Everyone Is Non-Human Except Me [Rebirth] Chapter 67

The moment he broke into the Wuqi illusion, Yun Yongzhou saw the Dark Witch Princess, Sha Hua.

She looked the same as seven years ago… and yet not quite.

“You’re late.”

The words struck true, shattering the composure Yun Yongzhou had barely managed to hold onto.

Sha Hua tugged at the hem of her gown and slowly descended the stairs formed by tangled flower branches. Her pure white eyes followed the trace of the golden crow’s demonic aura. With a faint smile, she said, “You know, just now I almost mistook him for you.”

Yun Yongzhou clenched his fists, forcing down his anger. “Where is he?”

“Oh, our dear Golden Crow has really changed his tune. Not like seven years ago, when you threatened me directly with your light blades,” Sha Hua said as she pushed back the veil beside her cheek. “You care so much about him now.”

The flame on Yun Yongzhou’s forehead flared brighter, nearly bursting through the veins he was suppressing.

“No need to rush,” Sha Hua’s voice grew distant, tinged with mockery. “He’s just like you were back then—living out the life he most longs for in the Nightmare Realm. Weren’t you the same? These nightmares weren’t of my making. You chose them yourselves.”

Yun Yongzhou felt a chill run down his back.

He knew better than anyone how terrifying this nightmare realm was. He had lived it. It was a swamp more horrifying than paradise—once you sank into it and abandoned the real world, your soul would be forever trapped within the bian flower, never able to return.

“Where is he?” Yun Yongzhou asked again, his voice cold as ice.

Sha Hua’s red veil fluttered in the night breeze, her smile cruel. “Why don’t you try and find him? Aren’t you so good at that?”

The smile slowly faded from Yun Yongzhou’s face.

A blade of light shot toward Sha Hua, aimed directly at her throat. Its sharp tip lifted her veil, revealing a terrifying scar on her snow-white neck.

“So you don’t even have your voice anymore.”

The light blade passed straight through her illusion and circled back to Yun Yongzhou’s side.

Sha Hua’s expression flickered, but she still tried to maintain her air of superiority. “Right back at you. Are you really any better than I am?”

“Yes, right back at you,” Yun Yongzhou repeated, stepping toward her. The flame tattoo on his forehead spread to the corner of his right eye. The red mark made his pale face appear even more stark, and the murderous intent he had kept hidden now erupted without restraint. Only in this moment did he truly resemble a terrifying demon.

“There are only two things you need to know.”

“First, I know what your weakness is.” Yun Yongzhou’s lips curled into a bone-chilling smile.

Sha Hua’s illusion began to tremble uncontrollably. “You… you’re just bluffing! If all of them are trapped in the nightmare realm, then all of their demon power is mine! You think I’d still be afraid of you at that point? I’ll protect who I want to protect. You can’t threaten me!”

Yun Yongzhou acted as if he hadn’t heard her. He looked up at the false blue sky above Wuqi City, and the moment he lowered his gaze, a blazing fire ignited all around him. The flames surged higher and higher, consuming every illusion in their path. In the heart of the inferno stood Yun Yongzhou in his black combat gear—indistinguishable from a death god in h*ll.

Sha Hua shut her eyes. She could feel her carefully constructed illusion being incinerated by his true Golden Crow flame. When she opened her eyes again, even her usually ethereal voice carried a trace of fury. “Even if you find him, so what? No one can help him escape the nightmare realm—not even you.”

“Second…” Yun Yongzhou ignored her words and continued, his voice calm as ever.

“There’s not a single demon in this world that I, Yun Yongzhou, cannot kill.”

At last, Sha Hua’s murderous aura caved beneath Yun Yongzhou’s killing intent.

The illusion shattered. There was no prosperous, orderly city, no blue sky or green trees. The once-thriving Wuqi City was now a vast expanse of ruins. On those desolate ashes bloomed countless massivebian flowers, their buds tightly closed—blazing red against the grey wasteland.

Each flower trapped a soul that had lost its sense of self.

