Chapter 167: Something Happened!

In this state, he ensured his brain received adequate rest while remaining ready to immediately throw himself into battle should any accidents occur.

Suddenly, the wind carried a faint scent of blood straight into the White Dragon Lord's nostrils.

The slumbering white dragon snapped his eyes open. He surged to his feet, staring down at the pitch-black grassland below.

Beside him, the gnoll chieftain also jolted awake. Snatching up the single-edged axe that never left his side, he looked around on high alert.

Seeing only a single gnoll patrol squad left below, the White Dragon Lord frowned.

"Hogger, I smell blood. Our sentries have been assassinated. Wake everyone up."

"Yes, sir!"

Awooo!

The gnoll chieftain instantly threw his head back and howled.

The howl rang out exceptionally clear in the quiet of the deep night.

Within the monster army's camp, soldiers grabbed their weapons, pushed aside their tent flaps, and stepped out into the open spaces between the tents.

In an instant, the camp swarmed with gnolls and trolls. Knowing what likely awaited them, they stared into the surrounding darkness with grim expressions.

A gnoll captain barked an order.

"You lot, go out and take a look."

The called-upon gnolls stared bitterly at the pitch-black wilderness, but, not daring to disobey their superior's command, they trudged toward the edge of the camp.

One gnoll caught sight of a burning campfire and had a sudden idea. He snatched up a thick branch by its unburned end and hoisted it like a torch. The others quickly followed suit.

Holding their makeshift torches high, the gnolls stepped out of the camp.

Suddenly, a dark shadow launched itself out of the tall grass.

Four flashes of cold light streaked through the air. The lead gnoll's throat was slashed open, and he collapsed to the ground with wide, staring eyes. His torch fell, rolling away into the dirt.

The shadow instantly melted back into the brush, vanishing without a trace.

Up on the hillside, the White Dragon Lord's pupils shrank, a fiery rage igniting in his chest.

It really was that beast!

Under the cover of absolute darkness, the Nether Panther's combat strength surged. Emboldened by the night, Yuir couldn't resist coming back for revenge.

Yet Yuir also knew that even with his strength amplified by the dark, he still couldn't breach the White Dragon Lord's defenses.

So, the panther had chosen to slaughter the White Dragon Lord's monster army instead.

Watching the shadow vanish into the grass, the White Dragon Lord unleashed his majestic spiritual power.

The most terrifying aspect of any assassin-type creature was its elusive unpredictability. If the White Dragon Lord could simply pinpoint the Nether Panther's location, he could drastically reduce the threat it posed.

However, after sweeping his spiritual power across the entire area, Amos detected absolutely nothing out of the ordinary.

The White Dragon Lord furrowed his brow. He didn't know how the Nether Panther was evading his spiritual perception, but the reality was right before his eyes.

As if issuing a direct provocation, the Nether Panther lunged out again, assassinating another soldier.

Seeing his soldier fall, the gnoll captain screamed in terror.

"Crossbowmen! Step up! Fire! Fire your bolts!"

The gnolls with crossbows equipped at their waists snapped out of their daze. Spurred by their captain's frantic orders, they shoved past their comrades to reach the front of the formation.

The well-trained crossbowmen drew their bowstrings, loaded their bolts, and pulled their triggers in one seamless, fluid motion.

A dense volley of bolts shot into the darkness. But despite the large number of gnolls, the sheer vastness of the grassland made the barrage seem sparse. Furthermore, their enemy was not something ordinary crossbow bolts could handle.

The Nether Panther leaped out once more, slaughtering several more men.

The thick stench of blood filled the air. Fear spread like a plague through the gnoll ranks.

None of the gnolls wanted to stand at the frontline anymore. They scrambled backward, bunching up into a tight mass and leaving those on the outer edge to stare out into the terrifying dark.

On a proper battlefield, the monster army could fight without fearing death, because their enemies would be right in front of them. If they killed their foes, they might survive. There would be hope.

But in this situation, they didn't even know where the enemy was. Completely powerless to fight back, the monsters had no desire to throw their lives away for nothing.

The White Dragon Lord's expression turned entirely livid. The Nether Panther's actions were a direct slap to his face.

Amos rapidly chanted an incantation.

Soul Sight!

Soul Sight was a soul-system spell. Spells in this system didn't just drain mana and spiritual power; they consumed the much more ethereal power of the soul. Once depleted, soul power could only be restored through natural recovery.

Because of this, the White Dragon Lord rarely used soul-related magic under normal circumstances.

But under exceptional circumstances, it was a completely different story.

A moment later, the chant concluded. A faint shimmer veiled the White Dragon Lord's eyes.

Instantly, the entire world turned a hazy gray in his vision. Only the souls housed within living creatures radiated a milky-white glow.

The souls of the insects in the grass flickered in tiny specks like distant stars in the night sky. The massive trolls, on the other hand, possessed much larger and brighter soul signatures.

