Chapter 166: It's Not Just the Demon King Who Is Unfathomable, But Also the Demon King's Minions

The heavy snow shrouded the Silver Pine Forest, and the thick pine trees made a low moan in the gale. The thick snow bent the branches, and from time to time, snow fell, raising fine white mist.

And between the trees frozen into ice sculptures, a group of tattered refugees curled up in the wind and snow scattered.

Their figures were covered with a thin layer of white by the snow, and the fur coats with rolled edges could not resist such severe cold at all, so their skin was frozen blue, and their eyes were full of exhaustion and even despair. Some stamped their feet to keep warm, some rubbed their frozen arms to find sensation, and some were already frozen stiff, and even moving an arm was difficult.

They were all villagers of Saint Oak Village, from the far east of the Twilight Province—the border of the kingdom adjacent to Brass Pass.

In order to come here, they endured hunger, crossed forests and mountains, and had almost exhausted all their strength.

Such a mob, even if they had firearms, wouldn't be able to improve their combat effectiveness much, not to mention whether the frozen firing device could produce sparks.

If it weren't for their large number, a full two or three hundred people, the patrolling players wouldn't have sounded the alarm bell for them.

And when the alarm bell rang, a group of skeleton soldiers emitting ghostly magic light appeared behind the fence wall, and the faces of the tattered refugees were already written with despair.

This was not an opponent they could defeat.

They came to the wrong place.

"Damn... it's the undead! There's a necromancer here!" Brook, carrying a bow and arrow, had his shoulders trembling, and his wide-eyed face was full of panic.

He used to be an adventurer, and before he retired, he was active in the Thunder Sound County area, and even once went deep into the fifth floor of the labyrinth under Thunder Sound County... it could be said that his understanding of this place was as if it were his second home.

It was precisely because of this that he volunteered to serve as a guide, leading everyone through the eastern part of the Silver Pine Forest to arrive here.

However, he didn't expect, and had never heard, that there was a necromancer entrenched here!

Not only that—

He clearly remembered that the Demon King here had already been killed by the Grand Duke of Campbell, and on the way here, every adventurer he asked told him the same thing!

How come now that he returned to his old place, the demons in the labyrinth had all run out of the labyrinth to the surface!

"What's going on!"

The hunter, shivering with cold, walked to Brook's side and said loudly in a hurry and anger, "Didn't you say you were going to take us to a good place?! How come there are undead here!"

"I, I don't know," Brook swallowed a mouthful of saliva nervously and said with difficulty, "We'd better go back first..."

"We have nowhere to go back to."

The old man, leaning on a cane, walked to the side of the two. His eyebrows were hung with broken snow, and his dry lips were frozen and cracked; although that appearance was still strong, anyone could see that he had reached the end of his rope and could fall at any time.

Just like those old people who fell on the road of migration.

"Have you forgotten what that knight gentleman said? If we appear near Silver Pine Town again, he will cut off our heads and send them to the lord as the heads of bandits to claim a reward."

"Saint Xisi above... how could they... how could they do this!" The hunter's lips trembled, and his voice could no longer tell whether it was angry or desperate.

The old man was silent and didn't answer.

He was the village chief of Saint Oak Village, named Pierre, and had served in the army of the Kingdom of Ryan. Because he had dealt with local lords and participated in bandit suppression, he knew very well that it was a normal thing.

The words refugees and bandits didn't differ much in syllables; a group of hungry people could do anything to survive, especially when this group of people had hands and feet and weapons, no one could afford the price of trust.

There were many lords killed by refugees.

The latter, of course, also had reasons to strike first; anyway, the dead don't speak, and no one can tell who started it first.

The atmosphere of despair permeated the crowd; some began to pray for the arrival of miracles, and some cursed the local lord.

Even if they didn't even know what that guy's name was.

"This group of things that should go to hell!"

"A necromancer appeared at the door, doesn't the lord here worry at all?!"

"Someone has to manage this matter..."

Listening to the chattering voices behind him, Pierre stared at the fence wall in front of him, silent, and his heart fell into a struggle.

They had no retreat.

