Chapter 278: The Demon King who knows everything

At the same time that the Sand Ridge tribe bowed to the Great Graveyard, a grand blood sacrifice ceremony was being held in Assam City of the Saint Scale Dragon Kingdom.

The golden morning light had not yet spilled onto the surface of the Holy Lake, but the top of the pyramid in Assam City had already been illuminated by blood light.

On the stone steps leading to the altar, three thousand lizardman slaves were shirtless, wearing bone masks symbolizing the identity of the sacrificer, climbing the towering pyramid slowly and firmly one after another.

They were slaves, and also prisoners of war.

There were Scale Dragon clan, and Sand Ridge clan, or Wind Roar, Tide, etc.

The stone steps under their feet had long been soaked by the flesh and blood of their predecessors, and wherever their footsteps reached, they were sticky and slippery.

Every step they took, they were one step closer to death.

Yet no one dared to stop.

"Hurry up!"

The lizardman guard wearing vine armor poked the slave who was walking slowly with an obsidian spear, scolding and pushing him forward.

The slave staggered a few steps, but did not resist, hanging his head like a puppet, his face pale as snow, as if he had accepted the arrangement of fate.

Top of the pyramid.

The blood sacrifice altar had been dyed red!

The Dragon God statue high above opened its fangs, and its bloody mouth was like an endless abyss, as if it were greedily looking forward to the offering of blood and soul.

Strange prayers echoed above the altar, telling of boundless terror and strictness.

"... All living beings are suffering, only flesh and blood can comfort the Dragon God!"

High Priest Ze Er Tu A stood in the center of the altar, wearing sacrificial robes engraved with "Blood Sacrifice Seals", his hunched but tall figure.

His voice was hoarse like an old crow, and the miserable voice penetrated every sacrificial mask, deep into their bone marrow and even their souls.

"Praise Him, with your insignificant bodies!"

"Feed Him, with your cowardly hearts!"

"Thank Him, you are the lambs chosen by God, the lucky souls!"

"Just a little pain, and you can get rid of your lowly body, and be reincarnated as a true Saint Scale Dragon citizen in the next life... From then on, there will be no poverty, no humiliation, no chains!"

"You will enjoy eternal prosperity and eternal reincarnation in the endlessly rich Assam City!"

The slaves did not respond, because making a sound was disrespect, and would suffer whipping and blame.

They just lowered their heads and walked towards the end step by step.

Some people's hands and feet were trembling, their eyes were dull. Some people had already cried out, and after being dragged onto the altar, they still didn't forget to open their mouths to pray for forgiveness and mercy, but couldn't make a sound.

There was no response either.

Ze Er held the dragon bone scepter high, and the magic staff inlaid with ancient "Soul Seals" drew a fierce arc of light in the air.

"Dragon God is above—"

"Please drink this blood, to comfort the God's anger!"

"Please swallow this soul, to grant the God's will!"

Under the guidance of the priest, the first slave held an obsidian dagger with both hands, despairingly pressing it slowly into his own chest.

Accompanied by a low roar, he forcibly tore his scales, blood gushed out, and his hot heart was dug out and offered before the statue.

It is not absolute to say they are cowardly, at least they have the courage to die generously. 【

Yet, to call them brave would undoubtedly be a profanity against true courage.

In the grooves along the edge of the altar, fresh blood flowed slowly, pouring into the sacred pool below.

Under the irrigation of blood, the entire temple was like a lush, thriving tree, growing branches of death and terror upward.

Not far away, the Holy King Izi sat enthroned upon a golden seat cast from dragon bones, his golden scales emitting a cold, eerie radiance amidst the morning mist where sunlight and blood-light converged.

He looked down at this feast of slaughter with an indifferent gaze, as if the slaves falling one by one were as insignificant as fallen leaves.

There was no ripple at the corners of his mouth.

Nor was there any pity.

"... For these insignificant bugs to be qualified to die here is already an honor."

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, his voice so low it seemed to be spat from the depths of his throat, reaching Ze'er's ears.

Ze'er bowed his head slightly, his smile as devout as the bright sun in the sky, and nodded slightly toward the great Holy King.

"Just as Your Majesty says. May their blood pave a smooth path for the road of conquest we are about to embark upon."

