982 - 990

Chapter 982: Doomsday I

The hall was luxurious and exquisite. Even the ground was inlaid with crystals. The magnificent hall exuded soft glow that made everyone feel righteous, warm, and filled with the aura of light.

At the front of the hall was a young man dressed in oriental robes. He looked very youthful and almost demonically handsome. His eyes, however, was a faint shade of crimson. He looked breathtaking yet sinister.

"Your Majesty, the Black Gorilla King is dead!"

Below him, an old man with a slender body and hoarse voice reported respectfully.

Who would have thought that in such a dazzling hall filled with the aura of light, the person seated on the throne was Doomsday, a notorious murderer and one of the top rebel army leaders in the Holy City Empire?

"He's dead? Did Farron act personally?"

Doomsday, who was seated on the throne, did not show any fluctuations in his tone. It was as if nothing could rouse his interest.

The old man below shook his head bitterly. After all, he knew who Farron was. Farron was the most important minister in the entire Holy Dragon Empire, the Minister of Phantom. Not only did Farron have complete control over the Holy Dragon City's intelligence but he also held the ears of the royal family. Why would he want to leave Holy Dragon City?

However, it seemed that only Farron could have killed the Black Gorilla King so effortlessly.

"Your Majesty, it's not Farron but a Deputy Combat Team Leader from the Holy Dragon Empire's Phantom Ministry. This person's name is Leon. He was the son of Count Stanwin from Boulder City but later joined Phantom and killed Orsato, which made him the Deputy Team Leader of Phantom's Combat Team. This time, it appears that the White Rajah had obtained something that belongs to the royal family though he didn't report it. Nonetheless, the royal family dispatched a combat squad and successfully assassinated the White Rajah. The Black Gorilla King was also killed by Leon. We've never noticed this person before but…"

The old man did not continue to speak. Leon had appeared out of nowhere. There had not been much information about Leon in the past but he managed to rise like a phoenix and kill the Black Gorilla King. Now, he had become a top-level contender who could tilt the balance in the Holy Dragon Empire.

Someone who was able to vanquish the Black Gorilla King had to be on par with the mighty existences such as Doomsday or Minister Farron. Therefore, from now onward, Leon would be investigated thoroughly.

"Leon? What almighty beast blood does he have?"

Doomsday, who was seated high up in his throne, finally revealed a slight fluctuation in his tone. He was interested to know about Leon.

"Your Majesty, according to our investigation, Leon didn't inherit any almighty beast bloodline. Instead, he's a Host!"

"A Host?"

Doomsday on the throne crooked an eyebrow. Everyone knew the drawback of becoming a Host. Achieving the level of a full-shifter was practically a graveyard for Hosts. As soon as they attempted a full-shift, they would be engulfed by the almighty beasts' will.

Very few Hosts would succeed. Even if they did, it was probably because the will belonged to a very weak almighty beast. However, anyone who could kill the Black Gorilla King must be at least a top mid-tier almighty beast!

"Your Majesty, it gets even more shocking. Leon's almighty beast is a high-tier almighty beast – the Blood-eyed Dragon. It's one of the top-ranked creatures among the ancient high-tier almighty beasts and belongs under the class of Vipera Dragons!"

"A Blood-eyed Dragon?"

Doomsday stood up abruptly from his throne and a strange color flitted across his eyes.

"Very good. Not only is he comparable to Farron but he's also a powerful Host. I haven't met such an interesting opponent in a long time. I want to meet him personally."

As soon as Doomsday finished speaking, his body transformed into a crimson mist. Then, at an inconceivable speed, he disappeared without a trace.

Only the old man was left in the hall. He could only shake his head and smile bitterly. Nevertheless, since Doomsday was going, the old man was not too worried. No matter how powerful Leon might be, as long as Doomsday showed his hand, it would not be a problem.

…

On the wide road, two carriages were rushing ahead at top speed. In the carriages were Merlin and his team.

Merlin was returning from White Rajah City. When they got to a safe place, he let Ririya off the carriage.

"Go, no one can control your destiny. Only you can determine your own destiny!"

Merlin knew that this development of events would become the most pivotal turning point in Ririya's life. A strong-willed person would rise. Perhaps, Merlin might be able to see Ririya again.

As for a weak-willed person, they would completely crumble, losing the confidence and will to live. Destiny was something that each person held in their two hands.

"Remember, you're the master of your destiny…"

Merlin's voice drifted further and further away. After an hour, Ririya had groggily emerged from her stupor. In her mind, scenes of what occurred in White Rajah City began to flash.

"Father…"

Ririya was extremely frightened. In this wilderness, there were no guards and nobody she knew. Even White Rajah City had turned into ruins. She was just a delicate girl who did not inherit any almighty beast bloodline. In such a troubled world, she would only be swallowed by others.

Suddenly, Ririya found a letter on her lap. Opening it, she saw that it was a letter left by her father. After reading the content of the letter, Ririya burst into tears.

It turned out that her father had made all the necessary preparations for her.

"Remember, you're the master of your destiny…"

In the depths of Ririya's mind, the message echoed. Ririya turned her gaze into the distance. She knew that the powerful man who killed her father had spared her. He had not been remotely interested in the treasure her father left behind in his letter.

"Maybe you're too confident. One day, I'll defeat you. I'll master my destiny!"

Ririya bit her lips tightly. Her eyes turned resolute as she walked steadfastly toward Doomsday City. Only there, she had hopes of using the treasure her father had left behind to become a great existence!

However, grasping one's destiny would be a road filled with tribulations…

In the carriage, Merlin suddenly opened his eyes and his face curved into an unbidden smile. Iza looked confused whereas Shiya appeared hesitant as though she could guess the reason behind Merlin's smile.

"Deputy Team Leader, that Ririya, why did you let her go?"

Although Shiya was a woman, she had been part of Phantom for a long time so she was not soft-hearted. Someone like Ririya who knew that Merlin had killed her father, should rightfully be eliminated.

However, not only did Merlin spared her life but he also escorted her to safety. It was also impossible to say that Merlin was being merciful because the murderous aura on his body was so overpowering that it even intimidated Shiya to some extent. Even if the battle with the Black Gorilla King had destroyed the entire White Rajah City, Merlin would not have batted an eyelid. So, how could a person like him be merciful?

Merlin glanced at Shiya and shook his head. "Destiny is difficult to predict. What's an extra person or two? Perhaps, this world would become more interesting."

Whether or not Shiya and the others understood, Merlin did not explain himself further. He did not have a special reason for letting Ririya go. It was simply a gut-feeling. Merlin also wanted to see, after this innocent and carefree girl encountered such a life-changing event, would she be able to grasp her destiny?

As for worries over Ririya's revenge, Merlin was not at all concerned. He was a powerful existence capable of challenging a Latitude Cosmos, why would he worry about an unknown girl?

"Let's go. We'll return to Holy Dragon City a little earlier than planned. We shouldn't be too far from Holy Dragon City now."

Merlin had escorted Ririya to a place far from Doomsday City and away from all the chaotic places. It was also near Holy Dragon City. Thus, whichever choice Ririya made might eventually change her destiny.

The carriage continued to speed ahead. They could almost see the outline of a gigantic city. Holy Dragon City came within view so everyone heaved a breath of relief.

This mission was truly filled with ups and downs. Despite a series of dangerous situations, they finally managed to escape relatively unscathed. Upon thinking about the generous reward this mission would bring, Shiya, Iza, and even the heavily-injured Monty felt extremely elated.

"In another half an hour, we'll be back at… Wait, something is wrong. Who's that?"

Merlin looked up into the sky abruptly. The carriage was instantly wrecked. Without hesitation, Merlin quickly shapeshifted.

"Boom."

The originally clear sky suddenly turned crimson. A strange sinister aura permeated the air. Then, a gigantic palm appeared in the crimson sky that seemed determined to smash Merlin's carriage into pieces.

"Roar…"

Merlin's body swelled rapidly. The Blood-eye Dragon's will snarled ferociously in Merlin Awareness, seemingly sensing a threatening power.

"Crack."

Merlin used all his strength to stir up a massive gale with his claws. The Blood-eye Dragon also possessed the power of the wind. However, at this moment, it was completely incapable of resisting this gigantic crimson palm. Powerless, the gale collapsed and even his claws were snapped.

"Blood-eye!"

Merlin did not panic. The Blood-eye on his forehead immediately released a crimson beam. The blood crystals went to work. The two broken claws were quickly regenerated with amazing speed, visible to the naked eye. The regenerated claws were perfectly formed.

In some sense, a Blood-eye Dragon with blood crystals was close to immortal. As long as there were blood crystals, the Blood-eye Dragon would not die.

Merlin's Blood-eye covered the gigantic crimson palm and finally showed its strength. The gigantic crimson palm vibrated violently and vanished with a massive bang.

"Not bad, indeed a high-tier almighty beast!"

After the gigantic crimson palm vanished, a bloody mist gradually appeared behind a red cloud. It then began to coalesce into an unfamiliar figure, standing in mid-air, regarding Merlin with a hostile gaze.

Chapter 983: Doomsday II

Merlin was fully-shifted, and his untamed ferociousness rose into the air. He was however stunned to discover that the figure standing beneath the blood-red clouds had yet to shapeshift. This figure remained in his human-form which exceeded Merlin's expectations.

"He's definitely not just an ordinary full-shifter!"

At that point, Merlin was only aware that full-shifters were the most supreme existences in the Almighty Beast world. After achieving full-shift, he did not know whether there were more degrees of differentiation.

The Black Gorilla King was a full-shifter, so was Orsato and Merlin. Yet, there was a world of difference between each of them. Therefore, there were skill-gaps between full-shifters, which were very pronounced.

"You're Leon? Not bad, you really have the Blood-eye Dragon's bloodline…"

This figure seemed to walk on air as he made his way towards Merlin.

"Blood-eye!"

Merlin's gaze steeled. The blood-red vertical eye on his forehead once again shot a crimson beam at the looming figure.

"Boom."

The crimson beam shrouded the figure, which collapsed instantly. Nevertheless, the blood-red clouds emerged again, as well as hundreds and thousands of crimson figures.

