The "mutiny" that was about to break out among the ranks was terminated by the appearance of the Rank 7 Demon Kings.
Though the chaotic demons were red-eyed with hunger, they were more willing to restrain their nature and give up the meat in their mouths than be killed instantly. Facing the Rank 7 Great Demons descending from the sky, order was swiftly restored.
Watching this through the video feed, Captain Xue stopped laughing and sighed deeply. "What a pity. Only less than a hundred thousand demons died. The war objective only reached 0.01. We're still too far from the goal of total annihilation."
Then, Captain Xue sat up straight with renewed anticipation. "What other tactics do we have? Let's hear them. Or should we do this trick a few more times? I'll lead the men to bury more bombs."
Mu Zhong replied, "Even if we succeed a second time, the effect won't be as good as this one. After this, the Heavenly Demons will definitely make targeted arrangements. They'll realize the importance of food and might not give us another chance."
"Whether we can or can't, we should try again."
"But we've run out of magic bombs."
"Damn!" Captain Xue slapped his thigh in frustration.
Seeing Captain Xue's genuine concern, Mu Zhong explained further: "Even though we can't use the same tactic, the goal of this operation wasn't just the immediate result. The problem with the demon legion remains: a lack of food. Even if high-level demons can forage further away, it's limited. The blade we've sharpened will fall again. The phenomenon of high-level demons devouring low-level ones won't disappear. As long as we control the food supply, this legion will continue to dwindle."
Captain Xue understood the logic immediately. "Then I'll lead the men to drive away the monsters."
"You can, but now that the Heavenly Demons know our plan, the danger level of outside operations will be very high. You must stay alert and don't force it."
"Got it. I'll leave some monsters as bait and just drive away the main bulk."
"Good."
Xu Qingqiang added, "Don't be careless."
"I know." Captain Xue stood up and stretched. "I'm off." He led his men away, and soon, over ten vehicles departed from the base.
Xu Qingqiang withdrew his gaze and rubbed his forehead, which had been throbbing since morning. He asked Mu Zhong, "What do you think is the purpose of our cultivation?"
Mu Zhong was puzzled. "To save humanity?"
Xu Qingqiang shook his head.
"To face the Challenge Worlds?"
Xu Qingqiang shook his head again.
Mu Zhong tried once more, "To strengthen our bodies?"
Xu Qingqiang shook his head and finally spoke: "No, it's to master destiny. When cultivation reaches a certain level and involves Laws, one can vaguely touch that thread called Destiny. My feeling today isn't great. I've thought about it, and there are two points of danger: one is the Heavenly Demon coming to the base to cause trouble, and the other is trouble finding Old Xue. Especially on Old Xue's side—I want to follow and check it out."
Mu Zhong looked at him deeply. "Are you sure?"
Xu Qingqiang chuckled. "What 'sure' can there be? If you believe it, it exists; if not, it doesn't. But since I'm concerned, I can't sit still. If there's nothing urgent at the base, I'll follow him?"
Mu Zhong said, "Fine. But before you leave, have Dou Lin perform a divination."
"I don't believe in that stuff. Diviners are unreliable—ten different answers a day."
"And yet you believe in intuition?"
"I believe in intuition because I believe in myself." Xu Qingqiang thought for a moment and scratched his head. "Alright, I'll go find Dou Lin."
From the balcony, Mu Zhong saw Dou Lin being pulled aside by Xu Qingqiang. The boy was ten years old now, but he hadn't grown much in height, still looking like a child and full of energy. Yet, he was likely the youngest powerhouse among humanity.
Dou Lin had lived in the Monster World for the past two years; he hadn't even followed Wei Huan and the others to the Dark Beast plane. Every night, Dou Lin absorbed the starlight of the True World. His strength improved so rapidly that even Mu Zhong found him hard to read. His current cultivation progress was probably second only to Wei Huan, who possessed seven "Seeds of Epiphany."
