Chapter 272: Things Are Not What They Used to Be

Deep in the Sun Staircase Mountains, on a towering peak, the wind howled all year round, and was often accompanied by loud hissing sounds—

Usually, that was the sound of mating.

As the lizardman clan closest to dragons on the Gana Continent, the Wind Lizard clan not only had wings that other lizardmen envied but also highly similar living habits to legendary dragons.

As descendants of both the Sky God Uranus and the Dragon God Gutav, they considered themselves children of the sky, believing that only the most dangerous peaks were worthy of their habitation.

Of course, it couldn't be ruled out that it was because their natural enemies lived at the foot of the mountain, so they had to migrate to this poor and dangerous land.

At this moment, in a cave hidden between the peaks, the Great Wind Chief of the Wind Roar tribe and the elders of the clan were holding an important meeting concerning the future fate of the tribe.

The cold and hard rock walls were engraved with ancient "Storm Marks," the faint light of magic slowly overflowing from these marks, illuminating the dark and mysterious space inside the cave, and also illuminating those faces with shimmering scales and ambitious eyes.

"Everyone, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

In the cave, a strong Wind Lizardman spoke passionately, glowing light flashing in his amber vertical pupils, his right claw clenched into a fist in front of his chest.

"... Outsiders from the Ancient Continent have stepped onto our coastline again, and they appeared in the hinterland of the Sacred Armor Dragon Kingdom! Unlike in the past, this time they were not wiped out by the Sacred Armor Dragon Kingdom's hunting team, but took root on the beach! If we can form an alliance with them, it will surely deal a heavy blow to those hypocritical, greedy, and cunning Armored Dragon Clan!"

A burst of whispering spread in the cave. Except for Urga Wind-Split, who sat in the first seat with an expressionless face, other lizardmen were exchanging glances, guessing the leader's meaning while thinking about their own interests.

Honestly, Urga didn't care about their opinions.

Regarding the alliance, he had already made up his mind long ago. The reason for calling this meeting was just to inform the elders of his will and see if anyone opposed it.

Unlike the Sacred Armor Dragon Kingdom, the Wind Roar tribe has no cumbersome bureaucratic system or complex factions. The strongest in the clan is the leader, and the leader's will is the tribe's will. As the Great Wind Chief, he doesn't need anyone's support; whoever doesn't support him will have their wings broken and be thrown off the highest mountain.

Although they didn't think forming an alliance with outsiders was a good idea, the elders who held opposing views didn't dare to argue fiercely, so they could only say with hesitant voices.

"But the Sacred Armor Dragon Kingdom is not easy to deal with... The power of those outsiders is certainly strong, but the foundation of the Sacred Armor Dragon Kingdom is also not bad. In the past thousand years, countless ships from the Ancient Continent have run aground on the coastline, but in the end, they were just sacrifices on the altar. What is the point of forming an alliance with a group of people who are about to die?"

This sentence was recognized by many lizardmen.

Indeed.

Although the group of outsiders stranded on the coastline repelled the Sacred Armor Dragon Kingdom's attack, in the end, it was only a hunting team that attacked them.

If the Sacred Armor Dragon Kingdom sent a regular army, their fate would probably not be much better than their predecessors.

However, after hearing the elder's questioning, the strong Wind Lizardman smiled slightly, continuing without any panic.

"This is precisely why we want to form an alliance with them! Only when they are weak enough, when they have something to ask of us, will our alliance have enough constraints on them, and we can make them follow our orders and become pawns for us to fight against the Sacred Armor Dragon Kingdom! If they are far stronger than us, it will make us become their puppets instead. This kind of unequal alliance has no meaning for us at all!"

The elder sitting in the corner of the cave had his gaze flickering, and the Great Wind Chief, who had been silent, also nodded lightly, a trace of approval flowing in his eyes.

This lad is a talent; he basically guessed seven or eight out of ten of the plans he had in mind.

The alliance is just a cover.

His true intention is just to borrow the power of those outsiders from the Ancient Continent to weaken the power of the Sacred Armor Dragon Kingdom.

Fulfill the alliance?