"There's no use. Your high-level almighty beast bloodline is indeed powerful, but just a little lacking. Regardless, this small deficiency means that you are unable to stand against me! Now, you'd better follow me back obediently and let me study you for a bit. A Host with the will of a high-level almighty beast, who is a full-shifter. It has been a long time since a person as interesting as you appeared, haha…"

Laughter rang from every direction. It was impossible to differentiate which was real and which was false, or perhaps, all of them were false.

Merlin looked at the blood-red clouds swirling in the sky. He had already guessed who this person was.

"Doomsday, I guess you came personally!"

Merlin had an inkling in his heart. Seeing the swathe of blood-red clouds, he knew that Doomsday was the newcomer. Previously, Merlin thought that once he became a full-shifter, he would become one of the top existences in the Holy Dragon Empire.

At that moment, he had indeed become a full-shifter. In terms of ability, he was certainly top-notch. However, compared to Doomsday, there was still an unbridgeable gap. Perhaps, upon achieving full-shift, there was a whole new realm that Merlin did not know of.

"Roar…"

Merlin attacked every crimson figure frantically. His immense power pierced through the blood-red clouds without difficulty. However, no matter how much strength he wielded, including the Blood-eye, he was unable to inflict any kind of damage on the blood-red clouds. He could not even identify who the real Doomsday was.

"It's useless. You may be powerful, but you still have a long way to go."

Doomsday's voice boomed again. Following that, the blood-red clouds began to tumble wildly and transformed into multiple tentacles that swiftly wrapped around Merlin's full-shifted body.

These tentacles formed from crimson beams contained astonishing might. Merlin was completely unable to free himself. This was the first time Merlin was in such a helpless situation since becoming a Fourth-form shifter. It was sheer inability to wield his abilities.

"Doomsday!"

Merlin could feel the danger creeping up to him. These blood-red clouds were perhaps Doomsday's full ability, but Merlin's current abilities were insufficient to break through them.

"If danger comes, I'll just have to give it my all."

Merlin closed his eyes slightly. The strongest ability he could mobilize was not the power of the fully-shifted Blood-eye Dragon, but instead the Illusory World in the depths of his Awareness.

However, once he mobilized the Illusory World, the will of the entire Almighty Beast world would most likely descend upon him. At that juncture, he was not sure whether his Illusory World could survive the onslaught.

Thus, unless he had no other choice, Merlin would not even consider mobilizing the Illusory World's power.

"Go to sleep."

Doomsday's voice resounded from every direction once again and echoed endlessly among the blood-red clouds.

"Thump".

Following Doomsday's command, Shiya, Iza, and Monty all slumped to the ground and had seemingly fallen into a deep sleep. Merlin also felt waves of drowsiness attacking his consciousness, but the Mind Power inside his Awareness immediately dispelled the drowsiness.

"Oh? Interesting, you can actually resist my hypnosis. It's probably because of the Blood-eye Dragon's will? I'm more and more interested in you. Let's go, stop resisting. No one can escape once I've set my eye to capture them!"

As soon as Doomsday's words fell, the entire swathe of blood-red clouds began to boil, as if something was brewing.

Merlin sensed danger approaching closer and closer to him. He took a deep breath. If he really could not withstand it, he would have no choice but to mobilize the Illusory World. However, if that happened, he might not be lucky enough to escape once again.

The greater possibility was that the will of the Almighty Beast world would immediately strike him dead. Even the Illusory World's natural order would be shattered. Then, Merlin would completely disappear.

"Old friend, since you've come all the way here, why the hurry to leave?"

Suddenly, a faint voice reverberated across the blood-red clouds. Then, an aristocratic-looking man holding a short staff materialized amidst the blood-red clouds. He did not shapeshift as well. There was a perplexing aura on his body.

"Farron?"

Amidst the blood-red clouds, Doomsday's figure reappeared. For the first time, his tone sounded worried.

"Minister Farron?"

Merlin was shocked but immediately understood that this middle-aged man was the mysterious Minister of Phantom. This man was the eyes and ears of the royal family and controlled their most powerful force. The mysterious Minister was always shrouded in secrecy and rarely seen.

All people knew was that Minister Farron was extremely powerful. His abilities were so unquestionably powerful that every Combat Team Leader had submitted to him wholeheartedly. No one had ever considered challenging Minister Farron.

Merlin thought that once he was a full-shifter, he would be on the same playing field as Doomsday and Farron, but now it appeared that they were far above his level. They were the true top contenders of this world.

"Doomsday, this is not Doomsday City. You're already lucky enough that the royal family didn't go after your blood. Get lost."

With just a soft growl from Farron, an immeasurable power burst out and stirred up a wind amidst the blood-red clouds. The mere words "get lost" caused the blood-red clouds to tumble around and split open.

"Boom".

Suddenly, the blood-red clouds disappeared. Even Doomsday's figure also vanished without a trace. All that was left was a crimson beam which flew rapidly into the distance.

"Fine, Farron, you're still the same, but the true battle has yet to come. I wonder, how long will Holy Dragon City remain standing? Haha…"

Doomsday's voice sounded more and more distant before finally disappearing completely. Obviously, he had been chased away by Farron. In a split second earlier, these two greatest top contenders must have cross-swords in their own way. As a result, Doomsday retreated, which meant that Farron must have had the upper hand.

"How are you? Still okay?"

Farron appeared very much a nobleman, and he had a friendly tone. No one would have thought that this man was a mighty existence who controlled Phantom and was capable of scaring Doomsday away.

"Minister, I'm fine, but the others have been hypnotized by Doomsday. I don't know when they will awaken."

Merlin took a look at Shiya and the others. This particular ability of Doomsday was quite unique. It seemed slightly different from his Mind Control.

"What hypnosis? It's just a glorified magic trick. Wake up!"

Farron shook his head as if Doomsday's 'hypnosis' was not worth mentioning. His body gave off a glimmer of light which surrounded Shiya and the others. Subsequently, they began to awaken.

Shiya was the first to wake. Upon seeing Farron, she was slightly confused, but seemed to recall something and asked in astonishment, "You… You're the Honorable Minister?"

Farron gave a slight smile. "You must be Shiya? Among the Combat Team, your abilities are very unique. For completing this mission, you will be awarded extra contribution points."

After that, Iza and Monty also regained consciousness. Upon discovering the mysterious Minister Farron, all of them behaved respectfully. They definitely showed greater respect towards this mysterious Minister than they did to the Combat Team Leader.

"Leon, come with me. His Majesty the King wants to see you!"

"The King wants to see me?"

Merlin was taken aback. Since when had his name been recognized by the King himself? Was his act of killing the Black Gorilla King already known to them?

Farron seemed to guess what Merlin was thinking and chuckled. "Deputy Team Leader Leon, don't underestimate Phantom's intelligence. Your act of slaying the Black Gorilla King, as well as the successful completion of your mission, had been immediately reported to His Majesty the King."

Merlin nodded. He was able to become a full-shifter using the will of a high-tier almighty beast, which made him a very rare Host, as well as a powerful full-shift contender.

This meant that, in Phantom Intelligence Department, Merlin was the most powerful person behind Minister Farron. The King would not sit idly and instead would try to win Merlin's allegiance.

After all, the royal family only had Holy Dragon City left under their control. Other than Holy Dragon City, the empire was mired in conflict. Rebel armies were everywhere. At such a time, the royal family needed strong contenders like Merlin more than ever.

Merlin followed Farron towards the palace. Along the way, Merlin wanted to speak up but stopped himself. Actually, he wanted to ask Farron about full-shifters.

Both Farron and Doomsday had obviously achieved a far superior realm. They were completely different from the average full-shift contenders. This information was something that could not be found in any book.

"Minister, about that Doomsday, what realm has he achieved? Is he more than a full-shifter?" Merlin finally could not quell the burning curiosity in his heart and asked Farron.

"Doomsday? Actually, he is still within the realm of a full-shifter. Both Doomsday and I are the same, we're both within the realm of a full-shifter. Whether it's the almighty beast bloodline or a Host, the ultimate form we can achieve is that of a full-shifter!"

Farron finally answered after a slight pause. However, his answer exceeded Merlin's expectations and even filled Merlin with disbelief.

Chapter 984: Your Majesty!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Huh? Still a full shifter? But your powers, how has it gotten so strong?"

Merlin was puzzled. Both Doomsday and Farron could easily defeat him even if they did not fully shapeshift. They were not even high-level users of the almighty beast bloodline either.

At least, that was the impression he had gotten from the mysterious Minister Farron. No sign of being suppressed by the bloodline either, he was definitely not from a high-tiered bloodline.

If it were just a full-shifter, Merlin would have surely gained the upper hand after transforming completely but the fact of the matter remained that he would not be that lucky if he were to encounter Doomsday once more.

"Doomsday is a full-shifter, so am I. The reason you found Doomsday powerful was simply because of his Supreme Talent, Incandescent Soul!"

"Incandescent Soul?"

That was a first for Merlin. It would appear that the origins of Doomsday could be traced back to its Supreme Talent, the Incandescent Soul.

"Indeed. The Incandescent Soul. In truth, when one turns into a full-shifter, it is a display of Supreme Talent and not a display of power. We're constantly refining our talent, in hopes of achieving a breakthrough. Doomsday's Supreme Talent, Incandescent Soul, allows him to map the soul's response. If it appears and fails to pierce any humans, it will never find a way out of it, as it is the mapping of its soul after all."

"I don't know if you understand me but such power is extremely mystifying and terrifying too, solely because it is a mapping of one's soul, which means that there is virtually no way of defeating it. When you think of Doomsday, you'd naturally associate it with gore and violence. Thus, Doomsday would begin mapping its soul to match your thoughts in order to reflect your heart's deepest desires. That is what makes it strong. It is difficult for common folk to understand all this unless they have achieved our level of power. The mapping of the Incandescent Soul has zero relevance to will."

Merlin was surprised after listening to Farron, perhaps even a little terrified. He could not believe it was the Incandescent Soul. Maybe even at the time of speaking, Doomsday was far away trapping humans in a Hemo Cloud, except it was not; it was merely their mind.

