Chapter 569: It’s Time to End the Game

A tall, slender figure slowly walked into the inner city of Elephant Beast City.

He strode along the flat stone path, passing magnificent buildings before arriving in front of massive wooden doors. He raised a hand, and the guards stationed on both sides stepped forward, pushing the heavy doors open with all their might.

The massive wooden doors let out a deep, muffled CREAK as they moved. Once they were open, he stepped into the inner hall.

The entire inner hall was extremely spacious. Its pillars and beams were forged from giant elephant bones, emitting a cold, hard luster. The tops of the pillars were carved with giant elephants raising their heads, their tusks sharp as blades, pointing straight toward the ceiling.

The walls displayed beast fangs and bones from various clans, each bearing a mark of submission. A wolf’s head hanging directly above the main seat, in particular, completely laid bare the undisguised ambition of the master who resided here.

Just as he was about to walk over to his chair and sit down, a small, thin figure ran out.

“Father, Father, please save Yaya! The bad beasts locked Yaya up and won’t let me come find you!”

Upon seeing the man, Yaya sprinted over and threw herself into his arms.

Kunlin looked up at the guards who had followed her and waved his hand, dismissing them.

“Father, why aren’t you hugging Yaya?” Yaya tilted her head up, gazing at him pitifully with wide eyes.

The corners of Kunlin’s lips curled up as if he wanted to show a kind smile. However, the moment he smiled, Yaya’s gaze turned blank, and her arms wrapped around him loosened.

She took two steps back, looking at him with fear. Her father had looked so terrifying just now. She had never seen him like that before.

Seeing Yaya let go, Kunlin didn’t step forward either. Instead, he turned around, walked over to his chair, and sat down.

“Didn’t I tell you not to run around? Why did you come out?”

Yaya twisted her fingers in fear. She had been brought to this place by her father a few days ago. Ever since she arrived, he had made her stay in that large room and forbade her from going anywhere. But she was very scared. She wanted to be with her father, yet no matter what she said, those people refused to let her leave, and her father had never shown up. It wasn’t until just now that she found a chance to sneak out, unexpectedly running into him.

But…

Looking at the Kunlin before her, Yaya felt he was incredibly unfamiliar. The way her father smiled just now made her feel terrified.

“Yaya misses Grandfather. I want to go back and find Grandfather.” After speaking, Yaya lowered her head in fear, not daring to look into Kunlin’s eyes.

Just when she thought Kunlin would be upset, he smiled again. “Don’t be anxious. In just a few days, after Father finishes his business, we’ll go back.”

Yaya looked up in astonishment. “Really?”

“Of course. When has Father ever lied to you? However, until then, you have to stay here obediently and not run around.”

Although reluctant, Yaya didn’t dare disobey Kunlin’s words anymore. “Yaya will definitely be good!”

Kunlin called the guards over to take Yaya away.

The moment the heavy doors closed, the smile on Kunlin’s face faded, and his pitch-black eyes lacked a single trace of life.

“Having consumed so much of my energy, it’s time for this game to end!”

As dusk approached, Qiao Xixi finally got a clear view of Elephant Beast City bathed in the light of the setting sun.

From a distance, Elephant Beast City looked like an ancient giant elephant lying dormant at the border between the wasteland and the desert. It was so steady that it seemed no one could shake it, every contour branded with the unique heaviness and vastness of the elephant clan.

The entire Beast City lacked deliberately carved symmetry, instead unfurling naturally along the body shape of an elephant. The city itself truly looked like a colossal elephant. This was the first time Qiao Xixi had seen a Beast City built in the shape of a beast. It was evident that the elephant beasts held absolute dominance in Elephant Beast City.

“Little Yao, are we just going to charge straight in?”

“Host, it’s not time yet.”

“What time are we waiting for?”

“The System and the Mastermind undergo self-repair every day from 12:00 to 12:30. That means they are at their weakest during this time. We can find it then and launch an attack on its host body. If the attack is successful, it will greatly consume its energy.”

“You’re saying that thing also found a host body?”

“Yes, Host. They don’t have a true physical form to begin with. To appear in a minor world, they definitely need to find a host.”

“Then how do I determine which one is its host?”

Little Yao turned its round head and looked at Sangqi. “Sangqi, open your mouth.”

Curious, Sangqi obediently opened his mouth.

The moment he did, a long tentacle suddenly grew out of Little Yao’s body and reached inside his mouth.

Seeing that the sticky liquid on the tentacle was about to drip into Sangqi’s mouth, Qiao Xixi frowned and urged, “What are you doing?”

The tentacle retracted. When it pulled back, it carried a small wisp of black mist.

Sangqi’s eyes widened in surprise, but Qiao Xixi quickly pulled him into her arms. “Sangqi, how are you? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”

Sangqi shook his head, merely asking curiously, “Beast God, what did you take from my tummy?”

Little Yao shook the black mist and said, “This stuff was actually created by that thing. I’ve smeared Tracking Powder on it. When the time comes, this wisp of black mist will guide us to its host body.”

Qiao Xixi nodded in understanding. “Its host is definitely hiding inside Elephant Beast City. To avoid alerting them, we’ll have to find a way to sneak in.”

Earlier, she had seen members of the Winged Clan circling in the sky above Elephant Beast City from afar. Even if they entered Elephant Beast City from the sky, it would be difficult not to be discovered.

“Yun Ji, is there any way for us to get into Elephant Beast City?”

Yun Ji thought for a moment and said, “There’s one place we can enter from.”

With that, he changed direction and rapidly descended. Before the beast soldiers of Elephant Beast City could spot them, they circled around to a mountain behind the city.

Yun Ji landed steadily on the ground, then crouched down to let Qiao Xixi and the others slide off his back.

Qiao Xixi had just noticed that this place was separated from Elephant Beast City by only a single stone wall.

“Where is this place?”

Yun Ji shifted back into his human form. Looking at the stone wall ahead, he said, “This is the back door of Elephant Beast City.” He then pointed to a massive tree growing out of the stone wall. “When Elephant Beast City was first built, this tree was already here. They all believed it was a divine tree protecting this scorching land, so instead of chopping it down, they allowed it to be rooted in Elephant Beast City forever.”

Although Qiao Xixi couldn’t see the tree in its entirety, she could imagine just how massive it was.

As Yun Ji spoke, he led them to another large tree. This tree didn’t look as big as the one in the stone wall, but it would still take several people to link their arms around it.

Yun Ji spread his wings and flew to the center of the tree. His slender fingertips merely tapped the trunk, and a large hole appeared in the thick wood.

“A tree hollow? Is it empty inside?”