701-713

Chapter 701 - Recorded Projection

Leon, Aria, and Darlene continued to follow the trail of gloomy green ghostfire leading them deeper and deeper underground.

Surprisingly, the location of the underground tomb was deeper than they anticipated, being at 500 feet below the surface.

??

Shortly after they finally reached the bottom, a tall blue gate sealed the tomb's entrance with two black demon statues guarding it on either side.

Thud…

As if one of their steps activated a pressure plate in the ground, the underground space was filled with the noise of turning gears.

Swoosh!

A flash of bright white light blinded them temporarily before a giant blue demon with four arms and three eyes suddenly appeared between the two demon guardian statutes.

Its towering presence was even more significant than two black statues.

At the same time, its abrupt appearance immediately made Darlene retreat behind Leon, while Aria only took a step back with a guarded and alarmed expression.

"Relax, the demon isn't real. This is just a light projection, which is quite common back in the Divine Realm," Leon assured after seeing right through the trick immediately.

"These light projections are usually used for leaving behind a recorded message, so it seems that this demon has something to say."

Having said that, Aria quickly calmed down while Darlene still wore an apprehensive look, but it was much better than her initial fright.

"This demon is the owner of this tomb?" Darlene inquired cautiously.

"Most likely."

Shortly after the towering blue demon gaze down on them for some time as if it was the real thing, the blue demon began to speak.

"Thieving rats dare to intrude into the resting place of I, Paragon Blackfrost, and disturb my eternal slumber?! My treasures are not easy to take! If you want them, pass my trial and deem them worthy of thee! Should you fail, you can stay and keep this Saint company!"

"But don't think it is so bad to stay and keep this Saint company in eternal rest. It is your honor to keep this Saint company! I, Paragon Blackfrost, had the honor of accompanying his imperial majesty, the Eternal Night Demon Emperor, on his conquest."

"We may have failed to break out of this prison world, but our successors will eventually succeed. Why you may ask? Because this world is doomed, destined to be destroyed—along with the rest of Primal Chaos. It is the natural cycle of the world, the cycle of destruction and creation."

"It matters not what race you are, coming in search of treasures, once you inherit my treasures, this Saint entrusts you to carry on the great mission of all demons; to destroy the world and continue the perpetuity of the great cycle…"

The record projection of the blue-colored Arch Demon, Paragon Blackfrost, continued to blather and preach demon values for some time as if it was a vain attempt at brainwashing to convert them to the demonic way.

Leon, Aria, and Darlene listened patiently initially, but as the recorded projection of the blue-colored Arch Demon rambled on and on, their patience grew thin.

Even so, they persevered.

Eventually, the recorded projection of blue-colored Arch Demon's long speech reached its end and faded into nothing, causing the brightness of the space to dull slightly.

"What do you think there was any truth to that demon's words, Leon?" Aria turned to Leon and asked.

"Well, what can I say?" Leon shrugged with a smile and said, "The Arch Demon was very eloquent and spoke with great reasons. So, perhaps, there is some truth to its words."

"Huh? Don't tell me you actually believe it? I think it was just trying to brainwash us into following the demonic way," Aria said with a frown.

"I think so too… There is nothing good about demons…" Darlene said before she recalled the slaughtered village and softly added, "Probably…"

"There's a difference between believing it and agreeing with it, no?" Leon shrugged again with hands raised helplessly before he said, "If you think about it, the demon's logic was too well-constructed to be complete nonsense."

Having comprehended the Law of Nihility, Leon understood that Primal Chaos was born from nothing and will eventually return to nothing.

It was the natural life and death cycle of Primal Chaos itself.

But what he understood from Paragon Blackfrost's words is that the demons were supposedly born to purposely destroy Primal Chaos and push forward the formation of a new Primal Chaos, an attempt at starting the next life cycle of the universe like a phoenix rising from its ashes.

"Anyone can speak with reason and logic, but if there's no evidence to back them, their words are no different to the nonsense of a madman," Aria stated.

"Evidence, huh?" Leon muttered before he chuckled shortly.

"Although we say that a new Primal Chaos will be born after the current Primal Chaos ends with or without the demons' intervention, there's no evidence to prove that it will either. How can there be any evidence about something that hasn't happen?"

"This…" Aria had no words to refute.

On a topic where opinions are divided without a definite answer, the truth could easily be either and usually bottoms down to a matter of belief.

Leon smiled at Aria's silence before he said, "As the universe infinitely expands, everything becomes more distant from one another."

"So, according to the demon's logic, we can understand it as poking a hole in a balloon and cause it to deflate with hopes of allowing it to inflate again rather than letting the ballon inflate beyond the point of no return."

"No one can be sure that a new balloon will magically appear after the current balloon pops. So in a sense, the demons have a pretty noble goal in continuing the perpetuity of Primal Chaos and have thought much harder into the purpose of their existence compared to us, humans."

"Still, all life in Primal Chaos is likely to perish in both instances, and even if we understood all this, it doesn't change anything. Our purpose remains the same, and that is to grow stronger and survive life's obstacles together!"

As Leon said this, he marched up to the large gate and pushed it open with both hands.

Chapter 702 - Trial Of Freezing Mist

Rumble…!

The heavy gate grinding along the ground's surface caused the area to tremble as it was slowly pushed open by Leon with brute strength.

Aria smiled shortly before following after Darlene.

Her husband was right.

Regardless of the truth that lies at the end of Primal Chaos, it did not matter to them. What's important is to grow strong and overcome the tribulations of life.

As Darlene followed behind Leon closely, she was confused about the entire topic. The subject seemed too advanced for her to follow along.

Even so, she understood one thing from Aria and Leon's discussion—that the world was ending, supposedly.

"Is the universe really ending? How do we even know that?" Darlene inquired doubtfully before saying, "I didn't even know that was possible…"

"You can say that we have overestimated the universe's ability to live long years and have forgotten the fragility of life. We, as humans, should have known about that best, but I guess everyone didn't expect the universe to be included. So yeah, Primal Chaos is coming to an end," Leon replied.

"I have seen the dimension crack that will eventually bring death to this world and the rest of Primal Chaos at the center. On the other side of it lies an endless sea of chaos that swallows all material existence, reducing them to nothingness."

"When did you get the time to go there?" Darlene's eyes widened with surprise at Leon's claim before quickly adding, "Is that even possible?"

"Physically, hard to say. At least, at our current level, it is not possible to go there," Leon shook his head and said, "However, my soul has reached a certain level of quality to come in contact with the world's law and was summoned during my meditation."

"There, I also met two seniors, the Celestial Ruler of Gaia, Celestial Earthshaker, and a much older World Tree, Saint Voidflame."

Aria did not seem surprised hearing this as Leon has mentioned them to her before.

However, Darlene was immediately taken aback before she looked at Leon doubtfully and asked, "Hubby, you… didn't fall asleep and dream all this up, right?"

"…"

Leon was speechless.

Nevertheless, Darlene suddenly felt cold from the quick drop in temperature, causing her body to shiver before Leon pulled her closer and kept her warm.

"Anyway, let's focus on this trial," Leon stated before saying, "A slight distraction could cost us our lives here. After all, this trial is supposed to possess some level of danger—but what kind of danger exactly, we will find out soon enough."

Bang!

The entrance suddenly shut tight behind them, sealing them inside the tomb and cutting off the little bit of light there was, plunging the tomb into darkness.

Snap!

Leon shortly snapped his fingers before a wisp of intense flames lit up on his index finger and reilluminated the dark space.

Despite his efforts to improve their visibility, their visions were shortly obscured by freezing cold mist flooding into their surroundings.

Aria and Leon easily resisted the cold, but Darlene had zero immunity to the cold with her regular physique, resulting in her body shivering again despite the warmth coming from Leon's body.

Leon frowned before erecting a mental barrier to ward off the freezing mist from contacting her body.

A few moments later, Darlene recovered from the cold and expressed her gratitude with a sneaky peck on the cheek before she shortly asked, "Where did all this cold mist suddenly come from?"

"We probably stepped on a formation plate upon our entry and activated some formations in this space," Aria stated, stealing the words right out of Leon's mouth just as he opened them.

Leon shook his head with a wry smile.

Nevertheless, the three of them continued to advance as the freezing mist became denser and denser, turning their field of vision into a blanket of whiteness.

At the same time, the temperature dropped to a terrifying degree which could instantly freeze a regular person.

Without the mental barrier protecting Darlene, she would have been in serious trouble.

As a layer of ice began to form over the surface of Aria and Leon's body, clothes, flesh, and all, Leon shortly paused his steps.

"This seemingly ordinary cold mist formation is turning into a bigger problem than I initially anticipated. I'm afraid that the power of this formation has already reach Tier-4 or possibly higher," Leon mentioned.

"If we cannot break free from this formation, we are going to be in trouble."

"Leon, I have a feeling there is more than just one formation running in this space. A cold mist formation to obscure our vision and possibly a confusion formation to mess with our sense of directions," Aria stated with a worried look.

"Right," Leon nodded and said, "The combination of these two types of formations that obscure our vision and mess with our directions seem to be a pretty standard formula in most tombs."

"Even the Divine Ice Phoenix Palace back in the Divine Realm have these two formations set up around their sect on a larger scale to ward off most cultivators from trespassing in their territory."

