The teleportation gate leading to the swamp plains of the Monster World.
On the Demon World side.
Seven days had passed since the end of that great battle. Approximately twenty million demons had died here, including many Rank 5 and 6 Great Demons. More terrifyingly, two Rank 7 Demon Kings had also perished. In the vast Demon World, there were only nine Rank 7 demons in total—each a hegemon of their territory and a synonym for terror.
These Rank 7 demons usually occupied their own lands, "kings not meeting kings." Occasionally, neighboring Demon Kings would clash, causing chaos throughout the Demon Realm and resulting in countless casualties.
Yet, in just the past six months, these nine Rank 7 demons had suddenly set aside their prejudices. They brought nearly all demons of middle-rank and above from their territories to assemble in one place, forming an army of a hundred million. In this army, Rank 4 and 5 were merely the minimum entry requirements. Rank 6 demons, rarely seen in ordinary times, were nothing more than minor managers here. The legions were led respectively by the nine Rank 7 Demon Kings; those who used to fight most fiercely were now cooperating sincerely and coexisting peacefully.
The only one capable of achieving this was the strongest being in the Demon Realm: the Demon Lord.
What kind of monster was the Demon Lord? Truthfully, the demons didn't care. They had no social structure, no cultural heritage. Killing, eating, and endless fighting were the fate of every demon from birth. Under the crisis of survival, their minds held nothing but filling their stomachs and finding ways to get stronger. Therefore, who the Demon Lord was, what they looked like, or their combat power were not things small demons—who struggled just to stay alive—needed to worry about.
They only knew that powerful demons emitted a terrifying aura from far away; the moment they sensed it, they had to run and hide. Strong demons would prey on those weaker than themselves, but they wouldn't hunt those 'too' much weaker—there was simply too little nourishment in them.
In this primitive, forest-like beast society, despite Wei Huan searching the souls of so many demons, he still hadn't probed any useful information about the Demon Lord. He only knew that the world did indeed have a Demon Lord—the sole Rank 8 monster created by gathering the essence of heaven and earth and the power of the world. Beyond that, he knew nothing.
Now, Wei Huan gave up the chance to improve his personal strength to perform a soul search on the two Rank 7 Demon King-level demons.
Fortunately, the very first demon he searched provided the information he sought. Immediately, Wei Huan summoned Dot Mom and rushed toward the Demon Lord's location at full speed. In the blink of an eye, another seven days passed.
This entrance near the spatial tunnel had been quiet for a week. The Heavenly Demon who had fled with the demon army feared Wei Huan might be camping here; without full preparation, it didn't dare return.
Wei Huan, of course, hadn't chased after it.
Many small demons, smelling the scent of blood, scuttled over to gnaw on the corpses of Great Demons—creatures that, while alive, would have made their legs tremble just by passing by. Some small demons were lucky; while passing through the sticky, foul-smelling corpse fluid, they found severed limbs condensed with demonic essence even if they couldn't find solid food.
Fortune favors the bold. Once these lucky small demons left, they quickly used the strength gained from the Great Demons to change their fate at the bottom of the food chain. Seeing this, other small demons grew braver and ventured further into the center of the battlefield.
This was a group of small demons with pitch-black skin, less than a meter tall, with sharp mouths and monkey-like cheeks—looking much like giant rats. In the demon hierarchy, they were known as the Imp Race.
They were at the very bottom of the Demon World's food chain, surviving to this day solely through incredibly high fertility rates; they were also the most numerous. They "chirped and chattered" as they searched for edible scraps, having stayed here for a long time.
Compared to other areas filled with black liquid that offered "Demon Essence" but couldn't fill a stomach, the Imps felt that this place where they could eat Great Demon corpses was a true treasure trove, and they were smug about it. They usually clustered in groups of three or five around a corpse, tearing and swallowing. They occasionally cooperated, but most of the time, they would fight if another got too close. This made the Imp area chaotic, their noisy squabbles audible from a great distance.
