# Chapter 41: The Great Tree and the Vulture
Inside the small room with its door tightly shut, the spatial fluctuations had long since completely disappeared. Su Xiao didn't leave immediately but waited here temporarily to prevent the enemy from tracking him here through any clues.
After waiting a moment, even Baha could no longer sense any spatial fluctuations within the room. Su Xiao finally felt at ease. The Nether Forces hadn't chosen to track the spatial rift here; ten to one, they had triggered the linked array and tracked it to Kaine's side.
That's right, making Kaine take the blame was the unanimous strategy of Su Xiao, Shenfu, and Kaisa. The reason was that among the three, Kaine was hostile to two of them—who else to screw over if not him?
This matter required Shenfu's cooperation. From the current situation, it seemed Shenfu had completed his arrangements in that old mansion, which also represented Shenfu's attitude.
Su Xiao had always had a suspicion in his heart: the current situation was precisely what that old bastard Shenfu most wanted to see.
This wasn't Su Xiao's conjecture. First was the way Shenfu entered this world—he too had used [Beginning of Nightmare] to enter.
As a Hunter, and the Undead Girl as a former Hunter, it was normal for the two of them to obtain [Beginning of Nightmare]. But as a Violator, it was quite difficult for Shenfu to get his hands on this item.
Not only did Shenfu obtain it, but he also used it to enter this world. After that, what did Shenfu do?
The answer was that he didn't explore the situation in this world or seek benefits. It was as if he already knew the structure of this world. The first thing he did upon entering was to find others who had also used [Beginning of Nightmare] to enter this world.
Shenfu first found the Undead Girl, then together they found Su Xiao. In the end, the three who had all used [Beginning of Nightmare] chose to cooperate.
One thing had been puzzling Su Xiao: Shenfu, who was as steady as an old dog, was actually willing to step forward and proactively go to "Aokai Star" to investigate the Nether's invasion. This was no longer just suspicious—it was somewhat astonishing.
After that, Shenfu directly joined the Nether faction and arrived in the Underworld. No matter how you looked at it, this old bastard's core goal was to reach the Underworld.
This felt very much like Shenfu knew before entering this world that there was something in the Underworld he desperately wanted, but he couldn't directly enter the Underworld. So he chose a compromise: first enter this world, use it as a springboard to reach the Underworld, and finally obtain that coveted item.
Thinking of this, Su Xiao felt a bit more at ease. He wasn't going to snatch that thing. He had never had the idea that all the secret treasures in the world belonged to him.
What Su Xiao cared about was whether Shenfu's subsequent actions would hinder him. That old bastard was now appearing and disappearing mysteriously, which was quite troublesome.
It wasn't that Su Xiao couldn't kill Shenfu. First, the guy couldn't die completely. Second, the cost of killing him was relatively high—a blood loss.
In the Treeborn World before, the scene of Shenfu's death was both horrifying and eerie.
Fighting all the way to the Eighth Rank, you really could encounter any kind of opponent. Some opponents were like this—after killing them, the battle had only just begun. For example, the gentle big-sister-next-door type who liked to bury people, Sacred Hymn.
Last world, after Gulu killed her, she experienced the most unforgettable days of her life. During those days, Gulu not only lost weight but had dark circles so heavy they looked like she was wearing smoky eye makeup.
The good news now was that Shenfu's goal seemed to have been achieved—that is, from now on, "each does their own thing," non-interference. Shenfu wasn't the type to show off or taunt after achieving his goal. That old bastard was very steady. Once his goal was achieved, you simply couldn't find him.
Su Xiao reviewed the notifications that had just appeared. This trip to the City of the Dead to stock up had been a huge harvest. Just inheritance-type profession items alone had yielded two kinds, along with matching skill inheritance stones and a set.
As for [Inscription Base: Wrathful Image], it was definitely the most valuable item this time. Its attributes were:
[Inscription Base: Wrathful Image]
Origin: Underworld · Monastery of Asceticism.
