1017 - 1026

Chapter 1017: Clean Up II

The Captain frowned tightly in the military base situated at the front line. As a full-shifter Captain, he clearly knew the importance of the city in front.

It was not the city itself that was particularly precious, but the people who were within it. This was where the three main rebel army leaders were currently situated. Only by defeating the top three rebel army leaders, would it be possible to completely eradicate all the rebel armies within the Holy Dragon Empire and restore unity.

However, defeating these top three rebel army leaders was not as easy as it sounded. All of them were ultimate contenders, which meant that, other than another ultimate contender, no one else could inflict any harm on them.

"Hold on, who is this person whom Her Majesty the Queen asked us to wait for?"

The Captain was getting slightly irritated. He recently received an order to wait for somebody's arrival. Allegedly, this person could help them defeat the three rebel army leaders.

Such an order made the Captain want to roll his eyes. Since when did the royal family have a candidate who could stand one against three and defeat three ultimate contenders?

Nevertheless, the Captain could not disobey an order from Her Majesty the Queen. Currently in the Holy Dragon Empire, the Queen had unparalleled status and influence. She had also received the support of the entire military. A mere Captain like him would not dare to disobey the Queen's order.

At that moment, a soldier came to report. "Captain, a man suddenly descended from the sky and is asking to see you."

"Descended from the sky? He must be a full-shifter contender at least. Is this the person sent by Her Majesty the Queen?"

The Captain was stunned. According to Her Majesty the Queen, this person might be the key determinant of the Holy Dragon Empire's victory.

Hence, the Captain hurriedly walked out. From afar, he saw an almost-unbelievably young man. However, despite the man's youthful looks, his eyes portrayed a ferocity that seemed almost bewitching, which caused people to heighten their guards around him.

Naturally arriving at the military base was Merlin, who had rushed all the way from Holy Dragon City. Seeing the doubtful look the Captain casted at him, Merlin merely smiled. It seemed like, his victory over the Candora Trio-Lords and the killing of two rebel army leaders was only known by the core higher authorities. This Captain did not know of Merlin's 'battle-score'.

"My name is Leon. I was sent by Her Majesty the Queen to get rid of the three rebel army leaders," Merlin stated his purpose outright.

"I see, it's Sir Leon."

The Captain appeared to be polite, although his heart was suspicious. This Merlin did not look particularly extraordinary, how could he possibly get rid of three ultimate contenders?

Thinking along these lines, the Captain felt doubtful, but he did not say anything. Since Her Majesty the Queen had sent this man here, he must have had some skills.

"Captain, tell me about the problems you've encountered so far," Merlin said without further ado. He did not want to waste too much time there.

"Problems? There are indeed a few. The biggest problem is not the rebel armies, but the three rebel army leaders. All three of them are ultimate contenders. I'm sure Sir Leon knows all about ultimate contenders. As long as those three rebel army leaders are around, we are powerless against them. We dare not act recklessly against them."

The Captain's biggest headache was the three rebel army leaders. Regardless of how many thousands of troops and horses the military had, they did not dare to act recklessly. This was because a single ultimate contender was enough to dominate the entire battlefield.

"As long as I get rid of the three rebel army leaders, are you confident in defeating the rebel armies?" Merlin asked calmly.

"Of course, as long as those three rebel army leaders are annihilated, I'm confident that we can defeat all the rebel armies. However, all three rebel army leaders are ultimate contenders, how can they be defeated so easily? I'm afraid that we'll have to convince Her Majesty the Queen to send a real ultimate contender here to control the situation."

The Captain glanced at Merlin. This man did not seem like an ultimate contender, so the Captain wondered why the Queen sent him? Was it in order to gauge the situation?

However, they could have relied on Phantom Intelligence Department if it was merely to gauge the situation. The Captain was very familiar with Phantom Intelligence Department. This Department was very formidable; nothing was able to escape its surveillance.

"Since Captain is confident, then it will be done. I'll go and get rid of the three rebel army leaders."

A faint smile appeared on Merlin's lips. Despite Merlin's calm demeanor, the Captain's eyes were wide open as he stared at Merlin without blinking.

"But… Those three are ultimate contenders. Sir Leon, you're…"

"I'm the person the Queen sent to resolve the problem. It won't take long, you can order your troops to get ready."

Merlin did not explain in detail. Instead, he flew into the sky and soon disappeared from the military camp. Looking at his direction, he was heading towards the rebel armies' city in front.

The Captain seemed undecided, before finally ordering in a gruff voice, "Go, order everyone to get ready, and observe what is happening within the city in front."

At this point, the Captain no longer thought that Merlin was joking. After all, no one would dare to risk a joke on their own lives. Nevertheless, he still did not have much faith in Merlin. Was it possible to kill three ultimate contenders?

…

Despite the large military presence stationed outside, the rebel armies in the city were obviously relaxed. The large troop outside would not dare to attack them, because three of their powerful leaders had gathered together.

However, inside an ancient castle, the three rebel army leaders wore grave looks. The recent developments had caught them by surprise.

"I didn't expect the royal family to still hold such a tremendous force. They've conquered half of the Holy Dragon Empire. Perhaps, only by combining our forces, we'll be able to hold on for a while," the Shadow King said glumly. His expression was unpleasant. The situation had developed far beyond his expectations.

Beside him was the Phantom King and the Liberator. Both ultimate contenders spotted the same grave looks like the Shadow King. Ever since they found out that the head of the Sacred Lion Beast which they obtained was fake, their moods had plummeted. Moreover, the current outlook seemed very bleak for them.

"The three ancestors of the royal family probably haven't recovered, but we should be worried about that Leon…"

Upon the Phantom King's mention of Merlin, the three of them fell silent. They were not the least afraid of the three royal family ancestors, but they were quite fearful of Merlin.

Not only was Merlin able to fend off the Candora Trio-Lords, he also killed Doomsday and the Nine-Lives Werewolf. Such a battle-score was practically unheard of, so much so Merlin could be said to be the number one contender throughout the entire land. This was because they were usually quite impaired while disparities existed between ultimate contenders. Other than a siege, it was very difficult for an ultimate contender to kill another ultimate contender.

Merlin, on the other hand, singlehandedly killed two ultimate contenders.

"Leon is protecting the royal family inside the palace. He won't come out so easily. Even if he does, surely we can compete against him with our combined forces?"

The Liberator sneered. Perhaps Merlin was indeed powerful, but with the combined force of three ultimate contenders; they were also an immense powerhouse. It would not be easy for Merlin to defeat them.

"That's right, the three of us must combine forces. During this period of time, we shouldn't act alone. Then, even if Leon comes, he won't be able to defeat us."

The Shadow King nodded. The three of them combined together was still a considerable force.

"Is that so?"

Just then, a familiar voice resonated inside the castle. Following that, without any warning, a figure walked through the front door.

"Swoosh."

The Shadow King and the others were immediately on alert. Upon seeing this figure, their faces revealed a look of horror. "Leon? You've left Holy Dragon City?"

Seeing Leon, the Shadow King and the others could not help but turn cautious. They were just discussing how to handle Merlin, but he had already silently left Holy Dragon City and came to their castle.

For Merlin to come to this castle at this time, the meaning was unquestionable. The royal family was turning on them!

"I'm just leaving the royal family for a while to deal with you. When you escaped from Holy Dragon City and lived for a few extra days, you should have known that this day will eventually come."

Merlin's tone sounded unperturbed, but his body gave off a chilling murderous vibe!

Chapter 1018: Clearing the Obstacles

"Shadow Fort."

Without warning, the Shadow King unleashed his Supreme Talent. He did not even join forces with the other two. Instead, he transformed into a shadow and immediately tried to escape. All that talk about being able to defeat Merlin as long as the three of them combined their strengths was naught but a joke. At the moment of truth, the Shadow King fled faster than anyone else.

"Shadow King!"

The Liberator and the Phantom King's faces contorted horribly. They were furious. They did not expect that the Shadow King had no intention of joining forces with them. Instead, he was the first to escape.

"Hmph, trying to escape?"

Merlin immediately sensed the Shadow King. With his current strength, even Doomsday's Soul of Light could no longer trap him, what more the Shadow King?

Merlin stomped a foot forward. He did not even have to wield his almighty beast form.

"Boom."

The entire city seemed to quake. With a single step, Merlin shook the Shadow King out of the shadows. At the same time, the humiliated Shadow King reappeared with a stunned expression.

His shadow avatar was unable to escape Merlin's detection, so naturally, he could not escape. Stunned, the Shadow King no longer preserved his dignity. He yelled at the Liberator and the Phantom King, "Two of you, Leon has grown more powerful. The matter between us can be deferred until Leon is taken care of. Otherwise, none of us will be able to leave today."

The Shadow King knew that he was grasping at straws but currently, all of them faced a common threat. Other than a temporary pact, none of them would be able to escape.

"Hmph."

The Liberator seemed very disgruntled. He stretched out a hand and Merlin felt as though the entire world was filled with a gigantic hand that continued to grow. It was as if his entire person would be snatched up by this hand.

"Illusion? Mind Power?"

A snigger appeared between Merlin's lips. The Liberator possessed Hallucinating spell power. Moreover, it was even more realistic than Doomsday's Soul of Light.

"Roar…"

Merlin instantly shapeshifted into a ferocious almighty beast. His behemoth body was filled with oppressiveness as he smashed against his opponent. A look of horror appeared on the Liberator's face. Merlin was completely unaffected by his power.

"How is this possible?"

The Liberator seemed to be witnessing the most unfathomable scene in the world but there was no use. Merlin's huge body and oppressive aura had crushed him mercilessly.

"Bang."

A loud noise echoed. The Liberator's body turned into a bloody mist that wafted into the air. The entire castle was reduced to ruins and a thick stench of blood filled the air.

The Liberator was dead in a single blow!

The Phantom King and the Shadow King exchanged a look. In this situation, the Phantom King's advantage could not be unleashed at all, so he was only equivalent to an ordinary ultimate contender. However, such ultimate contenders were helpless before Merlin as Merlin would eventually kill them all.