Several consecutive days of successful feeding had made them forget the danger. In a place where even Great Demons had died in droves, they acted as if it were their own home, even daring to take a nap nearby once full.
In one corner of this "restaurant," more than twenty small Imps less than half a meter tall were chasing and playing. Their Dot Mom was nearby, gulping down food. Occasionally, she looked up to see the weakest Imp being bullied by the other children until it was half-dead; this sight satisfied her.
'Life is so good,' she thought. 'Every day there is plenty to eat, and neither I nor the children have to go hungry.' This was her happiest litter. Moreover, this energy-rich food made her stronger with every meal. Perhaps one day she could become the queen of her area and lead even more Imps. If only every day could be like this...
But just as she thought this, a strange, cool breeze blew past, causing her sparse, coarse hair to sway slightly. Before she could alertly raise her head, the mountain-sized food in front of her suddenly began to shrivel and blacken. Finally, as if melting, it rapidly vanished before her eyes.
As for the stench, before she could even smell it, she first saw three small Imps hiding on the other side of the corpse, stealing food. These three were her children; she could tell. But at this moment, the instinct to feed took precedence. Screaming shrilly, she pounced, biting the three food-stealing Imps to death one by one.
In the Demon Realm, eating is above all else—even one's own offspring. Her food was hers unless she was full or chose to give it up; any theft was seen as a provocation!
The Dot Mom Imp's agitated screams and the act of killing her three children stunned the other children who were bullying the weakest Imp. They stopped and looked at their Dot Mom; the excitement and bloodlust in their eyes gradually cooled.
It was only at this moment that they realized the area they considered a paradise had changed. The mountain of food had turned black, and some had melted into black water, becoming inedible and emitting a stench that even a demon would find nauseating.
The Imps' intelligence couldn't grasp this bizarre transformation, but survival instinct warned them of danger. The Imps who were happily playing just a moment ago "shrieked and scurried" toward their Dot Mom.
Their Dot Mom ran even faster.
They left behind the weakest, congenitally stunted Imp, whose limbs had been broken during the bullying. The little Imp was terrified too. It tried to flip over to run but couldn't stand. It crawled forward through the foul black water that covered its ankles.
As it crawled, its hand suddenly brushed against a hard object. A strange energy surged from this object, greatly alleviating its pain. This unique sensation made it stop in its fear; it fished the object out of the black water.
It was a red skull fragment.
Almost subconsciously, it placed the fragment on its head. A wave of coolness flooded its brain, as if clearing a fog. From its muddled, ignorant state, it became exceptionally clear-headed.
Just then, a "Boom!" resounded as the earth trembled. The little Imp whipped its head around in terror and saw that in the direction its Dot Mom and siblings had fled, dust filled the sky. Over a large area, the ground had dropped by three inches.
Though it didn't see it with its own eyes, its now-clear mind knew that in the face of such power, no Imp could survive—not even a clan leader. They were all dead.
The one who attacked was...
It snapped its head up and saw a tiny white dot in the extreme heights of the sky. Squinting, it could see a powerful being resembling a spider-demon floating in mid-air. Even though the entity was trying its best to restrain its aura, the Imp still felt a primal horror. Its teeth "clattered," and its limbs flailed. It took several tries before it finally propped up its limp body and ran away like mad.
"Boom!" Another sound came from a different direction, the same sound that had killed its Dot Mom. It didn't dare go that way and scrambled in another direction.
During this process, it didn't notice the skull fragment on its head glowing bright red, swirling with a singular light. This red light spread downward, enveloping its body, making its running speed faster and faster.
However, in the eyes of an elephant, no matter how fast an ant runs, it is beneath notice.
When a certain terrifying pressure descended, the Imp realized with absolute clarity that it was under the same attack. It couldn't escape. It was going to die.
