by <unknown>
"I'm going to wipe out the mental devil. I certainly will!"
The declaration resounded for a long time inside his brain. There was no telling whether it was said by Li Yao or by the mental devil in his head.
Right then, a flock of birds suddenly cackled and flew into the sky from the forest in the northeast. It could vaguely be felt that a stream of overwhelming demonic energy was sweeping close.
Jin Xinyue stopped the sword dance. She held her arms, and goosebumps were appearing on her smooth skin.
"Subordinates of Elder Nether Spring!"
After hiding in the Hundred Desolation Mountain for four days, Elder Nether Spring's subordinates had finally caught up to them. This time, their scale was apparently much larger than previously. The demonic energy soared into the sky, and even the bloody moon seemed to be shaking.
Li Yao flew to the crown of a giant tree and sensed the situation carefully, only to discover that the demonic energy was all focused on the place where he trained himself during the day.
I must have caused too much havoc when my soul dived into the cells in pursuit of the primeval strength during the day, and they have detected the anomaly.
"Let's go!"
Li Yao packed everything up in a hurry and fled further into the Hundred Desolation Mountain. While rushing in the forest, he asked, "With your understanding of Elder Nether Spring, who will he send now that the princes of the Nether Spring Kingdom have failed?"
"There are several experts under Elder Nether Spring's command who are at the level of demon emperor. He has more than ten high-level demon kings, too, who are all adept at driving snakes, rats, and ants," Jin Xinyue replied. "When such pests flood over the battlefield, one must retreat regardless of their expertise.
Chapter 856: Blood Moon Wolf Raiders |
"Besides, Elder Nether Spring has always been close friends with Elder Blood Robe, who has a lot of experts that are best at forest hunting and assassination. Chances are that Elder Nether Spring will ask for several specialists from Elder Blood Robe!"
Li Yao frowned. Elder Blood Robe had good reasons to hate him, too.
On Boneyard, Li Yao had slain Wang Ji, who was Elder Blood Robe's disciple. The event had been publicized when Ding Lingdang and the rest of the team returned. While Li Yao was respected as a great hero of the Heaven's Origin Sector, he must have made it to the top tier of the must-kill list in the Blood Demon Sector, too.
Wait. The important figures that he had killed previously seemed to include many other demons besides Wang Ji.
Li Yao remembered that it was the first time he put on an Ares Extension. He had gone on a killing spree at that time and blown dozens of expert demons into pieces within a breath.
Although those demons were merely demon generals, according to Li Yao's intelligence, they had all been members of the royal families and the nobles of the Blood Demon Sector since they were qualified to explore Boneyard.
Therefore, it was possible that all the twelve demon emperors of the Blood Demon Sector hated his guts.
Li Yao immediately felt a serious headache coming on.
Will Elder Nether Spring send experts in the level of demon emperor to hunt Jin Xinyue?
Li Yao evaluated the capability of himself and his enemy quietly.
The Pantheon of Demons was governed by twelve demon emperors, but there were many more demon emperors in the Blood Demon Sector. Only the twelve strongest, most powerful demon emperors were qualified to manage the affairs of the Pantheon of Demons.
Elder Nether Spring was a high-level demon emperor, so there were a few low-level and middle-level demon emperors under his command.
As for the relationship between Elder Blood Robe and Elder Nether Spring, they were not simply good friends but in a very close, mutually beneficial relationship.
In the spare time over the past couple of days, Jin Xinyue had introduced the political spectrum of the Blood Demon Sector and the conflicts of the twelve demon emperors to Li Yao.
Jin Tuyi and Elder Nether Spring had conflicts not because they did not see eye to eye with each other and not only because of the post of the commander-in-chief of the coalition army of the demon race. Behind the open conflicts of the two demon emperors were different political lines and war ideologies.
The four superpowers of the Blood Demon Sector—namely the Gold Crow Kingdom, the Nether Spring Kingdom, the Kingdom of Lion Butchers, and the Sea Dominator Kingdom— represented the forces in the sky, underground, on the earth and in the ocean respectively.