At this point, the Shadow King was at least self-aware. He knew that this person before him had far exceeded the realm of ordinary ultimate contenders and had achieved an unimaginable level. They were completely defenseless against Merlin. Hence, the Shadow King shouted at Merlin, "Leon, we're willing to submit to the royal family!"

The Phantom King nodded. "We're willing to submit!"

"Submit?"

Merlin paused momentarily. Unexpectedly, at the brink of life-and-death, they would still sense fear. Although they were ultimate contenders, upon realizing that they were defenseless, why would they continue to fight? Would that not be a dead end?

Therefore, they were now begging for mercy and were willing to submit. This seemed to be the best possible outcome. Nevertheless, Merlin merely hesitated for a split second. After all, these were ultimate contenders. Currently, they would submit due to pressure but once Merlin left or was away, the royal family would not be able to suppress these two ultimate contenders.

Hence, Merlin would not leave the royal family with any trouble.

"Too late!"

Merlin sneered. He stretched out his hands and like two big mountains, pressed against the Phantom King and the Shadow King. No matter how much they struggled, it was useless. They could only howl in rage as they watched Merlin's palms press down on them.

"Boom".

The force had killed the Shadow King and the Phantom King. They were turned into a bloody mist that hung in the air. Both their auras had vanished completely.

By this time, many people had been watching the battle from afar. Most of them consisted of rebel armies. They saw that their once-invincible leaders were easily vanquished by Merlin. Fear arose in their hearts. They were afraid that Merlin would also attack them.

If Merlin wanted to, he could easily destroy the entire city. However, this was unnecessary that the three rebel army leaders were dead. These rebel army forces were inconsequential. It was simply a matter of time before peace was restored in the Holy Dragon Empire.

"Done!"

Merlin knew that the Holy Dragon Empire's army outside would immediately know that the battle had ended. His promise to Lisa had been fulfilled. It was time for him to return to Holy Dragon City and bid his farewells.

"Swish."

Merlin's huge almighty beast body gradually receded into his original form. Then, in the blink of an eye, he flew into the air and vanished without a trace. As for the military's subsequent moves, they were none of Merlin's concern.

…

Soon, Merlin returned to the palace and reported to Lisa. When she heard that the Shadow King, the Phantom King, and the other rebel army leaders were dead, her brows finally relaxed. The preceding worries disappeared altogether.

"Haha, Leon, I knew that you'd help me out. Now that the three rebel army leaders are dead, there's no power in the Holy Dragon Empire that can stop me now."

Lisa was very excited. She knew what this signified. The chaos in the Holy Dragon Empire would finally be over. As the first Queen of the Holy Dragon Empire, she had achieved a feat that her father did not manage to achieve. She had reunified the Holy Dragon Empire and ended the chaotic situation.

With this accomplishment, Lisa would earn great respect in the Holy Dragon Empire. So, when she implemented her policies in the future, there would not be too much resistance. For example, she would not appoint new aristocratic rulers. Perhaps, there would be some challenges but with her highly-respected status, Lisa would be able to do it.

She had accomplished all these with Merlin's help. Previously, Lisa did not hold back and gave Merlin every "treasure" because she hoped that Merlin would be able to be like Farron and support her. Now, it seemed like Merlin had far surpassed Farron. He had almost single handedly helped Lisa become Queen and cleared all the obstacles in her way.

"Lisa, there should be no force in the Holy Dragon Empire that can cause you any trouble anymore. Therefore, I'm leaving!"

Merlin looked at Lisa and said calmly.

Lisa's excitement gradually recovered. She took a deep breath and gazed at Merlin contemplatively. She knew that once Merlin left, he might not return to the Holy Dragon Empire for a very long time as he would be pursuing his dream.

"Leon, what will happen to your wives when you leave?"

Merlin's two wives had not borne any sons. This was also Merlin's source of headache and helplessness.

"Maybe I won't have any sons. I trust that Lisa, you'll help take care of my clan and my castle."

Merlin said with a smile. Under Queen Lisa's guardianship, at least in Holy Dragon City, Merlin's clan would not be affected. The only two people he owed were his two wives.

After a long pause, Lisa sighed and said, "Go home and spend a few more days with them…"

Chapter 1019: Intrusion

In the blink of an eye, one month had passed. Throughout this month, Merlin spent most of his time with his two wives and gave them a month's worth of happy memories.

Only a tiny portion of time was used to manage Phantom Intelligence Department. This was somewhat related to Merlin's subsequent move. He had mobilized Phantom Intelligence Department to investigate more about the Candora Magic Mirror.

Finally, Merlin obtained some information about the Candora Magic Mirror. This Magic Mirror had the mind-blowing ability to rip through space and teleport. At the same time, it also possessed the ability to bind its opponents. In short, it was truly formidable. It was also the Candora Empire's most precious treasure, so it was incredibly difficult to attain.

Merlin, however, might be an exception. With his current abilities, he could obtain it by force. Nevertheless, if someone from the Candora Empire were to rip through space with the Magic Mirror, then Merlin would not be able to get it.

Perhaps, the only point worth mentioning was that using the Magic Mirror to rip through space and teleport came with a very steep price. Not only did it require the bloodline of a high-tier almighty beast but the blood must be of the highest quality. Otherwise, it was completely impossible to activate the Magic Mirror.

Previously, when the Candora Trio-Lords had mobilized the Magic Mirror's power to teleport, they had harmed their cores. If they were to use it a few more times, even their lives might be in danger.

It was not surprising that this incredible mirror was known as the "Magic Mirror". It was truly magical yet horrifying.

"Although the Candora Magic Mirror's activation conditions are very harsh and require a huge sacrifice, I'm still not confident that I'll be able to forcibly seize the Candor Magic Mirror."

Merlin contemplated in his heart. While he was considered invincible now, seizing the Candora Magic Mirror by force still seemed a little far-fetched. Therefore, he could not seize it by force. The Magic Mirror was currently in the hands of the Candara Empire royal family, so he had to use other methods.

A myriad of ideas flashed across Merlin's mind. In short, no matter which method he employed, ultimately, he must get his hands on the Candora Magic Mirror. Regardless, Merlin wanted the sacred beast's will in the Magic Mirror!

"Alright. As for Phantom Intelligence Department, I'll leave it to Her Majesty the Queen. Shiya, after this, you don't have to report to me anymore. Just report directly to Her Majesty the Queen."

Merlin said to Shiya offhandedly. Shiya was now the team leader of the Phantom Intelligence Department's Investigation Team. Therefore, she immediately understood the implications of Merlin's words. Dismayed, she asked, "Minister, you… You're leaving Phantom Intelligence Department?"

"Yes, it's time to leave…"

Merlin looked toward the sky and gently waved his hand. Under Shiya's watchful gaze, he gradually turned to leave.

Merlin accompanied his family for more than a month but the bellies of both his wives remained unchanged. Most probably, due to Merlin's extreme body condition, it was difficult for him to produce an offspring. Nonetheless, he could not stay in Holy Dragon City any longer.

After making all the necessary arrangements and bidding farewell to the Queen, Merlin rose into the air and flew toward the Candora Empire.

…

Recently, the Candora Empire had not been peaceful. Although they were not prepared to invade the Holy Dragon Empire, they were watching the situation in the Holy Dragon Empire very closely. Seeing that the Holy Dragon Empire had managed to clear the situation in just a short time and also reunified the entire empire, it seemed like the Holy Dragon Empire would once again pose a threat to the Candora Empire in the future.

At this moment, the Candora Trio-Lords and other high-level figures gathered in the main hall. They were discussing the Holy Dragon Empire or more accurately, about Merlin.

The Candora Empire had been watching Merlin closely. Recently, they discovered that Merlin had left the Holy Dragon Empire and his tracks had disappeared. No one knew where he went. Thus, the Candora Empire's higher authorities were immediately anxious. Merlin could be deemed to be the number one contender throughout the entire mainland and was infinitely close to the legendary sacred beast. No matter where Merlin showed up, he would be a deadly threat.

"Everyone, Leon has once tried to seize the Candora Magic Mirror. Now that he had disappeared without a trace, we must be very careful."

"Yes, moreover, many people in the empire had inquired about the Candora Magic Mirror recently. I wonder if the Holy Dragon Empire is investigating it?"

"Regardless, the Candora Magic Mirror is our Empire's foundation. We mustn't not lose it at any cost!"

The King of the Candora Empire listened to the discussion carefully. In the end, he still shifted his gaze toward the Candora Trio-Lords. "Three brothers, how strong do you perceive Leon to be? If he tries to snatch the Candora Magic Mirror, what should we do?"

The Candora Trio-Lords were the pillars of the Candora Empire. They possessed unparalleled influence throughout the Candora Empire. Therefore, even the King had great respect for the Candora Trio-Lords.

In contrast with the Holy Dragon Empire's royal family, the Candora Trio-Lords did not "hide". Instead, they were visibly involved in the Empire' matters. Therefore, the Candora Trio-Lords held great influence on numerous matters.

After some time, the Candora Trio-Lords spoke slowly, "Leon's ability is too powerful. Not just the three of us but even if all of us were to join forces, it might still not be enough to defeat him. Nevertheless, it'll be difficult for him to seize the Candora Magic Mirror by force as he knows the Candora Magic Mirror can rip through space, which he cannot stop. Therefore, if he wants to obtain the Magic Mirror, I'm afraid he might use other means to force us to hand the Candora Magic Mirror to him."

Thinking along these lines, everyone's heart sunk slightly. True, Merlin might not be able to seize the Candora Magic Mirror by force since he was unable to prevent it from teleporting. However, Merlin could use other methods to force them to surrender the Magic Mirror.

Immediately, the entire great hall plunged into a tense atmosphere.

"Well, we don't have to be so pessimistic. Maybe Leon won't even come here…"

Someone muttered. At this exact moment, a guard rushed in from the outside. Kneeling on the floor, he reported panickily, "Your Majesty, someone came in from the outside. We've exhausted every means but couldn't stop him from entering the city. He's now rushing directly for the palace."

