At this moment, Zhang Nu sensed a spiritual connection coming from Li Si.
Li Si possessed the ability to summon the Demon King and also had the ability to establish a spiritual connection through a prayer ceremony.
Several days ago, the Skydrake Archpriest had been dispatched by the Demon King on a crucial mission.
Recently, rumors spread throughout Thunderclap City, accusing the Dragon Demon King of pilfering their treasured artifact. In response, the city assembled an army of giants, intent on launching an assault on Darkness Valley.
At that time, Zhang Nu was preoccupied with the dwarves in the east.
And so, the Dragon Demon King sent Li Si to mediate and negotiate in his stead.
However, despite their numerous attempts, each negotiation ultimately met with failure.
The giants insisted on confronting the Demon King.
Upon receiving Li Si's report, Zhang Nu could not help but regard these giants as mentally challenged. Only a fool would believe that the Demon King had nothing better to do than to pilfer their treasure.
But the timing could not have been more opportune.
Now was the perfect time to handle this matter.
To the west of the Chaos Forest laid a plateau shrouded in perpetual lightning and thunderstorms, earning it the name Thunder Highlands, with the magnificent Thunderclap City residing at its heart.
Legend has it that Thunderclap City was the mightiest stronghold within the Chaotic Forest, renowned as the city of giants.
If Zhang Nu truly aspired to unify the Chaos Forest, he could not circumvent Thunderclap City, the city hailed as the epitome of strength.
Currently, Zhang Nu had six major forest cities under his command: Giantree City, Berserk Beast City, Thousand Fang City, Silver Spring City, Ironheart City, and Magi Mojo City. Their influence extended over nearly half of the Chaotic Forest.
If he could capture Thunderclap City, nothing would stand in his way of unification within the entire Chaos Forest.
Other forest cities and races would have no choice but to yield to the overwhelming might of the Demon King, without needing even a fight.
Moreover, as Zhang Nu had come to understand, the giants were even more reclusive and isolated than the dwarves. They rarely engaged with other forest races.
Their sudden emergence, driven by the loss of their treasure, was undeniably peculiar.
Zhang Nu was genuinely intrigued.
What kind of treasure could evoke such a reaction from the giants?
In direct response to the summoning of Li Si, the Skydrake Archpriest, Zhang Nu vanished from the depths of the Darkness City and reemerged instantaneously in a vast expanse of forested plains.
"My master!"
Li Si knelt down on one knee.
"This humble servant has failed to stop the giants."
Zhang Nu reassured him, "There is no need for self-blame. You have managed to delay them for this long, allowing me to attend to other pressing matters, is already a commendable accomplishment."
He turned his gaze and declared, "Now, let me see what these giants are up to and what tricks they have up their sleeves!"
The variety among the giants was vast.
According to ancient tales, adult individuals of the Titan Giants towered at heights of several hundred to thousands of meters, while some lesser giants stood merely ten to eighteen meters tall.
At this moment, on the plain before them, stood two to three thousand colossal figures. Their heights reached forty to fifty meters, resembling the size of a skyscraper from Zhang Nu's previous life. For ordinary humans, their presence was overwhelmingly oppressive.
These giants possessed distinctive features. Their skin had a silver-white metallic texture, and they emanated an energy aura with faint flickering lightning.
This particular species of giants was known as the Silver Giants.
They belonged to the higher echelons of the giant race.
Silver Giants could survive for extended periods without eating, replenishing their bodies with energy absorbed from lightning. It was no wonder they chose to establish their city in the relatively desolate Thunder Highlands.
Zhang Nu took a quick glance.
[Silver Giant Warrior] Level 4 elite
Skills: Silver War Body (Talent), Thunderbolt Hurling (C Rank), Lightning Absorption (C Rank), Lightning-Driven (C Rank), Mountain-Moving Strength (C Rank).
[Silver Giant Elder] Level 4 lord
Skills: Silver War Body (Talent), Lightning Spear (B Rank), Thunderbolt Hurling (C Rank), Lightning-Driven (C Rank), etc.