"I didn't expect this demon to be quite adept in the art of formations, though. So I'm a bit surprised and unprepared for this," Aria knitted her brows and said, "It's going to be difficult to break this formation."

"Yeah…" Leon nodded and calmly said, "I do have some attainment in formations but unraveling a formation is much trickier than creating one. Still, it's not like the situation has reached a desperate point. So there's no need to fret—yet."

Given the number of trump cards in his arsenal, Leon was not worried about their safety. If they could not overcome the formations, he could just take everyone inside the Worldspace.

Even so, if the first tomb they entered already has a difficulty of this level for their trial, how hard would the other tombs be?

"If I'm not wrong, this is only an Arch Demon-level tomb. The Eternal Night Secret Realm supposedly has Demon Lord-level tombs and Demon King-level tombs as well," Darlene informed as her eyes flickered with enlightenment.

It was most likely due to how difficult the tomb trials are that most tomb still has their functions and treasures intact despite the number of times the secret realm opened and people entering it.

Chapter 703 - Law Breaker

"And supposedly, the highest-level tomb, the Eternal Night Demon Emperor's tomb, is said to be the most difficult to overcome," Darlene added.

"However, it is also rumored that the Eternal Night Demon Emperor's remnant power dwells inside. Whoever overcomes the trial will obtain the Eternal Night Demon Emperor's unrivaled strength, becoming the new Eternal Night Demon Emperor and rule over the demons."

"Is that so?" Leon muttered before shaking his head with a helpless expression.

"If Arch Demon-level Tombs are already this difficult, Demon Lord-level Tombs and Demon King-level Tombs are just suicide, let alone going after the Eternal Night Demon Emperor's Tomb."

"Right."

"Yeah."

Just as Darlene and Aria agreed with Leon's words, he abruptly paused with a sudden thought.

'Hold on. Does the Eternal Night Demon Emperor even have a tomb in this place? It's more plausible to say that the entire Eternal Night Secret Realm could be considered the Eternal Night Demon Emperor's tomb,' Leon thought.

In that case, the greatest treasure was the Eternal Night Secret Realm itself.

If it can be refined, they would have unlimited access and time to attempt all the trials and collect their treasures without being threatened and ambushed by demons.

"Refine the Eternal Night Secret Realm, huh?" Leon softly muttered thoughtfully.

Aria overheard him before she was stunned for a moment—only for her eyes to beam brightly in the next.

"If we can confirm that the Eternal Night Secret Realm is the inner world of the Eternal Night Demon Emperor, it is indeed possible to refine it," Aria stated before frowning shortly after.

"However, the difficulty, not to mention the danger involved, will be exceedingly high."

"Yeah…" Leon nodded before he calmly said, "However, such is the way of the world. There is no such thing as a free lunch. There are no risks without gains, and opportunities without their accompanying dangers."

"Nevertheless, we should worry about clearing this Arch Demon-level Tomb Trial before we can worry about other matters."

As Leon spoke, he shortly spread out his divine sense to scout his surroundings.

However, he was immediately met with backlash from numerous points interfering with his divine sense, causing him to quickly retract his divine sense.

"Even divine sense has been countered in this space. Seems like we can only rely on our wits and knowledge to overcome this trial," Leon frowned.

"How do we do that?" Darlene asked.

"If we want to break free of this freezing mist formation and its supplementary formations messing with our senses, we have to locate the eye of the formation and deactivate it," Leon stated.

"Of course, if it cannot be deactivated through regular methods, we can still forcefully deactivate it by destroying the eye of the formation. However, I would rather not resort to this. There is value and merit in studying an advanced formation like this."

If he could study these formations that he suspected to be at least Tier-4 or even Tier-5, it could raise his formation skills quickly and allow him to have an easier time dealing with similar situations in the future should they arise.

"But the problem is locating the formation's eye," Aria knitted her brows and stated, "We have been walking straight for some time now, but we might not actually be walking straight at all. In fact, I am sure that we have been walking in circles."

"Unless there is a massive reserve of energy, it's impossible to continue powering the formations of such large scale. As such, this trial space we are currently trapped in shouldn't be as big as it seems."

Leon glanced at Aria silently with a nod.

Back in the Divine Realm, Aria White used to carry out tasks for his father, the Divine Medicine King, and travel the world searching for rare herbs for alchemy refinement.

As such, he was not surprised that Aria seemed experienced in tomb-raiding since she had access to Aria White's memories.

"It's a bit unfortunate that we are currently pressed for time due to the danger of this situation," Aria shortly sighed and said, "Otherwise, I could make use of this environment to improve my cultivation."

"Once I become a Tier-5 Formation Master, I will help you set up a suitable ice-lightning environment to cultivate in," Leon promised.

"Mm," Aria nodded with a smile.

Shortly after, her gaze sharpened as she carefully observed her obscured surroundings for any point of interest.

At the same time, Leon increased the size of his flame with the intent to snuff out the freezing mist by using a conflicting element to clash with it while keeping all three of them warm.

However, fighting a battle of attrition was unwise, considering he did not know how big the energy reserves for the formations are, not to mention it would exhaust him.

Suddenly, Leon paused with a sudden realization.

"I'm an idiot," he smiled self-mockingly and said, "We don't need to find the formation's eye. We can still deactivate the formation by completely exhausting its energy reserves."

There was no need for Leon to follow traditional methods of break formations when he had something as overbearing and unparalleled as the Nihility Law.

"Aria, protect Darlene from the cold for me."

"Alright."

Aria agreed before Leon transferred Darlene over for her protection as she warded off the cold mist with her control over the Ice Law.

Shortly after, Leon created some distance between him and the two ladies before he sharpened his gaze at the surrounding mist.

'Energy or matter, all things in existence are sustenance that can empower me!'

Swoosh—!

A strong field of nihility was shortly formed around Leon, transforming himself into a powerful black hole that swallows any and everything around it him.

Upon contact with nihility, the cold mist disintegrated into its most primal and truest form of energy, True Grandmist Energy, before they were absorbed and stored inside Leon's Black Vortex Space.

At the same time, the power of nihility even affected the formations' ability to function properly. Any and all laws were rendered useless in front of nihility.

As such, Leon decided to call his most basic skill of nihility [Law Breaker].

A few moments later, the cold mist in the area was noticeably reduced, increasing visibility to the point that one end of the open space could be seen.

"Leon, I found the formation's eye!" Aria quickly informed as soon as she spotted it after the veil was lifted.

Even so, Leon did not stop absorbing the surrounding energy and continued to fatten himself up on energy reserves.

"Don't deactivate it yet. Let me absorb for a bit longer," Leon stated.

There were not many chances to freely absorb quality energy like these. Thus, Leon intended to make the best out of it.

Several moments later, the cold mist became so thin that even the entrance to the next floor was revealed.

"Alright. Deactivate it, Aria."

"Mm!"

Aria immediately complied after receiving the cue from Leon and struck a slightly raised red plate in the ground, causing it to click into place and obstructed the energy circuit underneath, forcing the formation's deactivation.

A few moments after that, the cold mist fully dispersed by Leon raised his flame and illuminated the entire cave that was no bigger than a few hundred feet in diameter.

Aria studied the size of the cave and nodded, thinking that the cave was not big like she had anticipated.

Shortly after, Leon returned to her side while observing the intricate markings around the cave before he said, "Seems like I can only study the formation at a later date."

The circuit details have been purposely hidden below the surface.

If Leon wanted to study the inner workings of the formation, he would have to overturn the place and pry the ground open.

"Come, let us head down to the next area," Leon urged before saying, "I don't think this demon's tomb will only have one obstacle for us."

After receiving consent from Aria and Darlene, Leon took the lead and reached the entrance to the lower floor before heading down the dark staircase while the brightly lit flame on his index finger.

"I'm guessing there will be at least another two trials in between us and the demon's guarded treasures," Aria commented along the way before she added, "And there's a chance these trials will be even more dangerous.

"Most likely," Leon nodded and said, "It's pretty standard for tomb owners to set up at least three trials, and the last trial before the inheritance is usually always the most difficult."

"I wonder how the others overcame these trials in the past openings of the secret realm. Do you have any idea, Darlene?"

Darlene was slightly surprised before she shook her head, "It's been 200 years since the last time anyone from the Darkmoon Tribe entered the secret realm, and most of them have died in and outside of it."

"I see…" Leon uttered.

For Battle Masters to enter formation-based trials without a hint of knowledge in formations, it was the same as walking into a death trap.

As such, Leon did not seem too surprised by Darlene's answer.

Shortly after reaching the bottom of the staircase, Leon and the two ladies quickly discovered another large gate guarded by two tall statues—much like the first time they entered.

"This again," Aria raised an eyebrow and muttered, "I wonder if there's going to be another recorded projection."

Click!

As if her words jinxed it, she unwittingly stepped on a pressure pad on the ground and activated the hidden mechanism set in place before the same blue-colored Arch Demon appeared once more.

"Speak of the devil."

Chapter 704 - Reaching The Third Trial

"If you've made it here, it means you have some capability. Nevertheless, my treasures are not that easy to take. Only the worthy can have it, and you have yet to prove that. Now is not too late to turn back."