The physical volume of a soul only correlated with a creature's physical size, while the soul's brightness depended entirely on its strength. The higher a creature's Creature Level and power, the more intensely its soul shone.

Without exerting any effort at all, the White Dragon Lord spotted it at a glance: hiding in the brush just a short distance from the camp was a legendary beast overlord, glowing as bright as a lighthouse.

Wrapped in shadowy energy, Yuir sensed a glare full of malice. He looked toward the White Dragon Lord and found the dragon staring straight at him. The panther's heart tightened.

He had no idea how the white dragon had discovered him, but he felt absolutely no fear.

Because in this pitch-black environment, armed with the ability to traverse through shadows, he had nothing to fear—even against a High-Tier Legend.

Yuir rose to his feet, let out a provocative snarl at the White Dragon Lord, and instantly vanished from the spot.

The exact moment he disappeared, a massive five-meter-long ice lance slammed diagonally into the patch of grass he had just occupied, burying itself halfway into the earth.

The vanished Yuir reappeared right beside the huddled mass of gnolls, swiping his claws to reap life after life.

Through the White Dragon Lord's Soul Sight, a glowing white panther silhouette constantly Blinked in and out of existence, flashing all around the perimeter of the monster army.

The milky-white souls of the dying gnolls separated from their bodies, drawn up into an ethereal, illusory river drifting overhead.

Rage erupted within the White Dragon Lord. Against a Nether Panther moving so quickly with Blink, single-target attack spells couldn't lock on. But if he unleashed area-of-effect magic, he would likely just massacre his own troops in the crossfire.

Moreover, even if the White Dragon Lord descended to fight personally, Yuir would simply avoid him. Relying on the endless mobility of his constant Blinks, he would just continue his slaughter.

Amos forced down the fury burning in his chest. The more critical the crisis, the more he needed to stay perfectly calm.

Suddenly, the White Dragon Lord thought of a solution. Yuir relied on the shadows to travel freely; therefore, if he eradicated the shadows in the area, he could defuse this crisis.

Amos flapped his wings and soared into the sky.

Light: Empowered!

Light: Empowered!

Light: Empowered!

...

One Light spell after another flared to life in the air above the monster army. They radiated with the intense glare of incandescent bulbs, illuminating the dark night until it was as bright as day.

The instant the intense light exposed his silhouette, Yuir knew he had to retreat.

Activating his innate ability, Yuir dissolved into a cloud of black mist and vanished.

Suspended in the air amid the cluster of Light orbs, the White Dragon Lord beat his wings. His gaze was icy as he watched the Nether Panther flee until it disappeared completely from sight.

Below, the monster army breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Staring up at the towering, majestic figure overhead, they felt an unprecedented sense of security.

...

The next afternoon, Amos led the monster army into the central region of Kumlinge. They arrived at the territory of the Land Dragon Clan, situated beside the Snowpaint River and at the foot of Snowfall Peak.

Gurgalu had arrived at the designated rendezvous point one step ahead of the White Dragon Lord, having already finished setting up camp.

When the White Dragon Lord landed near the perimeter, the Two-Headed Ogre Chieftain immediately came out to greet him.

Garu looked confused.

"Master, why the sudden summons? What happened?"

The White Dragon Lord's voice was grim.

"There's been a change of plans. A few idiot trolls managed to provoke the Nether Panther, Yuir."

Garu was startled.

"What?! Which idiot did this?!"

Gur roared in fury.

"Gur will smash them flat!"

Thinking of the roughly one hundred gnolls who were dragged to their deaths by the trolls' blunder, the White Dragon Lord felt equally disgruntled.

"They've already died at Yuir's hands, but that does us no good. Yuir has locked onto us now. If we don't take him out first, I'm afraid all of you will be in danger."

Garu frowned deeply.

"Master, according to our intel, this guy won't be easy to deal with."

"I know. That's why I ordered you to rendezvous here."

The White Dragon Lord spoke with deadly seriousness.

"Gurgalu, organize the spellcasters. From now on, every single night, there cannot be a single patch of darkness within a two-hundred-meter radius of the camp."

"Yes, Master!"

After thinking it over for a moment, Gurgalu hesitated.

"But Master, passive defense isn't a long-term solution. How do we launch a counterattack?"

The White Dragon Lord frowned. He didn't have an answer to that question either. Kumlinge was simply too vast. It was completely unrealistic to dispatch manpower to scour the entire island for him during the day.

Seeing the White Dragon Lord's troubled expression, Garu pinched his chin and also began trying to brainstorm a solution. The scene briefly fell into a heavy silence.

A moment later, Gur suddenly yelled.

"Master, I've got an idea!"

The White Dragon Lord blinked in surprise. Of the ogre chieftain's two heads, it had always been Garu who came up with the ideas while Gur simply handled the fighting. Had this blockheaded brute with muscles for brains finally experienced an epiphany?!

"Oh? What's your idea?"

Gur shouted in excitement.

"We can use food to lure it out! Then we lace the food with potions, just like the stuff you used against the Skull-Crushers last time!"

