Many times since he had transmigrated to this world, his guts had saved his life by giving him timely warnings regarding things he was going to face.

Right now, they were screaming at him to turn around and run.

The border of the Valley felt like the gaping maw of a gargantuan beast that wanted to swallow him whole, and as he took a few steps forward, it seemed to lean forward, eager to get started on its meal.

For the life of him, Daneel couldn't understand what was going on. 2 months back, he had felt no such thing, except that small tingle in his back which was probably due to the existence of very dangerous traps.

Once again, he debated whether to enter.

He had all kinds of trump cards and now, even Warriors to call on, so it seemed foolish to turn back without at least investigating.

After all, the fewer variables there were, the better.

So, ignoring his guts which were still raging at him, Daneel stepped into the Valley and asked the system to activate the Hidden Item Detection tool as usual.

However, when he saw the message it showed, he felt shocked before quickly moving forward as if everything was normal.

[Host under surveillance. Direction of surveiller: North. Method of surveillance: formation maze. 2 formation mazes discovered in host's path. First maze has been laid down for a long time. Second maze has been laid down recently. The purpose of the second maze is to alert an individual about the whereabouts of a person using their presence. Second maze is at the Champion level.]

Cold sweat appeared on Daneel's back as he realized that he wouldn't even have been able to detect the second maze if the system hadn't been upgraded.

Clearly, someone wanted to track his movements in the Valley of Mist in the most covert way of possible. Usually, this would be enough to work on anyone in the Central Continent, including the Warrior level a.s.sa.s.sins he had just conversed with.

Of course, Daneel was different.

The one watching him couldn't know that they had been found out, so Daneel acted as if everything was normal. He started to evade the traps in the Valley while moving towards the sect headquarters.

Even he didn't dare to teleport inside the Valley, as the formations here were rigged to attack the moment s.p.a.ce elementary particles were agitated to cast a spell. With the sheer number of traps around, almost anyone would be consumed before they would teleport away.

While walking, Daneel decided on his next step.

One thing had become clear: this was a trap.

The fact that this change had occurred in the Valley only after his trip meant that someone had planned it using all this time.

Who could it be? Was it a member of the sect who had seen him?

Regardless, the fact was that he was on someone else's turf. Even though he had the system, he had to be as careful as possible.

First things first, he didn't like that he was following someone else's plan. If he continued, there would definitely be a surprise waiting ahead.

So, he started to devise a plan.

….

The sect leader of the Withering Leaf Sect had his eyes closed while controlling the formation maze which was tracking the King of Lanthanor's movements.

He had waited so long for this day. Since that fateful moment in the Valley when those who had taught and raised him had perished in front of his eyes, he had vowed to take revenge.

Now, it was finally time to appease them.

Slowly, he started to move to intercept the King.

His appearance was even more shoddy from before. What was most strange was that along with the red, b.l.o.o.d.y marks on his hands, there was a red stain around his mouth which looked eerie.

His face had an even more crazed look than before, but he was in full control of his faculties right now, poised, waiting to strike.

A single blow from a Warrior should be enough to put an end to an Exalted Human. Especially in the case of a Warrior in his present state, there was no chance of survival.

In just one minute, his target would be at the optimal distance for him to attack. However, at this point, the King of Lanthanor stopped for a moment before continuing onwards again.

Although the sect leader got a slight feeling that something might be wrong, he fully trusted the detection formation he had obtained after much difficulty. There was no way in h.e.l.l that a mere Human level boy could fool a Champion level formation.

So, telling himself that the pause was nothing, the sect leader resumed waiting.

As the seconds ticked by, his heart started to beat louder in his chest, and he took out a trinket shaped like a needle before squeezing it and enlarging it.

It really was a large, thick, needle-shaped object with a sharp end. On its other end was a handle, making it appear like some sort of weird weapon.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

Now!

WHOOs.h.!.+

With blinding speed, the needle glowed a faint red before being thrown in a specific direction.

In a fraction of a second, the sound of it hitting its target could be heard, making the sect leader jump forward in glee.

However, what he saw made him rip off his hair in frustration.

The needle had indeed hit its mark, but while he watched, the King of Lanthanor's body dissipated. It had a smile on its face, as if it had accomplished some sort of mission.

NO! His plan had failed!

Well, it was a good thing that he had made many, as this was his only shot.

Taking out a trinket, he said, "Plan B. Now."

…..

Meanwhile, Daneel was standing at a specific spot in the Valley with a small smile on his lips.

[Surveillance Dissonance Spell Developed to counter the Formation Maze is active.]

Indeed, he had simply used the system to fool his enemy for a very specific reason.

"Is the simulation ready?"

[Affirmative. Using the attack sustained by host's clone, system has created a simulation with the approximate power level of target. Estimated Power Level: Eminent Warrior.]

Hearing this, Daneel was surprised but not shocked.

However, just as he was about to ask the system to activate the simulation, a message sounded in his head which made slight worry appear on his face.

[System has detected that individuals have activated Champion level attack formations on the borders of the Valley of Mist. Controller of the formations must be killed for system to obtain control of these formations.]

Wait…he couldn't go out without killing the controller?!

Clearly, the enemy's planning had gone above and beyond what Daneel had expected.

Their intention was to trap him inside, like a lamb for slaughter.