A Level 5 monarch area!
This was unseen and unheard of!
Zhang Nu had believed that within the Chaos Forest, the highest an area could reach was Level 5 overlord. Little did he know that a monarch ranked area existed.
This discovery revealed a trove of hidden information.
There were tens of thousands of words worth of content, enough to write a history book. Zhang Nu only skimmed through the key information.
Jin Kui inquired, "Your Majesty, do you suspect something amiss with the daemonic lair?"
Zhang Nu replied, "This is no lair, but an ancient tomb."
"Once, a powerful and ancient race thrived here. Their kingdom spanning the Thunder Highlands and a portion of the eastern territories of the Sunset Empire."
"At its zenith, this ancient kingdom boasted a population of one to two hundred million, a glorious era that endured for over five thousand years. Eventually, it succumbed to the currents of history and time, leaving behind scarcely any traces, forgotten completely."
An ancient tomb?
The revelation left everyone astonished.
Yet, the existence of ancient civilizations itself did not surprise them.
After all, on this vast continent, with near-infinite stretches of space and time, such kingdoms that flourished and perished, with their memory fading into obscurity, were too numerous to count.
In fact, ancient ruins were scattered all over the continent. Ninety percent of them could not be verified.
Zhang Nu continued, "But this is no ordinary tomb. It is a royal mausoleum, the resting place of more than ten mighty beings of the monarch rank."
The Elven King and the giants were struck with awe.
The bodies of these monarch entities were resistant to decay and harbored formidable power. Thus, they required special handling or burial methods to prevent potential threats or exploitation by malevolent individuals.
During the prime time of this ancient kingdom's grandeur, the royal tombs were revered as forbidden grounds, vigilantly guarded by formidable forces.
But now, this ancient kingdom had completely perished for tens of thousands of years.
The Elven King immediately furrowed her brow and said, "Tens of thousands of years have brought about tremendous environmental changes. Under certain natural circumstances, it is indeed possible for the tomb to become corrupted, giving rise to numerous daemons and undead, transforming it into a massive daemonic lair."
However, the Demon King shook his head.
"If that were the case," he said, "Then at most, it would create some regular daemons or undead creatures."
"Even if the ancient monarch's remains manifested into undeads, they would not reach the heights of power they had in life. While it poses a certain level of danger, it would not constitute a significant threat."
"However," he continued.
"The situation here is far from being so simple."
The Elf King asked, "Are there other variables at play?"
The Demon King revealed, "Three thousand years ago, in order to construct the Thunderclap City, the giants sought out a relic known as the 'Heart of the Ancient God' to suppress the ancient tomb. Unfortunately, it has led to grave consequences."
Upon hearing this, the giants exchanged concerned glances.
Jin Kui nervously spoke up, "Your Majesty, but the Heart of the Ancient God has been effective in stabilizing the daemonic lair all this time."
"Heh, the so-called Heart of the Ancient God is none other than a fragment of an Evil God. Based on my understanding of such fragments, they are inherently extremely dangerous," the Demon King replied.
The young Elven King shuddered in realization. "What? Your Majesty, is this true? The Heart of the Ancient God is actually an Evil God fragment?"
As a member of the Giantree tribe, she was all too aware of the horrors associated with these fragments. They embodied an undying divine essence, incapable of being completely annihilated, and possessed the ability to regenerate themselves.
Even when the Eye of the Evil God was sealed for tens of thousands of years, it still possessed power comparable to that of a Level 5 overlord. An unsealed fragment of an Evil God itself was a catastrophic existence!
"But why hasn't it revived and reawakened in the past three thousand years?" questioned the Elven King.
"The reason lies within this ancient tomb," Zhang Nu clarified Nancilia's confusion. "The power of the Evil God generated by the fragment has been completely absorbed by this tomb."
"The Heart of the Ancient God suppresses the creatures within the daemonic lair."
"And in turn, the lair suppresses the revival of the Evil God fragment."
"This, in essence, created a paradoxical situation, where two negatives combine to form a positive outcome. However, this is by no means a permanent solution. Instead, the risks accumulated over time, ultimately transforming into an unpredictable time bomb."
"Now, with more than a dozen ancient monarch entities involved," Zhang Nu concluded, "unimaginable mutations are taking place."
Upon hearing the words of the Demon King, the giants were overcome with despair.
The fate of Thunderclap City was already hanging by a thread, teetering on the edge of destruction. Without the warning from the Demon King, this ticking time bomb would inevitably explode, reducing the entire city to nothingness.
"This is a grave situation!" Nancilia's expression turned solemn.
