Chapter 948: Welcome to the Dream

Qi Xia slowly opened his eyes and saw a bustling city with heavy traffic.

On both sides of the street, pedestrians hurried past, their conversations and laughter creating a chaotic melody. This vibrant scene was a stark contrast to the quiet and desolate Zhongyan Zhidi.

A breeze carrying a fresh scent drifted under the azure sky, making Qi Xia's hair flutter.

Beep beep beep!

A series of sharp horn blasts sounded behind Qi Xia. He turned around slowly and realized he was standing in the middle of the road, blocking a taxi.

"Xiao ge!"

The driver stuck his head out the window. "Don't daze! Move over!"

Hearing this, Qi Xia shifted his feet and moved to the sidewalk. The taxi sped away, the driver muttering curses and slamming the window shut.

Is this what it feels like to be alive?

Qi Xia walked forward slowly, gradually falling into confusion.

He couldn't recall why he was here or what he was supposed to do.

Standing by the road, watching the crowds, seemed like it could easily fill the day.

How long had it been since he had seen such a lively scene?

Qi Xia blinked, remembering that he passed this street every day, yet today he felt unusually lost.

With heavy steps, he made his way to a small river that cut through the city and eventually stood on a little bridge.

He took three deep breaths on the bridge, then glanced sideways at the fish swimming in the river. Why was everything here so beautiful...?

"Uncle!"

A childish voice rang out beside Qi Xia. He turned to see a little girl selling flowers.

"Would you like to buy a flower?" The girl held up a bunch of white flowers, her smile incredibly sweet, leaving Qi Xia momentarily stunned.

"A flower...?" Qi Xia paused for a long time, his gaze growing sluggish. "I've lived here for many years and don't recall anyone selling flowers."

"I just started selling them today!" the girl laughed. "Uncle, these flowers are only available now— they'll be gone after autumn starts. Would you like one?"

The girl handed him a pristine white flower. Its stem had hooked thorns and feathery compound leaves, with five or six small white blooms on the same branch.

"The flower of late summer..."

Qi Xia looked down at the flower as if something struck him, and his whole body tensed as if by an electric shock.

He glanced at his clothes and noticed a cartoon lamb embroidered on his chest.

Qi Xia's increasingly bewildered eyes turned cold again, his dark pupils now tinged with a grayish hue.

"Ha..." Qi Xia grinned, revealing a terrifying smile.

The flower in his hand withered instantly, turning into sparks that drifted into the sky.

At that moment, the little girl twisted unnaturally, her facial features slowly vanishing until her face became completely flat under Qi Xia's gaze.

She raised her hands slowly, the bouquet now transformed into a pile of severed fingers.

"Uncle... would you like to buy some?" The girl's voice echoed from the void, accompanied by a few eerie "hee hee hee" laughs.

She was so happy, and Qi Xia was happy too.

At a time like this, how many people here could suppress that joy?

Qi Xia laughed along with her, his eyes transforming into those of a goat.

So what if it's a dream...?

In this place riddled with Mao Dian, even the smallest flaw was enough to wake him up.

He reached out and patted the girl's head, saying softly, "Stop playing around. Let's welcome the guest together."

"Okay!" The girl shouted, scattering the severed fingers across the ground.

As she spoke, the azure sky peeled away like wet paint, revealing a blood-red expanse behind it.

The bricks and tiles of the city's skyscrapers flipped en masse, turning from stone to flesh and blood in an instant.

Next, the ground beneath their feet and the river's clear water collapsed. The vibrant world crumbled completely, draping itself in a foul, red shroud.

The pedestrians on the street gradually stopped, their faces losing all features, then stood still for a few seconds before turning their flat visages toward Qi Xia.

The moving cars came to a halt, morphing into blood-soaked boxes.

The world rebuilt itself around Qi Xia, spreading vast amounts of fresh blood and gore, wildly staining the entire city.

The fragrant breeze turned putrid with the red earth, and the once lively city fell silent.

The little girl before Qi Xia turned statue-like, her body frozen, with only her flat face swiveling to follow his movements.

It wasn't just her—all the pedestrians on the street had stopped, as if shedding a long-worn disguise. They stood motionless, their heads above the neck twisting to track Qi Xia.

They resembled a field of blood-red sunflowers.

"Today, we have a visitor," Qi Xia announced, raising his hands. "Show our hospitality and welcome him to the most beautiful dream in the world."

With that, thousands on the street lifted their heads to the sky.

The cloudless sky visibly distorted, and in the next second, a figure in red robes appeared in midair, floating with feet not touching the ground. After a few seconds, it slowly lowered its head.

It had no face, but a deep red mark on its forehead.

Qi Xia smiled, as if seeing nothing, and continued walking forward.

The figure in the sky hesitated for a moment before descending gradually toward Qi Xia.

Qi Xia crossed the bridge and arrived at the base of a residential building, then turned and waved his hand lightly.

On the square opposite the building, bones began to form instantly, quickly covered in flesh and blood. Like a creator, Qi Xia willed a massive structure to rise from the ground.

Two enormous pillars of flesh and blood took shape, followed by a crossbeam, forming a giant archway.

The archway's pulses throbbed, as if it were a living entity.

Then, a massive yellowish-white object materialized—it was an enormous clock made of bones.

Flesh continued to spread, giving rise to a crimson display screen that grew steadily.

Once formed, the blood-flesh screen opened two huge eyes, then sprouted two enormous ears.

The bizarre scene would chill anyone to the bone, yet the city's inhabitants showed no reaction, merely staring at the figure in the sky.

After constructing the giant clock and display screen, Qi Xia turned and entered the residential building, stepping on the squishy stairs, one by one, toward "home."

Since a guest had come from afar, it was only right to invite him in for a sit.