The following day arrived. Within the Stone Curse Mountains.
The Demon King, Shi Zhiyang, began to feel a sense of unease. He had summoned an army of nearly three million demon soldiers, but in less than a day, he had suffered significant losses -- over a million combat units had been decimated. This level of devastation was hard to fathom!
Initially, he had held the belief that with his formidable force of almost three million gargoyle soldiers, he could easily sweep through the Chaos Forest without issue. However, it had become apparent that his initial assessment was overly optimistic. Some of his soldiers managed to escape the conflict and returned with fragmented accounts of the battle. From these disjointed reports, Shi Zhiyang received news that left him utterly shocked.
The plan orchestrated by the Hero Yan Qianjun had ended in failure! All eight Guardian Knights under his command had been vanquished by none other than the Demon King himself! As for the Hero Yan Qianjun? It seemed he had fled the scene, his fate now a mystery!
"Defeated?"
"How could this be!"
"This is simply impossible!"
Shi Zhiyang quickly tuned in to sense his contract with Yan Qianjun. With a mix of excitement and relief, Shi Zhiyang exclaimed: "The contract has dissolved, hahaha, hahaha!" While he was not entirely sure about the details of the events that had unfolded, one thing was certain: Yan Qianjun was dead. For Shi Zhiyang, this turn of events was a stroke of fortune.
At this point, all gargoyle soldiers were under the complete control of the Demon King. Moreover, a significant portion of the funds provided by Yan Qianjun remained untouched -- a considerable sum from Shi Zhiyang's perspective. With these forces at his disposal and the funds available, he had all the ingredients for substantial development. He could envision a bright future taking shape.
However, he was cautious of delving too deep into the Chaos Forests. The situation there was intricate and beyond his control. It was said that Yan Qianjun's defeat was due to the sudden appearance of an Elven King. Such a presence was beyond his capability to handle. Therefore, Shi Zhiyang resolved to solidify his control over the Barrenfire Stone Plains and then cautiously expand his influence in other directions, or even perhaps plunder the tribes and villages around the borders of ChaosForest.
Concerning the repercussions of Yan Qianjun's defeat, Shi Zhiyang was not particularly worried. The Chaos Forest had no direct connection to him, so how could they trace the origin of the millions of gargoyle soldiers? He decided to lie low for a while, avoiding the spotlight, he felt that the storm would blow over eventually.
But just as he started contemplating this strategy-
[Your territory is under invasion!]
[Your Gargoyle Soldier has been killed!]
[Your Gargoyle Soldier has been killed!]
[......]
[Your Gargoyle Wizard has been killed!]
[Your Gargoyle Demon has been killed!]
"Master, we're being invaded! A group of powerful enemies has breached our defenses, and our forces are unable to hold them back!"
Shi Zhiyang quickly comprehended the situation. A group of draconians had infiltrated his territory. The Demon King's castle had once again been breached. To his astonishment, these draconians exuded an aura of sinister power. Each one was a top-tier Level 5 lord unit, and there were at least twenty of them. It was none other than Zhang Nu's Royal Guards.
The experiment to merge Wei Yi with ten Beholders Lords was highly successful. Encouraged by this, Zhang Nu expended a significant portion of his disposable savings to replicate the same method and create an additional twenty-four Demon Eye Infernal Royal Guard.
Together with Wei Yi, this brought their number to twenty-five. These enhanced units were adept in both melee and ranged combat, possessing formidable physical stats as well as acute scouting abilities. Each one's strength reached the level of a pseudo-overlord. In one-on-one battles, they could stand toe-to-toe with the Guardian Knights. They were undoubtedly masterpieces.
Considering that Shi Zhiyang could not withstand even eight Guardian Knights, how could he possibly withstand twenty-five Dragon Guard with enhancements? Unlike Yan Qianjun, who utilized spatial abilities to teleport in, these draconians walked brazenly into the situation. Any gargoyles that attempted to approach, whether it was a Level 1 normal rank gargoyle soldier or a Level 3 lord rank gargoyle demon, all were instantly obliterated by the beams fired by the Demon Eye Guards.