Then, its thoughts cut off. Its chaotic brain seemed to hold nothing at all. It lost all sensation of its body, knowing only that many thoughts were pouring like seawater into its spring-sized mind. It was in immense pain—like a balloon being over-inflated, stretched so thin it should have popped long ago, yet it still existed.
Was it still alive?
No, it was dead, but its consciousness lived. Not only was its consciousness alive, but it was also packed with even more consciousnesses, creating a cacophony in its head.
"Food... food..."
"So hungry…"
"Kill!"
"No, don't kill me..."
"War! Slaughter! Invasion!"
"AAAAAGH!!"
...
Fragmented thoughts echoed in its consciousness every second, every instant. Thousands of different voices—simple yet intense—constantly repeated, argued, and clashed! It felt it was going insane, yet it continued to exist. Every moment was a constant, unceasing ordeal.
It felt as if a hundred million years had passed, or perhaps not. The chaotic noises in its head eventually diminished until only two voices grew louder by the day.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
"War! War! War!"
These two voices seemed to have killed all the others. Then they began to fight each other, like two armies facing off, neither yielding. The little Imp couldn't stop them or avoid them; it was repeatedly struck by these two voices like deep gashes carved into a tree. The deep scars remained even if the tree grew into a pillar; they could never be erased.
"WAR! KILL!!!"
"WAR! KILL!!!"
"WAR! KILL!!!"
The two streams of consciousness finally merged into one, becoming the little Imp's sole will.
Yes! War! Kill!! Where is the war? Kill kill kill!
"Eh?" At that moment, in its world of repetitive sound, a voice different from before suddenly rang out. It was crisp, like a crack splitting a dull shell, like a bird's song in a quiet forest at dawn, like laughter in the dead of night.
It was so abrupt.
"Is this a Heroic Spirit?" The same voice spoke. The Imp opened its eyes toward the direction of the sound. However, it saw only a palm, seemingly as large as the whole world, which easily snatched it up.
'War! Kill!!'
"Strange..." Wei Huan looked at the ball of soul in his hand. Unlike other souls, it was remarkably solid; in its finer details, it even looked as if it had flesh and blood, as if it were still alive.
But he was absolutely certain this was a soul. A different kind of soul—could it be a Heroic Spirit?
However...
"Why is it an Imp?" Wei Huan muttered to himself in confusion. Heroic Spirits were a direction he had never explored. Facing this unique soul, he didn't have an accurate answer. But since he had found it, there was no way he would let it go.
With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the lifelike Imp soul into the Great Tomb world and circled it with Impure Soil, just in case.
Then, Wei Huan looked up toward the spatial tunnel ahead. Having been away for seven days, he had returned. He had obtained what he wanted and finally had the confidence to face the Heavenly Demon again. Now was not the time for distractions; a hard battle likely lay ahead.
"What is the situation over there?" Wei Huan asked.
Big Foot, standing behind him, replied: "Since you left, I've been guarding this passage and have crossed back and forth three times. The passage is stable; these Heavenly Demons are like woodworms, they've bored a tunnel between two worlds.
There are demon troops guarding the tunnel. In the past few days, the Heavenly Demon has sent some units over to scout, but they've only been sporadic movements. The demon army on the other side set out five days ago toward the garrison base. However, the journey is long and the army is vast; they are still far from their destination. Boss Mu told me to tell you that everything has been done according to your requirements, so don't worry."
Wei Huan listened carefully and nodded. "It's about time to go back."
***
"Boom! Rumble!"
"Rumble rumble!!"
The marching demon army was suddenly ambushed midway. Magic bombs buried underground were detonated, sending over three thousand demons "home" on the spot, with nearly ten thousand more suffering injuries of varying degrees. The terrifyingly large army was forced to halt.
Five miles away, a high-flying camera drone transmitted the scene of the explosion back to the human garrison base. The garrison AI, through the upgraded and clearer camera, instantly calculated various data for this ambush. From death tolls to injury counts—how many minor? How many severe? All were clear.
