That was a colossal silhouette, towering like a small mountain, possessing the form of a goat, easily exceeding a hundred zhang in height. Its single hoof alone would require dozens of men to encircle, standing like a gigantic, ancient pillar rooted to the spot…

Its head resembled a massive villa, currently lowered, its eyes—larger than picture windows—staring directly at Ye Jingyu and Liang Xiaoke, who seemed no bigger than ants in comparison…

When Leilena arrived, the monstrous beast shifted its enormous gaze toward her as well…

Seeing her own reflection in the creature’s massive pupil, observing a body so immense it seemed to scrape the clouds, Leilena’s body trembled uncontrollably, and a gasp escaped her lips: "Yugong…"

The Yugong, an ancient, exotic beast, controlled the very essence of thunder. While standard Yugongs were often no larger than foals, the sheer size of this one was utterly disproportionate…

Faced with such a colossal Yugong, Leilena could only stand frozen, utterly dumbfounded as to what to do next.

Liang Xiaoke was equally slack-jawed, staring into the beast’s vast eyes and watching his own reflection. He truly could not fathom that such a gargantuan entity existed in the world, let alone how it could have grown so large.

Only Ye Jingyu’s face betrayed no surprise; instead, it was etched with deep suspicion. His eyes were locked onto the gigantic form, and the Rinnegan situated between his brows flickered intensely, sending out streaks of silver light as if attempting to pierce through the Yugong’s very substance…

“Jingyu, what… what are we going to do? I seriously doubt I can take on something this enormous!” After a long pause, Liang Xiaoke gently nudged Ye Jingyu’s shoulder, his voice trembling slightly as he spoke.

“Big Brother, look there…” Ye Jingyu suddenly pointed toward the Yugong’s enormous eyes.

“What is it?” Liang Xiaoke blinked, following the direction of Ye Jingyu’s finger, and saw that the eyes were crystal clear, like two colossal mirrors—nothing more, seemingly.

“Look closer!” Ye Jingyu urged seriously.

Liang Xiaoke peered again, catching sight of his and Ye Jingyu’s reflections…

“Did I get even more handsome?” After staring for a while, he suddenly blurted out that remark, even preening and deliberately striking a pose while slicking back his hair.

“Truly, you can’t expect pearls of wisdom from a zombie’s mouth. Didn’t you notice something wrong with the reflection? Look, I’m moving my right hand now. Logically, in a mirror, it should be reversed, meaning the reflection should move its left hand. But look, it’s still moving the right hand. Don’t you find that defies common sense?” Ye Jingyu rolled his eyes dramatically, too impatient to wait for Liang Xiaoke to continue observing, and spoke directly.

“Oh, right, how did I miss that?” Liang Xiaoke looked suddenly enlightened, slapping his forehead.

Because your eyes are filled with dog waste! Ye Jingyu silently cursed in his mind…

“But even if it’s not reversed, what does it matter? How are we supposed to deal with this massive thing now?” Before Ye Jingyu could respond, Liang Xiaoke’s voice cut in again…

Ye Jingyu was so exasperated he nearly spat a mouthful of blood. Why couldn't this fellow ever use his brain?

“This proves this thing isn't real at all! It’s just an illusion!” Ye Jingyu roared in frustration, then promptly delivered a kick to Liang Xiaoke’s backside, launching him directly toward the Yugong’s gaping maw.

“Hey, that’s attempted murder—wait, what did you just say? An illusion?” Liang Xiaoke managed to exclaim mid-fall before snapping back to awareness. His body passed straight through the Yugong’s mouth as if it were mere shadow, landing heavily on the ground and gouging out a massive crater.

Witnessing this, Ye Jingyu confirmed his suspicion. Liang Xiaoke immediately jumped up, dusted off his rear, and stared blankly at the giant phantom hanging in the sky.

Could all of this truly be fake? Yet, it felt so incredibly real. At this moment, Leilena also perceived the anomaly, and the tension that had gripped her heart finally eased. Seemingly realizing her form was still serpentine, she flashed, transforming instantly into human shape. Gongsun Lu, meanwhile, had remained close behind, her expression unchanged throughout the entire ordeal.

“It seems this must be an aura remnant left behind by some Yugong from the Primordial Era!” Leilena observed as the phantom slowly dissipated following Liang Xiaoke’s disruptive entrance.

“No, even the most powerful Yugong would struggle to sustain an illusion this vivid. This was created by some other living entity!” Ye Jingyu refuted, the Rinnegan on his forehead emitting sharp, silver rays.

Leilena paused, about to offer a rebuttal, when she saw Ye Jingyu suddenly dart forward…

“Quick, I found something! Follow!” Liang Xiaoke and Ye Jingyu shared a level of tacit understanding that transcended words; with a sharp snort, he was already chasing after Ye Jingyu.

Leilena, who had nearly been left behind earlier, dared not linger. She accelerated to full speed, quickly catching up to them both as they spotted a furry, leopard-like demonic beast galloping furiously ahead…

“Phantom Demon Leopard! Heavens, it’s a Phantom Demon Leopard! That’s one of the rare demonic beasts capable of conjuring illusions! Its demon core is one of the few substances that can truly boost spiritual power! Wait, why is someone riding on its back?” Upon clearly identifying the creature, Leilena gasped in astonishment.

When Ye Jingyu and Liang Xiaoke saw the figure mounted on the beast, they went into a frantic chase; it was none other than the abducted Luo Ling'er.

Although Ye Jingyu couldn't fathom why Sakura-Oshi would have Luo Ling'er carried by a Demon Leopard, at that moment, he could afford no further consideration…

He pushed his speed to the absolute limit, silver-white light flashing beneath his feet as he unleashed the Void Shadow Star Steps. Yet, the leopard seemed capable of crossing space itself, proving impossibly difficult to catch.

After nearly fifteen minutes of relentless pursuit, the demonic beast arrived before a pitch-black mountain and charged straight inside without hesitation.

Ye Jingyu followed immediately, not pausing for thought, plunging into the darkness. Liang Xiaoke hurtled in right behind him, showing no second thoughts. When Leilena reached the mountain’s entrance, her face shifted drastically, and a cry of alarm escaped her lips: “You two, come back! This is Leize Mountain—one of the Ten Great Deadly Lands of the Demon Realm…”

But neither Ye Jingyu nor Liang Xiaoke could hear her desperate warning anymore…