"Swish."

The Candora Trio-Lords shifted their gaze outside the great hall. They could sense a familiar aura looming.

"Leon…"

The Candora Trio-Lords were sporting ugly looks. No one expected that Merlin would arrive so quickly.

"Crash."

The door was broken apart. Slowly, a figure walked in. Even without wielding his almighty beast form, the newcomer exuded extremely powerful oppression that seemed to suffocate everyone in the room.

"How dare you!"

Many people stood on their feet, obviously enraged as someone dared to intrude into the palace. After so many years, this was the first time they had witnessed such brazen insolence.

However, whether it was the Candora Trio-Lords, the other ultimate contenders or even the King, their expressions turned ashen upon seeing this intruder.

"Candora Trio-Lords, we meet again!"

"Leon! In the end, you came…"

The Candora Trio-Lords stared at the intruder with shock. Previously, although they had only fought with Merlin briefly, they recognized Merlin's aura and knew his abilities.

This time, however, even before Merlin wielded his almighty beast form, the oppressive feeling was already incredibly powerful. The Candora Trio-Lords felt somewhat suffocated. How could they not know that Merlin had grown stronger in such a short time?

At their level, even the slightest improvement was immensely difficult to achieve. Merlin, on the other hand, could improve his abilities continuously. Their previous assessment of Merlin was no longer applicable.

Right now, Merlin had arrived. The entire great hall was filled with the absolute core figures of the Candora Empire, all of whom were now under Merlin's direct threat!

Chapter 1020: Magic Mirror

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Merlin's gaze swept across everybody in the room. Previously, the Candora Trio-Lords' aura posed a slight threat to Merlin. Now, he could not sense any iota of danger from them. This meant that Merlin had grown a few times stronger in his most recent enhancement. He was now unquestionably the number one contender!

"Leon, what do you want?"

Finally, the King of the Candora Empire could no longer hold it in. Under everyone's watchful stares, Merlin appeared too calm. Ironically, the calmness Merlin projected caused the people of the Candora Empire to feel deeply insulted.

"What do I want? Simple. Hand over the Candora Magic Mirror!"

Merlin replied evenly.

"As predicted!"

"Leon came for the Candora Magic Mirror."

Everyone turned to look at the Candora Trio-Lords. The Candora Magic Mirror was kept by the three of them. However, this was the Candora Empire's most prized possession. How could they simply give it away?

"What a distasteful joke. That's the Candora Empire's most prized national treasure. Why would we give it to you just like that?"

The King replied mockingly. Although he could see that Merlin's ability was extraordinary and most probably was undefeatable in a one-on-one fight, this place was still the most important location in the Candora Empire where numerous ultimate contenders gathered. Furthermore, they also had the Candora Magic Mirror. Why would they fear this lone Merlin?

Until now, the Candora Empire had not made any move. Their collective opinion was to avoid an attack as much as possible. The best-case scenario was for Merlin to retreat.

Nevertheless, how could it be easy to convince Merlin to retreat?

"I want the Candora Magic Mirror! What about we exchange it for some other item?"

A smile appeared between Merlin's lips.

"Exchange? What item can you possibly exchange for the Candora Empire's national treasure?"

The King sneered in derision. Perhaps, if the Holy Dragon Empire had used the Sacred Lion Beast's head as currency, they might briefly considered the offer. Besides that, what else could tempt the Candora Empire?

However, Merlin's eyes revealed a meaningful glint. He said in a low voice, "How about we exchange the entire Candora Empire with the Candora Magic Mirror?"

"You…"

At this moment, the King and the Candora Trio-Lords appeared slightly angered.

"You don't believe me?"

Merlin could not be bothered to waste his time dithering. With a flash, he flew toward the Candora Trio-Lords.

"Scram!"

Seeing the Candora Trio-Lords assume their almighty beast forms, Merlin swung his fist at them. Immediately, a tremendous pressure descended upon the Candora Trio-Lords. The horrifying pressure shocked the Candora Trio-Lords to the core. They could sense that they were completely unable to withstand this punch.

"How terrifying, retreat now!"

The Candora Trio-Lords' minds were interconnected. Naturally, they retreated instantly. However, Merlin's speed was even faster. His body seemed to transform into countless punches which rained down brutally upon the Candora Trio-Lords like a torrential downpour.

"Divine Realm!"

The Candora Trio-Lords chanted in unison. Instantly, the entire great hall was swathed in a layer of white light. The Candora Trio-Lords, in particular, were tightly enfolded in its core.

This was the Candora Trio-Lords' Supreme Talent. Not only were they identical triplet brothers but all three of them were also ultimate contenders, and miraculously, had the same Supreme Talent.

The Supreme Talent of each of the Candora Trio-Lords was the Divine Realm. This Supreme Talent could even be compounded to detonate an unparalleled force. As a result, the Candora Trio-Lords were greatly respected among the ultimate contenders due to their immense power.

However, today, they were pitted against Merlin, who had devoured hundreds and thousands of almighty beasts' will and possessed powers infinitely close to the sacred beasts.

In terms of pure strength, Merlin was not at all inferior compared to the sacred beasts. All he lacked right now was the will of the Almighty Beast World.

Merlin extended his palm. Suddenly, it seemed that the great hall was filled with the apparition of Merlin's palm. Then, the palm pressed down into the void.

"Boom."

With just one press, the entire great hall seemed to be on the verge of collapse. An overwhelming surge sent the Candora Trio-Lords into the air and out of the hall. Their bodies gradually cracked and fell heavily onto the ground.

Even then, Merlin had been merciful. He did not want to antagonize the Candora Empire but merely wanted to use the most direct method to make them understand that based on the situation, they should just voluntarily hand over the Candora Magic Mirror.

"You…"

At this moment, the arrogant King's eyes slanted, a massive storm rippling through his heart. Even the most powerful Candora Trio-Lords were not able to withstand the first hit.

If Merlin so wished, everyone in this place would not be able to escape alive. Merlin's words about exchanging the Candora Empire for the Magic Mirror were a threat. Merlin possessed the ability to single handedly destroy the huge Candora Empire!

"I just want the Candora Magic Mirror!"

Merlin said steely, his tone willed with brutishness which allowed no protests.

The King's expression flashed hesitantly. He was still weighing the pros and cons if he refused to give Merlin the Candora Magic Mirror. Merlin would not be able to obtain it by force since the Candora Magic Mirror had the supernatural power of teleportation.

However, if Merlin did not get the Candora Magic Mirror, the Candora Empire might cease to exist. This was a distinct possibility. The King of the Candora Empire found himself between a rock and a hard place.

"Your Majesty, you should acquiesce to him!"

Finally, with the help of others, the Candora Trio-Lords slowly stood up. Their gazes at Merlin were now filled with a trace of fear.

"Your Majesty, the Candora Magic Mirror is only used to stabilize the royal family's rule over the empire. If the empire no longer exists, what use will the Candora Magic Mirror be?"

Indeed, the Candora Magic Mirror was just a powerful treasure at best. The only benefit it presented to the royal family was to strengthen their rule over the empire.

Therefore, if one were to choose between those two options, unquestionably, the royal family would choose to keep the Candora Empire.

However, to the Candora Empire, it was downright humiliating to surrender their national treasure under Merlin's threat. Regardless, due to the apparent gap in power, they had no other choice.

Merlin's lips quirked into a tiny smile. This was much better than snatching it by force. Right now, Merlin already represented an unparalleled "force". Even just by himself, he was much more formidable than any force.

Therefore, he was not worried that the Candora Empire would not surrender the Candora Magic Mirror.

Soon, the Candora Trio-Lords retrieved a mirror from their laps. The moment Merlin saw the mirror, he knew that this was the Candora Magic Mirror because he could sense the will of the sacred beast from within.

"Haha, yes, it's indeed the Candora Magic Mirror. Don't worry, since I've gotten the Candora Magic Mirror, I won't bother the Candora Empire any longer."

With that, Merlin reached out and took the Candora Magic Mirror. Then, in a flash, his figure disappeared along with the Candora Magic Mirror. Only the Candora Empire's royal family were left in the room, gaping at one another.

"I guess it's alright for you to leave, Candora Magic Mirror. You've resolved a crisis for us. This is also your contribution…"

Although the King was somewhat reluctant to part with this national treasure, he also knew that saving the empire was the most important priority.

…

"Swish."

Merlin left the Candora Empire's capital as soon as possible and headed to a small town some distance away. He could not wait to find a quiet spot to examine the Candora Magic Mirror.

The Candora Magic Mirror was only the size of a palm, so it was not big. The outer layer was constructed of a strange black material whereas the mirror was exceptionally shiny. The bizarre thing was that it was impossible to see one's reflection on it. Instead, the surface was fuzzy, which looked completely mysterious.

This was the Candora Magic Mirror. Only the blood of an almighty beast bloodline could activate it. Moreover, depending on the viscosity and inherent strength of the bloodline, it could unleash some of its powers.

To fully unleash all its powers, the price required was the blood of an ultimate contender's almighty beast. Only then, the Candora Magic Mirror could unleash its most potent binding ability.

Regardless, the Candora Magic Mirror had now fallen into Merlin's hands. Merlin was not at all interested in its fabled teleportation ability or binding ability. His real focus was the sacred beast's will in the Candora Magic Mirror.

Perhaps, the sacred beast's will was very weak since it was just a thin, inconspicuous strand. Most probably, it would not improve Merlin's abilities substantially but it allowed Merlin to decipher the secret of the sacred beasts and feel the essence of this world.

"Merlin, are you going to absorb and merge this will?"

Titus' voice rang out in Merlin's mind. Titus, who was in the Illusory World, certainly knew what Merlin intended to do.

"Yes, this is the only way that will allow me to understand the essence of the Almighty Beast World. Perhaps, this is also the only way for me to restore the Illusory World."

Merlin knew that it was an arduous task to restore the Illusory World. Even he did not have the confidence to do so. This strand of sacred beast's will was his only hope.

