From the information relayed back by the Dragons Shadow Heroes, it appeared the Empire had planned to reinforce the southern territories with forces from the eastern and western frontiers. Zhang Nu hadn't paid much attention to this. It had been impossible for the empire to counterattack the Chaos Forest, and for the Chaos Federation to annex the Empire's southern territories wasn't something that could be achieved overnight. There was a gradual process of conquest, taking and digesting one mouthful at a time.
In fact, compared to the latest movements of the empire, Zhang Nu had been more interested in the newly released Hero Ranking List. Although he had anticipated that the top-ranked Heroes would be very strong, he was still surprised upon seeing the Hero Ranking List. He hadn't expected there to be so many top-tier Heroes. Even though many of the top 100 Heroes belonged to some strange races and were located in unusual places, they were still formidable enough to warrant caution.
Overall, in this game, Heroes had always had a significant advantage in the early to mid-stages. Some Heroes started with great strength, while, in contrast, Demon Kings started from scratch. If they were unlucky or not strong enough, they could be eliminated right from the beginning. However, as time went on and the longer it dragged on, any Demon King who survived would be no ordinary individual. The advantage between the Hero faction and the Demon King faction would switch. Every Demon King, even the weakest kind, given enough time and resources, could eventually become a force capable of sweeping across the world, with the power to destroy and annihilate. That was because there was no limit to a Demon King's growth. The strength of a Demon King's race merely determined how long it would take, but theoretically, all Demon Kings could eventually become the strongest beings in the world.
Therefore, in the early to mid-stages, without sufficient strength or resources, Demon Kings would generally do their best to survive by any means. Why had Zhang Nu been maintaining a low profile for so long? It was precisely for this reason. He had hoped to keep everything within his control and always retain some trump cards, never easily revealing all his strengths.
In the battle at Elro, although Zhang Nu had personally intervened, his involvement hadn't been very obvious. In the short term, it was unlikely to be discovered. Most people's understanding of the strength of the Demon Kings in the Chaos Forest had been that of a Demon King at the level of a Level 6 monarch. Even if top-ranked Heroes were drawn here, they were likely to seriously underestimate the strength of the Darkness City!
Of course, even if a particularly strong Hero came along, even if their level was slightly higher than Zhang Nu's, Zhang Nu was confident he could handle it and at the very least ensure his own safety. After all, his territory had become impregnable, with various buildings and facilities, a huge army, and powerful subordinates, none of which were just for show. Not to mention Zhang Nu himself. He possessed two shards of Evil God, had a plethora of S-rank skills, and was proficient in spatial-temporal abilities. Threatening him was easier said than done.
Zhang Nu had given orders for the Dragons Shadow Heroes to start collecting more information on the top-ranked Heroes. These Heroes themselves possessed great strength, but the rewards for defeating them were also very enticing.
On the other hand, Zhang Nu decided to enhance the strength of his territory. He had about five to six hundred million gold at his disposal for Darkness City. In one go, Zhang Nu spent 320 million gold to add 80 Abyssal Dragons to Darkness City. Including the ten dragons led by Long Yi, there were now 90 Abyssal Dragons.
Among these ninety units, Long Yi was a sixth-order king-level existence. Long Er to Long Shi (Dragon Two to Dragon Ten) were all dragon elders.. The newly recruited Long Shiyi to Long Bashi (Dragon Eleven to Dragon Eighty) were all Level 5 overlords. Among them, the majority were dragons of the four elemental types, but there were also several special ones, such as Long Shisan (Dragon Thirteen) and Long Sanshi (Dragon Thirty), who were purple lightning dragons, Long Ershisi (Dragon Twenty-Four) and Long Wushijiu (Dragon Fifty-Nine), who were white light dragons, and Long Liushiliu (Dragon Sixty-Six), who was a black dark dragon.
These special attribute Abyssal Dragons generally had greater talents and potential. In the future, they had the potential and qualifications to be trained into monarchs. With nearly a hundred powerful Abyssal Dragons, Darkness City's overall strength had greatly increased, making it easier to gain air superiority during wars.
