Chapter 524: Burn Chaos to Ashes!

Prince Prince Prince Kelin, loyal and brave, arrived at the port of Lei Ming City today, but upon learning that Princess Princess Ailin was fulfilling a sacred mission in the Dusk Province, he refused to linger a moment and immediately headed for the front lines beyond Ji Liu Pass.

He said he could not leave his beloved girl alone in such a dangerous place—he would spare no cost to find her!

Oh, Saint Sis above, let us pray for this sincere affection! May the Holy Light protect both of them! Though he is a mage, he is a true knight!

Notably, Prince Prince Prince Kelin did not return alone to this harbor that haunted his dreams; accompanying him was Sak Windstorm, an envoy from the Ancient Taf United Kingdom.

Speaking of Taf, that is a tale stretching far into the past.

Long, long ago, in the distant First Era, before the Holy Light shone upon this land of ignorance and savagery, the children of the Dragon God were our allies.

Of course, I mean the true children of the Dragon God—not the ugly, stinking pests crawling in the southwestern swamps…

—《Lei Ming City Daily》

Sak Windstorm's arrival ignited the passion of Lei Ming City's citizens, especially when they learned he too was a prince.

For the sake of gold, even that lizard face seemed rather charming—especially after they heard that on the distant continent of Jiana, the Lizardfolk of the Wind Roar Domain used gold as floor tiles…

Regardless of whether Sak could preserve his lizard skin and complete the Demon Lord's assigned task, Branhia, lying in ambush along the southern border of Que Mu Territory, had finally waited long enough for her prey…

In the boundless forest, an army of roughly one hundred thousand men marched with high morale toward Que Mu Castle.

Among the ranks, a massive man sat astride a gray giant bear standing three meters tall.

He wore heavy leather armor across his chest, gripped a coiled long whip in his hand, and bore a face as fearsome as a demonic beast—though missing one eye, his chilling aura remained undiminished.

His name was Slon, nicknamed "Black Beast."

In the Dusk Province of the Leyn Kingdom, his name struck terror into countless royal officers and knights, for he had once driven tens of thousands of beasts to tear a whole castle's inhabitants to pieces alive.

Even after they had surrendered.

Though the number of beasts was likely exaggerated, the deed was undeniably true—otherwise he would never have become a Platinum-tier powerhouse through Chaos's favor.

Some said he was once a beast tamer who rose in rebellion after a knight's squire shot his beloved dog; others claimed he was a jester kept in a lord's castle, thrown into the arena to be fed to lions after bedding the lady of the house.

But whatever his past, he had now severed all ties with his former weak self, becoming a figure that struck dread into all who spoke his name.

Now it was his turn to throw those he disliked into beast cages.

Yet for some reason, the man who should have towered above all, looking down upon the world, now felt uneasy—constantly sensing a pair of unseen eyes watching him.

Was it Chaos?

Had the great true god Ulgos finally taken true notice of his sacrifice and bestowed upon him love and approval?

Or perhaps…

Was Saint Sis watching him? Had his cruelty finally drawn the wrath and enmity of the divine?

Thinking of this, Slon's face showed no fear—only a cruel smile curled at his lips.

If so, then all the better.

Hadn't he walked this path precisely for this?

Perhaps his leader Kaelan had dreamed of building a more equal kingdom—or something else—but he had never entertained such thoughts.

His wish had always been, and would always be, one thing—

To avenge himself upon Saint Sis!

Whether the Holy Maiden of Que Mu Territory was genuine or a fraud, he swore he would crush her to dust with the cruelest means, make her watch the light she believed in vanish before her eyes, and force Saint Sis to regret sending his servant to this land!

He could hardly wait!

Gazing ahead at the dense forest, Slon, mounted on the bear, narrowed his single eye and called to a subordinate riding beside him.

"How far to go?"

Hearing his leader's voice, the captain of his personal guard did not dare delay and quickly reported.

"Report, Commander—we will reach the Creek Village on Que Mu's southern border no later than nightfall."

Slon raised his hand, impatiently cutting him off.