“Go ahead and look. There are so many of them,” Sha Hua’s voice drifted from afar, as aimless as the rootless petals. “But you’d best remember our deal.”

His mind was on the verge of shutting down. He couldn’t spare a second for that so-called Dark Witch Princess. Coldly, he spat out, “You’re not worthy.” And with that, he unfurled his snow-white wings and flew toward the flowers without a moment’s hesitation.

Sha Hua’s voice grew fainter and fainter.

“If it were me, I wouldn’t want to wake up from such a beautiful dream either. As long as it brings happiness, what’s the difference between dream and reality? Yun Yongzhou… looks like this time, you won’t even be able to keep his soul. All you’ll take with you is a cheap imitation of a body.”

“He will wake up.”

Though Yun Yongzhou said it, his hands were shaking—trembling violently. He, too, had once been trapped in this realm. He knew the nightmare realm sprang from the deepest desires and regrets of the heart. It offered everything one could never attain. It erased all lingering sorrow. Within the dream, your soul could live out a perfect, blissful life.

Seven years ago, he had almost remained in that false, happy ending.

Now he searched desperately among the ruins, using his Xihe Eyes to scan each flower for the real body. It was like wandering a red labyrinth. His heart pounded faster, more chaotically. Fate seemed to be repeating itself—sand forever slipping through his fingers.

One flower.

Then another.

None of them were him.

Just as the fire in his chest was about to extinguish, he suddenly sensed a matching frequency. It was his own Golden Crow demon energy—at another spot in the ruins, a flame ignited, as if calling to him: I’m here.

Yun Yongzhou followed that heat and flew over.

Found him.

In front of him was a blooming black-red flower in the darkness. Beneath its petals laid the result.

Yun Yongzhou lowered his head, a pair of slender light blades appearing in his hands.

I really don’t want to lose you.

The moment he saw Wei Huan open his eyes, the frantic beating of Yun Yongzhou’s heart finally calmed down. He truly hadn’t expected Wei Huan not to be lost in that dream.

Thank goodness. He came out on his own.

The taut string in his heart finally loosened. Yun Yongzhou, drenched in cold sweat, was almost at a loss for words. He felt like someone had pulled him out of a freezing pit in the dead of winter—cold all over. Only now did he realize how precious a false alarm could be. After all these years, he finally made it in time. He didn’t miss it.

Maybe it was telepathy—when Wei Huan opened his eyes and saw Yun Yongzhou, he didn’t doubt for even a second that this was just another illusion from the Dark Witch Princess. He could feel it—this was Yun Yongzhou. He had truly come.

The enclosing red petals were sliced apart in an instant by a light blade, drifting gently to the ground.

With a flick of his wrist, Yun Yongzhou’s golden blades cut through the flower core binding Wei Huan. With the support gone, Wei Huan’s body weakened, knees buckled—and before the long blade transformed from his wristband could hold him up, his body had already fallen forward.

But he simply collapsed into Yun Yongzhou’s arms.

Wei Huan’s forehead rested against Yun Yongzhou’s shoulder. He felt the arms wrap around his back. That missing piece in his heart finally felt like it had returned, fitting perfectly into place. It was no longer empty.

“You okay?”

He heard Yun Yongzhou’s voice, and so he nodded against his shoulder. Then his gaze fell on Yun Yongzhou’s hand.

“Your hand’s shaking.” Wei Huan looked up, a little nervous. “Did you run into those monsters too? Are you hurt?”

Yun Yongzhou instinctively pulled his hand back slightly. “No.”

Not shaking? Didn’t run into monsters? Or not injured? Three options popped into his head, begging for him to choose.

Wei Huan thought for a moment. Since he couldn’t figure it out, he might as well test it. He reached out and grabbed Yun Yongzhou’s hand.

“See? It’s shaking.” Wei Huan held up the “evidence,” brows furrowing slightly. “Your hand’s so cold.”