"Should you venture forward, only greater danger awaits—but only the fearless can inherit my treasures and carry out the great mission of demons. There is no place for cowards among our ranks…"

The recorded projection of the blue-color Arch Demon began speaking before it started to preach the noble goal of destroying the world once more.

Noticing that the contents were, more or less, the same as the first time, Leon waved his hand and ended the recorded projection before it could complete its run.

"There's no need to continue listening to it. Let us continue onward with the trial," Leon casually said to the two ladies.

"Mm."

"Understood."

The two ladies nodded in compliance before Aria suddenly suggested, "We should advance with caution this time. No doubt, this trial will be like the blue demon said—more dangerous."

"And we don't know what kind of trial it will be either, so it won't hurt for us to be more careful, lest something goes wrong."

"Un, you're right," Leon nodded calmly and said, "Let me head in and clear the trial first. You two stay here and wait for me."

As soon as he finished speaking, Leon pushed open the large gates and barged inside before Aria could reply, causing her to be stunned with words stuck on the tips of her tongue.

"I did not mean it like that…" Aria sighed.

Nevertheless, the second trial was proven to be of no challenge for Leon as he waltzed inside with the power of nihility surrounding him, rendering all formations and laws inactive and ineffective.

At the same time, Leon quickly figured out the content of the second trial and realized it would have been a bit tricky to clear through standard methods—methods that did not make use of his overbearing Law of Nihility.

It was a dream trial.

If they had entered the second trial unprepared, the illusion and sound formations would have affected their minds and force them to fall into a dream that they may never wake up from.

Seeing a few skeletal bones lying around, Leon could tell that someone people have entered and even reached the second trial—but no further than that.

"The people who came here most likely starved to death after getting trapped in the endless dream created by the formations of this second trial…" Leon speculated as he studied the human bones.

"Also, if the first trial's formations were only suspected to be Tier-5 formations, then the second trial's formations are definitely at Tier-5."

"That means there is a chance that the last trial will make use of Tier-6 formations…" Leon frowned in thought.

Tier-6 formations could produce the power to threaten even Celestials and Divine Origin Realm Practitioners.

"The Nihility Law should not have a problem negating the effects… Though if it's a Tier-7 formation, then I am not sure anymore if my Nihility Law will still be effective at my current level…" Leon contemplated.

Nevertheless, Leon located the eye of the formation and deactivated it indefinitely before it could work its magic.

Shortly after, Leon headed back outside to fetch Aria and Darlene.

Only a few minutes had passed since he entered at that point, but it did not make the two ladies any less worried when they could not see him.

"How did it go?" Aria quickly asked upon seeing Leon coming out.

"It's cleared," Leon held Aria's hands and gave them a rub with a reassuring smile before he suddenly said seriously, "You made the right call."

"The second trial was harder to guard against and would have been a bit tricky if we had gone inside together. I would have been fine either way, but the two of you would have been put under a sleeping spell."

"I see…" Aria uttered with surprise.

Although she did not mean by her previous words for Leon to enter the second trial alone, it seemed to have worked in her favor.

Nevertheless, she did not like Leon taking on risks alone.

As such, she shook her head and said with a soft sigh, "I don't want to burden you, but I don't want to see you taking on risks alone either… I think we should take on the third trial together."

"The dangers of the third trial won't be anything like the first and second trial. These Arch Demon-level Tombs are no joke. You can easily lose your life if you're not careful."

"I'm not afraid," Aria stared right into Leon's eyes with a resolute look.

"If we cannot even handle an Arch Demon-level Tomb together, then we won't have any chance in clearing Demon Lord-level Tombs and Demon King-level Tombs."

"I'm not afraid either," Darlene added despite being the weakest and least capable of them all. She gritted her teeth and said, "At least, I fear being alone even more."

After looking at the determined looks on both of their faces, Leon knew that he would not be winning any arguments against them.

As such, he quickly gave in with a sigh and said, "Fine. At least let me take the lead."

"That's fine with me."

Aria and Darlene glanced at each other with slight smiles.

Sometime later, the group of three passed through the second trial and entered the lower floor of the third trial.

Without any surprises, the entrance was still guarded by two tall statues and had a recorded projection set in stone.

Given the hidden dangers of the third trial, Aria made a suggestion to ease Leon's worries of bringing them along, "Maybe we should listen to the blue demon's speech this time. Maybe it will contain some useful information or clues regarding the third trial."

"Alright," Leon nodded and allowed the recorded projection to continue running.

"I see you have made it this far. It seems I, Paragon Blackfrost, will have to commend you for reaching this point. However, this is as far as you go. If you foolishly continue to seek my treasures, the third trial will be your resting place."

Contrary to everyone's expectations, the blue-colored Arch Demon did not try to preach demon values to them but tried to discourage them instead.

"Seems like this Arch Demon really doesn't want us to clear the final trial and take away its treasures," Darlene guessed amusedly.

"So it seems."

"Doesn't seem like there was any information we could use to our advantage in the third trial," Aria stated before adding with a frown, "The demon was too stingy and didn't give us any clue at all."

"Well, to be honest, this is its tomb, and it doesn't want anyone taking its treasures. So why would it give us a clue?" Leon shrugged nonchalantly, unsurprised by the turn of events, before saying, "It would be weird if it didn't try to mislead us instead."

"That makes sense…"

After a few moments, Leon eventually pushed the gates open.

However, what everyone found on the other side of the gates was not another dark cave waiting to be illuminated but an already lit space that was much larger than the previous two trial space combined.

Multiple lampstands softly burned with flickering green flames, giving the space an ominous and gloomy atmosphere, while a large coffin can be seen at the center of the space.

"I don't see any path on the end of this big room. Did we reach the end of the tomb already?" Aria muttered with surprise.

"Maybe the blue demon didn't have enough resources to build a third trial and was just making a last-ditch effort scare challengers away?" Darlene guessed before suddenly adding, "I can see a coffin in the middle!"

"It probably belongs to the Arch Demon, but don't let your guard down," Leon frowned with doubt before he said, "The Arch Demon could have designed the third trial like this to make us careless."

As they approached the stone coffin slowly with caution, no traps or formations were activated, even after reaching the large coffin.

Surprised as they were, they took the chance to study the large coffin made entirely of ice, which possessed a frightening coldness that seems to freeze even the surrounding air themselves, spreading cold mist outward ceaselessly.

Darlene slightly shivered from the coldness in the area before Leon kept her warm to avoid her catching a cold.

"Leon, take a look over there!" Aria suddenly pointed to the outer edge where the cold mist seemed to gather before she said, "There seem to be quite a few bones piled along the walls!"

The bones all seemed to vary from hundreds of years to thousands of years, but more importantly, they belonged to both humans and demons!

"Some of these bones are not that old, and they also belong to humans," Leon furrowed his brows after moving away from the coffin to study them.

"If I have to guess, some Battle Masters must have reached this place in the past. However, I cannot tell how exactly did they die…"

There were no damages on the bones, and without any flesh at all, it was impossible to study any wounds that might have been found on the bodies of the fallen humans and demons.

"Still, we can be certain that danger exists here. Perhaps the third trial requires a certain condition to be met before it can begin," Leon shortly stated solemnly while fixing his gaze on the coffin.

It was the most suspicious point of interest.

Chapter 705 - Test Of Courage

"An ice coffin, bones, and no further passages…" Leon narrowed his eyes and knitted his brows into a frown before he muttered, "Seems like this final trial will be quite dangerous."

He had an ominous feeling about the ice coffin.

"Why do I get the feeling that we will have to face the Arch Demon himself if we were to lift his ice coffin?" Darlene questioned with doubt while feeling apprehensive and some dread towards the ice coffin.

"I am also getting that feeling," Aria added and mentioning a possibility, "What if the Arch Demon is not dead but build this tomb to lure people inside?"

"What purpose would the Arch Demon achieve by luring people inside his tomb?" Darlene asked with surprise.

"I don't know," Aria shook her head before she glanced at the bones and said with a frown, "Maybe to eat them or something?"

"Oh, that seems probable…" Darlene thought before Darlene and Aria turned to Leon for his opinion, "What do you think, Leon?"

"I think you two may be right," Leon agreed with them.

"Think about it. People have made it to the second trial and this supposed third trial before, yet the entrance to the tomb still required us to solve a riddle to enter. This means that someone has to be responsible for resetting the riddle for the next tomb raider to solve and enter."

"Now that you mentioned it, I didn't notice this detail," Aria said with surprise before she quickly frowned, "But if the Arch Demon was responsible for resetting the riddle, he must have another way of getting in and out of this tomb."

"Or… someone else is responsible for resetting the riddle and that we are just overthinking this entire matter…" Leon said with a shake of his head before saying, "All these what-ifs are getting us nowhere."

"Time is of the essence. We don't know how close our location is to the secret realm's official entering location. Thus, we shouldn't be wasting too much time here, lest we suddenly get surrounded by demons."

"Then what is our plan? Just lift the ice coffin lid? Or should we leave?" Aria asked.

Leon was silent for a moment as he weighed his choices.

He had to be careful in consideration of Aria and Darlene's safety, but at the same time, they did not have the luxury of time to linger in one place for so long.