Type: Four-Inscription-Slot Base (Base has 3-5 inscription slots).
Main Inscription Slot: No inscription.
Sub Inscription Slot: No inscription.
Sub Inscription Slot: No inscription.
Sub Inscription Slot: No inscription.
Inscription Effect: None (Only after inserting an inscription piece can this characteristic be possessed).
Rating: 0 points (Before inserting an inscription piece, all inscription bases have a 0-point rating).
Introduction: A pendant convenient to carry, shaped like a majestic ghost with glaring eyes. In the ancient era of the Extinguished Light World, ascetics used themselves as vessels, their souls transforming into "ghosts," their flesh as "bait." The "ghosts" fed on the "bait," nurturing "fierce ghosts." Then, with great perseverance, they awakened the "fierce ghosts" into "spirit gods." This is the path of the ghostly gods.
Selling Price: 4920 Soul Coins.
……
A four-slot inscription base—Su Xiao had long had ideas about this, but he simply couldn't buy one. It wasn't surprising to obtain it from the Nether Forces this time; they were quite wealthy.
He checked the time. It was already 8 AM. Due to what had just happened, the Nether Forces should actively attack. Fortunately, the Mother Nest had already cultivated 130,000 elite Demon Beasts, so there was no fear of the enemy's attack.
If he could replace all the existing 420,000 Demon Beasts with elite Demon Beasts, then he could completely engage in a frontal confrontation with the Nether Forces, not only without fear but with an advantage.
Time passed minute by minute. The Nether Gate over there was eerily quiet, with no scene of a massive army attacking as imagined.
This confusion didn't trouble Su Xiao for long before he got the answer. A boom came from outside the base camp's city wall, then subsided. After a moment, a blood descendant tied up with semi-transparent tentacles was escorted in.
This blood descendant had pale skin and was trembling all over—not from fear, but from anger. He was an envoy sent by Princess Smoke, tasked with negotiating something with the Sun Nest. Being captured didn't bother him; the key was how these semi-transparent tentacles bound him... it was hard to describe.
Without needing to think, this kind of shady deed was definitely Baha's bad idea.
"..."
Su Xiao raised his hand to signal untie him. As soon as the semi-transparent tentacles loosened, several tail blades pressed against the blood descendant envoy's neck.
"Respected Sun Lord, I am under Princess Smoke's command..."
Before the blood descendant envoy could finish his pleasantries, Baha said, "Get straight to the point. Time is precious for both sides now. We still have to keep fighting later."
"Uh~, alright."
The blood descendant envoy smiled somewhat awkwardly. After brewing his words in his stomach, he said, "Then I'll make it brief. Here's the thing: among the treasures you... ahem~, that your side took earlier, there's a crown that was my king's beloved possession in his early years. Our side hopes to exchange hostages for this crown."
"Hostages?"
Baha looked suspicious.
"It's Mr. Kaine and his two companions. They didn't manage to escape and are being detained by our side."
Saying this, the blood descendant envoy became a bit more assertive, since they had hostages.
Upon hearing that Kaine and the other two were detained, Su Xiao's expression remained unchanged, but his first thought was, "There's such a good thing?" He showed a contemplative expression and then spoke in a less-than-friendly tone:
"Are you threatening me?"
"It can't be considered a threat. It's more like a transaction, wouldn't you say, Lord?"
The blood descendant envoy smiled and bowed his head. He hadn't prepared to return alive this time, so naturally, he wasn't afraid.
If Su Xiao remembered correctly, the crown was with the Undead Girl. She had a collecting hobby in this regard. According to her, there was a room in her exclusive room filled with such items.
If the Nether Forces wanted to trade resources, Su Xiao, the Undead Girl, and Kaisa would definitely all vote yes, eventually reaching a deal with the Nether. But using Kaine and the other two's lives to trade? That wasn't worth bothering with. The battle had reached this point; there was no need to waste time on this matter, lest it be a trap set by the Nether Forces.