Just as Yun Yongzhou was about to pull his hand away, Wei Huan caught it with both of his. “Instructor Yun, your hands weren’t like this before. You used to be so warm—you’re a Golden Crow, how come your hands are this cold?” He earnestly rubbed them a couple of times, and only let go when he saw the redness return. Then he looked up at Yun Yongzhou. “Did that Dark Witch Princess freeze you or something? I bet she did, using her weird magic again…”

Wei Huan abruptly stopped. He froze, because Yun Yongzhou was using his sleeve to gently wipe his face.

Just a moment ago, he had been chattering nonstop, and now he was like a rabbit with its neck pinched—too stunned to move.

“…I’m bleeding?” Wei Huan asked awkwardly, lifting his hand to check, but Yun Yongzhou caught his wrist.

“Don’t move.”

Wei Huan didn’t struggle. He just gave a small “oh,” and then started laughing—light-hearted and carefree. “Must just be a scratch. I didn’t even feel it.”

Is that so?

Yun Yongzhou patiently wiped it away, bit by bit.

How painful must the dream have been, for tears of blood to fall?

Wei Huan didn’t know what was wrong with him. He clearly hadn’t been hoping for Yun Yongzhou to show up. In fact, even if he hadn’t come, nothing would’ve changed. But now that he was here, Wei Huan instead felt… a little sad.

Like when you’re truly wronged—if no one comes to comfort you, you can grit your teeth and get through it, pretend like nothing happened. But once someone shows they care, all that pent-up sadness floods out like a dam breaking—impossible to stop.

Once it was clean, Yun Yongzhou lowered his hand. He saw Wei Huan avert his gaze, eyes lowered, voice muffled.

“Why did you come?”

“Because you didn’t listen.”

Wei Huan suddenly looked up, his eyes misty. “I did listen. But I couldn’t not come. I…”

At times like this, the truth always got stuck in his throat.

“And I told you,” Wei Huan pressed his lips together, “I told you to wait for me to come back. But you said you didn’t want to wait.”

“…So I came.”

Wei Huan froze.

So when he said he didn’t want to wait, it meant—he wanted to come find me.

He suddenly remembered something the Dark Witch Princess had said. “How did you know where to find this place? Had you been here before? How did you find me?” He fired off a barrage of questions, staring into Yun Yongzhou’s eyes—only to see a distinct “no comment” expression. His heart sank again, just a little.

But then Yun Yongzhou actually answered.

“Yes. I’ve been here. I’ve been trapped here too.”

Wei Huan felt like something struck him right in the heart.

He had really been here.

Then… why had he come? What had he sacrificed? He wanted to keep asking. This had long become a knot in his heart—an old wound festering over time. Every time he thought about it, he wished he could cut it open, see what secrets were buried inside. But he was also afraid. Afraid that knot was just his own foolish delusion.

His thoughts drifted back to the dream he’d just had. In it, everything was perfect. Everyone was still there. He was still the little Nine Phoenix who could command the wind and rain.

But there was no Yun Yongzhou.

The “opponent” he had chased for so long in his last life—completely absent.

He didn’t know why the dream was like that. It was as if all memories of Yun Yongzhou had been deliberately carved out, wiped clean. And that had ironically become his only escape route from the dream.

But…

If it had been Yun Yongzhou in the dream, perhaps there wouldn’t have been a Wei Huan either.

“So you made it out in the end too. Well, of course—you’re Yun Yongzhou.” Wei Huan eventually changed the question he was going to ask, deliberately putting on a careless smile. “Then what did you dream about?”

Yun Yongzhou looked into his eyes.

“I’ll tell you when you’re ready to tell me your dream.”

Wei Huan’s pupils dilated slightly.

This…

This golden crow is way too cunning. What golden crow—he’s clearly a fox!

A fox?

“Oh no,” Wei Huan suddenly smacked his own head, “We need to go save Shanyue and the others.”

It was all Yun Yongzhou’s fault for showing up so perfectly timed—he had almost forgotten about his teammates.

“Don’t hit your—” Yun Yongzhou hadn’t even caught his hand yet before Wei Huan darted off. He didn’t even hear what Yun Yongzhou said. The moment he saw the ruins full of flowers, his head began to ache. “D*mn, why are there so many?” He turned to look at Yun Yongzhou. “Are these all demons trapped in the bian flowers by the Dark Witch Princess?”

