Chapter 484: The Same Deception

"The mastermind has appeared!" Illusion Ash roared in shock and rage. It was exactly as he had deduced—the enemy also wielded a special dreamscape! Those crystalline blue eyes proved everything.

He hurriedly shouted to Yuanhuang and Dawn, who were locked in fierce combat. "Look! He's right there! He's the one behind all of this!"

Neither of them turned their heads. Their attacks only grew swifter and more vicious. Yuanhuang even sneered, "Trying to distract us with such a clumsy trick? Keep dreaming!"

The two fought with increasing ferocity, pouring all their focus into dealing with Illusion Ash. They had no attention to spare for Su Mu, who stood thousands of miles away.

Su Mu's state at this moment was highly unusual. His true body remained hidden within the dreamscape, releasing only a single trace of nightmare power—just enough for Illusion Ash to detect.

As for Dawn and Yuanhuang, unless they looked with their naked eyes, they could not perceive Su Mu's presence at all. To be precise, at this moment, Su Mu simply did not exist in the physical world.

He didn't have to do a thing. Simply showing his face was enough to pin Illusion Ash down.

Sure enough, after he appeared, Illusion Ash fought with increasing hesitation, unwilling to expend too much power for fear of leaving an opening.

Su Mu placed one hand over his chest and offered Illusion Ash an elegant bow, the exaggerated smile on his Silver-White Mask serving as a silent mockery.

Illusion Ash's chest heaved violently. "You two idiots! He really appeared! Right there!"

Such realistic "acting" caused Yuanhuang to waver. He subconsciously glanced over from the corner of his eye, but Su Mu seemed to have anticipated this, his figure vanishing inch by inch like dissolving foam.

Seeing absolutely nothing, Yuanhuang flew into a furious rage, his eight mechanical arms swinging so violently they threw sparks.

He vanished? Where did he go?

The unease in Illusion Ash's heart intensified, killing his desire to keep fighting. He suddenly let out a roar. Illusion Techniques and flames erupted in unison, forcefully blasting the two of them away before he turned and fled into the domain.

Taking his seat at the center of the domain, he poured all his strength into activating the protective formation, sealing the two of them on the outside.

Dawn and Yuanhuang assumed he had lost his nerve. They battered the formation from the outside for a while, but feeling they were draining too much power, they eventually pulled back.

The recent battle had left them both with significant injuries. Now, they could finally take a breather and heal their wounds.

"You lead your army to blockade the front, and I will seal off the rear. We absolutely cannot let Illusion Ash escape," the Lord of Dawn said solemnly.

In his eyes, the steadily losing Illusion Ash might eventually abandon his domain and flee, so they had to prepare in advance.

The Lord of Primal Desolation nodded, immediately leading his army to blockade the front of the domain.

Meanwhile, the Lord of Dawn headed to the rear.

Inside the military camp, Dawn sat cross-legged. Several priceless Transcendent Potions were arrayed before him—some for healing, some for restoring power, and others for temporarily boosting combat strength.

As he swallowed the Transcendent Potions, he admired the Flesh Lotus in his hand, his eyes burning with wild joy and desire.

"It has finally returned to this Saint Lord's hands, hahaha..."

After laughing for a while, he suddenly let out a regretful sigh. "What a pity. With a great battle at hand, I cannot refine and fuse it just yet."

Refining a Divine Corpse was a long and perilous process. One had to find an absolutely secure location, completely free from interruptions. The slightest slip-up could easily cause the originally integrated Divine Corpse to resonate with the new one, triggering a chain reaction.

At this thought, a venomous idea suddenly sprouted in his mind: abscond with the Divine Corpse and abandon Yuanhuang.

The Divine Corpse was already in his hands, so there was no longer any need to fight Illusion Ash.

But he merely entertained the thought before discarding it. If he actually did that, he would offend both Illusion Ash and Yuanhuang to the death, and he himself would become the target of their joint crusade.

Especially given Yuanhuang's violent temper; the moment he realized Dawn was fleeing, he would probably charge straight over to fight him to the death.