"You've come a long way. Hard work."
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare."
The blood descendant envoy smiled and nodded repeatedly.
"Drag him out and kill him."
"!"
The blood descendant envoy stared at Su Xiao in shock. His cheek twitched, and a fierce look appeared in his eyes. He said urgently, "Wait to collect the corpses of your three accomplices! Princess will avenge me. You will all..."
Pfft~
Outside the wooden building, a tail blade swept through, trailing a string of blood beads in midair. The blood descendant envoy's head, full of resentment, flew up and fell toward the ground.
Bang!
Princess Smoke slammed her hand on the council table. She stared at the gradually dissipating image ahead and angrily said:
"Outrageous! This is too much!"
Princess Smoke, who had never been fond of reading, was so angry that even her speech changed. In the council hall, after her initial anger passed, she ordered:
"Someone! Go execute those three."
"Yes."
"Wait, hang them."
"Yes."
"No, drown them in a cesspool! I'm so furious!"
The more Princess Smoke thought about it, the angrier she got. The messenger kneeling on one knee ahead had sweat dripping down his face, not daring to breathe loudly.
"Let them go."
The main seat's Uying · Solaro spoke. Hearing this, the people in the council hall were somewhat in an uproar.
Solaro didn't explain further. He just waved his hand for everyone else to leave. He had felt something was wrong earlier. After some deliberation, he was basically certain that Kaine and the other two were not allies of the Sun Nest but rather enemies—just three unlucky bastards.
"Solaro, give me a reason."
Princess Smoke spoke.
"From now on, sleep less in your coffin and spend more time walking in the outside world. The Great Tree and I can't stand in front forever. One day, we too will fall. You are different from us. You can leave the Underworld. If we lose this time, don't hate our opponent. We and they were once allies who could entrust our backs to each other."
Uying · Solaro finished speaking and signaled Princess Smoke not to ask further. Princess Smoke snorted and left the council hall. Only Uying · Solaro and Twisted War Armor remained inside.
"Great Tree, are we still friends?"
Uying · Solaro's voice was calm as he spoke.
"Always... have been."
Twisted War Armor's reply was deep and somewhat ear-shattering. Hearing this, Uying · Solaro nodded.
"Good. Then this time, let's defeat that Law Destroyer together."
"Mm."
Twisted War Armor responded, stepped forward to a tall statue half-sunken into the wall, punched it into pieces, and took out a pitch-black giant axe inside.
This was a weapon the Underworld Emperor had once bestowed upon Twisted War Armor. It hadn't been willing to use it for a long time. For this battle, it picked up this giant axe, nearly 20 meters long, once again.
Half an hour later, the five gates of the City of the Dead opened simultaneously. The Underworld main force, the Rot Tree Legion, the Undead Legion, and the Dragon Blood Legion surged out, heading straight for the Underworld Gate.
Meanwhile, at their base camp.
A wave of mental energy came. Su Xiao, standing on the city wall, immediately ordered a full-scale engagement. Among the current 500,000-plus Demon Beasts, 160,000 were elite Demon Beasts.
The reason he hadn't taken the initiative to attack was that he was waiting for the enemy to charge through the Underworld Gate. This way, the battlefield would be only about 10 kilometers from the base camp.
Although this meant taking greater risks, it allowed the base camp's fungal carpet to spread directly over, improving the efficiency of spawning troops. When the Demon Beast legion was entirely composed of elite Demon Beasts, it would be time for the counterattack.
Su Xiao looked toward the distant Underworld Gate. As spatial ripples spread, a giant Underworld Whale swam out from the gate. This Underworld Whale was covered in black smoke. As soon as it emerged from the Underworld Gate, its massive mouth opened, and countless dark ghostfire clusters surged out.
These weren't actually ghostfire clusters but a type of self-destructing creature. They looked small, but when they exploded, the blast radius reached a hundred meters. All enemies within the coverage range would be burned to white bones by the black smoke. Previously, their Demon Flame Dragons had suffered over a thousand casualties from this.
