The demigod demons spearheading the offensive were in high spirits. Eternal didnât put up as stiff an opposition as theyâd expected. For these demons whoâd once participated in the ancient war, a battle at this level was little to write home about.
âChildren, forge ahead! Fight your way inside and loot to your heartâs content!â shouted the commanders. Victory was almost within grasp. Their enemy was struggling at deathâs door. It was a simple matter of time before the sacred land crumbled.
The swarm of parasites darkened the earth as it surged forward, obscuring the sun behind black clouds and heralding the end of days.
However, something cleaved the sky in twain at that moment.
Whoosh!
Dazzling light shone from a gap in the dark sky. A holy beam illuminated the land and warmed Eternal with its brightness. The wood demon parasites cowered under this blinding light and whined with dread, seeming to perceive extreme danger.
Despite its frenzied momentum moments prior, the demonic assault came to a sudden halt. Some demons froze in place and keened with fear, while others seemed to lose their minds. Smarter ones simply fell back or fled in a panic-stricken, bizarre turnabout.
On tenterhooks to begin with, Kingspot paled immediately.
Before he could react, an inferno suddenly erupted from the light. Reborn from the fire, the Vermilion Bird emerged triumphantly from the fiery sea to rain scorching flames upon the parasites between beats of its wings.
The Fire of Firstdawn was the parasitesâ natural enemy, and the divine birdâs control brought out a hundred and twenty percent of its power. As the legion of parasites shivered together in unprecedented terror beneath the Great Veluriyam Light, the fires engulfed them whole.
This is bad!
Kingspot instantly realized the battle had taken a turn for the worse. He hissed, âForward, everyone! Attack this monster spirit!â
A vague outline and a certain name emerged in his mind when he witnessed the extent of the beastâs devastation: the Vermilion Bird!
Its presence signified that Jiang Chen was here as well!
Jiang Chen!
This was a name that terrorized all the demonic tribes on Myriad Abyss of late. To think heâd appear here and now!
Kingspotâs thoughts were in turmoil. In fact, his sole worry had been the possible appearance of this genius whoâd triumphed again and again over the demon tribes.
So heâd always stayed cautious, never erring. Truth to tell, heâd been relieved by the many pieces of news surrounding the young man.
Jiang Chen wreaking havoc elsewhere meant his tribe would be left in peace, at least.
But it was too beautiful a dream to last for long. Hot on their tail, the human had arrived in Eternal all the same. Was Kingspot going to suffer the same fate as his fellow demon forefathers?
The forefatherâs fighting spirit evaporated at this thought. Paying no attention to his troops, he did an about-face and flashed into a blue beam of light to run for dear life.
His army stared at his departing figure, dumbstruck by this shocking scene. Was this the same forefather whoâd been directing the battle a moment ago? To think heâd opt to flee by himself and throw his troops to the wolves!
Alas, the plans of mice and men often go awry.
No sooner had he begun to pick up speed than a beam of light pierced the sky like a shooting star and crashed in front of him, exploding with an energy that shook the air.
Once bombarbed, the sky filled with chaotic fluxes that disrupted his flight and obstructed his path.
Meanwhile, Jiang Chenâs figure dropped in front of him.
With a subtle smile on his lips, the young man gazed upon the frantic forefather with faint derision. This Kingspot was quite the shrewd and perceptive one. If not for the young lordâs fast reactions, this fellow might well have made good his escape.
A demon god was almost impossible to catch if determined to bolt. The key was to stop him cold before he could break away from the immediate vicinity.
Therefore, Jiang Chen had elected to use the Scrutiny of Existence to cut off all means of retreat.
This was testament to the itemâs power. How could an ordinary attack fray the very fabric of space and counter Kingspotâs movement art?
The demon forefather fixed Jiang Chen with a malicious glare, a savage beast ready to devour its prey, but the latter flashed back a smile as free as the breeze. âTsk tsk, so youâre the one directing the parasites? That means Martial and Abyssâ ruin was mostly your doing?â
Kingspot rolled his eyes and snorted coldly. âKid, I donât need to hide what Iâve done. You must be the one called Jiang Chen?â
The young lord shrugged. âYou know me?â
âHmph! Everyone in the ten tribes has your name on their lips. Itâs hard to be deaf to it even if I wanted to. What, they say youâre not that close to Eternal. Did you come to play the hero?â
Jiang Chen smiled casually. âEternal is my ally, so its business is naturally mine as well. In any case, donât you think this juvenile question is quite comical coming from a forefather? Or are you stalling for time and waiting for backup?â
âWhy would I need reinforcements for a kid still wet behind the ears?â Kingspot sneered contemptuously.
âFantastic! At least you have a backbone, unlike the one called Ghostbranch.â Despite the barely veiled taunt, it was mostly an intimidation attempt.
Sure enough, Kingspotâs face turned cold. âYouâve seen Forefather Ghostbranch?â
âI have. I borrowed his head to kick it around. But then I heard thereâs another eminent figure in the wood demon tribe, so I made the trip especially to borrow your head as well!â
Kingspotâs chest tightened at his opponentâs composure. Things were truly going from bad to worse!
âBorrow my head? Do you have what it takes?â he asked coldly.
âDo you think Iâd be here if not?â Jiang Chen riposited, carefree as always.
He ferociously brandished the Great Veluriyam Torch all of a sudden. Like the brush of a calligrapher, the torch outlined rays of light to surround the demon, attempting to lock him within their midst.
But against all odds, Kingspot sensed the danger and avoided the trap by immediately darting high into the sky. He had to avoid a frontal confrontation at all costs!