Such might was incredibly horrifying. If Merlin truly opened the portal to the Illusory World, he might not be able to locate Doomsday and risk being exiled across all realms of the almighty beast instead.

"What a fearsome talent. It explains how Doomsday is the Royal Family's biggest stressor. Even if Farron banishes Doomsday, the fear of knowing of its frightening existence still remains."

A couple of thoughts flashed through Merlin's mind before he opened his mouth to ask again.

"Care to share about your Supreme Talent, Minister? Judging by Doomsday's reaction, it seems to fear you greatly."

Merlin looked at Minister Farron. He wondered what it was about his Supreme Talent that sent Doomsday's Incandescent Soul quaking in its boot.

Shush.

Farron's eyes sharpened, like the tip of a blade and his gaze fell on Merlin for a long time. "The Supreme Talent is every full-shifter's biggest secret once they have turned and one should never speak to anyone of it. Leon, whenever the moment comes when you've refined your talent, you should never reveal your secrets to anyone, not even to your greatest loved ones," Farron said slowly.

Merlin nodded after heeding Farron's stern warning. It looked like he had committed a big no-no, the Supreme Talent was supposedly very important to a full-shifter after all.

Having said that, did it mean that the ancient almighty beasts, especially those of the highest echelon and the legendary Divine Beasts all harbor fearsome Supreme Talents too?

While Merlin pondered on it, the two men had unknowingly arrived before the kingdom.

The kingdom guards were extremely strict but given Farron's rank, not even the passing guards dared stand to in his way. On the other hand, Merlin began to feel anxious from the moment he set foot into the palace as if many had cast their sights on him.

It was as if Farron sensed Merlin's predicament, so he calmly said, "It's only natural for the guards at the kingdom to be vigilant. After all, even I don't know how many forces within the shadow lurk in here. Rest assured, as long as you stick with me, there won't be misunderstandings of any kind. Besides, who in the kingdom could possibly stop you anyway?"

As much as Merlin had yet to attain Doomsday or Farron's power level, he was still considered a top-tier contender and in the kingdom, that meant that those who could rival him were few and could be counted.

Plus, the truly fearful ones were the big guys from the royal family. It was truly these ones who watched over the Holy Dragon City and ensured its safety. Only death awaited those who dared trespassed, even Doomsday.

The utter silence within the kingdom gave the impression that the place was deserted, even the hallways seemed empty. Walking alongside Commander Farron, Merlin eventually arrived at a grand-looking palace.

"Your Majesty, the Lieutenant Colonel of the Phantom Combat team, Leon has arrived!"

Inside the palace was a slightly plump, old dwarf that sat atop the throne who despite his age, seemed to have an indescribable regal air to him. Merlin had sensed the suppression of bloodline from the very moment he set foot in the palace. Even the all-knowing, arrogant will of Blood-Eyed Dragon had fallen silent.

"A top-tier almighty beast bloodline?"

Merlin was briefly reminded of the rumor he once heard about the Royal Family. In an attempt to seize the head of the Sacred Lion Beast, the Royal Family had come into contact with the beast's aura and in doing so, purified their blood, thereby turning their bloodline into a top-tier almighty beast bloodline.

That all seemed a little far-fetched at that point but after he saw the King in person and sensed the suppression of bloodline, it was no mistake at all. The almighty beast bloodline that coursed through the King certainly surpassed that of a high-leveled bloodline, it was a top-tier almighty beast bloodline for sure.

"Count Leon… I know you. Back then, Count Altadin had nobly sacrificed his life. He gave his life to the Holy Dragon City. The kingdom will remember him… the Royal Family will remember him."

The King's voice was soothing and extremely pleasant to the ears, but he was going to have to do more than say a few good words if he had hoped to have Merlin's unwavering loyalty.

Having noticed Merlin's silence, a sudden realization showed in the King's eyes as he smiled and continued, "You've done well this time around, Count Leon. Apart from the reward that you've been promised for your intelligence on the Phantoms, the Royal Family shall present you with a special gift as well! Count Leon, you are promoted to the rank of a Marquis. In the future, when the rebels of the kingdom are defeated, a plot of land will be assigned to you and have it made your territory for being a Marquis!"

Deep down, Merlin was clearly displeased. After all, it was all an unfulfilled promise at this point, having the 'Marquis' was purely a formality without any real authority. No actual use, not even a single plot of land, what good would being a Marquis do anyway?

Nonetheless, Merlin was expected to express his gratitude nonetheless, so he quickly bowed and responded, "Thank you for the reward, Your Majesty."

"Haha. Now hand over the Golden Key that you've retrieved from the hands of the White Elephant King, Count Leon."

The King's gaze sharpened all of a sudden as if he had peered through Merlin's intentions.

"The Golden Key?"

Merlin was surprised, was that not the objective for the current mission? It looked like this was truly an order from the King. In fact, he had personally requested it. The key must have been of great importance, so much so that it concerned the secrets of the Royal Family.

Now that the King himself had asked for it, there was no way Merlin could continue playing dumb. He had no choice but to hand over the Golden Key. Farron took a good look into Merlin's eyes as he placed the key into the King's palms.

The King's face froze for a long time as he looked at the key in his hands before he finally sighed. "Marquis Leon, you painstakingly risked your life to retrieve the Golden Key. You must be questioning its purpose, mustn't you?"

Merlin could not deny his curiosity, he truly did wonder what its purpose was but now was not a good time to do so.

However, the King continued, "There's no harm letting you know about it. After all, you are the Lieutenant Colonel of the Combat Team. I trust Farron will be promoting you too once you've returned. Colonel?"

Minister Farron nodded. "The Commander of the Combat Team, Hert has performed exceptionally well. That said, Marquis Leon has clearly shown that he is much stronger than him. Coupled with the fact that Leon has performed well with this round's task, I'm prepared to make him the Vice Commander of the Phantom Intelligence team so that he could monitor any Phantom-related intelligence alongside me. What say you, Your Majesty?"

"Oh? Vice Commander? My, you're a man of principle, aren't you Farron? The Intelligence team has never had a Vice Commander. It looks like you hold Leon in high regard. You don't have to report to me then, just know that you have my word."

Merlin was bewildered, he had been promoted to the role of a Vice Commander within the Intelligence team so quickly, but he knew this was a matter of power and not luck. Due to his power, he was continuously blessed with a series of "fortunate" events.

The King continued, "The Golden Key carries a strong significance to the secrets of the Royal Family. I bet you must have heard that the Royal Family possesses the head of the Sacred Lion Beast by now haven't you, Marquis Leon? It's no rumor at all, as a matter of fact, it is quite true. The lion's head is the reason why we exist, and our biggest kept secret too. This key here is closely related to the beast. Well, that's all about it. Regardless, if it concerns the Royal Family's biggest secret, I would never let it fall into Doomsday's hands."

Merlin's breathing grew rapid after he had heard the King's story, and his heart nearly skipped a beat. As much as he had guessed it, being able to hear the King confirm the Sacred Lion Beast's existence himself were two entirely different matters.

"It's true! The Scared Lion Beast! The key holds a link to the beast!"

Merlin's rather surprised reaction gave the King a sense of relief. He did not know of a person who had not been in shock upon learning about the beast.

Thus, the King said, "Marquis Leon, as long as you devote yourself to the Royal Family, the Holy Dragon City, and bring good to the kingdom, you shall receive the opportunity someday to come into contact with the head of the Sacred Lion Beast in close proximity too!"

Again, another one of the King's empty promises, but Merlin was reminded of the Princess Royal. She made a vow that she would approach the lion's head in up close and personal someday too.

Having returned this time around, Merlin's social status skyrocketed immensely. Perhaps that would send the wildly ambitious Princess Royal moving on her feet, to work even harder in view of Merlin's goal to experience the lion's head up close someday.

"Your Majesty, I, Leon will certainly give my all to you, and to the whole of the Holy Dragon Kingdom!"

Merlin's face spoke of sincerity yet deep down, he wondered if he should pay the Princess Royal a visit.

"Very well then, Marquis Leon. The future of the Holy Dragon Kingdom falls on the shoulders of those who are capable, like you. All right, it's been a while now, the both of you may take your leave. I'm sure the mission must have taken a lot out of you. You best get some rest once you've returned to your castle."

The King behaved as if he were a doting parent, watching over them affectionately, but Merlin knew better than to underestimate him. The fact of the matter remained that the vibes that he had given led Merlin to think he was a powerful and threatening figure.

He was undoubtedly a much powerful presence in comparison to Farron!

Merlin and Farron left the palace soon after though Farron did not leave together with him and instead, excused himself under some false pretense. Merlin was left to exit the palace alone.

The sheer number of incidents that took place during that period left Merlin feeling overwhelmed. He thought of returning to the castle to reflect on the matters that passed.

"Marquis Leon, the Princess Royal has summoned you!"

Merlin raised his head and all of a sudden, two guards stood in his way, right in front of him.

"The Princess Royal?"

Merlin let loose a little smile at the corner of his lips, it looked like the Princess Royal finally showed up. In fact, with the Sacred Lion Beast on his mind, Merlin did not object but obliged. "Lead the way!"

With that, he followed closely behind two guards, back into the palace.

Chapter 985: The Princess Royal's Desire

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

It was not Merlin's first time at the Princess Royal's palace. Although he could not be said to be familiar, he could find his way without any guidance.

The two guards did not speak along the way but judging from their expressions, they held great respect for Merlin.

Soon after they walked through layers of corridors, they arrived at the Princess Royal's palace. This Princess Royal had immense authority and swore to remain unmarried. Nevertheless, she was ambitious and yearned to get her hands on the throne. This was a risky undertaking because after all, no woman in the history of the Holy Dragon Empire had been crowned King.

Nonetheless, it was not entirely impossible. Both the Princess Royal and the second prince were the two most influential competitors for the throne. Both factions were sufficiently powerful to make the King tread cautiously.

The Holy Dragon Empire was unique in that they did not pamper their princes and princesses like pigs for slaughter. On the contrary, some of the princes and princesses learned the importance of power from an early age and slowly rose to prominence. Of all, the second prince and the Princess Royal were the two most prominent candidates.