Tens of thousands of dark ghostfire clusters approached. Behind them were the Underworld Cavalry, forming a dark green steel torrent, charging straight toward the city wall ahead.
Like a tide, the Demon Beasts surged forward. Tail blades swept, lances pierced with booming sounds. The scenes on the battlefield seemed unchanged from before.
But that wasn't the case. An elite Demon Beast with a very metallic-looking carapace was running. Its tail blade, crackling with plasma, swept past. A Dragon Blood warrior froze in place. His helmet and head were cut open together. His weapon slipped from his hand, and he fell to the ground dead.
This elite Demon Beast didn't go after the Underworld Cavalry, even though its individual combat ability was now stronger than theirs. Instead, its long tail raised, the tail blade pointing forward, it locked onto a Rot Tree man holding a giant metal rod. Its plasma tail began to charge, preparing to fire the tail blade.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The tall Rot Tree man swung the 30-meter-long, 4-meter-thick metal rod. The ground shook. Many ordinary Demon Beasts were flattened. Just as this Rot Tree man raised the giant metal rod again, preparing to smash down, a sound of breaking air came from in front of its face.
Bang!
The plasma-enhanced tail blade pierced through layers of airwaves, hitting the Rot Tree man's face.
With a dull thud, the Rot Tree man leaned back. Wood chips splattered from its head. It crashed down heavily on its butt, letting out a low, ear-shattering wail, clawing at its face. Its head had been pierced through.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Streams of pierced airwaves appeared around this Rot Tree man. The next second, the nearly 45-meter-tall figure was riddled with over a dozen tail blades, covered in barrel-sized through-holes.
This Rot Tree man, who had been fighting since a thousand years ago, crashed down heavily. In the distance, Princess Smoke, standing on the back of a giant beast that had just emerged from the Underworld Gate, happened to witness this scene. It gave her an ominous premonition.
As the saying goes, when enemies meet, their eyes blaze with hatred. When the Undead Legion arrived on the scene, their anger was maxed out. They had been hit the hardest by the Sun Nest before. This time, they were taking the initiative to attack, so of course, they wanted to save face.
But after officially engaging in the mixed battle on the wide plain before the Underworld Gate, the Undead Legion realized something was wrong. The Demon Beasts they faced were different from other legions. These Demon Beasts actually had plasma inside their bone tails, and their overall combat ability was particularly strong.
The reason they were specifically targeting the Undead Legion was that this side had many ghost-type enemies. Killing them allowed the fungal carpet to absorb more soul energy, letting the Mother Nest convert more evolution points. So, of course, they prioritized beating them.
Besides, they had been beating the Undead Legion all along. As the saying goes, if you start something, you should see it through. If you say you're going to crush the Undead Legion, you have to mean it.
The battlefield was chaotic, with endless roars and howls. The clashing of tail blades and lances produced continuous metallic sounds.
But if you looked down from above, you'd see a very interesting scene. The Underworld main force and their Demon Beasts were locked in fierce combat. When the perspective shifted to the Undead Legion, the picture changed. Over a hundred thousand elite Demon Beasts were all here. The Undead Legion's situation was quite miserable. Arcs of electricity surged everywhere, and tail blades continuously blew through the heads of blood descendants one after another.
At the rear of the battlefield, bang! A tail blade flew past Princess Smoke's ear, embedding itself in the metal door behind her. On this door, several hundred tail blades were already densely nailed.
"Your Highness, we should retreat."
A blood descendant, whose clothes were stained with large patches of insect blood and who held a war blade, spoke urgently.
"No matter what, we must hold the line."
Princess Smoke said through gritted teeth. She now understood why Uying · Solaro had said those words to her earlier. He was playing the emotional card.
Currently, the Nether formation was: the Underworld main force and the Rot Tree Legion in the center, mixed together as the core pushing force; the left wing was the Dragon Blood Legion; the right wing was the Undead Legion.