"If this ancient tomb's influence was limited to the highlands three thousand years ago, it has now become a threat to the entirety of the Chaos Forest!"
Having full faith in the words of the Demon King, the Elven King had no doubts. If the Demon King sensed a terrifying change, Nancilia would not question it.
With over a dozen monarch corpses absorbing vast amounts of the sinister power of the Evil God, who knows what kind of abominations might be created? Nancilia believed that even if she were to intervene, she might not be able to handle them.
Once these monstrous creatures of these corrupted monarchs emerged, not only Thunderclap City would suffer devastation, but the Chaos Forest as a whole would endure a great calamity.
"Demon King, Your Majesty," Nancilia implored.
"I beg you to save Thunderclap City! The ancestors of the giants could never have foreseen such dire consequences!"
Dozens of giant elders fell to their knees at her words.
If there was anyone in the Chaos Forest who could save Thunderclap City and the Thunder Highlands, it would be the Demon King standing before them.
In truth, the Demon King could not help but be intrigued by an area of the monarch rank.
However, the information prompt indicated that this colossal ancient tomb was of an immense scale, infested with undead and monsters too many to be exterminated overnight.
"There's no need to worry," the Demon King reassured them.
"The corrupted monarchs have yet to fully awaken. Let us first enter and deal with the troubles on the outskirts."
With his entourage, the Demon King ventured into the Daemon Sealing Temple, breaking the ancient seal of the lair.
A potent wave of malevolent aura surged forth.
[You are being corroded by corrupted energy. HP -0!]
[You are being corroded by corrupted energy. HP -0!]
[You are being corroded by corrupted energy. HP -0!]
This aura was no less formidable than the one in the first layer of sealed land in Giantree Forest.
However, with Zhang Nu's current strength, even without the Elven King's buff, he would not suffer the slightest bit of damage.
However, this aura posed a grave threat to the ordinary giant elders and giant warriors. An ordinary giant warrior would last no more than fifteen minutes in the daemonic lair, and even the giant chieftain, Jin Kui, as powerful as he was before ascending into a golden giant, could only endure for an hour at most.
This is precisely why the Giants had never ventured into the depths of the daemonic lair.
"We actually withstood the aura of the daemonic lair!"
Jin Kui, and the other eleven golden giants were astonished to discover that since their ascension into golden giants, the influence of the daemonic lair on them had been significantly weakened.
Golden giants possessed a strong resistance to evil. Dark attribute energy, undeath attribute energy, and other negative attributed powers were less likely to threaten golden giants.
The giant chief activated his newfound ability.
"Demon Suppressing Aura!"
[You've been buffed by Demon Suppressing Aura. +50 evil damage type resistance. +100 damage against targets of dark, undead, demon and daemon types!]
All the giants received the buff from the aura.
Even the ordinary silver giants felt the diminishing effects of the corrupted energies.
The giants were filled with joy and excitement. With their clan chieftain now a Level 5 overlord golden giant, he possessed the capability to lead his people in exploring the treacherous depths of the daemonic cavern!
This was unprecedented in their history.
The corrupted monarchs' ancient tomb was far larger than imagined.
Its vast expanse could easily accommodate a modern metropolis teeming with millions of inhabitants, offering a glimpse into the unparalleled prosperity of the ancient kingdom that once thrived there.
However, at this moment...
The ancient tomb was saturated with malevolent energy.
Natural caverns abounded in every corner, brimming with the essence of daemons and undead.
Conquering this place would require the complete eradication of all the creatures within, a task that couldn't be achieved in a short time.
This was the biggest dungeon Zhang Nu had ever seen.
However, he did not intend to venture directly into the deepest depths this time.
His plan was to first help Thunderclap City in resolving its immediate crisis.
The responsibility of guarding and clearing the Ancient Daemonic Lair would be entrusted to the giants. Once the outermost creatures were mostly eliminated, Zhang Nu would then confront the final boss.
The group entered the depths of the daemonic lair. Its surroundings resembled natural caves.
Numerous blood vessels and vein-like tissues covered the ground and walls, serving as conduits for the corrupted monarchs to absorb the energy of the Evil God fragment over the past few thousand years.
The Elven King sensed the presence of many advancing figures and immediately warned everyone, "Be on your guard!"
"Something's approaching!"
"Their strengths are formidable!"
Dozens of towering figures emerged from the shadows ahead.
They were colossal headless knights, standing at an impressive height of eight meters.
[Gravekeeper Knight of the Ancient Monarchs] Level 5 elite.
....
Skills: Death Charge (B Rank), Death Wail (B Rank), Dark Flame Empowerment (B Rank), etc.
...
