Chapter 754 - Half-Step Battle King
"Such a sharp sword!" another tribe's warrior exclaimed.
The deforestation caused by Aria quickly drew the attention of the other tribes in the vicinity—or rather, the tier-7 divine sword drew their attention.
Nevertheless, the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman shortly stood in their way.
"We are all humans; we should be working together! What's the point of fighting each other when we should be fighting the demons? Do you want the demons to destroy us all?"
The One-Eyed Venerable Shaman interrogates the Sky Sword Tribe, another tribe from Central Region, while facing them within attacking distance.
However, neither side chose to attack.
The Sky Sword Tribe's chief stood on the tip of an ashen tree as if he was light as a feather and gazed at the deforested area composedly without answering the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman's questions immediately.
A short moment later, the Sky Sword Tribe's chief finally shifts his attention to the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman.
"Senior One-Eye said that we should be working together to stop the demons? I also think so," the Sky Sword Tribe's chief chuckled before stating, "However, the side that doesn't want to cooperate is not ours, but yours."
"What do you mean by that?" the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman frowned.
"You see, I don't believe there is any merit in working together unless our strengths are optimized. Otherwise, it will just be a band of bandits, disorderly and weak."
"So what you are trying to say is that the weak should offer their treasures to bolster the strength of the strong? What a ridiculous excuse to justify robbing others of their treasures. Only bandits would be shameless enough to say something like that."
The One-Eyed Venerable Shaman ridiculed the Sky Sword Tribe's chief with a contemptuous look, but the person was unaffected by the provocative words.
"You see, this is why we can't reach an agreement. Even though we share the same goal, we have different approaches," the Sky Sword Tribe's chief replies with a smile before suddenly adding, "Nevertheless, I have yet to attack because I recognize your strength, Senior One-Eye."
"Thus, I am willing to make a concession; if Senior doesn't want us to have the divine sword, then Senior should use it yourself. After all, you are still an Extremity-rank Battle Master, even if your core has been shattered. You have the qualifications to stand with us when we confront the demons."
"You want me to betray Miss Aria and Young Master Leonhardt? Hmph, dream on! Even a wolf knows how to repay kindness and favors, let alone this old man," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman snorted.
"And you must be blind or pretending to be blind if you're going to ignore the fact that Miss Aria just wiped out that foolish tribe that tried to snatch her divine sword. She is much stronger than she appears."
"So that woman's name is Aria. I admit, she is quite a fine woman," the Sky Sword Tribe's chief nodded approvingly.
However, the Sky Sword Tribe's chief shortly adds, "But that aside, the Dragon-Elephant Tribe was foolish and underestimated her. She might have been able to kill them all, but that wasn't due to her own strength."
"Furthermore, the Dragon-Elephant Tribe didn't have a single Extremity-rank Battle Master. They deserved to die. If someone else like you or me wields that divine sword, we would have displayed the divine sword's full potential."
After talking for a while, the Sky Sword Tribe's chief realized he couldn't persuade the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman and shook his head in resignation.
"It seems we have no choice but to fight."
"Yes, it would seem that way since you aren't willing to back down."
"It's a shame that an Extremity-rank Battle Master will have to fall here. I pray Senior One-Eye makes wiser choices in the next life," the Sky Sword Tribe's chief said regretfully.
Shortly after, the Sky Sword Tribe's chief directed his tribesmen to kill the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman, "Don't hold back and attack together! We will let Senior One-Eye die valiantly, letting him know that it took ten Extremity-rank Battle Masters to kill him!"
"Yes, chief!"
Swoosh!
The leaves rustle as the Sky Sword Tribe's ten Extremity-rank Battle Masters quickly surround the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman and attack him from all directions.
"F*ck off!"
A Tier-5 Buster Sword suddenly appears from the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman's interspatial storage pouch and into his firm grip before he swings it with full strength.
In that instance, the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman's hidden aura fully exploded.
Peng!
The Sky Sword Tribe's ten Extremity-rank Battle Master received the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman's spiral swing with their Soul Weapons before they were all struck by an enormous force.
Puchi!
Unable to withstand the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman's brute strength, the ten Extremity-rank Battle Masters' bones shattered, organs shaken, and blood sprayed from their mouths as they were sent flying like meteors.
Stray drops of blood landed on the Sky Sword Tribe's chief's face when an Extremity-rank Battle Master flew past him, causing his calm expression to freeze with shock immediately.
The Sky Sword Tribe's chief failed to comprehend what just happened.
The upper strength limit of Extremity-rank Battle Masters caps at 1.5-million jins, but the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman's strength went beyond that.
It didn't just go beyond 1.5-million jins; it was at least 3-million jins! Not enough to reach the level of Battle Kings, but it was a full twofold above the level of Extremity-rank Battle Masters!
A Half-step Battle King!
"Impossible! This can't be real! It shouldn't be possible for you to become a Half-step Battle King! Your core should have been shattered for many years now!"
The Sky Sword Tribe's chief hysterically denied the possibility.
However, the truth was before his eyes.
"Yes, generally, it's impossible to resume body cultivation after shattering the core due to the core fragments obstructing the formation of a new core. However, you have forgotten that this old man has the Divine Doctor on his side!"
"The Divine Doctor can even remove the core fragments inside a warrior's head?!"
"Precisely! So allow this old man to correct what you said… The one who should've made wiser choices was not this old man; it was you!" the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman stated.
Chapter 755 - Big Attraction
After hearing what the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman said, the Sky Sword Tribe's chief suddenly erupts with crazy laughter as if he had lost his mind.
However, the Sky Sword Tribe's chief did not lose his mind; he simply finds the situation ironic and shakes his head helplessly.
"I lived my whole life making wise choices! That is how I, Skyhawk, went from being a nameless person in the Sky Sword Tribe to becoming its chief! So where did it go wrong?" Chief Skyhawk muttered.
"You failed to see through one person; Young Master Leonhardt. Even this old man fails to see through him. Young Master Leonhardt is simply unfathomable."
The One-Eyed Venerable Shaman had a look of awe and respect when he mentioned Leon's name.
"To think Senior One-Eye would come to respect a young man to such a degree…" Chief Skyhawk remarked without any intention to continue the battle.
Chief Skyhawk had lost his will to fight after finding out the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman was a Half-step Battle King.
The chance of winning was zero.
At the same time, the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman smiled at the Sky Sword Tribe's chief's comment without pursuing the person's transgression.
Every Extremity-rank Battle Master killed is a considerable loss for the human side.
"You should know that a great storm will be sweeping across the Infertile Plains after news of the Celestial Water Spark drying spreads," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman mentions.
"However, this old man believes there will be a greater storm sweeping the entire Dark Abyss Continent, and the center of that storm will be Young Master Leonhart."
"Senior One-Eye believes in the Divine Doctor that much, huh? If I remember correctly, Senior One-Eye is from the Crimsonfog Tribe while the Divine Doctor is from the Darkmoon Tribe…"
"Why does that matter? Only this old man gets to decide who this old man wants to follow; no one else gets to decide for this old man. And no one can say anything when Young Master Leonhardt unites the tribes. I believe he has what it takes to make it possible."
"I see. Senior One-Eye believes the Divine Doctor is destined for greatness… I wonder if I still have a chance to ask for forgiveness and follow such a person…" Chief Skyhawk muttered.
"That isn't for me to decide. But you should know that I have no intention of taking your life since you've lost your will to fight," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman magnanimously said before adding, "You should go check on your tribesmen's conditions."
"Thank you for being lenient and forgiving, Senior One-Eye."
Chief Skyhawk expressed his gratitude and respect with a fist-palm salute before shooting off to pick up his scattered tribesmen.
The attitude Chief Skyhawk gave to an Extremity-rank Battle Master, and a Half-step Battle King was like the difference between heaven and earth.
The Extremity-rank Battle Master Realm was a bottleneck that stopped most warriors from progressing further.
But if warriors succeed in taking that half step beyond the Extremity-rank Battle Master Realm, they are guaranteed to become Battle Kings in the future.
However, that wasn't the sole reason for Chief Skyhawk's change in attitude.
The One-Eyed Venerable Shaman is a Half-step Battle King with a brand new core and has the potential to reach the extremity of the Battle King Realm or even become a Battle God.
Furthermore, the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman would not need to enter deep slumber like the other existing Battle Kings who are at risk of Demonic Possession.
'I find it hard to believe that a young man who looks less than 20 years of age can unify the Infertile Plains. Even if he is a genius with endless talents and abilities, he still lacks experience,' Chief Skyhawk thought.
It wasn't uncommon for geniuses with great talents to die before realizing their full potential.
'Senior One-Eye, on the other hand, has the experience. So if I can't follow the young divine doctor, I can still try to follow Senior One-Eye.'
Chief Skyhawk began calculating his next steps after his mistake.
…
Puchi!
The Redstone Tribe's chief never stood a chance against Leon, but the Redstone Tribe's chief didn't know that until it was too late.
With a single thrust of Leon's sharp hand coated in the power of darkness, he drilled right into the Redstone Tribe's chief's chest and destroyed his heart.
