Ten minutes later, in the southwestern corner of the Gloom City, Han Kexin gazed with contentment and joy as a shimmering tower, adorned with intricate runic patterns, emerged from the ground.
Finally, it was done.
Creating this tower had required significant effort on her part. Now, her long-awaited vision had become a reality. This tower held immense significance for the growth of the Demon King's territory.
She sent a message to Zhang Nu: "Potato Boss, the teleportation tower is now complete. How are things on your end?"
The Potato Demon King appeared to be occupied.
After approximately half an hour, he finally responded: "I'm ready as well. As per our previous agreement, let's establish the connection."
Even after spending a fortune to acquire the blueprints, he still managed to swiftly construct the teleportation tower. Han Kexin could not help but jest about the boundless wealth of this affluent figure.
Could this doggedly rich person truly never run out of money?!
While she found it amusing, she was not particularly surprised. The Potato Demon King's economic power was indeed the strongest she had ever witnessed among the Demon Kings.
With all the necessary procedures completed, the teleportation nodes were successfully connected.
Darkness City.
Gloom City.
The two locations were now officially linked.
Han Kexin promptly suggested, "It's done! We're practically neighbors now. How about coming over for a celebratory drink? It's an excellent opportunity for you and your subordinates to visit my grand Demon King's city."
With a population of hundreds of thousands, Gloom City was undeniably one of the foremost Demon King cities at this stage. Han Kexin believed that even the mighty Potato Demon King would be astonished and filled with admiration upon seeing this colossal underworld city under the queen's dominion.
However, to her surprise, the Potato Boss completely missed the intended message she was trying to convey.
Zhang Nu responded with a simple message, "Next time, I'm a bit busy."
Han Kexin clenched her teeth in annoyance. "Hmph, rejecting a girl's invitation without even bothering to come up with a decent excuse. How rude!"
Zhang Nu clarified, "You've misunderstood. I really am busy at the moment. How about you visit my territory instead? We have a major event happening, and having a powerful Demon King like you there would help boost my reputation."
The title "powerful Demon King" made Han Kexin feel quite pleased. She didn't consider herself the strongest Demon King, but being referred to as "powerful" was an acknowledgment she could embrace.
"Alright, I haven't been to the surface before. I'll come and see what it's like up there and also find out why you're so busy," Han Kexin replied.
"Welcome. I'll have my subordinates take care of you," Zhang Nu assured her.
Han Kexin activated the teleportation tower, summoning a teleportation field. It connected to the teleportation tower in the Chaos Forest.
[The cost of this teleportation is 5750 gold!]
Han Kexin furrowed her brows at the unexpectedly high price. The cost of teleportation depended on the distance traveled. Considering the vast distance between the underworld and the surface world, the price seemed reasonable.
Han Kexin activated the teleportation array, and her vision was engulfed in a radiant light. After approximately four or five seconds, her surroundings came back into focus.
The gentle breeze rustled through the trees, and the serene atmosphere embraced her. Verdant grass, lush forests, colorful flowers, and fluttering butterflies painted a picturesque scene. The sunlight illuminated the landscape, casting a warm glow.
Han Kexin took a deep breath, relishing the absence of the sulfuric odor and the murky aura she had grown accustomed to in the underworld. The air here was pure and refreshing, surpassing her expectations.
As she lifted her gaze, she was greeted by a pristine sky, adorned with an endless expanse of azure, devoid of a single cloud. It was a sight she had long forgotten.
In that moment, she could not help but feel a sense of enchantment. The underworld was no place for true enjoyment; this world above ground offered an unparalleled beauty.
Despite being in the vicinity of the Darkness City's Tower of Fog, Han Kexin remained unaffected. With her formidable monarch-level power as a Level 5 Demon King and her exceptional psychic strength, the influence of a mere Level 3 Tower of Fog was negligible.
This showed just how powerful this Demon King was.
"You must be the renowned Succubus Queen, Han Kexin... I am Chen Guoguo, the Flower Fey. It is a great honor to meet you in person. I've heard so much about you," Chen Guoguo introduced herself with enthusiasm.
Han Kexin recognized the Demon King before her.
"What? You're Chen Guoguo, the Flower Fey?"
