Chapter 457: Rivals Meet Amidst the Storm

The emergence of the humanoid race made the already turbulent Monster Hunting Plains even more unstable.

The conflicts on the Demon Hunting Plains continued to escalate, even escalating into battles involving tens of thousands of participants on several occasions.

In the real world, conflicts between countries continue to occur incessantly.

The most shocking event to the world was that Qin Hai awakened all the sleeping demons.

That event shook the entire world.

I had always thought that only one ten-thousand-strong demon army had awakened from that volcano, swarming out like a horde of bees, covering the heavens and earth.

Not just ten thousand demons, but as many as one hundred thousand demon sovereigns awoke from their slumber within that sea of flames.

At that moment, the entire world could feel the chilling waves of energy.

Qin Hai transformed into the King of Hell, leading one hundred thousand demons to attack a small country and destroying all the resisters there.

Qin Hai became the king of that small country, while all the humans became slaves.

The Qin family of Huaxia began to grow active once again.

Qin Hai provided a large amount of funds to the Qin family, causing the already powerful family to gradually become a splintering force.

The一直没有露面的王 of India began to act疯狂ly.

The Deathless Devil King seemed to sense Qin Hai’s movements as if in a single night and foresaw something.

Hundreds of thousands of Indians were slaughtered, and the blood and flesh of the dead were cast into a pool of blood.

The sky over a state in India turned blood-red, as if hell itself had descended.

The immortal demon race of that day became a meat grinder of slaughter, causing the Indians to tremble and wail endlessly.

The parasitic demons of Korea have revived their king—the Parasitic King.

This is a powerful expert whose strength is close to two thousand Zun after the revival.

At that moment, many places around the world felt as if the apocalypse had arrived.

The Parasitic King led an army of one hundred thousand troops straight toward Japan.

In Japan, the two nations engaged in the most brutal clash between demon clans in history. The intense energy was so powerful that it crossed the ocean, reaching the lands of Huaxia, where it could still be distinctly felt.

The parasitic demon suffered tens of thousands of casualties and eventually retreated, while several cities in Japan were also destroyed.

The outcome of this battle was astonishing.

Because no one had expected that the King of Demons, with the strength of two thousand, would personally engage in battle and still fail to conquer a nation.

In that battle, satellites were aimed at the battlefield one by one, yet they captured only layers of mist.

This is something that someone does not want others to peek at.

Although the Devil King has not yet regained his peak strength, his power is still far beyond what ordinary humans can confront.

What exactly is Japan hiding to have been able to drive back a demon king like him?

The same war is also taking place on the demon-hunting battlefield.

Demon Hunting Plains——

Just how vast the Demon Hunting Plains are, no one has ever reached their end to this day.

Only after people have walked a certain distance do they realize that there are countless lives existing deep within this plain.

Deep within the marshlands northeast of the Demon Hunting Plains, an immensely large castle stands tall in the heart of the swamp.

For thousands of kilometers, this swamp is shrouded in thick, black fog.

Innumerable serpent-like beings slithered through the marsh, exhaling and inhaling dark mist.

Boom.

In one direction, two snake people met and engaged in a fierce battle.

Among snakes, the victor of a battle may consume part of the defeated opponent’s flesh and blood to grow stronger.

Such conflicts occurred in all directions across this region.

In the center of the swamp lies a city, one not smaller than a country.

In the city, countless houses are built from stacked animal bones, among which towering dragon bones and enormous beast bones reach up to the sky.

Every bone belongs to a powerful life.

Now they are merely houses used by the snake people for shelter.

These houses also represent the glory and achievements of the Snake People.

The area near the city center was a bone palace built from countless dragon bones and human bones.

At the central top position of the Bone Hall, there is a bone throne formed by a human skeleton prostrated on the ground in a posture of worship.

It is said that this is the skeleton of a human king.

The first Serpent King fought against the human king in the Domain of Demons and beheaded him.

Although the Snake King survived, he was severely injured.

Not long after, the Snake King also passed away, leaving behind only this throne-like bone, a symbol of glory.

The bones of the strongest human serve as the throne, and only the mighty are bestowed with such honor.

Today, within this bone殿, thirty serpent people were bowing in worship.

Every named serpent person wore an extremely serious expression.

At this moment, another snake-man entered through the main gate of the bone palace.

Thirty snake people, upon seeing this new snake person enter, all ceased their worship and turned their attention toward him.

“Snake Demon, you’ve finally returned,” said a serpent joyfully. “Are you now qualified to enter the fourth stage?”

The snake person who entered was none other than the Snake Demon who had displayed extraordinary prowess in the Red Fire Land.

At this moment, he wore an indifferent expression. After entering, he walked respectfully to the bone throne, knelt down in worship, then stood up and said, “I still have some gaps before reaching the fourth stage. I would like to solidify my foundation at the third stage before attempting to advance to the fourth.”