The Redstone Tribe's chief glanced down at the hand in his chest before coughing up a mouthful of blood and feeling weakness take over his body.
"This power… are you a demon?" the Redstone Tribe's chief weakly uttered with his remaining few breaths of life.
However, Leon didn't satisfy the Redstone Tribe's chief's curiosity.
After the Redstone Tribe's chief took his last breath, and his eyes dulled lifelessly, Leon retracted his hand and tossed the body aside.
The blood on his hand was casually erased shortly after.
"Just a little display of darkness power from the Devil Emperor's Tome of Eternal Darkness, and the person immediately assumes I am a demon," Leon muttered with a pondering look.
Leon finds it ironic that the many warriors in the Infertile Plains rely on Darkness Energy to cultivate their bodies, yet they didn't consider themselves demons.
"Back in the Divine Realm, anyone found cultivating Darkness Energy would have probably fallen under the demon label. Yet, over here, people cultivating with Darkness Energy are pointing fingers at others who also cultivate with Darkness Energy? How amusing."
Leon noticed that after he started cultivating the Devil Emperor's Tome of Eternal Darkness, he had less aversion to the topics of demons—or perhaps he was more sympathetic towards them?
"I wonder how the others are doing…"
Leon shook his head before spreading out his divine sense and shifting his attention to Aria and the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman; both appeared to be doing fine.
Nevertheless, Leon did not expect the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman to have not only finished refining his new core but also become a Half-step Battle King.
'Hm… Senior's talent shouldn't have been bad if he could reach the Extremity-rank Battle Master Realm before shattering his core…'
Leon no longer finds it surprising after giving it some thought.
A short moment later, Leon surveyed the region before he frowned at the number of people drawn towards Darlene's Spatial Phenomenon.
Some were cautiously hiding in the distance after witnessing the fate of the Redstone tribe and Dragon-Elephant Tribe, while others were still on their way.
'Isn't this number a bit too high? Where were they before for them to come now? Don't tell me that they think the Demon Emperor-level Tomb appears here?'
Leon wondered.
Chapter 756 - The Greater Demons' Alert
…
…
…
In the east outer rim of the Bone Sea, several Greater Demons rose to the surface level amidst the floating bones after noticing the reduction of Lesser Demons in the sea region.
It wasn't just a small reduction either.
Although Lesser Demons were just expendable pawns to the Greater Demons, even the Greater Demons would be alarmed when they noticed hundreds of Lesser Demons missing from the sea region.
"You! In a few words, explain what has happened in this sea region! Where are the rest of the Lesser Demons stationed in this area?"
After sweeping a glance at the few Lesser Demons on the Bone Sea's surface level, one of the Mid-rank Greater Demons immediately grabbed a Lesser Demon-level Imp by its neck and interrogated it.
Without surprises, the Mid-rank Greater Demon's overbearing action terrified the Imp.
The Mid-rank Greater Demon was not only significantly larger than the Imp Lesser Demon, but it was also a member of the Two-headed Cyclop Clan, one of the Nine Great Clans renowned for their enormous bodies.
"L-Lord Greater Demon, i-it would be better to let Lord Suron, w-who is in charge of this sea region, answer your queries!" the Imp replied with difficulty.
Ka-cha!
The Mid-rank Greater Demon ruthlessly snapped the Imp's neck before tossing its lifeless body into the Bone Sea to feed the sea monsters.
"I said to answer my question in a few words, not pass the job to someone else!"
The Mid-rank Greater Demon snorted before grabbing another different Lesser Demon from the group and questioning it.
This time, the Lesser Demon was a female Harpy Demon with black talons, red-feathered wings, and three pointy golden feathers on its head, the distinctive trait of the Gold-feathered Harpy Clan.
"What about you? Are you going to answer my question or waste my time?"
The Harpy Lesser Demon struggled to even gulp under the Mid-rank Greater Demon's grip and intimidation.
The Harpy Lesser Demon chose to carefully contemplate its words before opening its mouth to speak, lest it also ends up losing its life.
Ka-cha!
Unfortunately, the Mid-rank Greater Demon also snapped the Harpy Lesser Demon's neck after it took too long to answer.
After picking its third target, the Mid-rank Greater Demon finally receives an immediate answer.
"Lord Suron has been sending groups of Lesser Demons to investigate the disturbance in the east, Lord Greater Demon!" the Bull-Horned Lesser Demon stated.
"A disturbance in the east? What kind of disturbance?"
"Darkness Energy in the secret realm's atmosphere has been gathering towards the Abyssal Wood Forest's direction from time to time, Lord Greater Demon!"
The Bull-Horned Lesser Demon answered honestly yet nervously as it sweated profusely, uncertain when the Mid-rank Greater Demon would snap its neck on a whim.
However, the Mid-rank Greater Demon simply tossed it aside, sparing its insignificant life after receiving a satisfying answer.
The other Greater Demons watched in silence as the Mid-rank Greater Demon swept the Lesser Demons another glance.
"Who is Lord Suron?"
"I am."
A calm voice came from the Mid-rank Greater Demon's left side before it locked its gaze on a Lesser Demon from the Evil Eye Clan.
"You're Lord Suron?"
"I am, Lord—"
Puchi!
The Mid-rank Greater Demon made a sudden move and sliced off Lord Suron's left arm with a water blade before he could react.
Lord Suron could only grit his teeth and swallow his grievance and humiliation.
"A Lesser Demon dares to call itself a lord in my presence? You must be tired of living. I will spare your dog-life this one time on the account that you are part of the Nine Great Clan."
"You have a problem with dogs, Lord Celimurt?" another Mid-rank Greater Demon suddenly broke its silence after feeling offended by the comment.
The second Mid-rank Greater Demon had a dark humanoid body, but its black dog head clearly shows its ancestral relationship to a breed of dogs.
It was a member of the Black Jackal Clan, a demon clan that was considered noble even among the Nine Great Clans.
"I do have a problem with some lowly dogs, but the Black Jackal Clan is different from them—or do you think the Black Jackal Clan is the same as them, Lord Setma?"
"Hmph!"
Lord Setma could only snort without answering after facing Lord Celimurt's insidious question.
"Alright, don't bother me while I am investigating the situation," Lord Celimurt stated.
A few minutes after Lord Celimurt resumed interrogating Lord Suron, he understood the whole situation.
Lord Suron had been sending groups of Lesser Demons to investigate the western disturbance repeatedly without a single demon returning, and like that; several hundred Lesser Demons disappeared.
It was clear that the Lesser Demons were all killed by humans.
When the Greater Demons understood that Lord Suron wasted so many demon lives to investigate something that was clearly the work of the humans, a Greater Demon from Evil Eye Clan killed Lord Suron in a fit of anger.
Lord Suron was decapitated and killed without an intact corpse.
His scattered body parts sunk into the Bone Sea, and the seawater bubbled before only the bones floated back up to the surface level a short while later.
"What an embarrassment to my Evil Eye Clan," the Evil-Eyed Greater Demon spat.
Even after sporting around with Lord Suron's head, it couldn't appease the anger in his heart.
The Lesser Demons of lower-ranking demon clans are pawns, yes, but when hundreds of them are sent to their deaths without any gain, it would only lower the Evil Eye Clan's influence among the Nine Great Clans.
"We will have to rethink whether we should continue leaving the Lesser Demons of your Evil Eye Clan in charge of supervising the Bone Sea's outer rim regions, Lord Lebrantz."
The Mid-rank Greater Demon from the Evil Eye Clan was called Lebrantz.
"Hmph! Even if you want to change them, you will have to see if the elders in the Nine Great Clan agree with—Hm?"
Lord Lebrantz suddenly paused when his evil eye noticed an even more significant change than previously described in the Abyssal Wood Forest's direction.
"What kind of phenomenon is this? …Don't tell me we've been wrong about the Demon Emperor-level Tomb's location this entire time? I need to report this to the elders quickly!"
"What's going on? What did you see, Lord Lebrantz?"
Chapter 757 - Battle God Palace's Opportunity
"Something big!"
Lord Lebrantz left two vague words before plunging into the depth of the Bone Sea that even his evil eye could not see the end of its seemingly bottomless abyss.
In this lightless world, sea monsters with varying degrees of strength thrived.
Some were only the size of a palm with ordinary, but with their sharp teeth and large numbers, they could devour Lesser Demons down to their bones within seconds.
Such sea monsters were called Corpse Eaters or Corpse-Eating Fishes.
Although the Corpse Eaters are only timid creatures that eat unmoving objects usually, they can become a terrifying force that devours anything and everything in sight with a voracious appetite when starved for weeks.
Nevertheless, such sea monsters only exist on the upper sea levels, while at the lower sea levels, much stronger and larger sea monsters exist.
When Lord Lebrantz swam past a school of Corpse Eaters, they quickly scattered in all directions before regrouping a short while later after Lord Lebrants was gone.
…
Back on the surface level, the other Mid-rank Greater Demons glanced at each other with confusion due to Lord Lebrantz's hasty departure.
