Chapter 1286: A Complete Rout

The crowd erupted with consternation after Chen Zhong’s correction. Half of Multitude City was in an uproar, and anyone from the Elysium Atelier considered the disturbance ominously.

As a casino of Multitude City, Elysium Atelier had no conflicts of interest with the Immortal Pagoda. On the contrary, there were many areas for the two to work together! But the atelier was being pushed to the forefront to falsely incriminate the pagoda and set themselves on opposing sides… It was enough to make the Elysium King jump out and curse the son of a bitch behind this.

But no one from the atelier stepped forward. It was the Supplemental Dao Alliance pulling the strings from the shadows, and a tiny Elysium Atelier couldn’t hold its own compared to such a massive organization.

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

If the alliance used the same force against the atelier, they’d be able to take down ten Elysium Ateliers.

……

Intense anxiety and fear flooded Chen Zhong’s expression. “I’m just a minor character and ascended from inferior realm strictly out of good luck. Why do you great personages have me in your sights? Do you want my death?”

His voice dripped with intense resentment. He was a nobody, but all of these eminent characters were blatantly using him as a pawn. No matter what the outcome of the day was, his only fate would be death.

“Don’t be afraid, Chen Zhong, I won’t let anything happen to you no matter how things turn out today,” Lu Yun said. “You said you were lucky to ascend to superior realm. Did you eat anything else apart from the pill you just ate?”

His voice was gentle and contained a melody that soothed the mind, swiftly calming Chen Zhong’s nerves.

“I also ate a Snowfog Lotus… No, I ate an Eight Treasures Return Pill! An Eight Treasures Return Pill that my father spent his life savings to purchase from the Immortal Pagoda! It’s the Eight Treasures Return Pill that helped me into the common realm!”

His expression twisted and he snarled savagely, “It’s the Eight Treasures Return Pill, hahaha!! An Eight Treasures Return Pill with the presence of an arcane beast king brought my cultivation to the common realm! The Prehistoric King then gave me another pill that’s very similar, but completely different to push me into the superior realm!

“This is my good luck!!” His voice rose until he was screaming like a banshee and he appeared to be a madman.

“The Imagination King has thrown caution to the wind! If I continue to use illusory arts on Chen Zhong, his mind will collapse and he’ll turn into the walking dead!”

The little fox and Imagination King were using Chen Zhong as a battlefield, with the former holding the upper hand. However, the Imagination King was now utilizing forbidden arts to forcefully take over the man’s mind.

If the little fox continued to strike back, Chen Zhong would become a walking dead—his soul scattered beyond redemption.

“Hahaha!” the Alchemist King threw his head back with laughter. “Immortal King, I know there’s an Intrance King inside the Immortal Pagoda who is a supplemental king of illusions. She used her arts to control Chen Zhong just now and had him change his response, didn’t she?

“You forget that my alliance has an even more skilled Imagination King who instantly defused the art being used to control him!” He took the first mover advantage by striking first.

“The Imagination King is indeed skilled.” Lu Yun nodded noncommittally. “But if she continues to control Chen Zhong, his soul will scatter in another hundred breaths and he’ll be the walking dead. Why don’t we wait a hundred breaths and draw our conclusions then?”

This was from the little fox. Though Lu Yun knew illusions, he wasn’t as well-versed in them as her.

Hidden in the shadows, the Imagination King’s eyes widened. She was indeed using her illusory arts to control Chen Zhong, and the man couldn’t withstand two illusory kings battling through him. His mind was infinitely close to collapse.

“Imagination King, Chen Zhong will live if you let go of him now. If not, he’ll die very shortly!” Lu Yun stepped forward.

“Hahaha!!” Imagination’s laughter rang throughout the premises. She didn’t show herself, but her voice seemed to be everywhere and echoing from all corners.

“Immortal King, it is you who should have the Intrance King release Chen Zhong,” she sneered. “She keeps attacking his mind, I’m just protecting him. He will naturally live if she ceases her offensive.”

“You’re so shameless.” The little fox walked out with a thin veil over her face and another layer of illusion over her features. “I’m not using any illusory arts right now, you’re the only one.”

She turned in place. “There are so many kings and supplemental kings here. I’m sure you can tell who’s speaking the truth.”

Ten arcane beast kings had surrounded the Immortal Pagoda and the Alchemist, Luminous, and Intrance Kings were all present. Such exciting proceedings would naturally draw a lot of kings in the crowd.

Multitude City was a place of crouching tigers and hidden dragons, and a key to the Hongmeng Tower had appeared not too long ago. The later mountain of Earth Light Magneticus had also drawn countless experts.

All of them could tell that there were no ripples of illusory arts coming from the little fox.

"Imagination King, why don’t you come out as well for everyone to take a look?” Her voice rang like a babbling brook in the mountains, broadening the heart and delighting the mind.

Many were reminded of the unknown song that’d been sung when the pink ball burst at the Supplemental Convention.

“Too chicken to, huh?” Derision colored her tones. “The Prehistoric King claims that the Immortal Pagoda killed hundreds of thousands of arcane beast kings in order to refine our pills. So many beast kings dying at the same time is a matter that will shake the Hongmeng. There would be no possibility of concealing it.

“So where has the Prehistoric King heard of so many arcane beast kings dying? Or have we killed your friends and family for our pills?” She ignored her opponent and turned to the Prehistoric King instead.

Prehistoric’s heart raced. True enough, he hadn’t heard of so many kings dying anywhere. Even several hundred at the same time would be an incredulous event. Arcane beasts couldn’t advance through cultivation, so every king was exceptionally gifted. All arcane beasts highly valued their kings.

They might fight and kill each other, but they would never permit cultivators to hunt them en masse.

“Um… you’re right, I haven’t.” Prehistoric rubbed his nose. “It seems that only a few thousand kings have died in the past million years…”

The highly strung atmosphere was instantly defused. Lu Yun stuck his thumb up at the little fox, who looked proudly back at him.

“Imagination King, you should really release his mind or Chen Zhong’s soul will fly apart.” She pressured her opponent once more.

“Hmph!” came a snort in the air before the Imagination King disappeared.

Chen Zhong’s eyes rolled up into the back of his head and he fainted. She naturally wouldn’t leave him awake to spew more nonsense.

“I’m sure everyone now knows the truth of the Eight Treasures Return Pill. I will speak no more on it then,” Lu Yun smiled at the Prehistoric King.