Another snake person said solemnly, “Snake Demon, you must act quickly. The damned humans seem to be rising again outside the Demon Hunting Plains. It appears they haven’t learned their lesson from not long ago.”

All the Serpent Clan members were filled with righteous fury, clenching their fists fiercely as they snarled, “They’ve already suffered heavy losses forcing us into this domain. Do they actually dare to challenge us again so soon?”

The Snake Demon’s eyes narrowed tightly as he coldly said, “Rest assured, everyone. Humans are merely my food. This time after returning from the Red Fire Land, I spent more than two months strengthening my power, waiting for just one opportunity.”

A snake person sneered, “Humans are too arrogant. I’ve learned from captured humans that they have once again experienced destruction; even the King’s power has dropped to its lowest point. Such humans are worse than insects and ants. Let them realize that taking our territory back then was the worst mistake they ever made.”

A serpent man roared furiously, “The will of the Serpent King will also awaken, and when that time comes, let the humans of this world tremble.”

These snake people emitted a torrent of breath, like a tsunami of the ocean, surging from the bone palace throughout the entire city, and then spreading from the city into the marshes.

The serpentine inhabitants of the city and the marsh lay prostrate on the ground, their bodies trembling in fear.

Thirty snake people knelt down again, chanting in a language that was incomprehensible to others.

The snake demon then crawled on the ground, moving towards the bone throne.

The closer he got, the more excited he became, and his expression grew even more respectful.

A snake person shouted loudly, “Snake Demon, you are an outcast of our serpent race, yet you are a natural-born ruler. Since ancient times, none but a king may approach the Bone Throne. However, you are indeed exceptional, and we agree to allow you to cultivate your powers by using the Bone Throne.”

Another snake person said, “This bone throne retains the scent of past snake kings, and even carries the essence of the king himself. By absorbing these scents, you will grow much faster.”

The snake demon drew closer, and a faint black mist began to rise from the bone throne.

The snake demon opened its mouth wide, as if a bottomless whirlpool were swallowing all the black gas into its belly.

“Slit.”

Dark energy surged into his body, causing the flesh and blood of the serpent demon to tear apart from the flesh down to the sinews and bones.

The serpent demon does not merely feed on humans or devour its own kind; it can also absorb the lingering essence left behind by powerful beings to sense the process of their evolution.

In this process, he moved faster than any other being.

A mouthful of black qi entered the body, and thirty snake people simultaneously emitted boundless black qi. This qi transformed into countless rope-like strands that wrapped around the snake demon, pulling it out from in front of the bone throne.

Although the snake demon was covered in cracks and bleeding profusely, it was still alive.

But the Snake Demon, his expression filled with excitement, roared even more furiously, “I can feel it! Haha, the energy is very clear, because I once fought against the King!”

The snake demon did not expect that his battle with Qin Hai and Lu Yu in the Crimson Flames Land would give him an earlier understanding of the King’s Power.

He had more than once absorbed the aura from the bone seat, but never had it been this clear.

He could sense the breath of the serpent kings from all generations, as well as the breath of the king seated upon the bone throne.

Two distinct auras are merging, gradually transforming into the unique essence of the serpent demon, which is being absorbed and digested.

At the same time, the thirty snake people around him suddenly lunged forward and licked up every drop of blood flowing from the snake demon’s body.

They lacked the ability to absorb the aura from the bone seat through normal means.

However, when these scents are mixed within members of the same clan, they can obtain a portion of them by consuming the blood and flesh of their own kin.

The Snake Demon gazed at the sky outside the Bone Palace, his voice a growl: “Lu Yu, Qin Hai, after I finish absorbing these auras, I will come for you. How could I ever forget our recent battle?”

Few know what transpired within the sacred bone殿 of the Serpent Clan.

Just like how no one knows exactly how many snake-people exist in this vast city.

Even the higher echelons of the Serpent Race have not been fully documented.

Every day, large numbers of snake people leave this swamp, entering the territories where humans appear in groups to hunt and kill.

Strange Mouth, Black Wolf, and the Ape Demon Clan.

The four major human tribes continuously compressed the living space of humans in the Monster Hunting Plains.

Similarly, humans were well aware that these humanoid beings possessed the evolutionary fluid and the Soul of Blue Planet—resources that humans desperately needed.

Even though they were fully aware of the immense power of the humanoid race, they still launched counterattacks without regard for their own lives.

Using supreme star soldiers, star treasures, armor, skills, and star souls to bridge the gap in power.

Human resilience angers the humanoid race.

Meanwhile, the four major human factions were also destroying various resources controlled by humanity, and were closing in on the ruins of the royal city.

The various factions at the ruins of the royal city were equally alarmed.

Because the humanoid race has deployed more than fifty thousand warriors advancing here this time, these are fifty thousand Zunzhi.

