“Nether Spring!”
Thunderous roars echoed inside the empty temple.
A red shooting star suddenly rose up and circled around several intruders, who were all blown backwards after a series of miserable screams.
The shadow covered in flames came to an abrupt halt right in front of the exceptionally handsome newcomer. The flames gradually faded away, revealing the outraged face of the Fire Ant King.
The antennae on his forehead had both been extended to the maximum and turned deep purple, tied up by veins. His body significantly expanded, and the shells that were stuck to his body closely all stood up like the unfolded flow stabilizers before a supersonic shuttle took off.
However, Li Yao had a feeling that his fury was more of a cover for his fear.
It was because standing in midair across him was Elder Nether Spring, who was one of the twelve demon emperors of the Pantheon of Demons, the ruler of the Nether Spring Kingdom, and one of the four giants of the Blood Demon Sector!
Li Yao had asked Jin Xinyue to draw vivid portraits of all the important figures of the Blood Demon Sector. But however deft Jin Xinyue’s hands were, she was not able to depict the real dominating aura of the unparalleled expert.
Although Li Yao was merely watching him through the image sent back by Neltharion, Li Yao could still sense overwhelming pressure from Elder Nether Spring, as if he was standing right behind and breathing quietly.
As expected of one of the four giants of the Blood Demon Sector!
He is certainly in the high level of the demon emperor stage, if not above it!
Li Yao was greatly alarmed and could not have been more vigilant. It was an enemy of the same level as Xiao Xuance or even stronger than him!
The Fire Ant King and Elder Nether Spring were blood brothers with the same parents. Except for the main colors of their shells, one being red and the other being green, their appearances were very similar to each other.
However, when the two of them stood together, one could not help but have a weird feeling that the Fire Ant King was just a ‘larva’ that was still growing, and Elder Nether Spring was the real ‘matured’ one!
The Fire Ant King and Elder Nether Spring, two demon emperors, confronted each other coldly.
Invisible air crashed, produces screeching gales, like ten thousand pressure cookers that were screaming at the same time.
The air was swirling in the vast temple, making the shadow of the two demon emperors somewhat warped.
“Nether Spring!”
His face twisted, the Fire Ant King gnashed his teeth. “How did you find this place?”
Elder Nether Spring smiled. His voice was much gentler and at ease than the Fire Ant King’s. “I’ve studied the Mausoleum of Chaos for decades. Naturally, I knew its rough location. Although I didn’t know the specific coordinates, I simply monitored your activities in Void Turmoil City and followed you to this place!”
The Fire Ant King’s pupils shrank violently, as if he had just understood everything. Blood seemed to be dropping from the ends of his antennae.
His voice turned extremely coarse. “You’ve long been suspecting me?”
“No. I never suspected you.”
Elder Nether Spring shook his head and said peacefully, “I have been very sure since the very beginning that such an enormous organization like the Blade of Chaos could not be established by a random guy. Also, my beloved brother, the Fire Ant King, was certainly not the type of demons who would abandon the Nether Spring Kingdom just because of familial bonds.
“Since you abandoned control over the Nether Spring Kingdom at your own will, there must’ve been something that attracted you more. In the meantime, the establishment of Void Turmoil City and the sudden rise of the Blade of Chaos were too coincidental. The few leading rebels in the Riot of Bloody Blade were all connected to Void Turmoil City one way or another. All things considered, isn’t the answer obvious?”
The Fire Ant King took a long breath. “Why didn’t you stop me?”
“Why would I?” Elder Nether Spring was amused. “What you were doing was exactly what I was interested in. Explore the origin of the demon race and discover the secrets of Chaos!
“However, as the controller of the Nether Spring Kingdom and one of the twelve demon emperors, it was not convenient for me to do a lot of things. Even if I did, a lot of traces would have been left, which would have raised the suspicion of the other demon emperors, especially the other three giants.
“Since my beloved brother was willing to do everything promptly, why shouldn’t I just sit and watch? As it turned out, you were more distinguished than I expected. Not only did you establish such a huge enterprise in Void Turmoil City, you also managed to find and open the Mausoleum of Chaos based on the incomplete files!”
“So, the files in Bone Sand City were leaked to me intentionally?” the Fire Ant King mumbled.
“You had some files about the Mausoleum of Chaos; I also had some files about the Mausoleum of Chaos,” Elder Nether Spring said casually. “Since I had no access to yours, I gave mine to you. Naturally, you tried your best to see that everything was done properly. I was saved a lot of trouble.
“Although something went wrong during the process, it is a happy ending after all, isn’t it?”
“Happy ending?”
The Fire Ant King glanced through Elder Nether Spring’s subordinates, with a face that was more and more hideous and crazy. He said, one word after another, “Nether Spring, it seems that I’ve been manipulated by you all this time. However, are you not curious as to why I joined the Blade of Chaos and even became its leader after decades?”
