However, to fully unleash the power of this Yang Fire, I’ll need to use Nightmare Power as kindling.

At that thought, Hu Qi retracted the flames on his arm.

He stood up and looked at his own blurry reflection in the glass of the balcony window.

The formerly scrawny young man was gone.

In his place was a tall and powerfully built young man.

He stood there like an unshakeable iron tower.

The young man was broad-shouldered and thick-waisted. His bulging muscles strained against his clothes, making them as tight as a layer of rock and accentuating his massive, towering frame.

This wasn’t just a visual illusion—he had genuinely grown taller.

The original Fang Xi had been 1.75 meters tall at most. Now, after opening the Essence Element Divine Treasure, he had shot up to about 1.98 meters, a truly remarkable increase.

’My clothes are a bit small!’

He looked at the tight shirt on his body. Several small rips had torn open on the back and along the inner arms.

These clothes belonged to the body’s previous owner and naturally didn’t fit him now.

He shook his head.

Hu Qi didn’t dwell on it, turning his attention to the panel.

————

[Crimson Sun Demon Elephant Flame Prison Skill△ (Third Layer) Traits: Yang Fire, Elephant Power]

...

[Modification Point: 12788 (51%)]

This Inheritance Secret Martial Art had granted him two Traits: the first was the Yang Fire he had just used, and the second was Elephant Power.

This Elephant Power originated from the power of the Demon Elephant in the Crimson Sun Demon Elephant Flame Prison Skill.

The so-called Demon Elephant wasn’t a fictional creature; it was a being that had truly existed in the hereditary memories of the Three-Eyed Primordial Serpent.

The Three-Eyed Primordial Serpent was an Overlord Level creature of the Spirit Realm, one with the potential to even become a True God. Very few beings were worthy of being preserved in its hereditary memories.

And every one of those beings was a terrifying existence comparable to a True God. The Demon Elephant was one of them.

To be precise, the Demon Elephant wasn’t a creature of the Spirit Realm. It came from an extremely powerful world.

As for whether that world was located in the Deep Dark Zone or the even deeper Bottomless Realm, there wasn’t much information in the memories.

He only knew that it was a highly unusual world, divided into inner and outer layers.

At its very center was the Material Realm where ordinary creatures lived. It was incredibly vast, containing countless planets, its area comparable in size to an entire universe.

And in the periphery, there was a very peculiar region.

The people of that world called it Hell.

In other worlds, after a living being dies, the Light of the Soul within their bodies is drawn by the Spirit Realm, returning to the Sea of Sumeru. There, it is cleansed by the Spiritual Sea Water, washing away all memories and imprints, allowing for reincarnation.

But this world was different.

Because this Hell enveloped the entire dimensional universe.

For a Light of the Soul to return to the Sea of Sumeru, it had to pass through Hell.

And in this process, only a small number of Lights of the Soul without any lingering attachments could pass through Hell smoothly and enter the Sea of Sumeru.

The rest, those with lingering unwillingness or deep resentment, would be trapped within it forever.

However, in the face of death, how could any living being truly have no attachments, no resentment?

Therefore, very few were able to enter the Sea of Sumeru.

All the others were left behind in Hell.

The number of vengeful souls accumulated there reached a truly terrifying level.

If this continued long-term, it would sooner or later reach a critical point and cause problems.

Yet, that world continued to function normally, without any issues.

And this was all thanks to the creature known as the Demon Elephant.

Perhaps it was the natural cycle of creation and destruction, or maybe it was an instance of an extreme situation reversing itself.

The emergence of the Demon Elephant successfully solved the problem of the ever-increasing number of vengeful souls.

The Demon Elephant was naturally wreathed in Yang Fire, an ultimate power so pure it could incinerate and purify everything, suppressing all evil and darkness.

In the hereditary memories, a Three-Eyed Primordial Serpent once fought a great battle with a Demon Elephant. The two fought until the sky went dark. Although the Three-Eyed Primordial Serpent ultimately won, it paid a heavy price. The Demon Elephant’s power was thus recorded in the Three-Eyed Primordial Serpent’s Bloodline hereditary memories.

’In reality, Inheritance Secret Martial Arts are, in my view, a method of cultivation that mimics powerful creatures. The process involves constantly bringing oneself closer to the mimicked being.’

The Crimson Sun Demon Elephant Flame Prison Skill he created was an Inheritance Secret Martial Art that mimicked the Demon Elephant, its inspiration coming from this very source.

After encountering the Nightmare Omen, his main body had deduced this Secret Martial Art.

The most significant characteristics of the Demon Elephant were its all-incinerating Yang Fire and its terrifyingly extreme strength and physique. These corresponded perfectly to the two Traits of the Crimson Sun Demon Elephant Flame Prison Skill.

’However, after raising the Crimson Sun Demon Elephant Flame Prison Skill to the Third Layer, it’s best to rest and recuperate before continuing to advance.’

’I need to give my body time to adapt.’

’Under normal circumstances, the real Nightmare won’t arrive for a few more days, so there’s plenty of time.’

’Besides, even with my current strength, I have enough confidence to face that woman who fell from the building.’

Thinking of this, he looked at the Talent column on his panel. He saw that behind the Spirit Devouring Talent, the characters for Twisted Light appeared, which meant that with his increase in strength, this Talent could now be used.

