Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Four: The Gathering Storm

Winter nights always arrive particularly early. Even though flying saved a lot of time, by the time Vilyric and the others reached the vicinity of Spirit Butterfly Peak, it was already getting dark.

The snow seemed to cover a vast area, as the surrounding mountains were tightly wrapped in a thick white blanket, making it hard to see clearly.

The three women descended from the sky, their feet crunching in the thick snow with a “puff puff” sound. Vilyric looked up at the foggy peaks before her, a glimmer of understanding flashing in her silver-blue eyes.

“As expected… it really resembles it.”

“What resembles what, Miss Vilyric?”

Xiao Lan, who shot her a curious glance, shook her head with a smile. The Priestess didn’t go into detail and instead turned to Lulu, the little butterfly.

“It’s nothing. Lulu, do you think we can’t enter Spirit Butterfly Peak because of the clouds and fog surrounding it?”

“Exactly, Miss Vilyric! That’s the defensive magic array set by the Holy Ancestor on Spirit Butterfly Peak. Although it doesn’t have direct killing power, once activated, it will suppress all intruders and cause them to lose their way in the mountains, eventually forcing them to return mysteriously. It’s incredibly powerful!”

Seeing Lulu’s proud expression, as if she was the one who designed the magic array, Vilyric couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Indeed, it’s quite impressive—impressive enough that your little butterfly self is locked out here too.”

“Ugh… Miss Vilyric, how unfair!”

Lulu’s antennae, which had just perked up, instantly drooped down.

“Haha, just kidding.”

Returning to serious matters, the Spirit Butterfly Clan naturally wouldn’t randomly activate Tiyelu’s defensive array. Such an action would imply they sensed something, perhaps receiving a warning or command from the Holy Ancestor.

In other words, enemies were either about to invade or had already invaded Spirit Butterfly Peak.

However, this raised another question.

Why didn’t the Spirit Butterfly Clan directly seek help from other magical beast races and the three main pillars, instead of silently closing their doors and holding their ground?

The situation for the Spirit Butterfly Clan was completely different from that of the Mountain Wolves back then. Not to mention having Tiyelu as a powerful backing, the Spirit Butterfly Clan was one of the more mysterious and strong races within the Mountains of Ten Thousand Demons. If they spoke up, there would be no shortage of races willing to lend a hand.

Yet they didn’t do so—why? Did they distrust other races, or… did they think they weren’t qualified to participate?

Or perhaps it was a bit of both?

Considering how familiar this place felt to Vilyric, it seemed this matter was much bigger in scope, and the layers of the game at play were likely more outrageous than imagined…

Interesting.

However, it was precisely because she anticipated these things that the Priestess chose not to fully disclose the true purpose of their trip to Chief Vanessa, opting instead to bring only a few companions to hurry and investigate.

“Miss Vilyric, it seems like a creature has been here; look, the footprints are still visible.”

Xiao Lan carefully handed Vilyric back the experimental flight wings she had been carrying, and at the same time, she quickly noticed the unusual traces in the snow around them.

“Hmm, it seems there were quite a few.”

Placing the tested prototype back into her backpack, the Priestess also looked around, already having some conjectures in mind.

With such heavy snowfall, if there were only a few traces, they would soon be covered entirely by the blizzard. However, noticeable footprints were everywhere, along with some large tracks that clearly did not belong to humanoid creatures, indicating that the other party hadn’t left for long and had made quite a stir.

It seemed they truly caught the tail end of something; such a big commotion meant they had significant intentions.

If it weren’t for the heavy snow blocking information to some extent, even if the Spirit Butterfly Clan hadn’t called for help, their actions would probably have already attracted attention from other magical beast races.

“Miss Vilyric, there are probably at least over a thousand, or even more… Last time we came, it was so calm here. Who would have thought you were right!”

Xiao Lan bent down to examine the footprints and couldn’t help but show a solemn expression, while Lulu, with her less experience and being a member of the Spirit Butterfly Clan, became particularly anxious.

“So many enemies have gone in?! Miss Vilyric, we need to hurry and help!”

“Miss Vilyric, what should we do now? Should we report this situation to the Moonshadow Clan?”

“… Let’s not rush.”

Since it was confirmed that Spirit Butterfly Peak had suffered a large-scale invasion, it was indeed time to notify Chief Vanessa. Not to hope for their help but to keep the three main pillars alert, letting them know that the enemy had started acting, and also to prepare for any subsequent necessary actions.

After all, one must always be prepared for the worst-case scenario. Moreover, under normal circumstances, it would take at least 2-3 days for the Moonshadow Clan to arrive. By then, the situation would surely have already settled one way or another.

After thinking for a moment, Vilyric decided to contact Xiao Guang through the contract to briefly convey the situation here to the higher-ups of the Moonshadow Clan.

Contacting through the contract only required a thought, but… after the information was sent, for some reason, there was no response for a long time.

What’s going on?

A slight jolt ran through the Priestess’s heart, but she maintained her composure, showing no unusual expressions.

Then she thought, even if they really encountered a powerful enemy, with Little Dragon Daughter’s strength, it would be impossible for her to not have the chance to call for help through the contract. Not to mention, she had just left Moonshadow Valley less than a day ago on a whim. Even if there was a traitor, it wouldn’t make sense for someone to precisely capitalize on such a timing for an attack.

Although there was no response, through the contract, Vilyric could feel Xiao Guang’s spirit was still calm. The HP and MP on the pet panel showed no signs of change, indicating she wasn’t in a fight.

She might be resting or encountering some special situation; after all, communication through contracts wasn’t a direct message; it was more like two parties tugging at a string they were attached to. If one was focused on something, not noticing was completely normal.

Although she could directly summon Xiao Guang through the contract, that was a backup plan for emergencies, and Little Dragon Daughter wouldn’t be able to return to Moonshadow Valley immediately afterward, so there’s no need to do that now.

“Miss Vilyric, aren’t we going to take action immediately?”

“It’s fine, just wait a moment… Hmm?”

Finally, there was a response.

After a brief exchange with Little Dragon Daughter through the contract, even the Priestess couldn’t help but show a more colorful expression.

“Unexpectedly… such a thing has happened?”

If that’s the case, many things could be explained. Who would have thought that Xiao Guang actually caught such a big fish over there; what an unexpected delight…

Vilyric turned her gaze to the anxious and unsettled Spirit Butterfly girl, who was obviously worried about her kin.

“Lulu, how much do you understand about your defensive magic array?”

“Ah? How much… just what I just mentioned. I really don’t know other details. Miss Vilyric, if it doesn’t work out, we should hurry to notify other races for help. Even though the Holy Ancestor’s array is powerful, the enemies are making such a large-scale attack; they’ve definitely come prepared!”

Yes, well prepared indeed.

No wonder even someone like Lulu from the clan was locked out; Tiyelu must have been well prepared. Could it be… that she had already foreseen all of this?

   

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