Just as he was sighing to himself, a soldier suddenly hurried inside. "Lord Dawn, the Lord of Primal Desolation has arrived."

Dawn froze. What was he doing here? Did Illusion Ash make a move?

"Invite him in."

"Yes, My Lord."

Before long, the towering, burly Yuanhuang swaggered inside, eight arms extending from his back.

"Weren't you guarding the front? Why come here so suddenly? Has something happened?" Dawn narrowed his eyes slightly, discreetly sizing up the man before him.

Yuanhuang sat down with a brazen sprawl. His fierce tiger-like eyes stared fixedly at Dawn as he sneered, "This Saint Lord just realized something."

"What is it?"

"Why was your Divine Puzzle found so quickly, while this Saint Lord's is still missing?"

Dawn's brow furrowed instantly. "What are you implying? Do you think I did that on purpose?"

"Hmph, confessing without being pressed?"

"Yuanhuang, this is the critical moment to join forces against Illusion Ash. This is no time for you and me to infight!" A harsh edge crept into Dawn's voice.

"This Saint Lord has no intention of infighting. Illusion Ash and I are locked in a struggle to the death. It is just that... this Saint Lord is worried someone might desert on the eve of battle!"

Dawn shot to his feet. "Do you think I'm stupid enough to slip away alone? What benefit is there for me to offend both you and Illusion Ash at the same time?"

"That isn't necessarily true!" Yuanhuang slammed a hand onto the table, standing up to meet him. "Your Divine Puzzle is already in hand! Do you dare say you haven't considered taking the Divine Corpse and fleeing alone? You could just abandon your domain entirely, find some secluded corner, and quietly refine the Divine Corpse!"

"Bastard! What kind of person do you take this Saint Lord for? How could I harbor such treacherous thoughts!" The Lord of Dawn flew into a rage, looking for all the world as though his character had been deeply insulted.

Yuanhuang wasn't buying it. He directly stretched out a massive hand. "Hand over the Flesh Lotus, and this Saint Lord will believe you."

"Hand it over to you? Keep dreaming!"

A dangerous light flickered in Yuanhuang's eyes. "Dawn, you had better think this through. The Flesh Lotus is completely useless to me. I would merely be holding it for you temporarily to prevent you from running. Once we join forces to kill Illusion Ash and secure the Fallen Sin Maitreya, we can exchange them. Neither of us loses a thing.

"If you reject my proposal, it proves you plan to run. If that is the case, this Saint Lord will fight to mutual destruction even if it costs my life. Make your choice!"

The Lord of Dawn's face darkened with uncertainty. He had to admit that Yuanhuang made a valid point. If their positions were reversed, he would have done the exact same thing. After all, one could never truly see into another's heart, and total trust was impossible.

But handing over the Divine Corpse he had finally obtained left him deeply unwilling.

"Are you handing it over or not!" Yuanhuang clenched all eight of his fists, looking ready to strike at the slightest provocation.

Dawn hesitated time and again before finally choosing to compromise.

Holding the Flesh Lotus, he walked toward Yuanhuang. "Be sure to keep it safe for this Saint Lord. Once Illusion Ash is dead, we will exch—"

Boom!

Dawn suddenly exploded into action. His left hand morphed into countless thorns that lashed out at Yuanhuang.

Shocked pale, Yuanhuang struck out with all eight arms at once. The divine power of the Fallen Sin Maitreya erupted with a boom, shattering the incoming thorns.

"What do you think you're doing?!" he roared furiously, preparing to unleash a thunderous counterattack.

Dawn hastily waved his hands. "Hold on! I was only testing to see if you were really Yuanhuang."

"Hmph!" Yuanhuang slowly lowered his arms, his tone hostile. "Have you finished your test?"

"Brother Yuanhuang, please do not be angry. It never hurts to be careful. Here, take the Flesh Lotus," Dawn said with an apologetic smile.

Yuanhuang snatched the Flesh Lotus away, glared at Dawn, and turned to stride away.

No one noticed that the moment he turned his back, a mysterious smile surfaced on Yuanhuang's face.