However, the King held the strongest force, Phantom, in his hands. Therefore, regardless of the second prince or the Princess Royal, both of them were actively trying to penetrate Phantom Intelligence Department. The candidate whom the Princess Royal chose was Merlin, whereas the second prince might have chosen one of the Team Leaders in Phantom. As to who specifically, it was kept a secret, even the Princess Royal's men were unable to find out.

Such a power struggle was a fine balancing act for Merlin prior to this. If he was not careful, he could be embroiled in the struggle and crushed as a result. However, now that Merlin had become a full-shifter, especially a high-tier almighty beast full-shifter, he was ranked among the top contenders of the empire.

Whether it was the Princess Royal or His Highness the second prince who ascended the throne, none of them would dare to offend Merlin. At that point, Merlin possessed the ability to tilt the balance of the empire's influence.

Finally, they arrived at the Princess Royal's palace. The two guards stayed outside the door and said to Merlin respectfully, "Sir Leon, please go ahead. Her Highness the Princess is waiting for you inside."

Merlin glanced at the palace and walked in without hesitation. The moment he entered, he detected a floral fragrance. This floral fragrance was very intriguing. Just a single whiff was able to make a person feel energetic and comfortable all over.

"Count Leon, no, it should be Marquis Leon now!"

The Princess Royal emerged from the palace in a low-cut long dress to greet him. Her body was oozing the same intriguing scent. Inside the vast palace, the Princess Royal was alone.

Previously, Merlin was quite wary of this seductively charming princess, but now with his absolute strength, he was capable of tilting the balance of the entire empire, so he was no longer afraid. Instead, he boldly evaluated the Princess Royal with an appreciative gaze.

The Princess Royal had a beautiful face and a fair complexion. Due to the low cut of her long dress, her ample cleavage was revealed. Her entire being exuded an incredibly seductive aura.

Even Merlin felt his primitive desires beginning to stir.

"Your Highness Princess Royal, why have you summoned me?"

Despite the stirring primitive desires, Merlin could still suppress the temptation. Judging from the Princess Royal's earlier comment about his 'Marquis' title, it was apparent that her influence extended all across the palace. She most probably even knew what the King said.

"Marquis Leon, congratulations on becoming a Marquis and also the Deputy Minister of Phantom. The speed of your growth has greatly exceeded my expectations. I'm afraid our previous agreement is naught but a joke to you now. At your stage, you don't need any more Nourishment Ponds, right? However, I have something that you won't be able to pass up!"

The Princess Royal had, at some point in time, taken off her long dress. She was only wearing a thin, translucent undershirt that faintly revealed her body underneath.

"What is that?"

For some reason, Merlin felt his body temperature rise. However, he was still able to suppress it.

"The head of the Sacred Lion Beast! King Father is really too cautious, he's unwilling to allow you to approach the head of the Sacred Lion Beast because he's still distrustful of you. Hehe, you're still not on par with Farron, right? That is because, Farron is trusted by King Father, so he has been brought to see the Sacred Lion Beast more than once. That is the reason Farron's abilities grew leaps and bounds. On the other hand, I can bring you to the Sacred Lion Beast. I trust you completely, just like King Father trusted Farron back in the day. With Farron's help, King Father became king. You can be my Farron!"

The Princess Royal came close to Merlin and gently caressed his muscular chest. Her warm breath tickled Merlin's ear. Although the Princess Royal was very tall, she could not compare to Merlin and still appeared very fragile beside him.

However, such a display of fragility was irresistible to men!

"What are your conditions? What do I have to do?"

Merlin was indeed tempted. This was the Sacred Lion Beast! The King's attitude from earlier made it obvious that he would not bring Merlin to see the Sacred Lion Beast anytime soon but instead required Merlin to work harder and quell the rebellion in the Holy Dragon Empire before the King would bring him to see the Sacred Lion Beast's head.

Since there was a golden opportunity presented before him, Merlin certainly would not pass it up.

The Princess Royal smiled charmingly. Then she whispered in Merlin's ear, "What you have to do is very simple. Today, in my palace, you must make me yours! Then, I will place my complete trust in you and bring you to observe the head of the Sacred Lion Beast. If you help me ascend the throne, we will share the rights over the entire empire, just like King Father and Farron!"

The Princess Royal's eyes were glinting with passionate desire.

"Make you mine??"

Merlin laughed, this was very simple. Sometimes, women were willing to act on personal impulses.

"Why? You dare not?"

The Princess Royal gave Merlin a challenging stare.

"Haha, Princess Royal, I'm a Blood-eye Dragon, why wouldn't I dare?"

Merlin no longer suppressed the heated passion in his heart. Immediately, he grabbed the Princess Royal into his arms like a little lamb and stripped off her clothes. The Princess Royal did not resist and instead showed more charm.

At that moment, Merlin no longer hesitated. Inside the palace, moans and gasps began to resonate. Amidst the repeated motions, Merlin could feel that the will of the Blood-eye Dragon was also rejoicing.

One hour, two hours, three hours passed…

It was not until the sky darkened and dusk approached that the moans in the palace began to subside and fell silent. The palace was in a complete mess. Despite the Princess Royal delicateness, she still inherited the royal family's bloodline and had a top-tier almighty beast bloodline. It was just that she had yet to achieve a full-shift.

Even then, the Princess Royal who was in perfect physical shape was knocked-out several times throughout the hours-long 'battle'. Nonetheless, the pleasurable sensations were very memorable.

"Princess Royal, is this your first time?"

After a long while, Merlin's voice piqued up in the palace.

"Don't call me Princess Royal, call me Lisa!"

The Princess Royal dawdled in a lazy tone, then continued, "Do you think just anyone can be favored by me? I'm yours now, and if you help me ascend to the throne, I will be yours forever."

At this time, Merlin was fully awake. He sniffed the intriguing scent and commented calmly, "This fragrance, you've prepared specially for me? Even my Blood-eye Dragon was entranced by it."

This fragrance was definitely a kind of aphrodisiac. Even Merlin's Blood-eye Dragon could not resist it.

"Why? You don't want to?"

Lisa indirectly admitted. Now that they had this relationship, Lisa trusted Merlin.

After long consideration, Merlin said, "It's just a throne, I will help you. However, you must bring me to the Sacred Lion Beast's head. I'm not yet capable of opposing Farron!"

Merlin did not seem to care about who would become King. He was only concerned about power. At that point, he still could not measure up to Farron. Only by approaching the Sacred Lion Beast's head, he might obtain an unexpected result.

"Don't worry, I've already made arrangements. Come with me."

Lisa put on her clothes. Just as she was about to step out, her body trembled and wobbled unsteadily. Merlin grinned. "You already can't walk straight, after just such a short time? Earlier on, you were still very passionate…"

Lisa rolled her eyes at Merlin. She carefully walked outside. As soon as she stepped out of the door, she reverted to her original persona. Her body exuded a dispassionate aura, resuming the look of a 'noble' princess.

"Your Highness Princess Royal!"

When the guards outside saw the Princess Royal, they immediately bowed their heads. Before her subjects, the Princess Royal maintained a very strict persona.

"It's alright. I'm sending Leon out, you don't have to follow."

After speaking to the guards, the Princess Royal led Merlin away from her palace and headed deep inside the royal palace.

Merlin's current perception was very widespread. If there was any movement around him, he would find out immediately. There were usually a lot of people in the outer courts of the palace, but this area was eerily silent. Moreover, there were a lot of palace complexes here, and yet there was no one around.

"Did you notice the irregularity? Actually, this area of the palace is used to mislead people. This place is designated as a forbidden area, only members of the royal family can enter. However, the true location of the Sacred Lion Beast can never be found by outsiders. Come along, there's still a long way to go."

Seemingly understanding Merlin's confusion, the Princess Royal explained softly.

The head of the Sacred Lion Beast was the essence of the royal family. Naturally, it was guarded strictly and securely. Even among the royal family, only the most excellent members were allowed to know the exact location of the Sacred Lion Beast.

After walking for more than half an hour, Merlin felt a tinge of apprehension. The feeling seemed to appear out of nowhere and his senses did not detect any form of danger.

"What terrifying existence lies ahead?"

The further Merlin walked forward, the more intense the apprehension felt. If not for Merlin suppressing the apprehension in his heart, he might have stopped altogether and not take another step.

"Why aren't you walking?"

The Princess Royal asked in puzzlement. Her keen senses noticed that Merlin's steps were faltering.

"I sense danger, a danger that I'm completely unable to withstand! Where are you taking me?"

Merlin's expression appeared strangely grave. He finally came to a stop and stared sternly at the Princess Royal.

Chapter 986: The Head of the Sacred Lion Beast

"Leon, I didn't expect your senses to be so sharp. I can't sense any apprehension, but anyone above the level of full-shifter seemed to be able to sense it. The reason is that we've gotten close to the head of the Sacred Lion Beast. Leon, do you know what a sacred beast is?"

"What is a sacred beast?

Upon hearing the Princess Royal's question, Merlin was slightly taken aback. He had heard of sacred beasts before. According to legends, during ancient times, the sacred beasts were the most superior of all the almighty beasts. They were the most powerful almighty beasts.

However, Merlin had never considered in length as to what a sacred beast was.

"Lisa, do you know what a sacred beast is?" Merlin calmed the apprehension in his heart and asked softly.

"Of course I know what a sacred beast is. Many people only know that, in the ancient Almighty Beast World, there were countless numbers of almighty beasts all over the world. They were the absolute overlords of this world. However, how many people know of a time before the ancient almighty beasts existed? Actually, before the era of the ancient almighty beasts, this world was a desolate and barren place. There were only a small handful of almighty beasts. They were born naturally and carried the will of the world. They were greatly treasured by the entire world. These almighty beasts were the sacred beasts!"

"Later, perhaps the sacred beasts felt that the world was too desolate, or perhaps due to in-fighting, fresh blood dripped into the ground. As they were sacred beasts, every drop of blood contained unimaginable magical properties. Consequently, some powerful almighty beasts were born from these droplets of blood. These almighty beasts were the descendants of the sacred beasts. They had a portion of the sacred beast's powers, but still far less than the sacred beasts. This marked the origins of the ancient almighty beasts!"

