"Zhang Nu! The number one Demon King!"
Tarak's expression grew serious, a peculiar gleam flashing in his eyes. He coldly asked, "What are your intentions here?"
Zhang Nu got straight to the point, "I am tracking something extremely important to me. It's currently hiding in your territory. I hope you can allow me access, and I will certainly offer something in return."
Hearing this, Tarak burst into laughter, "This is my territory. Do you think you can just come and go as you please without regard for me?"
Zhang Nu replied calmly, "If I truly didn't respect you, there would be no need for this conversation."
Tarak was furious. Although Zhang Nu's words were honest, they sounded like a challenge to him. Despite not ranking as high as Zhang Nu, Tarak was still a top-tier Demon King, enjoying significant influence and close ties with many factions in his region. He couldn't swallow this insult easily.
"Here, in my domain, anything within it belongs to me!" Tarak, calming himself, said, "If you want to enter and retrieve what you seek, that's possible. But first, you must pay a purchase fee of 10 billion gold!"
Zhang Nu chuckled, "It seems you don't want to negotiate."
Tarak scoffed, "I've already named a very reasonable price. Whether you can afford it is not my concern. If you lack the ability to pay, that's your problem, not mine."
Zhang Nu shook his head. He initially intended to resolve the issue through proper communication and peaceful means. However, it seemed that wasn't necessary anymore. Since Tarak was so uncooperative, Zhang Nu saw no reason to extend him any more courtesy. It was time to solve this in a way Tarak could understand and accept. With this thought in mind, powerful energy began to surge around Zhang Nu.
Tarak sneered, "You want to fight? In my territory? You're audacious. Let me show you just how foolish you are!"
Tarak's refusal to give the No. 1 Demon King any respect stemmed not only from his confidence in his own strength but also from his desire to capture Zhang Nu. If he could sell Zhang Nu to the Heroes or extract value from him in various ways, the benefits would be enormous. He might even take Zhang Nu's place as the top Demon King.
Tarak was not ignorant of recent events. He knew that just a few days ago, Zhang Nu had gone to Behemoth Highlands and, on the enemy's turf, successfully killed the powerful Hero Amit. According to public information, Amit was also a Level 6 legend.
Despite this, Tarak was not reckless. He dared to take action mainly due to his advantageous position. Unlike the Heroes, a top-tier Demon King's domain was filled with buildings of magical power, facilities for attack, defense, and support, all of which could be directly connected to the Demon King.
Titan City had countless offensive and defensive structures, as well as numerous support and enhancement facilities. This home-field advantage was something Heroes could never possess. Moreover, Tarak had many powerful subordinates. Besides the mighty warriors of his own race, he had numerous allied elites and top fighters sent by collaborating factions.
The allied forces included two Level 6 mythics, four Level 6 monarchs, and a considerable stationed army from allied races. His own tribe boasted one Level 6 mythic, four Level 6 monarchs, and many Level 5 monarchs. Such strength was formidable even by abyssal standards. Given these circumstances, there was no reason for him to lose.
Tarak unleashed thousands of Dark Titan Divine Thunderbolts, which rained down on Zhang Nu like a torrential storm. "Let's see what makes you the number one Demon King!"
Zhang Nu, facing a full-strength attack from an opponent of equal rank and a race just as powerful as his own, remained unfazed. He immediately activated his Abyssal Scales. In the next second, the scales on Zhang Nu's body turned pitch black, like the depths of night. Simultaneously, he activated his Abyssal Devouring talent.
No matter if it was Tarak or the other dark titans, all their attacks vanished upon contact with Zhang Nu, as if absorbed into nothingness. Zhang Nu effortlessly absorbed the terrifying force, which could easily destroy a city, and then released it back as a black laser beam aimed at Tarak.
All of this happened in an instant. Tarak was forced back several hundred meters, suffering significant damage, and his expression grew even more serious. However, at that moment, a light emanated from an altar within Titan City. The light instantly healed Tarak's wounds, making them vanish without a trace, as if he had never been injured.
"Everyone attack together! Concentrate your fire! His defense may be high, but he can't withstand our combined assault!"
Tarak once again gathered his power, while hundreds of dark titans, tens of thousands of Demon King followers, and various high-level offensive structures launched a massive attack. The overwhelming offensive force, like a tsunami, surged towards Zhang Nu.
Even for a being of Zhang Nu's caliber, a Level 6 legendary existence, directly enduring such an assault would significantly deplete his HP. Zhang Nu could have used Spatial Phasing or Temporal Mirage to evade the attacks, but he chose not to. Instead, he unleashed the power of time, dispersing it in all directions.
This technique, known as Time Warp, severely distorted and disrupted the flow of time around him. What would have been a simultaneous strike was fragmented into a series of staggered attacks, rendering the concentrated fire ineffective. With the attacks no longer synchronized, their collective power was diminished.
Zhang Nu absorbed the dispersed energy and condensed it into a massive sword. This sword was a fusion of the energies from Tarak, the hundreds of dark titans, the thousands of Demon King followers, and various offensive attacks. Moreover, Zhang Nu infused it with dragon flame, abyssal lightning, and corrupted blood, making it even more formidable.
Sensing danger, Tarak immediately attempted to escape using a teleportation skill. In the next instant, Zhang Nu tore through the space in front of him, and the devastating sword emerged from the void before Tarak. Zhang Nu swung the sword at Tarak's back, but it pierced him from the front, slicing through the Dark Titan Demon King's invulnerable body as easily as a hot knife through butter, cutting him in half.
However, just as it seemed the battle was decided, it was far from over. Tarak activated a special ability from one of the structures within his territory. His body, which had been cleaved in two, instantly reformed, showing no signs of injury or side effects.
"Hahaha! No matter how many times you attack, it's useless! This is my turf, you can't kill me!" Tarak's confidence was unshaken. He still had many tricks up his sleeve.
At this moment, Zhang Nu sensed that the Eye of Space, which had been hiding near Titan City, used the time Zhang Nu was entangled with Tarak to recover and had now disappeared without a trace.
"It seems... I can't afford to be delayed by you any longer," Zhang Nu muttered to himself.
As he spoke, a strange scene unfolded. The entire world froze instantly, and everything came to a standstill. In the next moment, the whole world shattered like a mirror, and the Titan Demon King, his followers, and all the formidable beings in Titan City vanished before his eyes. Zhang Nu reappeared above Titan City, with time reverting to the moment he had just arrived. This wasn't time reversal but rather Zhang Nu using his temporal abilities to foresee events.
This time, Zhang Nu didn't hesitate. He no longer considered giving face to the Titan Demon King. He directly unleashed his spatial-temporal powers, tearing through the barrier surrounding Titan City and entering the ancient island. Before the Titans could react, he immediately locked onto the Eye of Space.
"Trying to escape again?"
The Eye of Space had hoped to use the titans on this island to stall Zhang Nu, not expecting him to catch up so quickly. In the next instant, the eye unleashed its spatial power, attempting to tear open space and flee.
However, Zhang Nu's temporal and spatial power instantly locked down the surrounding space, rendering the Eye of Space immobile. Zhang Nu's control over time and space was far beyond what a mere Eye of Space could resist.
"Die!" Zhang Nu activated Death Gaze, instantly reducing the HP of this Level 6 mythic Evil God Eye to zero. The eye exploded but quickly reformed, ultimately transforming into a jade-like orb with no trace of life, shaped like an eyeball.
Mission accomplished! The final piece of the puzzle was finally in hand.