Holy Dragon City was as its usual calm and quiet. In the morning, it was still shrouded in mist. The sun had just appeared and had not managed to dispel the thick mist but the weather was pleasant.

"Swish."

No one noticed that a few dark shadows had slipped quietly into Holy Dragon City. No one knew what technique it was either. It seemed like these people merely consisted of shadows.

Yes, shadows. Even if they stood right in front of someone, they would not be seen. All people could see was a dark shadow. This was none other than the Shadow King's formidable technique.

The Shadow King's Supreme Talent was forming a shadow that blended perfectly with the surrounding environment and impossible to find.

Therefore, the Shadow King's stealth attacks were extremely horrifying, even more so than Shadowthorn. With the Shadow King's help, Doomsday and the others were able to slip into Holy Dragon City without any problem.

"Holy Dragon City, pfft, what's the big deal about it? We thought that they would've some advanced techniques but we've managed to slip in quietly and the royal family has yet to find out…"

Amid the darkness, a disdainful voice piped up. No one knew which ultimate contender it was but his tone was certainly scornful.

"By the way, why didn't the Candora Trio-Lords show up?"

The Shadow King asked gruffly.

"They have their way of entering Holy Dragon City, so they won't come with us."

Doomsday replied, unruffled.

"Hehe, more like they're trying to take advantage of us? The Candora Trio-Lords are certainly not to be trusted."

These ultimate contenders were all wary of the Candora Trio-Lords.

"Doomsday, you're most familiar with Holy Dragon City. Where should we go now?"

Doomsday thought deeply. Based on his knowledge of Holy Dragon City as well as his thorough understanding of Farron, Doomsday did not believe that Holy Dragon City did not know anything.

"You'd better not underestimate the royal family. Perhaps, while we were getting ready, the royal family already knew that we're coming… There might be an ambush but what can they do? Pitted against absolute strength, all their schemes won't amount to anything. Let's go directly to the palace. The head of the Sacred Lion Beast is also in there."

The corners of Doomsday's mouth gradually morphed into a sinister smile. They had prepared for this for a long time. Doomsday was very knowledgeable about the royal family. Besides, he knew that Phantom Intelligence Department's intelligence-gathering ability was far beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

Doomsday knew that most likely their whereabouts had been tracked by the royal family, who were currently waiting for them to "spring the trap".

However, it was difficult to tell who would ultimately have the last laugh.

"Haha, yes, directly to the palace. What kind of shady tricks could stump us? Besides the ultimate contenders, who else can stand against us?"

The Shadow King laughed. Then, he manipulated the shadows and slinked silently toward the palace.

…

In the magnificent palace, the King was seated on a big chair. Currently, he was surrounded by many unfamiliar but powerful contenders. These were the full-shifters in the palace. They were not comparable to the ultimate contenders but could still guarantee the King's safety for at least a short time.

Standing before the King was Farron. Currently, Farron appeared calm as he reported softly, "Your Majesty, they've arrived. For now, we've only discovered five people. They're Doomsday, Phantom King, Shadow King, Liberator, and the Nine-lives Werewolf respectively."

Upon hearing these names, the King sneered in derision. "Hmph, I see they're all here. Good, very good since they're seeking their deaths by coming to Holy Dragon City. Get ready to attack. If all the five main rebel army leaders are dead, it'll just be a matter of time before we quash the remaining rebel forces."

The King's eyes seemed to be glowing with zealousness. Farron was reminded of a scene many years ago when the King had just ascended the throne.

Back then, the King was full of zeal. The Holy Dragon Empire was far from any turmoil and the King planned to bring the Holy Dragon Empire into a more glorious era.

However, it was only after he became King that he realized the Holy Dragon Empire was a dried-up husk. The aristocrats had grown too powerful to be controlled. Many aristocratic rulers disregarded the royal family's authority. Coupled with the gradual weakening of the royal family's descendants and the lack of talented individuals, the royal family's authority began to decline.

Later, the rebellions erupted and quickly spread throughout the entire empire. Although the Holy Dragon Empire was at risk, it also presented an opportunity for the royal family.

The influences of the aristocratic rulers were too widespread. Within their respective territories, the aristocratic rulers' words had overshadowed the royal family's orders.

However, after this rebellion, the number of aristocratic rulers had been whittled down ten to one. This was akin to a new beginning. For this reason, the King had given the rebellion some leeway.

Nevertheless, there would always be unexpected developments such as the birth of five ultimate contenders. This caught the royal family by surprise and had complicated the situation.

Right now, these five rebel army leaders even dared to come to Holy Dragon City and attempt to overthrow the Holy Dragon royal family. This made the King maniacally furious.

"Hmph, these ignorant rebels, do they think that the royal family is so weak? Oh well, the empire has been chaotic for quite a long time, so now's a good time to put an end to it."

The King's zealous aura made Farron smile. This was more like the King from his memory!

…

Meanwhile, many powerful contenders had gathered in the Princess Royal's palace. The Princess Royal had recruited these full-shift contenders.

The Princess Royal was wearing a grave expression. Softly, she asked Merlin, "Leon1, have you investigated the matter about Phantom Intelligence Department? What happened to your subordinates?"

Merlin had already investigated it. Looking poised, he whispered, "Yes, Farron had used some means but it's alright, they just can't come out for a while. Once everything is over, I'll go to Phantom Intelligence Department to resolve the issue."

Merlin had learned about circumstances surrounding Shiya, Iza, and the others. Indeed, Farron had done something to them. Nonetheless, they were not in danger, which meant that during this critical period, Farron simply wished for Merlin not to create trouble. Farron had not completely severed ties with Merlin yet.

The Princess Royal nodded and did not say anything. Her expression was extremely solemn. Although they no longer had Phantom's intelligence, the Princess Royal still had other means to know what was happening.

"Swish."

Suddenly, a black shadow appeared in the main hall. This person was completely wrapped in black silk and wore a mask, so his or her face could not be seen.

"Your Highness Princess Royal, although we still haven't found any trace of Doomsday and the others, I'm afraid they've already entered Holy Dragon City."

The mysterious black-cloaked person reported.

"Entered Holy Dragon City? How is that possible?"

The Princess Royal was doubtful. Holy Dragon City was under careful surveillance. Anyone who entered Holy Dragon City would be discovered in no time.

After a long moment, Merlin said, "The Shadow King. Allegedly, he can move around undetected. Unless he deliberately shows himself, no one can find him."

Merlin's words struck a chord in the Princess Royal. Indeed, she now recalled the intelligence collected on the Shadow King. However, it used to be mere rumors. She did not expect that the Shadow King possessed such an ability.

"It looks like I've underestimated the Supreme Talents of the ultimate contenders. It'll be difficult to predict their abilities based on ordinary logic."

The Princess Royal took a deep breath. She now knew where her attention should be.

"Go, pay attention to King Father's palace. Once there's any movement, report to me immediately!"

Once the Princess Royal finished speaking, the black shadow in the main hall disappeared once again, almost like a ghostly spirit.

Merlin turned his gaze outside the hall. The sun had gradually dispelled the mist in the air. He knew that today was destined to be an extraordinary day…

The author used "Merlin" but it's a typo since she had always called him Leon.