Chapter 1: Deception (Part 1)

A giant, abnormally large earth dragon nearly a kilometer long had reached level 15—no one knew how it had grown to such a size. What surprised everyone even more was that there was also a level 15 abnormally large mammoth in the vicinity. Having traveled across countless continents and secret realms, they had never seen two such high-level abnormally large beasts appearing in the same place.

Guo Shier sighed and said, “Damn, this place feels eerie!”
The handsome old man agreed, “Yeah, I think… it is indeed eerie here.”

Guo Shier remembered the three skeletons left behind in the Tan Ya Secret Realm. Though they might not possess the strength of a level 15 abnormally large beast, they were likely comparable. He said, “I do have an idea…”

Nan You immediately understood Guo Shier’s plan. He said, “It’s indeed a good idea, but… what will we use to lure them?” With his strength, he wouldn’t dare provoke the abnormally large earth dragon below—its power was extraordinary, and provoking it would be tantamount to seeking death.

The handsome old man kept observing. After a while, he said, “This abnormally large earth dragon probably isn’t from here; it must have come from outside. This place… can’t sustain such a huge abnormally large earth dragon.”

Guo Shier thought for a moment before nodding. “Yes, this place is desolate and barren, with no food or precious resources. It truly can’t support such a huge abnormally large beast. Moreover, with another equally huge abnormally large mammoth here, the only explanation is that they came from elsewhere… But where did they come from?”

The handsome old man said, “Let’s use the Giant Perch Dragon to lure them. Hehe, don’t worry—I won’t let the Giant Perch Dragon suffer.” He knew Guo Shier cherished the Giant Perch Dragon deeply. However, since its level was relatively low, it couldn’t be used as a sacrifice. It could only continue to be kept in the beast talisman, and Guo Shier also didn’t want it to become a sacrifice.

Guo Shier nodded and said, “The running speed of the Giant Perch Dragon… isn’t fast enough, is it?”

The handsome old man replied, “It’s fine. We’ll release it at a distance. Once set free, it’ll run—should be able to cover some distance.”

Guo Shier nodded. “Then let’s give it a try.”

The two altars flew for a while before releasing the Giant Perch Dragon where the abnormally large earth dragon could be faintly seen. In the beast talisman, the Giant Perch Dragon had already advanced to a level 11 mutated spirit beast, just short of reaching level 12. But compared to the level 15 abnormally large earth dragon, it was like the difference between a gecko and a crocodile—completely incomparable.

The Giant Perch Dragon joyfully emerged from the beast talisman. It had almost suffocated inside; although spirit pearls provided occasional replenishment, staying there the whole time was extremely unpleasant. So as soon as it got out, its first action was to roar loudly.
Roar…
It spun around excitedly on the ground.
Roar…
A thunderous roar came from afar. Just as the Giant Perch Dragon completed one rotation, its soul trembled, filled with extreme fear. Startled, it turned its head slightly and immediately spotted the Abnormal Earth Dragon in the distance.
The Giant Perch Dragon already possessed a sense of awareness. Without Guo Shier’s command, it started running, simultaneously shrinking rapidly in size. Guo Shier laughed and cursed, “This guy is quite clever, sneaky as hell… Hehe.” He issued an order, and the Giant Perch Dragon reluctantly expanded its body again.
In an instant, its length reached over 200 meters. Under Guo Shier’s guidance, it rushed forward in the direction of the Abnormal Mammoth.
In fact, the Abnormal Earth Dragon had already noticed Guo Shier and Nan You, but it showed no interest in such small targets—just as a person wouldn’t feel hunger for two flying mosquitoes, no matter how hungry they were. But the Giant Perch Dragon was different. The Abnormal Earth Dragon had been here for some time, wandering around without finding any food. A single roar from the Giant Perch Dragon caught its attention, instantly exciting it.
Finally finding edible prey, the Abnormal Earth Dragon immediately turned, gathered its strength, and charged forward.
Without Guo Shier’s urging, the Giant Perch Dragon ran frantically. Guo Shier and Nan You followed closely in the air, looking back from time to time and exclaiming in amazement, “Damn, so fast!”
With a body over a kilometer long, the Abnormal Earth Dragon could cover vast distances in an instant once it exerted its strength. A single step of its would raise clouds of dust. Countless plumes of dust rose behind it, creating a spectacular sight.
The Giant Perch Dragon’s running speed was significantly slower. Compared to the Abnormal Earth Dragon, it had shorter legs and was less fast. Although both had four legs, it lagged far behind in terms of strength and bulk. Guo Shier said, “No good, Old Man Handsome. The Giant Perch Dragon’s too slow. In a few minutes at most… that giant will catch up to it!”

The handsome old man said, “It’s fine, watch me!” In an instant, he cast thousands of spells, sending countless phantom talismans at the Giant Nesting Dragon. Guo Shier immediately understood and began to cast his own talismans—some to reduce the dragon’s weight and others to increase its speed. Working together, they cast tens of thousands of spells in one go.

Instantly, the Giant Nesting Dragon, as if on stimulants, surged forward at lightning speed, like a cat with its tail stepped on.

As it raced, the dragon roared, and everyone could understand its meaning—it was begging Guo Shier to put it back into the beast talisman. The outside world was fascinating yet dangerous; it was better to return home.

Guo Shier couldn’t help but laugh. The dragon’s strength hadn’t increased much, but it had become smarter.