The hundred-thousand-strong army led by General Bakar has already approached the central desert and will soon arrive at the canyon where the Trakel mission was annihilated.

By then, the military might of the Sacred Beetle Dragon Kingdom will sweep away the barbarians who dared to anger the Holy King with the force of a falling mountain.

That group of chameleons living in the sand will disappear from this land completely, like sand scattered by the wind.

When that time comes, the Sacred Beetle Dragon Kingdom will gain a large batch of slaves; these old, useless fellows might as well be cleared out in advance to make room for the new slaves.

Incidentally, we shall also use the blood of these slaves to soothe the restless soul of the Dragon God and consolidate the defense of the Great Barrier.

Various signs indicate that the reason the Great Barrier has loosened is precisely because they have been slack in their sacrificial activities over these years.

Otherwise, such formidable enemies would not have drifted in from the sea, and even thirty thousand Armored Dragon soldiers would not have fallen at their hands.

Behind Ze'er, those slaves who had not yet ascended the altar looked at the blood and corpses on the ground, their knees turning to jelly; some tried to retreat, only to have spears pressed against their backs.

Many still harbored a glimmer of hope in their hearts, believing that ascending the steps was merely for worship.

After all, they still had strength.

They could still work.

Even being cannon fodder on the battlefield would be better than being pointlessly slaughtered here.

Not until they saw this blood-drenched scene with their own eyes did they finally understand...

This was not some worship at all, but the legendary "Great Sacrifice"!

And this time—

They were the sacrifices!

Under the gaze of the Dragon God statue, wails rose one after another from the peak of the pyramid, merging with the low chants into the sky above the Gana Continent, turning into eerie dark clouds that spread toward an unknown direction.

And all of this was merely to exchange for that ethereal peace...

"Tsk tsk, how barbaric."

Under the shadow of the bronze statue, a pitch-black figure stood like a sculpture.

Watching the bloody sacrificial activity, Thanos's mouth curled into a playful smile, his low and cold voice seeming to come from another world, calm yet carrying a chilling sense of oppression.

He watched that living heart beat on the altar until it stopped several seconds later.

As a Platinum-tier demon, he had killed countless people, but this was the first time he had seen a heart continue to beat after being ripped from a chest.

These lizardmen certainly had a knack for torture, but it seemed that was all there was to them.

"Ignorant rituals, primitive beliefs... I thought you were hiding some trump card, but I didn't expect this to be the extent of your tricks."

Thanos mocked lightly, his voice like night wind blowing through a tomb, bone-chillingly cold.

As the Demon General least trusted by the Demon King in the Demon King's army, he had self-awareness regarding his own ecological niche.

It was precisely because of this that he was extremely cautious with every mission entrusted to him by His Majesty the Demon King, fearing that a trap might be hidden within, and that one careless move would cost him his life.

After arriving at Assam City, Thanos did not rush to appear, but cautiously lurked for three full days.

In these three days, he had gained one hundred percent certainty to confirm—

Although this city located in the lake was magnificent and heavily defended, most of the soldiers were slacking off with their eyes wide open.

Not only that.

Their power was also very weak; he had lurked for so long and had not discovered a single existence that made him feel threatened!

Those so-called Holy Blood Warriors blessed by the Dragon God had an impressive aura, but their strength was only in their aura; in terms of real power, they were only slightly stronger than average adventurers, barely reaching Steel-tier, and the strongest among them was only a Bai Yin!

That Bai Yin-tier powerhouse was likely the legendary "God-General-tier" warrior.

As for that high and mighty Holy King Izi... that guy was even more of a joke; although he did indeed possess the aura of a dragon, his strength was not even as good as those Holy Blood Warriors, just a hollow mascot.

This guy showed neither any God-Chosen power nor the cleverness and calmness of that yellow-haired warrior.

Honestly, if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Thanos wouldn't have dared to believe his findings.

It was precisely because of this that he waited for three full days before finally deciding to appear and end this meaningless riddle.

Just as all the Armored Dragon lizardmen were immersed in the solemnity and fanaticism of the sacrifice, a pitch-black figure descended silently into the center of the altar.

