The Barrenfire Stone Plains.
This was a border territory belonging to the Thunder Empire. It partially bordered the Chaos Forest, with its land desolate, environment harsh, and overrun by ferocious creatures like numerous tribes of aggressive orcs, half-orcs, and ogres. Despite its considerable size, the population was sparse, and no hereditary nobles were granted fiefs there.
In the central part of the stone plains, there lay a range of mountains called the Stone Curse Mountains. For centuries, hardly anyone had ventured into this remote and forsaken place, not even adventurers had bothered to come to such a desolate area.
However, deep within the mountains, there was a Demon King's domain, and its ruler was Shi Zhiyang, the Gargoyle Demon King. He belonged to the Gargoyle race, an undead tribe with a relatively modest Demon King bloodline. While higher-grade Demon Kings possessed significant advantages, middle to lower-grade Demon Kings were not entirely worthless. They had unique advantages compared to higher-grade Demon Kings, such as the cost advantage in building their armies.
The top-tier Demon King bloodlines, while incredibly powerful, came with a relatively higher cost for their own race's units. High-grade Demon Kings required one hundred gold to summon a single unit, while middle to lower-grade ones could achieve the same with just ten to eight gold. In some cases, certain low-level Demon Kings could summon basic units for as few as three to five gold.
Despite their individual combat strength being somewhat lackluster, their advantage laid in sheer numbers. While a high-grade Demon King could only summon one unit, a lower-grade one could summon a dozen or even twenty units.
Shi Zhiyang was a Demon King known for employing a strategy of overwhelming numbers in his battles. At present, he commanded a population of twenty-three thousand, with only a small fraction being affiliated with orcs, ogres, and half-orcs. The majority, around twenty thousand, were units of his own race.
Among the twenty thousand units of his own race, two-thirds were combat units. Although their average combat prowess may have been considered ordinary, when amassed in such large numbers and launching attacks en masse, they were more than capable of easily overpowering Level 5 lords, who were known for their defense.
Therefore, as a Level 4 Demon King, Shi Zhiyang stood as the most formidable force in the Barrenfire Stone Plains. He had even achieved victory against a fellow Demon King with a higher-grade bloodline.
Shi Zhiyang's ambition was to continue expanding his influence, and he saw the Chaos Forest in the south as his best choice. After all, compared to regions under sovereignty, the lawless land of the Chaos Forest was more conducive to a Demon King's growth and development.
With nearly twenty thousand combat-capable units under his command, Shi Zhiyang was confident that he could easily sweep through various tribes in the forest and even pose a threat to mid-sized and small forest cities.
However, at that very moment, news arrived from the Chaos Forest that left Shi Zhiyang utterly astonished.
A Demon King had officially declared himself the ruler of the Chaos Forest. How could this be possible? How did he achieve it so quickly?
Shi Zhiyang thought his own growth in power was already fast enough. In just a few months, he had swept through all the tribes of orcs, ogres, and half-orcs in the Barrenfire Stone Plains, as well as several fellow Demon Kings. When he boasted about his achievements on the Demon King channel, he received countless envy and admiration from other Demon Kings. Little did he know that his happiness would be short-lived as a formidable competitor emerged from the neighboring region.
Barrenfire Stone Plains was not even one-thirtieth the size of Chaos Forest. Not only was the area much smaller, but the land, environment, resources, and population were also vastly inferior. The territory he was so proud of was nothing more than insignificant rubbish to the Dragon Demon King.
"Damn it all!"
"This guy!"
"How did he manage to do it?"
"This is infuriating! I refuse to accept this!"
The Gargoyle Demon King was greatly infuriated because the establishment of the Chaos Federation had completely disrupted his development plans. He wished he could strip the other Demon King to the bone and tear him apart.
The Dragon Demon King seemed like a formidable opponent. Shi Zhiyang had no idea of the true extent of his strength. Perhaps he should find an opportunity to go over and test him out.
The Gargoyle Demon King was still trying to make sense of the situation when suddenly the detection tower alerted him to something unusual. Almost simultaneously, he received the following alerts:
[Your territory is under invasion!]
[Your Gargoyle Soldier has been killed!]
[Your Gargoyle Soldier has been killed!]
[Your Gargoyle Wizard has been killed!]
[......]
A Level 3 Lord-level Gargoyle Demon swiftly flew in and urgently reported, "Master, we have an emergency! Someone has broken in; they seem to be Heroes!"
Shi Zhiyang was taken aback and instantly infuriated. The main hall's space warped as a man in black, approximately fifty years old, along with eight others clad in golden armor, teleported in.
Shi Zhiyang could not believe his eyes. The defenses of a Demon King's territory were exceptionally stringent, with over ten thousand Gargoyle Soldiers stationed nearby at all times. They possessed the ability to detect stealth units, as well as flight and mid-range attack capabilities. It seemed almost impossible for outsiders to breach these defenses.
In all the time since the castle's establishment, no Hero had ever dared to venture here. How did these few individuals manage to achieve the impossible? From their appearance, it was evident that the man in black possessed powerful spatial abilities as only a teleportation-type skill could bypass such formidable defenses.
"More Heroes?"
"Do you have a death wish?"
"Do you even know who I am?"
"You dare to intrude into my territory and seek death!"
Despite trying to appear fierce, Shi Zhiyang could not accurately gauge the strengths of these nine intruders, leaving him uncertain and somewhat unnerved. It was too dangerous to act hastily!
These intruders were evidently unlike any Heroes he had dealt with before. If he made a move now, his Demon King Altar would be in a perilous situation. He needed to buy time, wait for his external reinforcement forces to arrive, and overwhelm the intruders with sheer numbers.
"Kill them!"