However, it still wasn't enough for Zhang Nu. He felt that he needed to amass at least three to five hundred dragons. This way, he could form a dragon legion. In future conquests, there wouldn't be a need to deploy hundreds of thousands of ground troops; a few hundred Abyssal Dragons could overwhelm any forces with their might, offering not just a deterrent effect but also greater mobility and efficiency.
Of course, creating so many would require more money. There was no need to rush. Zhang Nu still had a significant portion of disposable income. Considering he had a batch of Level 6 souls, and had recently collected a large number of them after the battle in the Elro region, along with the Level 5 soul crystals farmed from the Ancient Land of Stars dungeon, he had almost accumulated enough Level 6 souls.
With a determined heart and a grit of his teeth, Zhang Nu decided to advance Zhang San and Li Si. Once they were upgraded to Level 6 through the altar, they would gain near-mythic strength, and Darkness City would gain two more Earth Drake Sovereigns and two more Sky Drake Sovereigns. Such a move would consume a vast amount of gold, gems, and souls, but the significant leap in Darkness City's comprehensive strength would be worth it. Although gold, gems, and souls were precious, resources could be earned back. The most pressing task was to develop the territory, annex the empire, and conquer the seas as quickly as possible.
Days later, under the leadership of Nancilia and Marilyn, 560,000 elves successfully migrated to the Giantree City. The chieftain of the Moonwell tribe, Sigrid, saw the great Ancient Tree of Eternity from afar and was so moved that she shed tears of excitement, leading hundreds of thousands of elves to kneel and worship as if they were witnessing the arrival of the Goddess of Nature.
Nancilia said, "Everyone, don't get too excited. Let's enter the Giantree City first!"
Chieftain Sigrid led the elves to the vicinity of the Giantree City. When they felt the amplification of the Tree of Eternity, everyone became so exhilarated that they couldn't contain themselves. For the elderly elves, as they entered the influence range of the Tree of Eternity, their wrinkled faces immediately regained youthfulness, becoming rosy and lustrous, and their bodies quickly rejuvenated. This was because the Tree of Eternity significantly extended the lifespan of the elves. This amplification could even allow an elf to live two to three times their normal lifespan. Just this benefit alone was incomparable for the elves, not to mention that the Tree of Eternity also accelerated elves' recovery and increased their training speed several-fold. Undoubtedly, this was a genuine Ancient Tree of Eternity. With such a divine tree, the elves living nearby, whether in terms of quality of life, training speed, or production efficiency, were unmatched by elves from other areas.
Giantree City already had a population of 560,000 to 600,000, among which the elf population had already surpassed 400,000. Now, with the Moonwell tribe leading several elf tribes to migrate here, Giantree City instantly became the tenth large city in the Chaos Forest with a population exceeding one million.
The Chaos Federation was well-prepared for this. Darkness City had anticipated that the population of Giantree City would surge after the establishment of the Tree of Eternity, increasing several-fold in a short time, so they sent 20,000 draconian craftsmen skilled in construction to build more facilities and buildings for the elven capital.
"Fantastic! Giantree City now has a million elves! Our elven race will greatly strengthen!" Marilyn was very excited. "I've just received several more messages! Other large groups of migrating elves are also on their way and are expected to arrive within half a month. The population of Giantree City will soon reach one and a half million, or even two million!"
As they watched hundreds of thousands of elves joyfully entering Giantree City, Nancilia felt happy for her people and excited for the imminent revival of the elven race. She said, "This is all thanks to His Majesty's grace!"
Marilyn suggested, "We should first take Chieftain Sigrid and the elders, as well as the chieftains of other elf tribes to Darkness City to meet His Majesty."
"That makes sense!" Sigrid and other elven leaders had already learned about the developments in the Chaos Forest during their journey. They were amazed by the powerful abilities of the lord of Darkness City, but they hadn't yet met the Demon King in person. So naturally, upon arriving at Giantree City, their first order of business was to pay respects and pledge allegiance to the true ruler of this land.