"What the hell was that about? Lord Celimurt frowned with displeasure.
"Beats me," Lord Setma shrugged before adding, "But how could Lord Lebrantz leave like that? The Evil Eye Clan sure doesn't give any face to the other nine great demon clans."
"Since Lord Lebrantz was in a rush, it might have been really urgent that he didn't give us any face. After all, he did mention something about the Demon Emperor-level Tomb being elsewhere," another Mid-rank Greater Demon with three heads stated.
It was also a member of the Nine Great Clans, the Three-Headed Serpent Clan, and stood on equal footing with the other Mid-rank Greater Demons.
But when the Three-Headed Serpent Greater Demon repeated Lord Lebrantz's words, the other Mid-rank Greater Demons dismissed them.
"The Demon Emperor-level Tomb could be elsewhere? How is that even possible? The Nine Great Clans have scoured the secret realm in the past few openings and learned most of its layout; the Bone Sea is the only place our Nine Great Clans couldn't fully explore."
Lord Celimurt stated.
"Lord Celimurt is right," Lord Setma agreed before adding, "The depth of the Bone Sea is guarded enormous and mighty sea monsters that could even kill Arch Demons."
"Although our Nine Great Clans never succeeded in locating the Demon Emperor-level Tomb in its deepest depths due to the obstruction, there are indeed other Demon King-level Tombs in the Bone Sea."
"As such, the Nine Great Clans have concluded that the Bone Sea is the only region in the entire Eternal Night Secret Realm where the Demon Emperor-level Tomb could be."
"Right. Exactly," the Greater Demons nodded in agreement.
"The predecessors have established this after many years of exploring the secret realm. So how could the Demon Emperor-level Tomb suddenly be in the east? That's the Abyssal Wood Forest's direction…"
Suddenly, the Greater Demons felt the wind currents in the Bone Sea becoming stronger as it blew towards the eastern directions.
At the same time, they felt faint spatial tremors and changes in the atmosphere's energy.
"…"
"Did everyone feel that?"
"Yeah… Such a strong spatial storm… It seems like it wants to pull everything towards it. Something like this wasn't recorded in my clan's secret realm findings."
"It was recorded my clan either."
The Mid-rank Greater Demons voiced their doubts one by one as the silent Three-Headed Serpent Greater Demon watched them.
"Why don't we think about it this way; there were no records of such a strong spatial storm because it never happened, and the Demon Emperor-level Tomb could have been hidden in a separate space until now."
The Three-Headed Serpent Greater Demon gave the other Mid-rank Greater Demons food for thought, letting them see the situation from a different perspective.
The Mid-rank Greater Demons fell silent and seriously considered the possibility.
"If the Demon Emperor-level Tomb was truly hidden in a separate space and finally made its appearance in the east, then we cannot ignore it. We can't let the humans have the most important inheritance in the secret realm," Lord Celimurt solemnly stated.
"I'm leaving," Lord Setma immediately stated before turning to an Early-rank Greater Demon from the same Black Jackal Clan and ordered, "Go in inform the clan leader."
"Understood, Lord Setma."
Shortly after, both Black Jackal Greater Demons departed separate ways; one headed towards the source of the spatial storm, and the other dived into the depths of the Bone Sea.
The other Mid-rank Greater Demons made similar arrangements with their clan members and went their own way.
…
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…
Sometime later, the Battle God Palace camping in the high mountains north of the Bone Sea's outer rim noticed changes to the Bone Sea.
"There seems to be something different in the Bone Sea. Please give this servant the permission to go and investigate it, Young Master Zion," Bonz knelt on one knee before Zion and volunteered with a resolute look.
Young Master Zion glanced at his servant's decisive look before he uttered, "The majority of the demons have already entered the Bone Sea. So it'll be extremely dangerous to even go near it, you know?"
"This servant is aware of the risk. However, if there's even the slightest possibility that the demons have left the area, we mustn't miss the opportunity, Young Master. Please let this servant investigate and pave the way for you."
"Seems you've made up your mind, Uncle Bonz."
"Yes, Young Master."
"Then be careful, Uncle Bonz."
"Thank you, Young Master! This servant will keep that in mind," Bonz promised.
Shortly after Zion watched Bonz take his leave, he uttered, "Uncle Puxi."
"Yes, Young Master!" Uncle Puxi stepped forward and answered.
"Please follow Uncle Bonz. Uncle Bonz is gifted with good eyes, but you are more cautious by nature. I trust you make safer decisions and return with Uncle Bonz in one piece after the investigation."
"Understood, Young Master. I hear and obey."
Puxi left shortly after.
Zion watched his two servants leave hastily before disappearing into the Bone Sea in the distance.
Half an hour later, the two servants returned in one piece.
"As this servant suspected, the demons have truly left the Bone Sea, Young Master. Although this servant doesn't know why they left, now is the best chance to enter the Bone Sea."
Bonz reported.
Chapter 758 - Bone Sea's Central Region
After Bonz finished his report, Young Master Zion furrowed his brows in contemplation and wonder, finding the demons' sudden departure strange.
"Don't you find it strange that the demons suddenly left this sea region when they stationed Evil Eye Demons to monitor the outer rim for human movements, Uncle Bonz? What if it's a trap to lure us in?"
Young Master Zion voiced his doubts and concern.
"Yes, this servant also had such doubts when this servant went to investigate, so this servant followed the demons' faint trails and noticed they were drawn by something in the western regions," Bonz explained.
"Pardon my interjection, Young Master," Puxi suddenly interjected before adding, "This might be my guess, but this servant thinks the other human tribes might be responsible for drawing the demons' attention."
"If the humans were responsible for drawing the demons away from this sea region, then they must be gathering for a big battle with the demons…" Zion muttered before saying, "We should also head over and join the effort."
However, the Extremity-rank Battle Masters immediately advises him otherwise.
"That would not be a good idea, Young Master. The demons have an overwhelming advantage over us in terms of numbers and strength."
"That's right, Young Master. Even if we join the battle, we will only suffer a tragic loss with the rest of the tribes."
"Then what do you all suggest? That we should just ignore them and let them die all?" Zion frowned.
"Not at all, Young Master," Bonz shook his head and said, "However, the situation truly looks bad for humans."
"This servant doesn't know what the tribes are planning, but if we want to turn the situation around, our best bet will be the Eternal Night Demon Emperor's inheritance."
"That's right, Young Master. We can't go against the demons' army head-on until we acquire the adequate strength needed to defeat them," another servant added.
After the servants persuaded Zion, they successfully convinced him into believing that the Eternal Night Demon Emperor's inheritance was their only hope.
"It seems we have no choice but to enter the Bone Sea and look for the inheritance…" Zion muttered.
"However, we don't know the difficulty of the Demon Emperor-level Tomb nor the dangers of the Bone Sea. Thus, we will give up on the Eternal Night Demon Emperor's inheritance and head west if I deem it is impossible to obtain. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Young Master!" the servants answered.
"Good. Half of you will stay and watch over Uncle Jizo; the rest of you, with me."
…
At the shore of the Bone Sea lies a field of strange bubble plants.
Although these bubble plants look like big bamboo shoots, they have air bubbles attached to their tips.
And when these air bubbles are detached, new air bubbles would form in their place.
"Although I don't doubt that everyone can hold their breath for at least half a short incense's worth of time, we will most likely spend much longer underwater, so we better use these air bubbles."
"Yes, Young Master!"
Shortly after Zion and his ten Extremity-rank Battle Master servants equipped the air bubbles like helmets, they dove into the Bone Sea.
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…
Bone Sea, Central Region.
At roughly 4000ft below sea level, the seawater greatly stirred with movements in the deepwater world devoid of light, and powerful water currents moved like swift serpents.
The battle between demons and sea monsters took place in this sea region, but it wasn't the type of battle that just any demon and sea monster could join.
The powerful water currents generated from the fists of Arch Demons and the body sweeps of Arch Demon-level sea monsters could easily smash Lesser Demon-level beings to death.
"Dammit! Get lost!" an Evil Eye Arch Demon roared.
The Evil Eye Arch Demon threw a fist at the Arch Demon-level Sea Serpent in his way.
However, the Arch Demon-level Sea Serpent lashed out with an equally powerful tail sweep and countered the Evil Eye Arch Demon's water fist cannon.
Two powerful water currents clashed, and the entire sea region shook from the outburst of vibration.
Some distance away from the explosion's epicenter, several other Arch Demons from the Nine Great Clans battled with giant Arch Demon-level sea monsters of their own.
With surging water currents frequently clashing chaotically, the whole sea region was a death zone for those even a little lacking in strength.
Greater Demons could not even come close, let alone Lesser Demons.
"These sea monsters are too tenacious and slippery, making them hard to kill! Our predecessors also reached this point before failing to advance deeper!"
A Black Jackal Arch Demon gritted its teeth with frustration.
The Black Jackal Arch Demon could sense the presence of a Demon King-level Tomb related to his ancestry nearby as it resonated with his blood.
But no matter how hard the Black Jackal Arch Demon pushed forward, the Arch Demon-level sea monsters repelled it more fiercely as if they were guarding the Demon King-level Tomb.
