Nightmare with increasing skill.

Hu Qi released the people who had been pulled into the Mirror World.

Just then.

He seemed to discover something, his gaze locking onto one of the reflected scenes.

It was a certain room. The mirror clearly reflected the scene within, but the angle of the reflection was very low to the ground.

He could only see a floor covered in minced flesh and a tall figure in a black raincoat holding a giant hammer. The figure had its back to Hu Qi.

Something was constantly dripping from the edge of the raincoat. A closer look revealed it wasn’t water, but thick, dark red blood.

As if sensing Hu Qi’s gaze, the figure stopped its steps and stood stiffly in place.

The next moment, the figure slowly turned around and crouched down.

Its gaze met Hu Qi’s.

It was a face hidden beneath a hood. Its eyes glowed red, its expression numb and emotionless, exuding an indescribable eeriness.

The eerie part was that scrying through a mirror was supposed to be a one-way observation.

This was also why Wei Fan considered the Mirror Person’s Dream Eye so difficult to deal with; its stealth abilities were formidable, allowing it to observe situations silently and even imitate others’ appearances.

’But on second thought, it seems reasonable that this raincoat-clad person would notice being watched.’

’Judging from his previous actions, Wei Fan is a Reincarnator.’

’He clearly knew a Nightmare would invade reality here, yet he didn’t leave. He must be after this Nightmare’s Dream Eye.’

’For a protagonist, a suspected member of the Celestial Fate People, to take an interest in it is enough to prove this Dream Eye’s extraordinary nature.’

BANG! CRASH!

The next second, a black shadow flashed, and the mirror in front of him shattered violently.

"Hm? An interesting Ability!"

Hu Qi withdrew his hand. He had, of course, seen exactly what happened.

In that instant, the man in the raincoat had swung his giant hammer and smashed the piece of glass or mirror that was reflecting him.

At the same time.

A strange power was transmitted across the mirror’s surface, causing the Mirror Person Dream Eye power that Hu Qi controlled to enter a temporary, frozen state.

Although it only lasted for a few short seconds, it was still an impressive feat.

Simultaneously, Hu Qi sensed a familiar, strange Nightmare aura rapidly approaching from below.

Discovering this, the corners of Hu Qi’s mouth curled up into a ferocious, terrifying grin. With a flicker, his figure vanished from the room.