Nightmare Power Exposed

It was still early, and Tang San had yet to arrive. En Zuo took advantage of this spare time.

En Zuo pulled a plush round mat from the cabinet and spread it on the floor. Sitting cross-legged with his hands resting on his knees, he calmed his mind and methodically circulated the Mysterious Heaven Technique, carefully cultivating his soul power.

The Crystal Staff martial soul materialized before his chest, floating in the air as it circled around his body. Threadlike strands of Nightmare Power struggled and twisted out of the martial soul before sinking into En Zuo's body.

A trace of purple emerged in his pale hair.

A long, slanting shadow slowly covered En Zuo. White robes stirred without wind around a lean, tall figure.

It was En Ci.

As the pillar of the Star Luo soul master world, no matter how extraordinary an item or cultivation resource was, it could not draw even the slightest interest from him.

Except for his two disappointing disciples.

As their teacher, En Ci had kept almost everything En Zuo and Long Yue did under observation. Yet he had always respected certain boundaries. For example, he would not turn his gaze toward them when they were in their dormitory.

But this time was different.

To his senses, that utterly evil dark power stood out within Monster Academy like a bright moon.

What exactly was En Zuo cultivating?

Why did he possess such power?

En Ci looked toward the cultivating En Zuo. Seeing how diligently he trained, he gave an almost imperceptible nod. But when his gaze shifted to the staff martial soul, his brow immediately furrowed.

En Ci's martial soul was the Light Sacred Dragon, inherently opposed to evil things. The strange energy radiated a dark, filthy residue that even he found troublesome.

In terms of attributes alone, it was even more sinister than the trash of the Green Skulls active on the Star Luo Continent, or even the Holy Spirit Cult active on the Douluo Continent.

Upon seeing En Zuo's martial soul,

En Ci understood the situation.

En Zuo's martial soul had undergone an exceedingly rare acquired mutation. Judging solely by the martial soul's quality, it was still unclear whether this was good or bad. But in terms of its effects, it was bound to be extremely harmful.

An evil martial soul would erode its wielder's mind.

Ten thousand years ago, Ma Xiaotao and Tang Ya had both been affected by their martial souls, betraying Shrek Academy and nearly causing a great disaster.

If En Zuo left Monster Academy because of this and joined the Holy Spirit Cult on the Douluo Continent, only for teacher and student to face each other with blades drawn in the future, that was something En Ci could never accept.

"Foolish child."

En Ci called softly, awakening En Zuo from his cultivation.

En Zuo opened his narrow eyes. When he saw the figure before him clearly, he was startled. He had not expected his teacher to come in person. Rising to his feet, he clasped his hands respectfully. "Teacher?! This disciple did not know you had come. Please forgive this disciple's offense."

The room fell silent, leaving only En Zuo's breathing and heartbeat faintly audible.

He quietly waited for En Ci's reprimand.

After a long while, En Ci's voice, devoid of any discernible emotion, reached his ears. "En Zuo, do you know that you have already strayed onto the wrong path?"

"The wrong path?"

En Zuo racked his brain as he thought back. All he could barely think of was bringing people from other time-space into the Dragon King Era, as well as the Nightmare Power that had appeared when he added his fourth soul ring.

When En Zuo cultivated, he was fully focused and had no idea about the flaw in his martial soul. He forced himself to say, "Please enlighten me, Teacher."

Seeing that En Zuo knew nothing about it, En Ci sighed and said earnestly, "Your martial soul has already mutated. An utterly evil dark power is now coexisting with your martial soul and invading your body."

So this was where something had gone wrong.

En Zuo understood what En Ci was referring to.

But Nightmare Power was inherently under his control. How could it be called an invasion? Still, his teacher would never believe that. He would only attribute it to the corrosion of an evil martial soul.

Deceive En Ci?

En Zuo had never considered it.

That was the teacher he respected most.

He took a deep breath, raised his head, and looked at him with clear eyes. His tone was sincere. "Teacher, this power is called Nightmare Power. My fourth soul skill is Nightmare Power Control. Although it is utterly evil, it is entirely under my control, just like the elements of wind, fire, and earth."

En Zuo gripped the Crystal Staff. Thick Nightmare Power burst from it and invaded his body, far more intensely than during martial soul cultivation. A blood-red hue surfaced in his black eyes.

The Nightmare Power filling his body gave En Zuo the illusion that he was omnipotent.

"Teacher, you have never experienced it. I can personally feel just how powerful this force is. It can mend the flaws of the Demon Ding martial soul, and it can even revive others. It can bring people eterna—"

"Enough."

En Zuo had never seen En Ci so angry. Never had En Ci spoken with such urgency, carrying a pressure that bore down on En Zuo like Mount Tai.

"En Zuo, from today onward, you are forbidden from using this power again. It will subtly erode your mind. When that time comes, you will no longer be yourself. It will bring calamity upon you. Your teacher does not wish to see you walk down the wrong path because of it."

"Your senior brother has long suffered from the Mountain Dragon King bloodline. Every time he suppresses the madness within his body, it is immensely painful. Your teacher does not wish to see you affected by your martial soul as well, enduring pain that you should never have had to bear."

The grand ambitions in En Zuo's heart were thoroughly extinguished by En Ci's words. That was right. Was something as unreasonable as Nightmare Power truly something a mere Soul Ancestor like him could control?

What gave him the right to think that he could understand his true heart and avoid having his mind controlled by Nightmare Power?

He glanced at En Ci, whose face was filled with concern. No matter how unwilling En Zuo was, he could only nod in agreement now.

En Ci would not harm him.

"This disciple understands Teacher's good intentions. This disciple was wrong. I should not have indulged in evil power and kept things hidden."

En Zuo bowed deeply and remained prostrate on the ground.

His teacher was right. Long Yue alone had already left him exhausted in body and mind. If Nightmare Power was added to the burden, En Ci would likely find even less peace of mind.

"It is not too late yet."

En Ci grasped En Zuo's martial soul, having already made up his mind. He would completely help En Zuo purge this utterly evil power and remove this hidden danger. It absolutely could not be allowed to remain.

Sacred Radiance Demon-Breaker

Vast soul power, carrying the power of light, turned into a warm current that surged through En Zuo's limbs and bones. The Nightmare Power within his body was scattered by the immense power of light, melting away like ice and snow before turning to ash.

But this only treated the symptoms, not the root cause.

The Nightmare Power in En Zuo's body originated from his martial soul. En Ci did not dare recklessly allow his soul power to invade the martial soul, so he could not completely eliminate the Nightmare Power within En Zuo.

En Ci said in a deep voice, "Your teacher has no solution for the Nightmare Power within your martial soul for now. When we return this time, I will consult ancient texts and see if there is a cure. To prevent you from being too deeply corrupted by Nightmare Power, your teacher will personally come find you every month from now on and completely purge the Nightmare Power from your body, removing the lingering poison."

"This disciple understands."

En Zuo stood where he was. Demon Ding had slowly awakened and lazily flapped its wings before landing on En Ci's shoulder.

Demon Ding tilted its head, curiously looking at its master's teacher.

A faint smile squeezed onto En Ci's aged face. He stroked Demon Ding's round little head. "Demon Ding, you must keep a close watch on En Zuo."