Chapter 981: Upper-tier Lord

"Can't you find even a single clue?" Lei En asked with a grave expression.

The Abyssal Lord's power ceiling and floor differ enormously; the strongest Abyssal Lords are comparable to top deities, while the weakest Abyssal Lords are only about on par with Saint Rank strongmen in their twenties.

However, most Abyssal Lords are terrifyingly powerful, at least above Thirty-level!

The Baro Flame Demon itself is not fearsome, but if the Abyssal Lord behind it is a deity, that would be a serious trouble.

So it's best to clarify the opponent's origins.

"I've already done my utmost, yet found nothing," Ai Luotixiya said, lightly shaking her head, and replied with some embarrassment: "Bu Lukantike is a very ancient Flame Demon; it appeared on the Gamma Lan Plains over two thousand years ago."

"During such a long span, the Demons on the plains died and were reborn in batches, and the Demon Lords have changed hands countless times."

"If it hadn't claimed to serve an Abyssal Lord, no one would have known this at all."

Bu Lukantike is the name of that Baro Flame Demon.

Lei En nodded and wondered: "Could it be that it spread false rumors, making other Demon Lords wary and unwilling to attack at will?"

"At first I thought the same," the Succubus replied, "but after investigation we found it had no need to do so."

"Why?" Lei En asked.

"Before we appeared, Bu Lukantike was the strongest Demon Lord on the Gamma Lan Plains; it had the largest army and the biggest territory. On the southern shore there are five Demon Lords, and the other four are actually its vassals."

Ai Luotixiya explained, "A Demon Lord as powerful as Barazakun does not dare to provoke the other side lightly; the purpose of building Wanglong Fortress was defense."

"Is this Baro Flame Demon really that strong?" Lei En asked, curious.

"Yes!"

Ai Luotixiya nodded with lingering fear, "I encountered Bu Lukantike from a distance for several months; the impression it gave me was similar to the tormented nun beside the Succubus Queen, so it must be an Upper-tier Lord."

The Succubus Queen Mei Kanvita has thirteen tormented nuns under her.

These tormented nuns are primordial Succubi, each carefully cultivated by deities, utterly loyal, and their power exceeds that of Demon Lords by two ranks!

Demons, unlike Transcendents, do not have concrete levels; they are usually measured by rank to gauge strength and status. The legendary realm is the Great Demon, divided into initial stage, Mid-stage, and high stage. A Great Demon that breaks through the high stage undergoes the seventh Soul Transformation, which demons call evolution, and is promoted to Demon Lord.

Each time a Soul Transformation occurs, the rank rises by one.

Above Demon Lord are the "Mid-tier Lord" and "Upper-tier Lord"; converted to human Transcendent levels, a Mid-tier Lord corresponds to th Level to Thirty-level, after eight Soul Transformations or evolutions.

An Upper-tier Lord who has undergone nine Soul Transformations is above Thirty-level.

Upper-tier Lords are the pinnacle of the demon hierarchy; beyond that, even after the tenth evolution,

or even the eleventh evolution, they still belong to Upper-tier Lords.

The Saint Rank powerhouses of the Prime Material Plane can also apply this sequence: twenty to th Level are ordinary Saint Rank, th Level to Thirty-level are middle Saint Rank, Thirty-level and above are upper Saint Rank. However, Saint Rank powerhouses are extremely few among humans, elves, dwarves, and other intelligent races, their numbers far falling short of the Demon Lords in the Abyss, so this is generally not used.

Saint Rank strongers on the Prime Material Plane can also apply this sequence: levels twenty to th Level are ordinary Saint Rank, th Level to Thirty-level are Mid-tier Saint Rank, and above Thirty-level are Upper-tier Saint Rank. However, whether human, elf, dwarf, or other intelligent races, Saint Rank strongers are too few, far fewer than the Demon Lords in the Abyss, so the system is generally unused.

For the overwhelming majority, Saint Rank strongers are equally powerful and unfathomable, making distinction unnecessary.

Saint Rank powerhouses themselves usually don't even say things like 'middle' or 'upper'; most Saint Rank are between twenty and th Level, so there's no need to distinguish with 'middle', and it's automatically overlooked.

Saint Rank strongers themselves usually don't use terms like "Mid-tier" or "Upper-tier"; most Saint Rank are between twenty and th Level, so there's no need to label them "Mid-tier," and they simply ignore it.

Moreover, Transcendent levels are clearer than ranks, so no alternative hierarchy of titles was invented.

"It's an Upper-tier Lord!"

Lei En was somewhat surprised; it was the first time he learned this news.

The Baro Flame Demon that Reslin and his teammates killed back then was only an ordinary Demon Lord, still some distance from a Mid-tier Lord.

"Aside from the King of Hatred being a middle lord, the other three—the Shadow Ghost Mother, the Satyr Demon, and the Warlock—are all ordinary Demon Lords." Àiluòtí xīyā replied: "Of these four, I think the trickiest is the Warlock 'Sāiěr', whose strength is second only to Bùlǔkāntíkè."

