The Ruined Ancient City collapsed, and everyone plummeted towards the abyss.
After a brief darkness, a dim red light gradually lit up below, resembling the blood vessels inside a human body, thick and thin, with a mass of capillaries distributed at the intersection of the main arteries.
Wayne’s keen eyesight made out that the red light was in fact the pattern of flowing rivers, moving slowly and emitting a flickering glow.
Hell’s version of the Themes River?
Wayne was initially surprised, but panic quickly set in. It wasn’t some infernal river of blood, but flowing magma that emitted the red glow.
He was not from a high-quality nation that remained silent in temperatures of six thousand degrees; plunging into it would almost certainly send him back to the arms of the Goddess.
Artley’s eyes shone with golden light, and behind him, Holy Light condensed, forming a pair of white wings of light.
He flapped his wings, suspended in mid-air, and raised one hand to catch those who were still in free fall.
The Corpse Demon, with a mouth on its belly, wasn’t so fortunate. Adhering to the formula for free fall, its speed increased rapidly and, by no small coincidence, it smashed precisely into the lava flow.
Wayne silently approved. Although he wasn’t sure what had transpired, the Corpse Demon’s strange appearance clearly didn’t match the description in the Alchemy Book. The Thousand-Eyed Demon must have added some ingredients for a grand purpose. Now that the Corpse Demon dove headfirst into the magma, the plan of the Thousand-Eyed Demon came to nothing.
If you are doing well, then that’s no good at all!
Wayne could only feel pleased if the Devil was displeased.
The shattered city landed first, raising a cloud of dust. Through the dim red flow, everyone saw a vast underground world.
This was a red soil continent, soaked by rivers of magma, glowing red as far as the eye could see, devoid of vegetation and life. Eroded by the magma, the land was pocked with depressions, giant stone walls, pillars, and many enormous stone bridges resembling arches.
Though beautiful, it was desolate and silent—searching in vain for any sign of life felt like being abandoned by the world, with nothing to feel but loneliness and helplessness.
Wayne landed gently with the Read the latest chapters on NovelHub - completely free! He had fallen out of the Holy Light cage during the descent, but Artley turned a blind eye, as if he didn’t exist.
Wayne sniffed the dry air. He detected no hint of heat, and tossed a fragment of stone at his feet. It passed through the red magma, producing a clear clinking sound.
There was no river of magma, or rather, the winding red flow was a three-dimensional projection, not real.
"What a wretched Devil, such a barren territory..."
Wayne frowned, analyzing the information he had and guessing that this was the actual domain of the Thousand-Eyed Demon in Hell. The Ruined Ancient City had just been a decoy.
The mountainous terrain trembled with a rumble as the Corpse Demon opened its red lips wide and let out a chilling cry, scrambling out of the red river, with black, toxic blood dripping from its mouth’s corner, raising wisps of serpentine, twisting black smoke.
Artley charged forward, his Holy Light Spear shining brightly as he thrust it into the large mouth on the Corpse Demon’s belly.
He filled the Corpse Demon’s mouth and its belly to the brim.
Surprisingly, the Corpse Demon, which was supposed to be a creature of Hell, didn’t disperse with Holy Light; instead, it gobbled it up, refusing to turn away any that came its way.
Artley was shocked and quickly withdrew his spear, retreating a considerable distance. He shook his spear to fling off the black corrupt blood, "Back off, it’s not an ordinary alchemical being, but a Familiar of the Lord of Gluttony, one of The Seven Demon Kings."
By reputation alone, hearing that it was one of Hell’s Seven Demon Kings, Wayne didn’t care to wonder what a Familiar was and retreated repeatedly, shielding Mona in front of him.
"Why are you looking at me? The captain said to fall back."
"No, I mean, is there no need to keep up the act now?"
"You have a point, but just to be safe, I’ll throw up a buff first."
Wayne placed his hand above his head and invoked the meager Holy Light energy he possessed to cast a golden hoop on himself, turning the tables as he pretended to be Mona’s puppet, controlled by the enemy.
Mona’s eyes glinted brightly, her excitement palpable, recognizing the Holy Light, affirming that he was indeed one of her own.
Artley swung his Holy Light Spear horizontally, his motion powerful and heavy, as he created a curved afterimage with the sharp tip of the spear. Magic erupted, extending the blade’s reach instantly into a massive arc over ten meters wide.
His strength was extraordinary, perhaps due to the backing of winged light, elevating his destructive power even further.
The maelstrom of the wild spear tip stirred dust into the air and lifted countless pieces of stone as the murky waves spread out in a fan shape.
The Corpse Demon, possessing near-zero intelligence, had no concept of evasion. The sharp arc cut across its waist, slicing through half of its body.
The large mouth in its abdomen also tore open, spewing foul blood that corroded the ground and produced strange black smoke.
Artley, sensing the toxicity of the black smoke, opened his mouth to create a gust of wind, dispersing the smoke. Straining his arms, he plunged the Holy Light Spear into the Corpse Demon, severing it cleanly at the waist.
However, the Corpse Demon did not fall, as the black, corrosive blood acted like an adhesive, gluing the severed parts back together. Moreover, it equipped the Corpse Demon with a layer of hard Keratin Armor.
Artley inwardly cursed the difficulty; Holy Light was ineffective against the Familiar of Gluttony, and physical attacks couldn’t kill it—the Familiar only grew stronger from attacks that failed to kill it.
"You all go ahead, I’ll handle this."
Artley shouted, urging his teammates to leave quickly as he prepared to unleash his full might.
Heeding advice ensures a full belly; Wayne was the quickest to run, spinning to shield Mona with his body, accelerating in a few steps over the red flow, and landing on another