The Malevolent King was a formidable daemonic entity formed by the merging of the bodies and fragmented souls of the thirteen ancient monarchs, acquiring a portion of their knowledge and memories in the process. Therefore, it was far from inexperienced in the ways of the world.
It was true that domains varied in strength, depending on the might of the monarchs themselves.
Even when confronting a more potent domain, the result would typically be a mutual suppression and weakening of both realms. In other words, even if one monarch's realm
was completely overpowered by another, the latter's realm would still suffer a considerable reduction in its potency.
However, the current situation defied all understanding.
The Malevolent King's realm was mercilessly torn asunder and utterly obliterated. The Demon King's realm shattered and dismantled the Malevolent King's, causing it to vanish completely and leaving no trace behind.
This inexplicable turn of events left it perplexed and astounded. The Malevolent King failed to comprehend the situation.
Zhang Nu did not just unleash a mere Monarch's Domain, but a Mythic Sanctum.
When two monarch's domains collided, they would counterbalance and weaken each other. However, when a monarch's domain clashed with a mythic sanctum, it would crumble instantly, akin to an egg meeting a stone.
Under the enveloping might of Zhang Nu's formidable domain, the Malevolent King experienced an overwhelming sense of oppression. Its abilities were swiftly sealed, including its advanced A and B rank skills, which were diminished by at least half.
Not only that, but all its attributes and innate talents were also weakened, causing its overall power to dwindle significantly.
"What a disappointment," Zhang Nu lamented, shaking his head. "I had hoped to finally encounter an opponent worthy of a true battle."
"It seems this is the extent of your power."
Infuriated, the Malevolent King lashed out, shouting in its grotesque form of countless tentacles, eyes, and mouths, "How dare you look down on me? What do you think you are?"
With all its might, the Malevolent King unleashed a powerful psychic assault upon the Demon King.
[You are under psychic attack. HP -97!]
Quite a formidable assault, causing the Demon King's HP pool to decrease by nearly 1%. However, within the mythic sanctum, aided by the Demon King's tremendous regenerative abilities, this HP loss could be replenished in a matter of seconds.
Although the Malevolent King stood as a monarch-level entity, the gap between the two combatants remained strikingly vast.
Zhang Nu raised both hands, exerting control over the flow of time while summoning lightning. The Malevolent King found itself engulfed by a relentless onslaught of thunderous bolts, each second bringing forth hundreds, if not thousands, of electrifying strikes.
Such a rapid frequency.
Such overwhelming might.
Even a monarch-level entity would struggle to endure such an onslaught. The Malevolent King's grotesque and colossal form was shattered into fragments amidst the resounding roar of thunder and flashes of lightning.
"Hahaha!"
"You cannot kill me!"
"For I. Am. Undying!"
Although the Malevolent King's monstrous body had been reduced to mere fragments, its formidable spiritual power still permeated the space, attempting to mock Zhang Nu in its grotesque manner.
However, it was true.
Defeating the Malevolent King was relatively easy, but killing it posed a challenge.
As long as its soul and spirit remained intact, it would not perish, and there were scarce means capable of directly assaulting the spiritual essence.
While Zhang Nu had unleashed a relentless barrage upon the Malevolent King's possessed avatar that embodied its spirits and soul within its domain, inflicting substantial spiritual wounds, that level of intensity alone proved insufficient.
Was there a method, perhaps?
A way to directly reach the essence of its being?
Skills imbued with spiritual attributes were exceedingly rare.
Though Zhang Nu had acquired some, their ranks were modest, suitable for dealing with lesser adversaries but inadequate against a monarch-level entity. Furthermore, this Malevolent King excelled in spiritual prowess.
After careful consideration, Zhang Nu had a sudden realization that he could tap into the power of the Evil God. Whether it was the "Eye of Death" or the "Source of Corruption," these fragments infused with the Evil God's power possessed the ability to erode the spirit and corrupt the soul.
Unlike conventional abilities, the Malevolent God's gifts were not fixed in their capabilities. Each fragment's innate talents could be enhanced and expanded as one's strength grew, offering a multitude of possibilities.
With the Evil God's power and aura capable of directly reaching the spiritual essence, Zhang Nu pondered the potential fusion of these forces with others. Inspired by this thought, he triggered the Source of Corruption, causing a swirling mass of blood mist to envelop his body.
Although the Malevolent King had already regenerated a significant portion of its form, its composure could not help but change upon witnessing the blood mist, recognizing the familiar sensation it emanated.
The reason it had become the abomination it was today was due to the gradual infiltration of this very aura over the years.
"How is this possible?"
"This is the power of the Evil God!"
"How could you possibly wield such power?"
Having released a substantial amount of corrupted blood, Zhang Nu swiftly gathered the blood mist, condensing it into a highly concentrated sphere of crimson energy. Infusing the sphere with dragon flame, he ignited a blazing fire. Even the formidable dragon flame struggled to instantly vaporize the corrupted blood.
