Chapter 149: Fangs Emerging from the Shadows

Tiyelu possessed the ability to convey messages using soul avatars, and at the very least, she could pull someone into the sacred mountain known as the Holy Land—Vilyric had seen this with her own eyes.

But that little butterfly only sent Min Chen to fulfill the agreement with the Priestess, after which it never showed its face again.

Aside from intentionally avoiding Vilyric, the only reason the Priestess could think of was that something significant happened in the Illusion Realm, and that annoying butterfly was too busy dealing with it to be distracted.

On this point, Vilyric had already inquired with Min Chen and Chief Vanessa. Their explanation was that Tiyelu was indeed handling some situations “inside the door” and had informed the outside world in advance. To deal with the trouble better, she temporarily retracted the soul threads that had been scattered in the outside world, so now they could only wait for Tiyelu to actively contact “outside the door.”

It sounded like a pretty grim situation, but Mr. Gatekeeper confidently thumped his chest to assure her—”Don’t worry, Miss Vilyric! This type of situation isn’t new! That butterfly may seem unreliable, but she’s sneakier than anyone else. If a formidable enemy really showed up, they would’ve cried for help already. She has guarded the Holy Land for over a thousand years and knows the Illusion Realm better than anyone. It won’t be easy for any trouble to occur.”

Since even Min Chen, who was on close terms with Tiyelu and guarded the gates of the Illusion Realm, said so, Vilyric had her concerns but didn’t press further.

She somewhat delicately conveyed Xi Fu Lin’s warning, but whether Min Chen took it to heart was beyond Vilyric’s control. However, judging by his hurried return to the Holy Land, he might have regarded it seriously.

Min Chen had explicitly told Vilyric that there was indeed a door leading to the Illusion Realm in the core area of the Mountains of Ten Thousand Demons, but it had already been sealed off by Tiyelu using some method.

That door could neither be opened casually nor carelessly, so until Tiyelu actively sought help, all they could do was wait and scour for any anomalies within the magical beasts, based on the information that the Priestess got from the mountain wolves and the Puppeteer Clan.

What they need now is an opportunity and a way in.

Although the true disaster had started to rear its head, Vilyric hadn’t gathered enough intelligence yet. At the very least, she couldn’t definitively identify who was opening the two realms, where they were doing this, or what their purpose might be.

Thus, when Lulu, another Spirit Butterfly, mentioned that she temporarily couldn’t return to her clan’s territory, Vilyric immediately linked this with Tiyelu, who was closely related to that clan.

Sure enough, Lulu shyly scratched her face and revealed some shocking information.

“Ahaha… actually, I don’t know why, but our Spirit Butterfly clan’s territory is temporarily sealed off. I went back once before, only to find I couldn’t get in. Even knocking on the door didn’t get a response, so I had no choice but to…”

Noticing that the Priestess seemed particularly interested in this matter, Xiao Lan quickly chimed in to add her own insights.

“Lulu’s not wrong. I accompanied her back then. The Spirit Butterfly clan territory is located on a high mountain called Spirit Butterfly Peak, which is usually shrouded in mist, and you can’t see what’s inside. When we went there last time, the fog was even thicker, and once you walked into the mountains, you couldn’t see anything at all.”

“Um… actually, we Spirit Butterflies created that mist on purpose. I can’t really go into details about how, but once it forms, outside creatures can’t get in, and no matter how they turn around, they always end up going back the way they came. Even I can’t get through.”

“Spirit Butterfly Peak… high mountain… shrouded in mist…?”

The Priestess furrowed her brows.

Why does it sound so familiar?

Strange…

…

“This must be Spirit Butterfly Peak… Hehe, I can see they were well-prepared. No wonder that Holy Ancestor is sharp and decisive,”

Underneath the misty peaks, a tall figure with a peculiar mask carved with strange patterns and long gray hair looked up at the verdant ancient peak, a smirk curving at the corners of his mouth.

“If Tiyelu were still around, I’d naturally keep my distance, but now that she’s firmly stuck and has her hands tied, it’s a bit lacking with just you butterfly folks to contend with…”

“Xier, everything is ready.”

From a distance, a girl with gray hair, only shoulder-length, quickly approached with several diverse figures exuding a strong aura, handing over a peculiar talisman that was neither gold nor jade.

“Thank you for your hard work, Aileen, for accompanying me to do this.”

The masked figure—Xier gently cupped the girl’s cheek. Coming from a slum background, Aileen’s skin was naturally not as tender as those noble ladies who maintained their skin daily, but the young girl’s face was not that rough either; in fact, it was more full of the flavor of life and authenticity.

Not intentionally dodging the proximity, Aileen simply lowered her head slightly, a complex look flashing in her eyes.

“There’s no hardship in this; all the effort we’ve put in is just to prepare for this moment, to secure a bright future, it’s just a necessary sacrifice… But I am still a bit worried. We initially planned to stir up the conflict between the United Kingdom and the Mountains of Ten Thousand Demons, causing the magical beasts to be too preoccupied to interfere with us. But now that our plan has failed, both sides have ended up cooperating. Will that…?”

Placing a slender white finger on Aileen’s lips, Xier interrupted the girl’s concerns.

“It’s alright; these are all manageable variables. Capturing Noviya Moonshadow was, sure enough, for the purpose you mentioned, but more importantly, it is to pinpoint the true Source of Magic through her. Everything else is just incidental.”

“Then, if we launch such a conspicuous attack on Spirit Butterfly Peak, what if the magical beasts notice…?”

Xier smiled slightly.

“So what if they do? Not to mention whether they can intervene in time, I’ve been lying in wait for this day for years, quietly gathering strength, preparing plans, racing across the world… Now that the conditions are ripe, aside from Holy Ancestor Tiyelu and our great Mr. Gatekeeper, who in the Mountains of Ten Thousand Demons could possibly stop us? Those so-called three pillars?”

“Xier, I think it’s best to be cautious. No one knows what kind of powerful beings lurk in the shadows of this world. Although we’ve done adequate investigation, we can’t rule out the unexpected. Weren’t you previously faced with that mysterious expert that appeared in Clovis Town?”

When Aileen brought this up, the expression partially revealed beneath Xier’s mask gradually turned grave.

“Yeah, your concerns are well-grounded. Caution can indeed keep a ship afloat for ten thousand years. Besides that mysterious expert, we should also be wary of the Grim Reaper’s Scythe from Demon Town. Although they’re not worth mentioning individually, if all four team up, they would be quite troublesome… However, both parties belong to the United Kingdom faction, so they likely won’t appear deep in the Mountains of Ten Thousand Demons in the short term. We just need to act swiftly.”

“Okay, I’ll follow your lead… Let’s hope everything goes smoothly.”

   

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