Chapter 743: Demon

The Black Elf tribe was quite prosperous. Black Elf guards were patrolling the streets in every direction, each squad numbering over a hundred. Fully armed, they carried various weapons, clearly identifiable as mages, rogues, warriors, and so on.

Nie Yan’s gaze swept across the faces of the Black Elves. Their appearance was somewhat similar to that of the common White Elves, but they lacked the fair, clean skin of the White Elves. Their grayish-black skin was dull and lifeless. On their leather armor, each bore the mark of a black moon.

In the history of faith, the Black Elves were a group of traitors who had abandoned the worship of the Moon Goddess and became servants of demons. During the war for the Tree of Life, the Black Elves were expelled and their numbers sharply declined. Some fled underground, while others were scattered across the continent of Atlantis, constantly hunted by White Elf tribes.

Nie Yan silently evaded these patrolling Black Elves, weaving between the low, dilapidated houses.

In the distance, a plaza emerged into view, and a tall figure was pacing back and forth—it must have been a boss-level creature.

From far away, Nie Yan couldn’t clearly see its appearance. The creature stood five to six yards tall, and he could faintly see a pair of wings flapping behind it. Each step it took caused the ground to tremble slightly.

Nie Yan’s heart skipped a beat—it was a demon!

Thanks to the efforts of NPCs from the Kingdom of Greenland and the Empire of Saturn, demons had become rare on the continent of Atlantis.

Demons came in many forms. High-tier demons were beings capable of rivaling archangels. They possessed extremely advanced intelligence, and their appearance would plunge the entire continent of Atlantis into panic. Even legendary NPCs would struggle to confront high-tier demons. The demon over there was likely a low-tier servant.

Nie Yan decided to go closer and investigate. He swiftly moved forward, reaching the edge of the plaza, about a hundred yards away from the demon. Finally, he could see its face clearly.

The demon before him had blood-red skin, its surface covered with a thin layer of flame. Its face was hideous and terrifying, with a pair of massive wings flapping slowly behind it. Its arms hung down like a monkey’s, taking occasional steps and occasionally lifting off the ground to float in the air. In its right hand, it held a massive sword, entirely engulfed in green flame.

As if sensing something, the demon looked around warily.

Nie Yan held his breath, using the structures around the plaza for cover as he slowly approached and cast a reconnaissance spell on the demon.

Demon Slayer: Demon-Lord Transformed, Level 120.

A Demon-Lord Transformed!

Nie Yan’s heart sank. Current players might not fully grasp the strength of a Demon-Lord Transformed, but he understood it all too well. Any area where a Demon-Lord Transformed appeared was considered a no-go zone for players.

Even if Tang Yao, Xie Yao, and the others assembled a massive team of over a thousand players, it was uncertain whether they could defeat a Level 130 Demon-Lord Transformed. Even the formidable defense of Radiant Blade would struggle against a Mutated-Level 130 boss, let alone a Demon-Lord Transformed—attempting such a feat would be tantamount to suicide.

Although still far away, Nie Yan could clearly feel the scorching waves of heat radiating from the Demon Slayer, an overwhelming and chilling aura emanating from it. Demons were harbingers of fear and plague.

Nie Yan noticed that the Demon Slayer kept wandering near the edge of a raised platform at the center of the plaza. Judging from its shape, it was likely an altar.

That must be where the treasure was hidden.

“Sky Yuan, how’s the situation?” Seeing that Nie Yan hadn’t responded for a while, Sanjie Buliu asked with some confusion.

Nie Yan shook his head with a bitter smile and said, “We might as well give up.”

“Why?” The team members were puzzled by Nie Yan’s words. They had spent over a month to finally arrive here. Why would they give up without even finding the treasure?

“The altar we’re looking for has a Level 130 Demon-Lord Transformed guarding it. Do you still believe we can retrieve the treasure?”

Upon hearing this, everyone was momentarily stunned. They had heard rumors about Demon-Lord Transformed before, but had never seen one. They knew these creatures were powerful, though they didn’t know exactly how strong. For them, a Level 130 boss was already an insurmountable obstacle, let alone a Demon-Lord Transformed.

“How strong are they?”

“Even dozens of regular bosses of the same level would have no choice but to flee when facing a Demon-Lord Transformed of the same level,” Nie Yan explained. He could only give a general idea, as he had never defeated one himself. In his previous life, he would usually avoid them at all costs. If he wasn’t fast enough to escape, he would be instantly killed.

He recalled that once, the Triumph Empire had dispatched over 500 top-tier players above Level 100 to form a team. They suffered five consecutive defeats before finally overcoming a Level 60 Demon-Lord Transformed. Back then, they obtained a divine-tier Level 60 weapon, which was even more powerful than Level 100 legendary equipment. It had been a major news event at the time.

A Level 130 Demon-Lord Transformed could even destroy a fortress.