He hadn't even thought about it.

The Wind Lizard clan are children of the sky; they inhabit the most dangerous peaks in this mountain range and don't even have a fixed residence. Their allies will get a verbal promise at most, and as for substantial help, don't even think about it.

At most, when the Sacred Armor Dragon Kingdom is in a sorry state, they can go down the mountain to loot, which can be considered mutual benefit.

Sizing up the expression on the Great Wind Chief's face, the elder who had questioned him sighed slightly in his heart, knowing that this matter had already been decided, and perhaps even the envoy had already been sent out.

However, out of responsibility to the tribe, he still cautiously reminded him.

"What if the Sacred Armor Dragon Kingdom retaliates against us because of this?"

"Retaliate? Haha!" The strong Wind Lizardman sneered with disdain, using a mocking tone to continue, "In the past thousand years, have they bullied us any less? Think about the things they've done to us! They hunt our clansmen like prey, capture our people, and send us to their altars as sacrifices... We are just reclaiming some interest from those villains!"

After a pause, he continued.

"Or do you think that if we shrink in the cave submissively, they will let us go out of mercy?"

This sentence resonated with all the Wind Lizardmen present, and even Urga, sitting in the first seat, showed a moved expression.

Indeed—

Even if they showed mercy, the Sacred Armor Dragon Kingdom wouldn't be grateful to them, but would instead demand back the losses from them even more aggressively after they recovered.

Since that's the case, why don't they seize this opportunity to teach those ugly lizards a harsh lesson?

At least let those guys know that they are not a lump of mud that can be kneaded at will!

"This matter is decided."

Urga spoke slowly, announcing the result of the meeting's discussion.

"We will form an alliance with the outsiders, of course... just a verbal alliance."

"As allies, we will give those outsiders the courage to go deep into the Gana Continent and the intelligence to lead them to Assam City, urging them to have more intense conflicts with our enemy, the Sacred Armor Dragon Kingdom. Besides that, we don't need to make any substantial sacrifices."

Looking around at the clansmen present, he continued in a calm voice.

"I have already sent an envoy to the coastline where the outsiders landed and made contact with those friends from the Ancient Continent. I believe it won't be long before there will be results—"

His words hadn't finished when the guard at the cave entrance suddenly rushed in.

"Great Wind Chief, Ai Sa Ke is back!"

Urga stopped his words, his brow furrowed, and his gaze quickly sank.

So fast?

"Let him in!"

"Yes!"

The guard took the order and hurried away.

Not long after, Ai Sa Ke Gale walked into the cave.

There were no wounds on his body, but his expression was full of fatigue, and the expression on his face was even gloomier than the dark clouds in the sky.

A trace of faint unease crawled into Urga's heart.

At this time, Ai Sa Ke knelt on the ground, lowering his head and saying respectfully.

"Great Wind Chief, I met those outsiders. They claim to be subjects of the Great Tomb, loyal to a guy called the Demon King. I tried to make contact with them, but... the results are not optimistic; the situation there is far beyond our expectations."

The cave was silent as death.

Including Urga, everyone held their breath, waiting for the following.

Ai Sa Ke raised his head, his voice carrying a hint of trembling.

"The power of the Demon King's army... is far more terrifying than we imagined. In just three days, they built an easy-to-defend, hard-to-attack fortress in the forest. Not only that, they also mastered terrifying magic, capable of driving the undead and spiders to work for them without sleep!"

"Spiders?" The elders looked at each other, unable to believe it.

Urga frowned tightly, also confused by these words.

He could understand the undead; occasionally, living dead who couldn't sleep peacefully appeared in the tribe.

But what the hell are spiders?

"That's right... those are not ordinary spiders, far larger than the ones we've seen," Ai Sa Ke nodded with difficulty, continuing incoherently, "The trouble is not just these; they also possess a terrifying weapon capable of firing spider webs into the sky."

Speaking of this, he paused for a moment, his voice carrying a hint of heaviness.

"I cannot estimate their strength, but just from the many things I saw, it has already exceeded my past cognition..."

