Chapter 72 – Demon Seed

Volume 3: Rising Winds and Clouds

In the blink of an eye, three days had passed.

According to intelligence relayed from the Outpost, more and more Military forces, weapons, and equipment had been transported inside, including all manner of heavy weaponry.

In the eyes of the Military experts, the entire Outpost had already become an impregnable fortress.

Wen Yu thought it was all completely useless.

On the other hand, the Military's Academy of Sciences had made some progress in studying the Demon City's Protective Shield.

The Protective Shield operated more or less as Wen Yu had described. More surprisingly, those mad scientists had actually managed to determine the upper limit of its defenses.

Their results showed that a single one-hundred-kiloton nuclear warhead would be enough to breach the Protective Shield for a short time.

And from what Wen Yu had learned during his casual conversations with Kuangliu, Lin Haifeng appeared to have some plans for the Demon Qi Shield…

Wen Yu had paid little attention to whatever those plans might be. At the moment, he was quietly tinkering with the Gun in his hands while Kuangliu and the others sat around nearby with nothing to do.

The researchers had already withdrawn. Over the past three days, five waves of Demonic Creatures had poured out of the Demon City, and Kuangliu's group had reaped all the benefits.

The foul, bloody stench hanging over the area in front of the Demon City made Wen Yu feel nauseous.

There was no other reason for it. Too many Demonic Creatures had died, and the Super Soldiers below had no interest in cleaning up the Demon Spawn's corpses. They simply left them there to rot.

Of course, the smell was merely unpleasant. As for disease and the like, there was little need to worry, given a Class Holder's Physical Attribute.

Wen Yu had also discussed with Kuangliu why the Demon Race kept charging out to certain death.

They both believed that the flesh and blood covering the ground might serve as the casting material for one of the Demon Race's Skills, or perhaps amplify its power.

After a brief exchange of opinions, the two immediately reached a consensus.

Rather than wait around for the Demon Race to make its move, they would be better off putting some distance between themselves and the area.

They expanded the entire defensive perimeter. With Wen Yu and Kuangliu's mobility, any members of the Demon Race that left the city were doomed to be slaughtered.

Therefore, as early as two days ago, Wen Yu, Kuangliu, and the others had changed direction and completed their Position Swap to another side of the Demon City, where they continued patrolling the surrounding area.

They had left only a few drones behind to monitor the Demon City's movements from afar.

…

Atop the Demon City's walls, the Ancient Demon and the Black-skinned Demonic Creature watched the dozen or so people in the distance, now at their post-Position Swap location. Neither showed any reaction.

The flesh and blood on the ground could indeed enhance the power of the Black-skinned Demonic Creature's Skill, but whether Wen Yu and the others moved away made little difference.

Looking at the Crimson Demon Realm Gate behind them, now almost fully formed, the Ancient Demon could not help clenching its fists.

"Soon…"

The Black-skinned Demonic Creature nodded in agreement.

"We have enough Level 4 Demonic Creatures. Once the three lords emerge, we can launch the attack!"

"Make the preparations. It won't be much longer."

The Ancient Demon gave Wen Yu and the others in the distance one last expressionless glance before descending from the wall.

…

Inside the Demon City, Demon Qi surged and roared before being absorbed by the black pillar at the city's center, continuously strengthening the Demon City Shield.

Between the three Demon Realm Gates, the phantom of a bloodred Demon Realm Gate had almost become solid. At this rate, the special Demon Realm Gate would fully take shape within minutes.

The red Demon Realm Gate itself was not large, and it happened to be wedged directly between the other three Demon Realm Gates, creating a blind spot. As a result, the humans had no way to detect it.

The Ancient Demon stood silently before the Demon Realm Gate, watching as its crimson form grew clearer. A complex emotion flashed through its eyes. Then…

The Ancient Demon slowly knelt before the Demon Realm Gate and raised all four of its arms high, as though performing some kind of prayer ritual, or welcoming the creature about to emerge with the highest possible honors.

