Violent tremors echoed all around, as black vortices appeared one after another. I observed quietly—the distant wall of flames vanished, leaving us floating in midair. Below, the ground seemed to ignite, and the sky mirrored its blaze.
"It's as if we're inside someone's mouth. Honestly, it's unsettling."
Blueflame Warden spoke, coldly staring at the sky. Suddenly, he transformed into a streak of red light, ascending instantly. His sharp claws reached for the void above, followed by a piercing scream.
But soon I saw something shattered in the sky—a mass of flesh, blood scattering through the air. Eugenia lounged contentedly atop Zephyr.
"I'll leave the fighting to you three."
I smiled and nodded, raising my black-and-white sword. Glancing around, I sensed unidentified entities converging on us. Instinctively, I swung my sword.
A swishing sound cut through the air as invisible sword marks appeared. Instantly, I saw crimson chunks of flesh torn apart, blood spraying everywhere. Hayden Orion raised his bow, nocking arrows and firing into the distance.
Blueflame Warden had become a jagged, primordial form, moving at incredible speed through the air, shredding the flesh masses heading my way. In an instant, the world seemed to rain blood. I darted through the vortices, slashing at each with my sword. With a crackling sound, the vortices shattered and vanished.
But we all noticed—the distance between sky and earth seemed to shrink. I thought it was an illusion, but now I'm certain it's not. Strange plants on the ground came alive, some even opening their eyes, spraying unknown, multicolored fluids at us.
For us, these things pose no threat; we can easily evade them.
The problem now is, we have no idea where the true form of the beast in this Illusory Realm is. Maybe, as Hayden Orion said, the realm itself is the beast. Even Zephyr and Blueflame Warden are hearing this for the first time.
The distance between heaven and earth shrank to less than a hundred meters. The rounded masses of flesh appeared only when struck, vanishing instantly in a spray of blood. But the real threat was the vortices, which caused the world to contract.
I could feel it clearly—the vortices were siphoning power from the entire Illusory Realm, making it collapse and shrink. That was the main cause.
They drew closer. At that moment, Blueflame Warden stopped and began to swell, growing larger bit by bit. With a roar, he returned to his original, colossal beast form.
With two thunderous booms, Blueflame Warden's massive body pressed against sky and earth. Everything on the ground turned to black dust. With a creak, the vortices twisted and disappeared, and the world seemed to fold in around us like a shroud.
With a whoosh, a fiery red arrow struck the enclosing world before us. Again, we heard the roar echo through the Illusory Realm.
"Hold on for a bit longer."
I called out, then rushed to the burning spot. I wanted to see if I could break through the Illusory Realm. Dispelling the white sword, I let the power of the Buddhist Order gather on my skin, eyes wide, hand raised.
A black-and-white space formed in front of my hand, power swirling and merging. But then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw darkness behind me—the ground rolled up like a carpet, trying to wrap me inside.
"This really never lets up."
A chill ran through me as a faint blue wind swept past. Instantly, I was back at Blueflame Warden's side, away from the danger. I breathed a sigh of relief—I'd genuinely felt threatened just now.
With a deafening boom, the ground that tried to swallow me completely covered the flames, chewing them up. Soon, only thick black smoke remained—the fire was gone. I dispelled the power within my body; the Buddhist Order's fusion was a heavy burden, especially in such intense combat.
"Damn it, now that we know, hurry up and do something."
Blueflame Warden seemed to be struggling—his limbs bent, his spine pressed deep by the sky, and his body creaked with the sound of bones under strain.
Eugenia giggled, dismounted from Zephyr, and floated over to us.
"Leave it to me. You all just watch."
The world closed in around us like a shroud. Eugenia raised her hand gently, and I noticed pale blue lights flickering across the world. A soft breeze brushed my face.
With a crack, the ground split, accompanied by a massive wailing sound. Instantly, the pale blue lights surged in all directions like meteors, and the world began to change in strange ways.
In the distance, I saw snow falling from the sky, and much of the ground was frozen. Nearby, the earth split open, spewing lava, while beneath our feet, holes appeared and boiling water burst forth.
As I wondered at all these changes, Blueflame Warden shrank and returned to our side. The world was in the throes of catastrophe—disasters erupted one after another.
The ground and sky that had closed in now paused, as if contending with the disasters. We sat on Blueflame Warden's back, and he carried us higher into the air.
The pale blue light in the world grew stronger, and everything began to fracture. I glanced at Eugenia in confusion; she turned, her eyes glowing with pale blue light.
"Most disasters in the world are caused by wind—climate, and everything else is closely tied to it. Let's see how long this thing can hold out."
The world was completely ravaged by disasters. Just then, a violent sound echoed overhead, like muffled thunder.
"Stop, I'm done fighting."
Eugenia smiled and lowered her hand. Instantly, the pale blue lights vanished, and the world, battered by disaster, slowly began to recover.
Gradually, a cluster of multicolored lights gathered before us, forming a mass like mud—multicolored, with mouths and teeth of all shapes, chewing noisily.
"What the hell are you? Disgusting."
Eugenia said bluntly, covering her mouth. The mud-like mass reeked and looked truly revolting.
"My name is Gluttony. What are you doing in my private domain? I don't want trouble—just wanted to expel you from my Illusory Realm."
I smiled and explained our purpose, taking out the Obsidian Blood Jade. Although Gluttony had no eyes, it seemed to see clearly.
"So that's what it is. Fine, just toss it into my mouth and you'll be able to leave."
I blinked at Eugenia—didn't she say there was a pit called the Abyss of Despair?
Gluttony crawled toward us through the air, its body writhing. We all instinctively stepped back.
"The pit you're looking for is actually my intestine, used for digestion. Don't resist—let me eat you, then I'll expel you out the other end so you can leave. If you try to cut a hole in me, I can't stand that."
We all stared wide-eyed at Gluttony, its many mouths still chewing noisily.
"Then maybe we should just cut a hole in you, Gluttony."
Gluttony then explained that it is the Illusory Realm itself—its body both the environment and its source of food. It consumes everything born within, digesting it and turning it into energy for the realm, nourishing all that grows here. This endless cycle means Gluttony is never satiated. Though unsure why it exists, Gluttony has gradually come to understand its own purpose.
Gluttony dislikes conflict with other beasts. In the past, when other beasts strayed in, it simply ate them and expelled them from the realm. Gluttony has witnessed countless beast battles, but has no interest in fighting.
I approached Gluttony, held my breath, and fed the Obsidian Blood Jade to one of its largest mouths. With a series of wet chewing sounds, the jade was swallowed, and I instantly felt all presence vanish.
"Rest easy. Since you want it kept here, I won't let it out. The Wraithlord is sealed inside, isn't he?"
"You know about the Wraithlord?"
I asked in confusion. Gluttony laughed.
"Of course I do. I heard Mother Goddess Nuwa mention him long ago. Anyway, come into my mouth and I'll help you get out."
"Absolutely not."
Eugenia spoke up immediately. Blueflame Warden and Hayden Orion both nodded. I smiled and spoke.
"Could you make a small hole in your body instead?"