The discussion in the cave grew louder, and some elders showed worried expressions.

Urga remained calm, waving his hand to signal the elders to be quiet, and continued to ask the question he cared about most.

"Then, what about their leader? That Demon King... what was his response to our proposal?"

Ai Sa Ke took a deep breath, his expression bitter as he opened his mouth.

"The Demon King... rejected our request for an alliance."

The cave was instantly silent as death, and all eyes were focused on Ai Sa Ke.

"What else did he say?" Urga asked in a deep voice, his mood already sinking to the bottom.

Faced with that sharp gaze, Ai Sa Ke swallowed hard, and after a long hesitation, finally opened his mouth hesitantly.

"That arrogant and stupid guy didn't have the sincerity to treat us as allies at all. He ignored your goodwill and instead asked me to bring you a sentence—"

"Submission, or death."

This sentence was like a bolt from the blue, instantly detonating the emotions in the cave.

"Arrogant!"

A young Wind Lizardman warrior stood up angrily, gritting his teeth and cursing, "This group of humble bugs, actually dare to be so arrogant!"

Other elders also started cursing loudly, and the originally relaxed atmosphere instantly became chaotic!

Urga's face was terribly gloomy, but he finally suppressed the anger in his heart, raised his claws, and signaled the clansmen to be quiet.

"It seems we overestimated these outsiders..." he said in a low voice, his tone carrying a hint of suppressed anger, "We overestimated their civilization; they are even more short-sighted, arrogant, and stupid than we imagined... It seems that the millennium-long war has caused the civilization of the Ancient Continent to degenerate into something like a slime."

He used the most vicious curse he could think of.

Although he didn't know that in the Ancient Continent he spoke of, even slimes had evolved their own civilization and even given birth to demigod-level powerhouses.

"... What should we do?" an elder asked anxiously.

Urga's gaze was sharp, sneering, "No need to pay attention. The Sky God Uranus will naturally punish their arrogance and rudeness... Moreover, this might not be in our interest!"

Since they are so arrogant, it saves him the effort of inciting them to take the initiative.

Let them challenge the Sacred Armor Dragon Kingdom alone.

When both sides are defeated, that will be the best time for the Wind Roar tribe to take action!

As for the threat of "submission or death," Urga didn't take it to heart at all. After all, the conflict between those outsiders and the Sacred Armor Dragon Kingdom was ahead of them, and it wasn't their turn to decide their fate.

At this time, a scout suddenly ran in from outside the cave, reporting with a rapid speed.

"Report! The Sacred Armor Dragon Kingdom's army appeared in the northern forest of the Sun Staircase Mountains, with a scale of about tens of thousands! Judging from the direction of the supply train, their target is the northern coastline!"

"Report! The army of the Sacred Armored Dragon Kingdom has appeared in the northern forest of the Sun Staircase Mountains, with a scale of tens of thousands! Judging from the direction the supply train is moving, their target is the northern coast area!"

"Haha, it seems the Dragon God's anger has descended upon these stupid outsiders before the Sky God's anger!"

Tens of thousands of Armored Dragon troops!

It seems that the Holy King soaking in the lake is serious this time!

As the strongest force on the Gana Continent, the Sacred Armor Dragon Kingdom possesses the most powerful army on this land. Even as their enemy, Urga has to admit this.

Tens of thousands of Armored Dragon soldiers charging together, that overwhelming power would make even the Sun Staircase Mountains tremble!

He had no doubt that those dead crabs lying on the beach wouldn't even last a round before being drowned in the sea!

Or—

Be captured by the Armored Dragon Clan and become sacrifices they offer to the Dragon God!

Not just Urga.

Other Wind Lizardmen in the cave also showed joy, mocking those arrogant outsiders, as if they had already seen their miserable fate.

Learning that the Sacred Armor Dragon Kingdom had dispatched such a large army, Ai Sa Ke, who was kneeling on the ground, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

However, for some reason, as soon as he thought of the scene he saw in the Demon King's camp, he couldn't help but raise his heart to his throat again.

Could it really be so smooth?

