Chapter 576: The Eight Demon God Empires, Awakening of the Demonic Dragon

Before the commencement of this strategy meeting, the Celestial Think Tank and Waling Intelligent System had already conducted numerous simulations, anticipating dozens of possible scenarios.

These ranged from gaining a slight advantage and expanding it to deal a severe blow to the enemy, to the sudden emergence of additional powerful entities from the opposing side, even preparations for dealing with the appearance of demon-god-level beings.

Compared to the human race, whose number of high-tier powerhouses had long been exposed, the strength of the Purgatory Clan was far more terrifying.

They boasted over a dozen demon-god-level entities, with each of the eight Demon God Empires having at least one, sometimes even two, demon-god-level powerhouses guarding their domains.

This didn’t even account for the demon kings and great demon kings, nor the elite legions that had been fighting for countless years.

If not for the fact that six of those empires, further away from humanity, were embroiled in wars with two other civilizations and unable to divert their attention, the human race would likely have been annihilated already.

This was why the Federation had been frantically developing destructive weaponry and exhausting its resources to nurture strong cultivators over the years. If humanity couldn’t grow stronger quickly enough, they would face unprecedented pressure once the Purgatory Clan concluded its war with another civilization.

After the tasks were assigned and everyone understood their roles, the pre-battle meeting finally came to an end after nearly three hours.

As Heavenly King Shenxiao finished speaking, Heavenly King Zhenwu slowly rose from his throne. A thick, oppressive murderous aura spread from him, dyeing the entire hall in a blood-red hue. His presence was domineering and bloody.

Heavenly King Zhenwu’s gaze swept slowly across the room before he said in a deep voice, “Everyone, the second mythical surge is about to erupt, making this battle of critical importance. For the human race.”

Every powerhouse in the hall bore an expression of cold resolve, exuding a strong killing intent. Even Chen Chu’s eyes glimmered with murderous intent under the influence of the charged atmosphere.

The human race had never lacked courage. Every individual present had survived countless battles.

This was especially true for the legion commanders from the Ninth Heavenly Realm, most of whom were relatively young—between thirty and fifty years old. Only a small number were over sixty, veterans of the Era of Darkness.

For Ninth Heavenly Realm cultivators, who had lifespans of several hundred years, sixty years old was merely the beginning. The reason for the scarcity of advanced cultivators in this age group was simple: most had perished in battle.

At speeds reaching several times the speed of sound, where every movement carried the force of a high-yield missile, only those of the same level could stand against such advanced powerhouses.

𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Even many kings had fallen in the repeated wars. Since the world's transformation fifty years ago, humanity had birthed a large number of king-level powerhouses, enough to make the Purgatory Clan uneasy.

However, the internal strife of the Era of Darkness, followed by the wars against the Purgatory Clan, had resulted in the deaths of at least nineteen known kings—an appalling toll.

At present, humanity still had over forty king-level powerhouses, but some were stationed at key passages, while others safeguarded the Blue Planet and the Expansion Division. On the two frontline battlefields, there were just over thirty kings combined.

Just as humanity had experienced heavy casualties, however, the opposing side had suffered similar losses. Numerous demon kings had also fallen, particularly during the last two battles, where five demon kings were ambushed and killed in one sweep, shaking the Purgatory Demon Clan to its core.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Figures glowing with domain power shot out of the meeting hall, dispersing in all directions. Chen Chu had just exited with Luo Fei when Li Daoyi caught up in a streak of purple-black lightning, followed closely by a burly young man.

Li Daoyi approached with a grin. “As expected of my Brother Chu, it’s only been a month, and not only have you broken through to the Ninth Heavenly Realm, but your combat power is now comparable to a king’s.”

Was the leap from the beginning Ninth Heavenly Realm to king-level combat power significant? Very much so. However, considering that back in the late-stage Sixth Heavenly Realm, Chen Chu had already crossed two major realms to slay a beginning-stage Eighth Realm blood python, this seemed plausible.

Moreover, during his time on the Void Continent, Chen Chu had been like a god of slaughter. So, while Li Daoyi was surprised, he quickly accepted this development.

After all, his brother had always been extraordinary.

Chen Chu shook his head. “We can’t afford to be careless. Until I’ve truly faced a demon-king-level powerhouse, my current strength is merely an estimate.”

Li Daoyi nodded. “True. Knowing your cautious nature, if you claim to rival a beginning-stage king, there’s a high chance you’ll end up slaying a demon king on the battlefield and shocking everyone.”

“

Pfft!

”

Beside him, Luo Fei couldn’t help but laugh, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “Honestly, I have the same feeling.”

...Do you all think demon kings are weak?

Chen Chu shook his head and turned to the burly young man nearby.

Before Chen Chu could speak, the young man smiled and introduced himself. “Hello, there. My name is Xia Zuo, the elder brother of Xia Youhui.”