Once Dou Lin reached Sequence 7, it would be time for him to return to Blue Star to visit.
As Mu Zhong thought this, his gaze lingered on Dou Lin. He saw the boy activate his professional ability; starlight flickered around him, enveloping both himself and Xu Qingqiang. After a moment, the starlight transferred from Dou Lin to Xu Qingqiang. For a brief second, the light was blindingly bright before it finally faded.
Seeing this, Mu Zhong withdrew his gaze. He had work to do and had rested enough. But before he could take two steps, a message from Xu Qingqiang came through. Xu Qingqiang's face was grim. "Dou Lin's divination... the determination bonus was less than 1."
Mu Zhong stopped in his tracks and called out, "Butler, have Dou Lin come see me!"
***
Wei Huan was walking through the spatial tunnel.
The tunnel was winding and twisted, appearing as if a worm had bitten it out mouthful by mouthful; every step felt different. There were forks in the road, but most led to dead ends after a few steps. Big Foot had checked and found the space behind them was very unstable. Apparently, these half-finished tunnels weren't meant to be a maze; they were a result of the Heavenly Demons' limited ability to dig through.
As a result, the tunnels twisted up, down, and back around. After walking for more than half an hour, Wei Huan finally sensed the familiar aura of the Monster World.
Although the Monster World was a Light Plane, it was saturated with natural power. Even an energy cultivator like Wei Huan could benefit from this world. Over time, he had naturally memorized the world's law composition, which was why it felt familiar. Here, Wei Huan could directly sense the aura of the Monster World through the correct main tunnel, so he was no longer lost; he just had to follow the primary path to exit.
Just past where he had walked, inside a fork in the road—less than a hundred meters deep—a pearly-white snail-like shell shimmering with rainbow light was embedded in the end of the tunnel, motionless. This was, naturally, the Heavenly Demon who had been called in to do the heavy lifting and was now sleeping, exhausted from digging the tunnel. It had been sleeping there for over ten days without moving.
Wei Huan didn't notice it, and the sleeping demon didn't notice him. The two parties brushed past each other safely.
Before long, Wei Huan returned to the Monster Plane. Standing in the familiar world, looking at the land that had been left in shambles after being occupied by demons, he turned toward the spatial tunnel and said, "Find a way to destroy this tunnel."
Big Foot nodded. "Yes, sir." He didn't know how yet, but he would try.
Wei Huan immediately began contacting Mu Zhong. The intelligent AI followed his command and sent a call request. The connection was picked up almost instantly, and the face of Mu Zhong—whom Wei Huan had missed day and night—appeared before him.
But as soon as the call connected, Mu Zhong said, "Wei Huan, the worst-case scenario has happened. Two Heavenly Demons have launched a joint attack on the base. We are resisting. You've returned just in time; if you hadn't, we might have had to evacuate."
The smile that had just begun to form on Wei Huan's face vanished. He asked, "What's the situation?"
Mu Zhong replied, "There were some initial losses, but after raising the protective shield in time, we're in a stalemate. We've already had the logistics and R&D personnel teleport out first."
"Good, I understand. I'll be back immediately."
"Immediately..." Mu Zhong said, then realized something as his eyes widened.
At the same time, Wei Huan stopped Big Foot from destroying the tunnel. All twenty-five men gathered before him.
Wei Huan said, "Your next mission is to wreak havoc within the demon army. Mu Zhong has been implementing a 'Scorched Earth' strategy. You are to exploit the demons' cannibalistic nature, stimulate their instincts, and expand our gains. I have to go. From here on, you will be fighting alone. Stay safe, and good luck."
Hammer nodded. Yake said, "I will arrange things cautiously." Big Foot patted his chest and laughed, "Ambush and behind-enemy-lines operations are my old specialty. Don't you worry."
Wei Huan took one last look at them. The light on his robes flickered, and in the next second, a magic teleportation gate appeared before him.