"Lord Yakshan! Are you sure there's a Demon King-level Tomb in this area?!" an Arch Demon-level Red-Horn Orc barked with doubts.
Its powerful voice rippled with energy and quickly reached the Evil Eye Arch Demon's ears.
"Are you doubting my evil eye?!" Lord Yakshan snorted.
Even in a lightless world like the depth of the Bone Sea, Lord Yakshan's third eye could pierce through the layers of darkness and see everything as clear as day.
The seabed could not be seen, but the mid-level sea region was not a complete body of water.
Lord Yakshan's third eye could see enormous earthen pillars a little deeper below at a depth of around 5000-6000fts.
And on one of those enormous earthen pillars was a large temple enclosed in a protective barrier that wards off the seawater from flooding into it.
…
While the Arch Demons in the area were preoccupied with the Arch Demon-level sea monsters, a ghostly figure descended the depths of the Bone Sea a few miles from their location, reaching an even greater depth than the Arch Demons.
When enormous sea monsters tried to attack or even come close, the ghostly figure's eyes would shine with a deathly violet glow and force them to swim away due to unbearable headaches.
Chapter 759 - World Of Behemoths
Although the vast number of sea monsters dwelling in the depths of the Bone Sea had powerful strength and physiques, they were weak against attacks on their soul.
Under Duna's soul suppression, the sea monsters couldn't bear it and fled.
Duna continued her descent without difficulty, shooing away any and every sea monster that dared to cross her path.
Nevertheless, the deeper she went, the stronger the sea monsters appeared.
At 10,000fts sea depth, Duna could only see Mid Arch Demon-level sea monsters as big as the human kingdom's palaces.
At 20,000fts sea depth, she finds Late Arch Demon-level sea monsters as big as the street blocks in human cities.
At 40,000fts sea depth, although few in numbers, only Peak Arch Demon-level sea monsters of various sizes thrived.
Furthermore, it was no longer a lightless world.
Glowing moss and other vegetation growing on the earthen spikes illuminated the sea region at this level of depth.
This continues all the way down to the bottom seabed at roughly 50,000fts, where even more exotic types of glowing vegetation and plants thrived.
The biggest Peak Arch Demon-level sea monster Duna encountered almost tripled the size of Late Arch Demon-level sea monsters.
They were simply behemoths.
Without special means, it was almost impossible for any demon below the level of a Demon Lord to make it to the bottom of the Bone Sea.
'People assumed demons are the most frightening in this world, but little did they know that the most frightening creatures actually live in the depth of the sea.'
Duna marveled at the enormity of a Peak Arch Demon-level blue octopus.
The Peak Arch Demon-level sea monsters like the blue octopus in front of Duna were so enormous that they didn't care for puny existences like her.
Nevertheless, the most frightening aspect of Peak Arch Demon-level sea monsters wasn't their enormous size nor their unfathomable strength.
These enormous entities have low intelligence despite their mighty strength; they didn't cultivate to become Peak Arch Demon-level existences.
They simply lived and became Peak Arch Demon-level existences.
'This octopus must have lived for at least 100-thousand years…but this wouldn't make any sense according to the current world's knowledge…' Duna speculated.
'Without the aid of life-extending pills and treasures, the average lifespan of an unbound Celestial is only 10-thousand years, yet a creature below the Celestial Realm has lived for at least 100-thousands years?'
Duna was puzzled by her own speculation.
Perhaps the Peak Arch Demon-level didn't live for 100-thousands years; it just gave off the impression that it did.
While searching for the Demon Emperor-level Tomb, Duna's gaze fell on the moss and green vegetation growing on the earthen pillars and seabed.
'The energy of life and wood is especially prevalent in this region… How they are thriving in this devoid of sunlight; I do not know. These earth pillars are also not natural,' Duna thought with a frown.
The bottom of the Bone Sea has many strange points of interest.
The overabundant life and wood energy allowing the moss and vegetation to thrive without sunlight, the unnaturally formed earth pillars over 40-thousand feet tall, and the sea monsters' seemingly old age.
They were all strange points.
'Never mind. Leon might be interested in understanding these things, but not me. The Demon Emperor-level Tomb is more important.'
Duna focused on her objective.
Among the green vegetation growing on the seabed, Duna also found the temples, palaces, and mausoleums containing the resting place of Demon King-level beings.
They weren't big enough to hold any trials, but they were all protected by strange barriers.
Nevertheless, Duna shows no interest in any of them; she only seeks the Eternal Night Demon Emperor's inheritance.
'Eternal Night Demon Emperor…or rather, the Eternal Night Demon Empress should be a descendent of the Eternal Night Devil Empress. If her body is well preserved, I should be able to use her blood and flesh to reach completion in my Devil Spirit Physique.'
Half an hour later, Duna scoured the seafloor but still failed to locate the Eternal Night Demon Empress's tomb.
Each tomb on the seafloor had a distinctive aura that allowed Duna to determine the level of inheritance contained within.
But no matter which tomb Duna came across, their distinctive aura did not exceed the level of Demon King.
Nevertheless, Duna did not give up on her search.
'Seems like the Eternal Night Demon Empress's inheritance is not the location in the central sea region, so I will have to search the other sea regions as well.'
'How bothersome.' Duna frowned.
Locating the Eternal Night Demon Empress's tomb in the central region had been a fruitless endeavor; the demons' assumption on the Eternal Night Demon Empress's tomb location had been wrong from the start.
Shortly after taking one last look at her surrounding, Duna left the central sea region to search in the other sea regions.
…
…
…
In the west outer perimeters of the Abyssal Wood Forest, the Saresha and her clansmen continued to cultivate the Godfiend Body Forging Method in the medicinal bath as per their lord's instruction.
Even so, they could not retain their focus for long before getting distracted by the spatial phenomenon in the forest.
"Such a big spatial storm like this has never happened in the secret realm before and will surely attract everyone's attention. Will we be alright if we stay here?" a dark fae voiced her concern.
Saresha knitted her brows and surveyed their surroundings.
Although the medicinal bath was not out in the open, it was not exactly hidden either; passing humans or demons will notice them.
Saresha's frown deepened.
The Dark Fae Clan was caught in an awkward predicament where they could be attacked by humans or used by the other demons.
"Although our lord said he is siding with the humans, the humans might not know that we are with our lord. Thus, we will need to hide until our Lord returns. This is not a good place to stay."
Saresha made the call.
The rest of the dark faes were hesitant initially, but they eventually followed Saresha's lead and covered up the medicinal bath with leaves.
Then, they headed into the Abyssal Wood Forest to hide with their cultivation resources.
Not long after, Greater Demons appeared in the vicinity.
Chapter 760 - Arriving Demons
"What a spectacle. The spatial storm is even more fascinating up close," a female Red-Horn Orc Greater Demon remarked while peering into the distant sky.
"I believe the best view would be right under it, Lord Ishtalir," another Greater Demon from the same clan spoke with an ingratiating look.
However, the Greater Demon was one rank lower than Lord Istalir, who was a High-rank Greater Demon.
"Enough, Lord Geramut. We did not come for sightseeing," Lord Celimurt gave the bootlicker a side glance before stating, "We've come to investigate the spatial storm."
"That's right. And just sensing its sheer power, I am more convinced that the Eternal Night Demon Emperor's tomb will emerge from it," a Scaly-tailed Lizard Greater Demon
At the bank of the Bone Sea's east outer rim, two dozen Greater Demons and two hundred Lesser Demons showed up while more demons were still on their way.
Among the leading group, three Greater Demons were at the High-rank, nine at the Mid-rank, and twelve at the Low-rank.
"There are no humans around here," The Black Jackal Greater Demon Setma confirmed with his sharp sense of smell.
"Nevertheless, don't let your guards down. Humans must have flocked to the spatial storm before us in even greater numbers. As for their strength, they shouldn't be too weak either."
One of the other three High-rank Greater Demon warned.
Shortly after, the demon group advanced towards the Abyssal Wood Forest when the Black Jackal Greater Demon suddenly stopped.
"Hold up."
"What is it, Setma? Did you pick up the humans' scent?" Lord Ishtalir questioned.
However, the Black Jackal Greater Demon shook his head.
"No, it's not the humans' scent, Lord Ishtalir; it's our people's scent—or rather, the scent of their blood, and a very pungent one at that!" Setma replied with a deep frown.
A short while later, the demon group found the several hundred missing Lesser Demons on a patch of barren land, where their corpses were left to rot.
Dark crows swooped down, and earthworms crawled out of the earth; both came to feast on Lesser Demons' corpses.
"Hmph, I heard a low-ranking member of the Evil Eye Clan sent these Lesser Demons to investigate the disturbance, and as I can see, that demon truly has the brain of a rock."
"But rocks don't have brains…"
"Exactly."
"Oh."
Although the pile of corpses unsettled some of the demons, the demon group eventually moved on under the three High-rank Greater Demons' lead.
