Chapter 440: Relentless Pursue, Nowhere To Go (2)
"There's no hurry. Even if they're at the first rank, how long can they last?" A first-rank demonic beast sneered. "This is the Demon Realm. We can replenish our Demon Realm army at any time, and their spiritual essence is not endless. If we can kill these first-rank humans, it will be worth it."
He added, "Besides, that human hasn't appeared yet."
What they feared the most was Zhou Shu.
During the previous battle, Zhou Shu had always been the one to deal with them. This time, he actually didn't appear. The demonic beasts were bewildered.
They suspected that Zhou Shu was plotting something. After all, even the Great Demon Yao Lian had died in his hands. If he dug a trap, none of the first-rank demonic beasts were confident that they could survive.
"He showed up!"
After another fifteen minutes, Meng Bai and the others had exhausted most of their spiritual essence and had no choice but to retreat. At this moment, Zhou Shu finally appeared.
As soon as he appeared, the hundred-plus first-rank demonic beasts in the air involuntarily retreated dozens of feet.
When they came to their senses, they looked around awkwardly.
Realizing that their companions were also frightened by Zhou Shu, they immediately relaxed. If everyone was like this, they wouldn't be the only embarrassed ones.
Boom!
Zhou Shu took a step forward, and the ground shook. The Demon Realm army on the ground involuntarily took a step back.
Demonic beasts also had intelligence. They hadn't forgotten how Zhou Shu had been like not long ago.
In that battle, countless demonic beasts had died under his sword. This human was invincible.
"Those who retreat will be killed without mercy!" a first-rank demonic beast roared.
The Demon Realm army hesitated for a moment before roaring and continuing to pounce forward.
"Divine ability, One Against Ten Thousand!" Zhou Shu sighed helplessly. His body lit up, and a translucent city wall that stretched for dozens of kilometers appeared at the top of the mountain.
The first-grade demonic beasts looked at each other. This man had become even stronger!
They could see that the translucent wall was definitely longer than last time.
An unbelievable feeling flashed through their hearts. With such powerful cultivation, logically speaking, it would be extremely difficult to become more powerful. Why was this man always stronger than before?
Could this be the genius of the human race?
Realizing this, all the first-rank demonic beasts saw the killing intent in each other's eyes. They couldn't let such a human continue to live.
If he was allowed to live, the human race might really produce an expert comparable to a Demon King!
Although he was strong now, he was still a distance away from the Demon King realm. With more experts on their side, they might be able to kill him!
"Everyone, charge!" a humanoid demonic beast said in a deep voice.
"Charge!" All the humanoid demonic beasts let out a low roar.
Hundreds of innate divine abilities swept toward Zhou Shu.
Zhou Shu looked up, and a mocking expression seemed to flash across his face.
Boom!
Hundreds of lights landed on Zhou Shu's body, but he actually didn't dodge and allowed himself to be swallowed by the lights.
The group of humanoid demonic beasts that attacked together was all stunned.
What situation was this?
He knew that he was no match for them, so he simply accepted his fate?
After taking more than a hundred attacks, even a Great Demon would die.
Boom!
Just as the humanoid demonic beasts were feeling bewildered, another loud bang erupted.
The mountain standing before them collapsed with a crash.
The mountain collapsed!
The expressions of the demonic beasts changed, and they all cursed.
A landslide was not a threat to first-rank demonic beasts, but it was different for the Demon Realm army.
For a moment, they couldn't care about anything else. They all took action to protect the Demon Realm army and temporarily retreated.
A mountain collapsed. Everyone could see how big the commotion was this time.
Almost everything within a radius of dozens of kilometers was affected by the landslide. The ground shook, dust flew, and rocks flew in all directions. Such power was enough to kill anyone below the sixth rank of the Martial Dao.
If a stone hit them, even a fourth or fifth-rank martial artist would be severely injured.
Unless one was above the third rank of the Martial Dao, it was difficult to resist such a natural disaster.
The Ten Nations Alliance army watched the landslide in shock.
Although first-rank martial artists had the ability to overturn rivers and seas, this was just an exaggeration. If a first-rank martial artist attacked with all his might, they could indeed collapse a small mountain.