As the Ancient Demon moved, one terrifying figure after another emerged from concealed corners throughout the Demon City and silently took their places behind it.

…

Naturally, the drones circling outside had already observed what was happening within the Demon City.

Wen Yu watched the drone footage streaming onto the tablet in Kuangliu's hands, carefully counting the Demonic Creatures on the screen.

"Twenty-seven… That's a few too many."

The twenty-seven included the Ancient Demon and every other Demonic Creature standing between the three Demon Realm Gates.

Wen Yu couldn't tell their levels from the footage, but judging by where they stood, their status couldn't be much lower than the Ancient Demon's.

"I'm more interested in what they're doing between those three Demon Realm Gates," Kuangliu said, puzzled.

Wen Yu had no answer to that.

After all, neither of them had found any trace of the red Demon Realm Gate yet.

"Maybe they're performing some kind of pre-battle prayer. I heard that in ancient times, armies would always make sacrifices to the heavens and pray for… something or other before setting out…"

Behind them, Hao Yun mumbled incoherently to himself.

After a moment, Wen Yu spoke.

"Get ready. This time, I'm taking them head-on. Stay if you want, or leave if you want. But let me make one thing clear: if you stay, you'll bear the consequences yourselves. I won't provide you with any protection."

Wen Yu's words were mainly directed at the Military's Super Soldiers.

They exchanged glances before finally turning to Kuangliu.

Kuangliu studied the image on the tablet for a long moment, then said, "You all withdraw first."

"Yes, Sir!"

The Military's Super Soldiers saluted in unison, packed up their equipment, and climbed into their vehicles before speeding away.

"You're not leaving?"

Wen Yu stared calmly at the Demon City as he asked the question in a quiet voice.

Kuangliu merely shook his head.

…

The instant the Military's Super Soldiers withdrew, the blood-red Demon Realm Gate finished taking shape.

Its crimson doors were tightly shut. No aura or Demon Qi leaked from within. It looked like nothing more than a gate painted the color of blood.

Yet the many Demonic Creatures standing before it bowed their heads even lower.

After a long moment, the crimson gate finally stirred.

A pitch-black figure over three meters tall pushed open the doors and strode directly into the Demon City.

Its movements were so casual and effortless that it might as well have been walking into its own home.

As the figure emerged from the Demon Realm Gate, its full appearance was revealed to every Demonic Creature present.

It was an Ancient Demon!

But unlike other Ancient Demons, it had six arms instead of four. A pair of fleshy wings covered in black scales lay folded tightly against its back, while a mysterious Black Crystal embedded between its brows shimmered faintly.

This was a Demon Seed! An Ancient Demon Seed!

At the sight of the assembled Demonic Creatures, the Ancient Demon Seed gave a slight nod, then stepped aside to clear the blood-red gate behind it.

Then… a pair of crimson eyes suddenly lit up within the doorway.

A continuous hissing came from beyond the gate. A moment later, an enormous head began forcing its way through the blood-red doorway.

It belonged to a massive, snake-like Demonic Creature!

Its head alone was far larger than the blood-red gate, forcing the gate to absorb the surrounding Demon Qi and rapidly expand!

Only after the doorway had grown to over five meters tall did the Giant Snake manage to squeeze through the Demon Realm Gate intact.

Its body was five meters in diameter and fifty meters long. It had no scales; instead, its skin was covered in intricate, elaborate patterns.

At the center of its forehead was another slightly protruding black Mysterious Crystal!

As soon as the Giant Snake emerged, its forked tongue flicked rapidly in and out, as though gathering information from the air.

After a while, the Giant Snake stopped. Its body slowly contracted until it became a tiny snake barely five centimeters thick, then swiftly coiled itself around the Ancient Demon Seed's wrist.

As its aura steadily faded, the Ancient Demon Seed appeared to be wearing an elegant bracelet. There was no longer any sign of the Giant Snake.