The Gloom City forces had yet to reach the Mountains of Madness when Zhang Nu, Han Kexin, and Nancilia sensed a chaotic and insane spiritual consciousness invading their minds.
"How dare you trespass our sacred mountains!"
"We have been discovered?" Han Kexin's expression changed slightly. She ordered the troops to halt, observing the situation cautiously to avoid falling into a trap.
However, within ten minutes, a native force emerged from the canyons near the Mountains of Madness. They were a race unfamiliar to Zhang Nu, possessing humanoid bodies with distinct demonic features: blood-red skin, horned heads, and flesh nests on their backs.
"Bloodthirster Demons," Han Kexin explained. "They are a demonic species skilled in blood magic, possessing robust vitality and recovery abilities, making them challenging to kill."
These Bloodthirster Demons were unlike their normal counterparts. Upon closer inspection, one could notice numerous small cracks on their faces, foreheads, necks, and even torsos. When these cracks opened, they revealed eyeballs embedded within them. Although they appeared as if forcibly adorned body decorations, these eyes were active, emitting eerie and perilous spiritual auras.
Upon closer examination, Zhang Nu noticed that each of these Bloodthirster Demon had several of these eyes, ranging from five to over ten, and some even had dozens of them with each eye varied in size. It was undeniably unsettling, especially for those suffering from trypophobia; a sensation of creeping disgust washed over them.
Nancilia remarked, "These demons seem to have undergone a partial daemonic transformation!"
The demon race and devil race, while both dark races, were originally normal species. The distinction lay in the term 'daemonic transformation.' When things deviate from the norm, they tend towards the daemonic. Evil and brutality characterize the daemonic. 'Daemonic transformation' was not specific to any particular race. In this world, the concept of 'daemonic transformation' was akin to the concept of 'spiritual awakening' in fantasy worlds. Whether it was a low-level creature like a pig, dog, or insect, or inanimate objects like plants and stones without souls and lives, under specific circumstances, if their life form underwent abnormal changes, they could turn into daemons.
Daemonic transformation led to ferocious and brutal daemons. These already bloodthirsty and ferocious demons exhibiting features of daemonic transformation would undoubtedly possess even greater strength. Zhang Nu also noticed that the more eyes a Bloodthirster Demon had, the higher their level and power. Those numerous eyes all over their bodies continuously emitted psychic pollution, affecting anyone who approached or even saw them.
"Your existence defiled the sacred mountains! Your sins are unforgivable!"
"You will all die today!"
While the Bloodthirster Demon leader roared in madness, dozens of irregular eyes all over its body released some kind of psychic wave, primarily targeting the trio.
[You are under psychic assault. HP -5!]
Zhang Nu was surprised. This creature was quite interesting. However, it only possessed the strength of a Level 4 overlord. If it weren't for the special nature of its psychic attack, it would not have been able to harm Zhang Nu with his abilities.
Han Kexin and Nancilia were also attacked. The former was a master in the domain of the mind, with exceptionally high psychic resistance, so she did not regard this level of attack seriously. The latter had activated the Spiritual Shield of the Elven King, a defensive magic that specifically countered attacks on the spirit and soul level.
In the next moment, the Bloodthirster Demon leader melted like a mass of blood colored mist. This was the powerful blood magic of the Bloodthirster Demons. In this state, they had a body similar to elemental beings, making them nearly immune to physical attacks and even more elusive. However, even in this blood mist state, the psychic contamination it emitted did not weaken. If someone were swallowed by this mist, they would not only suffer from blood magic attacks but also face even more intense and insane psychic assaults.
Nancilia raised her staff, ready to strike.
But the Succubus Queen, Han Kexin, acted even faster, "Soul Domination!" Her face darkened, and she swiftly raised her left hand, releasing numerous purple threads. These threads were not physical, they were all composed of soul and spiritual energy. Ignoring conventional physical and magical defenses, they landed in the blood mist created by the Bloodthirster Demon leader, instantly immobilizing the constantly shifting mist.
Han Kexin gave a casual pull, and the blood mist dispersed completely. A semi-transparent soul, bound and struggling, was directly pulled out from the Bloodthirster Demon leader. Despite its attempts to resist, its head, limbs, and torso were all restrained by the threads of soul domination, rendering any escape impossible. With an elegant gesture, Han Kexin blew a small breath. A ball of purple demonic flames traveled along the threads, finally landing on the soul of the Bloodthirster Demon leader. Accompanied by a pitiful mental scream, the soul was incinerated entirely, leaving nothing behind.
Truly impressive. A Level 4 overlord unit was obliterated so effortlessly. Han Kexin had struggled significantly when dealing with the Infernal Demon in the past. This demonstrated how much her strength had grown since then.
Nancilia exclaimed, "What a powerful soul attack technique!" It was her first time witnessing the Queen's abilities, and she was astonished by the sharp and ruthless methods of the Succubus Queen. The Elven King had never seen anyone able to effortlessly strip a soul from a living being and destroy it.
The soul was the fundamental essence, if the soul was destroyed, everything was obliterated at its core. No matter how strong the physical body or how abundant the powers, they became useless. Even the Bloodthirster Demon, with its formidable regenerative abilities, was rendered useless when faced with an attack from the Queen, meeting only the fate of being instantly annihilated.