If their Undead Legion retreated now, the enemy army would strike the Nether main force's flank, possibly even cutting the formation in half.
Compared to Princess Smoke, Uying · Solaro, stationed at the rear of the Nether army, had a clearer view of the situation. At some point, the Soul Wizards' firepower had gradually stopped. They stood quietly behind the battle line.
Three hours into the battle, the Undead Legion on the right wing could no longer withstand the Demon Beasts' assault. Even with their cannon-fodder tactics, they couldn't hold.
Elite Demon Beasts charged in from the Underworld Cavalry's flank. Just at this critical moment, all the Underworld Cavalry on the battlefield ignited with dark green energy flames on their bodies. This was clearly a buff from the Soul Wizards.
The Underworld Cavalry suddenly scattered into individual units. They formed an array so neat it was astonishing and charged toward their Demon Beast army.
The ground trembled from the charge. The Underworld Cavalry charged ahead, while behind them, the Underworld Gate continuously spewed out more Underworld Cavalry.
This caused the Underworld Cavalry to keep pressing toward their base camp. If not for the fact that over 70% of the Demon Beast legion were now elite Demon Beasts, this charge would have been absolutely unstoppable.
In the previous battle, it was this kind of full-army charge that had killed nearly 350,000 of their Demon Beasts in a short time. If not for the dozens of Brutal Turrets blocking the gate, they would have been done for that time.
As the Underworld Cavalry legion charged, the Brutal Turrets connected to the front city wall activated, launching large numbers of living missiles.
A shocking scene appeared. The Underworld Cavalry seemed endless. The front few rows had just died when several more large rows charged out from the Underworld Gate. Judging by this momentum, they were clearly going to breach the city wall and trample their Mother Nest.
Below the front city wall, Demon Beasts formed a defense line. Tail blades pierced through Underworld Cavalry heads one after another. The living missiles falling from above also countered the Underworld Cavalry's charge.
Even so, they couldn't hold. Half an hour later, an Underworld Whale crashed heavily into the front city wall, blasting a hundred-meter-wide gap. The Underworld Cavalry charged in.
Dong!
A plasma cannon blasted out. Wherever it passed, Underworld Cavalry turned into lava-like liquid, scattering down. One cannon took out a large row.
If it had been a "war game" before, it instantly turned into a bloody and cruel "tower defense game."
The Brutal Turrets' firepower never stopped. The Underworld Cavalry were extremely skilled at charging. If their defensive fortifications weren't strong enough, they would have already collapsed.
Su Xiao stood atop the Mother Nest, watching the Underworld Cavalry that had charged to within a thousand meters. A lance flew past his ear, the wind pressure stirring his hair and the black feather cloak he wore.
Although the situation was dangerous, the enemy's Underworld Cavalry had suffered heavy casualties. This also meant that their bio-energy acquisition rate would reach a very impressive level.
In the melee a thousand meters from the Mother Nest, the last ordinary Demon Beast was pierced by a lance and exploded. The current 270,000 Demon Beasts were all elite Demon Beasts.
From over ten minutes ago, the Underworld Cavalry's charge had gradually stopped. The Demon Beasts had gradually withstood the pressure, continuously driving the enemy back.
The melee continued for another hour. Their Demon Beast army had reached 450,000. The battle situation had completely changed. The Nether army had been pushed back to the plain outside the city wall, starting a plain battle.
Atop the Mother Nest, Su Xiao checked the Mother Nest's data. The value representing bio-energy jumped back and forth—the fungal carpet had just absorbed it, and cultivating Demon Beasts consumed large amounts.
Compared to bio-energy reserves, Su Xiao cared more about evolution points. He now had 7 points. He decided to upgrade the Demon Flame Dragon to use air power to end this brutal stalemate.
Just then, the evolution points increased from 7 to 8. Su Xiao immediately changed his strategy. If he could upgrade the Titan Giant Beast, he would definitely upgrade the Titan.