Titus stewed in silence. Finally, he nodded. "You must be careful. The sacred beast's will might contain a sliver of the will of the Almighty Beast World. If you fail to merge it and the Illusory World is discovered, we'll be in trouble. If the partially-recovered Illusory World is targeted by the will of the Almighty Beast World, the Illusory World won't be able to withstand the Almighty Beast World."

Titus' words could not have been clearer. If the sacred beast's will truly contained the will of the Almighty Beast World and Merlin failed to merge it, his true identity would be discovered by the will of the Almighty Beast World. In that case, Merlin would be in grave danger.

Therefore, this was an extremely risky move.

Nonetheless, Merlin had already made up his mind. Titus' words merely prompted Merlin to be more careful. It could not shake his steely determination.

"Come on, let's check out the real secret of the sacred beasts!"

A glint flashed across Merlin's eyes. Subsequently, he pulled mightily with his hands. The Magic Mirror cracked. On the mirror's surface, web-like streaks began to appear…

Chapter 1021: Will of the World!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Cracks appeared all over the Candora Magic Mirror. Furthermore, they were spreading rapidly. Although the Candora Magic Mirror was constructed from very unique materials, how could it withstand Merlin's power?

Therefore, with Merlin's additional push, the entire Candora Magic Mirror shattered into smithereens.

"Crack."

The Candora Magic Mirror was finally broken. Merlin's eyes focused keenly. At the same time, a spine-tingling almighty beast's will surged into the air. Although this will consisted of just a single strand, Merlin could sense that the hundreds and thousands of almighty beasts' will it had merged before this stood no chance against it. This strand of will reigned supreme, far above any almighty beast's will!

"Leaving?"

Merlin was already prepared that the moment the mirror was smashed, this will would escape. Therefore, he quickly mobilized his Awareness and devoured this strand of will.

Nonetheless, simply devouring the will was still a distance away from merging it.

Suddenly, this strand of will appeared in Merlin's Awareness. The initially calm Awareness immediately tumbled into a chaotic frenzy. Even the hundreds and thousands of almighty beasts' will which Merlin had previously merged were trembling feebly as if they were fearful of this strand of will.

Merlin took a deep breath. He had already anticipated these changes. Merlin could sense, albeit faintly, the will of the Almighty Beast World's origin from this strand of will!

In the beginning, when Merlin had just arrived in the Almighty Beast World, he was hunted by the entire Almighty Beast World's will. Merlin still remembered that particular sensation. Therefore, Merlin was very familiar with the Almighty Beast World's will.

This was the Almighty Beast World's will!

No matter how powerful or how many almighty beasts' will there were, faced with the will of the Almighty Beast World's origin, they would certainly tremble in fear.

Merlin, on the other hand, was incredibly excited because this confirmed his speculation that the sacred beasts were inseparable from the Almighty Beast World's will. Furthermore, Merlin was ecstatic that the Almighty Beast World's will was completely disconnected. Thus, there was hope for him to swallow it.

The will of a world. If any living creature in this world tried to swallow and merge it, that would be a fool's errand. For those who were born in this world, the will would still possess the utmost supremacy regardless of how weak the will was.

Hence, regardless of how weak the will was, it could not be consumed by living creatures. Perhaps, the sacred beasts were specially bestowed the world's will or perhaps, this was a unique trait of this world.

Merlin was certainly not a living creature born in this world. Although his current body belonged to a creature of this world, his Awareness held the Illusory World.

The Illusory World was not a product of this world. On the contrary, the Illusory World was very dangerous because it had given birth to the natural order, which could destroy this world's will.

"Let's see, if I devour a Latitude Cosmos' will, what will happen to the Illusory World?"

A crazy and bold idea appeared in Merlin's mind. He was going to devour the will of the Almighty Beast World's origin. This was truly outrageous because a Latitude Cosmos' will was a unified body and could not be pulled apart. In the Void Zone where Merlin came from, its will was completely undetachable. A world's will possessed immense power, just like Merlin's Illusory World. Although the Void Zone could not destroy the Illusory World, it could expel Merlin from the Void Zone.

Back then, Merlin did not have the chance to devour the Void Zone's will. However, when he entered the Almighty Beast World, for some reason, the Almighty Beast World's will was scattered.

Especially, the ancient history of this world consisted of many sacred beasts. This meant that the Almighty Beast World's will had been divided into many parts. It was not surprising that despite how weak Merlin was, he was not killed by the Almighty Beast World's will as the will of its origin had been scattered.

Nevertheless, this presented Merlin with an opportunity!

Merlin would only find out the consequences of devouring a Latitude Cosmos' will after he had tried it. For this purpose, Merlin had waited far too long.

Subsequently, Merlin took a deep breath. The Illusory World in his Awareness suddenly expanded and transformed into bright halos that encircled the strand of will.

Upon sensing the abnormality of the Illusory World, this world's will released a huge surge of power that rocked the Awareness.

"Boom."

Merlin's Awareness shook incessantly and his face turned slightly pale. Nonetheless, sensing the continuous struggle of this single strand of will brought a smile to Merlin's lips. This meant that the Illusory World posed a real threat to the world's will.

"Devour!"

Following Merlin's growl, the Illusory World turned into a black hole that devoured the world's will. However, this strand of will would not give up without a fight. After all, it was a world's will. A Latitude Cosmos' will could not be smothered so easily.

"Crack."

As soon as this strand of will entered the Illusory World, the extremely sturdy barriers of the Illusory World seemed unable to withstand the onslaught. Cracks began to appear on the barrier as if it would crumble at any moment.

"Smother!"

Merlin took a deep breath. He knew that at this moment, he could not allow the world's will to continue to wreak havoc. Therefore, he mobilized the Illusory World's natural order.

This was a genuine world's natural order. Although only a smidgen of natural order was left, its basic structure remained intact. Thus, it was much stronger than this strand of Almighty Beast World's will. Thus, Merlin had to rely on his natural order to smother the Latitude Cosmos' will.

"Boom."

Suddenly, an inconceivable mountain appeared from within the Illusory World's natural order and smashed violently onto that strand of Almighty Beast World's will.

The Almighty Beast World's will struggled with all its might but in the face of a powerful natural order, it could not put up any resistance and collapsed. Then, it transformed into a strange force that merged with Merlin's Illusory World.

"Rumble."

Without any warning, Merlin's Illusory World began to expand rapidly. Compared to the time when he was slowly improving his physical condition, this expansion was a hundred times faster.

Besides that, the Illusory World's barriers were also strengthening. Most importantly, the world's natural order, which had been recovering at a snail's pace, suddenly recovered at a faster pace.

At the same time, Merlin did not know if it was a delusion but he felt as though the Illusory World had a tangible presence. This was purely his intuition. As the keeper of the Illusory World, he was highly sensitive to even the tiniest change in the Illusory World. Hence, he had this prickling feeling.

"It's becoming tangible? So, the Illusory World can be transformed from illusion to reality by devouring a Latitude Cosmos' will?"

An idea popped into Merlin's mind. This particular idea roused a wave of excitement in him.

"The Almighty Beast World's will… Now, only the Almighty Beast World's will can help me progress! Even if my intuition is wrong, this world's will still have a tremendous effect on the recovery of the Illusory World. I must find more and bigger Almighty Beast World's will".

A clear path gradually took shape in Merlin's heart. He did not care about becoming a sacred beast but the Almighty Beast World's will which was contained in the sacred beasts could help speed up the recovery of the Illusory World. Therefore, he would have to launch a large-scale search for the sacred beasts' will.

As for directly provoking the Almighty Beast World's will, presently, Merlin still did not have sufficient strength. Although the Almighty Beast World's will was scattered, it could easily quash Merlin, who was yet to recover one ten-thousandth of his power.

Thus, Merlin's option was limited to searching for weak, scattered strands of the world's will, which he could safely devour to restore the Illusory World. He would have to wait at least until the Illusory World was completely recovered or even stronger.

However, he needed to start searching for scattered sacred beasts' will. Just the first step was remarkably difficult because besides the Candora Magic Mirror, Merlin had never heard of any place which kept a sacred beast's will.

Chapter 1022: Ancestor Damon!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

In the Candora Empire, especially the palace, the King was fuming in his heart. The Candora Magic Mirror had been snatched out of their hands yet they were completely helpless about it. They did not even dare to tell anyone about what had happened to it.

Now that they had lost the Candora Magic Mirror, the superiority held by the Candora Empire over the other empires and factions was greatly reduced.

Fortunately, other than the Candora Magic Mirror, the Candora Empire would not suffer any further damage. The Candora Empire was the true foundation of the royal family. As long as they maintained control over the empire, losing the Candora Magic Mirror was not a big deal.

"Swish."

Merlin's figure appeared once again in the empty palace. This time, he came silently and surreptitiously, so no one was alerted.

"Perhaps, by tracing the history of the Candora Magic Mirror, I can find some clues about other places which might contain the sacred beasts' will!"

Merlin murmured. This was his plan. He wanted to find the sacred beasts' will, so he would start with the Candora Magic Mirror.

Therefore, Merlin came directly to the palace. He did not alert anyone but walked toward the king's location.

The King of the Candora Empire was currently discussing the loss of the Candora Magic Mirror and its effect on the empire with the Candora Trio-Lords. Although they knew that the practical utility of the Candora Magic Mirror was not very substantial, there was still the issue of the undeniable threat posed by Merlin on the empire.

Merlin appeared in the palace. He did not hide his aura so the Candora Trio-Lords and the king noticed him at once.

"Leon, we've already given you the Candora Magic Mirror. What more do you want?"

Seeing Merlin reappearing in the palace, the king was immediately on the edge as if facing a great enemy.

Merlin grinned and opened said, "The Candora Magic Mirror? Don't try to bluff me because other than you, I'm sure others know about it. If I get different answers, the Candora Empire might remain standing but the royal family will certainly disappear."

Amid his placid tone, there was a hint of cruelty that caused the king and the Candora Trio-Lords to flinch.

