The Martial Unity

Yet once Rui left the lava domain and entered a normal forest once more, the mental suppression he experienced only grew in time. He was starting to truly approach the core of the Great Forest of Hypnonarak, and it wouldn't be too long before he would enter the core of the forest.

Yet the tribulations seemed to spike up, as if in preparation for that. A strange mist was ever present within the forest. He couldn't prove it, but he felt as if just breathing the mist in hampered his mind as well.

The radius of his sensory range also reduced significantly. Because it wasn't directly hampering his mind and hampered his senses instead, not even Riemannian Echo was spared.

For the first time in a long time, he truly got to experience what it was like to have his senses hampered, especially since he hadn't experienced that in the Shionel Dungeon.

The true threat of the Great Forest of Hypnonarak seemed to begin from here on out. Rui had a lot of respect for anybody who could make it this far, especially if they weren't of the Senior Realm.

He reduced his traveling pace significantly, he couldn't afford to travel so fast when his senses were hampered. He also began scanning the environment for prey that he could hunt and eat.

He quickly sky-walked to a low degree, scanning his surroundings as well as he could. He found that his vision was the least affected out of all his senses. It had been a long time since he had relied on it over all other senses.

'There's a cave over there. Maybe I shou-' His eyes widened as he suddenly leaped off the tree, somersaulting backward.

BOOM!

He glanced back at the spot that he had been just a moment ago, it had been completely blown apart by some collision. His eyes flashed around, catching merely a glimpse of the projectile that did it.

It had wings.

As well as a body covered in white scales.

Furthermore, it had an undeniable reptilian tinge to it.

Rui's eyes widened as the glimpse he caught matched that of a creature recorded in the database of fauna that the Beggar's Sect gave him.

'An Illusionary Dragon!'

and incredulity flashed across his face. This was the first time that he had come across a

Dragons.

settings, dragons were at the top of the food chain, the apex predators. Gaia, too, had followed suit. Dragons were extraordinary apex predators that were nigh unmatched, barring other fantasy apex

already made Rui quite careful and cautious about having tangled with such a creature. Normally, he should have done

his eyes. His rational mind knew

mist forest. Yet what Rui found strange was that it wasn't just an ordinary roar, it was a roar that seemed to harness the power of the mist. The mist that had been stagnant suddenly shifted rapidly along with

what that meant yet, but he did know that the IIllusionary Gragon targeted the mind. Unfortunately, he had no experience with mind attacks. He did break out of an illusion in the Virodha Martial Contest, however,

Illusionary Dragon was going to be nearly as kind

And he was right.

world around him was just

The next moment?

It was gone.

was in a bottomless void of

a powerful illusion,

WHOOSH!

activated his Martial Heart,

its charge. It stared at Rui with its reptilian eyes, clearly surprised that Rui had been able to evade it. It was

And yet...

WHOOSH!

away once more as he avoided yet another charge, avoiding

face. "Man, I'm so glad I decided to go to the Shionel Dungeon. I bet you're pissed,

to shred his latest prey like he had done so to the countless prey that

Rui grinned even more.

couldn't actually hear or see the dragon, yet he knew the dragon was

illusionary technique of the dragon, and yet it was unable to even lay a claw