But what collapsed in front of them was not a small mountain!
This mountain was hundreds of meters tall and stretched for almost a hundred kilometers!
Not to mention a first-rank martial artist, even an attack from a Great Demon wouldn't have such power.
"Everyone, continue!" Zhou Shu descended from the sky, his face a little pale.
Taking the lead, he flew forward along the river bank.
In his consciousness, Zhou Shu faced Shi Changsheng and cupped his hands. "Elder Shi, thank you! I owe you a favor this time."
"I'm glad you remember." The figure created by Shi Changsheng was somewhat illusory. He seemed to be very tired, and even his voice sounded weak.
"I've used up most of my ten thousand years of accumulation. I won't have the strength to fight anymore," Shi Changsheng said weakly. "If you want to use the Longevity Sword, that's fine. Use your own spiritual essence to activate it. The Longevity Sword has surpassed heaven grade. When used as an ordinary weapon, its power is unparalleled."
With that, Shi Changsheng disappeared from Zhou Shu's consciousness.
Even though Shi Changsheng had disappeared, Zhou Shu still cupped his hands in his consciousness.
This time, it was all thanks to Shi Changsheng.
If he hadn't destroyed the foundation of the mountain range, even Zhou Shu wouldn't have been able to make such a huge mountain collapse.
Causing a landslide had bought them at least another two hours!
Zhou Shu glanced at the heavily injured soldiers of the Ten Nations Alliance. After taking the Breakthrough Pill, they had gradually recovered.
The overall situation of the Ten Nations Alliance was actually better than before, and their speed also increased by more than 10%.
But when they left the Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament space, there had been more than ninety thousand of them. Now, there were less than half of them.
No matter how strong a person was, there was still a limit to what they could do.
… Unless one's strength could really reach the point where they could kill a million troops with one strike.
Zhou Shu sighed in his heart. The losses of the Ten Nations Alliance had exceeded his expectations. This place was still quite a distance from Yao Lian's secret lair. He wondered how many of them would be left when they finally made it there.
Besides, he didn't know if the secret lair would give them a chance to breathe.
They had yet to encounter another Demon Realm army, but their situation was already extremely dangerous. If other Demon Realm armies came over after hearing the news…
Zhou Shu sighed. He had long thought that coming to the Demon Realm would be difficult, but the actual situation was still more difficult than he had thought.
"How far is that place you mentioned, Your Highness?" Meng Bai came to Zhou Shu's side and walked beside him.
Zhou Shu estimated, "At the rate we're going, we should reach the place in about seven or eight days."
"Seven or eight days?" Meng Bai smiled bitterly. It hadn't even been a day since they left the Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament space, but more than half of their army had already been lost.
Seven or eight days was such a long time.
"Your Highness, let's divide our forces," Meng Bai said with a sunken voice. "We'll split up and distract the pursuers. Maybe some of us can get to the place you mentioned, Your Highness."
The Demon Realm army refused to let them off, and they couldn't completely shake off the pursuers. To last for another seven to eight days was as difficult as ascending to the heavens!
Only by sacrificing a portion of their people could they exchange for a portion of their lives. Otherwise, the Ten Nations Alliance would sooner or later be caught up by their pursuers and slaughtered.
"We can't divide our forces." Zhou Shu shook his head and refused. There were not many members of the Ten Nations Alliance to begin with. If they split up, there would be too many casualties. How useful would the Ten Nations Alliance be then?
They would have to deal with more than just getting rid of their pursuers.
"Let's take a chance, Great General."
Zhou Shu narrowed his eyes and looked ahead.
Chapter 441: Demon Queen and Human Pet (1)
Zhou Shu wasn't someone who liked to take risks. If he could seek stability, he was naturally unwilling to take a risk.
But he was behind enemy lines. In this situation, he had no better idea.
After hearing Zhou Shu's method, Meng Bai's expression was solemn. "How confident are you, Your Highness?"
"I don't know," Zhou Shu said. "I've never fought a Demon King before. I'm not too sure how strong they are."
"Your Highness, with all due respect…" Meng Bai said. "… all the people of the Ten Nations Alliance combined are not as honorable as you. There's no need for you to take the risk.
