Merlin's gaze swept across everybody in the room. Previously, the Candora Trio-Lords' aura posed a slight threat to Merlin. Now, he could not sense any iota of danger from them. This meant that Merlin had grown a few times stronger in his most recent enhancement. He was now unquestionably the number one contender!

"Leon, what do you want?"

Finally, the King of the Candora Empire could no longer hold it in. Under everyone's watchful stares, Merlin appeared too calm. Ironically, the calmness Merlin projected caused the people of the Candora Empire to feel deeply insulted.

"What do I want? Simple. Hand over the Candora Magic Mirror!"

Merlin replied evenly.

"As predicted!"

"Leon came for the Candora Magic Mirror."

Everyone turned to look at the Candora Trio-Lords. The Candora Magic Mirror was kept by the three of them. However, this was the Candora Empire's most prized possession. How could they simply give it away?

"What a distasteful joke. That's the Candora Empire's most prized national treasure. Why would we give it to you just like that?"

The King replied mockingly. Although he could see that Merlin's ability was extraordinary and most probably was undefeatable in a one-on-one fight, this place was still the most important location in the Candora Empire where numerous ultimate contenders gathered. Furthermore, they also had the Candora Magic Mirror. Why would they fear this lone Merlin?

Until now, the Candora Empire had not made any move. Their collective opinion was to avoid an attack as much as possible. The best-case scenario was for Merlin to retreat.

Nevertheless, how could it be easy to convince Merlin to retreat?

"I want the Candora Magic Mirror! What about we exchange it for some other item?"

A smile appeared between Merlin's lips.

"Exchange? What item can you possibly exchange for the Candora Empire's national treasure?"

The King sneered in derision. Perhaps, if the Holy Dragon Empire had used the Sacred Lion Beast's head as currency, they might briefly considered the offer. Besides that, what else could tempt the Candora Empire?

However, Merlin's eyes revealed a meaningful glint. He said in a low voice, "How about we exchange the entire Candora Empire with the Candora Magic Mirror?"

"You…"

At this moment, the King and the Candora Trio-Lords appeared slightly angered.

"You don't believe me?"

Merlin could not be bothered to waste his time dithering. With a flash, he flew toward the Candora Trio-Lords.

"Scram!"

Seeing the Candora Trio-Lords assume their almighty beast forms, Merlin swung his fist at them. Immediately, a tremendous pressure descended upon the Candora Trio-Lords. The horrifying pressure shocked the Candora Trio-Lords to the core. They could sense that they were completely unable to withstand this punch.

"How terrifying, retreat now!"

The Candora Trio-Lords' minds were interconnected. Naturally, they retreated instantly. However, Merlin's speed was even faster. His body seemed to transform into countless punches which rained down brutally upon the Candora Trio-Lords like a torrential downpour.

"Divine Realm!"

The Candora Trio-Lords chanted in unison. Instantly, the entire great hall was swathed in a layer of white light. The Candora Trio-Lords, in particular, were tightly enfolded in its core.

This was the Candora Trio-Lords' Supreme Talent. Not only were they identical triplet brothers but all three of them were also ultimate contenders, and miraculously, had the same Supreme Talent.

The Supreme Talent of each of the Candora Trio-Lords was the Divine Realm. This Supreme Talent could even be compounded to detonate an unparalleled force. As a result, the Candora Trio-Lords were greatly respected among the ultimate contenders due to their immense power.

However, today, they were pitted against Merlin, who had devoured hundreds and thousands of almighty beasts' will and possessed powers infinitely close to the sacred beasts.

In terms of pure strength, Merlin was not at all inferior compared to the sacred beasts. All he lacked right now was the will of the Almighty Beast World.

Merlin extended his palm. Suddenly, it seemed that the great hall was filled with the apparition of Merlin's palm. Then, the palm pressed down into the void.

"Boom."

With just one press, the entire great hall seemed to be on the verge of collapse. An overwhelming surge sent the Candora Trio-Lords into the air and out of the hall. Their bodies gradually cracked and fell heavily onto the ground.

Even then, Merlin had been merciful. He did not want to antagonize the Candora Empire but merely wanted to use the most direct method to make them understand that based on the situation, they should just voluntarily hand over the Candora Magic Mirror.

"You…"

At this moment, the arrogant King's eyes slanted, a massive storm rippling through his heart. Even the most powerful Candora Trio-Lords were not able to withstand the first hit.

If Merlin so wished, everyone in this place would not be able to escape alive. Merlin's words about exchanging the Candora Empire for the Magic Mirror were a threat. Merlin possessed the ability to single handedly destroy the huge Candora Empire!

"I just want the Candora Magic Mirror!"

Merlin said steely, his tone willed with brutishness which allowed no protests.