Leon shortly pondered with knitted brows and began thinking back on their previous two trials for some time when he suddenly thought of something and smiled.

"Yeah, we already came this far to be turning back now."

As Leon said that, he strolled right up to the ice coffin and began pushing the lid open bravely, causing Aria and Darlene to be startled.

"Wait, shouldn't we prepare in the likelihood of facing a Paragon and—"

Before Aria could finish speaking, the ice coffin lid was fully opened before the eyes of Arch Demon resting inside suddenly snapped open, locking gaze with Leon before the Arch Demon shot a dagger at Leon's throat.

However, Leon did not bother dodging, nor did Aria and Darlene even have the time to warn him before the dagger stopped at the tips of his throat.

A few moments later, the Arch Demon's eyes snapped shut and laid back down inside the ice coffin, returning to its eternal rest.

The Arch Demon's body was filled with runic engravings, and not a trace of life could be sensed.

Aria and Darlene quickly rushed over to Leon's side before Aria asked with surprise, "Is the Arch Demon dead? How did you know that the Arch Demon wasn't going to stab your throat with the dagger?"

"If I had moved the slightest inch, the poison-tipped danger would have definitely gone for my throat without stopping," Leon smiled wryly with a trace of sweat on his forehead.

The runic arrays within the eyes of the Arch Demon were used to monitor his movements.

"The Arch Demon has been dead many years. It is only relying on the ice coffin to preserve its body while the power of runes is used to automate it upon certain conditions."

"But how did you know that the Arch Demon wasn't going to pierce your throat with its dagger?" Aria asked again.

"I didn't," Leon answered honestly before saying, "However, I've noticed that through the past two trials and the words spoken by the Arch Demon in the recorded projections, this entire tomb had been a test of courage."

"So I decided to take a gamble. And as it turned out, I won."

Smack!

Aria immediately slapped Leon on the chest angrily before she cried, "Are you crazy?! How can you gamble your life like that! You could have died, you know?!"

She continued to smack Leon's chest a few more times as she complained before her wrist was grabbed by Leon while he looked back at her warmly with a wry smile.

"Our lives were already at stake when we decided to challenge this Arch Demon-level Tomb. And if I am not wrong, we couldn't have left this room without triggering a death trap. So if we wanted to leave, we should have done so before entering the coffin room."

"The third trial had already commenced the moment we decided to step inside. The owners of those bones must have triggered a different death trap after being drawn over by the older bones."

"I wish you could have at least informed me before you decided to take on such a gamble," Aria said with a soft sigh before pouting, "You nearly had me worried to death."

"Me too," Darlene added softly.

Leon smiled lightly and casually asked, "If I had told the two of you, would either of you had let me do what I just did?"

Aria and Darlene fell silent.

Evidently, they would have tried to persuade him against such a rash and risky choice instead.

"Never mind," Leon shook his head and said while gazing at the number of treasures found within the ice coffin, "Let us take a look at our rewards."

Leon's eyes quickly sparkled in the next moment.

The poison-tipped dagger held in the slumbering Arch Demon's hand, alone, was already a Tier-6 treasure.

Chapter 706 - Ransacking

"A Tier-6 dagger with a poison-attribute enchantment! This is some good stuff," Leon praised after removing the weapon from the dead Arch Demon's grasp.

"However, I am accustomed to using the spear. This weapon is suitable for me," Leon shook his head before turning to Aria and Darlene and asked, "Which one of you want to use this?"

"A Tier-6 weapon is unlike anything you would have ever used before. The difference between a Tier-6 and Tier-5 far outstrips the difference between Tier-5 and Tier-4 weapons," Leon explained.

If a Tier-5 weapon was considered a Paragon's weapon, then Tier-6 weapons belong to Celestials.

Nevertheless, Aria quickly shook her head and said, "I only use the sword. The dagger is not suitable for me either. But, powerful as this Tier-6 dagger may be, I think Sister Darlene should use it."

"I think so too," Leon nodded before passing the Tier-6 dagger to Darlene, "Take it, Darlene. It seems this Tier-6 dagger is fated to be used by you."

"You're really giving such a precious and powerful to me?" Darlene was stunned before mentioning with concern, "Is that really okay? What happens if I lose it?"

"No matter how powerful a weapon is, it is useless if we don't use it," Leon calmly stated before saying, "If you lose it, then forget it. We are bound to find more weapons of such quality if each Arch Demon-level Tombs are like this."

"Besides, I believe a dagger is the most suitable choice of weapon for it. It's light and quick to use. Once your Spatial Laws reach a high enough level for you to rip open the fabrics of space and teleport, the two will make a lethal combination."

"That being said, what's the current limit of your spatial distortion? Can you rip apart space for great spatial travels yet?" Leon inquired.

Darlene furrowed her brows before she shook her head and said, "It seems like I can distort space by a great degree within 30 feet range of myself, but I still cannot rip apart space yet."

"That's fine. I wasn't expecting it anyway," Leon said with a smile.

After all, Spatial Law was also at the 9-star Ranked Awakener Realm. And if he could not rip apart space, then he did not expect Darlene to be able to do it either.

"The spatial stability in this world is surprisingly sturdy—most likely due to the seal on the world. As such, ripping apart the fabrics of space will be exceeding difficult within this world. However, you do not need to rip apart space if it's just short instantaneous travels."

"Instantaneous travels…?" Darlene uttered with surprise before asking, "Is that possible with just bending and distortion space?"

"Of course!" Leon ascertained confidently.

"I've noticed that you have been using the Spatial Law to bend a singular point, but you know you can bend as many spatial points your mind can handle, right? Only the simplest two-point spatial bending is needed for instantaneous travel."

"By bending two spatial points together, you can create a pinching effect, following with a single step over and releasing the pinch will slingshot you to the new location instantaneously. It would just feel like a casual step forward for you, but it would appear like a blink to others."

"This is how instantaneous travel works. Or you can simply call it blinking," Leon explained to Darlene before she was startled.

She had never thought about such a method before.

But after Darlene was educated on the use of multi-point spatial bending, she immediately thought of many ways she could use her spatial ability rather than simply curving projectiles.

"Well, that's that," Leon ended the topic there before searching inside the ice coffin for the next piece of treasure to take out.

Practically all of the equipment on the Arch Demon's corpse was a treasure, even though they cannot be compared to the Tier-6 dagger.

"These gauntlets, armor, leggings, and boots are all Tier-5. These are some quality defensive equipment. However, this shouldn't be all there is. At the very least, I expected more treasures than this," Leon commented with a frown.

"Maybe the rest of the treasures are hidden underneath the Arch Demon's body," Aria guessed before suggesting, "Maybe we should remove the Arch Demon's body first before we take a look?"

"No, wait. Don't do it," Leon immediately stopped Aria before she could reach her hand into the ice coffin to move the corpse.

"The entire body is engraved with runes. We don't know if the Arch Demon set up any other hidden traps. Thus, we need to treat the Arch Demon's body with respect, lest we trigger a different death trap."

"Ahh… You're right, Leon!" Aria agreed with a startled look before she said, "I nearly forgot that we have yet to clear this final trial—or at the very least, there hasn't been any indication that this trial ended yet."

"Well, you can also argue that there wasn't any indication of trial starting either," Leon with a smile while carefully removing the equipment from the Arch Demon's body.

"Even the Arch Demon's body can be considered a treasure. There's value in studying it, but I'm not sure if there's any risk in doing so," Leon pondered for a moment before he activated his divine sense.

However, he sensed nothing, nor did he discover anything under the Arch Demon's body before he came to a conclusion; the Arch Demon was broke.

It was the only explanation Leon could think of for the fact that the final trial was in the same room as the tomb owner's resting place.

"You two, step back a bit," Leon shortly instructed before he said, "I'm going to pocket this entire ice coffin and everything in it. We can worry about the spoils after we leave."

"Alright."

"Understood."

Aria and Darlene quickly complied.

After Leon stored the entire ice coffin into his Worldspace without triggering a single death trap, he sighed with relief before his eyes fell on the runic tiles on the ground.

"These runic tiles also have study values… So I should also take them as well," Leon thought before he quickly acted on his decision and started scraping the runic tiles off the ground.

Half an hour later, they left the tomb after Leon thoroughly ransacked the place.

Chapter 707 - Demon Scouts

"I can't believe you didn't even spare the tiles, Leon! The tomb was basically dismantled by you!" Aria said with an unbelievable look as they exited the tomb.

Even if it was a demon's resting place, Leon had desecrated the Arch Demon's tomb to the point that even heavens might frown upon him.

Leon smiled wryly and said, "Since we came for treasure, we should take everything of value, no? It would be a waste to leave them behind, considering we might not get another chance to come here."

"But still…" Aria was concerned if his actions would accumulate bad karmic when she suddenly cried, "Demons!"

"Hm?" Leon immediately shot his gaze in the distance.

At the same time, a small team of five Lesser Demons with horns noticed them while snooping around on the Nethergrass field ahead of them as if they were scouting.

"Kree!" one of the horned Lesser Demons quickly howled with alarm before they charged altogether…

"They're coming!" Leon's eyes flickered before he said, "We can't let any of them get away!"

"Mm!" Aria nodded.