Although he also knew clearly in his heart, just as Brook, who had been an adventurer, said, they had no chance of winning at all, and could only pray that after sacrificing their lives for faith, the apostles of Saint Xisi would take them to the legendary kingdom of heaven.

Just when he was about to make a decision, the fence door not far away suddenly opened, and two children of ten or so years old appeared under the fence wall nailed with logs.

Seeing the children appearing behind the door, the villagers of Saint Oak Village were all stunned, and soon someone recognized those two familiar faces.

"Yang Yang Andi! Old Old Ma Ji?!"

A middle-aged man holding a firearm widened his eyes in surprise, and the hopeful light rekindled on that frozen face.

His children were still alive!

He had been looking for them in the forest for a whole day and almost gave up!

"Dad!" Old Old Ma Ji called out excitedly, wanting to run forward, but was pulled by her brother standing on the side.

Because at this same time, more than a dozen bows and arrows and flintlock guns were aimed at her, and a pair of eyes were full of fear.

"Wait a minute, don't go over yet!" Yang Yang Andi whispered, pulling his sister behind him, looking nervously at his fellow villagers who were facing a formidable enemy.

And at the same time, seeing his children being pointed at by guns, the man holding the firearm went crazy, aiming his muzzle at his fellow villagers on the side.

"That's my child, what the hell do you want to do?!"

There was chaos in the crowd!

The villagers standing beside the man immediately rushed up, snatching the weapon in his hand, trying to take the flintlock gun in his hand.

"Are you crazy?!"

"Put the weapon down!"

"You are the crazy ones!" The man roared, holding the flintlock gun tightly and refusing to let go, until he was knocked to the ground by a gun butt.

"No—!" Looking at his father who was knocked to the ground, Old Old Ma Ji let out a wail, and her eye sockets turned red.

"Calm down! Dave! That's the demon's illusion!"

Brook grabbed the collar of the man and pulled him up from the ground, roaring with spit flying everywhere.

"These demons are all things that eat people without spitting out bones! Look at their rosy faces, and then look at your own! Is that what you look like after staying in the snow for a whole day! Wake up! Your children are already dead!"

That was not just his thought, but also the first reaction of everyone present.

Hearing the sound from the translation crystal, Shark-Drop-Things suddenly showed a surprised expression.

"I have this ability?!"

Old Old Ma Ji looked blankly at Uncle Brook, who was roaring, and her face was full of sadness.

She didn't understand why Uncle Brook, who always had endless stories and would wear a pumpkin head to tease her and Yang Yang Andi, had become this appearance that was more terrifying than the devil...

Just at this time, a majestic voice suddenly drifted from behind the fence wall, descending on the heads of everyone outside the door.

"What are you doing at the gate of my territory?"

Just at the same time the words fell, a figure in a cloak appeared on the fence wall at some point.

That person had deep purple hair, sharp and cold eyes, and a distinct face that didn't look like a human, and the straight bridge of the nose was like the spire on the castle.

The heavy snow was like it didn't exist to him, disappearing without a trace as soon as it fell on his shoulders, not knowing where it went.

At the moment of seeing that face, Brook only felt every hair on his body stand up, and a deep fear crawled all over his body.

The intuition of a former adventurer told him that even if a hundred—even a thousand—of him came, he would not be the opponent of the person in front of him at all!

This guy is terrifyingly strong!

Looking at the Demon King who suddenly appeared on the wall, the players' expressions were different. Some showed expressions of eating melons, some were full of expectation, and some even exclaimed in surprise.

"Good guy!"

"Actually lured the Demon King out!"

Yang Yang Andi and Old Old Ma Ji looked blankly at the man standing on the wall, and a trace of fear appeared on their blank faces, and behind that fear carried a trace of piety and reverence.

Children's intuition is sometimes more accurate than adults'.

From the eyes of the monsters and demons looking at that man, they could feel the respect from the bottom of their hearts.

In this way, there is only one possibility—

That man is the leader of these monsters! That is, the legendary Demon King!

At the same time, he is also the life-saving benefactor who bestowed them the potion...

Luo Yan, standing on the fence wall, looked down at the refugees outside the wall, especially the few guys who were wrestling, with a blank expression on his majestic face.