Although humans are not digging very deep at present, they have already unearthed a vast number of Blue Planet Souls and various star treasures from the ruins.

Some people have even obtained bones of Wang Zun.

A special storage pearl was discovered here by an American organization, containing an entire Lanking Mining Site within it.

Even Qin Hai’s demon unearthed a thousand Supreme Star Weapons, with the weakest being weapons of single attribute at the level of thirty Zun.

This wasn’t a mistake made by the tomb-robbing master and apprentice either.

Instead, their cooperation with Lu Yu was primarily focused on collecting the bones of King Zun and various other treasures.

After all, no one knows exactly how many treasures are hidden here. If we were to search inch by inch and examine each item one by one…

Lu Yu feared that the various organizations had already dug to the deepest levels, and even the two of them would be unable to search through a tenth of the ruins.

It’s normal to have missed Wang Zun’s bones. However, the two master and apprentice did pick up the most important batch of items from the ruins.

Some Star Treasures can be exchanged for dozens, or even tens of Star Soldiers controlled by demons.

It was exactly the thing that the two master and apprentice deliberately let go, and it was also a vast treasure.

Such a treasure is something no organization would choose to abandon.

As the humanoid tribes gathered in this direction, major organizations also sent their representatives.

Over one hundred thousand soldiers gathered around the mountain range.

With the large-scale emergence of Star Blossoms on the Demon Hunting Plains, Evolution Liquids continued to set new records there and became rewards. Coupled with Lu Yu beginning to sell Star Blossoms and the increasing number of Grade Nine Star Spirit Stones, warriors from various countries have been becoming Sovereigns in countless numbers.

Each of them is an elite from various factions, and perhaps they do not possess Supreme Star Weapons in their hands.

However, everyone possesses supreme-level strength.

Indians dared not approach the battlefield.

Because they were terrified of being killed by Lu Yu.

However, the demon race of India cooperated with an organization and dispatched over a thousand undead demons to guard it.

Half of what this organization acquires belongs to the Immortal Demon Clan.

In the same way, South Korean parasitic demons have also parasitized hundreds of warriors from an American organization to enter this place.

Some people even reported seeing several hundred powerful demons of the Hundred Zun rank appearing among the ruins.

Tens of thousands of demons arrived, exuding an aggressive and domineering aura with boundless arrogance.

Standing directly within the ruins, the astonishing momentum sent shivers through the approaching humanoid tribes.

This is the information released by Qin Hai.

He’s claiming this ruin for himself.

Lu Yu’s people also arrived, but their purpose was to relieve Shi Hu and others in guarding the ruins.

Shi Hu and others indeed left.

Some organizations angrily remarked, “What does this mean? Lu Yu has claimed the largest portion of the ruins but hasn’t sent a single person to defend it. Look at these 300 people who arrived—there are only two at the peak of their cultivation. This isn’t even close to being a real battle force.”

“If he doesn’t want this ruin, there are plenty who do. If the humanoid tribes really attack, let them flatten Lu Yu’s ruin first.”

Countless people were filled with anger.

Major organizations were dissatisfied with Lu Yu’s methods.

Although they had recruited one hundred thousand soldiers, in the end they did not send even one thousand, which was clearly an act of bullying them.

Meanwhile, some organizations were still working with Lu Yu on building the city walls, swallowing their bitterness and complaints in silence.

The humanoid tribes are gradually advancing toward the ruins of the royal city, moving faster and drawing closer each day.

“Three U.S. support teams surrounded the humanoid army, annihilating them completely until not even a trace of bone fragments remained.”

This message, when conveyed to the ruins, enraged the American organization to an extreme degree.

It also cast a heavy atmosphere within various organizations.

This signifies that the humanoid race has already begun their attack.

Above the ruins of the royal city, the mountains were lined with one hundred thousand warriors from various factions, their murderous intent palpable as they prepared to confront the humanoid race.

“The humanoid tribes are no more than two days’ journey away from the ruins. However, there seem to be more than fifty thousand of them. I personally witnessed a black wolf that appeared to possess strength nearing the fourth stage.”

Some organizations sent out people who brought back messages that made all parties even more nervous.

They simply have no idea how formidable the strength of these humanoid races truly is; their power completely surpasses that of humans.

Five ten-thousands of Supreme beings already possess an overwhelming force.

If there were even one more leader of the fourth stage, it would be a complete domination!

And just ten minutes after this person returned with the news, two more people came back with additional information.

A thousand-strong British battalion was hanged, while a five-hundred-member elite unit of the Huaxia Heavenly God Organization was also completely annihilated.

Only two humanoid tribes took action.

However, both of the humanoid creatures were at the third stage, and their power under the mutation was practically invincible.

“Damn it, if I ever get the chance, I’ll crush them all to death!” In the ruins of the ancient city, a leader of the Celestial Deity Organization roared furiously, his eyes nearly bursting with rage.