Nanyou looked solemnly into the distance and said, “It’s almost here… almost here…” He shouted, “Shier, I’ll go check first. Be careful!”

Guo Shier replied, “Okay. I’ll control the Giant Nesting Dragon and be there soon.”

Nanyou teleported away, while Guo Shier continued to control the dragon as it raced frantically. A few hundred kilometers was a short distance for an Abnormal Earth Dragon.

With the help of the phantom talismans, the dragon’s four legs left afterimages, moving at such speed that even Guo Shier was amazed. Inside, the dragon grumbled that its master was becoming increasingly heartless—how could anyone be so cruel to a dragon? It had only wanted to take a walk, only to encounter such a terrifying creature.

After a while, Nanyou reappeared and said, “We’re almost there. The Mammoth is heading in that direction. We need to change course slightly, otherwise we’ll miss it.”

Guo Shier directed the dragon to slowly alter its path. Since it couldn’t turn abruptly at such high speed, the dragon could barely control itself. This was the first time it had run this fast since becoming a Spirit Beast—it was almost floating. Thankfully, it was a Spirit Beast; if it were physical, such speed would have caused it to bleed.

Nanyou glanced back and couldn’t help but praise, “Truly an Abnormal Earth Dragon. Tsk tsk, such speed… amazing!”

The Abnormal Earth Dragon was also puzzled—how could the little creature ahead run so fast? In the past, it could defeat its prey in just a few steps. Now, after chasing it for minutes, the little thing was still running ahead, which was unbelievable. Anger surged within it, and it suddenly attacked while running.

A greenish light burst forth.

The Giant Perch Dragon let out a terrified roar and dashed forward desperately. A green light swept by, followed by a loud explosion, and the Giant Perch Dragon instantly turned into a wisp of spirit, with no chance to resist at all.
Guo Shier and Nan You had been keeping an eye on the mutated Earth Dragon behind them. Seeing it launch an attack, the two instantly teleported away without prior agreement. Seriously, they couldn’t withstand such an attack—there was no time to recall the Giant Perch Dragon.
As the attack passed, Guo Shier cast a spell, and the Giant Perch Dragon reformed. It continued to run in terror. The mutated Earth Dragon was already very close.
Just that one strike had damaged the Giant Perch Dragon’s spirit.
Guo Shier resisted the urge to recall the Giant Perch Dragon and continued to cast various acceleration spells, while mentally assessing the mutated Earth Dragon’s attacks. Disappointed, he realized he couldn’t block such attacks—only dodge them. He regretted provoking such a monstrous creature; one mistake could mean his doom.
The handsome old man was also nervous. Of course, he understood how terrifying the mutated Earth Dragon’s attacks were. He said, “Be careful! I’ll keep an eye on that big guy. If something goes wrong, we’ll teleport away immediately.”
Nan You said with a bitter smile, “It’s absolutely insane. We actually went to provoke a level-15 mutated rune beast.”
Roar!
Huff!
The Giant Perch Dragon turned sharply in fear, almost dispersing its newly formed body, as the roar ahead was similar to that of the giant behind it. If it could cry, it would surely wail loudly. This wasn’t fair—there was already a giant chasing it from behind, and now another one in front. Was there any hope left?
Guo Shier pointed at the Giant Perch Dragon, which immediately turned into a wisp of spirit and was absorbed into the altar. The poor creature was finally freed from having to face those two mutated rune beasts.
The handsome old man shouted, “Let’s leave!”
The two altars teleported away simultaneously. Two consecutive teleportations brought them to a distant place.
……
The mutated Earth Dragon was furious. Watching its prey vanish right before its eyes, how could it not be enraged? Just then, roars came from afar, driving it even more mad. It responded with its own earth-shattering roar, turning slightly before charging forward.
The mutated mammoth had also been hungry for a long time. Hearing the roars, it became excited immediately. Roars meant food, so it rushed toward the sound.
Thus, the two level-15 mutated rune beasts met. Guo Shier and Nan You hid on the distant horizon. Since both mutated rune beasts were huge, they could see them clearly.

Alienized sigil beasts are very intelligent, especially those at level 15, which possess a certain degree of wisdom—though of course not comparable to humans.
The Alienated Earth Dragon stopped first, its golden pupils flashing with confusion. It had never seen an alienized sigil beast of its own level before and instinctively sensed a threat. Having always been at the top of the alienized sigil beast hierarchy, it was used to taking the initiative in hunting and had developed a domineering personality.
The Alienated Mammoth was similar; since reaching level 15, it had never encountered any threats. It didn’t know why it had come to this place, as it couldn’t find any prey and had been hungry for some time. Realizing that its opponent was no weaker than itself, it became cautious, but it was impossible for it to back down.
The two massive advanced alienized sigil beasts stood face to face, each assessing the other.
Guo Shier smiled and said, “Will they fight?”
Nan You replied, “Not necessarily. Alienized sigil beasts are very smart… it’s likely they won’t fight.”
The Old Hero said, “Not necessarily. I feel they’re very hungry—I can sense it in their soul fluctuations. Earlier, when chasing the Giant Nest Dragon, I felt that earth dragon was desperate for food.”
Eagle Demon laughed and said, “Kill them! Kill them… It would be best if they both died—then we’ll be rich!”
The Old Hero shook his head. “It’s difficult. I’m afraid if both sides get hurt badly, they’ll just retreat… and we’ll have worked for nothing. Even if these advanced alienized sigil beasts are injured, as long as it’s not severe, it’s hard for us to kill them.”