Su Xiao used all 8 evolution points to upgrade the Titan Giant Beast. After he made the decision, the Titan Giant Beast's source gene sequence within the Mother Nest core began to improve.
The Titan Giant Beast's upgrade was fast, finishing in just over an hour. After the upgrade was complete, Su Xiao issued a mental command. The Mother Nest and incubation nests began cultivating Titan Giant Beasts. This way, the cultivation efficiency could reach 25 per hour.
The plain battle ahead continued. As Su Xiao had predicted, the Nether Forces' troop numbers were still as mysterious as ever, as if they could never be killed off.
The brutal stalemate on the plain continued. The Sun Nest and the Underworld were locked in fierce combat. Over at New Star City, they were moving at full speed. The Empire didn't want to stay here even a second longer.
The battle raged until 3 PM. The plain was covered with remnants absorbed to exhaustion. An Underworld Cavalryman who had lost his warhorse stepped on the head of a dying Demon Beast, exerting force to crush it. But the next second, a plasma-enhanced tail blade swept past, cutting off his head.
Not far away, Dragon Blood Leader · Luen held dual long blades. He was covered in blood, breathing like an ox. His Dragon Blood Legion had been wiped out. If he fell, the Dragon Blood Legion would cease to exist.
"Come forward and die."
Dragon Blood Leader · Luen looked around at the surrounding Demon Beasts. He was already familiar with these enemies. He knew they were not mere killing beasts but war creatures with command, discipline, and excellent coordination—a purer war race than the Underworld Cavalry.
The fierce battle was at its peak. Dragon Blood Leader · Luen flicked the insect blood off his war blade. But just then, he suddenly heard a loud boom from behind the enemy lines.
Dong~
A plasma sphere a hundred meters in diameter flew in a parabolic arc. As it flew, the plasma sphere rapidly expanded. When it reached several hundred meters in diameter, it suddenly split apart, turning into a rain of plasma that resembled arrows or spears, countless in number.
Looking up at the falling plasma cannon rain, Dragon Blood Leader · Luen's eyes showed some astonishment. Even at this distance, he felt his hair stand on end. The lethality of this plasma cannon rain was imaginable.
If Dragon Blood Leader · Luen knew that this plasma cannon rain was fired by just one Titan Giant Beast, what would he think? And that the Sun Nest currently had over a hundred such war beasts.
Dong, dong, dong, dong...
Deep, muffled thuds continuously came from behind their lines. Plasma spheres several hundred meters in diameter flew over, turning into plasma cannon rain in midair.
Dragon Blood Leader · Luen looked up at the falling plasma cannon rain. He smiled. Holding his blades with both hands, he raised his arms in a posture of embracing the sky.
Dong!!
The first wave of plasma cannon rain fell. The ground cracked. The plasma sharply penetrated the ground, causing chain explosions.
Dong!!
The second wave of plasma cannon rain fell. Then, dozens of waves successively fell across various parts of the battlefield. This caused the chaotic battlefield to fall silent for a short time, leaving only the sound of arcing electricity.
After the brief silence, the Underworld Cavalry collectively retreated. This was no longer fightable. The plasma cannon rain was essentially carpet-bombing. The Nether Forces' human-wave tactics were most afraid of this kind of carpet-bombing attack.
The enemy army retreated en masse. Su Xiao certainly wouldn't let them go. He leaped onto Barbatos's back and ordered the Demon Beast army to pursue.
The battlefield began to move forward. On the dragon's back, Su Xiao felt the brief spatial fluctuations fade. He passed through the Underworld Gate and arrived in the Underworld.
[Notification: You have repelled the Nether Forces' current offensive.]
[You have obtained Guardian's Proof × 23 (Special Item).]
[You have obtained Precipitated Glass × 7 (This is a rare product accumulated from the Mother Nest filtering large amounts of Nether energy. This item is extremely precious, and most Abyss-type beings have a demand for it).]