"Darlene, take care of yourself!" Leon instructed before taking out his bone spear and dashed forward to receive the demons' attacks with Aria.

Nevertheless, the Lesser Demons were no match for Leon and Aria.

Within ten exchanges, the entire demon party was decimated with their limbs and body parts scattered across the ground and their blood soaking the Nethergrass.

"These Lesser Demons were probably just scouts," Leon stated as he gave his bloodied spear a strong swipe at the empty air, causing all the blood to fling off it.

"Or the demon army could have divided themselves into parties to search for their own lucky chances," Aria added her opinion before saying, "Either way, it means our location is not far from the official entrance to the secret realm."

"Yeah," Leon nodded and said, "It's a good thing we did not take too long in the Arch Demon-level Tomb. Otherwise, we might not have known this until more demons show up and have us surrounded."

"In other words, we can't stay here," Aria stated before asking for Leon's opinion, "Which direction should we take?"

"Since the demons came from the southern direction, that is most likely the direction of the secret realm's main entrance, I think," Darlene spoke just as Leon was scavenging materials from the demon's corpses.

Leon paused for a moment before he nodded in agreement, "Darlene is right. The other three directions would be safer than going south."

"North would be the safest bet, but there are some merits to going west or east."

"Wouldn't we run into more demons eventually if we head east or west?" Aria asked before adding, "Since the entrance is in the south, going north would lead us towards the inner region."

"No, we can't be sure of that," Leon refuted Aria's assumption with a shake of his head and said, "There's no telling which part of the secret realm the entrance is opened. As such, heading north could take us further away from the inner region instead."

"But it's still better than getting swarmed by the demons, right? We are greatly outnumbered," Aria raised her concern.

"That's all the more reason why we should either head east or west. That way, we have a chance of reaching other fellow humans first and regroup with them."

"At the same time, we could warn them about the demons and whittle down the demon's numbers if we encounter more scout-sized parties like this."

"What if we run into a strong party we cannot handle?" Aria inquired.

"We won't. I will make sure that we won't even come close to us," Leon stated with certainty before adding, "I will be scouting with my ocular technique. Thus, if they're strong, we leave. If they're weak, we fight."

Having said that, Leon pocketed the demons' Tier-4 equipment and weapons before he sat down in a meditative position.

"Give me a moment to refine their blood essence. It shouldn't take long," Leon said before adding, "Take this time to decide whether we want to head east or west. I'll leave the choice up to you."

"It seems Leon has thoroughly thought it through. In that case, I don't have much else to say," Aria said with a smile before turning to Darlene, "What do you think, Sister Darlene?"

Darlene glanced up at the sky before furrowing her brows in thought, trying to recall any useful information she had about the secret realm.

Nevertheless, she found nothing that could determine their location.

"I don't know," Darlene eventually shook her head and said, "Sister Aria can decide."

A few moments later, Leon completed his blood refinement before he surprisingly gained 12 different types of Origin Blood, which directly doubled his cumulative Origin Blood to 24.

Within the demon's blood was impure and mixed with multiple types of blood from other races.

Nevertheless, Leon did not waste time thinking about this and rose to his feet.

"I'm done," Leon stated before calmly asking, "Have we decided on a direction?"

"Mm, we decided on the west," Darlene answered.

"I see. West, it is," Leon nodded before urging, "Let us get going then."

"Huh? Are we not going to clean up our tracks here first?" Aria asked with surprise.

Leon glanced at the mess before shaking his head, "No, there's no point. The demons will figure out sooner or later once they enter the tomb."

"But even if they found out we were here, they won't know which direction we headed off to."

"That makes sense," Aria nodded before her gaze froze in the southern direction

Another small group of demons has rocked up in the region, but none were Greater Demons or stronger, making them easy prey for Leon and Aria.

"Leon!"

"I know."

Aria and Leon quickly drew their weapons and rushed into the group of five Lesser Demons to slaughter them.

"Kree—Kuh…"

The Lesser Demons were briefly surprised before they failed to put up much resistance against Leon's overwhelming brute strength and got hacked to death.

After making short work of the demons, Leon cleaned his weapon and said, "The appearance of demons are becoming more frequent. We need to leave now."

Chapter 708 - Ashenwood Forest

Eternal Night Secret Realm

In a dense forest full of ashen-gray trees with black leaves, the One-Eyed Vulnerable Shaman hid in the high branches with the other Crimsonfog Tribesmen as several dozens of demons patrolled the ground.

"Ugh…" a soft groan came from Chief Baskara's mouth as he awakened from his consciousness—only to have a Battle Master quickly cover his mouth.

"Shh," the One-Eye Venerable Shaman gestured for quietness before Chief Baskara slowly regained clarity.

His gaze quickly turned solemn at the unfamiliar environment and strange trees that seemed to be soaked in Darkness Profound Energy.

Sometime later, the sounds of footsteps below grew distant until they could no longer be heard.

"They've finally left," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman softly sighed as the other Crimsonfog Tribesmen wore relieved expressions…

Chief Baskara took the opportunity to inquire, "Where are we, Venerable Shaman? How long have I been out for—No, how did I get out? I remember battling some strange specters that could not be killed."

"You were helped by Young Master Leonhardt, the Divine Doctor from the Darkmoon Tribe," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman answered before he began explaining further.

"Supposedly, when you were by the Demon-slaying Arrows' blast, your mind was invaded by the corrupted souls the Liches used to control the Undead Battle Kings. Only elemental attacks would have worked on them."

"That being said, it is no longer important. What's important is that you are finally awake. You've been asleep for a whole week, Baskara Boya. Right now, we are inside the Eternal Night Secret Realm."

"I took the liberty to bring you inside with me while you were still unconscious. You won't blame me for this, would you?" the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman asked.

"The Eternal Night Secret Realm?" Chief Baskara muttered with great surprise before shaking his head, "Of course not! This is a rare opportunity that cannot be missed. On the contrary, I am grateful that you took me in, Venerable Shaman."

"Nevertheless, a lot seemed to have happened during this short period, huh? Where did the secret realm open this time? How many people did we bring in?"

Chief Baskara was filled with questions after waking up, but then, he quickly noticed the atmosphere become heavy after he finished asking.

"What's wrong?" Chief Baskara asked with surprise.

"The opening of the secret realm occurred in the same spot as the previous two openings, the heart of the demon's territory," the One-Eyed Venerable said before sighing, "Although a lot of tribes came, we only numbered 700-odd Battle Masters."

"This number is far smaller than the last time our kind stepped foot inside the Eternal Night Secret Realm. On the other hand, the demon's forces are much greater than it has ever been, making this trip in the secret realm the most dangerous in history."

"What's the demons' strengths? Since we made it inside the secret realm, it means we made it to the heart of the demon's territory, right? Are they really that dangerous?" Chief Baskara asked.

"We only managed to make it so far into the demon's territory because the elite demons were all gathered at the center for the opening of the secret realm. Had they been guarding the borders, we would not have made it so far," a Battle Master stated.

"I see…" Chief Baskara shortly furrowed his brows in deep thought before he said, "It seems like the only way to guarantee our safety is to greatly increase our strength. Have we found any tombs?"

"Not yet, but there should be at least one inside this big forest," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman narrowed his eyes and said, "Considering the number of demons in this area, it might not be a low-level tomb."

"That's even better," Chief Baskara grinned and said, "Even demons will not have an easy time clearing the higher-level tombs. If we can let them do all the hard work, then swoop in to reap all the benefits when they least expect it."

"That was the plan," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman nodded.

…

…

…

Some distance outside of the Ashenwood Forest, Leon's party eventually discovered the towering trees while heading west for two hours straight.

"Leon, there's a forest up ahead!" Darlene pointed before saying, "We're finally leaving this Nethergrass region after walking for so long!"

"There's some blood on the ground over here!" Aria suddenly noticed after stepping on the patch of blood.

"This is human blood, and it is still fresh—at least fifteen minutes have passed since it was spilled," Leon studied the red patch of blood before saying, "Safe to assume that demons have been in this area, and the human is dead."

"There's only blood and not a corpse here. Isn't there a possibility that the person is still alive somewhere?" Darlene asked.

Leon stood up and observed his surroundings for a moment before he shook his head, "With this much blood loss, it's enough to kill a person. That being said, Body Cultivator has stronger vitality is than ordinary people."

"There is a chance that the person is still alive, captured as a hostage to lure out other humans. However, I am more inclined to believe that the human was eaten by the demons."

"Either way, the person is as good as dead. Without receiving immediate treatment, the person would not have lived long with this much blood loss."

Of course, if the person had refined their marrows and blood, they had a much higher chance of surviving.

But to Leon's knowledge, there was not anyone or any tribe that practices Body Cultivation outside of flesh tempering and bone forging.

"Let's go," Leon urged while facing the forest ahead, "If there are still demons in the area, entering the forest will allow us to hide our presence better than staying in the open field without any cover like this."

"Mm," Aria nodded before adding, "If there anyone else has passed this place, they would have also entered the forest to hide their trail from the demons' tracking."

A few moments later, Leon's party made haste as they headed into the large forest of towering trees to look for fellow humans.

Chapter 709 - Joining Forces

After entering the Ashenwood Forest, Leon quickly noticed that the trees were quite openly spaced apart on the ground level while the branches above intertwined closely.

