Chapter 177: Great Illusion Demon King

“Everyone, form a circle. It is just an Illusion Formation, no big deal!”

Just as the Knights were panicking, Hu Feng gave his orders in a deep voice. Under his command, many Glory Knights quickly formed a tight circular defensive formation. The moment everyone stopped walking, he suddenly sensed a dangerous aura. It was faint, seeming far away on the horizon, yet also lurking right beside them, ready to launch a Fatal Strike at any moment.

An invisible enemy was the most dangerous.

This faint aura made him nervous too. He kept his face calm, but secretly raised his guard and stirred the Prime Force within his body.

“Not bad, Hu Feng. This is the presence a true Judgement Divine Official should have!” Prinhus’s figure swayed, and he suddenly appeared beside Hu Feng, nodding in appreciation as he spoke.

Under his lead, Moratti and Reynard, two Demi-god Strongers, also entered the defensive formation formed by the Glory Knights to guard against unknown dangers together. Only Arthas led the remaining six Holy Knights to stay outside, his face gloomy as he cast a cold glance at Hu Feng. Faced with unknown and intense danger, he wanted to lead the Holy Knights over to join the defense, but he could not bring himself to do so for the moment, so he ordered the Holy Knights to form a small defensive formation on their own.

“Yes, the presence of someone afraid of death!”

Hu Feng smiled self-deprecatingly, then continued, “Lord Prinhus, my strength is not worth mentioning. When facing real danger, we still have to rely on you three Demi-god Strongers. What is going on with such a massive illusion?”

“I don’t know, but one thing is certain: the fellow who set up this illusion is lurking near us. Hu Feng, you did the right thing. Our best move right now is to not go anywhere and compete in patience with the enemy hiding in the darkness.”

Prinhus sat down cross-legged, placed the sharp Blade of Doomsday flat on his knees, and then simply closed his eyes. Slowly, his breathing became longer, as if he was concentrating on Cultivation, or just resting with his eyes closed, completely detached from the situation. The three Demi-god Strongers each took a position to cover one another. With these three top Strongers holding the line behind them, the Knights secretly breathed a sigh of relief and waited quietly.

Silence!

The surroundings were silent. Huddled together, they could hear each other’s heartbeats clearly.

This was a contest of wills. The enemy lurking in the darkness had the upper hand, but as long as everyone showed no flaws, he could not make a move easily. Whoever could wait patiently until the end would seize the initiative! While waiting calmly, quickly, several hours passed, and the surrounding environment did not change at all.

“Prinhus, waiting like this is not a solution. We must send a few Knights to scout the situation around us.” Looking up at the surroundings, Arthas thought of a plan to counter stillness with movement.

“Yes, waiting like this indeed isn’t a way out!”

Hu Feng nodded, then continued, “However, we Glory Knights lack strength; even if we go out, we won’t find out anything. Lord Arthas, you are Holy Knights from the Bright Summit. If you make a move, you will surely lure out the enemy hiding in the dark and slay them with one sword!”

Hu Feng smiled coldly. As soon as Arthas got a little arrogant, he quickly understood Hu Feng’s vicious intent. Clearly, this guy was preparing to use a few Glory Knights as bait again to lure out the unknown enemy. To this ruthless fellow, every accompanying Glory Knight was cannon fodder that could be sacrificed at any time.

“You…”

A cold light flashed in Arthas’s eyes, and the Holy Knights beside him stood up viciously, radiating Killing Intent. A low-ranking Judgement Divine Official might be respected on the Wasteland, but in the eyes of these Holy Knights from the Bright Summit, he was nothing. As long as Arthas gave the order, they could immediately capture Hu Feng.

Whoosh…

Just as the Holy Knights were about to attack, a bone-piercing cold wind suddenly rose on the Wasteland, kicking up dust that filled the sky. In the wind and sand that blotted out the sky, a faint figure suddenly appeared, pouncing towards Hu Feng, who was surrounded by many Glory Knights, as fast as lightning. His five fingers were like hooks, instantly bypassing the many Glory Knights and digging down towards Hu Feng’s chest.

The powerful enemy lurking in the darkness finally made his move!

Such fast speed!

Looking at the figure that appeared abruptly, Hu Feng’s heart shook. Just as he was hesitating whether to make a move himself, a sharp sword suddenly appeared out of thin air in front of him. With a ‘pu’ sound, red light burst forth, directly piercing through the enemy’s figure.

Prinhus, who was resting with his eyes closed beside Hu Feng, finally waited for this moment!

This sword strike almost condensed his life’s Cultivation. Every strand of red light was Soul fire transformed from burning Origin Power. The temperature was terrifyingly high, enough to melt deep-sea mysterious iron instantly; it also carried the will of a Demi-god Peak Stronger, directly attacking the enemy’s Soul. Its attack power was even more formidable than Angel Flame. Touching even a trace of it would be hard for even a Demi-god Stronger to extinguish!

“This is… the power of a Divine Court Ascetic!”

The enemy who attacked suddenly was pierced by Prinhus’s sword and revealed his true face. He had a high nose and deep-set eyes, and a ball of yellow light flashed between his eyebrows, like a third eye, showing scenes that flashed by like fleeting shadows. Before people could see clearly, his body suddenly dimmed, and with a ‘hua’ sound, he turned into countless grains of sand and vanished.