"It can be said that all the almighty beasts that came after the ancient almighty beasts are descendants of the sacred beast. Therefore, when they faced the sacred beasts, they will naturally feel the suppression of their bloodlines. Your Blood-eye Dragon must be very subdued now, right? This is the power of the Sacred Lion Beast's head. Even though it has died millions of years ago, the aura it exudes is incomparable to any almighty beast."

After listening to the Princess Royal's explanation, Merlin took a look at the Blood-eye Dragon's will inside his Awareness. True enough, the Blood-eye Dragon had curled into a ball and dared not move, seemingly sensing a fearsome existence. Its entire body trembled in fear.

Was this the same arrogant, bad-tempered Blood-eye Dragon he knew before?

"Carried the will of the world… Sacred beasts, I hope you don't let me down!"

A thrill flashed across Merlin's eyes. Previously, he had speculated that the sacred beasts were the manifestations of the Almighty Beast World's will. Now, it seemed like his speculation was correct.

"Leon, relax. Although the Sacred Lion Beast's head contains infinite authority, it is already dead. As long as you don't try to resist, it won't affect you."

Merlin nodded and followed after the Princess Royal once again. They continued to move forward. The nearer they got to it, the stronger the aura became. However, as the Princess Royal explained, as long as Merlin did not resist it, the aura only made him feel apprehensive. It could not cause him any harm.

After some time, Merlin and the Princess Royal arrived at a slightly dilapidated palace. The Princess Royal took out an identity nameplate and placed it inside a groove on a table. Then using her fingernail, she gently slit her finger. A drop of blood immediately trickled onto the nameplate.

"Hum."

Suddenly, the entire dilapidated palace changed. From the table, a large pitch-black hole appeared.

"This… Space-time transmission?"

Merlin was completely stunned. Space-time transmission was considered common in the Void Zone but in the Almighty Beast World, space was impenetrably solid. Achieving space-time transmission would require unimaginable power.

"Yes, it's space-time transmission! Back then, the royal family ancestors spent constant effort to set-up this space-time transmission portal. The Sacred Lion Beast is in a completely sealed location, so it is only possible to enter via this space-time transmission portal. In addition, in order to activate the space-time transmission portal, one must possess the royal family nameplate, as well as the bloodline of a descendant of the royal family. Those with weakened bloodlines are unable to activate the space-time transmission, only a descendant of sufficiently viscous royal blood can activate it."

"Therefore, those who covet the royal family's Sacred Lion Beast are simply wasting their energy. How can they possibly find the location of the Sacred Lion Beast?"

Merlin looked at this pitch-black space-time portal and acknowledged in his heart, this was indeed an extravagant effort. However, he immediately thought of a problem.

"If someone were to destroy this space-time transmission, then would it mean that even the royal family won't be able to enter the place where the Sacred Lion Beast is?"

"Yes, in theory, that is so. However, the space-time transmission portal was set-up by the ancestors of our royal family. If it could be destroyed so easily, it wouldn't have existed for so many years. Let's go, don't delay any further. This space-time portal cannot exist for a long time."

With that, the Princess Royal picked up her nameplate and led Merlin into the space-time portal.

"Whiz".

As their two figures gradually disappeared, the pitch-black portal gradually shrunk. Finally, it was completely restored, as though nothing had happened inside this dilapidated palace.

…

Inside the dark space-time portal, a powerful squeezing sensation was tearing at Merlin's body. Nonetheless, how strong was his body at this time? This bit of tearing was still manageable.

Even the Princess Royal, a Fourth-form shifter, was capable of withstanding it.

Actually, the Princess Royal's abilities were not subpar and could even be considered powerful. Due to her top-tier bloodline, a Fourth-form shifter was already comparable to full-shifters from the low-tier almighty beast bloodlines. However, she was a high-ranking Princess Royal of the royal family, so she never had to use her abilities. If even the Princess Royal was forced to show her hand, the royal family must truly be at the verge of life and death.

Of course, in Merlin's eyes, the Princess Royal was still considered very 'weak.' Although a Fourth-form shifter and a full-shifter were only one level apart, this level constituted a world of difference with a significant gap.

In reality, the transmission only took a short time and was almost instantaneous. However, it felt like a very long time inside the transmission portal. Finally, Merlin saw a flicker of light at the end of the darkness.

"Swish".

Finally, Merlin and the Princess Royal's figures were transmitted to a dull stone palace. Every corner was filled with a suppressive aura, and the space-time transmission portal had disappeared.

"There is no one here?"

Merlin sensed his surroundings and found that inside this dull stone palace, there was no one. From the beginning of the transmission portal all the way to this place, there seemed to be no guards. This exceeded Merlin's expectations.

"Guards? Of course we have them. Look closely at those stone walls," the Princess Royal said with a smile.

"Stone walls?"

Merlin looked closely and discovered that there were stone statues in front of the stone walls. However, what use could these statues be?

"Hehe, these statues are real living creatures who were petrified by the royal ancestors using their Supreme Talent. If there was an intruder, they will immediately awaken. In addition, the abilities of these stone statues are quite formidable. Almost every statue is high-tier almighty beast bloodline full-shifter and strong contender."

"What? All of them are high-tier almighty beast bloodline full-shifters?"

Merlin was slightly skeptical. After all, high-tier almighty beast bloodlines were so rare, how could there be so many high-tier almighty beast bloodlines in this place, and all of them achieved the level of full-shifter?

When he approached these stone statues, they began to vibrate violently. The two stone status closest to Merlin vibrated swiftly, shaking off the dust on their bodies. Then, layers of emerald beam encapsulated the stone statues. Following that, Merlin discovered that two enormous auras were quickly awakening.

These stone statues were real living creatures. The two stone statues quickly awakened and transformed into two burly men. Upon seeing Merlin, the two men did not hesitate to full-shift.

"Boom."

The terrible almighty beast bodies appeared before Merlin. It was an incredibly patterned giant tiger with a pair of wings on its back.

"Sky-tiger King? This is a powerful high-tier almighty beast!"

Merlin was shocked. He was very knowledgeable, so as soon as he saw the almighty beast, he knew that it was an ancient high-tier almighty beast that was recorded in the books.

Soon, the other man also wielded his full-shift form. He shifted into a black python, and on its head was a flame that appeared to be burning. It looked quite bizarre.

"Flame Python? This is also a high-tier almighty beast!"

At that moment, Merlin fully believed the Princess Royal's words. Every stone statue placed here was of a high-tier almighty beast bloodline, and have achieved full-shift.

They might be slightly inferior to Merlin's Blood-eye Dragon, but still undeniably ancient high-tier almighty beasts!

Just as Merlin was about to full-shift, the Princess Royal shook her head. She gently walked up to the two almighty beasts, and two drops of fresh blood dripped from her finger. Instantly, the two almighty beasts let out a low growl and weakened rapidly. Then, they resumed their original positions and turned into two lifeless stone statues.

"All of these stone statues are controlled by our ancestor's Supreme Talent. They will guard this place forever. Only the bloodline of the royal family's descendants can restore them into stone statues," the Princess Royal said calmly.

Merlin glanced at the stone statues. There were at least twenty-five status, which meant that there were at least twenty-five fearsome existences consisting of high-tier almighty beast full shifters. If this force was brought outside, the royal family could easily conquer the Holy Dragon Empire.

This was considered one of the hidden weapons of the royal family. The foundation which the royal family had accumulated over thousands of years was truly extraordinary.

The Princess Royal seemed to see through Merlin's thoughts and shook her head helplessly. "Unfortunately, we can't bring any of the stone statues in here outside. They cannot pass through the space-time portal. Back then, our ancestors must have laid some restrictions. Thus, the stone statues can only remain in this place and guard the head of the Sacred Lion Beast forever."

It turned out that the stone statues could not be brought outside. Otherwise, they would have been a truly fearsome force to reckon with!

"Follow me!"

The Princess Royal led Merlin forward. Every time they got close to a stone statue, she would drip a drop of fresh blood. Fortunately, the Princess Royal had the bloodline of a top-tier almighty beast, so her blood-qi was very rich. Otherwise, merely controlling these stone statues would have depleted most of her energy.

This dull and suppressive stone palace was very large. The walls around them were formed using thick stone slabs, which were almost completely impenetrable. At the same time, Merlin sensed that this place felt like it was underground. Besides the space-time portal, there was no other way to enter or leave this place. This stone palace was completely sealed.

After walking with the Princess Royal for a while, the sense of apprehension in Merlin's heart increased several folds.

"Almost there?"

Merlin's heart prickled cautiously. The legendary sacred beast represented the will of the Almighty Beast World. Although it was dead, Merlin must still exercise extreme caution.

Perhaps others might not be too concerned with the will of a world, but Merlin was not from this world. The Illusory World which resided inside his body, along with its natural order were considered the 'greatest enemy' of any Latitude Cosmos. Once exposed or discovered, the consequences were unimaginable. At this moment, Merlin did not have the ability to defy the will of a Latitude Cosmos, like what he did to the Void Zone, no matter how much weaker this Latitude Cosmos was.

Therefore, Merlin had to meticulously cover up the aura of the Illusory World and hide it in the deepest part of his body.

"Well, Leon, take a look, this is the head of the Sacred Lion Beast!"

Finally, the Princess Royal led Merlin to a spacious hall. Merlin looked up. The hall was approximately the size of five or six football fields combined. It was difficult to imagine that such a spacious hall could be built underground.

However, the true wow factor for Merlin was not the spacious hall, but the incredibly immense head which was almost as large as a mountain top. The everlasting head radiated a golden glow and exuded an overwhelming aura. Merlin felt his heartbeat quicken.

"The head of the Sacred Lion Beast?"

Merlin finally saw the head of the Sacred Lion Beast. The entire head was golden in color. There was an inexplicable sense of timelessness, as though even after millions of years, this Sacred Lion Beast's head will continue to exist.

"The will of the world?"

While Merlin was reeling from shock, he was also silently sensing the aura emitted by the head of the Sacred Lion Beast. However, he did not find any aura of the will of the world, which had been his greatest worry.

Perhaps, in the past, the Sacred Lion Beast indeed represented the will of the Almighty Beast World. However, following its demise, the will of the world disappeared.