"There's a strong scent of medicine here. It seems like someone tried to hide. This level of recovery is slightly better than a Greater Demon's regenerative ability. Too bad it's been contaminated by some lowly dark faes…"
The Black Jackal Greater Demon uncovered the leaves and studied the medicinal bath left behind by Saresha's group.
Although the medicinal bath still carries a strong medicinal scent, the dark faes' impurity and bad blood had mixed with the bathwater after repeated breakthroughs, turning it into a murky color.
"No matter how desperate I am, there's no way I would ever drink the dark faes' bathwater. What a waste of the secret realm's natural resources," Lord Ishtalir frowned.
Drinking such filthy water would bring shame on any demon's honor and damage their clan's prestige.
"Hmph! If I see anyone from the Dark Fae Clan, I will kill them. Wasting natural resources like this, it's no wonder they are at the bottom of the demon clan rankings; they don't know to use natural resources!"
Lord Celimurt snorted.
…
A few hundred yards away, a small group of humans prepared to leave the Abyssal Wood Forest when they suddenly froze in their tracks.
"There are demons here!"
A High-rank Battle Master exclaimed in a low yet hushed tone, alerting his fellow tribesmen before quickly hiding behind the ashen trees.
"How many demons do you see, chief? What about their strengths?" a Low-rank Battle Master whispered.
However, the High-rank Battle Master shook his head.
"It's impossible to gauge their strength from this distance. However, the demons are definitely not few in numbers. It's not safe here; we better head back and warn the other tribes."
"Why should we warn them? It might be better to let the two sides kill each other off, so we can swoop in later and reap the rewards, Chief Gunther," another High-rank Battle Master suggested.
Chief Gunther immediately furrowed his brows.
"Although our Valiant Greyhawk Tribe is from the western region and rarely interacts with tribes from the central and southern regions, we are all humans. So it won't do us any good if the other tribes suffer too much loss."
…
While the Valiant Greyhawk Tribe discussed their choices, they did not know that the Black Jackal Greater Demon had already discovered them.
"What is it this time?" Lord Ishtalir noticed the Black Jackal Greater Demon's gaze and asked.
"I've found some rats hiding in the forest, and they might even be responsible for the several hundred Lesser Demons' deaths."
"How are their numbers, Lord Setma? If they don't have many people and there aren't any other human groups in hiding, we have to kill them and avenge our people!"
A Dark Monkey Lesser Demon clenched its fist while its eyes burned with vengeance.
Among the several hundred Lesser Demons killed, there were at least thirty members from its Dark Monkey Clan.
"There's only twenty people and no other human groups in hiding. So if you are so eager to take revenge, you can lead the charge," the Black Jackal Greater Demon coolly replied.
Shortly after the High-rank Greater Demons acknowledge, two hundred Lesser Demons in the group rushes toward the Abyssal Wood Forest while the Greater Demons casually follow behind.
At the same time, the Valiant Greyhawk Tribe quickly notices the demons' large movements before their expression changes with great alarm.
"We've been discovered! Quickly run!" Chief Gunther quickly warns.
However, the Valiant Greyhawk Tribesmen did not even wait for him to finish speaking before fleeing ahead.
As the demons quickly rush into the Abyssal Wood Forest and chase after the fleeing Valiant Greyhawk Tribesmen, the Black Jackal Greater Demon casually glances in a specific direction before continuing with the group.
Saresha and her clansmen hiding in the trees trembled with alarm in that brief moment.
They got discovered!
Chapter 761 - Dark Fae Clan's Warning
"What should we do, Saresha? I think we got discovered by that Black Jackal Demon," one of the dark faes sought Saresha's opinion.
Although Saresha wasn't the strongest or the one with the quickest improvement, she was the first follower and unknowingly became the group leader.
"Black Jackal Demons have a very keen sense of smell; we were definitely discovered since we forgot to hide our smell," Saresha stated.
"But the Greater Demons ignored us… Maybe there's a chance—"
"It's better not to leave things to chance. It's better to think that we are too insignificant that the Black Jackal Demons don't care about us; they rather deal with the humans first. That being said, they might return to interrogate us later."
"When that happens, we will likely die. There's no way to explain how we obtained so many demon cores, and even if we try to lie about it, the Greater Demons will see through it. It's impossible to act calmly under the Greater Demons' intimidating pressure."
"Then what should we do? We can't stay here," another dark fae stated.
Saresha knitted her brows and pondered hard on a solution that could allow all of them to survive before she came up with one possible yet reckless idea.
"We fly."
"Fly?"
The entire dark fae group tilted their heads in confusion after Saresha said the two words; some were completely lost while others started to frown with concerns.
"I don't think this is a good idea. We were relying on the forest for cover."
"If we try to flee through the sky, not only will we lose our cover, everyone will clearly see us," another dark fae spoke with a big frown.
"That's right, Saresha. I know that we are gifted with the ability to fly from birth, but we aren't the only race capable of flight. Therefore, we will only be seen and hunted down."
"Yeah… Flying is not a good idea."
The dark faes chimed.
However, they had completely misunderstood Saresha's intention as she shook her head.
"You have all missed the main point. We aren't just flying into the sky to escape. After all, we have already pledged our allegiance to our Lord. We are flying into the sky so that our Lord can see us—and when he does, he will know that something is wrong."
"I understand now. This was clearly a great move; given our Lord's strength, he will reach us in no time, and we will be able to inform our Lord then without getting attacked by other humans," a dark fae spoke.
"Yes, even if our Lord doesn't come, our presence in the sky will be enough to alert our Lord of a possible problem. Then, we can either follow our Lord or hide in the clouds afterward," Saresha added.
Once Saresha convinced everyone of the plan, she said, "Let's not waste any more time and take flight. The sooner our Lord sees us, the sooner our Lord will become aware of the demons."
"Alright," the dark faes nodded.
Not long after, they followed Saresha's lead and flew into the sky.
…
…
…
Back in the center of the Abyssal Wood Forest, shortly after dealing with the hostile tribes, Leon regrouped with Aria and the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman.
Then, they shifted their attention to the tribes gathering in the area that had yet to make their move.
The various tribes seemed to have come to an agreement on their end and banded together before they prepared to negotiate with Leon.
But before they could even speak, Leon's clear voice reached them first.
"Everyone who has come, whatever you think the spatial storm above us is, it's not what you think! That's my woman's Spatial Phenomenon, a woman's Spatial Phenomenon; a special type of natural phenomena formed when an Awakener achieves Transcendence in awakening cultivation!"
Leon clarified loud and clear for the various human tribes to understand and extinguish any doubt that it was something other than stated.
However, his words alone were not enough to convince the various tribes.
After the tribal leaders and chiefs paused and whispered among themselves, one of them shouted, "And why should we believe what you say?!"
"Because it is the truth! And if you force your way in and put my woman's breakthrough at risk of failing, whether you are humans or demons, I will cut you all down like the previous tribe that foolishly attempted to do so!"
Leon's words contained his warning and killing intent, but his threat only made the various tribe leaders and chiefs frown with dark looks.
"How arrogant! Do you really think you can stand a chance against all of us?!"
"Whether I can or can't doesn't matter; once you cross the line and put my woman's breakthrough at risk, I will use every fiber of my being to destroy you!" Leon shouted.
When the various tribe leaders and chiefs saw his fierce gaze, they hesitated, fearing that he would stay true to his words.
Even if they won, it might not be worth the potential losses incurred in their conflict.
"What do you guys think? Does anyone believe Young Master Leonhardt is telling the truth about the spatial storm?"
The chief of the Moonglow Falcon Tribe turned towards the other tribe leaders and chiefs and sought their opinions.
A tribe leader glanced at Leon's fierce gaze in the distance before he said, "Well, it doesn't seem like he is lying; it may very well be the truth."
"But I've never heard or even seen these so-called natural phenomena before. What kind of cultivation is this?"
Although shamans are respected in the Infertile Plains, there were rarely any cases of one reaching Transcendence.
Thus, many tribes were clueless about it.
Nevertheless, while the various tribe leaders and chiefs talked among themselves, Chief Skyhawk sat on the sideline and tended to his injured tribesmen, unwilling to be a part of their coalition.
He was already spared once by the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman; he will not make the same mistake again.
"Hm?"
While Leon waited on the various tribe leaders and chiefs' responses, he suddenly noticed the dark faes in the eastern sky of the forest.
'Why are the dark faes flying in the sky…? Don't tell me they've met with trouble and are trying to warn me of it? Is it the demons? So they were also attracted after all.'
Leon only frowned for a short moment before his eyes flickered with understanding.
The dark faes had successfully conveyed their warning.
Chapter 762 - The Dark Faes' Discovery
Nevertheless, Leon was not the only person who noticed the dark faes in the distant sky; his line of sight drew other gazes in the same direction.
However, their reactions were completely different from his.
"Demons! The spatial storm also attracted the demons!" Chief Skyhawk exclaimed before warning the others, "Keep your eyes open, everyone! The demons are scouting us!"
"What? Demons?"
"Where are the demons?"
The mention of demons immediately alerted the gathered tribes; many pairs of eyes darted around, studying the vicinity before locking onto the dark faes in the eastern sky.