"You… You'd better not overstep your boundaries!"

The king glared at Merlin with loathing. The royal family had lost its dignity before Merlin.

Merlin did not say anything. He simply stared at the Candora Trio-Lords and the king. An invisible pressure caused the Candora Trio-Lords' expression to pale.

"Your Majesty, it's probably better to just tell him."

After a moment, the Candora Trio-Lords finally spoke up. They dared not challenge Merlin's ability. At Merlin's current level, no force on the mainland could defy him.

The king's face was sullen but he knew that there was nothing the Candora Empire could do to Merlin. All they could do was fulfill Merlin's requests as best as they could, even though these requests were a humiliation to the royal family. The royal family had no dignity left.

"Very well, I can tell you the history of the Candora Magic Mirror. It was handed to us by the most ancient existence of the royal family. Only this ancestor knows about the origin of the Magic Mirror."

"Where's this ancestor?"

Merlin asked evenly.

The Candora Trio-Lords looked at the king and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, why don't you allow the three of us to bring Leon to the ancestor?"

If even the Candora Trio-Lords referred to this ancient existence as an "ancestor", the person's age must be almost prehistoric. At least, the Candora Trio-Lords did not know how long the ancestor had lived.

The king nodded his consent and waved his hand. Thus, the Candora Trio-Lords led Merlin toward the deeper part of the palace. While the Candora Empire's history was not as established as the Holy Dragon Empire, its foundation was still impressive.

Merlin followed behind the Candora Trio-Lords languidly. He believed that the Candora Empire would not dare to act rashly against him. At Merlin's current achievements, other than the Almighty Beast World's will, almost nothing could pose a threat to him.

Soon, the Candora Trio-Lords had led Merlin to the deepest bowels of the palace. They turned into a small courtyard. The fact that such a small courtyard existed in the palace was quite peculiar.

The Candora Trio-Lords cast a look at Merlin and stated calmly, "Ancestor Damon is in there."

A strange expression flashed across Merlin's eyes. Even the Candora Trio-Lords seemed to treat this ancestor with great reverence. It did not seem like this ancestor was an ultimate contender. This was because while there were some disparities between ultimate contenders, the differences would not be too pronounced. There would not be a qualitative gap.

Therefore, all the ultimate contenders stood at the apex. The fact that the Candora Trio-Lords bestowed the ancestor with such reverence proved that he was not what he seemed to be.

Nonetheless, Merlin did not feel threatened. If this ancestor was a worthy foe to him, then the Candora Empire would not have handed over the Candora Magic Mirror so easily.

Upon entering the courtyard, Merlin immediately spotted a lounge chair underneath a few big trees. There was an old man currently lounging on the chair.

"Ancestor Damon!"

The Candora Trio-Lords greeted respectfully. "This is Leon. He wants to know the origins of the Candora Magic Mirror. We're unacquainted, so we can only bring him to see you."

"Leon? Is that the person who snatched away the Candora Magic Mirror?"

The snoozing Ancestor Damon opened his eyes. His narrowed eyes seemed capable of seeing through Merlin.

Merlin's was slightly surprised. He almost felt that all his secrets were bared, including the Illusory World in his body was openly exposed. However, the feeling also seemed to be a delusion because when he peered at this Ancestor Damon closely, everything returned to normal.

"Was it a delusion?"

Merlin shook his head. At this juncture, who could pose a threat to him?

"Yes, the Candora Magic Mirror is very important to me. Ancestor Damon, can you tell me where you've obtained it?"

Merlin immediately stepped forward and stared at Ancestor Damon.

Ancestor Damon looked quite ordinary but judging from the aura on his body, he was probably around the level of an ultimate contender. However, to Merlin, there were no real differences between the ultimate contenders and ordinary full-shifter contenders anymore.

"I obtained the Candora Magic Mirror by coincidence. I got it from a merchant. As for where the merchant found the Magic Mirror, I don't know."

Ancestor Damon's reply disappointed Merlin. A merchant from goodness-knew how long ago. A merchant was not an ultimate contender, so he would not have lived for such a long time.

The clues reached a dead-end. The origins of the Candora Magic Mirror appeared to be unknown.

Thereafter, Ancestor Damon shut his eyes again, seemingly unbothered about Merlin.

The Candora Trio-Lords smiled bitterly. "Leon, we've already brought you to see the ancestor but even he doesn't know about the Candora Magic Mirror's origins."

Merlin nodded and was about to leave. Suddenly, his steps faltered and he turned around abruptly.

"Ancestor Damon, the reason I want to know about the Candora Magic Mirror's origins isn't because I need the mirror. My interest lies in the sacred beasts' will in the mirror! I believe you probably know many other things that I'm interested in. Would you tell me about it?"

Merlin's eyes were twinkling yet they became sterner as he stared at Ancestor Damon.

Ancestor Damon's entire body shuddered. He slowly opened his eyes. Although his facial expression remained unflustered, there was a slight change in his gaze.

Chapter 1023: A Battle Between Sacred Beasts I

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Oh? I wonder what I have that could be of interest to the lofty foremost contender of the land?"

Ancestor Damon's tone did not fluctuate as he spoke mildly.

Merlin enunciated each word coldly, "The world's will!"

"Rumble."

Ancestor Damon trembled and the entire courtyard seemed to quake as well. At the same time, the Candora Trio-Lords sensed an incomparable force coming off Ancestor Damon, causing them to shudder.

They were mighty ultimate contenders yet they trembled. Without having to fight, they knew they were no match for Ancestor Damon by far. Nonetheless, this was what most surprised them. Previously, though they had felt that Ancestor Damon was mysterious, he seemed to be an ordinary ultimate contender. Who knew that Ancestor Damon's force would be so terrifying?

This was not the Ancestor Damon they knew. The Ancestor Damon they knew did not possess such fearsome force that caused them to tremble in dread.

As for the "world's will" mentioned by Merlin, they had not even heard of it. Each of them felt that this matter had a deeper meaning to it.

"Hehe, it's one thing for an outsider like you to stay quietly in this world but you've stirred up so much trouble. Haha, don't you know that once your secret is exposed, the world's will would immediately wipe you out? Do you that you'll be able to contend against the entire world's will?"

Ancestor Damon gradually stood up, his eyes as piercing as blades as they glared coldly at Merlin.

It turned out that the sensation of being exposed was not Merlin's misperception. Ancestor Damon truly had seen him through. Even Merlin's identity was exposed by him in a few words. Merlin was still rather astounded. This was the first time someone had discerned his identity. Merlin was ultimately not a man of this world.

Even so, Merlin did not panic and instead, took a deep breath. He laughed coldly. "Ancestor Damon, the world's will can obliterate me indeed. However, you possess a strand of force from the world's will. You're unlike an ordinary ultimate contender. Could you be an avatar of the world's will?"

Merlin's expression turned increasingly icy. He had already vaguely sensed something unusual about Ancestor Damon, which was a strand of the world's will. As Merlin had acutely detected this strand, he had stopped here.

"Swoosh."

Ancestor Damon's face shifted slightly but he did not speak, keeping his cold glare on Merlin.

"Let me guess. Only the legendary sacred beasts can possess the world's will. Plus, you're the one who gave the Candora Magic Mirror to the Candora royal family. That strand of sacred beast's will in the Candora Magic Mirror must be your own. Have I guessed correctly?"

Merlin asked with a stiff smile. Conversely, a huge change washed over the Candora Trio-Lords beside him.

"Ancestor Damon is a sacred beast? How's that possible?"

"A sacred beast – the sacred beast's will in the Candora Magic Mirror is really Ancestor Damon's?"

"Our Candora Empire has a sacred beast existence!"

The Candora Trio-Lords' faces were filled with incredulity. Their ancestor was a sacred beast. Anyone who heard this would feel incredulous.

However, if he were a sacred beast, why had he hidden here all this while and never revealed himself?

"Haha, outsider, not bad, you're not wrong. I'm a sacred beast and I made the Candora Magic Mirror with my own hands. As for the Candora Empire, I founded it from behind the scenes to create a peaceful environment. However, you've now destroyed my peaceful environment. To prevent my secret from leaking out and avoid the detection of the world's will, you must die today!"

"Boom."

Instantly, an endless, mighty force burst out of Ancestor Damon. Simultaneously, he started to shapeshift. A colossal almighty beast of unparalleled size emerged in the sky, its body covered in countless scales. The two wings on its back shielded nearly half of the city. It was inconceivable how large it was.

Compared to this almighty beast, any other almighty beast was not worth mentioning, seeming minuscule.

"Great… Great Dragon?"

"Ancestor Damon is a Sacred Dragon?"

"My goodness, isn't that the legendary Great Dragon?"

Ancestor Damon had revealed his true self, which was the ancient and renowned Sacred Dragon, possessing terrifying strength to wreak the land. In ancient times, it had left behind an unknown number of bloodlines.

"A Sacred Dragon?"

Merlin was stunned deep down. Just this gigantic bulk already gave him an unprecedented pressure. At this point, he no longer held back and displayed his complete shifted form for the first time.

"Roar…"

Rows of spurs grew over Merlin's body as he rapidly swelled up, getting unimaginably bigger. The terrifying aura of his body also grew, causing one to feel suffocated.

After Merlin had merged with over a thousand almighty beasts' will, this was the first time he had unleashed his shifted form at full strength. Even he did not know how fearsome he would be after shapeshifting.

The Candora Trio-Lords stared at the shapeshifted Merlin with mouths agape. No one could expect that he had transformed into an incomparably immense body and had grown this powerful now. His body after shapeshifting was like an enormous peak and his momentous size was not inferior to Ancestor Damon's sacred beast in the slightest.

It turned out that Merlin had reached this extent of power, which was far from what the Candora Trio-Lords could have imagined. It was not surprising that even when Merlin did not exhibit his shifted form, they were no match for him.

"This feeling of strength!"