"I didn't ask how far to that damn village—I asked how far to Que Mu Castle!"

The captain broke into cold sweat, trembling as he spoke.

"This… it's roughly three days' march."

Three days?

Slon clicked his tongue.

How tedious.

"Too slow!"

The moment he finished speaking, a light, tinkling laugh echoed from nearby.

"Is that so—"

"Then let's end it quickly."

Before he could even identify the voice or its source, the air suddenly filled with a deafening, locust-like buzzing!

In an instant—

A sudden transformation erupted!

"Kikikik—!"

Amid a torrent of buzzing, a hail of arrows rained from above like a sudden storm!

Each arrow bore a bell, like the scythe of Death—within moments, over a thousand soldiers fell dead!

Slon's vanguard, caught completely off guard, descended into chaos, screaming and dying in droves!

Slon's eyes widened in shock; he slammed his legs hard against the bear's flanks, rising upright, and swung his whip to cleave through the torrent of arrows.

But his whip was only four or five meters long—it could easily block arrows aimed at him, yet to shield the entire front line was pure fantasy.

The arrowstorm showed no pause.

Wave after wave fell from the sky, relentlessly harvesting the lives of his Green Forest Army soldiers, while their deathly shrieks sowed terror.

Watching his comrades fall one after another, pierced like hedgehogs, Slon's eyes burned with rage, his teeth grinding with a sharp, grating sound.

These cowardly sneak-attack rats!

He raised his right arm, cracked his whip through the air with a thunderous boom, and roared at his panicked troops:

"Hold firm! Don't break formation! These rats think they can ambush us? Follow me—crush the witch's ambush!"

Slon, possessing Platinum-tier strength, his thunderous roar did indeed salvage a sliver of morale from the crumbling front line.

Two cavalry units broke from the flanks of the front line, led by two centurions, charging toward the source of the arrows.

But what happened next took them utterly by surprise.

As they charged halfway, countless milky-white threads suddenly rose from the forest, directly colliding with the galloping hooves!

"Whoa—!"

Panicked neighs erupted throughout the forest as horses tripped, tumbling riders and mounts forward in a heap.

Before the two cavalry units could comprehend the situation, dozens of spider-like creatures, half a man's height, emerged from the forest shadows…

A Green Forest Army officer's pupils shrank, and he screamed in horror:

"Dungeon Spiders!!!"

Dungeon Spiders?!

All the green-turbaned soldiers froze in shock—even Slon, mounted on the bear, stared wide-eyed for two full seconds.

How could Dungeon Spiders appear here?!

They did not know that in the neighboring Dusk Province, Dungeon Spiders were not only common beasts of the Ten Thousand Swords Mountains, but also the mount of the Flame King.

If the Holy Maiden's forces possessed even a "Holy Spirit," then Dungeon Spiders were hardly surprising.

"Aaaaooh! Brothers! They've taken the bait!"

"Mine! All mine—experience!"

"Mealtime! Gagaga!"

A swarm of spiders surged forward, among them several "Spider Cavalry" riding Dungeon Spiders into battle.

Mounted on "#1 Pig in China," "Dragon Walks Ten Thousand Li" swung his spear, shouting "Kill! Kill! Kill!" like a god of slaughter incarnate!

Due to the harmonious relations between the Great Graveyard and surface humans, internal strife had long been settled—he hadn't fought so freely in ages!

Now was the time to showcase the valor of the Dragon Walks Ten Thousand Li Guild!

Seeing his cavalry and vanguard pinned down by the ambush, Slon could no longer sit idle—he cursed loudly, swung his whip, and charged forward with his personal guard.

The charging giant bear crashed through the forest like a runaway carriage, snapping trees and uprooting them in its path.

Seeing the boss charging toward him, Dragon Walks Ten Thousand Li's eyes lit up—he roared, "Good! Come on!" and charged forward with his spear.

Man and lizard clashed with the bear!

Before his sharp spear could pierce the bear's hide, a massive paw the size of a door slammed down, sending both spider and lizard flying.