"Except for one Hate King who is a Mid-tier Lord, the other three—Shadow Mother, Sart Demon, and the Evil Arts Master—are ordinary Demon Lords," Ai Luotixiya replied, "Among the four, I think the most troublesome is the Evil Arts Master 'Sai Er', whose strength is only second to Bu Lukantike."

"After all, they're spellcasters," Lei En agreed with her assessment.

Evil Arts Masters are rare specialized spellcasters in the Abyss; most are fallen intelligent races, predominantly humans, and were almost all once Black Wizards.

Netifu Demon can also give rise to Evil Arts Masters.

Some Evil Arts Masters are Demonkin-born, such as the Chaos Prince and the Dream Demon, both of which could become Evil Arts Masters.

As long as they're spellcasters, they're hard to deal with.

Evil Arts Master Lords have spellcasting abilities on par with Holy Soul Wizards and Grand Mages, and cannot be compared with ordinary Demon Lords.

Among the five Demon Lords on the southern shore of Gamma Lan, surprisingly two are not easy to provoke.

One is an Upper-tier Lord backed by an Abyssal Lord;

No wonder after Àiluòtí xīyà unified the north shore, she went half a year without a full-scale offensive; even if replaced by an ordinary Demon Lord, no matter how many demon troops they commanded, with a thousand dark angels leading the charge, they could still roll over them directly.

No wonder after Ai Luotixiya unified the northern shore, she spent a whole half-year without a full-scale advance; switching to ordinary Demon Lords, even with a larger demon army, a thousand Dark Angels leading the charge could still crush the opposition outright.

The Succubus gave Lei En a thoughtful look, remained silent for a long time, and dared not speak to disturb him.

Lei En finally made a decision: without fighting, he couldn't harvest souls; he lacked electricity, and he had no demon corpses to plant black soul mushrooms.

Lei En finally made a decision: without fighting there can be no soul harvesting, no energy, and no demon corpses to plant Black Soul Mushrooms.

Ai Luotixiya's spirit lifted, yet she asked with some worry, "What about the Abyssal Lord behind Bu Lukantike?"

"Ignore it," Lei En waved his hand, "This time I've also deployed the Star Destroyer to the battlefield; if that Abyssal Lord really shows up and things go wrong, we'll retreat immediately. Apart from the Dark Angel Legion, we abandon everything else."

"We also abandon Wanglong Fortress and the Source Crystal Mine?" the Succubus said, reluctant to let go.

That meant she would have to give up the hard-won territory, as well as her over two million Demon troops, which was truly a pity.

"Those don't matter," Lei En laughed, "As long as you're alive and continue leading the Dark Angel Legion, we can rise again in the Mist Mountains at any time."

Lei En comforted, "You don't need to worry too much; perhaps that Baluo Flame Demon is just bluffing, basically not an Abyssal Lord at all. Now you tell me how to fight, having called me over, you must have a plan, right?"

Lei En reassured, "You needn't worry too much; perhaps that Baro Flame Demon is just blustering and there's no real Abyssal Lord. Now tell me how to fight, summon me over; you must have a plan, right?"

The succubus said solemnly, "Among demons, combat has no tactics to speak of, nor much variety; it's just sending the troops out for an all-out melee."

The Succubus said earnestly, "Combat between Demons leaves little room for tactics or variety; you just send the army in for an all-out melee."

Every demon is irritable and crazy; the vast majority of demons lack reason and wisdom, and an army composed of them cannot execute even the most exquisite tactics.

Every Demon is volatile and insane; the vast majority lack reason and wisdom, so even the most intricate tactics cannot be carried out by armies composed of them.

【61】 In their eyes, battle is a single word: "Kill!"

The side with more Demons and greater strength wins.

Ai Luotixi Ya took out a crude map showing the entire Gamma Lan Plain, roughly triangular, with a wide river dividing the plain in two; the ruling center north of the river lies at Wang Long Fortress at the foot of the northern mountains.

On the southern bank, the flat ground bears a low but sprawling hill.

The succubus pointed at the hill in the middle of the southern bank and said, "This hill is called Luodong; Bu Lukantik reshaped it into a lava volcano, its preferred environment. He also built a massive castle on the hill called Luodong Flame Fortress, and Bu Lukantik almost lives inside it."

"It had the sorcerer Sel set up a teleportation array inside the castle, leading to the lairs of other Demon lords."

"If any one is attacked, the other Demon lords will come to aid."

"So…"

Ai Luotixi Ya placed her finger on the hill and said, "My plan is a full‑scale assault: send all Demon troops across the Gamma Lan River and attack Luodong Flame Fortress."

"Deploying so many troops will surely be noticed by the opposite bank."

"But we have one chance for a surprise attack: before they notice us, we should eliminate a Demon lord first. My suggestion is to kill…"

The succubus looked at Lei En.

Both said in unison, "Sorcerer Sel."