[Silver Giant Chieftain: Jin Kui] Level 4 overlord
Skills: Silver War Body (Talent), Thunderous Armor (A Rank), Thunderous Lighting Spear (A Rank), Thunderbolt Hurling (C Rank), etc.
...
Impressive indeed.
The population of Thunderclap City was actually not substantial.
At most, the entire city housed around forty to fifty thousand inhabitants.
Yet, it was hailed as the mightiest city in the Chaos Forest, largely owing to the indomitable prowess of the Silver Giant clan.
As one ascended the ranks of superior races, their reproductive capacities diminished, resulting in smaller populations.
However, their lower limit of strength was remarkably high.
The combat units of the Silver Giants exhibited remarkable balance in their power. Even an ordinary Silver Giant Warrior possessed the astonishing prowess of a Level 4 elite.
For other races, such a scenario would be unimaginable.
Yet, Zhang Nu did not find it surprising.
After all, the true dragons were stronger than the Silver Giants and had even fewer numbers.
A mature dragon, at the very least, would be a Level 5 lord, whereas a mature abyssal dragon would be a Level 5 overlord at the minimum.
It would seem then.
The Silver Giants could not truly be classified as a superior race.
Nonetheless, Zhang Nu could not help but admire their imposing size and appearance.
It would certainly add grandeur to the main gate of the Darkness City if he brought back a few to serve as guards.
Their immense strength and ability to sustain themselves on lightning energy, without requiring copious amounts of food, made them perfect for heavy labor as well.
"So, you're the Darkness City's Demon Lord?", the voice of Jin Kui, the Silver Giant Clan chieftain boomed across the plains.
"Hand over the treasure of Thunderclap City!"
Zhang Nu found the demand perplexing.
"What treasures have you lost?"
The chieftain seethed with anger. "Quit playing dumb! Surrender the Heart of the Ancient God from our Thunderclap City immediately, or we will flatten the Darkness Valley!"
Zhang Nu retorted, "What Heart of the Ancient God? I have never heard of it. Do you have any evidence to prove that we took it?"
Jin Kui exclaimed, "Other than you, dragon, no other race in the Chaos Forest can withstand the power of the Heart of the Ancient God!"
"What kind of reasoning is that?" Zhang Nu laughed. "It seems to me that you're just looking for a fight!"
"Stop with the nonsense!" Jin Kui snapped.
"We don't care about the details!"
"The Heart of the Ancient God must be handed over, by choice or by force!"
Jin Kui unreasonably declared, "If you can't give us the Heart of the Ancient God, then Thunderclap City will be compensated with the relic sealed within the Giantree Forest. Otherwise, the giant clan will not relent!"
Zhang Nu grasped the situation.
The Heart of the Ancient God was likely a fragment of an Evil God.
Initially, Zhang Nu believed that the giants had no evidence to prove that he, the Dragon Demon King, had stolen the Heart of the Ancient God. It seemed that they were being manipulated by someone with ulterior motives.
Because he had noticed something peculiar.
Among these giants were a few Heroes.
Knowing the nature of these Heroes, they would undoubtedly take advantage of the situation, inciting Thunderclap City to confront the mighty Dragon Demon King, all for their own gain.
However, the situation seemed to be far from simple.
The fragment of the Evil God held special significance for them.
Hence their eagerness and desperation to retrieve it.
Even if they could not find the original piece, they would settle for a substitute.
As an ancient race dwelling in the Chaos Forest for millennia, the giants were likely aware of the sealed land within the Giantree Forest, which held another fragment of the Evil God.
Zhang Nu responded, "You can't even enter the sealed area, and even if you manage to enter, it's a path of certain death."
"Even if by some miracle you survive, you won't obtain the fragment of the Evil God... In short, I advise you to give up on this futile endeavor!"
"Nonsense!" an enraged giant elder, who was also a Hero, retorted.
"Chieftain, why waste words with him? Since he refuses to comply, let us seize it by force and slay this Demon King while we're at it!"