Merlin felt that he was somewhat close to his power in the Void Zone for the first time. He was standing at the apex, having nearly unrivaled strength! After he had shapeshifted, he felt his body brimming with incomparable energy. The force of his body clashed against Ancestor Damon's and was not inferior at all. Both were evenly matched.

Ancestor Damon's face shifted slightly. He glared steadily at Merlin's shifted body. What a peculiar form. He dared to assert that no sacred beast of the ancient past had possibly looked like this.

Even so, it seemed that only sacred beasts could possess such an enormous body. Other than that, he had never heard of an almighty beast growing to this point.

"It's impossible, he can't possibly be a sacred beast! Although the force of his body is formidable, he doesn't have the world's will!"

To become a sacred beast, one must possess the world's will because originally, sacred beasts were a part of the world's will. Still, Ancestor Damon did not detect any world's will from Merlin.

"Kill."

Ancestor Damon did not hesitate. Faced with a "monstrosity" like Merlin, he wished to test how strong Merlin was. Thus, Ancestor Damon's massive body employed a primitive, direct movement, which was to barrel directly toward Merlin with its gigantic mass.

Merlin could feel his endless, boundless power throughout his body. As he stared at Ancestor Damon's Great Dragon form hurtling toward him ruthlessly, he made no evasive maneuvers at all. After all, who could evade that gigantic body?

He could only meet force with force!

"Roar…"

Merlin roared thunderously. He was clashing with a true sacred beast – the Sacred Dragon. This was a peak power in this world. Two incomparable sacred beasts viciously collided amid their roars.

"Boom."

In the capital city of the Candora Empire, everyone felt as if it was difficult to breath as a crash rang out in their minds. The collision of two unmatched sacred beasts caused a terrifying shockwave that spread mightily in all directions. Everything in its path was reduced to dust.

All was dust. No one would resist this. This was a true battle between sacred beasts, enough to destroy the land itself. Even the fallout of the fight could easily annihilate a city.

The Candora Trio-Lords were endlessly appalled and hurriedly fled backward as far as they could. They certainly dared not stay here one second longer. Whether it was Merlin or Ancestor Damon, ultimate contenders like them could not compare by far.

After the forceful clash, Merlin and Ancestor Damon each merely retreated a short distance but neither were injured. Conversely, their aggression was more inflamed. It was their first clash but they were evenly matched. No one had the upper hand.

"A sacred beast's body – so a Host can rely on their overpowering will to suppress tens of thousands of almighty beasts' will and grow into a genuine sacred beast's body!"

How incisive was Ancestor Damon's observation? Naturally, in one glance, he could discern the reason Merlin had grown so formidable. In other words, sacred beasts were an avatar of the world's will, so naturally, Merlin could not conceal his differences from Ancestor Damon.

Merlin had relied on being a Host and the superiority of his willpower to suppress and merge countless almighty beasts' will. At last, he had obtained a sacred beast's body.

Nonetheless, this was just a sacred beast's body. If one read between the lines of what Ancestor Damon had said, sacred beasts were not that straightforward.

"Again!"

This time, Merlin moved first. His gigantic bulk exploded at full might and the spurs over his body became even sharper as if they could tear through anything.

Ancestor Damon's Sacred Dragon body did not back down either. The scales of his body twinkled with radiance and the wings on his back flapped powerfully. At a greater speed than before, his immense body turned and rushed toward Merlin.

"Rumble."

In this collision, both their strength was almost twice stronger than the first time. However, this clash had disastrous results. Ancestor Damon's scales were shattered and his flesh was mutilated.

As for Merlin's spurs, half of them were snapped off. He was dripping with blood and appeared pitiful.

In this second clash, both had mobilized their greatest physical strength but both sides had suffered losses.

Chapter 1024: A Battle Between Sacred Beasts II

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

In the massive Candora Empire, many people had responded to the news and arrived on the outskirts of the capital city.

However, the current situation of the city had caused everyone to be rather dumbstruck. The capital city that had been incomparably flourishing with sturdy walls was now razed to the ground. Moreover, a gigantic pit had appeared in the middle as if some fearsome force had caused this.

In the distance, there were a few ultimate contenders of the Candora Empire. From the beginning, they had witnessed the battle in the capital city. It was this earth-shattering fight that had reduced the incomparably prosperous city to this state.

"Sacred beasts… This is the might of sacred beasts. Who coul've thought that Ancestor Damon was a great sacred beast?"

"To think that a sacred beast had been hiding among us. However, Leon is the true terror. He wasn't a hidden sacred beast and the trajectory of his growth can be traced. He was an ordinary person with no inheritance of an almighty beast bloodline but through a series of incidents, he became a Host. Things got out of hand after that. Now, he has become a grand existence that could rival a sacred beast. It's difficult to tell who's winning in his battle against Ancestor Damon. He's not backing down at all."

"In that case, to become a sacred beast, the Host's path is the correct method?"

These ultimate contenders did not mourn the capital city that was razed to the ground. Conversely, they were very excited because they had seen Merlin creating a miracle as if he had opened a wide door for them. Through this door, they learned that in the journey to become a sacred beast, only Hosts could become a great existence on par with sacred beasts.

Of course, whether Merlin was a sacred beast was no longer important. What was crucial was he possessed a strength that could compare to a sacred beast, just like now where Ancestor Damon, a Sacred Dragon, could not handle Merlin.

"Hoo…"

A breeze passed by. In the gigantic pit, two almighty beasts of immense size were facing off. Currently, both of these horrifying almighty beasts had stopped, no longer continuing to fight.

Ancestor Damon's eyes were fixed steadily upon Merlin. His heart was currently caught in turbulent waves. As a sacred beast, who even possessed the world's will, naturally, he knew many secrets. The entire continent was a Latitude Cosmos and beyond it was a wider space. The Almighty Beast World was merely a drop in the ocean.

Previously, he had not encountered any "outsiders" who came to the Almighty Beast World from another place. However, after noticing Merlin's peculiar force, he knew about Merlin's true identity. Merlin was an "outsider" who had entered the Almighty Beast World.

Nonetheless, even Ancestor Damon had not expected that this outsider, Merlin, had exploited the powers of the Almighty Beast World to grow to such a formidable extent. Even Ancestor Damon was helpless against Merlin.

After a long moment, Ancestor Damon drew in a deep breath and said coldly, "Outsider, you'd better leave quickly. You've already grown to this stage. The world is huge. You can go anywhere. Why obsess over the world's will in me?"

Ancestor Damon's words showed signs of giving in but Merlin seemed to infer something and shook his head. "I'm determined to obtain the world's will!"

This concerned whether Merlin could reinstate the Illusory World. He could not give up.

Upon seeing Merlin's resolute expression, Ancestor Damon's gaze sharpened slightly as he laughed mirthlessly. "Outsider, you think you can compare to a sacred beast? What a joke. For a true sacred beast, their greatest strength isn't their physical power but how strong the world's will that they'd obtained. If I mobilized the world's will, I'll arouse the entire Almighty Beast World's will and channel the power of the entire Almighty Beast World. Can you contend against the entire Almighty Beast World?"

This was the true strength of sacred beasts. They could mobilize the power of the world's will and the world's strength. No one could resist this.

Merlin frowned but soon, his face relaxed once more. Indeed, he was unable to contend against the Almighty Beast World's power currently. Moreover, he believed that his opponent could truly mobilize the Almighty Beast World's power because sacred beasts were equivalent to avatars of the Almighty Beast World's will.

Nonetheless, Ancestor Damon had hidden in the palace of the Candora Empire for so many years. Up until now, in the key point of the battle, Merlin had merely sensed the force of the world's will in his opponent's body but he did not notice Ancestor Damon using the world's will at all.

This was not how a sacred beast should act. In some old records, each movement from the ancient sacred beasts would come with earth-shattering force for it contained the power of the world's will.

However, at present, Ancestor Damon still had not used the world's will. Merlin had roughly surmised why.

"Ancestor Damon, as a Sacred Dragon, I'm afraid it wasn't easy for you to survive until now, right? Although I don't know what happened, you're fearful, hiding from something. In the entire Almighty Beast World, the only thing that can make you fearful and evasive is the world's will.

"Since you know I'm an outsider, then surely you know that a Latitude Cosmos' will is a unified whole. Nevertheless, the Almighty Beast World's will had been divided into many sacred beasts. This was far too strange. However, the sacred beasts gradually disappeared, probably dead. As sacred beasts, what power could be a threat to them?

"Only the world's will itself. It wanted to become a complete will, the strongest will. Therefore, after the end of an ancient era, when the sacred beasts lost their value, the world's will took back the sacred beasts' will. With that, it slowly fulfilled its own will to its strongest state, to better maintain the entire Almighty Beast World.

"Ancestor Damon, you were unwilling to give up your own world's will. I don't know how you did it but you escaped the pursuit of the world's will and hid in the Candora Empire for so many years. If you mobilize the world's will, the first one who will be troubled by the world's will would be yourself! I wonder if I've guessed correctly?"

Many thoughts had emerged in Merlin's mind. This conjecture had been going on for more than one or two days. However, Merlin had been rather bold for he had no evidence since he had never seen a true sacred beast.

However, now he had encountered a true sacred beast from the legends and had learned about the relationship between the world's will and sacred beasts. Thus, his initial assumptions were confirmed and he became more certain of his conjecture.

After listening to Merlin's composed and unhurried reasoning, Ancestor Damon's expression turned increasingly hostile. It was not that he could not conceal his thoughts but that there was no need to. He knew that Merlin had guessed correctly – he dared not mobilized the world's will now.

Once Ancestor Damon had used the world's will and was noticed by the Almighty Beast World's will, it would no longer target Merlin but him instead. His world's will would be seized first.

A sacred beast without the world's will was just an ordinary almighty beast. In the past, many sacred beasts had had their world's will stripped away and thus, vanished without a trace. Almost all had died.

Only Ancestor Damon had used some special methods to evade that disaster. Unexpectedly, he had encountered an "outsider" like Merlin, leaving him with no way out.

"What do you want?"

Damon asked with a furrowed brow.

"The world's will. I just want the world's will!"