He clearly understood the strength of these five hundred elite troops.

Even with all its wealth and power, the Celestial Deity Organization couldn’t possibly remain indifferent after losing five hundred elite warriors.

The loss is in the hundreds of billions.

It takes at least twenty billion Star Spirit Stones to cultivate such an elite individual.

Suddenly, another person rushed back with news, his voice brimming with excitement: “A humanoid squad of a hundred warriors, along with a second-stage leader, has been wiped out. All that’s left are scattered bones and severed limbs across the ground. I personally witnessed a man dressed in black remove the head of that second-stage leader. It was done by one person—one single individual.”

As soon as the news spread to the ruins, it immediately energized all the factions there like a shot of adrenaline, filling them with excitement.

“Who is this? Who did this? Was it the organization? No, it’s that person’s strength. Someone who can take on a hundred alone… such people are extremely rare.”

“Is that Lu Yu?”

“Maybe it’s Qin Hai.”

“No, I think it’s possible that either the King of the Demon Race from India or the Devil King from Korea might have done it.”

The man who brought the news spoke seriously, “It’s neither Lu Yu nor Qin Hai. This person is very unique, dressed entirely in black. Half of his body is black, and the other half is crimson red, with black and bloody tendrils coiling around him—it’s quite eerie.”

Americans, listen!” Several leaders first exchanged glances, startled, then their smiles grew even warmer.

They knew that the man had made his move.

Someone exclaimed excitedly, “It seems this is just the beginning of the war. The hidden powerful figures from various factions have finally made their move.”

Everyone knows the importance of this ruin.

All factions are unlikely to easily abandon this place.

Therefore, it’s certain that major factions will stop at nothing, even exposing their hidden cards.

Someone foresaw that there might be even bloodier battles before the humanoid race arrives here.

The defenses around the ruins of the royal city grew increasingly tight.

That place had almost been turned into an impregnable fortress by more than one hundred thousand soldiers.

At the same time, the advancement of the humanoid race also encountered obstacles for the first time.

On a plain filled with the stench of blood, a squad of a hundred humanoid warriors lay sprawled in pools of blood.

Lu Yu stood in a pool of blood, his hand gripping the blade of carnage, emotionlessly gazing at the corpses before him. With cold indifference, the dragon king devoured the bodies of these hundred supreme beings.

At that very moment, a figure appeared on a distant, low hill.

The figure was surrounded by black flames and a bloody aura, resembling a vengeful ghost that stood in place, staring at Lu Yu.

Lu Yu felt as if a sharp sword was pressing against his back. When he turned his head, the bloodshot light in his eyes clashed with the cold glare in the opponent’s eyes.

“Lu Yu!” the ghost hissed in a hideous tone, uttering his name in the ancient language.

“Lu Mo!” Lu Yu also recognized the other party.

The Luo Demon, who had been missing for who knows how many years, actually appeared.

The Supreme Spirit Lord had repeatedly attempted to track him down without success. He never expected that the Demon King Luo would appear here, and his aura was now even more mysterious and terrifying.

The vengeful ghost stared at Lu Yu and said, “Hehe, it’s been a long time. I never expected that little brat from back then to grow up so quickly. Tsk tsk, you’ve actually reached a level where you can fight me.”

“What’s the matter, do you want to fight me?” Lu Yu looked at Luo Mo and said, “You couldn’t kill me back then; do you think you have another chance now?”

“Haha, I didn’t say anything,” Luo Mo laughed loudly. “Lu Yu, now you and I are the same kind of person. One day, your fate will end up just like mine. Why would I kill you? There will be many people waiting to kill you, and perhaps the Lord of Darkness himself will do it.”

“Did the Lord of the Underworld kill me?” Lu Yu let out a hearty laugh upon hearing this. “Do you really think that’s possible? The Lord of the Underworld has helped me countless times, and I understand his character well. Do you truly believe he would kill me? Luo Mo, your attempt at sowing discord is truly pathetic.”

“Is it bad? Or is it not bad?” Luo Mo laughed. “Do you think you understand the Lord of the Underworld? Do you think you understand me? Lu Yu, you are too arrogant and too confident. Right now, you’re growing stronger by devouring your enemies’ corpses. But when you no longer find this rate of improvement satisfying, you’ll begin seeking to consume living beings. In the end, you will become exactly like me. Only through slaughter, massive slaughter, can you continue to grow stronger! Tsk tsk, I’ll be waiting for you. If a day comes when you’re hunted down by the Lord of the Underworld, I will come to help you. Together, when we kill and devour the Lord of the Underworld, you will finally understand what I’m saying now.”

Lu Yu coldly snorted and said, “Luo Mo, after sowing discord, do you intend to just leave? Those who want to kill me never get to walk away. Today, you’ll leave your life here as well.”