Chapter 33: The World in the Dream (III)
Qi An couldn't describe the feeling that this eye brought him. It held a coldness that seemed to disdain all living beings, yet also contained a madness typical of a beast's eyes.
It skipped over all the beastmen gathered below the stage and locked directly onto the youth in the画面. Qi An narrowed his eyes, watching this eye, then slightly furrowed his brows. Something like black specks seemed to dance within his pupils, as if some excited creature were expressing its pleasure.
When he truly saw himself in the画面 being stared at by such an eye, the sense of wrongness in Qi An's heart grew stronger.
The youth inside was being watched.
An eye that didn't belong to anyone he knew.
If it weren't because the youth being watched was himself, perhaps an uncontrollable thought would have formed in Qi An's mind.
This oblivious youth would... have nowhere to escape.
Qi An's gaze shifted, then grew quiet for a moment. He adjusted his perspective once more. The composed expression on his face involuntarily changed due to the scene on the画面. He took a deep breath, closed the画面, and redirected his attention to the heated battle unfolding before him.
The camera angle of the画面 was positioned at a hidden and inconspicuous spot.
Behind the eye was a mass of rotting flesh.
As if it had been smashed to pieces.
Fresh, dark blood churned and rolled within like worms. This slight trembling allowed one to clearly see the texture of the flesh inside.
Droplets of blood, formed from wrinkled, clotted flesh, hung rigidly beneath the eye. These blood beads seemed about to drip to the ground, yet lingered suspended in mid-air due to some unknown force.
Suddenly, the eye twitched. Its front side turned to face the perspective directly.
Then revealed... a playful smile.
The youth's expression shifted subtly. The two semi-males sparring on stage also changed their expressions, their sharp movements freezing mid-strike. To earn the favor of the semi-females, all the beastmen who had come to compete couldn't wait to display their greatest abilities—preferably the kind that would send their opponents running for their lives. Especially with the youth present, no one wanted to be defeated before him, so their attacks became even more ferocious. But... it seemed they'd scared him.
Qi An's long eyelashes trembled continuously in the gentle breeze. His pale cheeks formed a stark contrast with the healthy, rosy complexions of the surrounding beastmen. This was a beauty different from most beastmen in their world, yet it never failed to easily evoke concern from beastmen.
The semi-males on stage softened their movements in unison. The tense, sword-rattling atmosphere instantly shifted to something friendlier. Their ears drooped down, and even their tails stopped swaying.
They only wanted to show their safe, protective side—they had absolutely no intention of scaring him.
They really wanted to beat up their earlier self!
What if the youth mistakenly thought they were violent?
With this in mind, the two semi-males acted as if they'd been struck dumb by a cold wind. Though they still maintained the pretense of serious sparring, their movements grew gentle. Their strikes resembled scholars engaged in leisurely calligraphy—each touch precise yet restrained. And utterly disappointed.
This gentle bout didn't draw any sighs of disappointment from the audience below. The平日里 stern, severe beastmen all unconsciously turned their gazes in the same direction. Upon seeing the youth restore his usual faint, smiling expression, they felt relieved in their hearts, and bubbles of warmth began rising within them.
His hair and eyes were both rare black among beastmen. His gaze held none of the sharp coldness beastmen should possess, yet... so cute.
Then a new dilemma arose. Tails that could strangle prey began swaying unnoticeably. Ears would perk up, then droop down again. At this moment, the beastmen bore an uncanny resemblance to dogs in the real world.
So... should they be fierce or gentle?
The beastmen's eyes began to shift into vertical pupils—a change they unconsciously produced when nervous. Normally this only occurred during hunting expeditions, yet at this moment, everyone exhibited this transformation.
But it wasn't the usual狠厉 and coldness from hunting. Rather, it resembled... a sweet dilemma.
Qi An blinked. His gaze seemingly不经意地 swept across a corner of the sparring stage, landing on the beastmen who had undergone mutation and were still roaring. He furrowed his brows slightly, then quickly relaxed them again due to some eager, intense gazes.
Yesterday's ritual was full of unanswered questions.
Setting aside whose eye that was.
That an eye carrying such sinister intent appeared during a ritual meant to communicate with the Beast God was something one couldn't help but contemplate deeply. If the Beast God truly represented justice and wielded absolute authority, why would He allow such an eye to exist? And why was it positioned near the priest?
Qi An began to consider the priest Moor more carefully.