There was no wind, no magical fluctuations, and even the "Earth Seal" defensive net meticulously laid out by the priests failed to capture his footsteps; it was unknown how this uninvited guest had arrived here.

The moment he strolled out of the shadows and stood before the Dragon God statue, the entire altar fell into a deathly silence, and even the slaves holding obsidian daggers were stunned in place, dumbfounded.

Thanos coughed lightly, preparing to elegantly recite his opening line, only then did a chaotic clamor of voices erupt on the altar.

"Enemy attack!"

"There's an assassin!"

"Quick! Protect His Majesty the Holy King—!"

The Sacred Beetle Dragon soldiers were shocked and furious, raising their spears to quickly form a perimeter, the obsidian spearheads pointing at the black shadow in the center.

Yet, in Thanos's eyes, their movements were like a group of insects dancing around a fire, posing no threat whatsoever.

Holy King Izi's golden pupils contracted sharply, and his frantically beating heart was silently entwined with a trace of fear.

High Priest Ze'er gripped his dragon-bone scepter on the spot, the Dragon Soul Seal activated instantly, and hieroglyphic imprints appeared around the altar, rippling through the air like magical waves.

"Assassin?" Thanos raised an eyebrow slightly, almost laughing at this nonsensical remark.

Did he need to be sneaky to kill this bunch of things?

Watching the priest's movements, he merely flicked his fingers, not even drawing his blade, and shattered the incoming golden seal.

The meticulously prepared spell was interrupted; Ze'er's body shook, and a trace of blood seeped from his mouth, sliding down his scales to the ground.

So strong!

What kind of evil art was that?!

"Who are you?" Izi roared, his tone both shocked and angry, "How dare you profane the temple of the Dragon God—"

"Quiet."

Thanos only said two words, and the entire altar immediately fell into a terrifying silence.

An invisible pressure shrouded the altar; it was the aura suppression of a Platinum-tier powerhouse, not any magic.

All sounds seemed to be sucked into some dark abyss; the priest's chanting stalled, and even the slaves' wails were like throats being pinched, unable to make a single sound.

At this moment, they were like imperial farmers facing a demon alone.

And unlike the imperial farmers, this was likely the first time in a thousand years they had faced a demon from hell directly, without even a shred of mental preparation.

They lacked a certain antibody, both mentally and physically.

Standing before the eerie Dragon God statue, Thanos's gaze swept over everyone's stiff faces, indifferent as a judge in the Demon God's Palace of Hell.

"My name is Thanos, 'Shadow Demon General' under Lord Demon King, declaring to you bugs here in the name of an envoy—"

"His Majesty the Demon King is furious at your repeated incursions."

"You attacked our camp, hurt his servant, and arrogantly sacrificed his people, using their hearts to please your greedy false god."

"This is not only a provocation against His Majesty the Demon King, but also a provocation against the entire Hell."

His words were like a judgment, the cold voice leaving no room for rebuttal.

"Now, His Majesty the Demon King is no longer tolerant."

A trace of crimson soul-fire flashed in Thanos's eyes; he slowly raised a hand, and black shadows spread out beneath his feet, as if countless ghosts were wailing and shrieking.

While raising his volume, he also magnified the fear in the hearts of all the lizardmen present.

"You have only two choices."

"Either bow and submit to the great His Majesty the Demon King, and beg for his forgiveness—"

"Or, become sacrifices wailing in the shadows!"

As his voice fell, the entire pyramid was silent, as if it had fallen into a brief night.

That massive pressure made everyone unable to breathe, and even the priest standing beside the altar could not help but hold his breath.

At this moment, the glory, sanctity, and majesty of the Sacred Beetle Dragon Kingdom were completely suppressed by Thanos's figure.

And what terrified them even more was that this guy was not the Demon King himself, but merely one of the Demon Generals under the Demon King!

In the silent standoff, only the heartbeats of the slaves echoed in the blood pool, as if telling the fate of this suffering Assam City, which was about to meet its end...

"Arrogant fool!"

Holy King Izi stood up abruptly, the golden dragon throne behind him emitting a dull clicking sound.

Golden radiance rose from the scales around his body, and raging flames ignited in his vertical pupils, as if an ancient deity were awakening.