It's Old Xia’s older brother.

A smile appeared on Chen Chu’s face. "I’ve always heard Old Xia bragging about his genius older brother. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you today.”

Meeting Xia Zuo here surprised Chen Chu a little. Ever since he had enrolled in Nantian Martial Arts High School and gotten to know Xia Youhui, the guy had always talked about how amazing his older brother was, who was constantly sending him advanced cultivation resources.

However, everyone had their tasks. After exchanging greetings midair, they each went their separate ways. Even Luo Fei donned her divine battle armor and flew off toward the Thirteenth Legion’s base.

Unlike them, Chen Chu, who had been assigned a solo mission, had nothing pressing for the next few days. After some thought, he blasted through the air and headed toward the Logistics Department.

Descending into the hall located a kilometer underground, Chen Chu entered a private resource exchange room. “Waling, I have new merits to calculate.”

A cartoon avatar appeared on the screen, accompanied by an electronic voice.

[Hello, Major General Chen. Please provide the details of the merit calculation. Do you have any verification items?]

Chen Chu nodded slightly. “Over twenty days ago, I encountered Akunus, the Blood God, in the Black Forbidden Zone. His power had fallen to the Ninth Heavenly Realm. Alongside him were several high-ranking bishops, all of whom I ultimately eliminated, including Akunus himself. This is the item."

He produced a storage ring that contained a trace of Akunus’s spiritual will, sealed within after Chen Chu had refined most of it.

In the Federation, merit calculations followed a standardized process—you couldn’t simply claim to have defeated someone to earn credit. Otherwise, with Chen Chu’s power, he could have erased Akunus’ spiritual mark with the Insightful Eye long ago.

Though his status meant the Federation’s upper echelons would trust his claims, having material evidence made things much simpler.

[Verification complete. The storage ring contains traces of Akunus’ soul aura.]

[Cross-referencing... On July 13th, the collapse of Akunus’ Divine Region was observed, accompanied by disturbances in the laws of heaven and earth. Confirmed fatality.]

The screen displayed a stream of information.

[Akunus, the god of the Blood Cult, had his true form destroyed and his soul essence shattered by Heavenly King Xuanwu in late May, reducing his power to the Ninth Heavenly Realm. On July 13th, he was slain by Major General Chen Chu in the depths of the Black Forbidden Zone, marking his complete demise.]

[Thank you, Major General Chen, for your outstanding contributions to the Federation. Due to Akunus’ unique status, his bounty is worth 30,000 merit points, comparable to a quasi-mythical-level target. Merit points have been credited to your account. Please verify.]

In an instant, Chen Chu’s merit points skyrocketed to over 40,000, equivalent to 130,000 contribution points—enough to exchange for a massive number of crystals.

A quasi-mythical-level target was worth 30,000 merit points, while slaying a demon king started at 100,000.

This was one of the reasons Chen Chu had rushed to the frontlines. Because of their enmity, taking down high-ranking Purgatory Demon Clan members—or even demon kings—offered significantly more value than hunting beasts of equivalent rank.

Not to mention the resources gained from such victories, like this storage ring.

Clang!

Chen Chu emptied the contents of the storage ring onto the apparatus. Instantly, the room filled with a dense energy aura, and divine lights of various colors illuminated the space.

[Resource assessment in progress. Please wait.]

Crack crack!

Scanning beams swept over the twenty-some items, each radiating unique energy fluctuations or containing specialized properties. Soon, data populated the screen.

[High-level divine item: Innate Cold Marrow. Middle-level divine item: Dark Light Crystal...]

Of the twenty three items, fourteen were cultivation resources—seven high-level and seven middle-level divine items. The rest were materials suitable for enhancing weapons or battle armor.

There was also an unidentified stone slab, radiating an energy signature suggestive of relics.

“As expected, a fallen phoenix is inferior to a chicken,” Chen Chu muttered, shaking his head as he collected the items.

For a Ninth Heavenly Realm cultivator, these resources were abundant—even enough to excite quasi-mythical-level experts. For a mythical-level powerhouse, however, they were hardly significant.

The reason was simple: Chen Chu had slain only a reincarnated avatar of the Blood God, not his true form.

As for the Blood Cult’s treasure vault ring, it had likely been taken by Heavenly King Xuanwu when he destroyed Akunus’s true form.

After putting everything away, Chen Chu’s gaze fell on the resource exchange list—specifically, the Life Crystals.

Unfortunately, in the past few days, Waling had intercepted only one level 8 and two level 7 Life Crystals. Most recipients either used them personally or traded them privately.

Exchanging them through official channels only yielded 80% of their value, and after over two decades of clearing out mutated beasts near the Abyssal Battlefield, such resources had become exceedingly scarce.

Chen Chu pondered for a moment. After taking three high-level Life Crystals, he traded all of his remaining merit points for standard god-level resources.

