The giant chieftain, Jin Kui, felt it from within. He had undergone a complete transformation from the inside out.
For decades, he had been stuck at the bottleneck of Level 4.
Until this moment, there had been no signs of any breakthrough. Jin Kui had even resigned himself to the belief that this was the extent of his abilities in his lifetime.
But just as the Demon King activated the Golden Physique talent within him, the bottleneck that had plagued him for decades was suddenly shattered, unleashing the power that had been accumulating within him.
In the next instant, an immense aura instantly swept through Thunderclap City.
Every giant in Thunderclap City could feel it---the chieftain's long-stagnant power had suddenly experienced an explosive breakthrough at this crucial moment.
"This..."
The elders of Thunderclap City were stunned.
Too many surprises and unexpected events stacked on top of each other.
They were completely flummoxed and temporarily lost the ability to process the situation.
The chieftain had achieved a breakthrough.
What did this signify?
Thunderclap City hadn't seen a Level 5 giant in a thousand years.
This meant that the giant clan of Thunderclap City would finally once again embark on a phase of remarkable prosperity.
Moreover!
The chieftain was still relatively young for a giant.
Now, with the activation of the long lost Golden Physique talent by the Demon King, his future potential seemed boundless!
Zhang Nu glanced at Jin Kui.
He noticed a significant change in Jin Kui's information.
[Golden Giant Chieftain: Jin Kui] Level 5 Overlord.
Skills: Golden Physique (Talent), Demon Busting Golden Thunder (Talent), Thunderous Golden Armor (A Rank), Thunderous Golden Spear (A Rank), Indestructible Golden Body (A Rank), Demon Suppressing Aura (A Rank), etc.
Even Zhang Nu was taken aback from his transformation.
He had only known that the Giant Altar could bestow the ascension to a golden giant.
But he never anticipated that upon becoming a golden giant, the city lord of Thunderclap City would achieve an immediate breakthrough.
This was incredible news!
Currently, among Zhang Nu's forces, only a handful possessed the prowess of a Level 5 overlord.
Aside from the Elven King Nancilia, who held the rank of a monarch, only the Miracle Archpriest Gu Yi, when harnessing the power of the Tree of Miracle, could reach a level where they could contend with or even surpass the might of a Level 5 overlord.
A Level 5 overlord would not be an insignificant character, even if thrown into the Thunder Empire.
They would be on par with the most enigmatic and powerful Guardian Knights of the Thunder Empire!
The strongest opponents Zhang Nu had faced, such as the Eye of the Evil God and the Ancient Blood Daemon, were nothing more than Level 5 overlords. This alone demonstrated the immense power of a Level 5 overlord.
Of course, Jin Kui had just achieved the breakthrough.
There would be variations in the strength of Level 5 overlords.
Compared to the Eye of the Evil God and the Ancient Blood Daemon, there was still a considerable gap in power.
The giant chieftain knelt and expressed his gratitude, "Your Majesty, for bestowing upon me such a tremendous opportunity and granting me a new lease on life, I swear in the name of the Thunder God that I am willing to lay down my life for you!"
Jin Kui's loyalty rapidly soared.
At this moment, it was close to reaching ninety.
The loyalty of other giants also generally rose to seventy or eighty.
Under normal circumstances, as long as loyalty exceeded sixty, the probability of betrayal was extremely low, and once loyalty reached seventy, it was almost impossible to betray.
With eighty loyalty that represented a high level of loyalty. Ninety and above signified unwavering loyalty.
The loyalty of the elven race towards Zhang Nu was generally ninety and above, and the loyalty of the Elven King Nancilia had already reached the maximum of ninety-nine.
Within just two days of pledging allegiance, this giant chieftain had already reached a level of unwavering loyalty.
The speed at which his loyalty increased was quite astonishing.
This could be attributed to Zhang Nu summoning the Giant Altar, activating his innate talents, and facilitating his level advancement, as well as the Demon King's unquestionably terrifying power.
The Demon King nodded.
His next statement, once again shooked the giants.
"You may step down."
"Bring in the next one."
Zhang Nu announced, "I will perform ten strengthening rituals for Thunderclap City. You now have twenty minutes to select ten clansmen to step forth."
The Demon King actually intended to continue the altar ritual?
The senior elder of Thunderclap City could not believe his ears. He was well aware that initiating the altar ritual was by no means an easy task.
Performing the strengthening ritual for the chieftain was one thing, but the Demon King intended to perform sacrifices for other giants too?!
Moreover, ten more times!
Even in the most prosperous ancient giant kingdom, this was an extremely resource-consuming and extravagant act!
The generosity of the Demon King towards the giants seemed a bit excessive!
Zhang Nu had no idea how many resources were normally required to initiate the altar through conventional means, but for him, it was only 300,000 gold coins per strengthening.
300,000 gold for one strengthening.
3.3 million gold for eleven strengthenings.
Was this cost high?
At least for the current Zhang Nu, it could not be considered too high of a price.
Zhang Nu planned to regularly provide ten slots of strengthening in the future, allowing the giants of Thunderclap City to strive for these positions and dedicate their lives in his service.
Not only would this create value, it would further bolster the overall strength of Thunderclap City.
Who else but the Demon King would reap the benefits?
Soon enough, the giants reached an agreement.
The ten fortunate giants chosen were all esteemed elders of Thunderclap City, distinguished by their seniority.
As a matter of fact, in comparison to their younger and more vigorous elders, these senior elders had experienced a significant decline in their abilities.
However, as long as they could undergo the transformation into golden giants through the ritual, their lifespans would be greatly extended, giving them the opportunity to return to their prime.