"A mere demon lackey, a maggot from the underground, dares to run wild on the sacred altar?!"

He didn't know what Hell was, but he figured it was just a bunch of bugs living underground.

Izi roared and swung his arm to give the order.

"Get him! Chop this heretic who profanes the gods into pieces! Let the Dragon God's flames burn his dirty shadow to ashes!"

"Kill!!"

Ten Holy Blood Warriors clad in heavy obsidian armor raised the greatswords in their hands and charged at him with overwhelming momentum.

Their eyes were red, and they roared the incantations of an ancient war dance, with bright red "Bloodthirst Seals" burning on their scales, exuding a fanatical aura from head to toe.

Thanos instinctively focused; shadows surged around him like a tide, and like a stream winding around his fingertips, turning like invisible blades.

He never underestimated an enemy, even an opponent he looked down upon from the bottom of his heart.

After all, even someone as strong as Elder Zakro had died at the hands of the seemingly weak His Majesty the Demon King; who didn't have a couple of trump cards hidden up their sleeves these days?

Moreover, this was an ancient barbarian tribe with such deep foundations; who knew if they had a few blessings from the Dragon God left on them.

The power of gods was above the transcendent; the more powerful the transcendent, the more they could perceive that insurmountable chasm and unreasonable intensity.

Watching these ten bipedal bugs charging up confidently, Thanos couldn't help but wonder if one of them might be hiding a person chosen by the Dragon God.

However—

In just two breaths of time, he realized how ridiculously wrong he had been, and had already realized the gap in strategic vision between himself and Lord Demon King.

The Holy Blood Warrior charging in the very front hadn't even finished his war cry before his throat was pierced by a black shadow.

Before the rag-like body could fall, the second person was torn apart by Thanos with his bare hands, his scales and bones ripped out together.

Third, fourth, fifth...

Like wind sweeping away fallen leaves!

Flesh and blood flew, obsidian armor shattered like pottery, and in a moment, it was scattered all over the ground!

Thanos's eyes widened, waving the magic light wrapped around his fingertips; the more he fought, the more shocked, angry, and incredulous he became!

How could this be?

This is... too weak, right!?

In just a moment, the ten Holy Blood Warriors fell one after another on the altar, like ten bags of rotten flesh tossed aside at will, offering their flesh and blood to the Dragon God.

"Is this your powerhouse?! What time is it, and you're still holding back?"

Thanos roared angrily, his calm face slightly distorted.

The weaker these people were, the more he felt that he, having spent three days playing mind games with the air, was so stupid.

Unable to endure his humiliation, a lizardman wielding an obsidian greatsword roared and charged up.

The amber vertical pupils were filled with terror, so much so that the Dragon God's aura erupting from that greatsword seemed hesitant, and was shattered to pieces with a flick of a finger.

Bang—!

The obsidian greatsword shattered inch by inch, and the Armored Dragon warrior flew backward, falling heavily to the ground, vomiting blood and losing consciousness.

High Priest Ze'er's eyes were filled with terror, his scale-covered face lost its color, and his pupils vibrated with anxiety.

That Armored Dragon warrior was a God-General-tier; even a God-General-tier powerhouse couldn't hurt a hair on this guy's head!

Just how strong is this guy?!

"I am so disappointed..." A trace of utter disappointment flashed in Thanos's eyes.

Watching the dozen or so Armored Dragon warriors charging up again, his figure quickly turned into an afterimage, and the black energy lingering on his fingertips flickered and flew a few times, slicing those dozen bodies into hundreds of pieces of meat, which scattered on the ground along with the spurting blood.

He stood on the pile of corpses, shaking off a trace of blood from his fingertips, never having drawn the dagger at his waist from beginning to end.

"Hahahaha—"

Thanos suddenly looked up and laughed, wild and uninhibited; the laughter echoed over the entire pyramid, startling countless slaves into subconsciously kneeling on the ground with weak knees, their faces ashen.

And the priests and soldiers standing around those slaves were even more like facing a great enemy, guarding nervously, yet no one dared to step forward to die.

By numbers, they might have a chance to pile this guy to death, but that number would likely have to be in the tens or even hundreds of thousands, and that would require a major prerequisite: that he remained here the whole time.

