She indeed could not find any trace or sight of Silvester on the way back, but the vastness and unfathomable depth of the Illusionary Realm, filled with hidden dangers, made it impossible for Violet to search for one or two tiny individuals like finding a needle in a haystack—that would be too inefficient.
Based on the important secret Tiyelu had told her, the priestess had roughly guessed the Summoner’s goal. Rather than searching aimlessly, it was better to arrive at the most crucial location first and wait for the opponent to come to her.
Yes, this was Violet’s plan. With the presence of Snow Wing, she believed that under normal circumstances, even if the opponent arrived earlier, they couldn’t be faster than her.
Even if they managed to arrive first through some special means, the priestess rushing there at full speed was undoubtedly the best choice.
“Almost there... the heart of the Illusionary Realm, the Valley of Magic... let me see what kind of place you are.”
“Chirp, chirp.”
“Snow Wing, you feel it too? Then let’s go.”
“Chirp!”
Violet nodded. The white bird, already sensing something, immediately raised its head and cried out, spreading its wings and diving towards a certain spot on the ground!
......................................
“?!”
In the dark yet vast and boundless sea of stars, a masked figure was just about to step onto a staircase leading towards the heavens and the throne at the top, when he suddenly turned around with a start, his expression becoming grave.
“So fast... who is it?”
“What’s wrong, Siel? Are you nervous?”
The girl beside him, Eileen, gripped his hand, which bore a tattoo of a green snake, with some concern. However, the summoner alchemist Silvester Bullwer just shook his head and softly replied.
“Something is approaching from outside. It’s not an elemental being. I’m afraid it’s someone who has tracked us down. We need to hurry.”
“What? So soon? But we’ve only been here for about a day. They don’t have a teleportation anchor. How could they reach the center of the Illusionary Realm at this time? Even our ancestors took nearly three months to achieve that. Could you be mistaken?”
Silvester, thinking Eileen’s words made sense, concentrated and sensed again for a moment, but could only shake his head helplessly.
“No, the monitoring tools set outside have already been destroyed. Their actions are very targeted. They immediately disrupted the external elemental cycle with energy. Unfortunately, the 【Mirror of Nothingness】 was destroyed last time by that mysterious soul manipulator. Otherwise, I could at least see the intruder’s appearance.”
“Is that really possible...?”
Compared to Silvester, Eileen seemed a bit more flustered. However, Silvester quickly gripped her hand firmly, smiling seriously and confidently.
“It’s okay. Although it’s unexpected, the overall situation is still under our control. Without the artifact 【Demon God’s Token】, it’s impossible for them to get inside quickly. As long as we complete the ritual and obtain the power of the demon god’s divinity and throne, no matter how capable they are, there’s nothing to fear.”
After his reassurance, Eileen gradually calmed down, hesitantly nodding, though her expression remained somewhat uneasy.
“Siel, I don’t know why, but I feel very anxious. Ever since that powerful guardian of Clovis Town appeared, and now this unknown enemy outside, it seems that reaching into this supreme domain has suddenly made everything we face extraordinarily mysterious and terrifying. Do you think we can really...?”
The masked figure gently shook his head, interrupting the girl’s words as she brought her wrist to his lips.
“There’s nothing to fear, Eileen. You’ve seen those beings for yourself. You’ve seen that even they are powerless against many things, like the world’s barriers, and have to rely on us mortals to achieve their goals. In the end, gods are not omnipotent. As long as we have the same power, we can face them without fear, and even defeat them. Understand?”
“Mm...”
Eileen responded with a silent nod and then smiled helplessly.
“Your words are quite blasphemous. If those Goddess followers heard, they would probably condemn you as a heretic and a blasphemer...”
“Haha, the Goddess followers? Just a bunch of hypocrites who use their supposed piety to mask their true, filthy dealings. I’ve seen plenty of those who appear devout and noble on the surface but engage in all sorts of dirty tricks in the shadows. They’re not worth mentioning. I’ve never worshipped any gods.”
New novel chapt𝒆rs are published on ƒгeewebnovёl.com.
With a disdainful snort, Silvester took Eileen’s hand, and the two of them stepped onto the deep black staircase, which was neither gold, jade, nor stone, and began their ascent towards the throne at the top.
.......................................
After descending from the sky to the ground, Violet became even more aware of how harsh the environment in the depths of the Illusionary Realm truly was.
Although she had scouted the area with special perception before, seeing it with her own eyes was a completely different experience.
If the gate area of the Sanctuary was merely desolate and barren, then this Fire Element Realm could be described as a living hell.
Looking around, the priestess could only see three things—cracked earth, bubbling magma, and fire elemental beings wandering everywhere.
The sky was crimson, thick with rising ash. Magma almost formed an ocean here, interspersed with scattered island-like patches of land. Snow Wing circled low several times before finally finding a suitable spot to land.
After all, even though accidentally coming into contact with it might not be completely unavoidable, no one besides those lava creatures would enjoy bathing in magma, right?
“Chirp! Chirp!”
Raising her head and letting out a series of high-pitched cries, Snow Wing seemed to be expressing her dissatisfaction with the harsh surroundings.
She used her innate skill to emit a strong light, exterminating the fire elemental creatures that were swarming like hungry wolves smelling blood. Then, she lowered her head and nuzzled Violet, who had just jumped off her back, as if seeking praise.
“Oh, that tickles, haha, stop it! Great job, well done, is this good enough?”
“Chirp~”
After stroking the soft and smooth feathers on top of the white bird’s head a few times, the priestess turned her head and began to further observe the surroundings.
The place where they had landed was a relatively wide piece of land in the sea of magma, covering about two to three square kilometers.
Although much of the ground was cracked into streams, with invading magma bubbling hotly within them, and the air temperature around was nearly one hundred degrees Celsius, causing even the rocks to take on a strange dark red color and sizzle underfoot...
At least it was a place to stay temporarily, especially for a true stronghold.
“Hmm? What’s this...”
Through a broad scan with special perception and her vision, Violet quickly noticed traces of silver powder on the ground nearby, which seemed out of place in this environment.
There’s no mistake, it looks like someone has been here recently.