They narrowed their eyes in scrutiny shortly after.
"This number… There are around fifty demons, and if these demons are only scouts, there must be much more of them on the way."
"We need to gather our forces and organize our troops; we can expect a big battle ahead of us."
"Agreed."
The tribe leaders and chiefs quickly reached a tacit understanding before facing Leon.
"Young Master Leonhardt, we will put our matters aside for now. Let us work together to fight off the demons first."
"Sure."
Although the gathered tribes and Leon had problems with each other, they were easily united once outside forces threatened them.
When Aria intended to take out the 'scouts' with her conjured ice-lightning swords, Leon immediately stopped her.
"Don't attack them. Those dark faes are my people," Leon stated.
"Them?" Aria was surprised before seeking further confirmation, "The demon raising you mentioned are them?"
"Yep, they are the ones," Leon admitted with a nod.
"Uhuh… So how did you subdue dark faes? And why the sudden interest? You're not doing this because they are pretty, right? Are you planning to introduce even demons into the harem?"
"Yes—I mean, no!" Leon quickly shooks his head and denied the accusation, "It's not like that! I'm raising them to blend in with the demons and explore the Bone Sea later."
"Is that so?" Aria looked half-convinced, but she quietly whispered with a small blush, "If you feel like it's building up too much down 'there,' you can always look for me to help you relieve it…"
"I said it's not like that, Aria…" Leon smiles wryly, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, but he accepts her considerate offer, "But remember, that is what you said. So don't back out on me when the time comes."
"Hmph, why would I? I'm not afraid." Aria responded defiantly, unwilling to look weak in front of Leon.
"Alright, alright. We'll continue this talk another time," Leon appeases her with a wry smile before becoming serious in the next moment. "The demons are coming. I need to let the dark faes know I have received their message."
Shortly after Leon said that, he shoots a large fire arrow into the sky.
…
Meanwhile, Saresha and the dark faes held their high altitude in the sky for some time before they began to doubt if their presence was enough to alert their lord.
"Is our Lord is coming? Did he get our message? Or does he not see us? Our Lord should be able to see us from there, right?" a dark fae raised her concerns.
At their altitude, they could see the situation in the center of the Abyssal Wood Forest; there shouldn't be any reason why their lord couldn't see them.
But without any response from their lord, it wasn't strange for their doubts to fester.
Nevertheless, it didn't take too long before Saresha and the other dark faes saw Leon's fire arrow shooting up into the sky.
"Our Lord has received and understood our warning; that fire arrow must be our Lord's signal, telling us to hide in the clouds," Saresha stated.
"I see… But does our Lord wish for us to join the impending battle with the demons?"
"With our current strength, we have no right to participate in the battle. Our Lord understands that and doesn't want us to throw away our lives—Well, this is what I think anyway."
When Saresha said that, all the good feelings the dark fae had from their body cultivation progress disappeared without a trace.
"We are still too weak and will only get in our Lord's way; let us go hide in the clouds," Saresha said.
Shortly after, the dark faes followed Saresha's lead and disappeared into the dark clouds above the Abyssal Wood Forest.
However, they didn't ascend for smashing their heads into something solid and suffering concussions from the impact, nearly falling out of the sky.
"Aiyoo, my head…!"
Saresha and other dark faes all exclaimed while holding their foreheads with painful expressions, followed by their confusion.
W-what's going on? There's something hidden in the clouds!"
…
Meanwhile, the Valiant Greyhawk Tribe failed to escape the demons' pursuit in the eastern side of the Abyssal Wood Forest and got slaughtered down to the last man.
"Fortunately, these humans didn't make it far. It would have been troublesome if they alerted their other humans of our presence," Lord Celimurt casually remarked before adding, "Perhaps we should have kept a few alive to interrogate them."
"True. We don't know how humans have been gathered in this forest," Lord Geramut added.
"Dark faes were hiding near the forest outskirts. We can back head and question them; they might know how many humans there are," Lord Setma stated.
However, the Black Jackal Greater Demon's statement immediately puts a frown on Lord Ishtalir's face.
"There dark faes in hiding? Why didn't you mention it earlier?" Lord Ishtalir questioned.
"I didn't see the need to at the time since we were catching the escaping humans, Lord Ishtalir," Lord Setma replies before adding, "It's not like those lowly dark faes will do or can do anything to us."
"Didn't see the need to? Can't do anything to us? Have you forgotten how several hundreds of Lesser Demons have died? Given the conflict between humans and demons, how can these dark faes stay alive? It didn't occur to you that them being alive is very strange?"
"This… Now that Lord Ishtalir mentions it, I also find it rather strange… But no matter how strange it is, the dark faes wouldn't side with humans…"
"Hmph, we don't know that for sure! Perhaps they have already compromised our position and fled! Where were they?" Lord Ishtalir questioned with a stern look.
Chapter 763 - Final Spear
"Dammit! I knew it suspicious, but to think that the dark fae would actually betray the demon race!"
Shortly after the demon group returned to the dark faes' previous hiding spot and failed to find them, Lord Ishtalir exploded with outrage.
"The audacity of this trifling Dark Fae Clan is outrageous!" the Red-horn Orc Greater Demon, Ishtalir, punctured a hole in a nearby ashen tree with her small fist out of anger.
Although the female Red-horn Orc had a tiny build for her kind, her strength as a High-rank Greater Demon was not to be underestimated.
Apart from the single ashen tree she punched, the powerful air pressure from her fist punctured two other subsequent ashen trees.
The Black Jackal Greater Demon gulped before guessing, "Maybe they just move to another location?"
"Do you seriously think so?" Lord Ishtalir gave a hard glare at the Black Jackal Greater Demon and said, "Then tell me where the dark faes are right now!"
"This… I don't actually know, Lord Ishtalir; I can no longer pick up their scent around here," the Black Jackal Greater Demon replied meekly.
"Hmph!" Lord Ishtalir snorted and said, "Then they must have fled through the sky!"
"If that's the case, then even if they aren't siding with humans, they would have alerted the humans with their presence!" Lord Celimurt sternly inserted.
"I didn't think they would give me this much trouble," Setma frowned before asking, "Should I continue to look for them?
"What's the point?" Lord Ishtalir gave a cold side glance at the Black Jackal Greater Demon before saying, "We already wasted our time coming back here. And as such, we have already lost the initiative; it won't be possible to ambush the humans."
"We can't only wait for the main force's arrival before we can remove all the humans from this region. Until then, Lebrantz, you will be in charge of scouting. After all, we came to investigate the spatial storm."
"Understood, Lord Isthalir," the Mid-rank Evil Eye Greater Demon complied.
In a short instance, the Mid-rank Evil Eye Greater Demon scaled one of the nearby ashen trees and used its third eye to inspect the central forest from the treetop.
Whether by coincidence or not, the Mid-rank Evil Eye Greater Demon, Lebrantz, made eye contact with Leon.
'Huh? Can that human see me? How is that possible? I'm pretty sure that I am concealing my presence. Human eyesight shouldn't be good enough to tell me apart from the treetops in my camouflaged state,' Lord Lebrantz thought.
Nevertheless, the eye contact only lasted a brief moment before Leon's gaze casually shifted elsewhere as if he didn't notice anything, further reinforcing the Mid-rank Evil Eye Greater Demon's belief.
'As I thought, it was just my imagination. How can human eyesight compare to my Evil Eye Clan?' Lord Lebrantz mused.
Shortly after, Lord Lebrantz took his third eye off Leon and studied the other humans in the area briefly before eventually shifting his gaze to the spatial storm in the sky.
But before Lord Lebrantz could get a good look at the spatial storm, his instincts suddenly screamed danger.
Swoosh—!
By the time Lord Lebrantz noticed it, a seemingly ordinary white bone spear covered in darkness was shooting towards him with lightning speed.
'Fast! No, too fast!' Lord Lebrantz's mind screamed.
The white bone spear traveled too quickly, crossing dozens of miles in a short instance; Lebrantz only had the reaction time to tilt his head to the side, resulting in his elevated shoulder getting punctured instead of his head.
Puchi!
The white bone spear didn't just puncture through the Mid-rank Evil Eye Greater Demon's shoulder; the spiraling power of darkness directly tore of his entire left arm!
"Arghhh!"
Lord Lebrantz plunged from the treetop while clutching his missing arm with blood spurting.
Thud!
After Lebrantz's heavy fall startled the demons, Lord Ishtalir shot him a frowning look before she inquired gloomily, "What the hell happened?"
"The humans! The humans could see me from the forest center!" Lebrantz quickly explained as cold sweats formed on his forehead.
"The humans?" Lord Ishtalir frowned with a contemplative look and said, "We are at least a few dozen miles from the forest center."
"For the human to see you and attack you with pinpoint accuracy that you couldn't even fully evade it, that human's strength must be on par with Peak-rank Greater Demons or even Half-step Arch Demons!"
"Half-step Arch Demons?!"
Several Mid-rank Greater Demons immediately drew in sharp breaths.