He didn't want to come forward, intending to leave everything to the players, but unfortunately, the subjective initiative of this batch of players was really too poor, all eating melons and watching the show, waiting for the plot to develop by itself...

Seeing this group of refugees who had no way out intending to crash into it like moths to a flame, he finally couldn't help but intervene.

No way.

He still couldn't completely not be a person, and he also admitted that he was indeed not as good as Lei Ji Long in this point.

Looking at Luo Yan standing on the fence wall, Village Chief Pierre of Saint Oak Village looked fearful, his lips moved and said.

"Who are you..."

He actually guessed it; the guy in front of him was very likely the necromancer entrenched in this area.

However, what he didn't expect was that the facts placed in front of him were even more shocking than the situation he had imagined...

"Who am I?" Luo Yan smiled lightly and said in a slightly frivolous tone, "I am the ruler of this Demon King territory; guess what I am?"

Pierre looked at him in astonishment, the fearful look gradually turned into horror, and he couldn't help but take a step back.

Not just this old village chief, the villagers around were the same, and despair was gradually printed on those fearful faces.

Demon King!

The one standing in front of them was actually the Demon King!

They no longer had the extra strength to distinguish the truth of this sentence, and could only let that fearful emotion spread in their hearts.

"..." Brook's clenched teeth trembled, but thinking of the fellow villagers behind him, he still gathered his courage and pulled out the short sword at his waist, holding it in his hand.

Looking at the aura overflowing from the sword edge, Luo Yan looked at this middle-aged man who was suspected to be an adventurer twice with slight surprise.

This guy actually had the strength of the Black Iron level; it seems he was also a strong man who was one in a hundred when he was young.

However, this degree of strength was still a bit insufficient in front of him.

Luo Yan pondered for a moment and suddenly had an idea. Looking down at the guy who was suspected to be the strongest among this group of refugees, he opened his mouth in a slow, deliberate voice.

"Your name."

Brook said alertly.

"Brook..."

Luo Yan continued in a casual tone.

"Brook, is it... I admire your courage. For the sake of you still having the courage to draw your sword, let's play a game."

Brook was stunned, although he felt there was fraud in it, he still asked subconsciously. "What game..."

Luo Yan smiled and said.

"You can pick anyone from my subordinates; as long as you can win against it, I will forgive your offense and let you leave here safely with food and fuel. Of course, if you lose, your soul will belong to me."

"Can I pick anyone?" Brook's expression was tense, and he squeezed this sentence out of his mouth with difficulty, fearing that the man in front of him would go back on his word.

Luo Yan nodded with a smile.

"That's right, anyone will do."

"You said it yourself," a glimmer of joy flashed on Brook's face, and he pointed at the skeleton soldier standing on the fence wall without hesitation, fearing that the man in front of him would go back on his word.

Among all undead creatures, skeleton soldiers can be said to be the weakest existence. Although he hadn't been an adventurer for many years, solving a skeleton soldier was not a problem!

"Me?!"

【Sooner or later the potato is in the office】, who was watching the fun, was slightly stunned, his index finger pointed at himself subconsciously, and then the soul fire swaying in his skull the next second swayed with excited light.

Before the Demon King could speak, he jumped under the fence wall amidst the envious, jealous, and hateful eyes of a group of players.

=9+Book_Bar

Looking at the skeleton soldier who jumped down from the three-meter-high wall without falling apart, Brook, holding the short sword, was slightly surprised, and a bad premonition suddenly arose in his heart.

This guy might not be as easy to deal with as he imagined!

However, even if that was the case, it was too late to regret it now.

Looking at the middle-aged man who was facing a formidable enemy, Luo Yan continued in a gentle tone.

"Then, the game begins."

At the same time the words fell, he signaled Hearing You You to issue the Demon King's quest to that little player who was rubbing his hands—

【Quest: Defeat the adventurer who tries to challenge the Demon King's majesty!】

【Reward: Basic reward 8000 Nether coins, 100 contribution points. If you disarm the adventurer without killing him, you can get an additional 300 contribution points!】

Under the heavy reward, there must be a reckless man; 【Sooner or later the potato is in the office】 had eyes that almost glowed green in reality when he saw the quest reward.