It is the best choice; the Flame Demon Baro is not so easy to eliminate, and among the other four Demon lords, the sorcerer poses the greatest threat and is the hardest to kill. Once the sorcerer is removed, the Demon lords lose magical support, reducing the combat variables by one tier.

"Lei En, do you think this battle plan is feasible?" Ai Luotixi Ya asked, then waited for Lei En's judgment.

"Of course, no problem."

Lei En nodded in agreement, "However, I have a suggestion: besides the sorcerer, we could also behead another Demon lord."

"I have to command the Demon troops; I can't get away, and I can't guarantee the battle will end quickly," Ai Luotixi Ya said, feeling uneasy.

"You don't need to act." Lei En laughed, "Don't forget we still have Reslin."

The succubus's eyes lit up.

She knew Reslin's power well; it seemed unfathomable, though she rarely saw him, and asked, "Has Reslin also arrived?"

"He's always been here," Lei En said mysteriously.

Ai Luotixi Ya scanned the bridge but saw no sign of Reslin, feeling awe; even after becoming a Holy Blood Angel, she still couldn't gauge Reslin's depth. Lei En's avatar seemed scarier than his true form.

"I'll go kill the sorcerer; Reslin will handle the King of Hate."

Lei En quickly assigned the tasks.

The King of Hate is an undead creature, a towering body stitched from countless corpses, resembling a bloated, mutated giant, possessing great strength and defense, and regenerating rapidly; however, it knows no spells, can only fight in melee, and its magical resistance is mediocre.

Magic is the King of Hate's nemesis.

Against Reslin's magical bombardment, the King of Hate has no chance of survival.

"Good!"

Ai Luotixi Ya had no objection.

The two agreed on some operational details on the bridge and then set out.

Lei En reshaped his activated metal, sprouting a pair of violet curved horns on his head, wide wings unfolding behind him, his feet turning into demonic hooves, a slender tail extending with a sharp arrowhead at its tip—this is the form of a Dream Demon.

A Dream Demon is a male succubus who dislikes wearing clothes.

Lei En shed his light armor, revealing a strong chest, folded his cloak, and below the waist wore only light mithril greaves; his bare hooves and the faint metallic sheen on his shins' scales made him virtually indistinguishable from a real Dream Demon.

"Let's go," he said.

Noticing Ai Luotixi Ya's slightly flushed face, he asked, "What's wrong? It's not your first time seeing me turn into a Dream Demon."

"You intend to fight in this form?" the succubus asked softly.

"Of course."

Lei En nodded, "We mustn't let the Demons doubt your origins. When I appear publicly in the Abyss, I try to avoid lightning spells and other abilities, relying only on melee and mind spells; I can still take down those Demon lords."

Like succubi, Dream Demons are born with enchantment abilities—a form of mind power that can be cultivated to master mind spells.

Ai Luotixi Ya can become a Holy Swordsman who cultivates mind power, precisely because of this.

Her expression was somewhat odd.

"The entire Abyss has never seen a Dream Demon like you—so strong and resilient, wielding power scarier than that of ancient dragon demons!"

The succubus race's physical traits are relatively mediocre among Demons and have never been known for melee combat.

"Hahaha…"

Lei En understood her meaning, "No problem, then I'll become the first melee‑invincible Dream Demon lord. There's never been a rule that Dream Demons can't cultivate great power, right?"

Ai Luotixi Ya could not refute.

Lei En opened a portal and returned with her to the Steel Throne inside Wang Long Fortress.

Sitting on the throne, the succubus's face took on a solemn, lethal expression, and she called coldly, "Pasuwio, where are you?"

Her voice echoed through Wang Long Fortress; seconds later a massive dark‑red dragon silhouette swooped in, landed and transformed into a humanoid form, crawling at Ai Luotixi Ya's feet and respectfully replied, "Master, I have arrived!"

Lei En stood beneath the Steel Throne, gazing at the nearby evil dragon.

It is an ancient evil dragon, also called the Jailfire Dragon, one of the aberrant dragons born in the Abyss, naturally wielding a green eldritch flame; compared to the Prime Material Plane's red dragon fire, its temperature is slightly lower, but its breath corrodes and contaminates the mind. Born as an evil dragon, it is no different from a Demon.

Aiken's mount, the Hell Three‑Headed Dragon, has one head that is the Jailfire Dragon.

Pasuwio is an ancient dragon, formerly one of the Demon lords on the north bank; after being defeated by Ai Luotixi Ya, it submitted to her to survive.

Ai Luotixi Ya ordered it to lie down and continue summoning other Demons.

Great Demons entered the throne hall one after another, landing beneath the throne awaiting orders; they were all commanders promoted by Ai Luotixi Ya, specializing in Destruction, Burning, and Shadow magic, and each was at least a Mid‑stage Great Demon.

Dozens of Great Demons gathered quickly.

Ai Luotixi Ya rose from the throne, hand resting on the Soul‑Eating Blade, exuding a murderous aura, and shouted, "My slaves, take all your forces and march south across the Gamma Lan River to attack Luodong Flame Fortress!"

(End of Chapter)