Chapter 648: Energy Devour

Boom—boom—boom……

Two squads of Extreme Warriors formed a fan‑shaped formation and fired at the Abyssal Gate.

The gunfire, explosive as a blast, was denser than raindrops; it could be heard from miles away, and the glass in the manor's nearby windows had already been shattered. Some people, pounded by the relentless gunfire, felt their eardrums sting, their minds numbed, and had to cover their ears.

All twenty‑five Bolt Guns were switched to full‑auto mode, firing without pause for a second.

After several minutes of battle, each Bolt Gun had fired at least two thousand Explosive Shells; the magically alloyed barrels grew scorching, and the cooling runes etched inside kept working, converting heat into steam, yet it was still insufficient.

Heat waves rolled around the Extreme Warriors, as if they were standing inside a furnace.

After firing for so long, the massive recoil of the Bolt Guns made the arms of a few Extreme Warriors who had just reached legendary rank go numb, reducing their shooting accuracy.

But it was all worth it.

The Demon army was held tightly at the Abyssal Gate; not a single one escaped.

The Abyssal Gate, over ten meters tall and ring‑shaped like a towering arch, had its interior already piled with Demon corpses, and outside the exit the blood flowed like a river.

Countless severed Demon limbs and broken bodies piled two to three meters high, yet demons kept surging out, treading on the gore as they advanced, only to be shredded by the Bolt Guns into fragments that became part of the corpse mountain beneath their feet.

The scent of blood rose skyward, like a true human hell.

When Lei En and Mirror Image dragged Desade back, they saw this scene.

Viola and her angels flew in the air, laying a defensive net around the Abyssal Gate, but they rarely got a chance to act; almost no Demon could break through the Extreme Warriors' fire net.

"Lei En."

Viola flashed before Lei En, only to find she could not hear her own voice, completely drowned out by the gunfire of the Bolt Guns.

Her face was filled with shock and worry as she pointed at the Demon lord behind the Abyssal Gate.

Lei En knew what she meant, shook his head to indicate there was no need to worry.

Shah Leisi emerged from the massive black fortress that loomed like a mountain, already standing before the Abyssal Gate, but her beautiful face was filled with startled doubt, clearly having sensed the situation on the Prime Material Plane, where the spatial seal and sound‑light barrier had been broken.

Even if another half‑minute passed, she could pass through the Abyssal Gate and descend onto the Prime Material Plane.

But Shah Leisi hesitated.

The Demon army under her command was struck head‑on by the Extreme Warriors, failing to seize and control the area around the Abyssal Gate; her descent would be attacked and thus dangerous.

Even if she succeeded in reaching the Prime Material Plane, should the Abyssal Gate be destroyed, she would lose her retreat.

This is Nuosiruier, the heart of the Oriense Empire.

Even an Abyssal Lord dares not casually breach the Oriense Empire, and she is merely a Demon lord; stepping out is tantamount to suicide, and even if she could revive in the Abyss, her power would plummet, replaced by other powerful Demons.

She was only commissioned to deal with a human on the Prime Material Plane, never intending to attack the Oriense Empire.

That human stood right before her.

Lei En's gaze clashed across the void with the Demon lord's eyes.

Between them, a tide of Demon troops surged out, only to be instantly blown to fragments by the Extreme Warriors. Every second, dozens of Demons were slain, their soul energy absorbed by Lei En, leaving only a trace of primal spirit to return to the Abyss, while their flesh remained on the Prime Material Plane.

"Human..."

Shah Leisi opened her mouth to speak.

She spoke in Abyssal Language, which Lei En could understand; unexpectedly, her voice was quite pleasant, a slightly deep timbre filled with an indescribable allure, yet also exuding the coldness unique to the Abyss.

Lei En intended to listen to what she had to say when several silhouettes teleported in.

Two higher‑tier teleportation gates opened in the manor, one left and one right, flanking the Abyssal Gate, and from them surged two squads of formidable Transcendents.

On the left stood a fully‑armed unit of Holy Swordmasters, clad in thick silver armor, wielding white‑silver holy swords; each was a legend, running like flying metal fortresses.

Lei En was familiar with these Holy Swordmasters, the mightiest "Sword of Order" in the Church of Justice!

The leader of these Holy Swordmasters wore elegant mithril light armor; he appeared as an elderly, towering man with silver hair, a wrinkle‑free solemn face, eyes radiating righteousness, and anyone who saw him felt a sharp solemnity, as if he were the embodiment of Justice.

