All of this information about Gluttony beasts had been painstakingly collected by the Holy City side — they had even paid a bloody price for it.
Belinda had been fleeced mercilessly by those merchant profiteers just to get her hands on this intelligence.
Still, after paying so much, the authenticity of these reports was beyond question. They had already helped Belinda narrowly escape several crises before.
"No! If I wait for this Gluttony beast to evolve, its abilities will become even more terrifying. It might even detect my presence directly..."
Belinda's eyes flickered. "And even if I had the patience to wait for it to leave, other Gluttony beasts would just move in to take its place. After all, this is a gathering point for Gluttony beasts — otherwise the mission difficulty wouldn't be this high... But right now, using the aura it's releasing during its evolution, I can make the other Gluttony beasts instinctively stay away from this area..."
"One could say this is the perfect opportunity!" A flash of resolve appeared in Belinda's eyes.
"Dreamscape — Phantasmal Veil!" A wisp of dark crimson dream power coiled outward from around Belinda's body, draping her in what seemed like a translucent scarlet veil. She looked ethereal, almost otherworldly.
As a half-breed of the Demon White Phosphorus Serpent, Belinda had naturally inherited the ability to wield dream power. After her previous corruption, this talent had actually grown stronger. Yet at this moment, a worried expression still clouded her face.
"The dream power has weakened too..."
The dream energy Belinda had drawn this time was noticeably less than on previous occasions. Its potency had even declined.
To her, it felt as though the entire Dream World had died — utterly devoid of vitality. Even the intensity of the dream power itself had dropped significantly.
The Dream World falling into a dormant period was terrible news for those of them who carried the Demon White Phosphorus Serpent's bloodline.
Especially during the current devastation of the Gluttony plague, Belinda could almost envision the scene — large numbers of Demon White Phosphorus Serpent descendants being slaughtered en masse after losing their most proficient dream abilities.
"Great Mother of Dominion! Please bless my kin!"
Belinda silently offered a prayer, and then her entire figure vanished into midair.
Drawing upon the illusory power of dreams, Belinda completely concealed her presence as she moved toward Crescent Lake.
The closer she drew to the mountainous, two-headed giant tree Gluttony beast, the more terrifying its aura became — that malevolent will that cared for nothing but the satisfaction of its appetite made the skin on Belinda's body tense up, as though the tip of a blade were pressed against her face.
"It's fine!"
However, the Gluttony beast's sensitivity to intruders had clearly declined as well. Belinda watched Crescent Lake grow ever closer, and a glimmer of joy flashed in her eyes.
"Blue Shell Stones!"
She carefully slipped past the two-headed giant tree beast and arrived at the lakebed of Crescent Lake. Several blue-glowing gemstones silently vanished from sight.
The process went so smoothly that even Belinda was somewhat taken aback.
"With these Holy Light Crystals, Nick should be able to hold on a little longer..."
Belinda suppressed her excitement, tucked the Blue Shell Stones safely away, and then prepared to withdraw at a distance.
"Squeak!" "Squeak!" "Squeak!"
But just at that moment, an abrupt transformation occurred on the two-headed giant rat opposite her! Its eyes snapped open, all four green orbs filled with an utterly frenzied madness.
Ring after ring of blue-purple blood vessels erupted across its body, carrying clumps of blood and tumor-like growths that looked absolutely horrifying beneath its skin.
The fleshy lump on its neck in particular was now wreathed in a circle of dark crimson light, ceaselessly contracting and expanding.
"Evolution failure!" Belinda's face held a flash of astonishment. This situation was clearly a case where the Devouring Beast had not accumulated enough energy, and its evolution had broken down.
For Belinda, this was virtually the worst-case scenario — a Devouring Beast that had failed its evolution would also enter a terrifying feeding frenzy to make up for its losses.
At such a time, the creature was far more frenzied than an ordinary Devouring Beast. It could almost be said to be completely unafraid of death.
"Squeak!" Accompanied by the beast's roar, a horrifying wave of sound swept outward in every direction.
Crack! Crack! The robe of dream force surrounding Belinda's body began to crumble, massive spiderweb-like fractures spreading across it, and her expression changed drastically.
Bang! A flash of dark crimson light flickered through the void, and Belinda's figure materialized directly into view.
"Squeak!" Almost immediately, she found herself locked in the gaze of four enormous green-bean-like eyes belonging to the two-headed giant rat.
The fury of its failed evolution, combined with its ravenous hunger for food and energy, had given birth within the creature to a frenzied killing intent.
The overwhelming pressure and hostility of a fifth-tier existence bore down on Belinda so intensely that she felt as though she were suffocating.
"Run!"
Behind her, the spectral image of the colossal Devil White Phosphorus Serpent materialized, gathering wisps and threads of dream force that surged like a crimson tide, positioning itself between her and the giant rat.