"How did such a powerful sacred beast die? What kind of power could kill a sacred beast?"

Merlin walked around the huge head of the sacred beast. He could see that the Sacred Lion Beast's head had been cut down by an immense force. The incision had been cut through cleanly.

Perhaps, due to this reason, the Sacred Lion Beast's head could be preserved intact.

"Wait, what about the blood inside the Sacred Lions Beast's head?"

Merlin suddenly discovered an irregularity. Inside this enormous Sacred Lion Beast's head, there was not a single drop of blood!

Chapter 987: Sacred Beasts and Supreme Talents!

Merlin revealed a thoughtful look. Everyone knew the importance of an ancient almighty beast's blood. Even the sacred beasts must have had blood in their bodies. However, looking at the head of the Sacred Lion Beast before him, there was not a single drop of blood. Every part was completely dry.

"Blood? Ever since the first time I saw the head of the Sacred Lion Beast, I've never seen a single drop of blood. After all, how important is the blood of a sacred beast? I'm afraid all of it has been used by the royal family ancestors. All we're left with is a dried-up head. However, I heard that a powerful full-shifter can sense something extraordinary from the head of the Sacred Lion Beast. Back then, it was after seeing the Sacred Lion Beast's head that Farron's abilities became greatly enhanced."

Merlin examined the Sacred Lion Beast's head carefully. What the Princess Royal said must be true. He recalled Farron telling him that, upon achieving the level of full-shifter, the remaining work was to hone one's Supreme Talents.

The gaps between full-shifters were determined by the strength of their Supreme Talents.

"The Blood-eye Dragon's Supreme Talent is the Blood-eye, so the Blood-eye must be capable of doing far more than Blood Control!"

Various thoughts flashed past Merlin's head. He knew that as an ancient high-tier almighty beast, the Blood-eye Dragon was considered a powerful existence. Just the Supreme Talent of storing blood crystals was already very impressive.

The fact that it was eventually bestowed the name 'Blood-eye' must mean that the Blood-eye's Supreme Talents were even far more powerful.

"Anyway, Leon, we can't stay here for a very long time. Only three days at most. After three days, I'll have to take you out of this place. Otherwise, you won't be able to leave without my blood as a royal family descendant. Even if Farron comes in, he cannot leave without King Father."

Merlin nodded. He, of course, understood the peculiarity of this place. They were currently deep underneath the ground. In order to leave, he would have to split the ground open. Even if a real Blood-eye Dragon was resurrected, such a feat was impossible, let alone Merlin who had just barely become a full-shifter.

"Three days is quite enough."

Merlin finished speaking and redirected his gaze to the wizened head of the Sacred Lion Beast. Although there was no fresh blood, the Sacred Lion Beast's head still exuded a heart-chilling aura.

"The Sacred Lion Beast no longer has the aura which represents the will of the world… Perhaps, the will of the world won't remain inside the body of a dead sacred beast."

Merlin initially intended to sense the will of this world. He erred on the side of caution, afraid of being discovered by the will of the world. In the end, he found that while the head of the Sacred Lion Beast had some remnant aura, there was no world-will left.

Therefore, Merlin did not have to be so careful. Right now, the progress of his Illusory World was very slow. It only stabilized a lot after Merlin became a full-shifter.

However, there was no expansion, merely stabilization. In fact, it was only stable to a certain degree. In order for the Illusory World to be restored to its powerful state back in the Void Zone, it would take hundreds and thousands of years based on its current progress.

It was very difficult for the Illusory World to be restored to its peak era. If that were the case, Merlin could have countered the Almighty Beast World's will directly. Since the Illusory World could not be restored, Merlin would have to rely on the power system in this world to enhance himself.

"Natural abilities?"

Merlin shapeshifted his head which revealed the crimson vertical eye on his forehead. Now that he was a full-shifter, he could shapeshift individual body parts without going through the entire full-shift.

The crimson vertical eye glowed blood-red. If there was an enemy, he could control their blood-qi, causing their blood vessels to explode and they would die.

This was the only ability that Merlin knew about the Blood-eye now. However, this particular Supreme Talent was ineffective towards Doomsday. This was because Doomsday's Soul of Light prevented Merlin from identifying his real body.

This was the skill gap in terms of Supreme Talents. Merlin's Blood-eye should be capable of more than just Blood Control. Otherwise, the Blood-eye Dragon would not have been one of the overlords of the ancient almighty beasts.

"What is the function of the Sacred Lion Beast's head in regard to a full-shifter's Supreme Talents?"

Merlin suddenly realized that while the Sacred Lion Beast's aura was immensely powerful and reminded people of the will of the world, it was just an aura in reality. It could not affect a powerful shifter.

However, Farron definitely derived some benefits when he entered this place. The Princess Royal would not lie about that.

"In that case, I'll give it a try."

Merlin took a deep breath. Then, the crimson vertical eye on his forehead shot out a crimson beam that shrouded the head of the Sacred Lion Beast. The reflection colored the floor of the entire underground hall crimson.

"Hum".

The moment the crimson beam shrouded the Sacred Lion Beast's head, it began to vibrate gently. At the same time, chilling images began to emerge in Merlin's mind.

Within those images was an incomparably humongous almighty beast. Its entire body could not be viewed by the naked eye, and the true extent of its size was unknown. It radiated a golden glow all over.

Merlin struggled to look at the head of the almighty beast in images. It was the Sacred Lion Beast.

"Apparently, the true body of the Sacred Lion Beast is so humongous?"

When Merlin saw this Sacred Lion Beast, he was truly astounded. In the Void Zone, the largest creatures he saw were the Slothful Beasts.

Based on these images, the Sacred Lion Beast was not much smaller than the Slothful Beast. This meant that the entire Almighty Beast was larger than Merlin had imagined.

For some unknown reason, the Sacred Lion Beast's humongous body began to flop, then from its body, droplets of fresh blood emerged. These fresh blood droplets quickly transformed into several enormous almighty beasts, they were nonetheless smaller than the Sacred Lion Beast.

Later, these almighty beasts gradually procreated, but the bloodlines became weaker and thinner with every generation until it became the world today. Ancient almighty beasts were very hard to find. Instead, they could only consolidate the power in their bloodline in order to become the heir of an almighty beast bloodline.

"It turns out that the Blood-eye Dragon's bloodline partly originated from the Sacred Lion Beast. However, this small relation is not enough to trigger the Supreme Talents of the Blood-eye. The main bloodline of the Blood-eye Dragon is still the Sacred Dragon. Only by finding the remains of a Great Dragon, will I be able to activate all my Supreme Talents!"

At this instant, Merlin fully understood why Farron was able to enhance his Supreme Talents so quickly. Come to think of it, his bloodline coincidentally was one of the direct descendants of the Sacred Lion Beast. Thus, it allowed all his Supreme Talents to be activated.

Merlin, on the other hand, could only search for the remains of the Great Dragons. This was because his main bloodline was from the Sacred Dragons.

"Such a pity. Apparently, Supreme Talents can be unlocked using this method. However, the sacred beasts have vanished for many years. Where else can I find the remains of sacred beasts?"

Merlin suddenly thought of Doomsday. If Farron relied on the head of the Sacred Lion Beast to fully activate his Supreme Talents, then what did Doomsday rely upon?

Merlin narrowed his eyes and retracted his Blood-eye. It seemed like he would have to thoroughly investigate Doomsday's background after this. Surely, this was not a difficult feat for Phantom.

Chapter 988: Merging the will of Almighty Beasts I

"Let's go, Lisa."

Merlin stood up and woke Lisa. Although this close encounter with the head of the Sacred Lion Beast did not enhance his abilities, it helped him identify the direction in which he could boost his Supreme Talents. He had to find the skeletal remains of the Great Dragons in order to further purify his blood and enhance his Supreme Talents.

The Princess Royal looked at Merlin and asked sorrowfully, "Leon, you didn't gain anything?"

Merlin shook his head. "I didn't gain as much as I expected, but I did reap some benefits. Let's go out first."

He knew that the head of the Sacred Lion Beast was not very useful for him. Perhaps it would be of great help for those who happened to be bloodline descendants of the Sacred Lion Beast. On the other hand, Merlin needed the skeletal remains of the Sacred Dragons in order to activate the full spectrum of bloodline abilities of the Blood-eye Dragon and enhance its Supreme Talents.

"By the way, Lisa, other than the head of the Sacred Lion Beast, do you know where else the skeletal remains of sacred beasts can be found?" Merlin asked in a serious tone.

"Other than the head of the Sacred Lion Beast, where else would there be skeletal remains of sacred beasts? At least, I don't know of any…"

The Princess Royal shook her head. How precious were the skeletons of sacred beasts? Only the Holy Dragon Empire possessed one and even established a powerful empire as a result. This spoke of the importance of the sacred beast's remains. If any sacred beast's skeleton had been found elsewhere, it was impossible that the Holy Dragon Empire royal family did not know.

Merlin frowned. If he could not find the skeletal remains of the Sacred Dragons, then it would be difficult for him to improve his Blood-eye's Supreme Talents. This was completely unrelated to one's willpower. From the beginning until that point, the bloodline of the almighty beasts had become thinner. So, no one could achieve the same level as the real ancient almighty beast; no matter how much effort was put in.

This was unless their bloodline was extremely viscous, or like Farron, their blood was purified by the skeleton of a sacred beast. Only then would their Supreme Talents undergo tremendous enhancement.

Soon, the Princess Royal led Merlin out of the chamber which contained the head of the Sacred Lion Beast and returned to her palace. Merlin glanced at the Princess Royal, he knew what she was thinking.

"Don't worry, I will give you my full support. However, I'm still not a worthy opponent to Farron at the moment, so you shouldn't act rashly."

Merlin knew how ambitious this beautiful lady was. If she was desperate enough to go on a rampage, then Merlin might be implicated.

At the moment, the royal family probably still had a powerful existence hidden away. However, the power belonged to the royal family. As long as the royal family was not usurped, they would not wield their hidden hand.

After all, both Lisa and the second prince were still members of the royal family.

Thus, only Farron was Merlin's threat!

"Don't worry, I won't act rashly. Farron… He's indeed troublesome!"