Just as he was thinking this, the Great Wind Chief suddenly jumped down from his seat, strode toward the cave entrance, and spread the wings behind him!

Violent airflow poured into the cave, Ai Sa Ke looked at him in surprise, subconsciously blurting out.

"Wind Chief... what are you doing?"

Urga grinned, squinting at the distant mountains and rainforest, saying lightly.

"Such a wonderful show, it would be a pity to miss it!"

? ￠o

After saying that, he cast his gaze toward the Wind Lizardman warriors following him and ordered majestically.

"Kadarl, take my personal guard and follow!"

"Let's see, let's see how many seconds those arrogant guys can hold on in the anger of the Dragon God and the Sky God!"

The Wind Lizardman named Kadarl flashed a sharp light in his eyes, clenched his right claw into a fist, and cracked a cruel smile at the corner of his mouth.

"As you command!"

……

Accompanied by a dozen confidants, Urga flapped his wings and leaped into the air, leaving the mountain ridge where the Wind Roar tribe clansmen inhabited.

At the same time, on the other side, Kuchar, who had received the Holy Order, led the thirty thousand Armored Dragon Soldiers who had finished assembling and marched toward the northern coastline in a mighty force!

Unlike ordinary lizardmen, these bloodthirsty warriors were burly, wearing vine armor on their shoulders, holding obsidian spears and battle axes, their eyes burning like fire, their chests as solid as walls, their heavy breathing and loud war drums making the entire forest tremble under the majesty of the Sacred Armor Dragon Kingdom!

As the elite of the Sacred Armor Dragon Kingdom, they were best at destroying enemy positions head-on, and precisely because of this, they didn't know what concealment was—and didn't bother to hide their tracks at all.

Marching at the front of the army, General Kuchar rode on the back of a giant dragon turtle, his gaze cold and arrogant as he looked ahead.

With such a huge commotion, those outsiders stranded on the beach couldn't have failed to hear it. Presumably, they were already trembling in the sound of the tide rising on the land!

Thinking of this, the corner of Kuchar's mouth couldn't help but hook into a smile, and the bloodthirst burning in his vertical pupils became more intense.

The more the prey struggles and panics, the more it shows that the soul within its shell is fresh and vigorous, and the more suitable it is as a sacrifice!

Slaughtering them in the screams of the prey's fear and pouring their blood containing fear onto the pyramid in the center of the Holy Lake—there is no better gift to offer to the Dragon God!

Presumably, the despair of those poor bugs should be enough to appease the Dragon God's anger and let the unstable barrier return to calm...

Although Traker suffered a loss at the hands of those outsiders, Kuchar didn't take them too seriously.

After all, that guy was just a hunter, and neither his own strength nor the strength of his subordinates could be compared with himself, who was a general.

A monster that can walk on land without feet and wheels?

Such a thing might surprise an experienced hunter, but for himself and the army behind him, it could at most be considered a fancy trophy.

Hope its head isn't too ugly!

Just as Kuchar was thinking about how to torture these "guests" from afar, a loud hiss came from the air.

He looked up suddenly, only to see a dozen Wind Lizardmen flying past, circling half a circle and flying toward the hills to the south.

Looking at the direction where those Wind Lizardmen disappeared, Kuchar sneered, his amber vertical pupils squinting slightly.

A lizardman warrior covered in obsidian scales over his vine armor strode to his side and reported in a low voice.

"It's the Wind Knights of the Wind Roar tribe! Scouts saw Urga's face; it seems that guy is leading the team himself, circling near us."

Urga?

That barbarian leader?

Kuchar laughed, his face not showing much good color, like seeing a fly fall into a bowl.

"It seems we are not the only ones interested in those outsiders who landed on the coastline."

The armored warrior looked hesitant and continued in a deep voice.

"I'm worried they will join forces with the outsiders to deal with us."

"Join forces? With those dozen bugs?" Kuchar curled his lips in disdain, leaning back slightly, leaning against the seat on the dragon turtle's back, "Let them come together, it saves us from looking for them all over the mountains... go down, just keep two scouts watching them."

"Yes!"