Merlin said in a steely voice. Other than the world's will, other things were useless to him.

"Haha, the world's will and I are now one. How can I give it to you without a good cause? Even if I do, I won't be a sacred beast anymore. If you force my hand and even if I risk being discovered by the world's will, I'll mobilize the world's will within me."

Ancestor Damon's voice was firm as well. He could not hand over the world's will.

"Oh, I'm determined to get that world's will!"

With that, Merlin dashed forward, heading directly toward Ancestor Damon.

"Must I take that step?"

Ancestor Damon knew that this time, he had no way out. Therefore, he took a deep breath. A force familiar to Merlin began to appear over his body – the force of the world's will!

"Outsider, even if I'm stripped of my world's will, before that happens, you'll surely die!"

Ancestor Damon's eyes were bulging wildly. He truly could not understand why Merlin must obtain the world's will. A life and death struggle like this benefitted no one.

Even so, Merlin did not hold back at all, racing toward Ancestor Damon. Seeing that the situation could not be redeemed, Ancestor Damon could only sigh heavily then cried out, "Come, the world's will!"

"Boom."

A matchless shocking will seemed to bore down from the darkness. At once, Merlin felt a momentous threat. This was the true will of the world that being mobilized by Ancestor Damon.

"World Projection!"

Damon lowered his voice as he squeezed out each word. This was a power that all sacred beasts possessed. With their own world's will as the foundation, they brought down the World Projection of the entire Almighty Beast World, crushing anyone other than sacred beasts.

Even sacred beasts were only unaffected by the World Projection because they possessed the world's will. If one was an outsider like Merlin who did not have the world's will and who was not an avatar of the world's will, one must face a portion of the entire Almighty Beast World's power.

Although this was just a portion, it was already enough for Merlin to be caught in a difficult situation.

"Buzz buzz buzz."

The entire sky turned into a sweep of shadow and swiftly plunged into the ground. This was the World Projection. Merlin was too familiar with it. Even the Illusory World in his body was about to be suppressed.

This was the true Almighty Beast World's will!

A sharp glint flashed in Merlin's eyes. He perceived that in the darkness, the world's will that had made him endlessly fearful was slowly descending. Its goal was to take back the only remaining will of the world in Ancestor Damon's body.

Once it succeeded, the Almighty Beast World's will would truly reach a state of perfection. If Merlin wished to devour the world's will, it would be impossible.

Therefore, what Merlin could do now was seize the moment to preemptively devour the world's will in Ancestor Damon's body.

Chapter 1025: Fate!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Rumble."

The projection of the world's will immediately crashed down. Merlin felt a tremendous pressure that he was unable to resist at all. Even though his strength had improved significantly, faced with the entire projection of the world, he was still powerless.

This was the power of sacred beasts to mobilize the world's will to shatter the earth!

"Merlin! Activate the Illusory World! Even if you don't use the Illusory World, this World Projection would still pulverize you. At that point, the Illusory World would naturally be exposed. Now, your only chance is to devour the world's will in Ancestor Damon's body before the world's will can do so. Perhaps the Illusory World can recover then and able to contend against the entire Almighty Beast World's will."

Titus' voice cried out in Merlin's ear. Merlin was now in a precarious situation. He was facing Ancestor Damon's sacred beast form, who had mobilized the world's will, causing the entire world to cast down its World Projection.

Although it was merely a projection, it was not something Merlin could block now. Only by using the Illusory World and with the speed of lightning, devouring the world's will in Damon's body, would he have a chance of restoring the Illusory World.

Even if the Illusory World was not fully recovered, based on its previous power, the Almighty Beast World's will before him was not as formidable as the Void Zone's will. Back then, Merlin's Illusory World was a mighty existence that could contend against the world's will of the Void Zone. Thus, even if it was not fully recovered, it should be able to somewhat withstand the world's will, unlike when Merlin first entered the Almighty Beast World and was frantically pursued.

Ancestor Damon's gaze bore steadily into Merlin. After he had mobilized the world's will, he did not display much emotion as if he was above all else, with everything in his control.

"Return – sacred beasts are a part of the world's will in the first place. I've hidden for so many years. It's time for me to return…"

Damon had the intention of returning long ago, only he had lacked the courage. Now that he had encountered Merlin, he was not confident that he could dispose of Merlin. Therefore, he could only summon the courage to immediately activate the world's will.

Currently, the World Projection had been brought forward. After it killed Merlin, the remaining strand of the world's will would be thoroughly fused, resulting in a complete world's will that would guard this Latitude Cosmos.

However, faced with Merlin, this World Projection also seemed to turn unreal. Merlin was an outsider and would always have some unimaginable, powerful techniques.

"Illusory World, win or lose depends on this!"

Merlin soon made his decision and swiftly mobilized the Illusory World in his body. A dusky glimmer instantly blanketed the sky.

"Boom."

The entire world quaked as if a scary presence was awakening. Merlin's Illusory World was revealed once more – a complete and illusory universe that had its natural order. This was the greatest threat to a Latitude Cosmos.

At once, the Almighty Beast World's will arrived at its greatest speed.

"What… What's this?"

It was Ancestor Damon who was most shocked. He had mobilized the world's will and even brought down the projection of the world's will. This was his most powerful move as a sacred beast. In the world of sacred beasts, the world's will was an unrivaled existence. Therefore, Damon had thought that by unleashing the world's will and calling upon the World Projection, he could easily defeat Merlin. Nonetheless, now he realized that he had no way of sensing the outside world and was even cut off from the world's will.

A change like this was astonishing to Ancestor Damon. He was even at a loss of what to do. He had been in the Almighty Beast World for so many years but had never encountered a scene as strange as this. In particular, that dim glimmering layer seemed to contain a terrifying power, forming a threat to his world's will.

"Who are you?"

Damon yelled out sternly.

"You already know – I'm an outsider! Since I'm an outsider, of course, I have my ways to deal with you. Did you think that all outsiders are weak? All I want is the world's will in your body."

Merlin's eyes flashed coldly and he did not delay any further. Mobilizing the Illusory World at full strength, he had isolated Ancestor Damon.

Simultaneously, he also activated the binding powers of the Illusory World, especially the natural order's power, which forcibly extracted a portion of the world's will from Ancestor Damon's body.

This portion of the world's will was far stronger than the will contained in the Candora Magic Mirror. The will in the Magic Mirror was merely one strand but the will of the world in Ancestor Damon's body was a whole portion, containing terrifying, ultimate might. Any living creature born in this world, upon seeing this portion of the world's will, would feel a tremble deep in their hearts.

Nevertheless, Merlin was not a being born in this world. He was a noble existence that could contend against a Latitude Cosmos. Therefore, a complete strand of the world's natural order emerged in his Illusory World at once.

Although Merlin's Illusory World was merely an intangible world and had not yet materialized, he had already condensed the world's natural order – a very complete one at that.

A world's natural order was the core strength of a world as well as its mightiest asset. It was responsible for the fundamental operations of a world. Thus, once the natural order appeared, it brought with it an unstoppable crushing force, firmly suppressing this portion of the world's will.

"Boom boom boom."

In the sky, the entire Almighty Beast World seemed to go insane. The World Projection in the sky descended even faster. Merlin did not have much time left. The entire world's will might arrive at any moment now.

"Devour!"

The natural order of Merlin's world successfully crushed this portion of the world's will into smithereens and swiftly fused it with the Illusory World. At once, the Illusory World started to quickly and wildly expand. It grew by tens of thousands of miles, enlarging at an inconceivable rate.

At the same time, the initial, singular strand of the natural order, after being merged with this portion of the Almighty Beast World's will, began to condense new strands of the natural order, one after another.

When Merlin had been in the Void Zone, the Illusory World had many natural order. However, after leaving the Void Zone, the Illusory World was smashed and scattered, leaving only a small wisp of the natural order that made it into the Almighty Beast World.

By now, under the stimulation of that portion of the world's will, strands of brand new natural order were rapidly restored. With the emergence of the natural order, the Illusory World's recovery was even faster.

"Ten percent recovered!"

"Twenty percent recovered!"

…

Titus was constantly observing the restoration of the Illusory World. After fully devouring the portion of the Almighty Beast World's will, the Illusory World's rate of recovery was outrageously fast. In a very short time, it had recovered thirty percent of what it had been in full bloom.

Thirty percent of power was, of course, insufficient to contend against a Latitude Cosmos' will. Fortunately, Merlin's Illusory World was ceaselessly recovering, showing no signs of slowing down at all.

"The entire world's will has arrived. What's this outsider doing? Can he fight against the entire world's will?"

Ancestor Damon could only stare at the sky dumbly. Now he had lost his portion of the world's will and was no longer a sacred beast.

Even so, he was once a true sacred beast after all. Naturally, he could sense the entire world's will exploding at full strength, frantically heading here, gathering over Merlin in particular.

To be able to alarm the entire world's will was enough to show how scary Merlin was. This "outsider" was far more fearsome than Ancestor Damon had imagined.

"Could it be that he's going to devour the world's will?"

A wild guess flashed in Ancestor Damon's heart – Merlin was devouring the world's will, even ultimately transcending the world's will, controlling the entire Almighty Beast World.

This was the crazy plan that Ancestor Damon had thought of to avoid his world's will being taken back. However, he discovered that it was too challenging to do this. The world's will in his body was his greatest power but to use this to contend against the entire world's will was a joke. It was impossible.

As a result, Ancestor Damon had become discouraged, beginning to think of "returning" the world's will. However, he had never expected that this "outsider" could pull it off.

Of course, this was not necessarily a good thing for this world. With the maintenance of the world's will, the world could operate as usual. If Merlin devoured the world's will, would the entire world not collapse, falling into chaos?

"Rumble."

Ancestor Damon instantly retreated hundreds of miles. He could sense that the world's will was getting closer. The most terrifying thing was, the World Projection was fast arriving. This was a portion of the world's strength. Whether Merlin could block the World Projection's power was difficult to tell.