The Princess Royal sighed, obviously feeling helpless to go against Farron. Merlin felt slightly conflicted. Farron had just saved his life, but he and Merlin unexpectedly stood on opposite ends. Life was truly unpredictable.

After bidding the Princess Royal goodbye, Merlin returned to the castle soon after. The moment he arrived, he saw the butler walking towards him quickly, as if there was an urgent matter.

"Honorable Count, you've finally returned."

"Hmm? Butler, did something happen to our clan?"

Considering Merlin's current position, it was easy to protect his clan inside Holy Dragon City.

"The clan is fine, but Count Altadin has sent his men here a few times. I've always answered that the Honorable Count has left for official matters, so Count Altadin left a message. He said that when you return, please pay a visit to Count Altadin's castle."

Realization dawned in Merlin's heart. If not for the butler mentioning this, he had almost forgotten that he had a marriage contract with Count Altadin's daughter. However, due to his stint in White Rajah City, he might have exceeded the time period stipulated in the original agreement.

Merlin did not feel anything special for Baratha, but Merlin would not object since this was decided by his father when he was alive. From his perspective, all of this would be over in just a few decades or centuries. Compared to his lengthy lifespan, this was only a negligible portion.

"I understand, I will visit Count Altadin as soon as I have time. By the way, is Lady Reese doing well?"

Upon mention of Count Altadin, Merlin was reminded of Lady Reese who stood beside him when he first occupied this 'Leon' body. He had not seen Lady Reese for a very long time.

"Honorable Count, Lady Reese is doing well, but she misses you sometimes."

Merlin nodded to show that he understood. He could not imagine how to deal with these two women because he had more important things on his mind right now.

Merlin headed directly to his chamber. After the Princess Royal brought him to see the head of the Sacred Lion Beast, Merlin discovered that he would not be able to progress further without the skeletal remains of a Sacred Dragon. Even if another ten, hundreds or thousands of years passed by, he would still be stuck at this level.

"Titus."

Merlin immediately entered the Illusory World, and Titus appeared before Merlin at once.

"Merlin, what's the matter?"

Titus still remained unchanged. However, ever since Merlin perfected the Mind Power system, Titus could no longer provide much direct assistance to him. Nowadays, Merlin simply treated Titus as an old friend.

After all, in this new Almighty Beast World, there was only Merlin and Titus.

"Titus, this time I've seen the head of the Sacred Lion Beast. Unfortunately, I discovered that unless I can find the skeletal remains of a Sacred Dragon, it would be difficult to enhance my abilities. How is the condition of the Illusory World?"

Merlin had evaluated the Illusory World cursorily. There was not a lot of change, except for solidifying a little more. It still had a long way to go compared to its peak condition.

Titus considered for some time and said, "It will take a very long time for the Illusory World to recover, and you haven't found a way to restore it quickly. You can't cultivate Mind Power in this world, otherwise, the Illusory World can recover completely in just a few decades."

Titus also seemed helpless. He was merely a 'parasite' in the Illusory World, with Merlin's consent. He could not make any changes to the Illusory World.

"Can you find the skeletal remains of a Sacred Dragon, then?" Titus asked.

"If it was so easy to find, then it wouldn't be a sacred beast. Even the royal family's Princess Royal does not know of any other sacred beast's skeletons, let alone that of a Sacred Dragon."

Merlin shook his head. Although he had not checked Doomsday's background information, the possibility of him obtaining the skeleton of a sacred beast was extremely low. Most probably, Doomsday bloodline was very pure to begin with, so when he became a full-shifter, he was able to quickly hone his Supreme Talents and finally possessed the terrifying Soul of Light. Hence, he was able to surpass most of the other powerful full-shifters.

Nevertheless, Merlin did not have such a pure almighty beast bloodline. Rather, he did not have any almighty beast bloodline. Instead, he relied on the will of an almighty beast. He was a rare Host!

"Wait, Merlin, you're a Host, right? According to rumors, a Host can make use of the most powerful almighty beast will as his or her primary form, and then devour the will of various other almighty beasts. This would enable the Host to achieve a formidable level, or even give birth to a whole-new almighty beast!"

Titus piped up. He had heard Merlin mention this before and suddenly remembered it.

"Devour the will of other almighty beasts?"

Merlin was slightly stunned. He also recalled in his memory, there was indeed such a rumor about Hosts. Nonetheless, it was just a rumor, because no one had ever succeeded. Most of them were Hosts who did not have any hope of achieving a full-shifter, so they cast one last desperate attempt to devour another almighty beast's will. In the end, they could neither suppress nor merge the will and were killed by the backlash of having too many almighty beasts' will.

However, the backlash of an almighty beast's will was the least of Merlin's fears.

"Host, I'm a Host. I can try to devour and merge more almighty beast will. Currently, I can't find any Great Dragon remains to enhance my Supreme Talents, so this is the only way I can try to improve my abilities."

Merlin was starkly reminded by Titus that he was a Host. He was not like other heirs who inherited the almighty beast bloodlines. He could devour the will of other almighty beasts to improve himself.

For the people in the Almighty Beast World, devouring the will of almighty beasts was riddled with danger, but for Merlin the creator of the Illusory World, it was a breeze.

"There are many more almighty beasts' will inside the Bead of Infamy!"

Merlin had not returned the Bead of Infamy to Count Altadin. Initially, he had planned to do so, but now he needed a large number of almighty beast will. Hence, he would use the Bead of Infamy to devour the remaining almighty beast will.

"Hum".

Merlin retrieved the Bead of Infamy. It looked like an ordinary pearl, but countless powerful almighty beasts' will were suppressed and trapped inside it.

Merlin Awareness quickly entered the Bead of Infamy. This was not the first time he entered the Bead of Infamy, so he was well-versed.

The Bead of Infamy was divided into three layers of subspace. The first layer trapped and suppressed numerous low-tier almighty beast will, which constituted the largest group. Meanwhile, the second layer trapped and suppressed many mid-tier almighty beasts' will.

As for the third layer, there was only one high-tier almighty beast will, which was Merlin's current Blood-eye Dragon. This was the only high-tier almighty beast will which Merlin had encountered so far.

"Swish".

Merlin immediately came to the first layer. He randomly picked a Two-tailed Mamba. As it was only a low-tier almighty beast, its attack was not very powerful. Its main weapon was its venom, but currently, it was suppressed inside the Bead of Infamy.

Merlin had never devoured or merged the will of an almighty beast. This was his first time.

"You're the one!"

Merlin did not know what would happen after he devoured the will of another almighty beast, so he could only test it out on this weaker Two-tailed Mamba.

As soon as the thought appeared in Merlin's mind, his own will immediately shapeshifted into a large mouth and devoured the will of the Two-tailed Mamba. Soon, it reached the depth of his Awareness.

"Roar…"

Seemingly discovering a foreign almighty beast will, the Blood-eye Dragon inside Merlin's Awareness let out an ear-piercing roar. Then, it stirred up a storm that swept violently towards the Two-tailed Mamba.

Chapter 989: Merging the will of Almighty Beasts II

The Blood-eye Dragon's will would definitely not allow any other almighty beast's will to approach its "territory" or domain. Moreover, Merlin's Awareness was the "territory" of the Blood-eye Dragon's will.

As it was about to expel the Two-tailed Mamba's will, a colossal will immediately descended. Before this mighty will, the Blood-eye Dragon's will could not resist it at all.

"Great Master!"

When it sensed this will, the Blood-eye Dragon appeared endlessly fearful. It understood rather well this powerful master it had parasitized; who possessed the terrifying capability of defeating its will. Now, just this presence alone made it incomparably frightened.

The Blood-eye Dragon even wondered if Merlin was a sacred beast. Otherwise, even a top-tier almighty beast's will would not have such a fearsome dominance.

"Blood-eye Dragon, as your master, I need you to merge with more almighty beast's will!"

Merlin's tone left no room for questioning which caused the Blood-eye Dragon to feel appalled yet unable to talk balk. Any slight carelessness during the merging of the almighty beasts' will had the potential to completely destroy the Blood-eye Dragon's will.

Nonetheless, Merlin had already made up his mind. Naturally, he would not allow the Blood-eye Dragon to object. Following that, the Two-tailed Mamba still had not figured out what was happening when it felt an irresistible strength that had immediately mixed it with the Blood-eye Dragon's will.

"Roar…"

The Blood-eye Dragon let out a pitiful cry. Merging with an almighty beast's will was not that simple. Furthermore, Merlin was forcibly fusing. If he did not, the two almighty beast's will would be crushed at once.

As the two different almighty beast's will merged continuously, Merlin was consciously using the Blood-eye Dragon's will as the primary will, allowing the Two-tailed Mamba's will to be thoroughly fused into the Blood-eye Dragon's will.

In his Awareness, the Blood-eye Dragon's will was snarling incessantly, as if it was enduring extreme agony, but with the suppression from Merlin's Illusory World, there was no point. No matter how much the will of both were in conflict, they could only slowly merge together.

After a few hours, the Blood-eye Dragon's cries gradually died down. The Two-tailed Mamba's will had already vanished. In the entire Awareness, only the Blood-eye Dragon's will was left.

"Blood-eye Dragon, how do you feel?" Merlin asked eagerly.

"Feel?"

The Blood-eye Dragon carefully sensed itself over, then shook its head. "It seems like there's no obvious feeling. Perhaps it's only a low-tier almighty beast's will, so it's too weak?"

Merlin fell into silent contemplation. This seemed to be the reason. Even so, this experiment of his indicated that he could fuse almighty beasts' will together, and there were many more almighty beasts' will in the Bead of Infamy.

With this in mind, Merlin sent his consciousness into the Bead of Infamy. In the first layer subspace, there were low-tier almighty beasts' will everywhere, a great number of them.

"Devour!"

It was as if Merlin had turned into a gigantic mouth, endlessly and wildly swallowing the low-tier almighty beasts' will within the first layer subspace. One after another, each almighty beast's will was swiftly absorbed into Merlin's Awareness then forcefully suppressed by the Illusory World.

"Buzz buzz buzz."

