“The demons of Hell have come out in full force. Trillions of demons are swarming thousands of worlds simultaneously. Each of these worlds is overseen by an Eternal Rank Hell Archduke.”
“Wait, thousands of Hell Archdukes? Are they actual Eternal Rank Hell Archdukes?”
Hearing this, Chen Xu felt a headache coming on.
Thousands of Eternal Rank Hell Archdukes... Where did the Mother of Hell get so much energy to suddenly mass-produce so many high-rank powerhouses?
“Yes, my Lord. However, most of their auras are not particularly strong, roughly equivalent to an average Black Knight.”
“Furthermore, their auras are unstable. It seems their power was forcibly elevated. They haven't even fully mastered their own Dao principles, and they cannot control them perfectly when they use them.”
“Is that so? That’s not too bad then.”
Chen Xu breathed a sigh of relief after hearing Bone Guard One’s clarification.
If they were just mass-produced defects who hadn't even mastered their own Dao principles, then there wasn't too much to worry about.
“My Lord, but the Seven Demon Kings of Hell have also mobilized, each overseeing a specific region.”
“The Seven Demon Kings? Didn't Destruction fall? Damn it, where is the Mother of Hell getting these resources? It's one thing to mass-produce Hell Archdukes, but she can even promote Demon Kings now?”
One truly could not underestimate the powerhouses of the world. Although the Mother of Hell was mad, she was the strongest among the mad.
And looking at the current situation, it was hard to say whether that madness was real or just an act.
“Friend Chen, judging by your expression, you must have just found out as well.”
The Hunyuan Dao Lord’s expression was equally grim. He had also received news of Hell's counterattack. The terrifying scale of those thousands of Hell Archdukes had deeply shocked the veteran of the Immortal Dao.
Chen Xu nodded, signaling that he already knew about the counterattack.
“I originally thought this was just a long-premeditated move by Heaven. Now it seems Hell is not to be underestimated either. Thousands of Eternal Rank Hell Archdukes... Hmph, I wonder where the Mother of Hell found so much energy.”
“Indeed. Although Hell has been on a campaign of conquest for years, invading worlds, slaughtering living beings, and devouring realms...”
“But thousands of Hell Archdukes? Excluding the ones that already existed, there must be at least seven or eight hundred newly created ones.”
“Even if we calculate based on the peak of the Mythic Rank, the energy required would be an astronomical figure.”
“I don’t believe the Mother of Hell would use none of the energy from the worlds she devoured over the years for herself, saving it all for this single moment.”
Chen Xu nodded, agreeing completely with the Hunyuan Dao Lord’s deduction.
Although world origin was a precious resource, completely refining a small world would only yield enough origin to barely elevate a peak Mythic Rank demon lord into a newly ascended Eternal Rank Hell Archduke.
But that required complete refinement. Hell's invasions usually shattered worlds, and they only managed to seize forty to fifty percent of the world origin at most, sometimes as little as ten to twenty percent.
Moreover, it was impossible for the Mother of Hell not to consume world origin herself to increase her own strength.
Combined with the years of war against Heaven, where Hell Archdukes had to be constantly replaced, it was impossible for them to have saved up so much energy.
To create over seven hundred Eternal Rank beings, how many worlds would Hell have to devour? Unless...
Chen Xu suddenly remembered a name: the Blank Zone.
Seeing Chen Xu’s furrowed brow suddenly relax, the Hunyuan Dao Lord inquired.
“Friend Chen, did you think of something?”
Chen Xu nodded and said.
“The Blank Zone. Not long ago, the Mother of Hell invaded the Blank Zone and took it for herself.”
“What! Is this news confirmed?”
“The Lord of Heaven told me. Furthermore, I saw with my own eyes that the Mother of Hell used the Dao of Blankness.”
“If it’s a special world like the Blank Zone, then creating not just thousands, but even ten thousand Eternal Rank beings would be a simple task.”
The Hunyuan Dao Lord held great awe for special worlds. It seemed that the battle from all those years ago had left deep scars on him.
In his view, the Mother of Hell had refined the Blank Zone and used a portion of the world origin obtained to manufacture this massive batch of Hell Archdukes.
Thousands of Hell Archdukes, thousands or even more demon battlefields... the brief peace the myriad worlds had managed to obtain was now shattered.
Furthermore, the demon armies this time were different. While the gaze of the myriad worlds was drawn to those thousands of Hell Archdukes, they overlooked a very tiny detail on the battlefield.
When hellfire crashed into worlds and the Hellgates swung open, spewing forth demon armies, there were also small, quietly blooming corrupting flowers invading the worlds alongside them.
The corrupting flowers spread everywhere, following closely in the demons' footsteps. Wherever they passed, the air became thick with sulfur and scorching heat.
This time, Hell was not just bringing demons to other worlds; it was bringing Hell's unique environment along with them.
In such an environment, the demons' strength was greatly enhanced, while local creatures found it difficult to survive. The corrupting aura in the air made it impossible for them to even replenish their energy; even breathing carried the risk of internal burns.
To make matters worse, Heaven was still in its preparation phase. All those expeditionary forces had been recalled to Heaven, waiting for a grand expeditionary ritual.
Without Heaven's restraint, the demon armies were moving as if through uninhabited lands.
By the time Heaven finished its preparations and officially set out, the worlds surrounding Hell might have already been completely conquered.
Thus, Chen Xu looked at the Hunyuan Dao Lord and voiced his thoughts.
“Friend Hunyuan, the Lord of Heaven is focused solely on destroying the Mother of Hell. Those invaded worlds might not be able to wait for Heaven's rescue.”
“I intend to deploy my troops to provide emergency relief. I wonder if you, and the Immortal Dao behind you, are willing to lend a hand?”
“My undead are sufficient for low-level combat. I only need you to send Eternal Rank experts to deal with those Hell Archdukes on my behalf.”
Hearing this, the Hunyuan Dao Lord looked at Chen Xu, staring into his eyes as if trying to guess his intentions.
After all, in his view, there was no need to waste their strength at this time to face Hell’s first and most violent wave of aggression.
For those insignificant worlds, it wasn't worth it.
The worlds in the myriad worlds were as numerous as the hairs on an ox. These Dao Lords wouldn't be moved even if ten thousand worlds were sacrificed, let alone a thousand.
Chen Xu immediately reacted and took the initiative to explain.
“Friend Hunyuan, I mentioned before that the shadow of that Great Sage lies behind both Hell and Heaven.”
“That Sage is a master of rituals.”
“In my view, Hell’s counterattack this time is likely the beating of gongs and drums to set the stage. It is the start of a performance.”
“If we do not stop it or participate, we will be in a very passive position once her ritual is complete.”
“By participating now, we can still seize some of the spotlight, interfere with the direction of the ritual, and obstruct its progress.”
The Hunyuan Dao Lord suddenly understood.
Indeed, the ritual system was a transcendent system that had been very popular in ancient times.
Back then, he, Hunyuan, had also studied it for a while. However, after realizing that the source of rituals was too mysterious, he didn't dare to delve deeper and abandoned it.
And at that time, the Sage was the undisputed number one in rituals on the surface. If Hell and Heaven really had the Sage behind them as Chen Xu said, then this sudden counterattack from Hell truly did have the feel of a prelude to a ritual climax.
Thus, the Hunyuan Dao Lord agreed.
“Friend Chen, I’m in. As for the other Dao Lords of the Immortal Dao, I will go and persuade them for you.”
“Excellent!”
Rate on N.U.