"If it's really necessary, we can just fight to the death with the Demon Realm army. With your cultivation, no one can take you down. You have to keep yourself alive…"
"Don't say such things again." Zhou Shu shook his head. "If I want to leave, I can leave at any time. Even a Demon King might not be able to stop me. If things really get out of hand, I'll definitely leave.
"However, although a Demon King is strong, I might be able to fight one. Besides, we might not actually run into a Demon King, right?"
Meng Bai smiled bitterly.?Do you think it's possible not to encounter a Demon King?
"Your Highness, you must promise me that if you're not a match for a Demon King, then you must leave!" Meng Bai knew that he couldn't change Zhou Shu's decision, so he could only persuade him.
"Don't worry. I still care about my own life," Zhou Shu said. "Great General, you don't have to be so pessimistic. I might be able to defeat a Demon King."
…
Behind them, the Demon Realm army refused to let go of the Ten Nations Alliance. The hundred-plus first-rank demonic beasts flew in the air and followed the Demon Realm army unhurriedly.
With their cultivation, if they really unleashed their speed, they would have long caught up to the human army.
But they had some reservations. Facing Zhou Shu, even if they had the advantage in numbers, they didn't dare to be careless.
It wasn't easy for them to cultivate to the first rank of the Martial Dao. No one wanted to die easily.
"Up ahead is Lady Tushan's territory. Lady Tushan doesn't like outsiders…" A first-rank demonic beast suddenly looked ahead and frowned. "Is the human army going to enter Lady Tushan's territory?"
"Isn't that perfect?" another first-rank demonic beast said. "If he angers Lady Tushan, no matter how powerful that human is, he will only die!"
"Foolish!" the first-rank demonic beast who spoke first said angrily. "What do you think Lady Tushan will think if they run into her territory? We were the ones who chased them to her territory. Do you think we can get away with it?"
"Damn it. We have to stop them from entering Lady Tushan's territory. Otherwise, we'll have to suffer the consequences!"
The expressions of the first-rank demonic beasts changed drastically.
"Hurry!"
They were anxious. They no longer cared about following the army slowly forward. They unleashed their speed and rushed toward the Ten Nations Alliance.
Zhou Shu had already noticed their movements.
"We don't have time. Let's go!" Zhou Shu shouted and stepped out of the crowd. The earth-grade Great Destroyer Sword transformed into a sword beam that filled the sky and blocked the first-rank demonic beasts.
Boom!
"Criminal Army, bring up the rear!" Xiao Jianghe shouted as the Seven Seas Dragon Armor on his body shone brightly. He soared into the sky to help Zhou Shu.
The Criminal Army stopped and turned back, ready to fight.
"Charge! Don't let our brothers' sacrifices go to waste!"
The other Ten Nations soldiers rushed forward with tears in their eyes.
Boom!
Xiao Jianghe was hit by dozens of divine powers and was sent flying backward. Even with the protection of the Seven Seas Flood Dragon Armor, he spat out blood.
Facing more than a hundred first-rank demonic beasts, even with Zhou Shu taking away most of the pressure, the rest was not something an ordinary first-rank martial artist like Xiao Jianghe could withstand.
In just one exchange, he had already lost the ability to participate in the battle.
"Heaven Slaying Sword Art!" Zhou Shu narrowed his eyes, and his body shone brightly. A sword beam rushed toward a first-rank demonic beast.
At the same time, a golden light flashed on his body, and his skin seemed to turn into metal.
Boom!
Facing the divine power of a hundred first-rank demonic beasts, he didn't dodge and still slashed out firmly.
With a loud bang, Zhou Shu retreated. A bloody mark appeared on the glabella of a first-rank demonic beast. The bloody mark continued to spread, and then his body split into two.
Zhou Shu flew back hundreds of feet and steadied himself. He opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood. He had killed a first-rank demonic beast. Ever since he entered the Demon Realm, this was the first first-rank demonic beast to die under his sword!
The first-rank demonic beasts, who had just regained some confidence, finally remembered the scene of Zhou Shu slaughtering countless demonic beasts on the Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament battlefield. Their hearts turned cold, and they involuntarily retreated dozens of feet.