"Do you want to try me as well?" Han Kexin's gaze swept over the other Bloodthirster Demons, and a powerful pressure, infused with psychic attack, erupted from her. Despite displaying such an intimidating aura and strength, it had no effect on the Bloodthirster Demons. Instead, they became even more agitated.
"Kill her!"
"Kill them!"
"Sacrifice them to the sacred mountain!"
"Those who trespass the sacred mountain must die!"
The Bloodthirster Demons began to cast blood magic, transforming countless blood mists into a crimson sea that surged madly forward. The succubi army quickly counterattacked, unleashing various magics continuously.
Han Kexin furrowed her brow. "Just as the rumors say, they are truly insane. These creatures are utterly uncommunicative and seem to know no fear!" It was getting out of hand. Apart from these crazed natives, the entire Mountains of Madness were saturated with psychic corruption. Such potent psychic contamination, the low-level succubi warriors would be unable to withstand it if they approached the Mountains of Madness.
Just then, thousands of Bloodthirster Demons rushed forward, forming a sea of blood that closed in rapidly. While individual Bloodthirster Demons might not be as strong as their leader, their sheer numbers posed a significant threat.
"Bright Radiance!" Zhang Nu activated an A-rank magic spell. Originally a healing skill, this magic had a potent lethal effect on creatures of the dark. With his immense MP, the Demon King summoned a massive beam of radiant light that engulfed hundreds to thousands of Bloodthirster Demons. Almost instantly, most of the blood mist evaporated, and countless Bloodthirster Demons screamed in agony, being vaporized by the light, utterly powerless to resist.
[You've slain a Mutated Bloodthirster Demon. Gold +200!]
[You've slain a High Mutated Bloodthirster Demon. Gold +200!]
[You've slain a Mutated Bloodthirster Demon Lord. Gold +200!]
[......]
In a single move, nearly half of the Bloodthirsty Demons were crushed instantly.
"Light elemental! Come forth!" The Elven King intervened at this critical moment. She summoned a majestic figure, resembling a fully grown human male, but composed entirely of radiant light. It was the monarch of light elementals.
"Purifying Holy Flame!" Nancilia pointed ahead. The light elemental transformed into a beam of light, charging into the blood mist and dispersing. Instantly, it turned into countless pure white flames of holiness. Any Bloodthirster Demon it touched immediately revealed its true form and was swiftly incinerated to death.
Han Kexin acted once more. Numerous soul-controlling threads dove into the blood mist, pulling out hundreds of souls in one go and shattering them directly. Bloodthirster Demons were by no means weak creatures. Yet, under this relentless assault, their casualties were devastating. Even those fortunate enough to survive initially met their end under the onslaught of the succubi legion.
However, before they could catch their breath, Han Kexin furrowed her brows. "Damn it. I sense more of them approaching. It seems the nearby tribes have detected our presence."
"The overpowering psychic energy shrouding the Mountains of Madness makes it difficult for my troops to get close," she continued, her voice laced with concern. "Moreover, there are dozens, even hundreds, of insane tribes nearby. If they join forces to attack us, even the three of us won't easily escape unscathed."
It appeared that assaulting the Mountains of Madness was no longer a viable option. At best, they might conquer a few of the insane tribes. Han Kexin had invited Zhang Nu primarily to explore the interior of the Mountains of Madness together, hoping to completely take over this mysterious place. However, the danger within the Mountains of Madness far exceeded their estimates.
Under the siege of the insane natives, Han Kexin felt that they would need to mobilize 50,000 to 100,000 elite troops at least. This was even without accounting for the psychic erosion they were currently experiencing. With the entire Mountains of Madness now saturated with this corrupting force, approaching it meant being indiscriminately affected. Regular soldiers would not stand a chance. It was clear that any military expedition was bound to fail.
Yet, Zhang Nu calmly stated, "There's no need to complicate things."
Han Kexin was surprised. "What do you mean? Do you have a solution?"
Zhang Nu nodded. "I've sensed the origin of this madness. We just need to eliminate that source. Once the psychic erosion of the Mountains of Madness vanishes, these insane natives will be severely weakened."
"Really? Can you sense the location of that thing?" Han Kexin asked in astonishment. "But how did you manage to do that?"
Zhang Nu smiled mysteriously. "That's my little secret. When the time is right, you'll know."
"Holding back secrets," Han Kexin sighed exasperatedly. "But even if we know where it is, we can't enter. There are too many natives nearby. Without bringing our troops, it's difficult to withstand the assault from so many of them."
Zhang Nu replied, "That's not a problem either. You can have the succubi legion spread out on the periphery, drawing the attention of most of the natives and buying us some time."
Han Kexin asked, "Are you planning for a decapitation strike?"
Zhang Nu nodded. "Exactly. As long as the plan goes smoothly and we strike swiftly, it will be the least costly and most efficient approach."
If it were anyone else, Han Kexin would have hesitated. However, her partner this time was Zhang Nu. She only took three seconds to think before decisively saying, "Let's go with your plan!"
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