Finally, the mission was labeled: 'War Objective Achieved: 0.003%.'
This number was practically negligible. Captain Xue, Xu Qingqiang, and the others who saw the figure all wore looks of regret. Captain Xue even muttered: "0.003? That doesn't even count as a damn scratch!"
Yet, on their side, they had used all their strength to produce this batch of magic bombs. There were only so many people capable of making sufficiently lethal bombs, and they worked day and night. Combined with the energy consumed and the people who risked their lives to bury them, they had exerted immense effort for a result that felt very unsatisfactory.
"We knew self-made magic bombs couldn't compare to the Forbidden Curse scrolls sold in the mall, but with such a huge quantity, killing only this many demons... the gap is too large!"
Captain Xue looked at Mu Zhong and said, "Boss Mu, I think there's still time. How about my previous suggestion? I'll go back to the Random Challenges right now. I won't say much, but I guarantee I can bring back two Rank 7 scrolls a day. I'll stake my military oath on it!"
Before Mu Zhong could speak, he continued: "I'll lead one team, Old Xu leads another. It's a pity Old Hammer isn't here, otherwise, maybe that new kid—him, he's good, his ability is quite strong. We all go to Random Challenges; sending back five a day is no problem, right Old Xu?"
Xu Qingqiang, however, had his feet propped up on the office desk. While smoking, he looked at him out of the corner of his eye, exhaled a cloud of smoke, and said: "Not going!"
But he didn't intend to keep him in suspense. He continued: "You've been away these past few days, so you don't know our vicious plan. Killing people doesn't always require a knife. What era is this? Still doing the killing yourself? Aren't you tired?"
"Eh?" Captain Xue, who had been sent back to the Challenge World to collect supplies for the last two days, was stunned. He turned the words over in his head but couldn't quite react. These words—"vicious plan"—were usually used for insults, weren't they?
Mu Zhong leaned his head on his hand and laughed: "Brother Qiang, how can you talk like that? It's a perfectly good strategy that you participated in. Aren't you insulting yourself?"
Xu Qingqiang said: "In war, any strategy is righteous to me and vicious to the enemy. I'm not wrong. And I like the word 'vicious.' By any means necessary, strategizing from within the tent... what era is this? Are we still talking about fair competition?"
"If you say it like that, Captain Xue will be confused. Why don't you explain?"
"I can't be bothered to explain. See for yourself."
Captain Xue was indeed looking. On the enlarged screen in the meeting room, a relatively clear image was projected. Even so, because the distance was so great, it was a bit straining for the eyes. However, he could see that at the site of the explosion, there was total chaos, while the perimeter of the demon army remained calm.
The number of demons was too large. Spread out, they covered the mountains and plains; the width of the formation spanned a hundred miles, and the length stretched over six hundred miles from where they were—the end of the line hadn't even set out yet. So, an ambush that killed a mere three thousand demons was, to this army, a minor daily loss.
Furthermore, the Heavenly Demon Race viewed demons as tools and didn't cherish them. If they died, they died; at most, they might be annoyed, but how could they be truly enraged?
Besides, the current strategy was precisely to 'not' enrage the Heavenly Demon Race. Captain Xue knew this; it was the most important requirement in the messages sent by Wei Huan. The three Heavenly Demons were incredibly strong. If it weren't for their caution and unwillingness to leave the demon army to act alone, humanity would have no way to stop those three God-level beings who had returned from the end of the world.
Therefore, Wei Huan worried that if they were provoked and charged over recklessly, escaping through the passage wouldn't be easy even with it right behind them.
"What is it? What strategy? Just say it!" Captain Xue watched for a while but couldn't see any abnormality, his face turning dark with impatience.
Xu Qingqiang wanted to speak, but his sharp eyes caught a change in the video. He slapped the armrest of his chair, sat up straight, and pointed excitedly at the screen: "Here it comes, here it comes! I won't say it yet. Look—look at what strategy we are using this time!"