"Let's move up to the branches," Leon suggested.

Aria and Darlene quickly agreed before they flew up to the branches and continued heading deeper into the Ashenwood Forest.

"It's not easy to see what's in the branches from below, but quite easy to see what's below from up here," Aria mentioned before she guessed, "If humans have entered this forest, they would be traveling from the branches as well."

"Most likely," Leon nodded in agreement before noticing slight traces of human tracks left on the branches.

"There are some dirty footprints here. These belong to humans," Leon stated while rubbing the tracks with his fingers.

"I wonder if it belongs to anyone we know," Darlene said curiously.

.

"I'm curious too," Leon followed the trail and glanced in a certain direction before he stated, "I guess we will find out if we keep following their tracks."

"Alright."

…

…

…

In the central region of the Ashenwood Forest, several demons gathered around the stump of a noticeably larger tree while more demons arrived over time.

In the high branches, the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman, Chief Baskara, and the other tribesmen silently observed the demons' activities from a distance.

"Seems like there is something special about this tree," Chief Baskara stated with furrowed brows before adding, "However, I don't see any tombstones."

"The tombstone could be hidden within the tree," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman speculated as he watched the demons surrounded the tree in search of something.

Chief Baskara also observed their actions before he nodded, "That seems to be the case. Let's stay here and continue to observe—"

Shish—!

As Chief Baskara spoke, he suddenly heard a subtle yet distinct sound of rustling leaves before he shot a sharp look towards its direction.

"Who?!"

Chief Baskara spat with a deep but quiet voice as he forcefully restrained himself from alarming the demons below.

"Oh? A familiar face," Leon casually commented as he stepped out from behind a cluster of leaves and small branches along with Aria and Darlene.

"Who are you? And why were you trying to sneak up on us?"

Chief Baskara quickly interrogated before he started to frown as he finds Leon's face familiar, yet he could not remember where.

"Ahem!" the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman coughed before stepping forward to explain, "This is Young Master Leonhardt, the one who treated you and allowed you to wake up, Baskara Boya,"

Chief Baskara was surprised before he recalled a vague memory of a person with the same matching face when he was unconsciously fighting the evil spirits in his spiritual world.

"So it is the Divine Doctor, whom I am indebted to," Chief Baskara commented with none of his previous aggression and caution before offering a handshake, "Please excuse my rudeness, for I did not know better."

Leon accepted with a firm grip as he looked into Chief Baskara's eyes directly and studied his mental state briefly.

"It seems Chief Baskara has recovered better than expected," Leon nodded calmly after his quick diagnosis before saying, "Still, Chief Baskara needs to be mindful of your mental state."

"Is there a problem with it?" Chief Baskara asked with surprise.

"The Venerable Shaman didn't mention it to you?" Leon gave the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman a brief glance before he continued to speak, "There are some lingering problems that could not be resolved easily."

"If you strain your mind, it is easy for you to lose control of your rationality and become berserk. In other words, you are susceptible to violence and anger."

"I see…" Chief Baskara uttered with surprise when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his mind, causing him to hug his forehead with a crumpled look.

"Ugh…" Chief Baskara groaned.

The One-Eyed Venerable Shaman quickly supported Chief Baskara's body as he staggered before he calmly stated, "You're overthinking, Baskara Boya. Get some rest for now."

"Alright," Chief Baskara nodded.

Shortly after picking a spot to lean against a wall of branches and leaves, Chief Baskara closed his eyes and meditated, no longer paying attention to the others.

"It's fortunate that Young Master Leonhardt is here. At least, if we will not have to worry about our wounds if we were to get hurt," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman joked lightly with a smile.

Leon returned a slight smile in kind before his gaze shifted downward on the demon activity in the area.

"What are they doing?" Leon asked.

"They are looking for the tomb entrance," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman answered before adding, "From the numbers, we believe the tomb to be at the Demon Lord-level or higher."

"As such, we planned to wait a while for them to clear the trials first before making our move when their forces become weaker. Our chance of success will be even higher if Young Master Leonhardt's group joins us."

"The fisherman, huh?" Leon muttered for a moment before he smirked and nodded, "Sure. I was planning to gather everyone and whittle away the demon's forces anyway, so this works out well for us."

"Glad to hear it," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman smiled.

While Darlene and Aria had overheard everything on the side, Leon filled them in on the situation anyway before he shortly said, "Since we have time, we can look at the spoils now."

"Spoils?" the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman raised an eyebrow and turned to look before he asked, "What spoils are you talking about?"

"These spoils," Leon waved his hand before the Arch Demon's corpse and various runic tiles were taken out of the Worldspace.

"This…"

The One-Eyed Venerable Shaman and the other Crimsonfog Tribesmen were immediately stunned at the sight of the demon corpse.

"Is this a…?

"An Arch Demon's corpse? Yes, it is," Leon admitted honestly before squatting down to study the runes engraved on the Arch Demon's body.

"How did Young Master Leonhardt get your hands on an Arch Demon's corpse, if you don't mind me asking?" a Battle Master asked with surprise.

"Huh?" Leon raised his head and gave the Battle Master a weird look before he said, "That's a strange question to ask. I got the corpse from an Arch Demon-level Tomb, how else?"

Chapter 710 - Dangerous Trap

"Huh?"

The One-Eyed Venerable Shaman and the other Crimsonfog Tribesmen were immediately stunned by Leon's claim.

Even though Arch Demon-level Tombs had the lowest difficulty of trials in the secret realm, it was, after all, still Arch Demon-level Tombs.

The difficulty in clearing such trials found within was not something that could be done within a short time.

After a moment of recovery, the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman asked with surprise, "Young Master Leonhardt means to say that Young Master Leonhardt has already cleared an Arch Demon-level Tomb?"

"Precisely," Leon nodded.

The Crimsonfog Tribesmen all widened their eyes with disbelief at once after hearing his straightforward acknowledgment.

"You've never ceased to surprise me, Young Master Leonhardt," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman smiled wryly.

Shortly after, the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman shifted his gaze to the blue Arch Demon's corpse before he inquired curiously, "I wonder what Young Master Leonhardt intends to do with this demon's body?"

.

"This entire body is engraved with high-level runes of the fifth to the sixth tier. So you can even say that this Arch Demon's corpse is a treasure trove of runic knowledge," Leon mentioned before stating, "I am going to study them to enhance my runic knowledge."

After hearing that, the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman was slightly surprised before he asked for confirmation, "Young Master Leonhardt only intends to study the runes on the demon's body?"

"Yes, exactly," Leon nodded before he raised an eyebrow and asked, "What else do you expect me to do with it?"

"An Arch Demon's corpse is no different to the body of a Paragon-level Demonic Beast. Like Young Master Leonhardt said, its body is basically a treasure trove. All of it can be used for equipment and weapon forging or medicine."

The One-Eyed Venerable Shaman stated before shifting his gaze back to Leon and said, "If it's not too much to ask, I hope Young Master Leonhardt can gift it to us after you are done with it."

"I see…" Leon rubbed his chin thoughtfully before he nodded, "I don't really have any other use for it once I learn all the runic knowledge contained within. Thus, it's not impossible for me to gift you the Arch Demon's body afterward."

"That's great!" the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman was overjoyed before he assured, "Don't worry, Young Master Leonhardt. We won't let you suffer a loss. Once we process the Arch Demon's body, we will give you a portion of the finished products."

"There's no need to go that far," Leon waved his hand and said, "After all, it is only an Arch Demon. There are still the bodies of Demon Lords and Demon Kings for us to collect if we are fortunate enough."

"True, but being able to procure the corpse of an Arch Demon already makes this trip inside the secret realm worthwhile. With a single Arch Demon's corpse, we will be able to raise some Battle Kings and improve our equipment," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman stated.

"Oh?" Leon was intrigued.

"I didn't expect the Crimsonfog Tribe has the means to refine medicine require to aid a Battle Master's breakthrough to Battle King."

"Although the chances are not high, we do have the method," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman before he shook his head and said, "However, it's not easy to procure bodies of Arch Demons and Paragon-level Demonic Beasts."

"No doubt. Otherwise, there would be no shortage of Battle Kings in the Crimsonfog Tribe or the entire Infertile Plains for that matter," Leon said with a smile.

Sometime later, the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman ended his chat with Leon and did not disturb him further.

As Leon began studying the runes, the others quietly observed the demons below.

Over time, the number of Lesser Demons and Greater Demons gathering in the area quickly grew to 100-strong without signs of stopping, making the situation exceedingly dangerous if their location was exposed.

Aria knitted her brows before quietly making her way over to the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman's side.

"Is there something you need, Miss Aria?" the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman asked before Aria could speak first.

Nevertheless, she nodded and said, "On our way, we found traces of human blood and battle outside the forest. I wonder if the person was one of your people or not, senior?"

"Oh?" the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman raised an eyebrow before he said, "We have yet to engage in a confrontation with the demons. Therefore, the person should be from another group."

"Which direction did your group enter the forest from?" the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman inquired shortly after.

Aria paused for a moment before saying, "We headed west, so we should have entered from the east side of the forest. What about senior's group—something's happening below!"