During the intense conflagration, an abundance of the Evil God's aura overflowed, swiftly absorbed by the dragon flame. The once ordinary Abyssal Dragon Flame underwent a profound metamorphosis, infused with the immense power of the corrupted essence.
This was now a manifestation of the Evil God's Flame.
Sensing the aura exuded by the flames, the Malevolent King experienced a sense of peril it had never felt before.
The Demon King smirked coldly. "You thought you were invincible, didn't you? Eat this then!"
"Stop!"
"You can't do this to me!"
"Arghhhhh!"
While the Malevolent King's body was still in the process of regeneration, the Evil God's Flame had already engulfed it. Instantly, a fierce fire erupted, shrouding the Malevolent King within. With the infusion of the Evil God's power, the dragon flame not only intensified in strength but also acquired the ability to consume the soul and ravage the spirit.
"Ah! Ahh!"
The Malevolent King let out a manic shriek, unleashing waves of intense psychic energy. Fortunately, Zhang Nu's domain suppressed and greatly weakened the impact of the psychic shockwaves, preventing their diffusion to the outside world.
Otherwise, the Malevolent King's dying psychic assault alone would be enough to mortally wound or grievously harm Jin Kui and Long Yi.
It had endured for over ten seconds within the searing embrace of the Evil God's Flame, and with the Malevolent King's spiritual essence had already suffered significant damage from the previous battle. How could it withstand such a relentless onslaught?
Finally, the agonizing screams abruptly ceased.
The Malevolent King's aura dissipated completely. From its corporeal vessel to its ethereal spirit, nothing remained but scorched remnants.
[You've slain the The Thirteen Malevolent King. Gold +10 million!]
Upon hearing the notification, Zhang Nu was astounded.
Just by eliminating a single target, he was rewarded with an astonishing 10 million gold.
This was truly unprecedented. However, considering that the target was a monarch-level entity, and the Malevolent King's tomb was an extremely hostile environment, defeating the Malevolent King itself proved to be an incredibly daunting task.
Given the difficulty of the task, the magnitude of the reward was indeed fitting and reasonable.
Zhang Nu deactivated his domain skill.
Jin Kui and Long Yi were still engaged in combat with the Evil Giants. Zhang Nu instantly teleported to their side, as numerous crimson lightning bolts emanated from his body, swiftly subduing these ferocious distorted giants.
[You've slain a Deformed Evil Giant. Gold +280,000!]
[You've slain a Deformed Evil Giant. Gold +280,000!]
[You've slain a Deformed Evil Giant. Gold +280,000!]
[...]
Dozens of giants.
All vanquished.
Jin Kui breathed a sigh of relief, "Your Majesty, you've returned so quickly. The Malevolent King, it couldn't possibly have..."
Although Jin Kui and Long Yi had not caught sight of the Malevolent King, even from such a distance, they could still perceive the chilling spiritual aura and energy fluctuations, an absolute terror they had never encountered before.
Unquestionably at the monarch level. And even among the monarchs, it was an immensely formidable existence.
Zhang Nu calmly replied, "Hmm, it was a daemonic fiend born from the fusion of the Evil God's power and the corpses of thirteen ancient monarchs. While it posed some challenges, it wasn't overly difficult to handle. It has been dealt with."
Upon hearing these words, Jin Kui was thoroughly astounded. A monarch-level daemon! And it was dispatched so effortlessly?
It was worth noting that even daemonic entities of the same level possess a myriad of talents and abilities, making them more formidable and perilous to deal with. Jin Kui and Long Yi would rather face a monarch-level figure like Zhang San or Nancilia than a monarch-level daemon.
But this particular monarch-level daemon was taken care of by the Demon King in just a few moves. Just how powerful is the Demon King?
Zhang Nu did not receive a notification about capturing the Malevolent King's tomb, indicating that there were still lingering enemies within the tomb, such as the hidden soul giants.
Therefore, Zhang Nu issued a command to send Thunderclap City's army to besiege and eliminate them. With the Malevolent King eliminated, the ominous aura within the tomb quickly dissipated by 80%. It no longer posed a lethal threat to the golden giants, and with Jin Kui's Demon Suppressing Aura bestowed upon them, the silver giants could also join the hunt.
After nearly half a day, the remaining stragglers within the tomb were located and exterminated. Finally, Zhang Nu received the long-awaited notification.
[You've conquered the Corrupted Ancient Tomb!]
[You gained Stardust Diamond Chest x1!]
Seeing the reward, Zhang Nu could not contain his delight. The Malevolent King's tomb housed several Level 5 overlords and hundreds of level 5 lords and elites, making it a genuine Level 5 monarch-level area.
Considering the rewards for capturing this place, solely based on the chest's quality, they had surpassed even Ironheart City. Although Ironheart City boasted immense scale, its highest limit was only a Level 5 overlord. Hence, the reward remained a mythminite chest.
However, the Malevolent King's tomb directly awarded a diamond level reward chest. This was also the first diamond level treasure chest that Zhang Nu had ever obtained!