The King's expression flashed hesitantly. He was still weighing the pros and cons if he refused to give Merlin the Candora Magic Mirror. Merlin would not be able to obtain it by force since the Candora Magic Mirror had the supernatural power of teleportation.

However, if Merlin did not get the Candora Magic Mirror, the Candora Empire might cease to exist. This was a distinct possibility. The King of the Candora Empire found himself between a rock and a hard place.

"Your Majesty, you should acquiesce to him!"

Finally, with the help of others, the Candora Trio-Lords slowly stood up. Their gazes at Merlin were now filled with a trace of fear.

"Your Majesty, the Candora Magic Mirror is only used to stabilize the royal family's rule over the empire. If the empire no longer exists, what use will the Candora Magic Mirror be?"

Indeed, the Candora Magic Mirror was just a powerful treasure at best. The only benefit it presented to the royal family was to strengthen their rule over the empire.

Therefore, if one were to choose between those two options, unquestionably, the royal family would choose to keep the Candora Empire.

However, to the Candora Empire, it was downright humiliating to surrender their national treasure under Merlin's threat. Regardless, due to the apparent gap in power, they had no other choice.

Merlin's lips quirked into a tiny smile. This was much better than snatching it by force. Right now, Merlin already represented an unparalleled "force". Even just by himself, he was much more formidable than any force.

Therefore, he was not worried that the Candora Empire would not surrender the Candora Magic Mirror.

Soon, the Candora Trio-Lords retrieved a mirror from their laps. The moment Merlin saw the mirror, he knew that this was the Candora Magic Mirror because he could sense the will of the sacred beast from within.

"Haha, yes, it's indeed the Candora Magic Mirror. Don't worry, since I've gotten the Candora Magic Mirror, I won't bother the Candora Empire any longer."

With that, Merlin reached out and took the Candora Magic Mirror. Then, in a flash, his figure disappeared along with the Candora Magic Mirror. Only the Candora Empire's royal family were left in the room, gaping at one another.

"I guess it's alright for you to leave, Candora Magic Mirror. You've resolved a crisis for us. This is also your contribution…"

Although the King was somewhat reluctant to part with this national treasure, he also knew that saving the empire was the most important priority.

…

"Swish."

Merlin left the Candora Empire's capital as soon as possible and headed to a small town some distance away. He could not wait to find a quiet spot to examine the Candora Magic Mirror.

The Candora Magic Mirror was only the size of a palm, so it was not big. The outer layer was constructed of a strange black material whereas the mirror was exceptionally shiny. The bizarre thing was that it was impossible to see one's reflection on it. Instead, the surface was fuzzy, which looked completely mysterious.

This was the Candora Magic Mirror. Only the blood of an almighty beast bloodline could activate it. Moreover, depending on the viscosity and inherent strength of the bloodline, it could unleash some of its powers.

To fully unleash all its powers, the price required was the blood of an ultimate contender's almighty beast. Only then, the Candora Magic Mirror could unleash its most potent binding ability.

Regardless, the Candora Magic Mirror had now fallen into Merlin's hands. Merlin was not at all interested in its fabled teleportation ability or binding ability. His real focus was the sacred beast's will in the Candora Magic Mirror.

Perhaps, the sacred beast's will was very weak since it was just a thin, inconspicuous strand. Most probably, it would not improve Merlin's abilities substantially but it allowed Merlin to decipher the secret of the sacred beasts and feel the essence of this world.

"Merlin, are you going to absorb and merge this will?"

Titus' voice rang out in Merlin's mind. Titus, who was in the Illusory World, certainly knew what Merlin intended to do.

"Yes, this is the only way that will allow me to understand the essence of the Almighty Beast World. Perhaps, this is also the only way for me to restore the Illusory World."

Merlin knew that it was an arduous task to restore the Illusory World. Even he did not have the confidence to do so. This strand of sacred beast's will was his only hope.

Titus stewed in silence. Finally, he nodded. "You must be careful. The sacred beast's will might contain a sliver of the will of the Almighty Beast World. If you fail to merge it and the Illusory World is discovered, we'll be in trouble. If the partially-recovered Illusory World is targeted by the will of the Almighty Beast World, the Illusory World won't be able to withstand the Almighty Beast World."

Titus' words could not have been clearer. If the sacred beast's will truly contained the will of the Almighty Beast World and Merlin failed to merge it, his true identity would be discovered by the will of the Almighty Beast World. In that case, Merlin would be in grave danger.

Therefore, this was an extremely risky move.

Nonetheless, Merlin had already made up his mind. Titus' words merely prompted Merlin to be more careful. It could not shake his steely determination.

"Come on, let's check out the real secret of the sacred beasts!"

A glint flashed across Merlin's eyes. Subsequently, he pulled mightily with his hands. The Magic Mirror cracked. On the mirror's surface, web-like streaks began to appear…