"Whiz."

No one noticed that amid the silent night sky, a tiny stream of light had broken through the sky and dropped down.

Merlin was still conscious at this time, but just barely. He was unable to control the speed of his body's descend. All he knew was that he had entered a new dimension.

Any Latitude Cosmos would not allow a different power of the natural order to enter easily. Although Merlin's Illusory World was shattered, it had not collapsed entirely. A faint wisp of the power of the natural order was left. Once this brand-new Latitude Cosmos detected Merlin's Illusory World, it too began to exert pressure.

The weighty pressure unnerved Merlin. He must find a living creature as soon as possible and enter his or her body, just like what he did with Stedman. He would have to live as a parasite temporarily, and slowly recover.

The power of the natural order of this world, in Merlin's current state, was exceedingly threatening. It was powerful to the point that Merlin could not put up any resistance, except for falling downward rapidly.

…

In the magnificent Count's Manor in Boulder City, a grand ball was being held.

Young Master Leon, the only son of Count Stanwin, the castellan of Boulder City, was getting engaged to Lady Reese tonight. For this reason, all the aristocrats from all over Boulder City had been invited to the Count's Manor.

The manor's paths were brightly lit. Many noble gentlemen and ladies gathered in groups of twos and threes as they conversed softly. A sweet violin melody, which was played by a skilled violin master, created a joyful atmosphere throughout the manor.

However, the conversation between these noble ladies was not so much about the ball but the war.

The reason that the war was a topic of discussion despite such a grandiose occasion was because the situation at the front line was extremely tense. Currently, a rebellion had broken out in the southern region of the Holy Dragon Empire. Someone who called himself General Blackbat had launched a rebellion. Presently, he had already invaded several big cities. Thus, the situation in the south was very critical.

Although the Holy Dragon Empire immediately dispatched a large troop personally led by Marshal Kerry to control the situation, they did not manage to settle the rebellion as quickly as the aristocrats had expected. On the contrary, it was a stalemate.

That proved that the Blackbat Militia's strength was not weak. Moreover, the ongoing stalemate between the two armies was too far from Boulder City. Therefore, news of the front line was frequently heard.

"I heard that the Holy Dragon royal family has deployed a large army as reinforcements for Marshal Kerry. Hopefully, the Blackbat Militia won't be able to reach Boulder City."

"It's difficult to say for sure. I'm sure all of us know very well about the current situation of the Holy Dragon Empire. The royal family's holy dragon bloodline is now strenuously thinned. If still no royal heir with a strong holy dragon bloodline appears, I'm afraid there'll be more rebellions in the Holy Dragon Empire…"

These aristocrats were worried. At present, the situation in the Holy Dragon Empire was unstable. The root of the problem lied in the royal family.

The Holy Dragon royal family first established the Holy Dragon Empire with the golden dragon bloodline, a mythical bloodline which was one of the most powerful almighty beast bloodlines. Hence, every generation of the Holy Dragon royal family had been exceedingly powerful. Naturally, they were able to lead the empire to greater heights.

Right now, however, eight hundred years had passed. The Holy Dragon royal family had deteriorated with each generation, especially their holy dragon bloodline. It had become extremely rare, to the point that among all the royal family descendants, there was hardly any promising heir with prominent holy dragon bloodline.

As a result, the situation in the Holy Dragon Empire was unstable. Rebellions such as the Blackbat Militia, had been a dime of a dozen in the recent years.

The aristocrats spoke softly. The servant girls were busy serving platters of fresh fruits and expensive wine. No one noticed there were a few unfamiliar faces in a corner of the manor.

There were too many aristocrats in the manor. Other than the aristocrats, some influential businessmen were intrinsically linked to Count Stanwin. Thus, there were too many foreign faces. Even Count Stanwin would not be able to identify every single person.

In a corner of the manor, there were a few lofty but plain-looking men. They held up their wine glasses like the rest of the aristocrats and socialized gracefully.

However, the content of their conversation was very alarming.

"Is everyone ready? Marshal Kerry's army has formed a solid line of defense. If we were to face them head-on, the Blackbat Militia will suffer a heavy loss. Therefore, His Excellency the General has ordered us to take control of a few powerful aristocrats to attack them from the inside and disrupt Marshal Kerry's formation. Then, the Blackbat Militia will be able to break through their line of defense and achieve victory! The target is Count Stanwin's son Leon. We mustn't make any mistakes!"