Now that a final war against the Heaven's Origin Sector was coming close, naturally, two entirely different methodologies of war were formulated.
The Kingdom of Lion Butchers, who governed the Claw Clan, and the Nether Spring Kingdom, which ruled over the Insect Clan, were the classical continentalism advocates who believed that whoever controlled the land controlled everything. Their strategy of war was simple, which was to devote all their resources to the land and push over the Heaven's Origin Sector with oceans of insects and tides of beasts from the Grand Desolate Plateau.
The Gold Crow Kingdom and the Sea Dominator Kingdom, on the other hand, believed in the cooperation of the forces of the sky, the ocean, and the land. They believed that the infinite ocean and the sky, which was even more boundless than the continent, were the key to the victory of the war. Therefore, while the demon race maintained its pressure on human beings in the frontline of the Grand Desolate Plateau, it was necessary to open a second battlefield promptly and attack the Star Glory Federation from the ocean!
"To the east of the Star Glory Federation is a vast ocean where the Far East Demon Kingdom was located five hundred years ago.
"Although the Far East Demon Kingdom has been destroyed, the relics of the country are still buried deep down the ocean.
"Based on the relics, we could build secret military bases at the bottom of the ocean and push forward to the eastern coastline of the Star Glory Federation. When the timing is appropriate, we will lunge out of the undersea bases. The enormous fleet of the Sea Clan, together with the immense strength of the Feather Clan in the sky, will assault the heart of the Star Glory Federation unexpectedly!
"At the moment, the main military strength of the Star Glory Federation is concentrated in the frontline of the Giant Blade Pass, and the rear of the Star Glory Federation is extremely empty. If the assault is implemented, the army will certainly march forward unstoppably and even occupy the capital of the Star Glory Federation in the end!"
It was the strategy proposed by the Sea Clan and the Feather Clan.
In the past, the continentalism was chosen by the Blood Demon Sector because the strategy of the Sea Clan and the Feather Clan was deemed too risky and ridiculous.
The 'Battle of Dawn' was fought with such a political backstory. It was a traditional ground battle led by the Nether Spring Kingdom and the Kingdom of Lion Butchers.
But the result of the battle was not satisfactory. Although the insects and the beasts reached the Giant Blade Pass, the demon race suffered a brutal failure because of the overextended supply lines. In the end, it even caused the mutiny of the bottom-level soldiers, who raised the 'Riot of Bloody Blade' under the incitation of the Blade of Chaos. The fire of war did not consume the Heaven's Origin Sector but burnt back to the Blood Demon Sector.
The insurrection caused a great earthquake in the center of politics of the Blood Demon Sector. The Sea Clan and the Feather Clan took the opportunity to lambast their dissidents. Many officers who believed in continentalism were sacked. Even the commander-in-chief nominated by the Nether Spring Kingdom and the Kingdom of Lion Butchers resigned. He was replaced by Jin Tuyi, a general who supported the strategy of the unification of the sky, the ocean, and the land.
Therefore, Elder Nether Spring and Elder Blood Robe were not simply friends but partners in the same interest group.
If Elder Nether Spring asked, Elder Blood Robe would certain lend a lot of specialists to him without
caring about the cost.
With that in mind, expert in the level of demon emperor might have been sent, or even multiple of them.
Li Yao thought that, if he were Elder Nether Spring, since the demon king that was sent earlier had been killed, it would be killing his other demon kings if he sent more of them. Therefore, to make sure that the enemy was caught, one to two demon emperors would definitely be deployed to supervise the situation.
Li Yao's real capability was similar to that of the middle level of the Nascent Soul Stage. With the modified Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit, he could fight a high-level Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator. Theoretically speaking, he was not scared of Elder Nether Spring.
However, in the Blood Demon Sector, it was impossible for him to summon the strength of a Cultivator blatantly.
If the Blood Demon Sector discovered that a Cultivator who had the capability of the Nascent Soul Stage was active in their central region, all the demons would be shocked and attack him collective.
