While in Hollywood, I used Taoist magic to quell American terrorism.

Cao Kun put away the check, then flipped his hand, revealing a talisman.

"This is a love charm." Cao Kun looked at Ivanka.

"I will enter your dream through this talisman and face that red door with you."

The process may be a little uncomfortable; you need to clear your mind and trust me completely.

Ivanka looked at the strange-sounding piece of paper and asked nervously, "What do I need to do?"

"Go upstairs to the guest room and lie down."

In a guest room on the second floor, Ivanka lay flat on a large double bed.

Although it is lying flat, its scale is still spectacular.

Cao Kun: "Don't lie down yet. Come on, take a little blood and drip it onto this talisman."

Ivanka was taken aback: "Blood?"

But soon she sat up and agreed.

With Cao Kun's help, Ivanka quickly dripped a drop of blood onto the love charm.

Then, Cao Kun dripped a drop of his own blood onto it.

Cao Kun: "Alright, lie down."

Seeing Ivanka lie down, Cao Kun also lay down next to her.

Give me your hand.

Ivanka extended her slender, fair right hand, which Cao Kun grasped.

The two palms faced each other, with the love charm sandwiched between them.

Cao Kun could feel that Ivanka's palms were sweaty and her pulse was beating very fast.

"Close your eyes and follow my breathing rhythm."

Cao Kun's voice became deep and magnetic, as if it possessed a kind of hypnotic magic.

Ivanka closed her eyes as instructed.

Gradually, she felt her body become very light, and the surrounding air seemed to disappear.

A mysterious feeling enveloped her, and in the darkness, she saw that chilling red color again.

That was the shadow of the Red Gate.

But this time, before that splash of red, there was a tall, upright figure beside her.

Cao Kun held her hand and stood in the hazy mist, facing the slowly opening, blood-soaked red door.

Seeing this figure and feeling the warmth of his palm, Ivanka felt a strong sense of security.

"No matter what sound you hear, don't turn around."

Cao Kun's voice rang out, shattering the whispering voices of the evil spirits around him.

Ivanka instinctively gripped that warm, large hand tightly in return.

At that moment, this mysterious Chinese man became her only support in this desolate world.

Deep within the mist, a massive figure with a red face slowly rose from the pile of clocks, its crimson eyes fixed intently on Cao Kun.

As the mist swirls, the layers upon layers of ancient clocks begin to tick wildly.

The ticking of the second hand merged into a torrent of anxiety.

"Ivanka... my new doll..."

The red-faced demon let out a piercing scream.

Its wrinkled red face looked particularly ferocious in the gray fog.

It suddenly swung its arm, and countless alarm clocks floating around it, like cannonballs, came crashing down on the two of them with ear-piercing noises.

"Stay behind me and don't let go."

Cao Kun's eyes narrowed slightly. He gripped Ivanka tightly with his left hand and made a grabbing motion in the air with his right.

In Cao Kun's hand, a copper coin sword gleaming with a pale golden light instantly materialized.

"Jingle bells!"

Cao Kun swept his longsword horizontally, and wherever the blade passed, the alarm clocks that were being smashed shattered.

It turned into countless fragmented gears and springs.

"roar!"

When the red-faced demon's attack failed, he leaped down from the pile of clocks.

Its black claws, as sharp as withered tree branches, left several red streaks in the air, aiming straight for Cao Kun's throat.

Cao Kun snorted coldly, and instead of retreating, he advanced, causing Ivanka to stumble.

Seeing this, Cao Kun simply reached out and lifted Ivanka onto his back: "Hold on tight."

Ivanka quickly put one arm around Cao Kun, while continuing to hold his hand with the other.

She clung to Cao Kun's waist, afraid of falling.

Unimpeded, Cao Kun took strange steps, his figure creating numerous afterimages in the mist.

"clang!"

The copper coin sword collided violently with the demon's claws, producing a loud, metallic clang.

A chilling, bone-piercing energy surged along the sword, attempting to penetrate Cao Kun's consciousness.

However, the orange-red magic power rising from Cao Kun instantly dissolved it.

A hint of surprise appeared in the red-faced demon's crimson eyes: "You really are as strong as they said."

"Them?" Cao Kun's heart skipped a beat.

It seems that this red gate was indeed aimed at him.

At least some of them are.

The red-faced demon suddenly opened its mouth, and a thick stream of red smoke billowed out.

It instantly enveloped the entire area within a radius of tens of meters.

"I can't see! Damn! I can't see anything!"

Ivanka screamed in terror.

She felt countless cold little hands around her tugging at her dress, trying to pull her away from Cao Kun.

"Calm your mind! Guard your spirit!"

Cao Kun pressed the tip of his tongue against the roof of his mouth and shouted, "Supreme Star, respond without ceasing."

Exorcise evil spirits and protect your life.

Wisdom is clear and bright, and the mind is at peace.

The three souls are eternal, and the spirit is never lost.

"Hurry, hurry, as the law commands!"

As the incantation was recited, Cao Kun's body shone with golden light.

The thick red mist vanished instantly, like ice and snow meeting the blazing sun.

At this moment, the red-faced demon had already lurked above the two of them.

Its long, thin tail, like a venomous snake, hooked down, its target being the top of Ivanka's head.

Cao Kun sneered.

"Five Thunder Orthodox Method, descend!"

"Boom!"

A thunderclap suddenly resounded in the once silent, desolate land.

"ah--!"

The red-faced demon let out a painful howl as its severed tail was burned into a pool of black water by lightning and fire.

It retreated swiftly, disappearing back into the depths of the mist.

"Would hiding really help?"

Cao Kun felt Ivanka's hand grip his palm even tighter.

The frequency of her trembling showed that she was on the verge of collapse.

"Damn...can we leave here?" Ivanka's voice was trembling with tears.

"Soon."

A glint flashed in Cao Kun's eyes; he could sense that the stability of this dream space was decreasing.

"Show yourself!"

He stomped his foot, and a surge of powerful magic flowed from the sole of his foot into the thick fog on the ground.

"Qimen Dunjia, the formation is activated!"

Instantly, a huge Bagua (Eight Trigrams) light and shadow rose from the ground, centered on the two of them.

Wherever the light passed, all the illusory concealments vanished.

The red-faced demon was crouching on the doorframe of the red door, preparing to launch his final attack.

Seeing that its tracks had been discovered, it stopped hiding and suddenly swelled up.

It transformed into an irregular mass of red flesh, dragging countless black veins, and roared as it crashed into Cao Kun.

"I want this body!"

"You can't afford it."

Cao Kun's expression was cold and stern. With a flick of his left hand, a purple talisman ignited at his fingertips.

"Destroy them!"

Cao Kun suddenly leaped up, and the copper coin sword in his hand transformed into a golden dragon several meters long.

It pierced straight towards that mass of red flesh.

"Bang--!"

A violent explosion occurred in the dream, and the blinding light forced Ivanka to close her eyes.

She felt a wave of heat wash over her, but the hand holding her remained as steady as a mountain.