"Hehe, Leader, relax. Count Stanwin is indeed impressive. His family has the Deinosuchus bloodline. He has almost five thousand armed men, all of them with the Deinosuchus bloodline in their veins. It's a very powerful army. The Holy Dragon royal family already planned that if Marshal Kerry's line of defense is breached, then Count Stanwin's army must immediately rush there to stop us. However, the impressive one is only Count Stanwin. Everyone has a weakness, and Count Stanwin is no exception. His only weakness is his only son."

"Stanwin's son Leon didn't inherit any bloodlines. He doesn't have any almighty beast abilities. He's just an ordinary person. Therefore, it's much easier for us to capture him. Once we've captured Leon, we won't have to be afraid of Stanwin."

These were spies from the rebellion army at the front line, who had successfully infiltrated the Count's Manor. They seemed to have planned this for a very long time. The plan had been scrutinized countless times. Now all they had to do was to wait for the perfect opportunity.

…

In the manor, with the help of the servant girls, Lady Reese was donning a pure white gown. Tonight, she would be engaged to Count Stanwin's son, Leon. According to her family members, this was a satisfactory match.

Reese had only met Leon a few times, and did not have a good impression of him. Of course, he was not too terrible either. From her impression, the fair-skinned, skinny but kind-looking lad would make a splendid friend.

Instead, he was soon going to be her husband. This thought made Reese slightly nervous. Although she too, did not inherit any almighty beast bloodline, as a woman, who would not wish that their husbands were sufficiently powerful?

"My lady, what's bothering you?"

The servant girls looked at the distracted Lady Reese, and asked carefully.

"Nothing. This is good too. Although Leon doesn't have any almighty beast bloodline, he's still Count Stanwin's only son. Considering Count Stanwin's contributions to this empire, this Count title can be inherited for three generations. Leon will not be in danger in the future, and I can enjoy life as a Countess. There's nothing to be unhappy about."

The more Lady Reese tried to rationalize it, the more apparent the unhappiness in her heart was manifested. Nonetheless, as she also did not have any almighty beast bloodline, she had been nominated by her family. Furthermore, Leon was a Count's son. There was no reason for her to dismiss Leon.

Regardless, who could understand a young lady's thoughts?

"Lady Reese, are you ready? The ball will begin soon. Sir Count would like for my lady to go to the great hall."

A guard was urging outside the door.

"Very well, I'm ready."

Reese cleared away the chaotic thoughts in her head. With the help of the servant girls, she gently lifted her skirt and walked toward the brightly-lit great hall of the manor.

…

"Master Leon, Sir Count asks for you in the great hall."

In a luxurious room, a thin, blond-haired young man was standing before a mirror. This was Count Stanwin's only son, Leon.

Leon had blond hair and a slender figure. He was wearing a gold silk suit. He had a noble nose bridge and handsome features. However, overall, he seemed a little feeble.

"Alright!"

Leon looked into the mirror again, and felt satisfied. Just as he pushed the door to exit the room…

"Rumble."

A thunder suddenly rumbled across the silent night. The sky was not raining but a heart-rending aura filled the entire manor.

Leon looked at the pitch-black sky nervously. For some reason, he kept feeling apprehensive today. This feeling made him very uneasy.

"Whiz."

No one noticed it but following that clap of thunder, a faint ray rushed into Leon's body. Suddenly, Leon's footsteps came to a halt, and his face betrayed an excruciating expression.

"Master Leon, what's wrong?"

The guard outside his door had probably noticed this abnormality and hurried to support him.

The skinny young man did not answer the guard. The next moment, his expression gradually recovered. Then, he slowly raised his head and stared at the guard.

"Master Leon?"

For some unfathomable reason, the guard felt that Master Leon was a little different today. Master Leon's gaze moments ago caused him to feel slightly fearful.

"Maybe it's just a hallucination…"

The guard observed Master Leon's expression carefully but did not see any irregularity.

Leon nodded. Then, following behind the guard, he stepped into the night.

In the dark night, the guard walked in front, so he did not see the changes in Master Leon behind him. Currently, Leon's eyes were incomparably calm though his gaze darted around the strange manor.

Occasionally, there were painful looks on his face as if he was desperately trying to recall something,

"This Latitude Cosmos is called the Almighty Beast World?"

Some memories were echoing in Leon's mind. These memories belonged to a young man named Leon but right now, Leon's consciousness had already disappeared. He had been replaced by a foreign soul!