Two hours later, Sigrid and two hundred elves were transported to Darkness City. These elves were tribal chieftains and elders, and they were astonished by Darkness City as soon as they arrived, feeling nervous and excited. Darkness City was already home to a large number of elves. Due to the presence of the Demon King's Castle, the amplifications it received were no less than those from the Tree of Eternity, and the city's rich and powerful facilities were dazzling and abundant.
"It's incredible! I can feel it. The power of the structures here seems to be no less than that of the Tree of Eternity!" Sigrid discovered that Darkness City was filled with treasures, such as the Tower of Lost Trials, the Rift Tower, the Stellar Gateway, various temples, altars, and more.
Of course, the towering Demon Dragon Castle was not to be missed. The amplifications and energy released from the Demon Dragon Castle were no less significant than those from the Tree of Eternity. With her limited knowledge, Sigrid couldn't comprehend or imagine how such a city was built, and what kind of grand and inconceivable being could possess such a place?!
"First, we'll pay our respects to His Majesty. Then I'll take you on a tour of Darkness City," Nancilia proudly said. "Dark City is the capital of our Chaos Federation. The facilities here, such as the library, the Elven Sanctuary, the Training Tower, the Tower of Trial, the Rift Tower, are all like treasure troves. Any one of them would amaze you."
As they spoke, they led the two hundred elves to the Demon King's Castle. The moment they arrived at the castle, Sigrid felt an unimaginable pressure from Dragon Dear and was once again utterly shocked, exclaiming, "Dragons,! True dragons! How can there be so many dragons here?!"
At that moment, near the Demon Dragon Castle, there were at least thousands of high-level true dragons. Not to mention the Demon King's royal guard legion, a force with considerable strength. Just the ninety abyssal dragons were enough to astonish anyone, as true dragons are very rare and powerful creatures that usually prefer solitude. So many powerful draconic beings gathered inside and outside the castle, serving as loyal guards without a hint of negligence. Nancilia was also somewhat surprised, as she hadn't expected Darkness City to have so many true dragons.
However, she wasn't astonished and simply said, "It seems His Majesty has recently summoned some of his kin from the abyssal world to pledge allegiance to him."
"There's nothing surprising about that! With His Majesty's strength, this is nothing!"
As they spoke, she led the elves through the palace guarded by abyssal dragons and finally arrived at the grand and magnificent Demon King's Hall, where facilities like the Resurrection Altar were releasing powerful energies.
Even before entering, the elves felt a strong sense of oppression. This oppressive feeling was typical of a monarch's might, and compared to ordinary races, this monarch's might, coming from a top-tier superior race, was even more terrifying and shuddering.
"Dragon Kings?!" At the entrance to the hall, standing like four mighty guardians, were four monarchs: two Earth Drake Sovereigns and two Sky Drake Sovereigns. Even Nancilia exclaimed in surprise. Although it's difficult for outsiders to distinguish between draconians by appearance, Nancilia recognized the main draconian leaders of Darkness City due to her prolonged association.
"Wang Er, Zhao Wu, Sun Liu, Zhou Qi, is that you?" Nancilia looked at them in astonishment, "You've all advanced to become monarchs!"
Earth Drake Sovereign Wang Er laughed heartily: "It turns out to be Her Highness the Elven King. We have received His Majesty's favor and have now been promoted to monarchs."
Although they were only Level 5 monarchs, four Level 5 monarchs represented an incredibly strong fighting force.
Draconian priest Sun Liu said: "Are you here to pay respects to His Majesty? He is currently inside the hall. Coincidentally, Zhang San and Li Si have also been promoted and are now Level 6 Dragon Lords!"
The Darkness City's Three Titans, all Level 6 now? And the addition of these four Dragon Kings - Fantastic Four? The foundation of Darkness City's dragon-kind is too strong! Nancilia felt exhilarated and surprised, while Sigrid and other elven leaders were practically petrified on the spot.
Dragon Kings, even rarer than Elven Kings! The emergence of a king among dragon-kind anywhere was a significant event worthy of attention! But here in Darkness City, just among the Demon King's subordinates, there are already seven monarchs? That's just outrageous; when did monarchs become so devalued! The power of the Chaos Federation was terrifying indeed."