A Top Scholar in Everything-Chapter 222: The Breath in the Dream

This place is also located in the North District.

Compared to other districts, the North District has long been plagued with chaotic security, gradually becoming a haven for vice due to the numerous black laborers and workers here.

Despair, fear, resentment.

These emotions are the breeding grounds for the Evil God.

Therefore, it makes sense for the Abyssal Ascetic Association to choose the North District as the site of their uprising.

This place is the best location for holding various occult rituals and sacrifices to the Evil God. Plus, due to its complex terrain, dense population, and chaotic security, it’s easy to escape capture without drawing attention.

After all, the disappearance of a few black workers is the most common occurrence here.

...

The North District is now in ruins and is being rapidly rebuilt.

Not only did Pang Fei previously notice the chaos here and wish to correct it, but Yuwen Ba also realized that the North District had become a haven for aberrants and criminals, a breeding ground for the Evil God.

So, he took this opportunity to secure funding from Maple County to completely renovate the North District and give it a new look.

Illegal factories and profit chains were hit hard.

Many non-compliant factories were directly demolished and rebuilt this time.

Even in the dead of night.

The construction sites are filled with the continuous sounds of pile drivers and concrete mixers, with workers’ shouts punctuating the otherwise not-so-silent night.

Slums, Settlement Street.

This is the first step in Yuwen Ba’s plan to rebuild the North District.

First, tear down these haphazard constructions and replace them entirely with real houses.

The purpose of Baiyu’s visit here was not to watch this grand construction process but due to a dream related to Kaz.

When Kaz’s body was discovered, the Eye of the Black Moon on him had also turned into an ordinary, useless stone.

According to the conclusions of experts who study magical items,

this magical item has been completely destroyed because Qiong Yue manipulated Erza to launch a shot that directly annihilated the Demon God Beast, simultaneously destroying this divine relic artifact.

Erza possesses terrifying destructive power, which Baiyu is well aware of.

But.

The Eye of the Black Moon is a divine relic, rumored to be the eye of the Black Moon itself from the past.

Could something like that truly be destroyed?

Baiyu doesn’t believe it.

Experts can’t be trusted.

Of course.

What further pressed Baiyu to return here was his own spirituality.

Every Extraordinary possesses their own spirituality, unlike martial artists.

Spirituality is mysterious and elusive.

Various summoning and prayer rituals essentially aim to amplify spirituality and communicate with special spiritual entities, enabling mortals to connect with these enigmatic beings.

Spirituality is the bridge for the Extraordinary to link to the mysterious world.

Martial artists lack spirituality.

And these days, Baiyu has been having the same dream every night.

Dreaming of this Settlement Street he once visited, dreaming of walking in a dark corner of the sewer, hearing a faint, dying breathing sound.

It was like the labored breathing of a centenarian nearing their end.

Because of this, Baiyu specifically sought out Tang Xiaoyu to ask her for advice, though he didn’t describe the dream’s specifics, only inquiring about the dreams of the Extraordinary.

Her answer was simple.

This is a sign from your spirituality, possibly indicating something good or bad.

Many Extraordinary become mentally confused and unknowingly connect with dark and evil entities in their dreams, leading to their complete aberration.

"Dreaming of Settlement Street indicates a connection to something here, and the last time we entered Settlement Street was to resolve Kaz’s Devouring Fog.

The weak breathing, as if about to extinguish, represents the poor state of its owner, on the verge of death.

It seems to be Kaz...

My spirituality consciously guiding me here, is it because I’m also a Black Moon Apostle and have some connection with Kaz?"

Baiyu touched his arm, where a curse lay hidden beneath the skin.

Spirituality is akin to the sixth sense of the Extraordinary, sometimes right, sometimes wrong, but mostly it elevates the Extraordinary.

Baiyu now has three choices.

The first is to continue exploring, following his spirituality, but he may encounter unknown dangers ahead.

There’s a great likelihood of encountering a heavily injured Kaz.

This choice is perilous.

Even a heavily injured Kaz may not be easy to deal with.

The second is to return now, ignoring this issue, and leave Linjiang.

This would be the safest course of action at present, but it would leave behind a potentially endless threat. Kaz has clearly taken notice of him, and should he escape this time, he’ll become the Damocles’ Sword hanging over Baiyu’s head in the future.

No, Kaz must die here!

If I want to quietly read and study, I must kill him!

This option is ruled out by Baiyu.

The last one is also dismissed by him.

The final option is to notify Yuwen Ba and others that Kaz is still alive, hiding underground in Settlement Street.

This would indeed solve the Kaz issue, but Baiyu’s identity as a Black Moon Apostle would likely be exposed.

Spirituality won’t give directions without reason.

If a strict inspection is conducted, he would immediately find himself in a disadvantageous position.

"I still have to rely on myself; depending on others is ultimately just external aid, fraught with various troubles and limitations."

"Being strong oneself is the true strength."

Resolute.

Baiyu didn’t hesitate, slipping into Settlement Street from the darkness, carefully avoiding the construction workers on both sides of the street, and easily reaching the conduit they initially entered.

Many times Baiyu wondered.

Does Kaz and the Abyssal Ascetic Association have some peculiar penchant, being so secretive?

All their bases and such are in the sewers.

...

Due to the reconstruction, the sewers had long been without power, completely dark.

Baiyu turned on a small flashlight, illuminating a small area in front of him, just enough to move along the riverbank on either side of the sewer.

Squeak squeak.

Red-eyed giant rats occasionally swam across the river.

Baiyu carefully avoided them to prevent unnecessary complications, but he didn’t know Kaz’s whereabouts and needed to closely examine the terrain from his dream.

The underground area isn’t small; it requires careful effort.

Just like this.

He searched all night without success.

The next morning, Baiyu went to the Anomaly Bureau and brought Erin out, letting her stay at a nearby hotel, ready to enter the Shelter at any moment.

He initially planned to head directly to the Shelter to find the Bone Tempering Technique for his Bone Tempering.

But now.

Until the issue in the dream is resolved, Baiyu cannot rest easy.

Five days later.

"It’s here again."

Baiyu awoke from his dream, drank a glass of warm water, and swallowed it.

He had that dream again.

This time, the breathing sound in the darkness was even weaker, almost vanishing.

The location in the dream became increasingly clear.

It’s somewhere in the sewer below Settlement Street, with lots of noise, perhaps the sound of running water.

But over the past five days, Baiyu has been going to the sewers every night, spending almost the entire night there.

He had turned almost the entire underground of Settlement Street upside down.

He found it somewhat amusingly ironic, thinking that if he were to become a sewer worker, he would surely be awarded titles like the Annual Top Ten Workers or King of the Sewers.

"The location in the dream is becoming clearer, with more and more hints from the dream."

"But."

"I still can’t find this place."

Baiyu quietly pondered, drawing circles and crosses on paper; these were the structural drawings of the Linjiang North District’s underbelly.

Another two days passed.

Baiyu dreamt again.

Yet the breathing in the darkness didn’t continue to weaken but remained on the brink of extinguishing, which isn’t good news.

Kaz’s injuries might not have healed, but they stabilized!

They’re not worsening!

If given enough time to recover, he might really make a comeback, escaping Linjiang City and returning with a vengeance.

"Three more days."

"If within these three nights I can’t find Kaz, I’ll have to find a way to report to the official organizations. But doing so would mean forfeiting any spoils from Kaz and possibly exposing my own secrets."

Unless necessary, Baiyu absolutely doesn’t want the Church or Anomaly Bureau to intervene.