Before Dragon Walks Ten Thousand Li could process what happened, he saw himself split cleanly in two—he shouted, "Not even fun!"

Seeing his leader "slain," his follower "Dragon Walks—Ultra-Fierce Warrior" immediately raised his staff and bellowed:

"Rise, my brother!"

A pale green light pierced Dragon Walks Ten Thousand Li's mangled body, pulling him back from the brink of logout, reviving him as an undead lizardman.

"Did it—"

Ten Thousand Li roared, snatched up his spear, and prepared to fight three hundred more rounds—when another violent gust of wind struck, flattening him and his unfinished praise into a bloody pulp.

"Roar—!" The gray bear roared, slammed its front paws into the ground, and crushed the insect twice over, ensuring it was reduced to paste.

Slon spat in disgust, swung his right whip to shatter the attempting spellcaster skeleton mage, then reached leftward, snatched the arrow aimed at his temple, and hurled it back.

A sharp whistle pierced the air—the archer "Dragon Walks Hundred Li" never saw the boss's move before he was pinned to the tree behind him.

His mount, "Failed Eel," startled, turned to flee—but hadn't gone two meters before a whip cracked it into spider paste.

Failed Eel: "What the fuck! This boss is too fucking overpowered!"

The 【Dragon Marching a Thousand Li】, sword and shield in hand, stared in shock—but seeing Brother Wanli and Longxing Baili had already logged off, he gritted his teeth and raised his shield to charge forward.

"Ooooh!"

As expected—

She logged off too.

Even though the Silver-grade skeletons could easily crush countless clueless adventurers, they were still trash in the face of true higher-tier transcenders.

【Ye Ye Zhiqiu】 wisely stayed back, instead circling the battlefield's edge with 【Hu Wan】, picking off easy targets among the lesser troops.

But such seasoned veterans were still rare.

Most players, of course, still rushed toward the higher-reward World Boss—after all, death cost nothing, and if they won, they'd strike it rich!

Watching the endless stream of trash charging at him, Sloan's face was etched with disgust.

Though their attacks inflicted no real damage, their numbers were simply too vast, waves crashing endlessly without end.

Even ants can kill an elephant.

Though they were still far from threatening him, Sloan no longer intended to waste time on them—the relentless barrage of arrows continued to rain down on his position.

These trash troops could be handled by his men behind him; his immediate priority was eliminating the enemy archer line!

As he roared and urged his giant bear forward once more, a sudden sense of danger prickled at his brow.

Sloan's heart clenched—he relied on battlefield-honed instinct, rolling off his bear's back in one fluid motion!

Almost simultaneously, a bolt of black lightning struck the beast's skull—so fast he barely saw it!

"Boom—!"

The three-meter-tall bear collapsed, its bloodthirsty head completely gone, leaving only charred black ash and splattered blood.

Sloan's eyes widened—he had no time to mourn his mount, locking his gaze on the direction the lightning came from, never blinking.

What the hell was that?

Magic?

But it didn't seem like it…

As his mind raced to analyze, a pitch-black evening gown appeared silently in the shadow beneath a pine tree ahead.

A woman with pale skin stood there, her face wearing a lazy smile, utterly out of place amid the bloody chaos. Yet her violet pupils radiated a demonic aura, warning all not to underestimate her lethargy.

"Fuck! It's Branhiya!"

"Shit! I knew it was another scripted kill!"

"No!!! My EXP!"

Wails and screams rose in chorus.

Seeing the "Thorned Demon General" Branhiya appear suddenly on the battlefield, the players attacking the boss erupted into curses.

Only the truly smart newbies stayed silent, hunting the leftover stragglers while both elites ignored them.

Unfazed by the Demon King's strange servants, Branhiya showed no surprise—only yawned at the greenwood army's commander, who stood ready for battle.

"A noisy bunch… Do you fools really think your pitiful level is enough to challenge my revered Majesty?"

"Heh. How presumptuous."

Majesty?

The king of Leyn Kingdom?