If he was faced with a demon king, Li Yao could kill the enemy instantly with his body without resorting to his spiritual energy.
But it was not an easy task if he was faced with a demon emperor.
What he could utilize were the newborn primeval cells and the force that came with them.
However, he had just grasped the methods to activate the strengthened cells and awaken his primeval force. Although his absolute strength was in the level of demon emperor, he was not good at using it.
Li Yao was indeed a genius, but he was not a god. If he could fight evenly against a demon emperor who had trained hard for decades and even hundreds of years when he had just activated his primeval cells, his enemy might die of embarrassment.
Therefore, Li Yao estimated that, without exposing his real capability, it was already his limit to kill a demon king instantly with a neatly-devised trap.
If he ran into a beginning-level demon emperor, neither of them would be able to defeat the other. It would be impossible for him to kill the opponent quickly.
Besides, his opponent boasted the ultimate weapon named 'biochemical beast', while Li Yao's crystal suit had to be kept a secret.
Li Yao had no choice but to drag Jin Xinyue to run away.
Very soon, a cluster of black smoke passed by their heads. It was a swarm of insects that was squeaking in blood-freezing noises.
Li Yao frowned. Insect oceans and beast tides were his least favorite enemies.
"Hoooo! Hoooo!"
Lengthy howls were echoing in the forest near and afar, getting creepier and creepier under the bloody moon.
Jin Xinyue paled and said in a low voice, "Judging from the sound, they seem to be the 'Blood Moon Wolf Raiders' of the Kingdom of Lion Butchers. Their olfactory cells have been specially strengthened and are hundreds of times more acute than those of sharks, allowing them to smell the tiniest smell several square kilometers near them. Their special howls can transmit a lot of information to their companions through supersonic waves unperceivable to normal people!
"The Blood Moon Wolf Raiders are the top-tier tracing experts of the Blood Demon Sector. I did not expect that Elder Nether Spring had borrowed such elite troops from Elder Blood Robe!"
Li Yao nodded, but he felt that something was off.
The demonic energy soaring to the sky condensed into an impregnable web in midair.
The dense insects were gnawing the leaves of the trees all the way from northeast, while the howls of the Blood Moon Wolf Raiders were pushing close from northwest.
There were no signals of hunters in the southeast, but noises of trees cracking apart drifted over, suggesting that something huge was charging their way.
Li Yao and Jin Xinyue could only flee to the southwest. However, the direction was filled with venomous gas and swamps, and there was no telling whether or not stronger pursuers were lurking.
The siege of the enemy grew smaller and smaller. Li Yao even saw green eyes shining through the gaps of the trees many times.
Thankfully, both Jin Xinyue and him and sealed their pores and smeared a lot of powder that covered their smell. Therefore, their traces were lost for now, but it was hard to say how long before the enemy found them again.
"In a moment, I'll go there and fight them first. Don't take action unless it is absolutely necessary, in case they find out that you have turned into a human being," Li Yao said to Jin Xinyue in a low voice.
He had found out that a brutal battle was inevitable.
Jin Xinyue pondered for a moment and nodded. This was not a good time for adulation. She might as well do what she was asked to.
For some reason, Jin Xinyue was confident that the old monster must be invincible.
Li Yao smiled coldly. He licked his teeth and unsheathed a sharp bone dagger that was tied up by dozens of tensile mica threads.
Waiting had never been his style. Now that he was determined to fight, of course, he was going to take the initiative!
Right then, an abrupt change took place.
The howls in the northwest became more and more hasty and loud, as if the Wolf Raiders had discovered a lot of enemies.
Hiu! Hiu! Hiu! Hiu!
Shrieks pierced through the clouds from the sky in the southwest.
Li Yao could not have been more familiar with the sound. Somebody had broken the sonic barrier!
Judging from the sound, it was not one object but a whole long of them!
The bloody sky in the northwest was scarred by dozens of streaks of golden brightness.
Jin Xinyue's eyes beamed with joy. She almost cried in ecstasy. "Reinforcements of the Gold Crow Kingdom!"