The Diamond-grade Spiritual Power Robe—a gift from the Grand Mage—possessed three spells: "Magic Mist," "Magic Gate," and "Magic Shield."
Among them, "Magic Gate" allowed Wei Huan to travel instantly to any location in the same world, provided he had set coordinates beforehand. Coincidentally, when humans had two bases in the Monster World, Wei Huan had set coordinates at both to avoid the hassle of traveling between them. Last time, he happened to leave a coordinate for the Magic Gate inside the garrison base.
This kind of instant reinforcement was something no one else could have predicted—even Mu Zhong had almost forgotten Wei Huan had this trick.
As Wei Huan opened the teleportation gate, Dou Lin was sweating profusely, performing his third "Determination." This time was completely different from the first two. The starlight across the sky seemed to converge voluntarily, filling one side of the scales with sparkling stars.
Dou Lin grinned widely. The little figure representing him jumped up from the other side of the scales and tossed the endless starlight into the air.
"I determine!"
"Great Victory!"
As the starlight fell, a teleportation gate opened right before his eyes. Wei Huan, stepping out of it, was hit by the falling stars, making his entire body shimmer.
Looking at Wei Huan appearing right there, Dou Lin was almost moved to tears! 'Wuwu', he had never made a determination lower than "1" before; life was so hard without Brother Wei!
***
As soon as Wei Huan stepped out, he was showered with starlight. Although he didn't feel anything, the moment still made him tense up. Fortunately, he quickly saw Dou Lin standing stupidly in front of him.
'Does Dou Lin not eat? Why isn't he growing?' If he remembered correctly, in his past life, this kid grew to over 1.8 meters. Was he bad at raising children?
"Brother Wei!!" Dou Lin lunged forward and hugged Wei Huan's leg. "The Heavenly Demons are attacking!"
Wei Huan's body swayed slightly from the impact. While patting the boy's head, he looked up. Through the thick protective shield, he saw two Heavenly Demons wreaking havoc outside the city.
The two Heavenly Demons looked very similar; looking only at their heads, it was almost impossible to tell them apart. To distinguish them, one would probably have to study the shells they carried. But it didn't matter who was who; the point was that they were working together. He had to create enough of a stir to scare them away.
Heavenly Demons were cautious and very afraid of death. They had appeared here because they had figured out Mu Zhong's strategy and because they were certain Wei Huan was not here.
Wei Huan would investigate them, and they would investigate Wei Huan. Naturally, they understood that Wei Huan's strength was on a different level compared to the rest of humanity. As long as he was gone, no matter how many humans there were, they would be at the demons' mercy. If they could destroy this base and seize the tunnel, Wei Huan—still in the Demon World—would become a rootless weed, forced to wander between two worlds. Then, hunting him down would be much easier.
The Heavenly Demon Race didn't have much interest in humanity. There were many human civilizations on the King's Battlefield, but most were low-profile and declining, not worth mentioning. This branch of humanity, without this necromancer, was nothing special. Therefore, both for revenge and to curb humanity's future development, this overly powerful human had to be cut down before he could fully mature.
The layout of the King's Battlefield was expanding because more and more races with special talents were entering the fray, now even reaching Rank 7 worlds. On that battlefield, there were races stronger than the Heavenly Demons, so the demons weren't interested in reaching the absolute top or achieving godhood. The path was too narrow, and there was only one end; they were self-aware. But while they could accept losing to other races, they would not tolerate humanity climbing over their heads. Besides, intercepting a genius midway was quite an entertaining thought.
Both Heavenly Demons carried snail shells. The one Wei Huan was familiar with had a pure silver shell; the other had a silver base but with patterns resembling a human skull with three horns.
The Heavenly Demons' abilities were the same: shells as hard as anything, bodies that could twist and change, the ability to grow as large as the sky in an instant, and incredible strength. Except for piercing weapons, their soft yet tough bodies were almost immune to any blunt trauma. Even if their bodies were cut, they had incredible healing factors; they could heal even if cut into several pieces, possessing what was essentially a "semi-immortal" body.