While Chen Guoguo did not possess the same level of fame as Han Kexin or Zhang Nu, her name still held recognition among the Demon King community. They had interacted and even conducted a few seedling trades in the Demon King channel, though they were not particularly close. Thus, Han Kexin was not expecting to meet her here.
Casting a glance at Chen Guoguo, Han Kexin arched an eyebrow.
A Level 4 Demon King? Not bad in strength!
She inquired, "How did you end up here?"
"It's not that surprising. I am one of Zhang Nu's subordinates. Since he's currently occupied, he entrusted me with the task of welcoming the esteemed Demon Queen."
"You're associated with Zhang Nu?!"
"Hehehe, you could say that. I'm Zhang Nu's number one fan!"
This matter remained unknown to outsiders, leaving Han Kexin understandably surprised. It all made sense now---how Zhang Nu managed to dominate such a large share of the food market. After all, he was one of the earliest and most successful farmers, and with the addition of Chen Guoguo, the Flower Fey Demon King, as his ally, their production capacity was bound to be substantial.
Chen Guoguo suggested, "Let's not linger here. Allow me to take you to the Darkness City and introduce you to other Demon King friends. There will surely be opportunities for cooperation in the future."
Other Demon King friends? What did she mean? Were the Demon Kings here all on such friendly terms?
"In two days, we have a grand celebration that you shouldn't miss. It will be a lively event attended by the leaders of various forest tribes. It's an excellent opportunity for you to mingle with the indigenous communities," Chen Guoguo added.
"..." Han Kexin was left slightly bewildered.
Chen Guoguo's words contained quite a lot of information. Before she could fully comprehend it all, Chen Guoguo took off into the air, leaving the Succubus Queen in a state of mild confusion.
Han Kexin then soared into the air, following Chen Guoguo, her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when a spectacle entered her view.
A city stood before them, grand and majestic, its structure and design filled with imagination.
"Is this Zhang Nu's main city? It's truly spectacular!" Han Kexin curiously asked, "From which race did he seize this city? I can't discern its original dominant race."
Chen Guoguo explained, "The Darkness City wasn't plundered. The big boss employed tens of thousands of draconian workers and spent a considerable amount of time building it from scratch as his main city!"
"Built from scratch?" Han Kexin was once again astonished. It was at this moment that she noticed the towering castle at the center of the magnificent Darkness City, resembling an ancient colossal dragon crawling over the earth, emitting a mysterious and majestic aura...it was the Demon King's Castle!
The Demon King's Castle could only be constructed atop a Demon King Altar. Therefore, it was undoubtedly a self-built city. The amount of financial, human, and material resources required for such a city was beyond extravagant.
Looking at the castle, it was undoubtedly upgraded. Han Kexin herself possessed an Advanced Demon King Castle, so she was familiar with it. However, this castle surpassed the Advanced Demon King Castle in every aspect, be it aura, scale, or appearance.
"This is the big boss's Demon Dragon Castle, an even more formidable castle than the Advanced Demon King Castle," Chen Guoguo explained. "In addition to the Demon Dragon Castle, the Darkness City also houses numerous top-tier structures, such as the Altar of Sacred King, Soul Altar, Tower of Lost Trials, Ancient Elven Sanctuary, Temple of Nature, Temple of War..."
In fact, there was no need for Chen Guoguo's introduction. As a Demon King, Han Kexin could sense the immense power emanating from these buildings. Within the Darkness City, there were countless Level 4 and even Level 5 structures, and even the ordinary city structures were enveloped in an aura of energy.
Suffice to say, this city had surpassed imagination itself.
Han Kexin was suddenly taken aback. She realized that her efforts and meticulous planning to build the Gloom City seemed insignificant now. No wonder Zhang Nu showed no interest in her invitation. He already possessed a city of this magnitude, so why would he be impressed by others?
Without dwelling on these thoughts for too long, they arrived at the main gate. Two colossal figures, standing fifty meters tall with a majestic golden texture, guarded the entrance on both sides. Han Kexin exclaimed in astonishment, "Are those giants? And advanced giants at that! It's unbelievable that Zhang Nu has such units in his ranks!"
Chen Guoguo explained, "These are the golden giants who reside atop the western Thunder Highlands. After their city was conquered by the big boss, they willingly pledged their allegiance and became his loyal subordinates."
Han Kexin could not help but express her disbelief, "Are you telling me that Zhang Nu successfully conquered a city of giants? That feat alone would be incredibly challenging, let alone recruiting them all as his subordinates."