The beast world worshipped the Beast God, which made every priest's status extremely revered. Moor, however, was the highest-ranking among them—almost praised as the Beast God's representative in the beast world. He had risen to fame at a young age, and the divine power bestowed upon him was the greatest. Other tribes' priests often failed multiple times when communicating with the Beast God. Merely succeeding a few times would be considered evidence of substantial divine power and deep trust from the Beast God.
But Moor had never failed. Not once.
Priests from other tribes were all elderly, yet Moor was young and handsome, which made him highly sought after by the semi-females. Not just the semi-females—semi-males and males alike admired his strength.
Therefore, in the beast world, he commanded universal support. His prestige was unmatched.
Recalling the ambiguous words Moor had said to him after the ritual, Qi An hummed thoughtfully. Then he turned and softly asked Cai Ni, "Won't the priest come watch this competition?"
He always felt the beast world wouldn't stay peaceful for long.
Out of kinship and the pleas of relatives, these regressing beastmen hadn't received any punishment beyond being locked away. Daily catches of food were still allocated to them, but...
This was clearly taking a risk.
"Hm? The priest?" The cat-eared youth first stared blankly, then hopped up from his seat. His eyes sparkled with delight as his voice rose several notches, "An'an, you actually want to inquire about the priest's whereabouts! Do you also think the priest is truly exceptional? He's at the temple now. Because of everything that's been happening lately, the priest's been staying at the temple praying."
The temple.
Qi An nodded, then after some thought, said, "I'd like to visit the priest. Can you stay here alone and watch?"
"Of course, of course!" Cai Ni immediately nodded vigorously like a woodpecker, gently tugging Qi An's arm and pushing him forward, "Go ahead."
Qi An smiled at him, then glanced around. The beastmen seemed slightly disappointed and frustrated, yet most couldn't help but show traces of approval. They all seemed quite pleased that he was going to find the priest.
Qi An instinctively made this judgment.
This was the world of dreams—everyone within would be influenced by the dream owner's emotions. Not only did they all hold favorable impressions of him, but they also hoped he would grow closer to the priest.
A glimmer of contemplation flickered across the depths of Qi An's eyes. He lightly bit his lower lip, then departed from the expansive arena.
He left.
The peaceful, friendly atmosphere instantly ignited into something volatile. Two tribes that had just been acting like brothers transformed into sworn enemies. The two sides coldly snorted at each other, neither deigning to look the other in the eye.
Evan, who had just stepped onto the stage, froze. His gaze followed the departing youth's silhouette.
That figure was so fragile, as if a gust of wind could topple him.
Was he not going to watch his match? Why did he suddenly leave?
Why did he have to go find that priest?
An unexpected bitterness rose in Evan's heart. A fleeting darkness crossed his eyes—something even he himself didn't notice. Staring at his opponent who had already taken the stage, Evan's eyes began to shift into vertical pupils.
A beast-like coldness devoid of any emotion.
"Mom, what's wrong with these beasts? How did they suddenly get like they took steroids or something? They got so much stronger." A girl with twin tails couldn't help but complain as she watched the beasts surrounding them, "Oh my god, oh my god, we need to run!"
The beasts encircling them had initially been completely disorganized. Due to their low intelligence, dealing with them hadn't been too difficult. Just as they were about to wipe out the beasts chasing them, the beasts suddenly let out a roar.
To describe it in the girl's words: it was as if someone had snatched away their most treasured possession. They suddenly went berserk, their combat power skyrocketing like a rocket.
"Quiet." Another girl wearing a bamboo hat shot her a cold glance. "Aren't you from the Fast-Pass Bureau? How are you so useless?"
"I rely on intelligence, not武力." The girl rolled her eyes. "Unlike you, I wasn't born into such a powerful race. And unlike Zhang Zhaoqi who can use talismans, of course I'm scared."
"Quiet." Zhang Zhaoqi also gave her a cold look. Because of the girl's shrieking, even more beasts had gathered around them.
"Fine, fine, got it." The girl pouted but still obediently refrained from speaking. Yet a flash of darkness swiftly passed through her eyes.
After leaving the sparring platform, Qi An went straight to the temple. Though he knew the way, he had only ever glimpsed it from afar and had never truly entered. The temple had always been the most sacred place in the tribe. As such, except for the priest and those he permitted, it was forbidden for other beastmen to enter.
Qi An stopped before the towering temple and softly spoke, "Priest, may I enter?"
[An'an, why do I feel like this temple is built... somewhat strangely?]