Of course, "semi-immortal" meant not truly immortal. There were only nine Heavenly Demons in total; the stronger they were and the longer they lived, the more they feared death. "Short-lived species" would risk their lives, but "long-lived species" knew that as long as they lived long enough, they would eventually get what they wanted. Over the past several thousand years, they had outlived batch after batch of winning challenge civilizations to finally reach the top of the pyramid. The strongest among them had already taken a half-step onto the path of godhood.
"Kill these humans..."
"Block the passage..."
"Corner that human..."
"Cannot allow him to grow, cannot..."
"Kill the genius..."
The two Heavenly Demons were telepathically linked. Simultaneously, they manifested giant hammers that fell from the sky, slamming heavily into the base's protective shield. The shield fluctuated, resisting with difficulty, liable to shatter at any moment. Inside the base, fragile humans were fleeing in panic. vehicles were starting up and flying into the boundary gates to escape.
Every second of delay meant hundreds fewer humans killed! The silver-shelled Heavenly Demon exerted its strength, hammering manically. The recoil from the shield made it extremely uncomfortable.
However, the Demon-Face Heavenly Demon suddenly abandoned its physical attack. It stood upright in mid-air, the six tentacles on its head shaking. Then it opened its mouth—a pitch-black mouth so large it could swallow its own head—and emitted a silent scream.
"AAAAAGH—!" The humans in the base shrieked, collapsing to the ground in agony. It felt as if blood clots were exploding one after another in their minds, thick and suffocating, surging into their spiritual seas. It felt as if their brains were clogged; for a moment, they couldn't remember anything, forgot to flee, and couldn't resist, only letting out futile screams.
Wei Huan had just arrived and hadn't yet grasped the current environment when he heard the explosions in his mind. He stumbled, clutching his aching head. Fortunately, his spiritual sea was vast; after the initial dull pain, he quickly regained himself and stood firm.
But looking up, the ground was covered with people clutching their heads and falling. Dou Lin was by his leg, gritting his teeth, his eyes already rolling back.
Wei Huan snapped his gaze toward the two Heavenly Demons above, his eyes sharp. He had intended to plan things out first, as facing opponents stronger than himself in a head-on clash was the least rational move, but there was no time left. Only by attacking the Heavenly Demons could he interrupt their mental assault.
A teleportation gate was about to appear behind him. But at that moment, what appeared first was a dazzling divine light, followed by a rich sacred power enveloping the land.
The ability Wei Huan was about to activate came to a sudden halt. He looked at the Nine-Layer Heaven that appeared in the sky. White clouds rolled, divine halls were faintly visible, and angels spread their wings, holding weapons and emitting sacred light.
In the Sixth Heaven, Xia Yu—with four pairs of wings on her back and black hair flying—transformed into a Battle Angel. She stepped forward, her eyes sharp. Sacred power couldn't stop the racial talents of the Heavenly Demons, but Xia Yu governed the Sixth Heaven and was most skilled in the power of the soul. When she sacrificed the professional training ground [The Kingdom of Heaven], the mental attack of the Demon-Face Heavenly Demon was reduced by 70 to 80 percent.
With the attack mostly shielded, the soldiers who were about to lose consciousness gritted their teeth, gathered their spirits, and stood back up to continue their tasks. Whether evacuating, protecting, or gathering with teammates to start a battle of slim survival—it didn't matter.
Wei Huan flashed and entered the base's main building. Though it looked like a Blue Star building on the outside, the interior was a converted vehicle. Once inside, both the Heavenly Demons' mental damage and Xia Yu's sacred kingdom had their influence on Wei Huan greatly reduced.