Thanos seemed to have laughed enough; he looked at the frozen Holy King with a mocking gaze and said slowly.

"I thought you had some legendary artifact in your hands, or some Diamond-tier guardian hidden in the dark; I didn't expect this to be your full strength. It was my own wishful thinking."

"Saint-General-tier? God-General-tier? Heh, you really have the nerve to gild your own faces."

It seems the Dragon God has truly declined.

Or—

He has forgotten this group of orphans.

As Thanos spoke, he walked to the edge of the altar as if taking a stroll, looking down at Assam City below, as if looking down at an empty shell without a soul.

His heart was incomparably devout.

That was devotion to Lord Demon King.

At this very moment, he finally understood why His Majesty the Demon King only sent him alone here.

Because there was absolutely no need to send a second person.

Thanos's pupils were filled with infinite admiration, as well as a trace of faint repentance.

That lord was indeed unfathomable and god-like in his foresight—

The so-called Sacred Beetle Dragon Kingdom was truly just a bunch of hollow, pathetic bugs; he only needed to move his fingers to wipe them off the map.

It was his own perspective that was too small, thinking of His Majesty the Demon King as sinister, mistakenly believing that the lord wanted to take the opportunity to get rid of him.

Actually, thinking about it carefully, with that lord's methods, if he really wanted his life, why would he need to use the method of borrowing a knife to kill?

Even Elder Zakro died at his hands; if he wanted to kill someone, it would probably just be a matter of a single glance...

Watching this guy completely ignore him, Holy King Izi, standing before the throne, had a livid face, his scales bristling with rage.

High Priest Ze'er's face was as pale as paper, his lips trembling, and he could barely recite a complete incantation.

"Someone! Protect the King!"

Finally overcoming the fear in his heart, Ze'er shouted hoarsely while waving his dragon-bone scepter, activating the "Seal" inside the temple.

Immediately, runes emerged from the altar floor, surging toward the surroundings of the altar like dense swarms of ants.

On the other side, the Armored Dragon soldiers, who had been waiting in full battle array, rushed up the pyramid stone steps like a tide, their obsidian spears standing like a forest, protecting the Holy King and the High Priest, preparing to evacuate them to the underground palace beneath the temple.

Watching their wishful thinking, Thanos just gave a cold glance, the corners of his mouth curling in mockery.

"Don't struggle."

His voice was indifferent, as if facing a group of bugs about to be buried alive.

Watching the panicked Holy King and High Priest retreat, Thanos did not chase a single step, just stood quietly, his voice carrying a hint of playfulness.

"Izi, right? I remember that's your name."

He called the Holy King by his name without any avoidance, making the surrounding Armored Dragon priests so angry their mouths and eyes went crooked, almost vomiting blood, but they couldn't do anything to this guy and could only be angry there.

Izi glared at him, no longer caring about the majesty of a Holy King, his nostrils puffing out heavy breaths.

"What do you want to say?"

"I want to say—your blood is still useful to His Majesty the Demon King, so I won't kill you today."

Thanos smiled lightly, looking at Izi with cold eyes, appreciating the prey's shocked and angry expression.

"Enjoy the last moments of your life; His Majesty the Demon King will come here personally to hold you accountable."

"Divine punishment will descend soon."

"Remember, this is what you chose yourselves."

The moment his voice fell, his figure had turned into a thick black shadow, slowly dissipating in the black mist that rose from nowhere, as if he had never existed.

Thanos left Assam City, just as he had arrived silently.

And right behind him, on that altar flowing with blood, a group of panicked nobles and soldiers were looking at each other, exchanging uncertain suspicion in each other's eyes.

Holy King Izi remained silent, his hands gripping the armrests of the golden throne tightly.

The shock brought by that powerful aura was so intense that he didn't know what expression to make on his face.

The Dragon God statue not far away also seemed to lower its head, just like those slaves silently crawling on the ground, unable to find the exit to the labyrinth that trapped their fate.

Everything seemed to be a dead end.

The sky over the entire Assam City seemed to be covered with a layer of shadow, and the scorching sun was like a sharp blade, tearing at the anxious souls of every citizen of the Sacred Beetle Dragon Kingdom...

(End of chapter)