"Winning with numbers, huh?" Zhou Shu said coldly as he placed his sword in front of him. "It's true that I can't kill all of you, but half of you have to die with me. Who do you think they will be?"
Zhou Shu's face was a little pale, and there was blood at the corner of his mouth. But even so, no one dared to underestimate him.
The first-rank demonic beast had just fallen to the ground.
"Come on!" Zhou Shu shouted. "If you don't dare, get lost!"
Zhou Shu's back straightened. He was like an unsheathed sword, sharp and threatening, making one unable to look at him directly.
Chapter 442: Demon Queen and Human Pet (2)
The first-rank demonic beasts all had ugly expressions on their faces.
"Don't be arrogant, human. It's not that easy to scare us!" a humanoid demonic beast shouted.
"Really? Then I choose you. I'll kill you next!" Zhou Shu pointed the earth-grade Great Destroyer's tip at the first-rank demonic beast.
His figure swayed, and the first-rank demonic beast's expression changed drastically. A powerful aura erupted from the demonic beast's body, and the spiritual essence in his body exploded without reservation.
He used all his strength to defend against Zhou Shu's attack.
The other first-rank demonic beasts were also shocked and subconsciously took a step back.
In the end…
Zhou Shu suddenly appeared hundreds of meters away.
"Is this a first-rank demonic beast? All of you sure have guts. Haha!" Zhou Shu laughed loudly. He didn't attack but fled!
"Xiao Jianghe, retreat!"
In the distance, the Ten Nations Alliance army had moved away from the riverbank and was charging into a forest.
The expressions of the first-rank demonic beasts changed drastically.
"Oh no! Lady Tushan!" The first-rank demonic beasts didn't hesitate and flew back. They were much faster than when they had chased after the Ten Nations Alliance.
"Retreat, quickly retreat. Don't let Lady Tushan know we chased them here!" a first-rank demonic beast shouted.
Below, the Demon Realm army that was about to catch up to the Criminal Army also seemed to be frightened and turned to run.
Looking at them, who would have thought that they had just aggressively pursued the Ten Nations Alliance?
Those who didn't know would think that the Ten Nations Alliance army was going to hunt them down.
Seeing this, Zhou Shu was stunned.?Is a Demon King really that intimidating?
When he entered the Great Demon Yao Lian dream, Zhou Shu knew that there was a Demon King nearby.
According to the rules of the Demon Realm, no demonic beasts were allowed to approach the territory of a Demon King easily.
Demons were much more territorial than humans.
Demon Kings were the top existences in the Demon Realm. No demonic beast dared to step foot into their territory.
Zhou Shu had originally thought that since they had barged into the Demon King's territory, the pursuers behind would definitely not dare to chase them in easily.
At that time, he could just use his divine ability Total Annihilation to fight the Demon King.
According to the information he had obtained from Yao Lian, the Demon King entrenched here liked to be alone. He didn't have a demonic beast army under him. As long as he got rid of this Demon King, the Ten Nations Alliance army would be able to continue forward without their pursuers.
He didn't expect the Demon King to be so intimidating.
The Ten Nations Alliance army had just broken into the Demon King's territory, but these pursuers actually took the initiative to retreat as if they were afraid of being seen by the Demon King!
Not only did they not dare to chase after them, but they even retreated?!
Boom!
Before he had time to think, an earth-shattering sound filled his ears.
Then the ground shook. In the distance, a huge figure slowly rose from the ground.
A figure a thousand feet tall appeared in front of Zhou Shu. His pupils constricted.
The huge figure was also in human form. Her hair was loose and hanging down her forehead in a mess. Her eyes were red and a little hazy, as if she had just woken up.
It was actually a beautiful demoness!
When he entered the Yao Lian dream, he only knew that there was a Demon King here, but he had never seen what the Demon King looked like.
The Demon Queen's perfect face was cold. Her red eyes looked down at the Ten Nations Alliance, and a powerful aura spread in the air.
Meng Bai, Wang Mu, Tang Chengshi, Bai Qiancheng, and the others were all dumbfounded.