"Fifty percent! Merlin, the Illusory World had recovered fifty percent of its power. Haha, this World Projection can't do anything against you."

Titus' laughter rang out beside Merlin's ear. The Illusory World was fifty percent recovered, so the recovery speed started to dwindle.

To deal with a mere projection, a half-recovered Illusory World would not have any problems.

As the dust and smoke dispersed, Merlin was left alone in the air. He stood silently in empty space, facing the terrifying World Projection in the sky, appearing very tiny.

"Break!"

Merlin glanced at the World Projection in the sky and pointed a finger. The Illusory World's power was fully stimulated, turning into an enormous palm. Like a skyscraping giant, it viciously pushed the World Projection in the sky.

This was a true battle against the heavens, against the entire world. In a dizzying flash, Merlin felt like he was back in the Void Zone.

He knew very well that ever since he had refined the Mind Power system and walked the path of a Mind Power Master, especially having created the Illusory World, no matter which Latitude Cosmos he was in, he would ultimately walk the path of facing off the Latitude Cosmos' will.

Perhaps this was fate!

Chapter 1026: The Flawed Will of the World

This was Merlin's path. From the moment he had condensed the Illusory World, it had been determined. He and the Latitude Cosmos' will would ultimately end up in a life-and-death conflict.

"Boom."

An earth-shattering crash rang out and the entire Almighty Beast World seemed to shudder. Waves of energy spread out in all directions like ripples on water.

"Pffft."

After receiving a shove from the Illusory World that Merlin had condensed, the fearsome World Projection shattered instantly and swiftly started to dissipate. It turned into nothing and vanished into thin air.

Currently, Merlin's Illusory World had finally digested that portion of the world's will from Ancestor Damon's body. Its recovery progress was seventy percent of what it had been at its peak!

Seventy percent was a major restoration. Merlin's Illusory World was so frightening that it could go a few rounds against a Latitude Cosmos. Moreover, the current Illusory World was different now. Its barrier was no longer fragile but instead, had become more solid, not inferior to the barrier of an ordinary Latitude Cosmos at all.

Furthermore, the strands of the world's natural order that were condensed had integrated into the natural order of the Illusory World, the Void Zone, and the Almighty Beast World, thus producing this natural order.

One of the aspects that Merlin had incorporated was the sturdy space in the Almighty Beast World. Therefore, the newly recovered Illusory World's space was far more stable than before.

Merlin's every step was a preparation to materialize the Illusory World in the future.

The sky above the Candora Empire was changing and volatile. Following the defeat of world's will and World Projection, the threatening force did not lessen but instead, grew more intense.

In particular, the approaching will was even more fearsome, causing everyone to feel insignificant.

Ancestor Damon looked up toward the sky and mumbled, "It has arrived at last!"

Naturally, Ancestor Damon could sense that the Almighty Beast World's will had finally arrived. However, it was a shame that the portion of the will, which he had wanted to merge with the Almighty Beast World's will, had been devoured and fused by Merlin.

By now, Ancestor Damon was aware of the threat posed by an "outsider" like Merlin. This threat toward the entire Almighty Beast World was far greater than the splitting of the world's will into different portions.

"Merlin, the Almighty Beast World's will has arrived. The Illusory World has recovered by seventy percent now. This world's will isn't complete and it's much weaker than the Void Zone's will. So, this is possibly very dangerous but it's an opportunity. If you can devour the Almighty Beast World's will, even just a small bit, it'll bring unimaginable benefits to the Illusory World. I feel that the turning point of the Illusory World's evolution is this world's will…"

Titus' voice reverberated in Merlin's ear. As the first Mind Power Master to condense an Illusory World, Titus knew very well the features of the Illusory World.

In particular, he had always stayed in the Illusory World so his understanding of the Illusory World was only second to Merlin. He could detect that the world's will would bring various benefits to the Illusory World.

The Illusory World that had undergone seventy percent recovery had a fighting chance against the incomplete Almighty Beast World's will!

"Hum hum hum."

The initially sunny sky darkened. At the same time, gigantic vortexes appeared in the sky, "glaring" at Merlin as if it possessed multiple eyes.

The world's will had arrived, mobilizing the power of the entire world. Merlin had once experienced the might of the Almighty Beast World.

Merlin's body floated silently in the air, surrounded by a layer of dim light. It seemed like any energy that entered this region would be distorted.

This was the Illusory World, stimulated to its limit. It was also the greatest strength that could protect Merlin. Any attack that entered the Illusory World would be broken down and ultimately overcome by the Illusory World.

Currently, only the Almighty Beast World's will could pose a threat to Merlin.

As he stared at the world's will in the sky, Merlin knew that this was the final battle, just like the previous time with the Void Zone. This was an unavoidable path. This time, if he was unable to defeat the Almighty Beast World's will, he might have no way of keeping the Illusory World's natural order intact. Once the Illusory World was vanquished, Merlin would die.

The Illusory World had become one with Merlin long ago. They were indistinguishable.

Merlin drew in a deep breath and stared steadily at the Almighty Beast World's will, extending his consciousness forward. This was a Latitude Cosmos' instinctual will but Merlin could detect the "fury" contained within the instinct of this world's will.

This was the Almighty Beast World's will. Its instinct had sensed the danger, so it was furious toward Merlin.

"Rumble."

Massive bolts of lightning crashed down viciously from the sky, forming a colossal lightning net. It flickered frenziedly as it descended upon Merlin.

This was the true power of the heavens and earth, encompassing the energy of the entire Almighty Beast World.

Nonetheless, after the lightning landed upon the Illusory World, it was easily routed by the Illusory World's strength. Merlin was not fighting alone. He was supported by a world too. Although it was an illusory world, it possessed the power of its natural order and could contend against a Latitude Cosmos!

Other than lightning, there was an incredible gale that swept over the entire land, smashing everything to pieces. Even a sacred beast like Ancestor Damon could not withstand such a terrifying gale.

However, in the Illusory World, Merlin merely felt some ripples before they faded completely and calmness resumed. This did not affect Merlin at all.

"The Almighty Beast World's will is nothing more than this!"

Throughout this ordeal, Merlin did not move an inch. He was waiting for the Almighty Beast World's will to use its greatest strength. At the moment, it had utilized the power of the entire world but could do nothing against Merlin. Thus, there was only one way, which was to use the full will of the world to directly smash Merlin's consciousness.

This was the most direct measure an ordinary Latitude Cosmos would take against an external threat. It was also the most effective method.

Nonetheless, Merlin had been waiting for the Almighty Beast World's will to attack because only then would he have the chance to devour the Almighty Beast World's will and reinstate the Illusory World. This step forward was vital to complete the final evolution of the Illusory World!

Of course, this final step was the riskiest. Merlin had no guarantee at all. If he was unable to devour the Almighty Beast World's will, he would die.

"Come on!"

Merlin took a deep breath and assembled the full power of the Illusory World, especially its natural order. This was the foundation of the Illusory World. He knew that the world's will would arrive soon.

"Boom."

At last, a mighty, vast, intense will that seemed endless and unstoppable crashed into the Illusory World brazenly.

In the instant following the invasion of this will, the entire Illusory World trembled violently as if it would split apart and dissipate thoroughly at any time.

"The Almighty Beast World's will!"

Merlin's heart leaped and he immediately knew that this was the Almighty Beast World's will – the will of the entire world, a Latitude Cosmos' greatest power.

Since Merlin was an outsider, the Almighty Beast World's will only had the instinct to destroy and wipe out Merlin. It would not spare him at all. Thus, once the world's will entered the Illusory World, it instantly exploded.

"Merlin, the Illusory World is about to collapse!"

In the Illusory World, Titus noticed the Illusory World's turbulence as if it would crumble in the next instant. At this point, Merlin must act.

"Illusory World, devour!"

The Illusory World's natural order instantly erupted and even fused with Merlin's will. It exploded at once and the entire Illusory World seemed to gather its final strength to unleash its greatest strike.

The boundless will of the world caused Merlin to feel "at a loss". He seemed unable to find any cracks, unable to devour the Almighty Beast World's will.

The Almighty Beast World's will was a single entity and it was very formidable. Merlin did not know where to start and had no way of devouring even a strand of the world's will.

At that moment, countless thoughts flashed through Merlin's mind. He knew that this was a matter of life and death. He must not hesitate in the slightest and must think of a plan soon.

"The Almighty Beast World's will can't possibly be complete. Otherwise, where did the will from Ancestor Damon's body come from? As long as I can find that part where the portion of the world's will is missing, I'll have a chance of swallowing some of the world's will."

A bright insight flashed in Merlin's mind. He recalled that portion of the world's will in Ancestor Damon that he had consumed. In that case, the Almighty Beast World's will could not possibly be a complete whole. There must be a flaw.

With this in mind, Merlin patiently started his search, especially since he was still in the Illusory World. As long as the Illusory World had not collapsed, for now, he could look through all places.

The Almighty Beast World's will was no exception. In the Illusory World, especially with Merlin's focused search, he soon found a defect in the Almighty Beast World's will.

It was very well hidden by the Almighty Beast World's will but was now discovered by Merlin. This was Merlin's chance – his only chance.

"Illusory World, devour. Stop at nothing, just devour!"

Merlin would stop at nothing, mobilizing the Illusory World's final strength. The natural order's power exploded and for a moment, steadily resisted the destruction of the Almighty Beast World's will.

Furthermore, it had traced the flaw in the Almighty Beast World's will and started to wildly devour with nothing holding its back.

Initially, the Almighty Beast World's will had been a single, unified entity but it was incomplete after all. Finally, after Merlin had frenziedly devoured at all costs, it finally showed a sign of loosening.

Wisps of the world's will – although just a small amount, was truly the world's will. Merlin's Illusory World started to devour it bit by bit.

At that moment, the Illusory World that had suffered massive devastation began to rapidly stabilize and gradually recover. As for the Almighty Beast World's will, it slowly started to "weaken".

"I did it?"

Merlin was delighted by this turn of events as he carefully observed the Almighty Beast World's will that was being devoured by the Illusory World.