In fact, he truly was the embodiment of Justice.

This man is the current Pope of the Church of Justice, the mortal representative of the god of Justice and Order, Tiriel, and is addressed as Lord Lusper, titled the Sword Saint of Justice.

The Transcendents emerging from the other portal were no less impressive than the Holy Swordmasters of the Sword of Order.

They were the Transcendent Legion of the Earth Church.

Several legendary priests and Earth Nuns from the "Ring of Earth."

The priests wore chainmail, wielded round shields and war hammers or flails, regardless of gender, each was robust and mighty.

The Earth Nuns were even more eye‑catching.

All members of this Transcendent vocation were women; they were taller and bulkier than ordinary men, averaging about 1.9 m, clad only in simple leather armor that could not hide their rock‑like, explosive muscles. Most kept short, tidy hair, with a heroic bearing that reminded Lei En of female bodybuilders from a past life.

The Earth Nuns wielded exclusively heavy weapons—two‑handed greatswords, heavy hammers, battle axes, war clubs, or massive tower shields—leaving footprints on the ground as they ran, evidencing the weight of their arms.

These Earth Nuns were also legends.

Leading them was a middle‑aged female priest, with an unremarkable face and a plump figure, dressed in a simple linen robe, holding an oddly shaped staff that resembled a vine‑wrapped branch, its tip sprouting a few fresh green leaves, brimming with vitality as if freshly plucked from a tree.

She was Lodiya, the divine emissary of Life, the Primate of the Earth Church.

The Empire's three deities, two of whose mortal representatives have already arrived.

A bolt of lightning shot from the west, appearing as a thick, straight spear of sword‑qi and thunder energy, moving at extreme speed, tearing through the air and landing in the manor, revealing a middle‑aged man whose mere presence commanded authority.

Consul Gneus.

As he landed, a shadow emerged beside him, coalescing into a robust man over two meters tall, clad in black armor, expression stone‑cold.

He was the commander of the Rick Guard, the Saint Rank Black Knight Haesukto.

At the same time, several legendary Wizards were teleported to the manor, representatives of the Mo Du faction in the supervisory group: Alamans, Andelo, and Deputy Director Sidney.

Vice‑President Beli Salu*Kar of the Steam and Machinery Guild.

Several elders of the Nuosiruier Fu Kong Cheng—Harawa, Krolonmans, Inora, Kexnaider, and others—were familiar faces, along with some powerful Transcendents of Nuosiruier, all rushing to the manor at top speed.

Everyone arrived at the manor and froze in shock.

It was completely different from what they had imagined.

Sensing the Abyss's aura, they rushed here first, expecting to see the Demon army burst from the Abyssal Gate like a tide, spreading in all directions, wreaking havoc, slaughtering madly, creating a scene of a human inferno.

But the situation was entirely different; it was indeed a Demon, and also a massive Abyssal Gate, yet those being ravaged and slaughtered were not humans but Demons.

The Demon corpses piled up like a mountain, and none could break out safely.

It was a one‑sided slaughter.

Everyone's gaze fell on the Extreme Warriors, watching the Bolt Guns in their hands, their faces unable to hide shock and curiosity.

At this moment, they all had only one thought: what kind of soul gun is this?

Behind the Abyssal Gate, the Demon Lord Sha Helaisi's words were abruptly cut off by the Saint Rank transcendent who arrived; her alluring yet sinister eyes showed a hint of panic, and she no longer had the mood to converse with Lei En. One of her six arms, gripping a wand, swung and emitted a dark‑green beam that struck the Abyssal Gate.

Boom!

The Abyssal Gate began to shake, becoming unstable as the energy sustaining the passage rapidly waned.

She intended to close the Abyssal Gate.

Lei En and the other strong ones did not stop her, and no one wished to counter‑attack the Abyss; slaying a Demon Lord inside the Abyss is far harder than on the Prime Material Plane, and those who charge in are almost certain not to return.

Half a minute later, the energy‑deprived Abyssal Gate collapsed with a thunderous crash.

With a booming sound, as the last few Demons were blown to gore by Extreme Warriors, the deafening gunfire finally ceased.

The manor fell silent for a few seconds.

Lei En felt a tinge of regret; if possible, he would gladly keep the Abyssal Gate open to supply himself with more power.

He glanced at his phone screen.

The souls of five Legendary High‑rank strong ones were fully absorbed, and together with thousands of Demon souls, the Holy Soul pool overflowed, nearly breaching the two‑thousand‑unit power limit. Fortunately, his reflexes were quick enough to anticipate this and he immediately poured power into the Wish Spell.