Yun Yongzhou nodded. “It’s her sorcery. Your souls fall into a nightmare realm. If you can’t escape, your demonic power will be drained by her.”

“That’s so messed up. How did the last Dark Witch Princess even pick her as a successor?” Wei Huan muttered as he searched around for traces of the others.

Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice: “Ah-Heng—Little Ling—”

Wei Huan and Yun Yongzhou turned toward the voice at the same time.

“It’s Jing Yun.”

Yun Yongzhou nodded. His wings spread open, and a glowing rope of light extended from his fingertips, wrapping around Wei Huan’s waist and yanking him back into his arms. Before Wei Huan could even react, Yun Yongzhou had already taken flight with him.

“Hold on tight.”

Wei Huan’s heart skipped a beat.

“…Okay.”

Soaring past a collapsed and leaning building, they finally saw a figure in sky-blue combat gear from the Fuyao academy, spinning in place.

“Jing Yun!”

Jing Yun turned at the sound of his name. Seeing Yun Yongzhou and Wei Huan descending from the sky, his eyes welled up instantly, and he ran toward them—only to stop two steps short, letting out a hiccuped sob.

“Wait! You might be fake!” He raised his fists in a defensive stance. “How could Instructor Yun be here? You must be illusions conjured by that witch!”

“Oh, so you do know she’s a witch and not some divine Nuwa or something,” Wei Huan rolled his eyes so hard they nearly flipped upward. “Come on, could she even conjure up someone as handsome and dashing as me?”

“Th-then what about Instructor Yun?” Jing Yun eyed him suspiciously. “Why are you here? We snuck in on our own…”

Yun Yongzhou answered coldly, not bothering to explain further. “I came to find him.”

For some reason, hearing that made Wei Huan’s ears flush, even though it wasn’t anything particularly suggestive. He rubbed the tips of his ears and walked up to Jing Yun. Despite his teasing, he was still a little wary of Jing Yun’s fists. “Seriously, you’re hopelessly naive most of the time, but now you decide to be cautious? Your sense of danger sure knows when to kick in.”

“Put those down.” Wei Huan extended a finger and gently pressed down Jing Yun’s raised fists. “If you punch me now, I might actually die.”

Finally lowering his guard, Jing Yun let out a loud wail and lunged into Wei Huan’s arms. “I was so scared! I thought I’d never see you again!”

Wei Huan instinctively turned his head and saw Yun Yongzhou standing with arms crossed, face turned away.

“I had a super scary dream just now. You guys were all gone. I thought I’d never make it out…”

Wei Huan blinked in surprise. “Wait, wasn’t it supposed to be a beautiful dream?”

Yun Yongzhou stepped forward. “The nightmare realm reflects the opposite of your reality. If you have no regrets in reality, then the dream turns into a nightmare.” As he spoke, he reached out to remove Jing Yun’s arms clinging to Wei Huan, but his first attempt didn’t budge them.

Halfway through crying, Jing Yun looked up at Yun Yongzhou. Wei Huan glanced at him too. Under their stares, Yun Yongzhou abruptly let go and tucked his hands behind his back, looking away.

“There are still three more. Aren’t you going to find them?”

“Right… hic, right.” Jing Yun let go of Wei Huan. “There’s still Classmate Yan, Little Ling, and Qing He. Let’s go find them!” He took off running like a hamster let loose in a maze.

Wei Huan sighed helplessly. “You can fly, you know…”

“Oh—right, I can fly.” Jing Yun came to a halt, then unfurled his wings and lifted off.

Watching him take to the sky, Wei Huan tilted his head and met Yun Yongzhou’s gaze. He forced a smile. “Can we change positions?”

Yun Yongzhou lifted his chin slightly. “What position do you want?”

Something about that felt… off. Wei Huan puffed out his cheeks. “Hmm…”

“Carry sideways.”

Wei Huan refused immediately. “Let’s just do it the same way as before.”