From this perspective, it was evident that the giants were truly united as a clan.
Without any delay, Zhang Nu immediately performed the ten strengthening rituals, transforming all ten elders into golden giants.
Among them, the most aged senior elder, not only instantaneously returned to his prime, but also achieved a breakthrough to Level 5, ascending to the rank of a Level 5 lord.
Yet another one joined the rank of the powerhouses!
At this point, the giants truly pledged their unwavering loyalty to the Demon King.
Thunderclap City now boasted eleven golden giants, and its potential for development and future prospects were incomparable to the past.
Furthermore, the Demon King made a promise.
At regular intervals, he would visit Thunderclap City to transform more exceptional giants into golden giants.
This news greatly uplifted the spirits of the thousands, if not tens of thousands, of giants who received this series of good tidings. They were jubilant and overjoyed, behaving like five-hundred-ton children.
In an instant, the young Elven King, Nancilia teleported to the side of the Demon King.
"Your Majesty, I sense an aura of evil nearby!"
Zhang Nu nodded. He, too, had sensed it.
"What seems amiss in this vicinity?"
Jin Kui, originally filled with extreme joy, grew solemn when he heard the conversation between the Demon King and the Elven King.
"It's likely that the Ancient Daemonic Lair is becoming unstable again!"
"Without the suppression of the Heart of the Ancient God, certain entities have begun stirring restlessly!"
Curious, the Elven King asked, "The Ancient Daemonic Lair? What is that place? Why have I never heard of it before?"
Chieftain Jin Kui explained, "Since our ancestors migrated to the Thunder Highlands six thousand years ago, the lair has already existed. Its origins are incredibly ancient, and even our ancestors didn't have a thorough understanding of it."
Jin Kui then sought out the senior elder and had him explain the details of the Ancient Daemonic Lair.
Only then did Zhang Nu and Nancilia grasp the whole situation.
The Ancient Daemonic Lair was located near Thunderclap City. It was a mysterious cavern whose connections to other places were unknown to the giants. However, it would devour any creatures that approached its vicinity.
Not only that, within this lair, countless undead and daemons resided.
Despite the initial choosing of Thunderclap City's location as an excellent habitat by the ancestors of the silver giants, they were unable to migrate there due to the presence of the lair.
It was not until three thousand years ago that a certain chieftain of the silver giants acquired the Heart of the Ancient God from an unknown source. With the power of the Heart of the Ancient God, they successfully suppressed the lair, allowing Thunderclap City to be established.
Now, the Heart of the Ancient God had been stolen by a traitor.
Without the suppression of the Heart of the Ancient God, the Ancient Daemonic Lair immediately showed signs of losing control!
The young Elven King pondered for a moment and said, "I see. It seems to be a dangerous place. Your Majesty, allow me to go and explore this cavern."
Zhang Nu thought for a moment and replied, "This Daemonic Lair may be more than meets the eye. Let's head in together and take a look."
Upon hearing these words, chieftain Jin Kui was ecstatic.
Despite having made significant breakthroughs and gaining some confidence to challenge the lair, he knew that there was no guarantee of resolving the hidden dangers within it. In fact, it was certain to be extremely perilous, with a low chance of success and a high risk of losing their lives.
But now, with the presence of two powerhouses, one being the Elven King and the other a mythic true dragon---what was there to worry about in solving this enormous threat to Thunderclap City?!
Suddenly, Jin Kui realized that among all the things he had done and decisions he had made in his life, pledging loyalty to the Dragon Demon King was perhaps the most correct and wise one.
In just a few days, because of His Majesty the Demon King, Thunderclap City and the giant clan had undergone a tremendous transformation!
The Dragon Demon King, the Elven King, the chieftain of the giant clan, and dozens of giant elders arrived near Thunderclap City, standing before a dark mountain range.
"What a strong aura of evil!"
"It's no less formidable than the daemon of Ironheart City!"
Immediately, Nancilia sensed the terrifying presence permeating the air. Even with her current strength, she knew she had to be on high alert.
Soon, they arrived at the Ancient Daemonic Lair.
It was located in a valley called the Daemon Sealing Valley. Within this valley stood a majestic and ancient temple. This temple was the giant clan's Daemon Sealing Temple, where the Heart of the Ancient God was enshrined. The entrance to the Ancient Daemonic Lair lay beneath the temple.
Zhang Nu could sense the aura emanating from the valley. Initially, he thought it might be a presence as formidable as the ancient blood daemon of Ironheart City.
However, when he truly saw it, his expression suddenly changed for the worse.
Nancilia noticed the change in the Demon King's expression.
Given her understanding of the Daemon King, she knew that he would not have reacted like this if it was just an existence similar to "Underground God".
This indicated that the situation within the Ancient Daemonic Lair was even more complicated than they had imagined.
Nancilia immediately asked, "Your Majesty, do you sense something amiss?"
The Demon King regained his composure and replied, "This is not just a lair. It is a tomb. Thunderclap City used the so-called 'Heart of the Ancient God' to suppress it. But it seems that they may have inadvertently complicated matters!"
Zhang Nu scanned through the lair's information prompt once more.
[Corrupted Ancient Tomb] Level 5 monarch area.
Description: This is an incredibly ancient tomb from a powerful kingdom of Eld, where thirteen formerly monarch level figures were laid to rest.
The ancient kingdom has long vanished into the currents of history and the passage of time, and this tomb of kings has been forgotten for tens of thousands of years...
Due to the absorption of potent energy of an Evil God, the ancient tomb has undergone mutations, and the forgotten ancient monarch entities may soon descend upon the world in entirely new forms and identities...