They had seen many powerful demonic beasts. They were huge and were tens of feet tall.
But a thousand-foot-tall demonic beast…
Standing on the ground, they were like ants compared to this demonic beast. They even felt that even if they used their full strength, they might not be able to hurt her!
Was this the Demon Queen?
She was absolutely terrifying!
Whoosh!
The Demon Queen frowned slightly, as if angry. She snorted, lifted her foot, and stomped toward the Ten Nations Alliance army.
Meng Bai and the others felt the world turn dark. A powerful pressure that could shatter their souls was already assaulting them.
Everyone's minds were shattered. Even the first-rank experts felt a sense of powerlessness.
There was no way to fight!
"Stop! Your opponent is me!" A shout rang in everyone's ears like sunlight dispelling dark clouds.
Zhou Shu had already arrived in front of the Ten Nations army.
He looked up at the sky, his face grim, his aura beginning to rise.
[Divine Ability, Total Annihilation!]
"It's just Heaven and Earth Dharma. Who doesn't know how to do that?" Zhou Shu shouted coldly, and his body swelled with the wind.
In a breath, Zhou Shu had grown to ten feet tall, and he was still growing.
"Fall back, everyone!"
While Meng Bai and the others were shocked, they were also calling for the army to retreat.
Facing such a world-shaking divine power, the army was simply like ants. If they stayed here, the aftershocks of the battle would probably crush them!
Meng Bai led the army as he had discussed with Zhou Shu and quickly passed through.
The Demon Queen was surprised to see that Zhou Shu was also growing larger.
Her eyes glistened as if she found this interesting, and she drew back her raised foot.
She didn't take the opportunity to attack Zhou Shu. Instead, she allowed Zhou Shu's figure to continuously grow larger.
After a few breaths, Zhou Shu's body had grown to 90 feet.
Ninety feet… According to Zhou Shu's previous life, he was almost thirty meters tall.
But compared to the thousand-foot-tall Demon Queen, Zhou Shu still seemed very small.
Zhou Shu was also a little helpless. His current height was not even as tall as her calf.
But he had no choice. He had just obtained the Eight-Nine Arcane Art. Although he could also use transformation, growing to this size was already his limit.
"Little man, where did you learn your Heaven and Earth Dharma?" A gentle voice suddenly sounded in Zhou Shu's mind.
He looked up. The Demon Queen's lips didn't move in the swirling clouds.
Just as Zhou Shu was feeling puzzled, the Demon Queen's figure began to shrink.
She only stopped changing when she was as tall as Zhou Shu.
"Stop looking around. It's just me talking to you." The Demon Queen's lips still didn't move. Her chin tilted up, her expression aloof. "Who did you learn your Heaven and Earth Dharma from?"
The Demon Queen's voice was gentle and pleasant, like that of a delicate and cute little girl, making one's heart heat up slightly. It didn't match her cold appearance at all.
"Why should I tell you?" Zhou Shu sneered. "Are you going to fight or not? If not, I'm leaving."
He didn't sense any killing intent from the Demon Queen, but this wasn't necessarily the case. When she raised her foot to step on Meng Bai and the others, she didn't have any killing intent.
Perhaps in her opinion, the Ten Nations Alliance army was just like ants, and there was no need to have killing intent to kill a group of ants.
"You can't defeat me." The Demon Queen stretched lazily. She was ninety feet tall, but she seemed slender, and her figure was perfect. Between her movements, she was endlessly charming.
Zhou Shu, who had already done the deed with Yin Wuyou, felt his face heat up.?Succubus, she's definitely a succubus!
"There aren't many people who can use Heaven and Earth Dharma. You're interesting. I've decided to spare your life," The Demon Queen continued. "From now on, you will be my pet."
She spoke matter-of-factly, as if she was stating a fact. She didn't think of asking for Zhou Shu's opinion at all.
For some reason, a name suddenly flashed through Zhou Shu's mind.
Ji Lutian!
He was once a famous forger of Great Qin. A hundred years ago, he had entered the Demon Realm as a spy and gave birth to Yao Qing with a demonic beast!
Could he have become the pet of some demonic beast?