Up ahead, Jing Yun had apparently found Yan Shanyue and Yang Ling. He called out, “Ah Heng! Over here!” Following his voice, Wei Huan saw Yan Shanyue carrying Yang Ling sideways out of a flower’s grasp. His face flushed a little and he muttered under his breath, “Girls are so strong these days…”

Yun Yongzhou said nothing. Wei Huan didn’t press it either. They landed, and he ran over to Yang Ling. She was leaning against the stone wall of the ruins, looking pale. But the moment Wei Huan approached, she immediately snapped into her usual fiery temper.

“What are you looking at? You want to laugh at me?!”

Wei Huan dodged the mini fire-lotus she flung at him with a grin. “Who’d dare laugh at you?”

“Little Ling, are you okay? I was so worried…”

Yun Yongzhou quietly walked over, not saying a word. What he cared about was that, among all of them, only Wei Huan’s face had tear tracks of blood.

Watching Wei Huan and Yang Ling bicker playfully, Yun Yongzhou felt a pang of sorrow. If he had arrived just a little earlier, all of this might have been prevented.

“Where’s Qing He?” Yan Shanyue helped Yang Ling up. “Have you seen him?”

Only now did Wei Huan remember. He found it a bit strange and turned to ask Yun Yongzhou, “Can humans also get trapped in a Nightmare Realm?”

Yun Yongzhou wasn’t sure and could only answer truthfully, “Possibly.”

Jing Yun looked troubled. “But humans don’t have demonic energy, so they’re really hard to find…”

Right, that was a problem.

Wei Huan licked his lips, feeling worried. Then he heard Yun Yongzhou speak: “He’s nearby.”

Everyone circled the ruins, carefully searching. No one dared to recklessly open the closed flowers. Yun Yongzhou held his light blade and slowly walked between the red buds, the sharp tip scraping against the ground with a grating sound.

Finally, he stopped in front of one flower.

Wei Huan saw and walked toward him, pressing his hand against the flower bud and softly saying to Yun Yongzhou, “It’s definitely a human aura.” The ring on his wrist transformed into a blade of light, slicing a seam across the petals.

The petals slowly fell away. Wrapped tightly in the red filaments inside was indeed Qing He. But his eyes were shut, and the filaments had completely covered his face, even winding around his black blindfold.

“The Nightmare Realm can only be broken from the inside,” Yun Yongzhou said calmly. “You can’t help him.”

Yan Shanyue spoke up, “When Yang Ling wouldn’t wake up earlier, I tried talking to her—it seemed to disturb the illusion inside the Nightmare Realm.”

Jing Yun immediately asked, “What did you say? Try saying it to Qing He too, maybe he’ll wake up.”

“No,” Yang Ling cut in. “What Sister Shanyue said to me were things that actually happened to me. Her voice changed something inside my dream, and that’s how I realized something was wrong and escaped. But Qing He never went through those things—saying them won’t help.”

She wasn’t wrong. That method doesn’t work for everyone—unless you know Qing He’s past.

Why was he trapped here? What had happened to him?

Yang Ling nudged Wei Huan’s arm. “Aren’t you his friend? Don’t you know anything about his past?”

“Yeah, Ah Heng.”

“I don’t know.” Wei Huan replied in a low voice. “I don’t know anything about his past.”

Everyone fell into silence again.

“How long can someone stay trapped in a Nightmare Realm before they completely lose their soul?” After a while, Wei Huan finally spoke again.

Yun Yongzhou looked at the red filaments wrapped tightly around Qing He. “He doesn’t have much time. Once the filaments completely engulf him, it’ll be too late.”

This couldn’t go on. He couldn’t just stand by and watch Qing He become an empty shell.

Wei Huan gritted his teeth and chose the most troublesome—but only—path.

“Jing Yun, use the Eye Possession Technique.”

“We have to get him out.”

---

Can’t wait until next week to see more? Want to show your support? Come to my Patreon where you can get 5 or more chapters of Everyone Is Non-Human Except Me [Rebirth] right away ! Or go donate at Paypal or Ko-fi to show your appreciation! :)

---