The mist in Illusion Valley was thicker than he'd imagined.
Bai Lan stood at the valley entrance, gazing at the flowing, milky-white fog. Twisted shadows were faintly visible within it.
It was as if something were darting through the mist, or the very space itself were trembling.
"Stay close to me," Yan Shaozhe said quietly, stepping into the fog first.
Bai Lan took a deep breath and followed.
The moment he entered the mist, a strange sensation washed over him.
It felt like passing through a thin curtain of water, or as if something had gently brushed against his body.
Spatial fluctuations.
Bai Lan understood at once. He didn't stop, but kept close behind Yan Shaozhe.
The two of them made their way through the mist.
The scenery around them kept changing. Sometimes there were dense woods, sometimes bare rock walls, and sometimes nothing but empty space.
Bai Lan knew it wasn't an illusion. The spatial fluctuations were distorting their vision, reducing everything they saw to fragments.
"This place has been shrouded in spatial fluctuations for years."
"Ordinary people would get lost before they'd taken a hundred steps."
"Even Soul Masters can easily be trapped here if they lack Spatial Perception."
Yan Shaozhe's voice came from ahead.
Bai Lan nodded, warily scanning their surroundings.
After about fifteen minutes, Yan Shaozhe suddenly stopped.
"We're here."
Bai Lan followed his gaze. Through the mist ahead, he could just make out a huge dead tree.
Its trunk was thick enough for more than a dozen people to encircle. The bark was cracked, and its crown was bare, without a single leaf.
Yet at the very top of the tree, a faint glow flickered.
It was so dim that it looked ready to go out at any moment, like a candle flame, yet there was something indescribably strange about it.
Bai Lan narrowed his eyes and looked carefully.
It was a butterfly about the size of his palm.
Its wings were transparent, their edges shimmering with a faint silver halo. Its body was curled among the dead tree's branches, motionless.
Every so often, its wings trembled slightly. The mist around it would then twist, forming ripples like rings spreading across water.
"A Void Butterfly," Yan Shaozhe said quietly. "It evolved not long ago and is still weak."
Bai Lan stared at the butterfly, his heart beating a little faster.
A five-hundred-year-old Void Butterfly.
A space-type Soul Beast.
His second Contract Beast.
"What do we do now?" he asked.
Yan Shaozhe didn't answer. Instead, he raised a hand, and a soft glow appeared in his palm.
The light slowly spread, pushing back the surrounding mist and clearing a space about ten meters across.
"Its senses are weak right now," Yan Shaozhe said. "I'll suppress it. You go closer and use the Contract Book to make the contract."
Bai Lan nodded and raised his hand. The Contract Book appeared in his palm.
He took a deep breath and walked toward the dead tree, one step at a time.
One step, two steps, three...
He drew closer and closer.
Ten meters, eight meters, five...
The Void Butterfly on the tree seemed to sense something. Its wings trembled slightly.
Bai Lan stopped and held his breath.
The Void Butterfly's wings fluttered a few more times, but in the end, it didn't wake. It merely shifted position and curled up again.
Bai Lan let out a breath and continued forward.
Three meters.
Two meters.
One meter.
At last, he stood beneath the dead tree and looked up at the palm-sized butterfly.
It was right within reach.
Bai Lan slowly raised his hand, aiming the Contract Book at the Void Butterfly.
He focused his thoughts!
Contract!
The Contract Book blazed with light!
A golden beam shot from its pages, enveloping the Void Butterfly!
The Void Butterfly jolted awake!
Its wings beat frantically, and the space around it began to warp as it tried to break free of the beam!
But the next moment, Yan Shaozhe's suppressive force descended.
A glow even softer yet far more powerful enveloped the Void Butterfly. The distorted space around it was instantly smoothed out, as if pressed down by an invisible hand.
The Void Butterfly struggled a few times before finally going limp among the branches.
The golden beam continued to envelop it.
Bai Lan could feel a mysterious power gathering within the Contract Book, forming a connection with the Void Butterfly.
The sensation was wonderful.
It was as if an invisible thread were linking him and the Void Butterfly.
The seconds ticked by.
The Void Butterfly's struggles grew weaker and weaker. Its body began to turn transparent, as if it were about to merge into the golden light.
At last!
The golden light faded.
The Contract Book drifted back into Bai Lan's hand.
Its pages turned by themselves, stopping on the second page.
Lines of ink began to appear:
[Contract Beast: Void Butterfly] [Age: Five Hundred Years] [Status: Contracted] [Abilities: Space Folding, Void Concealment, Spatial Perception, Hovering] [Space Folding: Can briefly fold a small area of space to achieve short-distance teleportation or deflect attacks] [Void Concealment: Merges with the surrounding space to conceal its presence; duration is related to its age] [Spatial Perception: Sensitive to spatial fluctuations nearby and able to sense danger in advance] [Hovering: Can remain briefly in the air and glide] [Evolution Count: 0/2 (Can evolve twice)] [Ability Sharing: Not enabled (must be activated manually)]
It was done.
Bai Lan let out a long breath and looked up at the top of the dead tree.
The Void Butterfly had disappeared.
But on the Contract Book's second page, a butterfly-shaped mark was slowly taking form, glowing with a faint silver light.
"Was the contract successful?" Yan Shaozhe asked from behind him.
Bai Lan turned and nodded. "It worked."
Yan Shaozhe came over and glanced at the Contract Book in his hand, pausing for a moment on the butterfly mark on the second page.
"A five-hundred-year-old Void Butterfly," he said. "Congratulations. You've got your second Contract Beast."
Bai Lan smiled and closed the Contract Book.
He didn't rush to evolve the Void Butterfly.
This wasn't the right place.
"Let's go. We should get out first," Yan Shaozhe said. "Staying here too long isn't good for you."
Bai Lan nodded and turned to leave with Yan Shaozhe.
When they emerged from Illusion Valley, sunlight fell over them again.
Bai Lan took a deep breath of fresh air and felt much more at ease.
Yan Shaozhe glanced at the sky. "It's almost dark. We'll camp at the valley entrance tonight and head back to Shrek first thing tomorrow morning."
Bai Lan nodded, having no objections.
They found a sheltered spot, lit a campfire, and put up a simple tent.
After eating their dry rations, Yan Shaozhe leaned against a tree and closed his eyes to rest.
Bai Lan sat beside the fire, watching the flames dance as a thought crossed his mind.
The Contract Book appeared in his palm.
He opened it to the second page and looked at the butterfly mark.
"Dean," he suddenly said.
Yan Shaozhe opened his eyes. "Hm?"
"My Contract Beasts can evolve twice at level twenty," Bai Lan said. "I want to evolve the Void Butterfly now."
Yan Shaozhe was silent for a second, then nodded. "Go ahead. I'll keep watch."
Bai Lan thanked him, turned his attention back to the Contract Book, and focused his thoughts.
First evolution, confirm!
The next moment, light blazed from the second page of the Contract Book!
Before you continue