Nightmare (Part 1)

At this moment, Huanhuan and the others had already arrived at the border of Nightmare Forest.

Bai An frowned and said, “Nightmare Forest is ahead. Legend has it that there’s an especially ferocious monster there.”

Everyone knew the legend of Nightmare Forest, and their expressions were very serious.

Of course, there were exceptions.

Huanhuan was the only one among them who had never heard of the legend of Nightmare Forest. After hearing Bai An’s words, she couldn’t help but be curious. “Have any of you seen that monster?”

“Legend has it that everyone who entered the forest was eaten by the monster, so no one knows what that monster looks like.”

Speaking of food, Huanhuan subconsciously stroked Clement’s little head. “Don’t be afraid. If we really encounter that monster, we still have Clement.”

Everyone recalled the ferocious appearance of the heaven-devouring python when it ate people. They were relieved.

Hearing his mother mention his name, Clement looked up, his gaze blank.

Before entering the forest, everyone stopped to light a fire and cook. They were prepared to rest for the night before entering the forest.

Bai Di was busy cooking, and so were the children.

Huanhuan sat alone by the fire and asked how far they had to go.

Little Brat said, “As long as we pass through Nightmare Forest, we can reach the home of the unicorns.”

“Unicorns should be a holy race, right? Why is their home behind Nightmare Forest? Aren’t they afraid that the monster in Nightmare Forest will run out and hurt them?”

Little Brat revealed a small secret that no one else knew. “Actually, Nightmare Forest used to be where unicorns lived.”

“Huh?”

“This forest used to be called the Holy Light Forest. Later, because something happened to their tribe, they had no choice but to move to a more remote place. The Holy Light Forest was occupied by a monster, so it was renamed Nightmare Forest.”

Huanhuan quickly asked, “Is there really a monster in the forest?”

“Mhm.”

Huanhuan was a little nervous. “What if we encounter it?”

“Don’t worry. That monster is usually asleep. It won’t wake up unless someone brings the Demon Eye to it.”

“Demon Eye?”

“It’s a dark plant that grows in the abyss. It’s as famous as the Soul-Devouring Vine. They’re both very ferocious plants. The difference is that the Soul-Devouring Vine likes to run around. The Demon Eye is rooted in the abyss. It hasn’t moved since it was born.”

Huanhuan thought for a moment. “If the Demon Eye fights the Soul-Devouring Vine, who can win?”

“I don’t know.”

Huanhuan asked again, “What does the monster sleeping in Nightmare Forest look like?”

“I don’t know what it looks like. I only know that its name is Nightmare.”

The next morning, after the sun rose, everyone officially entered Nightmare Forest.

Bai Di transformed into a white tiger. She sat on his back and looked around.

It was dim in the forest. Huanhuan could barely see anything within a meter. It was pitch-black a little farther away.

Not long after they entered Nightmare Forest, Tao Wei discovered their whereabouts.

Tao Wei hid very well. He hid in the dark and watched as Huanhuan and the others walked deeper into the forest. The corners of his mouth curled into a sinister smile.

He had only come to hunt Nightmare. He did not expect to meet Huanhuan and the others here.

‘You chose to barge into hell instead of heaven.’

In that case, he would let them all become bait for him to lure Nightmare like the dog beast from before!

…

There was no sun in this forest. It was impossible to tell if it was dawn or dark.

They walked for an unknown period of time. At first, Huanhuan could still be alert and vigilant, looking around to see if there was any danger around. After a long time, however, she couldn’t help but fall asleep. Her eyelids kept pressing down as she yawned.

Bai Di turned to look at her. “Go to sleep. I’ll call you when we get there.”

“It’s fine. Focus on your journey. Don’t worry about me.” She yawned again.

Bai An walked to his father’s side and lowered his voice. “Something’s wrong with this place.”

Bai Di didn’t stop walking. “Hmm?”

“It must have been a day since we entered the forest. We’ve come so far, but we haven’t seen a single animal on the way.”

Logically speaking, there must be many animals living in such a dense and deep forest.

But there was not a single animal in this forest.

This was too strange!

When Huanhuan heard Bai An’s words, she yawned and said half-jokingly, “Maybe those animals are afraid of the monsters in the forest, so they all ran away.”

With that, she didn’t forget to laugh as though her joke was very funny.

However, Bai Di and Bai An were silent.

Huanhuan had no choice but to stop laughing. “I was just joking. You didn’t take it seriously, did you?”

Bai Di said, “Your guess is probably true.”

A monster who could scare all animals until they had to leave their homes to live elsewhere… It was obvious how terrifying it was.

Huanhuan’s sleepiness was reduced by a lot.

She touched her arm and tried to remain calm. “It doesn’t matter even if it’s true. That monster is still asleep anyway. As long as we don’t provoke it, we’ll be fine getting through Nightmare Forest as soon as possible.”

“How do you know it’s asleep?”

Huanhuan raised her chin. “I’m the successor of the prophet. Of course, I know about this!”

She silently praised her pretentious skills.

Shuang Yin, who was walking in front, suddenly saw a person lying on the ground. She quickly ran over and realized that it was Quan Rong!

Shuang Yin immediately picked up Quan Rong and ran to Huanhuan.

“Mom, I picked him up on the way.”

Bai Di stopped, and Huanhuan slid down his tail to reach the ground. She lit the torch and used the light to look at Quan Rong. He was not visibly injured. However, his eyes were closed. She couldn’t wake him no matter how hard she tried. He looked like he was in a deep coma.

Seeing that he was holding a branch in his hand, Huanhuan curiously reached out and picked it up. What tree was this from? There were purple leaves on the branch.

Little Brat shouted in horror, “Damn, damn, damn!!”

Huanhuan was so frightened by him that she almost sat on the ground.

She didn’t even care that there were people watching. She covered her head and asked, “Why are you screaming?!”

Little Brat said, “This is a branch of the Demon Eye! Why is it here? Who got it?”

Huanhuan was stunned.

This was the legendary Demon Eye that could awaken Nightmare?!

Bai Di saw that she was pale. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “Are you feeling unwell?”

Huanhuan casually threw the branch into the space and quickly climbed onto Bai Di’s back. “Go, go!” she urged. “That monster will wake up soon!”

Bai Di roared at the people behind him, “Speed up!”

Shuang Yin threw the unconscious Quan Rong onto her back and ran forward.

But they were too late.