“Is there no other way? Can we lure it away?” Su Youyou asked in the team chat.

“Whoever can survive for five minutes without dying while being chased by a Level 130 Demon-Lord Transformed, I’ll call him my master,” Nie Yan replied in the team chat.

“What about you? Can’t you do it?” Su Youyou asked in surprise. Ever since Nie Yan had soloed a Level 180 elite monster, she had developed the impression that Nie Yan was capable of anything.

“No. Even if I could survive for five minutes, could you guarantee that you could open the altar within that time? Even if you managed to get the item, I estimate that we’d definitely be pursued by the Demon-Lord Transformed. If we were killed, the item would be taken back by it.” Nie Yan said. He estimated that he could survive for about three to four minutes while being chased by a Level 130 Demon-Lord Transformed—that would already be his limit. The players hadn’t reached this plaza yet. If they discovered that there was a Demon-Lord Transformed in the heart of the Black Elf tribe, they would likely declare this place a forbidden zone in no time.

They still didn’t know exactly where the treasure was or what steps were required to open it. If they couldn’t open it within five minutes, Nie Yan’s sacrifice would be in vain. Plus, they hadn’t yet investigated the altar’s situation. Generally, Demon-Lord Transformed possessed very high intelligence. If they successfully lured it away once, it would become more cautious the next time, making it difficult to use the same method again.

Everyone fell silent, a deep sense of frustration filling their hearts. The Demon-Lord Transformed was like an inescapable shadow.

Nie Yan retreated and exited the Black Elf tribe, reuniting with Su Youyou, Sanjie Buliu, and the others outside.

“We’ll figure something out later. Let’s get in touch when we come up with a plan,” Nie Yan said. This encounter with the Level 130 Demon-Lord Transformed made him deeply aware that his current strength was still far from sufficient. Since there were so many powerful creatures in Faith, it proved that there was still great room for players to improve their levels and abilities.

The Three Realms, Su Youyou, and the others remained silent. With Nie Yan joining in, they had believed there was a chance to open the treasure, but in the end, it proved to be a futile endeavor. They couldn’t think of any way to defeat a Level 130 Demon-Lord Transformed.

“Forget it. If we can’t do it this time, we’ll try again next time,” Sanjie Buliu said with a cheerful laugh. He was quite easygoing about it.

Nie Yan smiled and patted Sanjie Buliu’s shoulder. He quite admired this person.

“What are your plans next?” Su Youyou asked, noticing that Nie Yan seemed ready to leave. “Would you like to level up together?”

“I still have a task to do,” Nie Yan replied, politely declining her invitation.

Everyone sighed. They were ultimately not on the same level as Nie Yan. They understood that this was just a wishful thought. Nie Yan was destined to become a legend, while they were merely ordinary players.

Just as the group was preparing to disperse, a group of over a thousand players came from the jungle direction. At the front were thirty to forty shield warriors clad in full metal armor, and behind them were players of all classes, their formation very orderly.

Nie Yan fixed his gaze on this group of players. His observation skills were exceptionally sharp. With just a sweep of his eyes, he could instantly assess their equipment level. In the Kingdom of Greenlan, only the Niu Ren Tribe could likely assemble such a formidable team.

“It’s the people from Angel Domination,” Three Realms No Remain whispered.

“They’re probably here for early exploration.”

No wonder, Nie Yan thought. These people looked unfamiliar; none of Yan Lie’s men were among them.

Upon seeing Nie Yan, Sanjie Buli, and the others, over ten players immediately rushed toward them.

Area Announcement: Tian Shi Ba Ye is clearing the area. Unrelated players please leave.

“Let’s go,” Sanjie Buliu said in the team chat. He was being cautious. They couldn’t afford to provoke Angel’s Domination, a large and powerful guild.

Su Youyou furrowed her delicate brows. She clearly disliked Angel Domination, but she also understood that it was best not to cause any trouble at this moment.

Nie Yan followed Sanjie Buliu and the others, encountering players from Angelic Dominance along the way. Quietly slipping away like this wasn’t his style, but upon reflection, Sanjie Buliu and the group were unrelated to the matter. He decided to follow them out first and return later.

The dozen warriors quickly surrounded Nie Yan, Sanjie Buli, and the others.

“Well well, it’s Youyou. Didn’t expect to meet you here,” one of the Angel Dominance warriors, a shield warrior, locked his gaze on Su Youyou at the center of the group. The man was around thirty years old, with a somewhat sleazy appearance.

Nie Yan cast a Super Insight on the man. His name was Great White Shark. Nie Yan vaguely remembered him. There was someone like this in Angelic Overlords, ranked among the top five shield warriors.

“Do you know him?” Nie Yan glanced at Su Youyou beside him and asked.

“A scumbag. We used to party together,” Su Youyou replied with a look of disgust.