The armored warrior responded and returned to the marching team.

Kuchar cast his gaze forward again, intending to close his eyes and rest for a while to recharge for the upcoming slaughter... however, just at this moment, his eyes suddenly swept from the shadows of the forest ahead to a figure standing there!

That was a tall lizardman ghoul, his gray-white scales dry and cracked, his dead eyes like a corpse.

He was wearing old but sturdy metal armor, his right hand gripping a huge black iron long-handled battle axe, the axe blade entwined with strange dark green runes, exuding a rich aura of death from head to toe.

Faced with the might of thirty thousand Armored Dragon Soldiers, his face showed no fear, standing there openly on the marching route.

Kuchar quickly sat up straight, his face turning gloomy, feeling a sense of unease in his heart.

He hadn't received any warning from the scouts, yet this ghoul suddenly appeared here, which was clearly strange. But his arrogance didn't want to show any retreat, so he signaled the vanguard to stop and rode the dragon turtle, which was like a war elephant, forward.

"What the hell are you?" Kuchar's chin lifted slightly, his expression arrogant, as if looking down at prey that had thrown itself into the net.

He tried to provoke the opponent to take the initiative, to see the depth of this guy's strength, but his plan failed.

The lizardman ghoul was not angered by his arrogance, his cold expression like looking at a bug, which instead raised a ball of nameless fire in his heart.

"Okto."

"Okto? Your name?" Kuchar laughed loudly, continuing with a mocking look, "I'm asking what breed you are, not your name... I don't care what a dead person is called."

Not caring about the lizardman's interruption, Okto continued with a flat speed.

"... The overlord of the first floor of the Great Tomb Labyrinth, I am here on the orders of the Demon King to persuade you to surrender. If you surrender now, you can be spared from death."

The air was strangely silent for a moment.

Until a burst of wanton laughter resounded in the forest.

"Hahahaha!"

Kuchar suddenly burst into loud laughter, and the Armored Dragon soldiers following him also couldn't help but raise the corners of their mouths.

If it weren't for the discipline of the Armored Dragon Army, they would probably have laughed out loud along with their general.

Surrender?

To a group of ants?

"How arrogant!"

Kuchar suddenly stopped laughing, staring fixedly at the guy named Okto, a ferocious expression appearing on his scale-covered face.

"Pity, even if you surrender, we won't let you go. From the moment your dirty claws stepped onto this land, your ending was doomed—you will be sacrifices offered to the Great Dragon, and only in this way can you wash away the sins in your souls!"

Saying this, he had already drawn the obsidian battle axe hanging on the dragon turtle, his heels kicking fiercely on the turtle's back, urging the dragon turtle to charge forward.

"Use your blood—"

"As the first sacrifice offered!"

The dragon turtle, like a war elephant, stepped forward with heavy steps, the entire earth trembling under its huge weight.

The grass was trampled flat, the trees were pushed down!

The Armored Dragon soldiers gathered in front of the formation consciously made way for their general, watching the majestic mountain-like dragon turtle crush toward the blind ghoul!

Watching the ghoul lizardman standing motionless in place, Kuchar estimated that this guy was probably scared silly, and a victorious expression had already appeared on his face.

It was just at this moment that his eyes suddenly blurred.

Only to see the figure standing majestically suddenly soar into the air like a flying crossbow, dragging a huge gust of wind and attacking his face!

Too late to hesitate, Kuchar almost subconsciously swung the obsidian battle axe in his hand, smashing it in front of him.

Bang——!

The sound of sharp weapons clashing echoed and spread; he felt the battle axe in his hand had hacked into a mountain, the huge impact almost making his arm lose sensation.

Feeling the pain that tore his web, Kuchar looked at the lizardman ghoul standing on the head of the turtle shell with a shocked gaze, his eyes full of shock.

That power... is it something an undead can possess?!

Okto looked at him expressionlessly, waved the battle axe in his hand, and set up a fighting stance again, the cold axe blade reflecting ghostly green light once more.

Watching the strange symbols appearing on the axe blade, Kuchar became more and more panicked, and just at this moment, a crisp sound of "crack" suddenly came from the battle axe in his hand.