Captain Xue could only look back at the projection. This time, he saw the change Xu Qingqiang wanted him to see in a single glance.
The uninjured demons in the surrounding circle, like sharks smelling blood, suddenly charged toward the group of demons in the center who had been injured by the ambush. The center quickly became a chaotic mess as the demons began to slaughter and devour each other.
Simultaneously, on the side of the video, the AI's statistical data began to jump.
'Death Toll: 3030... 3300... 3800... 4500...'
The numbers jumped frantically, and the slaughter intensified.
'5000... 7000... 10000... 12000... 15000...'
Captain Xue's mouth hung open in shock as he watched the number suddenly jump to ten thousand, then quickly to fifteen thousand. He seemed to understand now.
Xu Qingqiang laughed with the look of a villain whose scheme had succeeded: "Starting seven days ago, Boss Mu arranged for people to drive away or hunt all the beasts within a thousand-mile radius of the demon army. For nearly seven days, they have had almost nothing to eat.
Logistics must precede the army, but these Heavenly Demons don't understand that, nor do they care. They thought that by driving the demons into this world, they would pose a threat to us. But in reality, demons who have starved for seven days are just a pack of red-eyed sharks. A single scent of blood is enough to make them go berserk.
The bombs we buried aren't weapons—they are bait. The goal was to entice them into cannibalism. Look..."
Xu Qingqiang spoke with immense pride, and others who knew the plan were also smiling. Even Captain Xue and the few people around him, who had missed this plan due to other missions, were struck with realization, their faces full of awe.
"This tactic is brilliant!" Captain Xue nodded.
Xu Qingqiang grinned: "Vicious, right?"
"Vicious!" Captain Xue said with satisfaction. "It's so damn vicious!"
Three thousand demons killed by bombs was indeed nothing, but the bait thrown into the shark tank had returned a value several times—even dozens of times—higher. In just the time it took to speak, the demons, maddened by bloodlust and extreme hunger, had already lost over forty thousand in the chaos.
The battle was expanding further. The allure of the blood scent for the starving demons hadn't stopped; it was enticing those in the outer circles, even further away, to move. Smelling the scent of food in the air, their drool covered the ground.
The demon race was not an orderly civilization; they weren't even a civilization at all. Even the Dark Beast race, which followed the same law of the jungle, understood development and nurturing; they knew a Dark Beast Royal could only control a limited number of beasts and that different beasts needed their own territories to survive.
But the Heavenly Demon Race, which treated demons as mere tools, clearly had no desire to understand demon social structures, nor did they want to bother arranging food. The only reason they had managed to coexist peacefully until now was the pressure from higher-level demons. Rank 7 demons suppressed Rank 6s, and Rank 6s were scattered throughout the army to suppress the weaker ones. This layer-by-layer management kept the brutal, lawless demons at peace until now.
However, beneath this calm surface, the situation was already precarious, liable to collapse at any moment. What Mu Zhong and the others needed to do was break this peace—to hurl a stone into the seemingly calm pool.
The stone sent out ripples that were still spreading. In the chaotic center, the number of dead demons reached 80,000! This number was even higher than the damage achieved by the thirty Rank 7 Forbidden Curse scrolls Mu Zhong had buried at the Pioneer headquarters.
"Hahaha!" Captain Xue laughed, his face contorting with joy. "Good, good! Just like that! It's about to hit a hundred thousand!"
"Jie-jie-jie!" Xu Qingqiang laughed menacingly, his magic patterns even showing through his skin from the intensity. "The taste of a demon... like chewy beef shank. Not bad."
"This plan is truly poisonous! Hahaha!"
"Don't praise me, don't, don't, jie-jie-jie!"
Mu Zhong leaned his head on his hand and looked at Chang Le, who had a pure and somewhat frightened expression. He comforted her: "Don't be afraid. They don't eat people."
Chang Le: "..."