At that moment, Wei Yi walked up to the Demon King. The ten eyes that had been dispersed throughout were now focused in front of him. Twelve eyes simultaneously stared at the Gargoyle Demon King, an eerie and chilling sight.
"You are under the command of the Dragon Demon King from the Chaos Forest!" Shi Zhiyang immediately deduced the origin of these creatures. Though each of them looked extremely strange, there was no doubt that they were draconians. Apart from the Dragon Demon King, where else nearby could there be draconians? Yet, their strength was almost insane. Even one of them could rival the empire's Guardian Knights, and they could likely overpower most top-tier Demon Kings at present. Building a force like this must have costed a fortune. It probably exceeded the summoning of three or even two million Level 1 combat units. How could the ruler of the ChaosForest possess so much gold? Could this guy have some hidden supporters behind the scenes?
At that very moment, the Draconian Guards dispersed to make way, and a figure appeared. It was a young fox-kin girl.
"You must be the Gargoyle Demon King, Shi Zhiyang!" Su Yan exclaimed, "You've got some nerve! Collaborating with the empire's Heroes to come cause trouble in our Chaos Federation!"
Shi Zhiyang hurriedly said, "No, it's not my intention. I was also coerced. I'm willing to personally apologize!"
"Apologize?" Su Yan sneered, "If a simple apology worked, then the rules of this world would have no purpose."
Shi Zhiyang quickly added, "I still have 15 million gold that I haven't spent. I'm willing to use all of it as compensation."
"Fifteen million?" Su Yan arched an eyebrow, "Let me take a look!"
As the Demon King could transform the standard physical gold into Demon King gold, he could naturally change Demon King gold back into physical gold. A heap of gold appeared before Su Yan.
"So you really do possess that much gold?"
This Demon King summoned nearly three million troops and still had over a million gold in hand. Was this the advantage of mid-tier Demon Kings? Their cost for combat units must be unbelievably low.
Shi Zhiyang hastily said, "What do you think? As long as you're willing to forgive me, I'll immediately offer this money, and I'll follow the lead of Chaos Forest!"
Before he could finish his words, Su Yan's sword Qi struck. She bisected the Demon King on the spot. Due to his undead nature, Shi Zhiyang was not immediately killed despite being severely wounded. His face contorted with rage as he asked, "Why?!"
"We're not here to make deals."
"Our boss had ordered us to take your life."
Su Yan pulled out her sword, wreathed in holy light, and stabbed it directly into the Demon King's heart. "If you're still alive, how are we supposed to report back?"
[You've slain the Gargoyle Demon King!】
[You've obtained 463 training points! You've obtained Petrification Talent! You've obtained Curse Talent!]
Upon hearing the notification, Su Yan was pleasantly surprised. Shi Zhiyang's strength was not on par with Bai Hongzhuo, and the bloodline rank of the Gargoyle Demon King was inferior to the Vampire Demon King. Yet, the training points she gained this time far exceeded what she received from the Vampire Demon King. But there was nothing strange about this. The rewards gained from killing a Demon King as a Hero mainly depended on the Demon King's strength level and were also influenced by their bloodline grade, faction size, and territory size. Considering Shi Zhiyang had quite a number of units, it naturally resulted in a substantial bonus. Su Yan felt extremely pleased. With her current strength and this many training points, she was well on her way to becoming a Level 5 Hero. With the Demon King slain and the altar destroyed, the forces of the Gargoyle Demon King disappeared without a trace. Tranquility was restored to the Chaos Forest.
At the exact moment when Su Yan killed the Demon King, Zhang Nu summoned Long Yi back to the Darkness City. Long Yi respectfully bowed, "Master, you've summoned me. Do you have any new tasks to assign?"
Zhang Nu replied, "The empire has repeatedly invaded the Chaos Forest. I intend to counterattack and show them a taste of our strength."
"Please instruct me, my Master!"