Seeing this, he willed it, and a layer of twisted light washed over his massive, powerful body. His form quickly shrank back to its normal size.

He got up and walked to the bathroom.

----SHHH!

Water gushed from the faucet. Hu Qi cupped his hands, collecting a handful to wash his face.

Just as he bent over to wash his face, he seemed to notice something. His body stiffened slightly, but he then continued washing as if nothing had happened.

At this moment, in the mirror on the wall above the sink, which had previously been empty and reflecting the wall, a dim figure suddenly appeared. The figure had a face that bore a strong resemblance to the face of Hu Qi’s body.

However, its figure was far too scrawny compared to Hu Qi’s.

As if noticing this, a strange smile touched the corners of the figure’s mouth. It slowly brought its face closer to the mirror’s surface until it was pressed against the glass.

Its eyes were fixed on the back of Hu Qi’s head as he washed his face. Its own face and body were constantly correcting and changing, becoming more and more like Hu Qi.

But in the next moment,

a hand wreathed in black and red flames slammed directly onto the mirror.

But something strange happened.

The hand passed straight through the mirror’s surface and grabbed the face within.

Then, the arm suddenly yanked outward.

CRASH!

In an instant, the entire mirror shattered, sending shards flying everywhere.

----AHH!

Faintly, a miserable shriek rang out before vanishing without a trace.

"It runs fast! To think it abandoned this part of its body so readily!" a voice said.

Hu Qi had, at some point, raised his head. Water droplets from his face and hair gathered and dripped down.

His gaze fell upon something he was holding in his right hand.

It was half of a human face. At this moment, under the scorching heat of the Yang Fire in his hand, it melted like a candle, transforming into a writhing black shadow.

"Perfect. Let’s see how you taste!"

A smile lifted the corners of Hu Qi’s mouth.

With that, he opened his mouth and stuffed the twisted shadow inside.

As soon as the shadow entered his mouth, it was sucked into his stomach by his Spirit Devouring Talent.

Then, the shadow was digested. A warm current immediately spread from his stomach, nourishing every cell, bone, fascia, and muscle in his body.

His Qi Blood True Strength became more refined, and the power of his Yang Fire was enhanced.

The reason the Crimson Sun Demon Elephant Flame Prison Skill was the most suitable Secret Martial Art for this body was because the Yang Fire had the Ability to purify Nightmare Power. After eliminating the excess impurities, he could use his Spirit Devouring Talent to devour and absorb it, nourishing himself in a perfect cycle.

With the Spirit Devouring Talent, Hu Qi’s conversion rate was even higher than that of a real Demon Elephant.

Modification Point +11 (19%)

At that moment, a line of blood-red text appeared.

A glint flashed in Hu Qi’s eyes.

’So that’s how it is. Devouring Nightmare Power can actually give me Modification Points! And just half a face gave me eleven points. If I devour the whole thing, the reward should be quite substantial.’

Thinking this, he licked the corner of his mouth, a look of savoring the aftertaste on his face.

"The taste isn’t bad. It’s like a popsicle—icy, cool, and quite pleasant to eat."

’This thing in the mirror probably has nothing to do with the woman in the red dress. It’s a new Nightmare event. Interesting! To think I’m just sitting at home and good things come knocking on my door.’

With this in mind, he looked at the mirror shards of various sizes scattered at his feet.

The next moment,

a peculiar ripple spread out from Hu Qi’s body.

Immediately, the reflections in those mirror shards changed.

They no longer showed the slightly yellowed ceiling of the bathroom.

Instead, they showed the living room sofa, the bedroom bed, and even human figures.

’This power... it’s somewhat similar to a Divine Technique. It can connect to all mirrored surfaces within a certain range for observation? A decent Ability. Too bad it seems incomplete...’

Hu Qi’s eyes narrowed slightly.

This Ability came from the very shadow he had just devoured.

At this thought, he made up his mind. If he got the chance, he would definitely devour this Nightmare’s Dream Eye and obtain its full power.

The Crimson Sun Demon Elephant Flame Prison Skill, combined with the Spirit Devouring Talent, could not only devour Nightmare Power but also plunder a Nightmare’s abilities for his own use. This was the most heaven-defying aspect of the skill.

Although Dream Masters could control the power of Nightmares, this method was actually extremely unstable.

The slightest carelessness could result in a backlash from the very Dream Eye they controlled.

Countless Dream Masters have died from the backlash of Nightmare Power.

Hu Qi’s method was the only way to perfectly control a Nightmare without fear of backlash.

If other Dream Masters learned of this method, they would surely stop at nothing to obtain it.

...

「Meanwhile, in a strange, dim space.」

Everything here was inverted compared to reality—either upside down or flipped left to right.

And in the very center of this space sat a simple, palm-sized Copper Mirror.

The Copper Mirror resembled the kind used by women for makeup in ancient times.

But its surface was blurry and indistinct.

Along the edges, verdigris spread like rampant moss, forming hard scabs in some places, giving it a coarse texture.

CRACK!

Suddenly, without any warning, a crisp cracking sound echoed.

Looking closely, one could see a crack had abruptly appeared on the Copper Mirror’s surface. At the same time, a mark that looked like it had been scorched by fire also appeared.

The surrounding space seemed to destabilize, trembling slightly and growing a few shades dimmer.