God of Illusions

Time passed slowly. The moment when one was awaiting the arrival of challengers would always be unbearable and exhausting. This was even more so for Bai Xiaofei’s group as they waited for an existence that could potentially destroy them all. 

Meanwhile, the Toxic Overlord Butterfly, who had escaped from the fight earlier, was gasping for breath on top of a massive tree. What happened earlier was truly too shocking for him. When he thought back to what he had experienced, shock was the only thing he felt.

“Is it time for me to start following a royal as well? I keep having a feeling that things are going to change here in the Infinite Mountain Range,” muttered the Toxic Overlord Butterfly. He then took out the torn map he had received from Bai Xiaofei. Sensing the bizarre undulation within the map, he eased up somewhat. If he relied on strength alone, he would not catch the fancy of any royals. Thus, he needed something else, and this torn map would be the best offering for a royal. In any case, he no longer had any chance of obtaining the complete map. Since that was the case, there was no harm in using it to get a strong backer.

While the Toxic Overlord Butterfly was busy thinking about his future plans, the silent forest suddenly erupted in clamor. Greatly shocked, the butterfly refocused his attention on his surroundings. Unfortunately, it was too late. A figure flashed past and instantly pressed the Toxic Overlord Butterfly to the ground. Then, a massive silver wolf appeared. The wolf’s sharp teeth could be clearly seen as drops of viscous saliva dripped onto the Toxic Overlord Butterfly’s body.

“You must have escaped from the source of the aftershock. Tell me. What’s happening there?”

A calm voice rang out as a wolf, looking similar to the wolf pressing the Toxic Overlord Butterfly to the ground, appeared. This new wolf was three times larger than the wolf on the butterfly, and his entire body was covered in golden fur. The golden wolf slowly walked out of the woods, and behind him, a silver wolf was following closely.

“L-Lord Gold!”

“Did you not hear our lord’s question?” asked the silver wolf on the Toxic Overlord Butterfly, interrupting the stuttering butterfly.

“There is an injured royal magical beast, a human below the King Rank and two Earth Infants guarding the injured royal. But now, a Berserk Gorilla and an Earth Demonic Bear are there as well. I reckon that royal won’t survive much longer,” replied the Toxic Overlord Butterfly. Despite the panic he was in, he was still able to maintain clear thought and clearly articulate all he knew.

“So it’s really a royal. Do you know which royal?” asked the golden wolf with joy in his eyes.

“A fox! But I can’t see clearly which magical beast it is exactly, as she has used some unknown method to transform into a half-humanoid form.”

“It’s actually a fox?” the golden wolf cried out in alarm; the joy in his eyes became even more apparent.

“Lord, the message we received from the Earth Demonic Bear was that he had encountered a powerful enemy. I doubt the situation is as simple as what the Toxic Overlord Butterfly has said,” said the wolf behind the golden wolf in a low voice. His voice was filled with caution.

“The fox clan has been waning for many years. It is impossible that this royal has reached the Transmogrify Rank. So she must have used some secret technique to assume a human form. In this situation, she is at most a King Rank magical beast. What is there to fear?” said the golden wolf with a sneer. He was filled with confidence.

The golden wolf added, “But your words make sense as well. We just need to be careful.” Although he was strong, he was not willfully arrogant, as was clearly shown from the words he had spoken.

“Lord, what should we do to this butterfly?” asked the silver wolf on top of the butterfly. When the butterfly heard the question, he started shivering.

“Lord! I have a treasure to offer you! I wish to become one of your underlings! I will obey all your commands!” offered the Toxic Overlord Butterfly. He knew that this was the last chance he had to swear fealty to this wolf.

“Oh? Treasure?” replied the golden wolf. His eyes lit up as his interest was piqued.

“This is it! An ancient map! Although I only have one of the three pieces, the other two pieces are on the two other King Rank magical beasts. I can lead the way for you!” said the Toxic Overlord Butterfly as he quickly sent the map to the golden wolf. The golden wolf scanned the map before a smile formed on his face.

“This is indeed no simple object. You did well,” said the golden wolf, immediately placating the butterfly’s anxious heart. But what the golden wolf said next sent a chill up the butterfly’s spine.

“However, we are already here so I don’t need you to lead the way. Just hand me your strength as well. That will be sufficient,” said the golden wolf casually. The moment he said that, a cold glint shone on the silver wolf’s claws as the butterfly was instantly split into two. His magic core rolled out, and after the silver wolf picked it up, he presented it to the golden wolf.

“This is your reward. A King Rank magic core is enough for you to grow stronger. There is a royal fox waiting for me there!” said the golden wolf. He was in an excellent mood. After saying those words, he started leisurely heading toward Hu Xian’er’s location.

“Thank you, lord!” said the silver wolf with his head lowered before quickly following behind the golden wolf. The Toxic Overlord Butterfly had not fled too far. In short, the three wolves were in fact not too far from Bai Xiaofei’s location. Therefore, even though they walked slowly, it did not take them long to reach. But what they saw when they arrived caused all their joy to vanish. The golden wolf had underestimated everything that was happening here.

Several beasts had been killed, their dismembered bodies strewn everywhere. The three wolves were unable to see how they were killed. In fact, it was even hard to see that these were the bodies of actual magical beasts. The golden wolf had relied on his sharp nose to come here. But now that he had arrived, apart from the stench of blood, there was also a stink and spicy smell lingering around the ruin. Here, let alone following the trail based on smell, even breathing was difficult.

Since they could no longer rely on smell, they could only rely on their eyes. But this ruin was completely empty. Only numerous marks left behind by battles could be seen.

“This is a spectacular disguise. But if my guess is right, you are all still here!” the golden wolf roared suddenly after frowning for a while. His loud voice reverberated around the ruin, yet he received no reply. Such straightforward bait would not work on Bai Xiaofei.

“You two, start howling!” ordered the golden wolf in a cold tone. Anger started rising within him when he saw that his attempt at baiting had failed. The two silver wolves stepped forward, braced for the vile smell, and stood at the center of the ruin. Before howling, they took in a deep breath, a deep breath that nearly caused them to faint from the vile smell. Fortunately, they were King Rank magical beasts, and their physique helped them survive the vile smell. Next, terrifying sound waves spread out from the two wolves. Everything around them started crumbling apart upon the sound waves hitting them.