Almost at the very moment Nichs William stood up, a faint pink mist began to ripple from within his body, quickly spreading throughout the entire room.


    On the other side, Apollon Joy, who had been asleep, was suddenly enveloped by the pink mist. His body immediately rxed, and he slid down onto the floor.


    If one were to listen closely, they would notice his breathing was faint, and his chest still rose and fell slightly, indicating that Apollon Joy had not died but merely fallen unconscious.


    Witnessing this scene, Dean Bruce naturally wouldn''t allow the pink mist to get anywhere near him. With a slight movement of his mind, he cast the "The Compassion of Heaven and Earth" spell. The wooden bed beneath him seemed toe to life, with branches and leaves sprouting and wrapping around him, forming a protective barrier.


    The faint green light shimmered, and the vitality-infused branches shielded him from the pink mist outside.


    Dean Bruce''s gaze was fixed on Nichs William, watching as he slowly rose to his feet, eyes closed, and walked towards the door as if sleepwalking. He opened it and began to head outside.


    After confirming that Nichs William''s aura had not changed significantly and that there was no immediate danger, Dean Bruce did not attempt to break him out of this state. Instead, he quietly got up and followed him.


    Trailing Nichs William, Dean Bruce soon descended the stairs and left the inn, making his way slowly under the moonlight towards the outskirts of the city.


    As they approached the city gate, the guards heard the sound of footsteps and hurriedly rushed out, weapons in hand, eyes full of alertness as they stared at Nichs William.


    But before they could ask any questions, the purple mist had already spread around them, causing them to copse to the ground in an instant, falling unconscious.


    Seeing this scene, Dean Bruce immediately understood—someone was controlling Nichs William''s body. He wasn''t just sleepwalking.


    However, while that person could control Nichs William, they didn''t seem to have the ability to observe the surroundings, or rather, the one in the shadows could only gather information through Nichs William''s eyes.


    Dean Bruce had been following directly behind Nichs William the entire time, so the one in the shadows hadn''t noticed him.


    With this realization, Dean Bruce moved even more lightly, creating more distance between himself and Nichs William, not giving the one in the shadows any chance of detecting his presence.


    The city guards fell unconscious, saving Dean Bruce the trouble of dealing with them. He continued to follow behind Nichs William at a slow pace, leaving the imperial capital and weaving through the dense forest.


    He had no idea how much time had passed when Nichs William, still in his sleepwalking state, finally arrived at a secludedke. The moonlight poured onto the water, casting a silver glow. Two moons reflected on theke''s surface, illuminating the woman floating on the water, making her look like an ethereal angel.


    Hiding in the woods, Dean Bruce peered out, his brows furrowing involuntarily.


    The woman floating on theke wore a mask and was draped in a loose, white robe thatpletely concealed her figure. It was impossible to discern her identity. If it weren''t for the cascade of her long hair and the faint rise and fall of her chest, it would have been hard even to determine her gender!


    As the woman''s white robe fluttered, her body emitted a pure white radiance, which drifted toward Nichs William.


    Immediately, Dean Bruce noticed that Nichs William''s soul and body were beginning to separate. A hazy, ethereal figure slowly floated out from within him.


    Dean Bruce''s eyes darted around, but he didn''t continue watching. Instead, he crept out from his hiding spot, fully prepared to cast his spells.


    If Nichs William hadn''t been his apprentice, he would have allowed the woman to continue her spell, just to see its specific effects.


    But s, Nichs William washis disciple!


    Moreover, though Nichs William might appear simple and naive, his ability toprehend magic was exceptional. Dean Bruce still wanted him to master more spells so that he himself could benefit from it. How could he just stand there and watch his apprentice die?


    However, just as Dean Bruce was about to intervene, Nichs William''s soul was suddenly pulled back into his body in an instant.


    The woman''s spell was interrupted, causing her to stumble backward several steps.


    Buzz—


    A strange purple light surged, and an elderly apparition materialized from within Nichs William''s body. A powerful force burst forth, instantly enveloping the entire area.


    A crisp gasp escaped the woman''s lips, and Dean Bruce''s eyes lit up at the sight. Immediately, a smile spread across his face.


    As expected, he had been right!


    A guy like Nichs William was too simr to the protagonist of a novel. Now that he''d seen the elderly figure residing within Nichs William, Dean Bruce was even more convinced—Nichs William was definitely the protagonist!


    Having confirmed that Nichs William was indeed the protagonist, Dean Bruce no longer had to worry. After all, it would be incredibly difficult for him to truly die. This allowed Dean Bruce to offload as many spells as he wanted onto Nichs, letting him grasp their essence as quickly as possible.