Aria interrupted her question midway after noticing a change in the situation below as the demons suddenly hastened their footsteps.

"Kree!"

Not long after, a Lesser Demon's calling could be heard before the surrounding dozens of demons quickly gathered to the Lesser Demon's location.

"The tomb entrance must have been found," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman quietly assumed with slightly narrowed eyes as he scrutinized a specific spot on the tree by the Lesser Demon.

Some engraved runes could be found after the moss was scraped off.

A few moments later, Scaly-tailed Greater Demon made its way through the crowd of gathered demons to study the runes.

"Seems like it's not the entrance, but a clue to opening the tomb's entrance," Aria assumed before shifting her gaze to inspect the environment and the positioning of the surrounding trees.

"Perhaps, a riddle must be solved before the tomb entrance reveals itself."

"Miss Aria seems to have some experience in this field?" the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman said with uncertainty.

However, Aria shook her head and said, "It's Leon, who has experience in this field. I've only made an assumption we managed to clear an Arch Demon-level Tomb together."

"I see…"

Just as the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman was about to speak, the situation by the central tree took a drastic turn after a Greater Demon incorrectly placed a broken branch in one of the numerous holes found on the stump of the surrounding trees.

Rumble!

Large movements were detected from the surrounding trees before several dozen Lesser Demons were quickly impaled to death by roots and hardened vines that drilled out from the ground.

"This…"

Several Crimsonfog Tribesmen immediately gasped with wide eyes at the scene that wiped out half the demons.

"How dangerous!"

Chapter 711 - Abyssal Wood Demon King's Tomb

A single mistake resulted in half the demon's forces getting wiped out.

Everyone understood that the traps related to Demon Lord-level Tombs and higher were dangerous. However, the power and lethality displayed were beyond everyone's expectations.

"What kind of tree roots and vines are these? How can they be so powerful?" a Crimsonfog Tribe's Battle Master exclaimed with disbelief.

Everyone quickly re-evaluated the trees that surrounded them with abject horror as another commented, "It's the first time I've seen such a large number of Lesser Demons getting killed so easily."

"Their defenses were like paper, and their lives were like chopping grass. They could not resist at all! These trees are not simple."

As the Battle Masters discussed in low whispers, Aria noticed the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman's expression before she asked, "What do you think, senior?"

"The power didn't come from the trees themselves but the runes that empowered them," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman stated seriously before adding, "Judging by their level of lethality, this runic array must be at least Tier-7!"

"Tier-7 Array?! I was expecting Tier-6, but a Tier-7 changes everything," a Battle Master commented with a grave look…

The other Battle Masters gasped as they drew in a breath of cold air to relieve their tensed nerves.

"Tier-7…"

Darlene uttered softly with a shaky voice beside Aria.

At the same time, Aria noticed the heavy change in the atmosphere before turning to Darlene with a slightly puzzled look.

"Why does everyone looks so serious now?" Aria asked.

"For a tomb to have any Tier-7 formations and arrays guarding it, it implies the tomb itself has already exceeded the Demon Lord-level," Darlene explained.

"In other words, the tomb hidden here is at the Demon King-level?" Aria asked for confirmation.

Darlene nodded.

"Demon King-level Tomb, huh?" Leon softly muttered as he withdrew from studying the runes on the Arch Demon's body and stowed it away in his Worldspace.

"A Demon King… this level of existence should be equivalent to an Awakener at the Celestial Lord Realm… But this doesn't make sense…"

Leon furrowed his brows in thought.

Tier-6 contained power at the level of a Celestial Warrior for Awakeners, while it was at the Demon Lord for demons, which also means Demon Lords were equivalent Celestial Warriors.

In that case, Demon Emperors were only equivalent to Celestial Kings in power?

Nevertheless, everyone was puzzled by Albion's words before the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman inquired, "What's a Celestial Lord, Young Master Leonhardt?"

"Ah, a Celestial Lord is…" Leon proceeded to explain the four realms of Celestial Cultivation after Awakeners ascend beyond the three stages of Transcendence.

"Four realms of Celestial Cultivation… We are just specks of dust in this infinitely large world…"

The One-Eyed Venerable Shaman shook his head as he lamented at his small and insignificant existence in the vast cosmos.

Shortly after, he shifted his gaze back to Leon and curiously asked, "But how does Young Master Leonhardt know about—"

"Shh."

Before the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman could finish, Leon suddenly hushed everyone for silence and gestured for everyone to observe the situation below.

"The commotion caused by the trap activation has attracted more demons to this location. However, since we don't know how many strong demons are coming, so we better lower our voices for now," Leon whispered.

The group quickly agreed with a solemn nod.

…

…

…

Swish, Swish~!

The leaves of trees and bushes rustled as demons darted over to the central tree's location in groups at a time.

In a short moment, the number of demons in the area quickly soared back to their original count, albeit with many more Greater Demons in their ranks.

"What happened here?" a red-horned Greater Demon interrogated as he gazed at the several dozens of impaled Lesser Demons.

"Seems like the Red-Horned Rathadas has also come to challenge the Abyssal Wood Demon King's tomb," the scaly-tailed Greater Demon casually glanced at the red-horned Greater Demon and nonchalantly said, "Nothing much. Just a small mistake in solving the Demon King's entrance riddle."

Red-Horned Rathadas immediately cracked a disdainful smile before he ridiculed the scale-tailed Greater Demon, "Someone like you want to solve the Abyssal Wood Demon King's entrance riddle? You're wasting your time."

"I suggest you leave and find another tomb to challenge. Perhaps, a Demon Lord-level Tomb or Arch Demon-level Tomb would be more suitable for you."

"Less nonsense, Red-Horned Rathadas. Don't think that you can send me off with just a few words! If you're good then, why don't you try solving the riddle yourself? Hmph, I can assure you that you will fail all the same!" the scaly-tailed Greater Demon snorted.

The red-horned Greater Demon wanted to monopolize the Demon King's inheritance for himself, but was it so easy to enter the Demon King's tomb?!

Nevertheless, Red-Horned Rathadas snickered, "Then just sit there and watch with your dog eyes how I will solve this riddle!"

Alas, the red-horned Greater Demon also failed a few minutes later after placing another broken branch in the incorrect tree hole, causing the mighty Tier-7 trap array to be activated again.

"Ahhh—!"

"No, save me!"

The tree roots and vines quickly caught a few dozen Lesser Demons and even some weaker Greater Demons as they were intertwined and impaled.

Moments later, their bodies shriveled like empty husks after their blood, energy, and life essence got completely drained from their bodies.

"Keke, I knew it."

The scaly-tailed Greater Demon snickered from a safe distance away from the central tree before he said, "All talk, but no actual capability. If the Abyssal Wood Demon King's tomb was so easy to enter, it would have been done during the previous two openings already."

"Hmph, it was just a little mistake. I will get it right next time," Red-Horned Rathadas snorted, unwilling to concede defeat.

But before the red-horned Greater Demon could continue, a three-eyed Greater Demon stepped forward to stop him.

"That's enough, Rathadas, Lemopith. If we want to have any success in solving the entrance riddle, we have to pool in everything we know about it and work together!" the three-eyed Greater Demon said with an imposing tone.

Chapter 712 - Demon's Cruelty

After the Three-Eyed Greater Demon spoke, Rathadas and Limopith immediately paused their heated argument and turned to the Three-Eyed Greater Demon.

"Work together, you say?"

Red-Horned Rathadas quickly cracked a half-disdainful, half-sly smile and said, "I didn't expect such words to come from a member of the proud and arrogant Evil Eye Demon Clan such as yourself, Balthagan."

"Don't tell me that you are really willing to share all of the knowledge on the Abyssal Wood Demon King's tomb that your ancestors poured their blood and sweat into gathering over the past several hundred years?"

"Why not?" Three-Eyed Balthagan shrugged nonchalantly before saying calmly, "As it stands, we won't be able to enter the Abyssal Wood Demon King's tomb, let alone clear it."

"As such, it is better for us to work together. Pooling the clues that our three clans have gathered over the past few openings will definitely give us a higher chance of cracking the riddle. We can either divide Abyssal Wood Demon King's inheritance or get nothing from Abyssal Wood Demon King's tomb at all."

"Heh, and how do you propose we divide the Abyssal Wood Demon King's Demon Core?" Scaly-Tailed Limopith sniggered before suggesting sarcastically, "Should we cut it up into three equal pieces?"

"Hmph! That's not even funny!" Three-Eyed Balthagan snorted coldly and said, "The Abyssal Wood Demon King's Demon Core contains the accumulated power of the Abyssal Wood Demon King."

.

"Cutting up such a precious object will disperse and scatter all of the Abyssal Wood Demon King's concentrated power into the atmosphere, turning the divided Demon Core into useless pieces of rocks."

"Hmph, you think I don't already know that?" Scaly Tailed Limopith snorted back and coldly said, "That is why I asked how you would propose to divide it!"

"I am also interested in hearing about this," Red-Horned Rathadas added with a cold glint.

Evidently, the three strongest Greater Demons in the area were primarily interested in the Abyssal Wood Demon King's Demon Core.

All other inheritance that could be found inside the Abyssal Wood Demon King's tomb was of lesser importance.