Cracks spread along the axe blade like a spider web, and suddenly it collapsed into a pile of fragments like a broken glass bottle!

The surrounding Armored Dragon soldiers were all stunned.

A single blow shattered an obsidian battle axe...

What kind of terrifying power is this?!

"You guy... what kind of monster are you?" Kuchar retreated in shock and anger, almost retreating to the tail of the dragon turtle.

He drew the obsidian short sword at his waist, but that light weight couldn't give him a bit of security.

That was just a decoration hanging on his body!

Okto looked at him retreating in a panic silently, a trace of mocking sneer suddenly cracking on his expressionless face.

"It's not that I'm strong, it's that you're too weak."

Generally speaking, the main generals of the Hell and Empire are Gold or Bai Yin level, but this guy... is estimated to be at the Bronze level, at most just reaching the Steel level.

As for Okto himself, after several months of training on Planet Kao, his level is even higher than Sarah's, having reached the Bai Yin level!

He admitted that he might indeed be bullying people.

Hearing that undisguised mockery, Kuchar was furious in his heart, but still kept calm, not daring to step forward.

He didn't understand!

Why, as a "Sacred Blood Warrior," he had clearly reached the peak of the Holy General level, yet he couldn't even deal with a servant of a mere necromancer!

Could it be that this undead... also awakened supernatural power?!

A low roar came from his mouth, making a posture ready to charge, but suddenly he jumped back, decisively abandoning his mount and breaking away from the huge turtle shell.

Watching that fake move full of inner drama, Okto felt nothing in his heart, just carrying the double-edged battle axe on his shoulder.

His feet landed steadily, and Kuchar's face showed a triumphant expression, grinning and swinging the short sword in his hand.

What if the strength is above the Holy General level?

Even if it's the God General level!

It can't stop the trampling of thousands of Armored Dragon soldiers!

The horn of charge blew in the military formation, and the Armored Dragon soldiers surrounding Kuchar drew their weapons one after another, howling and pouncing toward Okto.

This is not over!

Kuchar hardened his heart, fiercely swiping the short sword in his right hand across his left arm, throwing the black blood onto the ground, while chanting an incantation in his mouth.

The moment the incantation left his mouth, a black aura drifted from the blood and pounced straight toward his mount!

Just at the moment of inhaling that black gas, the originally docile dragon turtle instantly became manic, hissing low in its mouth, its four legs pacing uneasily, and the turtle shell shaking violently.

Standing on the violently shaking turtle back indifferently, Okto quietly watched the performance of that lizardman general, as well as the thousands of troops rushing toward him, without the slightest panic.

Seizing the opportunity, the battle axe in his hand suddenly sank, and the spearhead at the end of the handle pierced through the back of the dragon turtle's neck without deviation.

Fresh blood sprayed out like a fountain!

The softest part of its body was pierced, and the dragon turtle's eyes instantly flooded with blood red, finally sinking to the ground in a painful wail, no longer moving.

The Armored Dragon soldiers who rushed to the vicinity climbed onto the back of the dragon turtle, trying to pile Okto to death with numbers.

However, just at this moment, a harsh hiss suddenly came from the air.

Kuchar, who was grinning, looked up suddenly, only to see burning trajectories appearing in the clear sky, just like a rain of fire descending from the firmament!

What is that?

Ballista?

Magic?

His face was full of confusion, and a trace of fear gradually crawled into his heart.

This is the instinct of a creature facing something unknown!

Intuition told him that the power contained in the flames descending from the sky far exceeded his imagination...

The double-edged battle axe in his hand set off a violent wind, Okto lightly knocked the dozen Armored Dragon soldiers who climbed onto the turtle back first, then looked at Kuchar, who was staring at the sky in a daze, and announced the ending for him and his soldiers.

"It seems you have made your decision, intending to serve my lord with the body of the dead."

"My lord respects your choice." ===== CHAPTER 273 =====

"It seems you have already made your decision, intending to serve my Lord with the bodies of the dead."

"My Lord respects your choice."