    Shelly William''s gaze swept over the woman and a cold sneer formed on his lips. "A mere puppet dares to harm my descendant?"


    "…"


    Without the slightest hesitation, the woman''s feet emitted a burst of light, and her body soared straight into the air.


    Shelly William shouted coldly, "Trying to flee now? Toote! O darkness of the night, unleash an endless storm, disturb this domain, and tear every enemy to shreds!"


    As he chanted, dark light surged in from all directions, carrying with it a sense of immense pressure. It formed a barrier, directly bouncing the woman back to the ground.


    In the next moment, the dark light converged and took the form of hundreds of ravens. They let out a series of harsh "caw-caw" cries and darted towards the woman with extreme speed.


    Sensing the power emanating from the ravens, the woman barely managed to stabilize her posture before pulling a staff from within her voluminous magical robe. Her hand, now exposed, was small and delicate, appearing exceptionally beautiful under the moonlight.


    However, Shelly William was an old man who had lived for thousands of years. He had long since be indifferent to a woman''s beauty. No matter how attractive she might be, the moment she raised her staff, his body flickered, and he instantly teleported to her side.


    The next moment, he threw his head back and let out a long howl, causing all the dark ravens to scream in unison. The sound waves seemed to solidify, brimming with immense power, and sted the woman away, sending her crashing into the nearby cliff.


    Bang!


    Ssh!


    It wasn''t until the woman sshed into theke below that Shelly William flew over and fished her out. He threw her directly onto the shore.


    At this time, Nichs William was still in a deep sleep.


    Shelly William did not remove the woman''s magical robe. Instead, he looked towards the ce where Dean Bruce was hiding and said softly, "Mr. Dean, I am merely an elder of the Nichs family. Due to my spirit form, I have been residing within his body. If I have caused any offense, I sincerely apologize and beg your forgiveness."


    Hearing these words, Dean Bruce saw no reason to hide any longer. He stepped out and replied with a smile, "There''s no need to apologize. I''ve sensed your presence for quite some time now. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have followed Nichs all the way here. Knowing you were around, I knew he wouldn''t be harmed."


    "But if you hadn''t shown yourself sooner, I might have assumed I was wrong and intervened directly."


    As he spoke, Dean Bruce''s gaze fell on Shelly William, scrutinizing him closely.


    Even though Shelly William was in his spirit form and couldn''t exert much power, and even though they were likely allies, Dean Bruce remained vignt, carefully examining him to prepare for any possible scenario.


    "Oh?" Shelly William''s expression shifted subtly. He hadn''t expected that, despite his efforts to remain concealed, he could still be discovered. His respect for Dean Bruce grew even deeper. He spoke up, "I can sense it. This is nothing more than a puppet. Would you like to take a closer look?"


    Without any hesitation, Dean Bruce walked up to the woman. He gently removed the robe covering her, revealing an exquisitely beautiful face.


    With a slight probe of his senses, Dean Bruce noticed that the woman was still breathing. He reached out and pulled open her eyelids, revealing pupils that werepletely white, with no sign of consciousness.


    "Hmm? She''s actually a living person?"


    Shelly William was equally taken aback. "Earlier, I couldn''t feel any signs of life at all. I could only detect the presence of a soul''s energy clinging to this body. I thought it was just a puppet, but I didn''t expect her to be an actual person!"


    Dean Bruce replied calmly, "What you said isn''t entirely wrong. Although she''s still alive, her soul has already left her body. Now that the soul of the one controlling her has retreated, it''s not incorrect to call her a puppet."


    Pausing for a moment, Dean Bruce nced at the still-slumbering Nichs William and said softly, "If you hadn''t acted earlier, that person in the shadows would likely have stripped Nichs''s soul from his body as well. At that point, his body would have turned into a puppet too!"


    At this point, Dean Bruce suddenly understood the principle behind how that group of people disappeared without a trace.


    The method was straightforward: using that particr spell, people were ced into a unique state, emitting the pink mist from within their bodies. Anyone who approached would fall unconscious, likely with their memories wiped clean as well.


    Once their souls were extracted, couldn''t their bodies be disposed of at will?


    The only question that remained was the medium through which the spell was cast.


    The person in the shadows was far away from Nichs William. To cast a spell from such a distance, there must be some sort of medium involved. Moreover, both Dean Bruce and Apollon Joy were in the room as well. If it had been an area-effect spell, they would have certainly been affected too.


    With these thoughts running through his mind, Dean Bruce fell into deep contemtion. What exactly had Nichs William done to fall into such a trap?