Blue Star humans were naturally a short-lived species from a magic-poor planet; their foundation was thin. The vehicles bestowed upon them by the Challenge World had indeed played a vital role in this civilizational competition, and now Wei Huan felt its wonder once again. It could even block the divine powers of a Rank 9 Heavenly Demon, forming two separate internal and external spaces. It seemed the vehicles were truly extraordinary.
Wei Huan silently assessed his condition. Black mist rose around him as he quickly flew toward the war room. Dou Lin, held in his arms, was recovering rapidly, his eyes no longer rolling. "Brother..."
Wei Huan patted the boy's head to comfort him and accelerated. The soldiers along the way saw the flying black mist and recognized who it was.
"Commander Wei is back?"
"It's Commander Wei!"
"Commander Wei is back!"
Simple, repetitive words, yet they brought a sense of confidence with every cry. The panicked footsteps slowed down in unison, and tense faces relaxed.
"Don't stop what you're doing! Commander Wei is back; this battle is secure! Everyone, do your duty!" an officer shouted loudly.
"Yes, sir!" the challengers around him replied with even louder voices.
'Whoosh—'
The black mist, like a gust of wind, swept into the command center. Everyone was there. Unlike the slight panic outside, the atmosphere here was serious and orderly; everyone was focused on their tasks at their posts. Mu Zhong, Commander Fang, and others were at the circular meeting table in the center. They were looking up at the virtual projection above the table, and startled by the noise of Wei Huan rushing in, they all looked over.
"Boss!"
"Wei Huan!"
Everyone stood up excitedly. Seeing Wei Huan as the black mist dissipated, uncontrollable smiles of joy appeared on their faces.
But Wei Huan's gaze fell on the virtual projection they had been watching. It showed the scene outside; in the short time since he entered, the base's protective shield had been broken.
However, when the shield shattered, it had reflected the attack. The silver-shelled Heavenly Demon had half its body severed and an arm missing. But clearly, the silver-shelled demon didn't care; it only opened its black mouth in anger, exerting itself as the severed arm began to regrow inch by inch.
At that moment, a figure suddenly appeared, growing instantly to become a black Ox Demon over a thousand meters tall. It slammed its head fiercely into the chest of the Demon-Face Heavenly Demon, which was still performing its mental attack.
The Demon-Face Heavenly Demon twisted its body; the black Ox Demon slid past its body, failing to land a direct hit. But fortunately, it successfully interrupted the mental attack.
Standing in the Sixth Heaven, having blocked most of the mental attack, Xia Yu swayed. She braced her angelic spear against the ground to barely keep from falling. Even with the power of the [Kingdom of Heaven], trying to stop a Rank 8 or 9 Heavenly Demon was still too much for her current Sequence 6 strength.
Below the Kingdom of Heaven, a young man with wild black hair stood fierce and bold. On his muscular body, a black ox head was slowly appearing, covering half his chest and shoulder. This ox-head magic pattern was the Black Ox Heroic Spirit that had just rushed out to successfully interrupt the Demon-Face Heavenly Demon's divine power.
This young man was, naturally, Chang Le.
Since becoming a Magic Pattern Warrior and mastering the Ox Demon Heroic Spirit, Wei Huan had high hopes for him and had been training him as the captain of the main Second Team. Had the Heavenly Demons not suddenly attacked with the demon army, they would still be training in the Monster Graveyard. He was still far from being able to hold his own.
Unfortunately, the situation was dire. Facing two Heavenly Demons attacking together, Chang Le had to take action. Of course, since his strength was limited, his early intervention had a specific purpose.
Sure enough, the attention of both Heavenly Demons fell upon him. Now that the protective shield was gone and the base was completely exposed, Chang Le was without protection. But the young man held his head high, unafraid. Instead, his black hair flared out, his body grew rapidly, and black hair—similar to that of the Ox Demon—grew on his body. His aura intensified visibly, surpassing the Rank 7 level.
"Trash! Come at me!" Chang Le taunted.