With an air of pride, Chen Guoguo responded, "What's a mere giant city? The big boss now commands Giantree City, Berserk Beast City, Ironheart City, Thousand Fangs City, Silver Spring City... and more than a dozen other large forest cities. In addition, there are countless medium-sized and small forest cities under his banner. In total, he has almost a hundred cities under his control."
One hundred cities?!
Upon hearing this shocking news, Han Kexin almost lost consciousness and collapsed. She had struggled tirelessly to capture a single city, hoping to astonish the Potato Demon King. Yet, he casually revealed that he had one hundred cities under his control. How could she compete with that?
How could she boast her accomplishments now?
Controlling dozens, if not hundreds, of cities all at once---this was beyond outrageous. Could someone actually achieve such a feat?
Han Kexin could not help but ask, "You're not kidding me, are you?"
Chen Guoguo replied, "Why would I lie to you, boss? But I understand how unbelievable it sounds. Even I would find it hard to believe if I were in your shoes."
"But for the big boss, nothing is impossible. He reigns supreme over this region. The upcoming grand event he's organizing is his formal declaration as the Lord of the forest."
Han Kexin felt utterly bewildered. She had known that the Potato Demon King was immensely powerful, but she never expected his strength to reach such unimaginable heights.
She used to believe that, despite the disparity in power, they were both top-tier Demon Kings, and the gap between them would not be too significant.
She thought that with enough effort, she could catch up to him and witness the astonished and admiring expression on his face.
Little did she know that while she was tirelessly plotting to conquer an underworld city, he had effortlessly annexed dozens of forest cities.
Not only that, he has achieved complete dominance over the region. Such a feat is unprecedented among Demon Kings.
Han Kexin was led into the Dragon Demon Castle. As they entered a room, she beheld around twenty to thirty figures, including creatures like slimes, treants, ghosts, skeletons, zombies, and stone golems.
"Alliance leader Guoguo."
"Why did you suddenly leave?"
"Oh, who is this? I haven't seen you before!"
Chen Guoguo addressed them, saying, "I received orders from the big boss to welcome a distinguished guest to the Darkness City. Allow me to introduce her to you all. She is none other than the renowned and powerful Demon King, Han Kexin, the Succubus Queen!"
Upon hearing these words, everyone was taken aback.
"So, you're the Succubus Queen!"
"I've heard of you before!"
"You're among the top one hundred Demon Kings in the region, even in the top ten!"
"I heard the queen is the most beautiful Demon King in the region, and seeing you in person confirms it!"
"I never expected the mighty Succubus Queen to be invited to this event. Our boss truly commands great respect!"
"..."
Although introductions were unnecessary, Han Kexin could discern their identities.
However, out of courtesy, Chen Guoguo proceeded with the introductions. "They are all followers of the big boss, just like me. Together, we have formed an alliance known as the Chaos Forest Demon King Alliance."
"The Slime Demon King goes by the name of Feng Yanyan, the Treant Demon King is known as Mu Mu, the Ghost Demon King is called Lan Yue, and the Skeleton Demon King is Li Qiang..."
She introduced them all, a total of twenty eight. These were the Demon Kings from various parts of the Chaos Forest.
They had successfully passed the assessment and were granted the decree of allegiance. Now, like Chen Guoguo, they became subordinate Demon Kings under the Great Dragon Demon King.
Most of them possessed relatively weak power, generally at Level 2. They were often considered inconspicuous and insignificant.
However, with an abundance of souls at Zhang Nu's disposal, upon joining, they were directly elevated to Level 3. Their races, talents, and the abilities possessed by their units, especially the advanced units, varied greatly. They could be deployed strategically to reinforce Zhang Nu's rule or provide diverse forms of support.
For these Demon Kings with limited competitive strength, joining a super Demon King like Chen Guoguo did was a secure path for development.
At this moment, these Demon Kings were filled with excitement. They approached the Succubus Queen eagerly, extending their greetings.
Being under the big boss's command truly made a difference!
In the past, as Demon Kings from remote mountainous regions, they lived in constant fear of Heroes attacks. How could they have ever imagined having the opportunity to meet a powerful Demon King like the Succubus Queen?
Han Kexin's emotions were complex. She had realized the vast disparity between herself and Zhang Nu.