Sloan stared hard at the unknown woman, his face slowly twisting into a snarl as transcendent power coiled around his whip.

"Another dog of Lord Shengxi? Then let me see what guts you have to speak so boldly before me!"

"Hmm… Lord Shengxi?"

Branhiya lazily glanced at her nails, peering through her fingers at his contorting face and the power gathering in his grip—then her lips curled into a sly smile.

"Poor thing… You don't even know who you're facing."

Sloan didn't wait for her to finish—he struck first, his whip lashing like lightning straight for her face!

"Snap—!"

A pine tree thick as two men's arms exploded like it had been hit by a cannonball, roots and soil torn apart and flung backward by the wind!

Seeing the deep gouge left in the earth, Sloan felt no triumph—he sank into despair.

So fast!

He hadn't seen how she moved—or where she went!

As he reeled in shock, a faint laugh came from directly behind him, followed by a short, choked scream.

Sloan whirled around—his personal guard captain stared wide-eyed, throat gripped by an invisible hand, unable to utter a sound.

The next second, crimson branches burst from his nose and mouth, then his eyeballs popped off with a wet *plop*.

Crimson stamens tore through his chest, growing at an impossible speed, devouring every drop of flesh and blood—leaving only a skeleton standing like a trellis, soon swallowed whole by the rampant flowers and thorns.

The vanished woman reappeared.

Standing right in the center of the blooming crimson flower, not a single drop of blood stained her black evening gown.

Behind her lazy smile, dozens of Greenwood Army bodyguards—like ants caught by carnivorous vines—met the same fate as the captain, their blood and life drained by crimson sprouts.

Under those horrifying eyes, Sloan felt every hair on his body stand on end, his joints trembling uncontrollably.

Such terrifying power!

He'd faced strong foes before—but never such cruel, vile techniques. A chilling thought crept into his mind—

"Are you… a demon from Hell?!"

But how could a demon be with a holy maiden?!

And—

Logically, demons of the same rank couldn't defeat knights of equal level—and his strength surpassed even standard knights, enough to challenge those one rank above!

Is this thing a Diamond-tier apex?!

Or even a Violet Crystal-tier?!

"Clever."

Watching the stunned Greenwood commander, Branhiya smiled approvingly—though her voice remained icy as ever.

"As a reward for a worm, I'll grant you the honor of fertilizing the thorns beneath my feet."

"Dream on!!!"

Sloan roared, slapping his chest—blue runes surged across his palms, twisting into chains that flew outward, summoning hundreds of blue spectral beasts before him!

Each beast gnashed teeth, drooling blood, glaring at Branhiya atop the blood-thorns, growling low, claws scraping the ground.

Among them: Youminglang, Diyuquan, and other bizarre creatures with no names—even the dead giant bear was among them!

They were all the souls of slain beasts!

Branhiya's face showed a flicker of surprise—but only that. She didn't regard the grotesque beasts as a threat.

"Oh? You've got more tricks?"

"Die!"

Sloan laughed wildly, clenching his right fist—the chaotic energy shattered the chains binding his palms!

A horde of beasts surged—

"Roar—!"

Hundreds of monsters charged like wild horses, lunging at the demon standing in the blood-thorn pool, desperate to tear her apart!

But then—another change occurred.

Branhiya watched the charging beasts with a half-smile, making no move—when suddenly, *whooshing* arrows rained from above, drowning the beasts in a storm of projectiles!

The blue spectral souls were crushed to dust by anti-magic arrows!

Sloan's eyes bulged—he hadn't expected this, and cursed loudly.

"Cowardly trick!"

He snarled, flicking his wrist—the whip shattered into segments, the tip shooting like an arrow, whistling through the air toward Branhiya in midair.

But just as it neared its target, a thorn-whip erupted from beneath her, flicking it away like a fly.

As if swatting a fly.

"Is that all you've got?"

Branhiya sneered, watching Sloan's stunned face—then the crimson thorns beneath her erupted, fanning out behind her like a peacock's tail!

Each crimson thorn twisted into hundreds of venomous snakes, striking at Sloan from every direction!

