Chapter Sixty-Six: Frightening the Novelist to Tears

"How could this be?" Hu Haiyan recoiled in terror, stumbling backward until she landed heavily in the water, staring in utter disbelief at the version of herself before her.

"You and I are both fake—nothing but fakes," the reflection in the water said as it surfaced, meeting her gaze.

"Impossible. I am who I am..." Hu Haiyan insisted, her tone unwavering.

The moment she uttered those words, the scenery around her dissolved. The chirping of birds, the fragrant blossoms, the tranquil lake—gone. In their place lay a field littered with skulls and severed human limbs.

The lake had become a pool of gore, a viscous mire of blood and flesh.

The air reeked of blood, an odor so thick it assaulted Hu Haiyan's nerves, making her wretchedly uncomfortable.

"It's all fake! Fake!" she screamed, running wildly for her life, but no matter how far she fled, she could not escape this world.

"Doll! I know it's you! Come out!" Her eyes were brimming with tears, on the verge of breaking down in terror.

Only then did she finally return to reality. Facing the doll before her, her legs had gone weak from fear.

"You are an uncanny being." These were her first words.

She had long heard from Wang Hui that this doll was an uncanny creature, but only now, after the official statement from Huaxia, did she fully understand: this doll was an uncanny being.

The doll wore that same unsettling smile and, hearing her speak, only nodded in response.

"My... my novel characters are all fictional. Any resemblance is purely coincidental..." She immediately thought the doll had been drawn to her by her novel and hurried to explain, hoping to absolve herself by claiming coincidence, that it had nothing to do with her.

"Do you really think I'd believe that?" Feng Tianlin asked with a smile.

"I..." Hu Haiyan was at a loss for words.

"I'm not here to stop you from writing your doll novel. In fact, I'm quite interested in it. Could you update it a little faster?" Feng Tianlin tilted his head as he spoke.

"You're here to rush me for updates?" Hu Haiyan was bewildered.

"Hahaha." Feng Tianlin laughed twice, then his tone abruptly shifted. "Of course not!"

"Then why have you come to see me? It couldn't just be a coincidence, could it?" Hu Haiyan was on the verge of tears again.

"Good news. Would you like to cooperate with me?" Feng Tianlin said with a smile.

"Cooperate?"

"That's right. Cooperation. I can provide you with terrifying ideas, and you continue to write about the doll."

"What benefit is there for you?"

"You needn't worry about that. Just know that it's greatly advantageous for you."

Hu Haiyan fell silent, recalling a Western legend: devils would seek out people in the mortal world to sign contracts, thus devouring their souls.

According to the Encyclopedia of Uncanny Creatures on the internet, Western devils were also considered uncanny beings, and this doll was clearly Western in nature. Was it here to make a pact and claim her soul?

With that thought, she slowly looked up at Feng Tianlin and asked, "How do we cooperate?"

"Don't worry. It's simple—I just need to place something in your mind. It's essentially a contract, but it won't affect you at all."

A contract?

Hu Haiyan was certain now—this doll was definitely a devil.

What should she do? Was her soul about to be consumed? Her bright future had only just begun, and now she was about to perish?

No! She couldn't give up so easily!

"Oh my god, what's that?!" she exclaimed, pointing behind Feng Tianlin with a look of terror.

"What's there?" Feng Tianlin wondered, glancing back, but saw nothing.

"There's nothing there." By the time he turned back around, Hu Haiyan had already bolted.

Seeing her run, Feng Tianlin was dumbfounded. He instantly teleported and tackled her to the ground.

"I'm not going to eat you. Why are you running?" he asked in confusion.

"You may not eat me, but you want to devour my soul!" Hu Haiyan replied, aggrieved, realizing escape was futile.

"Devour your soul? I'm not a ghost—I'm a doll! What's gotten into you?" Feng Tianlin was even more puzzled. Why would this girl think that?

Demons might devour souls, but she was just watching the show from behind.

At that moment, Hu Haiyan pointed behind him again, face stricken with terror.

"Oh, come on! Are you done? You think I'd fall for the same trick twice? If you don't want to, that's fine. I won't force you." Feng Tianlin was exasperated.

"No, there's really someone behind you!" Hu Haiyan screamed in fright.

Before the words had fully left her mouth, Feng Tianlin's pupils contracted sharply and he leapt aside.

Just as he did so, a searing ball of fire lit up the night sky and hurtled down at Hu Haiyan.

Against the flames, Hu Haiyan's body stood no chance—she was instantly engulfed, reduced to ashes.

"Who are you!" Feng Tianlin rose to his feet, glaring angrily at the two humanoid uncanny beings behind him.

He was truly furious. He had hoped to recruit that girl, have her write novels for him every day, reaping endless terror points. Unexpectedly, those two uncanny beings had killed her.

The two uncanny creatures looked nearly identical, both with human features, but their skin was cracked and expressionless, dressed in ancient garb from a bygone era.

The one on the left wore green, the one on the right wore blue—both exuded an unfathomable aura, at least at the legendary Origin Opening Realm.

Before he could think further, they attacked again. This time he saw clearly—the one in green spat fire, the one in blue spat water.

But this was no ordinary water; standing still, Feng Tianlin could already sense its devouring force. If it touched him, his energy would be drained instantly.

But who was he? He was the king of uncanny beings, the Nightmare Doll!

He swiftly used teleportation to evade, then looked up at the two uncanny creatures. "No uncanny being can harm me in the slightest! Uncanny Domain—open!"

With a thunderous cry, the world instantly turned red. This meant they had entered the Uncanny Domain, and with them came Long Mengting and the others, who had been watching from afar.

Qi Xuan and Bai Lan had intended to intervene, but upon entering the Uncanny Domain, they changed their minds. In this realm, no uncanny being could defy his command.

Feng Tianlin thought the same, so as soon as he entered, he issued an order to the two invaders: "Attack each other!"

But the two uncanny beings did not react at all—if anything, they seemed disdainful.

Uneasy, Feng Tianlin repeated the command, "Attack each other!"

The one in green glanced around the Uncanny Domain, then laughed aloud. "Hahaha, just as the Venom Empress predicted—you really are the one who stole the Demon Domain!"

The one in blue added, "That's right. The true leader of uncanny beings can only be the great Venom Empress!"

Stole the Demon Domain? That wasn’t exactly wrong—he had seized it after all.

And with those words, it was clear the Venom Empress had sent them to kill him. Were they here to deliver this information?

He said no more, turning instead to Long Mengting and the others.

"I'll handle the one in blue with Long Mengting and the rest. Qi Xuan, you and Bai Lan take care of the one in green."

At his words, the two uncanny beings revealed their preparations. They stood back to back, laughing loudly.

"We’ve long heard you have Origin Opening Realm uncanny beings at your side, but lacking resources, at best you have first or second tier. We are third tier Origin Opening Realm!"

As they spoke, they caught sight of Qi Xuan and Bai Lan, whose auras were far stronger than their own.