The two Gargoyle Demons guarding Shi Zhiyang let out sharp howls as they lunged to attack the intruders. Gargoyle Demons, being Level 3 lord ranked beings, represented the most powerful combat units under Shi Zhiyang's command. He hoped they could buy some time to figure out the situation.
Among the nine intruders, eight remained motionless, while one of the golden knights stepped forward.
In a split second, a tremendous surge of golden sword Qi swept through the Demon King's hall, slicing through the two Gargoyle Demons. Amidst their agonizing cries, they were both obliterated in mid-air.
[Your Gargoyle Demon has been killed!]
[Your Gargoyle Demon has been killed!]
"This is impossible!" Shi Zhiyang's face turned pale with fear. He had not even seen how the intruder attacked. They were too powerful---definitely a Level 5 overlord! They were on an entirely different level compared to him. What's more terrifying was that this was just a subordinate!
Yan Qianjun chuckled, "Hah, haven't you realized your predicament yet? If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead by now, without any chance to resist."
He was right. The Demon King struggled to regain his composure. "What do you want?"
"Cooperation," Yan Qianjun said. "I want to use your power to help me deal with the Dragon Demon King in the south."
"You really are a Hero!"
"Your target is the Demon King of Chaos Forest!"
Shi Zhiyang had slain many Heroes before, most of them hailing from some savage half-beast and orc tribes in the wilderness. He had never encountered a Hero like the one before him. Before this, he never even considered the possibility of such powerful beings among the Heroes.
"If even you lack the confidence to deal with this Demon King, then with my current strength, what's the difference between facing him and suiciding?" Shi Zhiyang asked.
Yan Qianjun nodded and said, "Indeed, you are too weak and insignificant. Even among Demon Kings, you are not even one percent as powerful as the Dragon Demon King!"
"This Demon King wiped out an entire empire's legion not long ago, killing over a hundred thousand empire official soldiers and even slaying a Guardian Knight."
Shi Zhiyang was greatly shocked. He had suspected this Demon King was extraordinary, but he never imagined the extent of his strength. Recently, he had been planning to launch attacks on several tribes and towns in Chaos Forest, testing and harassing them. Thankfully, he had not executed his plans.
Shi Zhiyang grew even more perplexed. "If that's the case, how can we cooperate? Are you planning to make me a mere cannon fodder? You might as well end me now!"
"Of course not," Yan Qianjun reassured. "First, take a look at my gift to you."
With a snap of his fingers, space twisted, and countless gold poured out like a fountain, forming a mountain of gold in the Demon King's hall, shimmering brightly. Shi Zhiyang was left in awe. He had never seen so much gold in his life. Additionally, Yan Qianjun's abilities left him stunned. This guy indeed possessed powerful spatial capabilities.
Yan Qianjun continued, "The potential of a Demon King is limitless. Not only do you have the ability to evolve and activate talents infinitely, but with sufficient resources, even a weak Demon King can instantly create a formidable army. This is the advantage of Demon Kings."
"You may be weak now, but with my help, you can possess tremendous power in an instant, enough to stand against the forces of Chaos Forest!"
Shi Zhiyang began to understand. This Hero intended to utilize his Demon King's ability to summon armies. With so much gold, he could greatly enhance his Gargoyle Demon King's forces tenfold or even more, making them capable of facing the Dragon Demon King in battle.
"What are the conditions?" Shi Zhiyang asked.
Yan Qianjun presented another scroll. "There are no free lunches in this world. You need to sign this contract with me!" As expected, the gold was not given for free. Yan Qianjun warned, "You have no choice. It's a matter of life or death. Think carefully."
After much deliberation, Shi Zhiyang finally gritted his teeth and signed the contract. The contract wielded immense power, enough to bind even a Level 5 target. Shi Zhiyang realized that he could no longer defy Yan Qianjun's commands.
Yan Qianjun was pleased with his strategy, which was rather straightforward---using the power of a Demon King to counter another Demon King, fighting fire with fire. With this method, he could create an opportunity to strike for himself.
Selecting Shi Zhiyang, the Gargoyle Demon King, was a calculated decision. Firstly, his magical abilities were decent, and secondly, Gargoyles were undead units with flight capabilities, meaning low maintenance costs and no immediate supply issues. Or else, a massive army, no matter how vast, would be useless without proper supply lines. Flying units also offered exceptional mobility and suppression capabilities.
He had already gathered intelligence on the opposing Demon King---a colossal dragon with unquestionable Level 5 top-tier overlord strength. Due to racial advantage, it might be on par with an average Level 6 overlord. However, such strength would not be enough to contend against him. Yet, the true challenge lied in the multitude of followers, minions, and subordinates surrounding the Demon King. But, with the Gargoyle army as a distraction and the eight Guardian Knights on the frontlines, the Demon King had no hope of escaping!
This Demon King was destined to fall, but Yan Qianjun learned from the lesson of Huang Hui. He must not be careless or underestimate the enemy. The original owner of this body was known as the "Undying Phoenix" because he always managed to escape unscathed from dangerous situations.
In case of an unforeseen failure, the Demon King would still be unable to harm him. Yan Qianjun was fully prepared for the hunt. He had to take down this Demon King before Duke Bachor personally took action. If Duke Bachor intervened, the Demon King would have no chance of survival. Finding another Demon King like this one would be nearly impossible.
For him, any opportunity to increase his strength was undoubtedly precious!
......
Meanwhile, in the Darkness City, Great Demon King Zhang Nu had received intelligence from Su Yan. The Dragon's Shadow Heroes had successfully infiltrated Duke Bachor's main city. Duke Bachor had recently summoned numerous subordinate nobles, military commanders, and even a well-known adventurer. Armies from all over were assembling, indicating their imminent action.