Holy Dragon Egg

The traveling merchants of Holy Dragon Village go to this city every month to purchase supplies.

At the same time, they bring back news of the outside world.

This is how Holy Dragon Village avoids being completely cut off from human civilization.

"I should probably visit a big city sometime!"

Staring at Gu Zhou City in the distance, Chen Xuan narrowed his eyes.

Ooo-ooo!

The Nine Heavens Wind-Rain Dragon let out a cry.

It flew in the direction Chen Xuan pointed.

That was the direction of Violet Volcano Valley.

"Wh—what!"

"What is going on here!"

On the side of the Azure Dragon Mountains near Gu Zhou City.

This area was called the Shenshan Ao Region.

Right now!

The lush, dense forest had vanished!

A black mist had shrouded several kilometers in every direction.

"Come on, play with me!"

A terrifying voice came from within.

"Ah! Ah!"

Accompanied by the screams of humans.

Their voices were filled with deep terror.

The Beast Master who had been commanding the Iron Beak Bird earlier

had long since collapsed to the ground.

And now!

The environment before them had undergone a drastic change.

From the forest of before, this place had now turned into a massive playground.

Only!

The entire playground was a pale, ashen gray.

Many Beast Masters wore expressions of terror.

"Hee-hee-ha-ha, come play!"

"Come play!"

In front of a group of Beast Masters, over a dozen figures kept laughing as they approached that group of Beast Masters.

And that group of Beast Masters, along with their Phantom Beasts, kept backing away.

"Damn it, what the hell are these things?"

"Ghosts? How is that possible? How could something like that exist in this world?"

Before them!

Those dozen figures were actually a group of half-human-height cloth dolls.

But the dolls looked extremely creepy.

Their bodies were tattered and stained with blood.

Their eye sockets had no eyeballs.

They stared at the crowd, giggling and laughing.

Around their bodies, a thick black aura emanated.

It looked like resentment.

Looking closely!

Those Beast Masters who had fallen to the ground

had pale faces and rolled-back eyes.

On their terrified faces, a faint black aura was also seeping out.

"You bastards, don't panic!"

"This isn't some ghostly haunting—this is a type of Phantasmal Beast!"

Just as fear gripped the crowd.

A burly Beast Master stepped forward.

His upper body rippled with knotted muscle.

Roar! Roar!

Beside him, a three-meter-tall Golden Lion let out a low, rumbling growl.

As if warning the approaching dolls to keep their distance.

"It's him, Gao Baigong!"

"A Gold Rank Beast Master—that's his Gold Rank Phantasmal Beast, the Golden Lion!"

Seeing the muscular middle-aged man.

The crowd immediately gasped in recognition.

"Sir Gao Baigong, what's going on here?"

"Are these all Phantasmal Beasts?"

Hearing his words, the crowd steadied themselves a little.

After all, a Gold Rank Beast Master was here to hold the line.

"That's right, these are a strange kind of Phantasmal Beast!"

"It should be a Domain-type Phantasmal Beast—it's turned this place into its own playground!"

As expected of a Gold Rank Beast Master, his experience far surpassed that of other Beast Masters.

And his composure was rock-solid.

"What's more, this might also be a curse-type Phantasmal Beast!"

"Those Beast Masters have been cursed by its ability!"

"Don't be afraid—let's join forces and defeat it!"

"Otherwise, inside this domain, it will slowly devour us and use us as fuel to level up."

Gao Baigong's expression was grave.

Some Phantasmal Beasts didn't need to consume Spirit Herbs and Fruits to level up.

Functional-type Phantasmal Beasts, for instance, could level up by cooking or sweeping floors.

And the beast before them now was likely a strange Phantasmal Beast that leveled up by instilling fear in the living creatures around it.

"I suspect that Phantasmal Beast is called the Terror Puppet."

Gao Baigong's face was stern, his eyes sharp with caution.

A Terror Puppet, upon reaching adulthood, could attain Platinum Rank.

And its abilities were notoriously troublesome.

If they couldn't find its true body, they would be trapped in this domain forever.

Chapter 23: The Eerie Little Girl

"Damn it, these dolls!"

"Even the weakest of them has Silver Seventh-Order strength!"

Inside a dim, gray-white domain shaped like an amusement park.

A group of Beast Masters panted for breath.

The Phantasmal Beasts beside them were equally battered and disheveled.