"Hmph, the Abyssal Wood Demon King's Demon Core obviously cannot be divided," Three-Eyed Balthagan snorted and said, "So we will divide what can be divided. As for what can't be divided, we can compete for them after dividing the rest."

"That's fine with me."

"And me too."

Red-Horned Rathadas and Scaly-Tailed Limopith agreed to Three-Eyed Balthagan's suggestion with a nod.

However, shortly after, another Greater Demon approach hesitantly and asked, "Excuse me, Sir Balthagan. What part of the Abyssal Wood Demon King's inheritance would the rest of us get?"

Puchi!

The Three-Eyed Greater Demon suddenly drove his sharp hand into the Four-Armed Greater Demon's chest before ripping out his heart and dropped it on the ground with a disdainful look.

"My heart… Sir Balthagan, why…?"

Plop!

The Four-Armed Greater Demon died shortly after Three-Eyed Balthagan stepped on the heart and crushed it into a bloody paste.

"A demon of some small clan dares to have eyes on the Abyssal Wood Demon King's inheritance like us of the Nine Great Clans? Know your place, insect!"

"Heh, serves him right," Red-Horned Rathadas sniggered with cold indifference and commented, "It should be his honor to even participate in opening the Abyssal Wood Demon King's tomb."

"Even so, you shouldn't have killed him, Balthagan," Scaly-Tailed Limopith admonished with a frown and said, "He is, after all, a Greater Demon, albeit a low-rank one. Still, that is one less cannon fodder to aid us in opening the tomb."

"Leave him be, Limopith. The fool did not know his place. Now, let us discuss what we know on the Abyssal Wood Demon King's entrance riddle."

As the three strongest Greater Demons discussed the clues, the other Greater Demons and newly arrived Lesser Demons were greatly started by the casual death of a Greater Demon.

They began having second thoughts about participating in the Abyssal Wood Demon King's tomb.

Some of them did not even know it was the location of the Abyssal Wood Demon King's tomb until they arrived.

Not all demons had access to information like members of the Nine Great Clans did.

As some demons decided to leave and try their luck elsewhere, Three-Eyed Balthagan cast his gaze over and barked, "Stop! Where are you going?"

"Sir Balthagan, we don't want to participate in the Abyssal Wood Demon King's tomb anymore. Can we leave?" a Black-Furred Lesser Demon inquired nervously.

"Oh, that's too bad," Three-Eyed Balthagan uttered with an unreadable expression before he calmly nodded, "Sure, you can leave."

"Thank you, Sir Balthagan!" the Black-Furred Lesser Demon expressed his gratitude before turning around to leave excitedly, ahead of the other Lesser Demons beside it.

Swish~!

However, a black light flashed past with a gust of wind before the Black-Furred Lesser Demon noticed its horizontal angle of vision lowered and rolled a few times until it ultimately stopped, aligned with the ground before the Lesser Demon felt pain in its neck.

Pish—!

Blood sprayed from the Black-Furred Lesser Demon's headless body before it plopped on the ground beside its head. Only then did the Lesser Demon understood it got decapitated by something.

A few moments later, the Lesser Demon's consciousness faded into the oblivion of death.

"Anyone else wants to leave?"

Three-Eyed Balthagan casually asked while sweeping his gaze through the crowd of demons before pausing on the other two Lesser Demons that were about to leave.

The two Lesser Demons shook their heads vehemently.

It only took one death—No, one death was more than enough for everyone to understand that while they were allowed to leave, it did not mean they could leave alive.

In the end, they only had one choice; to stay and be cannon fodder for the three Greater Demons of the Nine Great Clans.

At the same time, everything was witnessed by the humans hiding up in the tree branches.

"How cruel… This is the sort of brutality and cruelty one would expect from demons…" Leon muttered softly with narrowed eyes.

The demons are so cruel to their kind. It is not hard to imagine what it would be like if humans fell into their hands.

Chapter 713 - Demonic Spiders

Nevertheless, Leon did not dwell on the demon's behaviors.

Back in the Divine Realm, even humans can turn into vicious demons and backstab their friends and allies over their scrambles for treasures, let alone treasures that come from a secret realm filled with inheritances.

'Demons aren't the thing to be wary of in a secret realm,' Leon silently mused.

Even so, the odds are against human's favor. If there is any chance of betrayal and backstabbing, it would only happen after the demons are eliminated from the equations.

Over the next half an hour, the demons triggered the trap formations and arrays a few more times, killing more Lesser Demons and Greater Demons.

Despite that, the commotion continued to draw in more demons to become cannon fodders for the three Greater Demons of the Nine Great Clans.

Dead bodies continued to lay askew on the ground, dried like empty husks, as everyone silently observed the demons attempting to solve the tomb's entrance puzzle.

Rumble…!

The ground suddenly shook as their central tree began to twist and grew—No, it was raised from the ground before the tomb entrance was revealed.

"Success!"

Scaly-Tailed Limopith's eyes sparkled as the other demons stared at the entrance with excitement.

"Good work, everyone," Three-Eyed Balthagan praised their efforts before stating, "We may have unraveled the entrance, but more trial awaits us ahead."

"Kekeke, the Abyssal Wood Demon King's trials will surely not be ordinary. I hope you are all prepared," Red-Horned Rathadas sniggered coldly.

The demons' excitement quickly died down as if their heads were doused in a bucket of cold water.

"Let's go!"

After Three-Eyed Balthagan urged the demons to trailblaze the path ahead, the three Greater Demons of the Nine Great Clans entered the tomb promptly.

Within a few moments, the demons were all gone from sight, leaving only the pile of empty corpses behind outside.

"The demons have entered the tomb! Let's follow them in!" a Battle Master said eagerly.

However, he was quickly stopped by the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman, "Wait. It's too early. Entering now will expose our presences to the demons and put our lives at risk."

"The Venerable Shaman is right. If more demons enter after us, we will be pincered by the demons and have nowhere to run," Chief Baskara suddenly added, causing the others to turn to him with surprised looks.

"Baskara Boya, have you rested enough?" the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman asked.

"Yes, Venerable Shaman," Chief Baskara nodded and said, "I feel better now. No more headaches. More importantly, things are about to get interesting by the looks of it."

As Chief Baskara said that, he shifted his gaze to the tomb's entrance underneath the central tree.

"That's right," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman nodded before saying, "The problem is picking the right timing to enter when the demons are all weakened by the trials."

"However, we have no means of finding out when the right time will be. After all, we would have to send someone inside to observe the situation without being discovered by the demons if we want to figure that out."

"True…"

A few moments later, the group fell silent in thought as they stared at the tomb's entrance below while Leon's gaze lingered on the unsapped demon corpse and its puddle of demon blood.

'I wonder how many Origin Blood I can refine from its demon…' Leon mused thoughtfully.

If he gets multiple Origin Blood from a single demon again, he would be able to draw some conclusions regarding demon blood—or rather, their cultivation.

"I'll be back in a bit."

"What are you planning to…"

After scanning the vicinity with his divine sense, Leon quickly descended to collect some Lesser Demon Blood before the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman could finish asking him.

A few moments later, Leon returned stealthily and undetected as several demons arrived at the central tree's location.

"What did you collect the demon blood for, Young Master Leonhardt?" Chief Baskara asked curiously while staring at the vial of demon blood in Leon's hand.

"It is required as part of my cultivation," Leon casually answered.

Shortly after, Leon uncorked the vial of demon blood before refining the demon blood essence into Origin Blood.

Within moments, Leon produced three types of Origin Blood.

Although they were all variants of the Furry Demon Bloodline, they were all different types of Origin Blood, nonetheless.

Leon absorbed them all and reached an accumulation of 27 Origin Bloods before feeling a subtle improvement in his strength and regenerative capability as his eyes brightened.

'Seems like I will be able to reach the next level of mastery soon if I continue to refine every demon blood I get my hands on,' Leon mused.

'Still, for a Lesser Demon to possess multiple bloodlines, albeit fewer than the Arch Demon, it cannot be a coincidence. This might be a unique trait of their inter-race breeding or a result of their unrefined cultivation.'

A Lesser Demon gave him 3 Origin Bloods, while an Arch Demon gave him 12 Origin Bloods.

Although Leon had yet to confirm whether these are fixed numbers, it was clear that demons possess multiple bloodlines—which was good news for him.

Seeing that Leon was in deep thoughts, no one disturbed him and focused on observing the tomb's entrance instead.

Suddenly, demon screams echoed out from the tomb's entrance.

"The tomb's first trial has begun," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman calmly stated with a smile. The demon screams were like music to his ears.

"So it seems," Chief Baskara also smiled before saying, "I wonder what kind of trial they are facing. It'll be great if it kills them all."

"If they all die in the first trial? Who will clear the rest of the trials for us? It won't be easy to reap the tomb's inheritance without the demons clearing the—"

As the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman spoke, a black demonic spider with three red stripes on its back suddenly dangled in front of his field of vision before he killed it on reflex with a swift chop.

At the same time, more demonic spiders began appearing in front of everyone before a Battle Master exclaimed in alarm, "Woah!"

"Where did these things suddenly come from?!"

When Leon and the others shifted their gazes upward, their expression immediately changed as thousands of demonic spiders descended with their webs.