Chapter 857: Just Roar, the Primeval Force! |
The Feather Clan of the Gold Crow Kingdom was best known for their speed. Li Yao and Jin Xinyue had only just heard their sound when the golden brightness covered almost half of the sky and crashed into the cloud of insects that was coming at them. For a moment, blood was spluttering, and yells were echoing nonstop.
A heated battled was on. Blood ran like a river, and countless insects were burnt and fell from the sky like raindrops.
Another team of the Feather Clan left the battle formation and circled above the forest, while they shrieked loudly, "Where are you, First Princess?"
Jin Xinyue was overjoyed and climbed on a tree, but before she opened her mouth to call her saviors, Li Yao had covered her mouth and dragged her back to the depths of the obscure forest!
"Hurry up and run!"
Li Yao gnashed his teeth, with cold sweat all over his forehead. He ran crazily inside the forest together with Jin Xinyue until they were more than ten kilometers away. He caught his breath and said, breathing hard, "Did you not notice anything wrong? If Elder Nether Spring really had a secret, he would never have asked Elder Blood Robe for reinforcements! Was he not scared that his secret was exposed?
"Alright. Let's say that Elder Nether Spring and Elder Blood Robe are wearing the same pants and have known each other's secrets for a long time, but isn't it too much of a coincidence that reinforcements of the Gold Crow Kingdom came just in time?
"I don't like coincidences. Not at all!
"Besides, the Blood Demon Sector is faced with a great war right now. The four superpowers are all allies on the surface. It is one thing to hunt a certain someone down in secret, but it is a whole other thing if they are engaged in an open, head-on confrontation!
"The reinforcements of the Gold Crow Kingdom attacked Elder Nether Spring's subordinates the moment they showed up. It doesn't make sense to me at all!"
Jin Xinyue was not stupid, either, or she would not have been selected as a saintess of the Pantheon of Demons. She knew the demon race better than Li Yao did. After hearing Li Yao's words, she immediately cursed, "Damn! They seem to be on the same side!"
The moment she raised her suspicion, dozens of explosions burst out right above their heads. Bright golden ripples spread out in the sky and slowly condensed into weird rune arrays from which coun
tless streaks of brightness leapt out. However, the newcomers did not seem to be solid and maintained an appearance bordering on transparency. Even their demonic energy had been restricted to the minimum.
Had Li Yao not calmed down and perceived them on purpose, he would not have been able to notice them at all.
"Mirage Falcons!"
Jin Xinyue's voice was full of desperation.
Mirage Falcons were powerful biochemical beasts bred by the Gold Crow Kingdom. The wingspan of every Mirage Falcon was more than fifty meters, and they all weighed more than twenty times. Their cruising speed was 2.5 times the speed of sound while their highest speed could surpass seven times the sonic speed. They were able to climb up five hundred meters vertically in less than one minute. They could even fight briefly in the orbit of a planet outside of the atmosphere. Their specifications were not only much better than those of the armed shuttles of the Star Glory Federation but also tantalizing for most crystal suits.
What was more terrifying was that the feathers of the Mirage Falcons were covered in a special greasy membrane that could avoid the detection of spiritual energy. The birds had also practiced the demonic arts for camouflage and mimesis, which made it impossible for the enemy to keep track of them. They were truly invisible demon beasts and well deserved their name 'Mirage'.
The wings of the Mirage Falcons, when unfolded, boasted some specially refined feathers that were not only extremely hard but also mixed with acids, venomous liquids, or unsteady crystals. Such weapons could be shot out rapidly by the violent constriction of the muscles, and their speed could surpass the speed of sound, too. The fierce firepower of the Mirage Falcons was definitely no worse than that of the crystal railguns and crystals cannons of the Cultivators.
Besides, the elite troops of the Gold Crow Kingdom would often equip the ferocious beasts with the crystal cannons that they captured during battle, making them able to carry out the attack abilities of both the demon race and mankind!
Hiu! Hiu! Hiu! Hiu!