……
Repelling the Nether Forces was not Su Xiao's ultimate goal. He wanted to completely crush the Nether Forces.
The plasma cannon rain was very powerful, but its usage interval was quite long—only one volley per hour. The previous volley had completely stunned the Nether side, causing them to retreat across the board.
The wind whistled past his ears. Su Xiao looked down at the battlefield below. The two armies were engaged again. This time, the combat unit composition was simple: Demon Beasts, Demon Flame Dragons, Underworld Cavalry, Soul Wizards, Underworld Whales. Everything else was dead.
The Undead race was truly dead this time. The Dragon Blood race was completely wiped out. Dragon Blood Leader · Luen died under the plasma cannon rain.
As for the Rot Tree race, on the vast battlefield before the City of the Dead, only one Rot Tree man was still fighting fiercely—Twisted War Armor, holding the giant battle axe. Its body was stuck with quite a few tail blades, along with traces left by the plasma cannon rain. But it hadn't fallen. Every swing of its axe sent Demon Beasts flying in all directions, dead before they even landed.
Su Xiao had Barbatos climb in altitude. He took a breath of the cool high-altitude air and raised one hand.
Crackle~
A spark of electricity flashed in Su Xiao's hand. The next instant, world lightning crackled down from the sky, landing on him, and finally condensed into a lightning spear in his hand.
Under normal circumstances, Su Xiao would never do this, even though his lightning resistance was very high. Doing so was still suicide. The Dragon Rider state was different. First, Barbatos shared the world lightning with him. Second, not touching the ground meant the world lightning's power wouldn't fully erupt.
Once world lightning touched the earth's vein power, its power would increase geometrically. This was the main reason the Dragon Rider state could borrow world lightning. In common terms, with feet off the ground, controlling world lightning was very stable.
Su Xiao released the lightning spear. He clasped his hands together, fingers interlocked. Most of the blood energy in his body burst out, forming a phantom around him that resembled both a person and a beast.
The blood energy phantom was about 10 meters tall. Its image resembled the fierce beast · Fei. The upper body was human-like. The left hand was a ferocious beast claw with scales on the arm. The right arm was human, but the hand only had thumb, index, and middle fingers—no ring or little finger.
After the blood energy phantom was constructed, it protected Su Xiao, who was on Barbatos's back. A stream of soul energy drifted out from Su Xiao's body.
The soul energy gathered in the blood energy phantom's hand, forming a giant bow. This bow had the semi-transparent feel of soul energy and the unique blood color of blood energy. It looked completely solid.
The attack power of this giant bow was boosted by both Su Xiao's soul strength and blood energy. Su Xiao controlled the lightning spear. The lightning spear flew up, grasped by the blood energy phantom's single hand.
The blood energy phantom's scaled hand held the giant bow, while the other hand held the lightning spear.
Crack, crack, crack~
The blood energy phantom drew the bowstring, aiming the lightning spear at Twisted War Armor diagonally below. As Barbatos flew, it slightly adjusted the aiming angle.
On the battlefield, Twisted War Armor suddenly felt a piercing pain in its head. It grabbed a Demon Beast climbing up its arm, casually crushed it, and looked up. Su Xiao in Dragon Rider state and the blood-colored phantom on the dragon's back came into its view.
Twisted War Armor held the giant axe with one hand, making a throwing posture. As it exerted force, the ground beneath its feet cracked open in large patches.
On the dragon's back, Su Xiao's gaze was always locked on Twisted War Armor diagonally below. The moment it made the throwing posture, he controlled the blood energy phantom to release the bowstring.
Bang!!
An air explosion sounded on the dragon's back. The lightning spear broke through a series of sonic booms and fiercely struck Twisted War Armor's head, half-embedding itself. The impact caused Twisted War Armor to tilt its head back, wood chips splattering from the back of its head.