Hearing the Demon King announce the start of the competition, Brook didn't dare to be careless at all, and took the initiative to kill the skeleton soldier with his sword.

Long before he chose his duel opponent, he had already made preparations!

With a loud roar, the short sword in his hand danced a half-moon-shaped arc, smashing toward the skeleton soldier's head with great momentum!

"Slaughter—!"

The boiling sword energy surged out!

If hit by this blow, even a tree that one person could hug would be cut into two, let alone a dry bone that had been dead for no one knew how long!

In his impression, these silly things didn't even have the instinct to dodge, let alone parry in the face of incoming attacks!

However, just when Brook was full of confidence and swung this sword, a scene that surprised him and everyone present happened.

That seemingly silly skeleton soldier indeed didn't dodge, but it didn't stand there stupidly and let him hack as he imagined.

I saw it suddenly take a nimble step forward, the rusted short sword in its hand probed forward accompanied by the sound of breaking through the air, and the hilt went straight for his chin!

That skeleton soldier seemed to be intentionally humiliating him, not even using the blade, completely using the short sword in its hand as a blunt instrument.

"Be careful!"

The watching Village Chief Pierre couldn't help but exclaim, trying to remind Brook.

However, that Brook seemed not to hear Pierre's voice, and hit the hilt straight on, taking this lightning-fast blow with his face!

In fact, it wasn't that he didn't hear Village Chief Pierre's voice, but even if he heard it, it was too late.

The most fatal weakness of the battle skill "Slaughter" is that the attack pre-swing is too long, and the whole body is full of flaws before hitting the target with one sword, and it can't be taken back without using twice the strength!

Precisely because of this, very few adventurers would use this move in battle, unless they had 100% certainty of being able to hit the opponent!

Or, it was facing undead creatures like skeleton soldiers that had no intelligence!

However, Brook never imagined that the skeleton soldier in front of him would use footwork that could only be seen on human swordsmen, and even more didn't expect that it possessed wisdom that ordinary undead creatures didn't have.

And when he realized his mistake, everything was already too late!

In a trance, Brook seemed to hear the sound of some bones breaking, and then his chin lost sensation, and the whole person fell into the snow.

【Sooner or later the potato is in the office】 looked at the Demon King's direction triumphantly, waiting for the latter's reward.

Not long after, the quest completion prompt and the reward pop-up window appeared in his eyes, and then he returned to the team with satisfaction.

Although he is a life-class player, his level was not sent by recharging, and it was all upgraded bit by bit in countless battles.

Not to mention that as early as n versions ago, the big boss One Leaf Knows Autumn had already summarized the usage skills and weaknesses of common skills in this game. Even if he was relatively salty in battle and didn't ponder much, he learned some skills by ear and eye by watching that group of big bosses discuss all day.

"Awesome, brother," 【Emotionally Stable】 looked at 【Sooner or later the potato is in the office】 who returned gracefully and couldn't help but praise, "I didn't expect you to have this unique skill."

"Hehe," 【Sooner or later the potato is in the office】 smiled embarrassedly and said with a full smell of pretense, "Low-key, basic operation."

There was dead silence outside the fence door, and the boundless silence was like dark clouds pressing on the sky, and only the sound of falling snow rustled in the forest.

Looking at Brook who fell in the snow, all the refugees were silent, and fear was deeply printed in their pupils.

So strong!

Simply terrifyingly strong!

The strongest, bravest, and most experienced warrior among them couldn't even beat one of the weakest skeleton soldiers under the Demon King's command...

Not even holding on for one round!

In their eyes, that battle could no longer be called a discussion, it was completely a one-sided crushing!

Looking at the expressionless Demon King and the defeated Brook, Village Chief Pierre was even more ashen, and his lips had completely lost their blood color.

Especially when he recalled that just ten minutes ago, he had actually had the idea of fighting to the death...

He was just glad now that he hadn't done so.

Looking at the refugees who had completely lost their will to fight, Luo Yan continued in a slow, deliberate voice.

"Just as you have seen, you are like a group of ants to me; I don't even need to recite a spell to take your lives. I am very curious, why do you think I need to use conspiracies or illusions to deceive you..."

