The succubi legion split into a hundred combat squads as per Han Kexin's orders, swiftly flying towards the vicinity of the Mountains of Madness, drawing the attention of the natives.
"My succubi legion is highly maneuverable and skilled in entanglement and harassment, but their numbers are limited. So, the time they can buy us is also limited," Han Kexin exclaimed.
"That's more than enough!" Zhang Nu began to act. With his left hand, he grabbed the Elven King, and with his right hand, he seized the Succubus Queen, sandwiching them between his arms.
Han Kexin could not help but ask, "Is it necessary to do it this way?"
"Stop talking," Zhang Nu replied. "Let's go."
Zhang Nu transformed into his Spatio-Temporal Dragon form, his entire body turning into a dreamlike silver-white entity. Han Kexin was astonished to find that a strange force shrouded her and her surroundings, causing everything to slow down significantly.
What's happening? Is time slowing down? He has the ability to influence the speed of time!
The energy radiating from Zhang Nu allowed him to ignore the resistance of spacetime, enabling him to enter the mountains at a normal and composed pace. There was a saying: 'speed is relative'. It all depended on the frame of reference. When the flow of time was compressed to a fraction of its normal speed, even if Zhang Nu advanced at his regular pace, when multiplied by the time factor, it would be like he was moving dozens times faster. Thus, in the normal environment, he was moving at a speed almost indiscernible to the naked eye, even agile-type Level 5 overlords could barely catch a glimpse of a silver streak and capture some traces, but they were completely outmatched.
"This power... It's astonishing!" Han Kexin had believed that her ability to manipulate the mind and soul made her one of the most elite. She never imagined someone could control even time!
No, it was not just time. Han Kexin quickly realized that the environment they were in was not the result of merely compressing the flow of time. The spatial structure around them had also warped. Whenever they encountered obstacles, Zhang Nu effortlessly traversed through without needing to detour. In other words, he controlled the speed of time and mastered the curvature of space. This potato's power was beyond ridiculous. Even though they were both Level 5 monarchs, Han Kexin empathetically envisioned herself facing him and found it nearly impossible to defeat him.
Once Zhang Nu entered his spatio-temporal form, he could easily manipulate the fabric of time and space without even activating his domain. He bypassed obstacle after obstacle, broke through multiple barriers, and guided by the connection between the fragments of the Evil God, he finally located the basin at the heart of the Mountains of Madness.
This was it! From the surrounding terrain, it seemed that this area might have once been a mountain. Over millennia, the nearby natives had likely excavated and removed an entire mountain, ultimately carving out this basin. At this moment, at the center of the basin, there stood a black temple. When Zhang Nu's gaze fell upon it, relevant information surfaced on his interface.
[Temple of Madness] Level 5 monarch area.
Description: Once a sealed labyrinth containing the fragments of the Eight-Eyed Evil God, this labyrinth was broken open by the enchanted natives over thousands of years. Eventually, they regarded the Evil God's fragment as a divine sacred item and worshiped it here. The Evil God's fragment is on the brink of completely breaking the seal. When that happens, it will become incredibly powerful, capable of causing a catastrophic madness in this region!
A fragment from the same Evil God, but the power was vastly different. Compared to the Evil God's fragment in the Chaos Forest, this one was at least a Level 5 monarch in strength.
This was because the Evil God's fragment in the Chaos Forest had been sealed for a long time, weakened significantly by the time Zhang Nu found it. As for this Evil God's fragment, it had been taken out of the sealed labyrinth for at least several centuries. Even though it had yet to completely break free from all its seals and restore all its power, its might was far beyond what the one in Giantree's sealed labyrinth could compare to. Its danger level was in a completely different league.
"Your Majesty! Have we arrived? What place is this?" Nancilia saw the temple and her face filled with vigilance.
Zhang Nu explained, "This is the natives' temple, their most sacred place. The source of the psychic energy in the Mountains of Madness is right here. This place was extremely dangerous, but precisely because of that, it was considered forbidden. Not many natives were dispatched in the vicinity.
"We must act now. We have to eliminate and cut off the source before the other natives react and rush over, otherwise, we will miss the opportunity!"
Before the words were finished, a sharp pain pierced through his brain.
[You are being gazed upon by an Evil God. HP -65!]
[You are being gazed upon by an Evil God. HP -65!]
[You are being gazed upon by an Evil God. HP -65!]
[......]
In the form of the Spatio-Temporal Dragon, Zhang Nu could avoid any physical, elemental, or tangible attacks but he could not evade psychic and soul-based assaults. The Elven King and the Succubus Queen both grunted. Their faces turned somewhat pale; it was evident they had also suffered significant damage.
The Elven King stacked several layers of Spiritual Shields to mitigate the damage and used her recovery skills to heal everyone. Han Kexin, relying on the Succubus Queen's innate powerful psychic damage resistance, managed to withstand the damage for a short time without much trouble. This place was not suitable for a prolonged stay. They had to finish this swiftly.
As the three arrived at the temple, a terrifying aura struck them head-on. A massive shadow pressed down, a giant standing a hundred meters tall, appeared right in front of the temple. Upon seeing the giant's appearance, even Han Kexin, who had ventured into the depths of the earth and was accustomed to all sorts of demonic and monstrous creatures, could not help but shudder.
"What on earth is this thing? It's so mentally contaminating!"
Zhang Nu shared the sentiment. This giant was the tallest he had ever seen, reaching over a hundred meters. However, from head to toe, it was covered in giant eyeballs, varying in size from that of a watermelon to as small as a fist. They were unevenly distributed all over its body, creating an unsettling sight.
[Thousand-Eyed Titan] Level 5 monarch.