Description: These undead knights were once the loyal protectors of the ancient monarch entities. Impervious to decay and lacking any trace of sentience, they are the most faithful guardians of the tomb, tasked with slaying any intruders and transforming them into sacrificial offerings for the royal mausoleum!
Headless guardian knights.
They swept forward like a hurricane.
Mounted upon colossal skeletal steeds, engulfed in swirling black infernal flames, they charged towards the group with an astonishing momentum.
In the past, when faced with such guardians, the giants could only evade their onslaught.
These foes were already difficult to deal with, especially in their own home turf.
However, seizing the moment, Jin Kui stepped forward resolutely, summoning a radiant spear of golden thunder.
"Your Majesty, no need to intervene!"
"Allow me to handle them!"
In an instant, one of the colossal headless knights was pierced by the golden thunder, disintegrating along with its skeletal steed into a pile of decaying filth.
[You've slain a Gravekeeper Knight of the Ancient Monarchs. Gold +15,000!]
The other giants swiftly joined the fray.
[You've slain a Gravekeeper Knight of the Ancient Monarchs. Gold +15,000!]
[You've slain a Gravekeeper Knight of the Ancient Monarchs. Gold +15,000!]
[You've slain a Gravekeeper Knight of the Ancient Monarchs. Gold +15,000!]
[...]
Fifteen thousand gold per kill.
The money was flowing in abundantly!
As Zhang Nu observed the spoils, a realization dawned upon him. While Thunderclap City may lack fertile lands and abundant mineral resources, Thunder Highlands possessed a distinct advantage - an extensive population of high-level magical creatures and numerous ruins similar to this ancient tomb, harbored hidden underground chambers.
Instead of engaging in farming and mining, the giants could focus their efforts on hunting these magical creatures and forge their own path of production.
Not only could they contribute to the Demon King's income, but they could also supply materials to the Demon King's organization.
"We did it!"
"We've emerged victorious!"
"Who would have thought it would be this effortless!"
The giants were filled with exhilaration. In the past, even overcoming a group of headless knights would have been a daunting and costly endeavor.
Yet now, they had overcome them with ease.
Apart from their overwhelming power gained from their increased levels, the primary reason for their triumph was the unique nature of the Demon Busting Golden Thunder. It possessed the ability to deal nearly double the damage against evil-type creatures.
The golden giants had become the nemesis of these creatures!
The Demon King and the Elven King had yet to intervene, and already the thirty-five headless knights had been dispatched by the giants.
"Well done!"
"Let us press onward!"
"This path leads to the entrance of the ancient tomb!"
"The source of the evil power commanding the undead knights to attack the outside world is right here."
"Once we vanquish it, we can ensure a temporary respite for Thunderclap City."
The group continued to venture deeper into the depths of the daemonic lair.
The blood vessel-like semi-living tissues became increasingly abundant.
Everyone felt that they were not entering a cavern but rather the internal world of a colossal superorganism. The sensation was truly eerie.
They had vanquished about a hundred more headless knights.
Suddenly, the field of vision expanded five to six times its previous size.
Before their eyes appeared an indescribably hideous monster, the source of the veins and living tissues that permeated the lair.
At first glance, it resembled a gigantic heart with a diameter of hundreds of meters. Its surface was not only encased in writhing, pulsating living tissue but also emitted a sinister glow, causing intense discomfort in anyone who drew near.
[You've been subjected to mental erosion. HP -3!]
[You've been subjected to mental erosion. HP -2!]
[You've been subjected to mental erosion. HP -4!]
Zhang Nu remained composed, unaffected.
He glanced at the information about the monstrosity.
[Malignant Tumor of the Ancient Monarchs] Level 5 overlord.
...
Skills: Sacrificial Offering to the Ancient Monarchs (Talent), Unlimited Proliferation (Talent), Devourer of All (A Rank), Death Manipulation (A Rank), Mutating Parasitism (A Rank), Touch of Evil (A Rank), etc.
...
Description: Once the central altar of the royal mausoleum, it gradually absorbed an excess of negative energy and underwent a mutation influenced by the power of the Evil God. Eventually, it gave birth to an exceptionally rare daemonic monstrosity. Not only does it possess tremendous power, but it also serves as a conduit, channeling power to the ancient monarchs...
Witnessing the sight of this organ-like monstrosity, let alone the young Elven King and the giants, even Zhang Nu was deeply shocked.
This creature had originated from a corrupted altar.
Zhang Nu had thought that the existence of extraterrestrial blood daemon was already peculiar enough. Yet, when compared to this colossal tumor, the blood daemon seemed almost mundane.
Just how many eldritch-like and enigmatic species existed in this blasted world?