This Legendary Element consumed too much power.

So since acquiring the Wish Spell, he hasn't upgraded it; it remains at Six‑ring.

After consuming over seven hundred units of power, the Wish Spell finally rose to Seven‑ring, capable of simulating Six‑ring techniques at most. However, it also hit the spell cap that a Mid‑stage Legendary can master—Seven‑ring; to reach Eight‑ring next, he must achieve Holy Soul Ascension to Legendary High‑rank.

After upgrading the Wish Spell, the power kept surging.

Lei En then raised the Mithril Body from Tier 3 to Tier 5; this ultra‑exceptional Element, famed alongside the Iron Body, is also a power‑guzzler—advancing two tiers consumed eight hundred units. The attached "Mithril Flying Feather" also reached Tier 5.

However, the Holy Soul pool still held a large surplus of power.

He continued to upgrade.

He had long wanted to boost the "Energy Absorption" that comes with the Bronze Giant Demon Soul; this Physique Element is merely Rare rank but holds great potential, and now the chance finally arrived.

With just over a hundred units of power, Tier 3 Energy Absorption jumped to Tier 5.

Lei En poured in more power to push it beyond Tier 5, and indeed received a huge surprise, advancing it into the ultra‑exceptional Element "Energy Devour".

Energy Absorption turns the body into a container that absorbs incoming harmful energy and later releases it slowly, creating a buffering effect.

Energy Devour goes a step further.

It directly devours harmful energy, digesting it like food into beneficial energy that can heal wounds and restore stamina. Moreover, its capacity is higher; a Level 1 Energy Devour can fully absorb three single‑target Five‑ring techniques or one Six‑ring technique.

When Devour reaches its limit, the excess energy will harm the body.

Lei En did not hesitate to continue, spending nearly a thousand units to raise Energy Devour straight to Tier 5!

Further upgrades would require a massive power increase, and the Holy Soul pool was already insufficient.

At this point the Abyssal Gate had also closed, unable to draw Demon souls, so he had to stop and keep the remaining six‑hundred‑plus units in reserve.

Tier 5 Energy Devour can completely consume three Seven‑ring techniques or one Eight‑ring technique.

Lei En was very satisfied with this.

To know, he not only possessed Energy Devour, but also a Seven‑ring Rainbow Cloak, a Tier 5 Mithril Body, a True Dragon Body and Titan Divine Power that both grant "Energy Resistance" stacked to Tier 8, as well as the blood‑red cape's high‑level magical resistance.

If a spell hits him, it must first pierce these layers of magical protection.

The spell's energy is weakened layer by layer until it reaches the skin, triggering Energy Devour; unless it is a Nine‑ring Technique, it can hardly cause any damage.

Even a Nine‑ring Technique, Lei En is confident he can withstand a few hits.

The defense is impenetrable.

The resistance cannot be breached.

Lei En felt that after this upgrade, he could stride freely beneath Holy Soul. Even if several more enemies like today surrounded him, he could calmly hammer them one by one; numbers would no longer matter.

Moreover, he was only at Tier 14; before Holy Soul Ascension he could still fuse five more Demon souls.

Perhaps he need not wait for Holy Soul Ascension; he already possessed strength to stand toe‑to‑toe with Holy Soul Wizards!

Lei En's heart surged, yet his face remained impassive; his gaze swept the strong ones in the manor, and in a calm voice he said, "Gentlemen, you are late."

He then gave a slight bow to the two Grand Patriarchs, saying, "I have seen under Lusper's Crown, I have seen under Loudia's Crown."

The two nodded in response.

"Consul," Lei En called again.

These three were the highest‑ranking persons present, each representing the Empire's three divine factions.

Ge Niu Si posed the question everyone wanted to know, "Lei En, what happened here? Why did a massive Abyssal Gate open?"

"You must ask Elder De Sa De."

One of Lei En's Mirror Images hurled the unconscious Elder De Sa De forward and shouted, "Not long ago, he and Elder Fa Helun of Nai Se sealed this space, set up a sound‑light barrier, and gathered the orc Bimon Priest Ke Ge Lu Iron Hand, the law‑breaker Na Su Er, the heroic fighter Ji Tuo Luo Fu, and an unknown black wizard from a combat school, opened the Abyssal Gate. Fortunately I detected it and blocked the Demon army; otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable."

As he spoke, the faces of those present turned pale halfway through.

(End of Chapter)