Twisted War Armor's throwing posture froze. The giant axe slipped from its hand, crashing heavily into the soil below with a clang. Already covered in wounds, this heavy blow to its head made death inevitable.
Twisted War Armor's remaining single eye looked at the man on the dragon's back in the sky. The man's eyes, with a faint blue gleam at the center of the pupils, it had seen before. In the past, that was a symbol of an ally.
With a loud crash, Twisted War Armor fell. It saw a glimmer of light in the dim sky of the Underworld. This gave the dying creature some comfort. The Underworld hadn't seen daylight for a long time.
But Twisted War Armor soon realized that the light in the sky wasn't daylight but a crack hidden behind the black clouds. The Underworld's sky had silently split open at some point. This also meant that the Underworld was on the verge of collapse.
Its vision gradually darkened. Twisted War Armor, who had fought all its life, remembered the days when it followed the Emperor. Those were the most glorious and fulfilling days of its life. As its thoughts reached this point, Twisted War Armor suddenly thought of something.
The Underworld had flourished with the arrival of the Law Destroyer. Now, it was about to perish with the arrival of the Law Destroyer. This might be a cycle.
Where there is a cause, there is an effect. Flowers bloom and wither. Trees grow and decay.
Twisted War Armor's massive body turned to residual ash. At the end of its life, it suddenly understood something.
The melee soon reached the City of the Dead. Facts proved that the Underworld Cavalry were not endless. After the second round of plasma cannon rain, apart from the central royal hall, there were hardly any intact buildings in the city.
The end of the Underworld Cavalry legion had come. They had been scattered. Judging by the current momentum, it wouldn't be long before the scattered groups of Underworld Cavalry in the city were gradually wiped out.
In the center of the City of the Dead, the towering royal hall pierced the clouds. Looking up, you couldn't see how tall it was. The royal hall extended into the dark black clouds in the sky.
At the main entrance of the royal hall was a large platform, with a long staircase below.
On the platform above the stairs, a burly man with wings on his back, wearing layered golden armor, holding a heavy lance nearly 5 meters long, lay in a pool of blood. Within a hundred meters around him were countless Demon Beast corpses, including several broken Demon Flame Dragons. This showed the man's strength. This was Golden Lion · Miu, one of the Four Knights under the King, the guardian of the royal hall.
Barbatos swooped down from above, landing among a large group of Demon Beasts. It lowered its body, and Su Xiao stepped onto its head.
On the platform before the royal hall's main entrance, the Demon Beasts that had died here had almost covered the place.
Before the main entrance, Uying · Solaro stood there, holding a long-handled war blade with one hand, covered in blood. His original greatsword had broken, and his war bow had cracked from overuse. Even so, he still hadn't fallen.
Uying · Solaro's left arm hung limply, clearly broken. But holding the long-handled war blade with one hand, he still had a powerful aura—though thousands of enemies stood before him, he would not retreat.
"Don't even think... of approaching my king one step."
Uying · Solaro's war blade, nearly 1.5 meters long, had its tip resting on the ground.
"..."
Su Xiao, standing on the dragon's head, said nothing.
Seeing this, Uying · Solaro said no more. He straightened up and charged toward Su Xiao on the dragon's head. The surrounding Demon Beasts pounced forward, completely enveloping Solaro. The scene seemed to freeze at this moment.
Half an hour later, rain fell in a drizzle. Uying · Solaro lay on his back on the ground. His eyes, which had lost their luster, seemed to be looking at the sky. The "vulture" that had maintained the Underworld until now had died here today.
Su Xiao leaped down from the dragon's head, walked past Solaro's corpse, and finally stopped before the main entrance of the towering royal hall. The Emperor was at the highest level of the royal hall. Only by defeating the Emperor could the Nether Forces be completely defeated.
Although he hadn't pushed open the tall metal door ahead, through the door, Su Xiao could already sense the rich Abyss energy inside, chilling to the bone. It was time to gather those few people and come here to fight the Emperor to the death.