Over the next few days, he planned to fully immerse himself in cultivation to consume all of these resources, and strive for an early breakthrough to the middle stage of the Ninth Heavenly Realm before the upcoming war erupted.

[You have absorbed a high-purity Life Crystal, gaining 3,720 attribute points.]

[You have absorbed a high-purity Life Crystal, gaining 951 attribute points...]

The three high-level crystals added over 5,600 attribute points. Combined with the 16,000+ points he already had, Chen Chu's accumulated attribute points now totaled 21,870.

Crunch!

Chen Chu swallowed a chunk of a high-level divine resource brimming with energy, which detonated within him like a raging storm. A heavy oppressive force emanated from his body as the energy surged through him.

Meanwhile, Abyssal War City was fully mobilizing. Legions that had been resting for over ten days resumed their march toward the front lines. Missiles and artillery shells were transported from warehouses and factories.

From Base Cities One, Two, and Three in the rear, countless massive transport planes filled the skies, heading toward the Abyssal Battlefield. On the ground, kilometer-long trains, with expanded internal space and packed with ammunition and supplies, rumbled forth.

On the third day of Chen Chu’s seclusion, in the depths of the Ice Crystal Shrine, a colossal black-and-red beast covered in heavy scales slowly opened its eyes.

Boom!

As the colossal beast stirred, the reinforced icy ground quaked. The surrounding air exploded in ripples, creating rolling waves of white mist with a shocking momentum.

Tempered by three high-level laws, the Thunder Fiery Demonic Dragon’s body had become even more powerful. Merely standing there caused the space around it to tremble faintly.

Eeya!

The Little Purple Dragon flapped its tiny wings, darting in front of the Demonic Dragon's massive golden pupils. Its small claws gesticulated wildly as it squeaked excitedly.

The black-and-red beast opened its maw slightly, exhaling scorching heat while emitting a deep, resonant growl.

Roar! Don't mind that projection. I once formed a summoning contract with a human genius. That phenomenon is likely due to his summoning art advancing.

Eeya?

The Purple Dragon tilted its head, confusion apparent in its eyes.

It had been born right before the Demonic Dragon entered the mythical world, so it had never encountered a human and didn’t even know what one was.

Ignoring the Purple Dragon’s bewilderment, the seven-hundred-meter-long Demonic Dragon took heavy steps forward. Each footfall shook the ground and sent tidal waves of energy rippling through the surroundings.

Hum!

Beyond the Ice Crystal Shrine, in a sea of clouds, a massive kun with a body over 290 meters long swam gracefully. Its black-scaled body and wing-like fins exuded an imposing aura of a late-stage level 9 being.

The Single-Horned Kun emanated the powerful aura of a late-stage level 9 beast. Due to its increasing proximity to fully becoming a Kun, its pressure far surpassed that of an ordinary beast at the same level.

In the distance, a red beast coiled atop a small mountain, as its presence faintly resonated with the power of time, emitting the terrifying pressure of a near-mythical-level colossal beast.

This visit to the Silver Colossal Dragon’s home had been highly rewarding for everyone.

Particularly for the Demonic Dragon, whose already formidable body had grown by an additional two hundred meters. It had consumed resources equivalent to those obtained from several mythical colossal beasts, including top-tier god-level items and even law-based resources.

The Demonic Dragon surveyed its surroundings before letting out a low, resonant growl.

Roar! Big Horn, has Saixitia awakened?

The Single-Horned Kun stirred the surrounding mist as it flew over, emitting excited squeaks.

Squeak! Thunder Fiery, you're awake! Saixitia has also awakened!

Roar! Where is it?

Squeak! It went to the neighboring titan beast territory. It said it wanted to... show off—no, I mean, have a friendly exchange with a friend. It said to wait for it after you woke up.

This fellow actually went to find that titan beast called Thorsafi...

The Demonic Dragon paused. It had initially planned to head directly to the Chaotic Region after awakening.

Forget it. Waiting a few days won’t hurt.

Besides, the Abyssal Battlefield is about to erupt into a major war. When that happens, I’ll likely need to summon an avatar to participate. Perhaps I’ll even manage to slay a demon king to inaugurate the battles.

With its current strength at the middle stage of the mythical level, combined with three high-level laws, six top-level abilities, and the fusion of its Gigantification ability into a dark red form, it was confident that ordinary titans would no longer pose a challenge.

Of course, "ordinary" referred to those who had only mastered one high-level law and had recently ascended to the titan rank—not to say these beings were truly average. Anyone who reached the rank of a heavenly king, whether colossal beast, human, or demon, was an exceptional being standing at the pinnacle of countless lives.

However, just as cultivators were divided between the ordinary and the geniuses, there were disparities even among kings and heavenly kings.

These differences lay in their progression through the early, middle, and late stages, the type and strength of the laws they’d mastered, the number of laws they controlled, and their combat awareness and experience, as well as the weapons at their disposal.