Skills: Evil God's Aura (Talent), Magic Immunity (Talent), Thousand-Eyed Domain (Talent), Psychic Storm (A rank), Psychic Invasion (A rank), (Soul Devour (A rank), Mana Drain (A rank), Thunderous Descent (A rank), etc.
Description: Once a titan living in the underworld, it was completely controlled by an Evil God due to its temptation. Over a long period, it was transformed into the Thousand-Eyed Titan, comparable to a giant monarch.
"A monarch-level entity!"
This was the first time Han Kexin had encountered a monarch-level monster. Monarch-level entities were extremely rare, after all, such beings, regardless of the faction, could become the ruler of an entire region. It was completely unexpected to encounter a monarch-level monster in the Mountains of Madness. No wonder no forces had dared to touch the Mountains of Madness for so many years. Han Kexin could not help but feel relieved. Fortunately, she had not been reckless and had come here alone with her troops, otherwise, she might not return alive.
"Insects! Who are you?! You dare to trespass the forbidden grounds! You will find only your own demise here!"
The titan's immense form radiated with the glow of its numerous eyes. Although it did not make a sound, its psychic assault reverberated, emitting a sound that was a hundred times more deafening than thunder.
[You've suffered an attack from Psychic Storm. HP-80!]
[You've suffered an attack from Psychic Storm. HP-80!]
[......]
Nancilia clutched her head, gasping, "Ah, Your Majesty, such a formidable psychic assault! My spiritual shield can barely withstand it."
Han Kexin's voice lowered, "So there's a monarch-level presence here. No wonder these natives are so frenzied. It seems this creature is the root of the madness."
But just then, Zhang Nu stated, "No, the true source lies in the temple behind it. This creature is just a guardian."
"What? A guardian!" Han Kexin and Nancilia were dumbfounded.
"Wait, that can't be true. A monarch-level titan daemon as a mere guard?"
"It might sound unbelievable, but that's the reality. The psychic disturbances we've been facing did not emanate from him."
"I agree, Your Majesty," Nancilia added after a moment of concentrated perception. "Despite the malevolent aura of this titan, it still falls within the scope of daemons. It's fundamentally different from the power that has been eroding the Mountains of Madness all this time."
Realizing they were being disregarded, the Thousand-Eyed Titan exploded in rage. "You ants dare to scorn our sacred grounds? Die!"
In the next moment, every single eye on the titan lit up. Zhang Nu, Han Kexin, and Nancilia were dragged into a domain filled with eyes, each resembling a sinister orb capable of emitting deadly beams. Simultaneously, one figure after another entered this domain.
[Hundred-Eyed Bloodfiend Giant] Level 5 overlord.
Description: Created from the corpses of countless natives, the Bloodfiend Giant possesses immense strength. Due to prolonged absorption of the power of the Evil God, it has mutated into a terrifying daemon giant.
"Level 5 overlords! And so many of them!"
Han Kexin sensed the strength of these monsters. Creatures of this level were exceptionally rare. Typically, they were regional overlords or local lords. Yet, at this moment, from all directions, there were about ten such giants.
This was frightening! Having a monarch-level entity acting as a guardian, and Level 5 overlords serving as minions---what kind of beings could possibly exist within the temple? This was bad!
This situation might have taken a turn for the worst!
Han Kexin was worried, and even Zhang Nu had not anticipated the insanity of the Mountains of Madness. A monarch and ten overlords formed an incredibly formidable force. If the Eye of the Evil God fully awakened, supporting and attacking from the rear, coupled with the approaching madness-driven natives, even the three Dragon Kings of the Darkness City might face utter defeat.
The Elven King Nancilia hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, we should be able to hold off these giants, but I feel the entity inside the temple is about to fully awaken. When it does, the situation will become extremely dire."
Zhang Nu nodded. "Yes, for now, we must divide our tasks. You stay to deal with these giant monsters, and I will go inside to deal with the real boss."
Without dealing with the Eye of the Evil God, it would be challenging to kill these Evil God monstrosities.
"Understood! Leave it to me!"
Nancilia raised her staff. "Divine Tree Domain!" Countless massive roots surged from all directions, suppressing the titan's domain but also weakening considerably. It was evident that Nancilia's strength surpassed that of this monarch-level daemon.
Han Kexin hesitated. "Are you sure about this? If there's any danger, let's retreat. I brought you here. I don't want to be responsible if anything happens to you."
Zhang Nu said, somewhat annoyed, "Heh, focus on yourself. Don't end up dead before I even come out."
"Hmph, underestimating me again? With these dumb and clumsy giants, how could it possibly handle me?"
"Shall we see who finishes the job first?"
"Are you sure?" Han Kexin hesitated for a moment before saying, "Alright, let's see who can solve their task faster. There's no way you'll be faster than the two of us."
Time was of the essence, there was no room for idle talk anymore. Zhang Nu took a determined step forward, with Elven King Nancilia seamlessly supporting him in the Divine Tree Domain.
Simultaneously, Han Kexin unleashed her own powers, "Domain of Domination!"
Nancilia felt the descent of a powerful domain, enveloping her Divine Tree Domain. She found herself in a peculiar space, where numerous energy threads of various colors spread like spiderwebs, covering the entire domain. It appeared to be an incredibly potent control-type domain.
Han Kexin said, "Elven King, do you wish to earn His Majesty's acknowledgment? Let's give our all and eliminate these monsters before he emerges. What do you think?"
"Agreed!"
If the two Demon Kings were to make a wager, the Elven King would undoubtedly stand by the Dragon Demon King. However, without an actual bet, they were simply engaged in friendly competition. The Elven King was eager to showcase her strength.
The two women immediately concurred and got to work."