It was good that they didn't rashly ambush the humans and decided to wait for the main force instead.
A human with Half-step Arch Demon-level strength wasn't someone they could stand a chance against.
…
But while the demons were shocked by the revelation, the gathered tribe leaders and chief at the forest center were even more shocked!
They didn't know where Leon suddenly threw his white bone spear, but his display of sheer power left them quaking in fear.
Even the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman could not hide his surprise.
The One-Eyed Venerable Shaman was already a Half-step Battle King with 2.5-million jin strength, but what Leon displayed seemed to be even stronger, albeit slightly.
However, even the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman understood that it wasn't purely physical strength.
A few overlapping powers seemed to have been added with Leon's physical strength and further enhanced by a special throwing technique.
"W-what kind of technique did you just use, Young Master Leonhardt?" the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman could not help but show his curiosity.
"That spear throw?" Leon repeated before saying, "Oh, that was the Overlord Spear Art's final spear, Spear Piercing the Heavens."
"Spear Piercing the Heavens," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman muttered with a thoughtful.
That spear looked like it could pierce through everything with unstoppable might; it was truly a magnificent spear technique.
The Overlord Spear Art contains seven spear techniques, with the Seventh Spear also called the Final Spear due to its nature; once it's used, there will be no more spear.
Although he had not actually reached the level of strength and mastery where he could throw the spear to the point of no return, there was no doubt that the white bone spear had flown so far that it might as well be lost.
Chapter 764 - Three Arch Demons
Of course, Final Spear is only meant to be used as a last resort with the intent of killing opponents in a single move.
After all, it was blasphemy to spear-users to throw away their weapons.
Nevertheless, Leon's reveal also surprised Aria.
"Where did you find the time to learn a spear technique like this?" Aria inquired with a curious look.
Although Aria had not always been around Leon, she followed him for some time. And during that time, she had never seen Leon demonstrate such a move until now.
"I'm always training via virtual simulations in my mind while I do other things with my body. Even now, I am training in my mind," Leon casually answered with a smile.
He had too many abilities; he wouldn't be able to train them all using normal methods.
Nevertheless, his dual consciousness only allowed him to perform up to two tasks at maximum efficiency simultaneously.
Although it was possible to divide his consciousness to perform even more tasks, doing so would only drastically reduce his training efficiency to the point where it would even be slower than performing two tasks normally.
Even so, Aria and the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman were stunned when Leon told them about his virtual simulation training.
"Huh? Is something like that even possible?" Aria muttered with surprise.
"It is definitely not something most people can do unless they have a powerful soul, but it's you; I believe you can increase your training efficiency via this method with some practice—though, not on the same level as me, Aria."
"Hmph! I don't believe it; I will definitely prove you wrong!" Aria pouted at once, irked by his words.
Leon smiled and shook his head helplessly before saying, "You can try, but I don't have any tips to give you, Aria. You can only practice the habit on your own, and it won't be easy either. It's more demanding than simple multitasking."
"Young Master Leonhardt, if this old man may ask; if you had such a strong spear technique, why hadn't you used it in the Demon King-level Tomb?"
"I couldn't," Leon simply answered.
"Young Master Leonhardt couldn't use it before, but Young Master Leonhardt could use it now?" the One-Eyed Venerable muttered with confusion.
However, the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman recalled Leon's dark power before asking, "Does it have something to do with the power of darkness earlier?"
"Precisely," Leon nodded.
He reveals his dark power, allowing it to wrap around his hand and dance like a small serpent of darkness.
"This is divine cultivation, and many battle skills require it to be executed," Leon explained.
Unlike his Black Vortex Space, which acts as both an energy bank and energy refiner, the core formed during the breakthrough to Revolve Core Realm was a little different.
Although it also stores energy, it mainly serves as an engine to execute and bring out the full potential of spirit arts and battle skills.
"But enough of that, it seems like we don't have many people gathered on our side," Leon changed the topic.
The One-Eyed Venerable Shaman nodded before saying, "So it seems."
After gathering all the tribes that came to the Abyssal Wood Forest, their numbers did not even exceed 300 people.
"With this many people, it will be difficult to fight the demons," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman adds.
"Well, the difficulty will depend on how strong the demons are. If their strength is not high, it wouldn't matter how many of them come—even if I have to fight alone," Leon calmly stated while facing the east.
It was unexpected that Leon did not find any other familiar people among the 300 humans gathered in the Abyssal Wood Forest.
Even Chief Baskara and his tribesmen did not return.
'It's a pity that Baskara Boya and the rest of my tribesmen did not return. Otherwise, we would have a bit more people to join the battle," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman said, also thinking what Leon was thinking.
However, Leon shook his head after hearing the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman's words.
"To begin with, the demons attracted to this forest because of Darlene's Transcendence. Therefore, I have no choice but to stay, protect, and ensure her safety and successful breakthrough."
As Leon said that, he turned to face the other tribe leaders and chiefs eavesdropping nearby before he continued to speak, "However, it is different for everyone else here. You don't have an obligation to defend this place. If you all want to leave, you all may."
"Young Master Leonhardt is thinking too little of this old man. How can this old man leave Young Master Leonhardt behind to brave the dangers alone after receiving so many benefits? This old man isn't such an ungrateful person."
The One-Eyed Venerable Shaman was the first to speak.
"We've already made a mistake earlier and offended Senior One-Eye and Young Master Leonhardt, so we still stay and fight to atone for that mistake," Chief Skyhawk spoke shortly after.
However, Chief Skyhawk soon glances are his injured tribesmen briefly before adding, "But my tribesmen are all injured. I'm afraid our assistance will be limited."
"Since you decided to stay and fight, I will naturally not leave them in such states. Otherwise, how can I live up to my title as a Divine Doctor?" Leon replies.
He takes out two bottles of Tier-3 All-Purpose Healing Pills and tosses them over to Chief Skyhawk.
"Have them each take two pills, and they will recover greatly," Leon said.
It was unfortunate that [Sacred Garden] wasn't keeping up with his need for quality spirit herbs.
Otherwise, a single Tier-4 All-Purpose Healing Pill would have been enough to heal them.
Nevertheless, Chief Skyhawk was overjoyed to receive anything from Leon after getting on his bad side.
"Thank you, Young Master Leonhardt," Chief Skyhawk expresses his gratitude with a slight bow.
Shortly after the tribe leaders and chiefs discussed with their people, they also made their decisions.
"Apologies, Young Master Leonhardt. The Great Mountain Tribe will not partake in this battle with the demons. Pardon us for taking our leaves."
"My Desolate Tiger Tribe will also not participate in this upcoming battle with the demons. So please excuse us for also taking our leaves."
…
The tribe leaders and chiefs of the tribes that wanted to leave all spoke first and left without looking back.
Since they aren't compelled to fight like they initially thought, there was no need to stay and suffer losses.
Just like that, 220 warriors left the forest center, leaving only the Sky Sword Sect and three other tribes.
"Why didn't you guys leave like the others?" Leon glanced at the remaining tribe leaders with a curious gaze.
Aria and the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman also expressed their interest in hearing the tribe leaders' answers.
"The Western Blackriver Tribe came to this forest because we thought a great opportunity was waiting for us here. However, we are staying because we see great potential in you and don't want you to fall here."
The leading warrior of the Western Blackriver Tribe spoke.
"The Ember Lion Tribe also stays for the same reason. It's rare to see such a young Half-step Battle King. If we make it through this ordeal, remember that the Ember Lion Tribe wishes to befriend you, Young Master Leonhardt."
"And so does the Cold Gale Tribe," the last representative added.
None of them were chiefs of their respective tribe, but they all admired Leon's feat at such young age.
"You'll risk your lives just to befriend?" Leon smiled with doubt and slightly shook his head before saying, "Regardless of your reasons, we'll be brothers on the battlefield."
…
…
…
"My lords, you've arrived!"
Lord Ishtalir and the rest of the demons knelt and greeted the main force upon their arrival at the eastern outskirts of the Abyssal Wood Forest.
Three Arch Demons led the 2000-strong demon army at the hem of the main force, and among them were at least 700 Greater Demons.
Although it wasn't the entirety of the demon race inside the secret realm, it wasn't a force that the humans could hope to defeat—if their strength was still the same as the start of the secret realm opening, that is.
"Why are there so many demon corpses here? What the hell is that about? Quickly explain the situation!" the Three-Headed Serpent Arch Demon demanded while exuding a powerful aura.
Lord Ishtalir immediately felt the Arch Demon's immense pressure before she became even more respectful.
Nevertheless, Lord Ishtalir entrusted the task of explaining to Lord Celimurt before the three Arch Demons were quickly informed of the situation.
"I see… This was the work of the humans," the Three-Headed Serpent Arch Demon nodded after understanding the situation. "We will make them pay for this. But before that, we need to address an immediate problem among us."
Shortly after saying that, the Three-Headed Serpent Arch Demon suddenly turned to one of the other two Arch Demons.
"Lord Kaligan, your clansman was so incompetent that I can't trust you, a member of the same Evil Eye Clan, to make wise decisions. You better step down and let a more capable demon lead your army."
