In the pitch-black street, Amber’s cry was exceptionally shrill and unsettling, as if she had encountered a nemesis.

Shen Bai knew full well that when Amber cried out, it meant a supernatural presence was nearby.

And now, after peering through the narrow crack in the door and seeing the scene inside, even an ordinary person would know a supernatural event was taking place.

Shen Bai didn’t hesitate. In his eyes, a supernatural presence was Evil Qi.

Shen Bai drew Cold Moon from his waist, holding it ready.

Shen Bai lifted his foot and kicked the old door.

The bolt behind the door was shattered by his kick.

By the light of the moon, Shen Bai stepped inside.

As he stepped into the house, he found commoners wandering around the old, cramped room as if they were sleepwalking.

There were no traces of the supernatural; it looked just like ordinary sleepwalking.

But Shen Bai knew this was no ordinary sleepwalking.

The supernatural phenomenon Shen Bai had been encountering recently was the Nightmare.

And with the appearance of the Nightmare, anything related to dreams had to be treated with caution.

Watching the commoners wandering before him, Shen Bai thought for a moment before taking a stick of Dream-Entering Incense from his sleeve.

To deal with the Nightmare, one had to enter the Dream Realm.

’Now that a supernatural phenomenon similar to the Nightmare has appeared, I want to see if I can slay the entity in the dream.’

But just as Shen Bai was about to use the Dream-Entering Incense, something strange happened again.

The faint sound of footsteps rang out one after another from all over the street.

Footsteps and murmurs rose and fell not just from the house Shen Bai was in, but from the other houses as well.

"Something’s wrong."

Hearing this, Shen Bai’s guard went up instantly. He reached out and restrained the commoner in front of him.

The commoner, restrained by Shen Bai, still wore a vacant expression.

But beyond the vacant look, a cold aura emanated from him.

Shen Bai turned his head and listened carefully. Amidst the chaotic footsteps, he heard a set of orderly ones.

He immediately walked out of the house and saw members of the Observatory had already arrived on the street.

Leading them were Huang Guang and Kong Fang of the Ding Twenty-Third Division.

The two of them saw Shen Bai as well. After a moment of surprise, they walked forward, cupped their fists, and spoke.

"Greetings, Lord Shen. Something terrible has happened."

Shen Bai narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the members of the Observatory present.

Members of the Ding Division silently entered each house, carrying out unconscious commoners one by one.

Shen Bai asked, "What happened?"

Huang Guang and Kong Fang exchanged a look, and then Huang Guang spoke.

"All across Fenglin State, commoners have fallen into the Dream Realm. They’re being controlled by the Nightmare within it. Nearly half the population of Fenglin State has now been affected."

"Half the population?" Shen Bai frowned. "Why would so many Nightmares appear so suddenly? And it seems the commoners’ lives aren’t in danger?"

’For a Cultivator, a Nightmare slowly takes control of their mind. But for a commoner, entering the dream would likely lead to a swift and total death.’

But there was one thing Shen Bai couldn’t figure out: why the supernatural phenomenon had spread so quickly.

It was as if the enemy had long been laying the groundwork, just waiting for this outbreak.

Huang Guang explained, "It’s not that every commoner has their own Nightmare. Rather, it seems to be one massive supernatural entity. It’s likely hidden within a single person’s dream. Through that core Nightmare, this person has created a massive area of effect, pulling over half the people of Fenglin Continent into the dream. That’s why there haven’t been widespread casualties."

Kong Fang added from the side, "But if we let the commoners remain immersed in the dream for too long, casualties will be inevitable. The deaths will only make that core Nightmare stronger."

Shen Bai nodded. "I understand. What does Lord Liu plan to do?"

Shen Bai had now heard the gist of the situation.

’But to call the current situation "tricky" would be an understatement.’

’If this is allowed to continue, half the population of Fenglin State will likely die.’

’And with such massive casualties, all of Fenglin State will be plunged into a desperate situation.’

This was an extremely rare event; nothing like it was recorded in any of the materials Shen Bai had researched after learning about the Nightmare.

This was the first time Fenglin State had encountered such a peculiar Nightmare, and dealing with it was bound to be fraught with problems.

Upon hearing this, Huang Guang organized his thoughts for a moment before replying, "Lord Liu has issued an order. We are to gather the affected half of Fenglin State’s population in one place, with the cooperation of the Government Office. Then, members of the Observatory and constables from the Government Office will all wield Dream-Entering Incense, enter the dream, and awaken the people."

Shen Bai rubbed his chin. "With so many people, even with all the Observatory members and Government Office constables, you probably won’t have enough manpower, right?"

Fenglin State was enormous—staggeringly so.

Even with the current dynastic turmoil, Fenglin State still had a massive population.

Because of this, Shen Bai estimated that even if all these people were gathered in one place, there still wouldn’t be enough manpower.

’And if we mobilize everyone, our rear will be left vulnerable.’

’If someone decides to cause trouble then, the losses will be even greater.’

Huang Guang replied, "Lord Liu is using the Artifact Dao to preside over this mass Entering the Dream. The enemy has a core Nightmare that uses its aura to pull people into the dream. In response, Lord Liu has created an artifact that can gather the dreams of half the population into one."

"And this time, with Lord Liu presiding, nearly sixty percent of the Observatory’s members and the constables will enter the dream. The rest will remain behind to maintain order in Fenglin State."