The White Dragon Lord was speechless. Truly, he shouldn't have harbored any expectations for a single-celled organism like Gur.

Garu seethed.

"Shut up, you idiot! Do you think a Nether Panther is as much of a glutton as you are?!"

Gur rubbed the single horn on his head, drooping in dejection, while Garu and the white dragon lowered their heads to resume thinking.

"Master, perhaps we can take this step by step."

Garu analyzed.

"The first step in dealing with Yuir is pinpointing his location. But how do we actually find him?"

The White Dragon Lord raised a scaly brow. He hadn't expected Garu to actually break the problem down to solve it in stages.

Garu continued his analysis.

"Perhaps we don't need to find him at all—he'll come looking for us! Naturally, it's also possible that Yuir might not return, but regardless, we still need to find him. That's the root problem we face."

The White Dragon Lord nodded.

"If he does come for us, we must be ready to face the trouble head-on—and prepare a surprise for him while we're at it. Gurgalu, lead the Mage Corps and erect a Magic Barrier around the camp."

"The barrier should focus primarily on illusions and Light spells. Although Yuir can traverse the shadows, he has lived his entire life in Kumlinge and knows very little about magical techniques. An illusion-based Magic Barrier should prove effective against him."

Garu's eyes lit up.

"Yes, Master!"

The White Dragon Lord glanced at the dejected Gur and paused in thought for a moment.

"Also, just as Gur suggested, prepare some 'spiced' food."

Gur instantly sprang back to life, looking like a completely different ogre.

The White Dragon Lord muttered inwardly, 'It doesn't cost much anyway.'

Garu spoke up again.

"Master, what if Yuir doesn't come back?"

The White Dragon Lord immediately felt a headache coming on.

If he dispatched his grand army to search, finding the panther would be a problem in itself. Furthermore, even if they did find him, could ordinary familiars truly pin down a Nether Panther that was already on guard?

The answer was an obvious no. Yuir would simply slaughter the troops and hide all over again.

This was the severe drawback of prematurely provoking the Nether Panther. If the beast hadn't been alerted, the White Dragon Lord could have dispatched the Harpies to monitor him in shifts.

For a while, the White Dragon Lord couldn't think of a single viable plan.

Garu suddenly broke the silence.

"Master, perhaps we could call Her Highness Elena back."

The White Dragon Lord's eyes gleamed.

"Excellent, Gurgalu! After this operation is over, I will thoroughly reward you!"

The White Dragon Lord was overjoyed. If they recalled Elena, she could use her druid techniques to mobilize the small animals in the forest to hunt for Yuir. That would be infinitely more convenient and wouldn't arouse the Nether Panther's suspicions.

When the time came, catching an unprepared enemy with a prepared trap, he could mobilize the entire army to tightly encircle Yuir. How could the beast possibly escape then!

"Thank you, Master!"

Gurgalu was immensely pleased with himself for actually being helpful.

As the White Dragon Lord's personal strength continued to rise and the number of legendary combatants under his command increased, Gurgalu—the white dragon's former number-one enforcer—felt a tremendous amount of pressure.

Fortunately, the white dragon had always honored their original pact. He had even gone above and beyond the contract to take extremely good care of the Skull Crusher Clan, ensuring the Skull-Crusher Ogres served White Castle with absolute, undying loyalty.

Still, sensing his own importance waning, Gurgalu felt deeply unwilling to be left behind. All this time, while managing White Castle's daily affairs, he had constantly pushed himself to cultivate and train.

Suddenly, the White Dragon Lord sensed a dramatic shift in the energy radiating from Gurgalu and was greatly shocked. Driven by his emotional excitement, Gurgalu's Warrior class had actually leveled up on the spot.

"Scan!"

[Name]: Gurgalu Skull-Crusher

[Level]: Level 16 Ogre, Level 18 Warrior, Level 17 Mage

[Power]: Tier 4

[Alignment]: Lawful Evil

[Description]: He is an adult Skull-Crusher Ogre. Born as a two-headed ogre, he received the full support and grooming of the long-standing Skull Crusher Clan. After becoming the servant of the white dragon, Amos, he gained access to even more cultivation resources, causing his strength to skyrocket. Currently, his combat capability fully rivals that of an ordinary professional who has just stepped into the Legendary Rank.

The White Dragon Lord was immensely satisfied with Gurgalu's progress in strength. He was just about to offer the ogre chieftain a few pointers on his magical cultivation.

Suddenly, the White Dragon Lord received a message transmitted from his Dragon Brother and Dragon Sister.

"Amos! Come quick! Something terrible has happened!"

The White Dragon Lord's expression changed drastically. After leaving Wyvern Peak, because his dragon siblings and the wyvern flock could fly—and were thus completely immune to a grounded threat like the Nether Panther—the White Dragon Lord hadn't bothered telling them to rally at the land dragon territory.

"Gurgalu, take charge of everything in the camp. I need to leave for a moment."