“Many silver-blood demons have joined the Blade of Chaos,” Elder Nether Spring replied. “For power, for strength, for revenge, for all kinds of weird reasons. What’s wrong with your decision?”
The Fire Ant King sneered, “If you think that I joined and made use of the Blade of Chaos only because I meant to taste the feeling to supreme power, then you are terribly mistaken!
“I am a real believer of Chaos!
“Why, you ask? The reason is simple!”
The Fire Ant King’s aura suddenly burst out, with glamorous flames surrounding him. After a while of rattling noises, a barrier that locked his body seemed to be detonated, and a long tail suddenly jerked out of his back.
The tail was more than one meter long and very elastic, which was clearly not a feature of the Insect Clan but one of the Horn Clan or the Claw Clan!
The Fire Ant King took a long breath in relief, as if he had freed himself from all the boundaries, and chuckled. “Do you see? A tail! A tail that does not belong to the Insect Clan!
“This is not a change that I achieved with the force of genes. It was awakened when I was fifteen and a half years old!
“The tail meant that I was not a pure silver-blood demon but a chaotic-blood demon that was mixed with the features of the Insect Clan and the Claw Clan!
“Haha. Hahahaha. At that time, I was truly devastated and almost killed myself many times.
“But after I browsed through a lot of ancient books, I learned that such things had happened a lot in history. Many silver-blood demons or even saint-blood demons who claimed that their bloodlines were pure had in fact been corrupted several generations before them. However, the genes that belonged to a different species had been hibernating the whole time.
“If the foreign genes remained hibernating all the time, they would be able to maintain their pretense as high-level demons throughout their life.
“Even so, the foreign genes would still be passed on to their offspring congenially!
“Hehe. If one of their unlucky offspring activated the hibernating foreign genes for reasons they didn’t know, they would turn from the noble saint-blood demons and silver-blood demons into the humblest chaotic-blood demons!
“In the ancient books, such pathetic guys had a most appropriate title—the hidden-blood demons!
“Yes. I am a hidden-blood demon, and my foreign genes were awakened although the odds were merely one billionth, which turned me from a silver-blood demon into a chaotic-blood one!
“That’s the real reason I abandoned the fight for power, established the Void Turmoil City, and eventually became the leader of the Blade of Chaos!”
The Fire Ant King blinked. For the first time, he seemed to be taking the initiative in the situation. With a cruel smile on his face, he said, “And what does that mean?
“Elder Nether Spring, you are my blood brother. Look at our appearances. Nobody can deny that!
“Now that I am not a high and mighty silver-blood demon but one of the most lowly and untouchable chaotic-blood demon according to the nobles, what about you?
“What are you, the controller of the Nether Spring Kingdom and one the four giants of the Blood Demon Sector, exactly?
“Do you see? Maybe the features of other demon species have not been displayed on your body yet, but the same foreign genes as mine are also hidden in your blood! I am the best evidence!
“You and I are the same. We are not silver-blood demons but chaotic-blood demons!”
In the second floor, Li Yao almost let out a cry because of the unbelievably shocking news.
Elder Nether Spring, one of the four giants of the Blood Demon Sector and one of the real decision-makers of the Pantheon of Demons, was actually one of the lowliest chaotic-blood demons?
It was indeed a piece of astounding news!
The Fire Ant King seemed to be confident about his victory. He shouted at the warriors in front of Elder Nether Spring who had been strengthened by the demon cores. “Maybe you are all loyal to Elder Nether Spring, maybe you do not care about whether or not he is a silver-blood demon at all, but please use your brain!
“You have all heard the biggest secret of Elder Nether Spring. Will he allow you to walk out of this place alive and tell everybody his real birth?”
The warriors strengthened by the demon cores and Elder Nether Spring himself, on the other hand, did not even move their antennae but eyed him in the same way that people eyed a moron.
The Fire Ant was dazed. A moment later, he shouted in a high-pitched voice, “You knew it long ago?
“You knew clearly that you were a chaotic-blood demon instead of a silver-blood demon?
“If so, why do you have to fight against me? Why are you so desperate to annihilate the Blade of Chaos? Why do you not work together with me and take back what belongs to the chaotic-blood demons?”
The Fire Ant King was completely at a loss.
“Yes.” Elder Nether Spring replied gloomily. “I discovered my real identity a long time ago. Therefore, I did not bring the army of the Pantheon of Demons, or the troops of the Nether Spring Kingdom, but my personal subordinates who are directly commanded by me. They are known as the ‘Nether World Watch’.
“You can stop wasting your time in encouraging the Nether World Watch to turn against me. You won’t be able to achieve that.
“As for my reason to annihilate the Blade of Chaos—”