Sloan fought with all his strength—but against the impenetrable "whip-shadow," every move felt slow, futile.

"It's over."

As Branhiya pointed her index finger forward, hundreds of thorns tightened instantly, dragging him into the air, binding him tight.

Sharp spines pierced his flesh; a searing force tore through his nerves, devouring his life force.

"Aaaah!"

Sloan's eyes turned blood-red, his face twisted in terror for the first time.

No—

His revenge had only just begun—how could he die here?!

And by a demon's hand?!

As he faded, hallucinations flickered before him—he saw the father and son, mother and daughter he'd once locked in cages to fight beasts, waving to him…

After completing a grand sacrifice, he finally collapsed into another god's cage—just before the next sacrifice began.

"Have a good dream."

Branxia smiled and licked her lips, watching the drained skeleton slowly dissolve into the twisted crimson.

After digesting Sloan's flesh, she officially broke through the Diamond-level bottleneck and became the first Diamond-level Demon General of the Grand Cemetery!

And "Black Beast" Sloan, who had instilled terror throughout the Dusk Province, was reduced to fertilizer, swallowed by the blooming thorn thicket.

The battle in the distance continued; the black dragon crossbowmen's arrow rain fell in relentless waves, shattering the Green Forest Army's center.

The skeleton army hidden beneath the hills began advancing; the sudden awakening of this steel tide caught the Green Forest soldiers attempting to charge off guard.

The bandit chief is dead.

Faced with unceasing casualties, even an army of a hundred thousand would collapse—only a matter of time!

Without looking at the corpses scattered on the ground, Branxia turned toward the tree shadows stretched long by the twilight, lifting her skirt slightly with her long nails in a graceful bow.

"Your Majesty, are you satisfied with my performance?"

She knew that the Lord was watching.

A butterfly perched on the treetop fluttered its wings lightly, as if leaving the evaluation "not bad," then flew into the depths of the forest.

Meanwhile, in the southern reaches of the Griffin's Cliffs, on the corrupted plain utterly consumed by the Chaos Plague, the whistling of blades finally ceased, leaving only the dying, resentful roars of the Chaos beasts echoing through the thin air.

Hidden in the shadows of the hills, the "Alchemist" Gene watched the retreating figure through his telescope, a smug smile spreading across his twisted face.

So what if he's a demigod?

Before the Chaos army he himself forged, even the Rock Sword Saint was merely a slightly more stubborn rock.

Indeed—

His power surpassed even that of a demigod!

Yet this triumph did not last long.

In his telescope, a strange formation soon appeared.

They were a group of burly dwarves, He Li pushing a dozen grotesque metal devices shaped like pipe organs as they trudged heavily onto the battlefield's edge.

The hair on their heads was unnaturally thick—especially on a few of them, whose "hair" nearly blew away.

Yet this absurd sight could not mask the lethal aura radiating from them, nor could it make Gene underestimate what they were about to do.

They carefully loaded thick "fireworks" as wide as a thigh into long iron tubes.

"What the hell are those?"

Gene muttered under his breath, bringing the telescope closer, his confusion deepening.

At that moment, he suddenly saw one of the dwarves swing his short sword and bellow, "Fire!"

Before the words were out, all the dwarves scattered like startled rabbits, sprinting away and diving into cover just behind them.

The fuses burned to their end.

The next instant, from the silent battlefield far away, a roar erupted—as if rising from the depths of hell!

"Woo—!"

Not one, but dozens of roars in unison!

Brilliant tail flames propelled dozens of rockets through the sky, exploding into deathly roars and fiery blossoms; a scorching torrent rained down like a downpour onto the densest clusters of Chaos beasts by the riverbank, igniting in a chain reaction.

Gene's eyes widened.

On the cold lens of his monocular telescope, reflected the firestorm that consumed all things—and his own expression of terror and disbelief.

That day, fire rained down upon the southern reaches of Griffin's Cliffs like an apocalypse.

Even the Grand Sage's forbidden spell could not have surpassed this…