"That's right!"
"Seize it from him!"
"We'll take it by force!"
"Crush the Darkness Valley!"
A handful of giant Heroes took advantage of the situation and began rallying the others.
The atmosphere grew tense as thousands of towering giants filled the air with a murderous aura. It was an intimidating sight, enough to make the faint-hearted tremble.
Zhang Nu nodded. "Very well, since Thunderclap City must be conquered for my unification, I shall seize this opportunity to deal with all of you!"
"How dare you speak so arrogantly!"
The giant chieftain bellowed, his fury unleashed.
"Witness the might of the giants!"
In an instant, he conjured a spear of lightning, hurling it with force. The spear transformed into a colossal bolt of lightning, as thick as a water barrel, tearing through the earth and striking the Demon King from several hundred meters away.
-0!
Zhang Nu remained unscathed.
Mocking them, he remarked, "Is this the power of the giants? Truly disappointing!"
Jin Kui's expression froze in disbelief.
Even a Level 5 overlord would never dare to directly withstand such an attack!
Before they could make any further moves, Zhang Nu activated his spatial abilities.
In an instant, he vanished from his original position and reappeared at the center of the crowd of giants.
The giants were caught off guard, unable to react in time.
Suddenly, a sensation of weightlessness enveloped them.
By the time they realized what was happening, they found that the surrounding environment had transformed completely! The forests, the sky, the earth --- all gone!
Under their feet and all around them was nothing but emptiness.
It felt as if they had plunged into an endless abyss of darkness or were adrift in the vast, silent expanse of the cosmos. Not only were their powers instantly suppressed and weakened, but even the simplest movements became arduous in this disorienting void.
The giants' massive size worked against them.
They could not find any solid footing.
The two to three thousand giants floated like massive balloons adrift in the air.
"A domain skill!"
"You're a monarch!"
The giants were overwhelmed with shock.
Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined facing off against a monarch rank being.
The giant Hero hastily shouted, "Do not be afraid, everyone! Even if he's a monarch, he can't possibly take on all of us alone. If we attack together, we can surely overpower and kill him."
"Agreed!"
"Attack together!"
One after another, a barrage of lightning spears was unleashed relentlessly.
-0!
-0!
-0!
Admittedly, their coordinated assault was formidable. It could even inflict severe damage on a Level 5 overlord. Even for a monarch level entity like Zhang Nu, who was not particularly built towards defense, these attacks posed a considerable threat.
However, unless these hundreds or thousands of attacks converged and simultaneously struck him, their efforts failed to cause even the slightest harm.
"How is this possible?"
"Our collective assaults have no effect!"
The giants were once again astounded.
In this round of coordinated attack, not a single bit of damage appeared on the target. Even if he was a monarch, this was simply inconceivable!
"Is this all you've got?"
"I've run out of patience with your little game!"
Zhang Nu unleashed a sudden surge of power, harnessing the forces of space and time.
He discovered that his spatio-temporal power could be directly integrated with his entire Monarch's Domain, allowing him to manipulate the spatial and temporal aspects of the domain.
Under these circumstances, his power was at least ten times stronger than usual.
"Spatial Confinement!"
Zhang Nu's mastery over the domain's space caused it to fold and twist, creating massive cages that left the giants immobilized in an instant.
"Time Deceleration!"
Exerting his control over time, the silver giants suddenly seemed as if someone had pushed the slow-motion button. Their attacks and movements became incredibly sluggish.
As they felt the overwhelming power of space and time saturating the entire domain, the giant chieftain despaired, "You can actually manipulate the properties of your domain?! This isn't just an ordinary Monarch's Domain! It's a mythic-level Divine Sanctum!"
Jin Kui's hope was shattered.
If the Dragon Demon King was an ordinary monarch, the giants might still had a chance in standing their ground if they mustered their full strength.
However, judging by the domain's manifestations, this was no ordinary monarch level domain. It was a mythic level domain!
In other words, the dragon before them was not just a monarch level dragon.
He was a mythic dragon!