"Or in other words, are you worth me doing this?"

Being watched by those soul-stirring purple eyes, Pierre finally couldn't help the fear in his heart and knelt in the snow with a thud.

He pressed his forehead against the cold snow and said with a trembling voice.

"Please forgive our rudeness... we are really at the end of our rope."

Not just him.

The refugees following him also threw down the weapons in their hands and crawled on the ground shivering, begging for the Demon King's forgiveness.

Looking at the slowly growing faith value, Luo Yan looked down at these future subjects of his, and a smile that was hard to detect appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Fear is also a kind of faith.

At least at this moment, these people who were at the end of their rope no longer hoped for Saint Xisi's salvation, but begged for his forgiveness and pardon.

This is the first step of "selling your

Next, he would make them realize that "selling one's soul to the devil" was not as desperate as they had imagined; the Demon King's heart was even broader than they had envisioned.

Saint Xisi's spokesperson in the mortal world had turned them away into the wind and snow, while the Demon King's acolytes treated them like kin.

Luo Yan looked at the two children under the fence wall, smiled and nodded at them, signaling them to find their parents, then watched as they ran into their father's embrace.

Dave, who had crawled up from the snow, held his two children in his arms, weeping with excitement and gratitude for the miracle the Demon King had bestowed.

That the children lost in the wind and snow had returned safely to his side was undoubtedly a miracle!

Just like that, Luo Yan gained his first believer among this group of refugees.

The refugees crouching in the snow quietly looked at Dave, who was embracing his children, a trace of surprise appearing in their eyes in unison.

They hadn't expected that those two children were actually living, breathing people, and not some so-called demonic illusion—

Unbelievable!

The Demon King actually didn't hurt them?!

Everything happening before their eyes completely overturned the refugees' perceptions and simultaneously shook the faith they had built upon that foundation.

"I can take you in, as long as you are willing to become my servants."

"I will grant you food and hearth fire, helping you through the most difficult times, and you must labor at sunrise and pray to me at sunset."

"Cross this door before you, and our contract is established. I will not force those who are unwilling; leave my territory on your own and go where you wish."

The majestic voice echoed in the snowy forest.

Yang Yang Andi, lying in his father's arms, tugged gently on his father's clothes and whispered a few words in his ear.

Dave did not hesitate for a second; he stood up from the snow, took the two children beside him, and walked toward the open gate with an incomparably pious expression.

Perhaps seeing that Saint Xisi had not sent down divine punishment, the people crouching in the snow stood up one after another, and led by the example, walked toward that gate.

Including Village Chief Pierre.

In a moment's time, only one person remained on the snow.

Brook, lying in the snow, closed his eyes and waited quietly for death to arrive.

However, the development of events once again exceeded his expectations; the evil-looking, awe-inspiring Demon King did not crush him like a grasshopper, but instead threw a bottle of potion onto the snow in front of him.

The dark green liquid incredibly radiated the aura of life, and a look of astonishment appeared on his face.

At this moment, the majestic voice descended upon his head.

"You have two choices: drink it and swear allegiance to me, becoming my servant. Or ignore it and follow that fellow who has never responded to your prayers."

The answer needed no thought at all.

The fellow villagers he had been wandering with had all chosen to join; Brook had no reason to feign high-mindedness, and besides, he wasn't a pious believer to begin with.

Furthermore, he was already thoroughly convinced by this Demon King's strength.

Being able to serve this lord was actually a step up for him.

Watching Brook struggle to drink the potion, Luo Yan continued in a gentle yet unquestionable tone.

"I will leave your soul with you for the time being."

"If one day I feel you have ulterior motives toward me, I will take it away."

Having dropped these words, Luo Yan turned around and, like a wisp of dissipating smoke, vanished into the swirling snow.

The work that required him, the Demon King, to show his face personally was done; next, his life-skill players would naturally settle those newly arrived NPCs.

As for the matter of proselytizing, there was even less need for Luo Yan to worry; just leave it to the acolytes of the Guardian Clan.

Perhaps before long, the Great Graveyard would be able to add a batch of human acolytes.

Proselytizing is a job humans are best at after all...

(End of chapter)