"There's a province in the southernmost part of the empire called Kolo Province. It's the hereditary territory of the Kolo Family. Since the Empire failed to take Bloody Fortress, they will most likely station a significant force in Kolo."
Long Yi immediately grasped the plan, "Master, do you mean to launch an attack on Kolo before both Bachor's and the empire's main forces gather?"
Zhang Nu nodded. That was indeed his intention.
With the death of Count Su Wenhao, the Kolo Family was severely weakened. The Southern Third Legion, once stationed in Kolo province, was also obliterated. Currently, the province was extremely vulnerable. It was highly unlikely that the empire anticipated the audacity of a Demon King's counterattack within their territory. Human cities were generally adequately sized, and the rewards were usually substantial. By capturing cities in the Kolo Province, Zhang Nu could not only earn rewards but also disrupt the empire's Demon King-hunting forces.
"I'll depart immediately, my Master!"
"Wait!"
The Demon King halted the dragon. Long Yi hurriedly inquired, "Master, do you have further instructions?"
Zhang Nu stated, "Once the Darkness City makes a move against the empire cities, it means we're formally stepping onto the stage. I want you to impersonate me before the humans, let them believe you are the Demon King."
"The tasks arranged by the Master, I dare not disobey. However, my strength is insignificant, and I fear I might be seen through."
"No worries! Come with me."
Zhang Nu led Long Yi out of the Demon King's castle. Under the Demon King's arrangement, he ascended the Soul Altar.
The Soul Altar had two functions. The first was Soul Synthesis, and the second was Soul Baptism. This "Soul Baptism" shared similarities with "Demon King's Baptism" and "Holy King's Baptism." All of them were used to enhance subordinates. The difference lay in the fact that this baptism did not enhance power but rather improved one's aptitude and potential. A Level 5 Soul Altar could refine individuals with monarch potential at most. In theory, even the lowest level draconian laborer could possess the potential of a monarch if subjected to an enormous amount of high-quality souls for baptism. However, this approach was impractical and wasteful.
Zhang Nu had a Level 6 soul in his possession. After contemplating, he decided that instead of storing it away or sacrificing it for talent points, he could use it for Soul Baptism. A soul of such high rank was exceedingly rare. Promptly, a notification appeared on Zhang Nu's player interface.
[Would you like to consume a Level 6 Hero's soul for this baptism? This baptism requires 5 million gold!]
Zhang Nu confirmed his decision, "Yes!"
In the next moment, a terrifying aura surged forth from the body of the Abyssal Dragon. Although the dragon's level had not increased, it instantly gained a powerful boost of strength, as if undergoing a rebirth and transformation, feeling like a new dragon entirely.
Zhang Nu checked its attributes.
[Abyssal Dragon] Level 5 monarch.
Skills: Darkness Domain (Talent), Draconian Form (Talent), Abyssal Dragon Flame (Talent), Lightning Control (Talent), Dragon Fear (Talent), High Anti-Magic (Talent), Dark Dragonic Tongue Magic (Talent), Dark Invasion (A Rank), Dark Devour (A Rank), Black Hole of Death (A Rank), Undead Creation (B Rank), Shadow Stealth ( B Rank), etc...
Description: This is a fully grown dark-type Abyssal Dragon King, born with potent dragon flames and thunder talents. Possessing exceptional aptitude in dark magic, it boasts terrifying combat strength and is a ruler among the dark dragon lineage...
Success!
Zhang Nu breathed a sigh of relief. The effect was just right. It was his first time using Soul Baptism, and before this, he had been quite unsure. But now, it had gone perfectly, a successful attempt. The fourth monarch-level entity in the Darkness City, apart from Elf King Nancilia, Earth Drake Sovereign Zhang San, and Sky Drake Sovereign Li Si, had been born.
In terms of individual combat power, Long Yi was currently superior even to Zhang San and Li Si. Zhang San was a commander, Li Si was a support, but Long Yi was the main combatant. With his current strength and aura, acting as the Demon King to assault human territories was well within his capabilities."