“Not good, an illusion. This is an illusion. Be careful!”

Prinhus’s expression changed drastically, and he stood up abruptly. But before he could pursue, a miserable scream came from not far away. Almost at the same time, bowl-sized wounds appeared on the chests of several Holy Knights; then, their bodies shook, grabbed by an invisible big hand, and dragged into the dust-filled sky where they disappeared. Only the miserable screams lingered in their ears for a long time!

“Come out, come out!”

In an instant, all the Holy Knights around him were killed, making Arthas, who was too late to rescue, fly into a rage. He rushed out desperately and slashed out with his sword. Unfortunately, he gained nothing, only leaving a deep crack on the ground. Just as he was about to chase after the dust in the distance, his shoulder was pressed down hard by a big hand.

“Arthas, don’t chase. If I guessed correctly, this is the legendary Great Illusion Demon King!”

Prinhus looked grave. He wanted to say something more, but the Blade of Doomsday in his hand suddenly stabbed into the ground; a strand of sharp Killing Intent spread quickly, kicking up rolling dust. On a hill a hundred meters away, a figure suddenly shot up, revealing a faint silhouette. If not for the timely discovery, they would have almost been successfully ambushed again!

“Great Illusion Demon King?”

Looking at the phantom that had almost sneaked up to his side, Arthas was greatly shocked, and he quickly followed Prinhus to retreat into the Grand Formation formed by the many Glory Knights. At this critical moment, he could not care about face anymore.

According to the ancient texts of the Divine Court, the Great Illusion Demon King was almost a Great Demon King from the same era as the Undead Zombie King, killing countless people. Legend has it that he once boldly sneaked into the Dragon Domain, the Racial Divine Realm of the Dragon Clan, attempting to plunder the Dragon Clan’s Origin Power. He was severely injured by the Guardian Giant Dragon of the Dragon Domain and then vanished, never appearing again. Originally, people thought he had died from his severe injuries, but unexpectedly, he appeared inside the gloomy Dragon’s Grave.

“Ascetic, an Ascetic of the Divine Court… Humph, count yourselves lucky!”

From the darkness came a cold voice, and the dust filling the sky then disappeared. Following that, a silver light flashed, and the boundless desert suddenly vanished. Looking closely, everyone realized that they were actually sitting cross-legged on an ancient grave. The surroundings were desolate, with giant bones visible everywhere.

The Great Illusion Demon King, who struck and then retreated, suddenly left, and the massive illusion dispersed with the wind. Looking at the real environment around them and listening to the roars of magical beasts coming from afar, the people who had been tense finally breathed a sigh of relief!

“Lord Prinhus, could this be… a puppet controlled by that Great Demon Head, Flochra?”

Arthas asked Prinhus respectfully. After surviving the disaster, he finally realized the power of the Ascetic before him.

“Doesn’t look like it. If I guessed correctly, this should be a Ghost, a Demon King Ghost! It retains part of its strength and memories from life, just wandering within the Dragon’s Grave by instinct!”

Prinhus looked grave. He paused, then continued slowly, “However, even if it is just a Ghost, its combat power is not something an ordinary Demi-god Stronger can handle. Next, everyone must be careful, careful at all times. Besides this Great Illusion Demon King, there may be even more terrifying Ghosts or Great Demon Heads inside the Dragon’s Grave!”

Even though they had scared off the terrifying Great Illusion Demon King, there was no joy on Prinhus’s face. On the contrary, he looked worried.

“Lord Prinhus, I think there is no need for us to go on.”

Hu Feng stood up and continued, “Here, there are powerful Ghosts and Great Demon Heads everywhere. Knights with Holy Step strength have no ability to protect themselves here, no matter how many there are. Perhaps you four Demi-god Strongers can continue, but these Glory Knights around us really do not have the ability to carry out this mission. Forcing our way forward is just sending them to their deaths. Every Glory Knight is a firm believer and a force to protect the faith; they cannot be sacrificed in vain here. My Lords, if you are worried about being punished upon return, I will take full responsibility in the name of Judgement. Let them go. I will go in with you!”

Hu Feng stepped forward, advancing by retreating, speaking while facing Prinhus’s silence and the anger in Arthas’s eyes.

Originally, he planned to act with the many Knights, and then fish in troubled waters when they fought with the Previous Saintess Flochra, seizing the opportunity to take the other half of the Dark Heavenly Book. But after entering the Dragon’s Grave, he quickly realized that continuing like this was not the way. With many Glory Knights by his side, he could not use his power freely, lest he expose his true strength and identity.

Just like before, if he were alone, he would not only not fear the attack of the Great Illusion Demon King; he could even seize the chance to heavily injure him in return and devour his power! A Ghost who was a Great Illusion Demon King in life—by devouring his power, Hu Feng was confident he could fully comprehend the profound Grand Illusion Technique and condense a powerful Demon God Clone!

The evil and gloomy Dragon’s Grave was a terrifying Forbidden Land for the Glory Knights; but for Hu Feng, it was a rare hunting ground, and he could not wait to act alone!