The almighty beasts' will were frantically and forcibly fused into the Blood-eye Dragon's will. At first, the Blood-eye Dragon's will did not undergo any changes, but gradually, as one after another almighty beast's will was merged, the Blood-eye Dragon clearly felt that its own will became stronger.

The most direct effect of this strengthening of its will was its physical augmentation.

"Shapeshift!"

Merlin summoned this thought. He had already fused all of the low-tier almighty beasts' will within the first layer subspace of the Bead of Infamy into the Blood-eye Dragon's will. Now he displayed the might of his shapeshifted body.

"Boom."

After Merlin had undergone a full-shift, his body was sturdily built up by a large amount. Moreover, the bulk of his full-shift seemed to faintly contain a layer of solid, crimson armor. His physical attributes had been improved twice over at least.

Improving his physical attributes twice over would be inconceivable to any other contender with a full-shifting bloodline who learned about this. This was because once a contender with an almighty beast bloodline reached the full-shift, their physical attributes could not be upgraded no matter what. Thus, they focused their efforts on improving their Supreme Talent.

However, now that Merlin had merged with the almighty beast's will, he could further improve the full-shifted Blood-eye Dragon's physical attributes. It was really unbelievable.

"Perhaps this is a path unique to Hosts. They don't necessarily have to improve their Supreme Talent!"

Merlin's eyes brightened. If he could use this method of merging almighty beasts' will to constantly and continuously enhance the Blood-eye Dragon's physical attributes, he might actually be able to break through the limits of the Blood-eye Dragon at last, and its high-tier almighty beast bloodline itself.

"There's still the second layer subspace. Everything in there is a mid-tier almighty beast's will!"

Merlin was somewhat eager and impatient. Mid-tier almighty beasts' will were much stronger than low-tier ones. One of the former is comparable to ten or even dozens of the latter. In truth, the mid-tier almighty beasts' will in the second layer subspace was the primary force of the Bead of Infamy.

"Devour!"

Merlin did not hesitate at all and started devouring these mid-tier almighty beasts' will immediately. This was different from when he swallowed the low-tier almighty beasts' will. Each time he swallowed a mid-tier one, the Blood-eye Dragon appeared to be in abnormal anguish, and its will seemed to weaken slightly.

"Mid-tier almighty beasts' will are this formidable? If I continue merging, will it still be the Blood-eye Dragon in the end?"

Merlin had some doubts.

Following that, he shapeshifted again. The Blood-eye Dragon's body had become even stronger, its attributes improved once again. Moreover, its appearance had begun to change as well.

For instance, spurs had sprouted all over its body. This was a characteristic belonging only to one of the mid-tier almighty beasts Merlin had just devoured. Moreover, a wart had emerged on that massive forehead, as if about to burst into a horn.

In addition, Merlin's eyes had been glazed over by a green glow which made his vision even clearer. This was not including other changes that were still not completely exhibited yet.

In short, the current Blood-eye Dragon seemed less and less like a Blood-eye Dragon, let alone a true Sacred Dragon. Conversely, it seemed to be assembled from countless almighty beasts and appeared somewhat out of place.

"I must be the first person to merge almighty beasts' will! I wonder what's the monster that will ultimately be born. Still, as long as I can enhance my strength, that's nothing…"

Merlin carefully inspected his body. Indeed, there was nothing that felt unwell to him. Nevertheless, it was clear to see that his body had become more formidable.

As long as his strength was improved and there were no drawbacks, that was enough. Therefore, Merlin harbored no reservations and continued devouring the almighty beasts' will within the Bead of Infamy.

Not even Merlin himself knew what kind of terrifying creature would be born after he merged all these almighty beasts' will. Perhaps it would be a historically unprecedented, powerful almighty beast?

Chapter 990: Information

At first, there were many almighty beasts' will within the Bead of Infamy, but now Merlin had frantically swallowed them until there was nothing left. In the entire Bead of Infamy, there was not a single almighty beast's will.

"Phew… I've finally devoured it all. Although there is no almighty beast's will left in the Bead of Infamy, this Bead of Infamy is still very useful, as it's able to seal and suppress an almighty beast's will."

Merlin knew that the Bead of Infamy was actually a treasure too, or it would not possibly be able to suppress so many almighty beasts' will.

After he had finished devouring and merging the almighty beasts' will from the Bead of Infamy and settled them in his Awareness, the almighty beast's will had transformed beyond recognition. Other than a faint, familiar hint of the Blood-eye Dragon's force, one had no way of knowing that it was once the high-tier almighty beast, the Blood-eye Dragon.

"Shapeshift!"

Merlin cried out hoarsely. Instantly, his entire body started to shapeshift swiftly. His body expanded outwards in rings as incomparably sharp spurs grew all over his body. There were even dim flames that adhered to his wings. The crimson vertical eye on his forehead had not really changed, but there was an additional horn that sprouted close to the eye.

In fact, this was not the biggest change. The biggest change was the overall transformation of the Blood-eye Dragon. Its enormous bulk had increased twice over at least and truly became a "colossus". Furthermore, the repressive aura of its body was extremely fearsome, more fearsome than any other full-shifting contender.

Merlin knew that the Holy Dragon royal family had actually inherited top-tier almighty beasts' will. These were second only to the formidable bloodlines of sacred beasts and could be considered the strongest bloodlines.

However, Merlin had learned through the Princess Royal that the actual strength of the top-tier almighty beasts was still their Supreme Talent and not their own physical power.

Now, after devouring and merging various almighty beasts' will, Merlin's own strength was now formidable to an inconceivable extent. It was likely that there was no almighty beast that was stronger than Merlin's physical strength.

Although Merlin did not have a powerful Supreme Talent, his body had been augmented to such an extent that he was on a different path.

"The barrier of the Illusory World is even sturdier, and its recovery speed has improved. Merlin, not bad. Your merging of the almighty beasts' will might be different from the traditional methods of this world, but it allows the Illusory World an opportunity to reach its full potential."

Within Merlin's Illusory World, Titus spoke in gleeful surprise. As Merlin merged the will, his almighty beast form had continuously grown stronger beyond expectation. It seemed that there were no physical limits and instead the Illusory World's barrier had become sturdier.

Back when Merlin faced off against the Void Zone, it was actually because his Illusory World's barrier was not strong enough. If one wished to make the Illusory World into reality, the Illusory World's barrier solidity would be of utmost significance!

"Perhaps no one had ever taken this path, but as long as I can enhance my capability, I'll continue down that road no matter what the path is!"

Merlin could feel the energy surging wildly within his body. This was a fantastic sensation. Even when he was in the Void Zone back then, he had never felt such formidable power.

"I wonder if the current me can withstand Farron's Supreme Talent?"

Merlin returned to his original appearance. He was possibly the strongest person, in terms of pure physical strength, to be born after the ancient almighty beasts had gone extinct. No full-shifting contender, purely based on physical power, was as mighty as Merlin.

Perhaps there were other Hosts who had merged almighty beasts' will, but at best they would have merged one or two almighty beasts' will. They would have to be extremely lucky, and also very careful, to prevent the backlash of the almighty beast's will.

Nonetheless, fusing one or two almighty beasts' will actually did not induce any clear improvements in the Host's abilities. Merlin had to merge countless almighty beasts' will from the Bead of Infamy to ultimately experience such an obvious improvement.

After keeping the Bead of Infamy, Merlin left the secret chamber.

"Butler, get me a set of clothes."

Merlin returned to his original form. His body's force still had not changed at all. After that, the butler brought a set of clothes. After Merlin put them on, he stared at the young face in the mirror and felt unsettled as if this face was somewhat unfamiliar.

"I haven't been in this world for long, but it feels like a very long time…"

Merlin had a dim longing for the Void Zone. Everything he was familiar with was there. Alone, in the strange Almighty Beast World, he had to be careful with his Illusory World. Moreover, there was no one like him, hence he always felt lonely.

"To Phantom!"

Merlin commanded the carriage driver to send him to Phantom at once. There were few people who currently knew about Merlin's true identity. The butler knew some of it, and there was also the driver.

The carriage driver nodded wordlessly and did not speak much, and immediately steered the carriage to steadily trundle towards Phantom Headquarters.

Soon enough, they reached Phantom Headquarters. Merlin saw that the headquarters seemed rather empty. At that point in time, nothing major had happened in the Holy Dragon City, and there were not many major missions, so the people of Phantom were more unoccupied.

Merlin immediately went to the Intelligence Team. In fact, the members of this team did not know Merlin well but when Merlin appeared, almost everyone stood up respectfully and cried out. "Deputy Minister!"

Merlin thought about it. Farron must have already informed the whole of Phantom. This Deputy Minister was a Deputy Minister who wielded true power. Naturally, the members of the Intelligence Team dared not slight him.

"Deputy Minister, our Team Leader has gone out on some business for now. Do you have any orders?" A woman who looked rather mild-mannered asked in a soft voice.

"There's no need to trouble your Team Leader. Just help me look up information about Doomsday. I want specific details."

"Doomsday? He's one of the rebel army leaders heavily monitored by the royal family, so information on him is very detailed and in abundance. Deputy Minister, please hold on a moment. We'll retrieve the information for you."

This was one of the reasons Merlin came to Phantom Headquarters, to look up specific information on Doomsday. Although Merlin had already found a new path, Doomsday had nearly killed Merlin the last time. There were no downsides in learning more about Doomsday.

"We've found it, Deputy Minister. There's plenty of information on Doomsday, take a look…"

The quiet, gentle woman immediately came out holding a pile of data that was as thick as a few books. This was all the information on Doomsday. With such a hefty collection, Merlin felt a headache coming on.

"Why is there so much information? Is there also a record of whom Doomsday had fought before when he was young?"

From Merlin's perspective, records like these were pure decoration and served no purpose.

"Deputy Minister, Doomsday himself is one of the major rebel army leaders. All his information must be very detailed. Even the trajectory of his growth must be understood clearly."

Merlin shook his head slightly. This was how the Intelligence Team worked. He would not actually meddle with their affairs. Following that, he picked up the information on Doomsday and pored over it carefully.

In particular, Doomsday's trajectory of growth had to be closely studied. Perhaps Merlin could discover some of Doomsday's secrets from there.