I Use Illusions To Control The Whole World Chapter 31
Nightmare creatures
“As expected, it doesn’t work?”
Just then, that long, withered black hand moved. It suddenly grabbed the subordinate’s arm and yanked hard, dragging him into the darkness.
The man struggled violently, but it was useless. The darkness around him surged like a tide, swallowing him whole. The shadow dragged him away, its steps slow but steady, advancing deeper into the dark.
As the distance grew, the man’s figure became more and more obscure, and the faint sounds of his struggle were soon devoured by the silence. In the end, he and the shadow vanished into the endless, despair-filled darkness, as if they had never existed—leaving behind only dead silence and fear.
The horrifying sight shook everyone to the core. Even Ye Fanyu and the others, who had seen shadows before, couldn’t suppress the fear in their hearts.
To them, the shadow was an unsolvable threat, seemingly immune to all attacks. It was even more terrifying than the super-strong humanoid monsters. At least those could be fought off or avoided by hiding in houses. But once the shadow locked onto someone, no matter who it was, they would be dragged into darkness. Its appearance meant only one thing—death. No one could escape.
“Let’s go.” Su Mu’s calm voice broke through the tension. He acted as if nothing had happened, walking forward into the darkness with elegant steps, his serpent-patterned cane in hand. Behind him, eleven black-suited men followed closely and silently.
He had a rough understanding of the shadow now. The next step was to meet the villagers of Zhao Family Village.
…
In the endless darkness, the group held their breath as they advanced. The rhythm of their heartbeats and heavy breathing intertwined into a terrifying symphony. Each step was filled with fear of the unknown.
Every breath felt like it was being swallowed by the silence.
Their figures flickered in and out of the darkness. The weak candlelight only illuminated a tiny patch around their feet. Everyone kept a safe distance from each other, not daring to get too close—because they all knew that something in the dark was watching them closely.
The darkness was like a heavy curtain, hiding everything completely. The fear of death followed like a shadow.
On either side were village houses shrouded in shadow. Most were single-story and had already been dismissed by Ye Fanyu. Now that the group had grown larger, single-story homes weren’t sufficient. They couldn’t ensure enough space for everyone to maintain distance. The ideal option would be a two- or three-story house.
They kept moving forward. At some point, the darkness around them began to thin. A pale white line appeared on the distant horizon—dawn was approaching.
Ye Fanyu and the others were startled. “Not good, it’s almost morning. Mr. Su, we need to hurry. Once the sun is fully up, the villagers will appear!”
Su Mu frowned as he looked at the distant horizon. “The timing’s off.”
He took a dark golden pocket watch from his coat. With a crisp click, it opened, revealing the time—3:00 a.m.
Under the candlelight, the dark golden watch gleamed. Ye Fanyu and the others instinctively looked over and saw an intricate ouroboros carved into the surface.
“In the Dream World, time is unstable and constantly shifting. Watches are useless. Let’s run!” Ye Fanyu’s voice became more urgent. Clearly, the villagers had left a strong impression on him.
Su Mu calmly put the watch away and gave Zhao Chaoyao a look. Zhao Chaoyao understood immediately, unstrapping a compact, foldable stretcher from his backpack.
As everyone watched, Su Mu sat down on the stretcher. Two black-suited men lifted him without a word.
“Apologies, everyone. I don’t like running. Let’s move.”
Ye Fanyu and the others felt their eyes twitch. Who was this guy? Still keeping up appearances at a time like this?
But Su Mu wasn’t posturing. He really couldn’t run. If he were forced to, he’d probably collapse before the villagers even caught up.
The group broke into a sprint while Su Mu quietly sat on the stretcher, admiring the scenery. It had been too dark before to see much of the village, but now some details were becoming visible.
Zhao Family Village was desolate, like a forgotten corner of time. Many of the mud-brick houses leaned precariously, as if they could collapse at any moment. The narrow village roads were full of deep, uneven tracks—not from cars, but more like old wagon wheels.
Weeds grew stubbornly through the cracks. On both sides of the road, broken-down fences tilted this way and that, surrounding small, barren patches of farmland.
The sky grew brighter. Su Mu could now see the thick black mist surrounding the outskirts of Zhao Family Village. The dense fog wrapped around the entire village like a cage.
He recalled what Yang Dongqing had told him—the black mist marked the boundary of a nightmare. The village shrouded in mist was a complete Dream World. Once you entered the mist, you could fall into a Dream Rift. With luck, you might reach the next nightmare. Without it, you could become lost in the rift forever.
It was said that no one had ever returned alive from the black mist.
Su Mu stared at the mist with interest. He was tempted but not in a hurry. To him, the Nightmare World was like a peerless beauty. Beneath her luxurious robes, every inch of skin held irresistible allure. He wanted to explore her slowly, thoroughly—to savor every part.
The possibility of dying in the mist? That only made it more thrilling. Without the pressure of death, how could one witness the explosion of life that blooms on the edge? How else could one see true brilliance?
ROAR!!
A bestial scream tore through the air, snapping Su Mu out of his thoughts.
He turned to see a figure suddenly appear in the corner of the village, ghostly and abrupt. The man was hunched over, with an eerie look in his eyes.
More howls followed, rising from every direction. The roars were filled with endless agony and rage, as if cursed souls were trapped in eternal torment. Every sound carried bitter resentment, making one’s skin crawl.
One… two… three… then hundreds!