"Bastard, you think I didn't lose enough face to hear one of my clansmen was responsible for the death of several hundred Lesser Demons? And yet you still dare rub salt into my wounds? If you want to fight, just say so. Don't think that I am afraid of you, Lord Teshafir!"
The Evil Eye Arch Demon spoke with a dark and threatening look.
While the high tension made it seem like the Arch Demons would battle among themselves before battling the humans, Lord Geramut appears beside Lord Ishtalir.
"None of these three Lord Arch Demons appears to be the leaders… I don't recognize any of them. Do you, Lord Ishtalir?"
Chapter 765 - Holy Demon Land
"They're probably newly ascended Arch Demons," Lord Ishtalir stated after she thought for a bit.
"Newly ascended Arch Demons… Given the time since the secret realm opened, many demons have ascended to the Greater Demon level… So it does make sense if some Peak-rank Greater Demons also ascended to Arch Demon level."
Lord Geramut muttered to himself.
"Nevertheless, since the clan leaders and elders didn't come, it shows that the spatial storm wasn't enough to catch their attention; they still think the Demon Emperor-level Tomb is still in the Bone Sea," Lord Ishtalir stated.
The demons watch the two Arch Demons bicker when the third Arch Demon, a two-headed cyclops, suddenly snaps at them.
"Enough! We don't have the time for this! Resolve your differences another time! We have something more important to do here!"
"Hmph!"
Lord Kaligan and Lord Teshafir snorted at each other before fixing their gazes on the spatial storm above the central forest.
"This spatial storm is extraordinary. Even if it isn't hiding the Eternal Night Demon Emperor's tomb behind it, there must be a peerless treasure hiding within!" Lord Teshafir blindly guesses.
"Well, we can only hope so," the Two-Headed Cyclops Arch Demon, Lord Grunganir, spoke.
"The demon leaders and the rest of the elites didn't show the slightest interest in the news. Only we were stupid enough to be attracted to some unfounded rumor. Thus, there has to be something; I don't intend to go back empty-handed."
"Nevertheless, there are humans in our way. If we want to investigate the spatial storm without interference and obstruction, we must remove the humans first," Lord Kaligan said while spying with his third eye.
"Then what are we still waiting for? Let us go and remove the flies!" Lord Grunganir said impatiently.
Not long after the demon army advanced into the Abyssal Wood Forest, Lord Kaligan casually notices one of his clansmen.
"How did you sustain such an injury?" the Evil Eye Arch Demon casually inquired.
"It was done by one of the humans while I was scouting. The human revealed very powerful strength and eyesight when the human sniped me from a distance; you should be careful, Lord Arch Demon."
Lebrantz replied while gritting his teeth with a venomous look.
"Is that so?" Lord Kaligan did not take Lebrantz's warning to heart and smiled with interest instead before saying, "Since this human is pretty strong, he should be a good opponent for me. I have yet to test my strength after becoming an Arch Demon!"
As the three Arch Demons casually led the demon army towards the forest center like they were going for a regular stroll, they eventually reached the humans' location.
Whether it was demons or humans, they all had inflated confidence and complacency after reaching a higher level of strength.
…
"They're here!"
A High-rank Battle Master from the Sky Sword Sect immediately exclaimed at the first notice of the approaching demon army.
Many warriors among the four tribes immediately showed tensed and nervous expressions as they stood in a defensive line that they arranged beforehand.
Leon stood forefront, ahead of everyone else, as he intended to take on the brunt of the demon armys' attacks while the others guard against sneaky demons that might try to get past him.
Nevertheless, as the humans faced the demons, the demons also stopped and studied the humans.
"There's only this many humans protecting this place? How disappointing. How can I have any fun when they are so few in numbers? Well, whatever. Let's just get this over and done with."
Lord Grunganir commented before raising his hand, preparing to issue the attack order.
"Kill them all—!"
"GET LOST OR DIE!"
Just as the Arch Demon's order was given, Leon's amplified voice swept across the demon army and eclipsed the Arch Demon's own voice.
Leon's mighty [Lion's Roar] rang loud and clear, shaking both heaven and earth, even paralyzing many Lesser Demons in the demon army's ranks as they stood frozen in their tracks from the intimidation.
The power of darkness in [Lion's Roar] rippled across the forest and shook even their souls, suppressing their body and mind and crippling their morale.
Even some Low-rank Greater Demon was shaken by the powerful voice that overshadowed their Lord Arch Demon's order.
Lord Grunganir glanced back at the demons' expressions before his eyes burned with fighting spirit.
"Interesting… This human is worthy of being my opponent! Don't interfere; he's mine—!"
"Hold it!"
Lord Kaligan suddenly stopped the Two-Headed Cyclops Arch Demon with a raised hand while facing Leon with a solemn yet respectful gaze as if he was seeing someone important.
That sliver of dark power just now stirred his power of darkness and slightly suppressed his bloodline! That was something only demons of noble birth could have achieved!
This person before them was no human; he was a demon!
A noble demon!
"Lord Kaligan, I said this human is my opponent! You dare to stop me?" Lord Grunganir grumbled, flashing the Evil Eye Arch Demon a displeased look.
However, Lord Kaligan quickly retorts, "You idiot! Look at the state of our demon army! And did you not sense anything from his power?! Although it was very weak against us, this person's power can indeed suppress other demons' powers and bloodlines! He's a noble demon!"
"Impossible. Why would there be a noble demon all the out here? Those noble demons, who inherited the bloodline of the Great Devils, never step foot outside of the Holy Demon Land!"
Lord Grunganir denied the possibility.
"You can deny it all you want, but his ability to suppress demons with his power of darkness is undeniable proof that he is a descendent of the Great Devils!"
…
'Holy Demon Land? Where is this place? Is it further south of the demon territory?' Leon mused after learning some critical information from the Arch Demons' argument.
'I didn't think that the Devil Emperor's Tome of Eternal Darkness would make other demons mistake me for these so-called noble demons… But seeing their reactions, it seems this Holy Demon Land is very powerful…'
'And for Arch Demons to be wary of such a place—or rather, the noble demons that inhabit such a place, I wonder how strong they actually are… Higher-rank Arch Demons? Or possibly higher? Don't tell there are actually living Demon Lords in this world?'
Leon could not help but feel concerned at the thought.
'Well, whether it is true or not, there's no doubt that there are living descendants of the Great Devils—at least according to what these Arch Demons are saying, but it's still unconfirmed whether they are true descendants or inherited descendants.'
'If it was the latter, then that means the Great Devils had also left their inheritances in this world…'
…
"Your excellency, if you want to monopolize the secret behind the spatial storm, we won't fight with you over it. However, why are you siding with the humans?"
Lord Kaligan suddenly asked Leon as he was deep in thought.
However, before Leon could answer, the Lord Teshafir laughed wickedly, "Kekeke, why does the reason as to why he is siding with the humans even matter? Since he sided with the humans, he is a traitor to the demon race!"
"The Holy Demon Land wouldn't blame us for killing a traitor! And if we can extract his devil blood for ourselves, then, perhaps, we will even earn the qualification to enter the Holy Demon Land!"
The Three-Headed Serpent stared at Leon's body without hiding the greed in its eyes.
At the same time, Lord Kaligan and Lord Grunganir were startled for a moment before they similarly looked at Leon greedily.
The spatial storm became the least of their concerns.
For a short moment, Leon had the sudden thought that he could reason with the demons, but, unfortunately…
"It seems a battle is inevitable."
Leon took out his Tier-5 Bone Spear and solemnly faced the three Arch Demons with his concentration raised to the max.
The strength of Arch Demons was not much different from Paragons; the weakest would possess at least 10-million jin strength!
This level of strength was far greater than what Leon could muster with everything he had, but the big difference did not deter him.
"Come! Let's fight!" Leon raised his spear at the Arch Demons and fearlessly provoked them into initiating their attacks.
"Kek, I don't know where you get your confidence, but just because I want you as my opponent, it doesn't actually mean you're my opponent. You're too weak! You wouldn't even be able to hurt my Arch Demon Body unless you use your Tier-5 weapon!"
Lord Grunganir snickered.
"Oh?"
Leon suddenly paused before looking at the Two-Headed Cyclops Arch Demon with interest.
"Since you are so proud and confident in your Arch Demon Body, why don't we put it to the test? How about it? Or are you too scared to because you were speaking empty words?"
Leon attempted to entrap the Arch Demon with his words by putting his spear away and accepting the challenge.
Without surprises, the Two-Headed Cyclops immediately took the bait as it snorted, "Hmph! Cheeky traitor. I know you are trying to goad me, but I have no reason to refuse because your tricks mean nothing in the face of absolute strength!"
Once the traitor dares to come close to him without a weapon in hand, he will easily catch the traitor and swiftly end the challenge.
"Don't interfere!" Lord Grunanir warned the other two Arch Demons.
"Sure, but his devil blood must be equally divided after you kill him," the two Arch Demons replied with a shrug.
They don't care who kills the 'noble demon' as long as they get the devil blood.