Lin Luo was gone. No one knew if he had immediately returned to the future, nor did it seem particularly important. What mattered was that for those living in this era, their time had not stopped; they still had to move forward, no matter how difficult the path ahead. ^//^

Take, for instance... Youxiang!

What a Lord-level demon was, Youxiang finally had a concrete understanding of it now—that sense of overwhelming, tidal-wave might, the feeling of having her very life and death held entirely in another's grasp, the constant fear of immediate demise... Truthfully, never before had Youxiang felt so utterly passive.

Gazing at the Flower Lord standing not far away, seemingly flawless, Youxiang's confidence was being eroded, bit by bit.

...

Her prediction was almost exactly right: Youxiang arrived at the Deep Blue Flower Field five days later, the territory belonging to the Lord-level demon, the Flower Lord.

Lord-level demons, as the name implied, were the masters of a domain, usually possessing a large contingent of subordinates. While these subordinates might not always be fiercely loyal, relying on the Lord for survival meant they certainly couldn't just stand around idly.

Generally, to challenge a Lord-level demon, one first had to defeat their subordinates. Whether it was fighting them in waves or facing them all at once, it was absolutely impossible to meet the Lord in peak condition. Unless the Lord voluntarily engaged in a one-on-one duel, but one such hot-blooded fool was rare enough; two would be excessive.

Except for particularly mighty Lords or wealthy factions like the Wolf Clan, most Lords did not have numerous elite powerhouses among their followers. After all, even a Lord could suffer ailments or mishaps; should their strength suddenly dip due to a bad day, those elite subordinates could easily band together and revolt, leaving the Lord with nowhere to turn.

Thus, virtually over ninety percent of Lords relied on minions who were vastly weaker than themselves, and even if there was one or two elites, they wouldn't be significantly strong.

But no matter how weak the minions were, they couldn't be overcome by sheer numbers.

Throughout history, countless challengers never even managed to meet the Lord, having been ganged up on and beaten to death by these mere minions. Even those who were slightly stronger and managed to cross the barrier of the rank-and-file soldiers often arrived utterly spent, transforming what could have been a decent one-on-one fight against the Lord into a situation where they were instantly killed, reduced to the status of a fodder soldier.

Unless a challenger's strength far surpassed that of the Lord, they rarely stood a chance. Even if their power levels were comparable, the Lord held the home-field advantage, tipping the odds of victory by over eighty percent.

As for those already weaker than the Lord, it was best not to mention it—it was just too depressing.

From this, one could see what a foolish endeavor challenging a Lord-level demon truly was.

What? Breaking through during the fight to surpass the Lord?

Did you think the Lord was an immobile wooden dummy or a sparring partner? In this world, every single being who attained Lord status clawed their way out of oceans of blood and fire; every one of them was immensely experienced and a supreme powerhouse. To expect a breakthrough while fighting such an individual was simply preposterous!

Don't let the recent spectacle fool you, where so many first-tier Western Lords were utterly crushed by Lin Luo single-handedly, incapable of fighting back, looking like cabbages anyone could easily hack away at. That wasn't because they were weak; it was because Lin Luo was using an unfair advantage!

Those Lords reduced to dust by Lin Luo were the frontline experts just beneath the pinnacle of the pyramid in this era.

The Flower Lord’s strength might not quite match those frontline Lords, but as an expert who had managed to squeeze into the top hundred, he was no soft persimmon to be casually kneaded. In fact, given the inherent weaknesses of Flower Demons, the fact that he was the only Flower Lord to ascend so high made him even more exceptional; in a real fight, he might not even lose to those frontline Lords.

In summary, while the Flower Lord might not crack the very apex of the pyramid, he was certainly ranked among the peak experts of the second tier, without a doubt.

And Youxiang was about to challenge such a figure—the difficulty was self-evident.

Especially considering Youxiang’s current strength hadn't even reached the Rule level... Hey, hold on! Lord-level demons were all immensely powerful beings at the Rule level, and you don't even grasp the power of Rules, yet you dare to issue a challenge?

At this moment, if the countless brave souls throughout history who perished challenging Lords could have their spirits return, they would absolutely spit blood collectively and exclaim: Missy, are you here to play? You must be here to play?!

It wasn't hyperbole; this truly was enough to make people spit blood.

With Youxiang’s current power, let alone a Lord, she probably couldn't even defeat a single low-ranking minion.

But she came anyway, and now stood before the Flower Lord.

This didn't mean Youxiang had already dealt with the Flower Lord's subordinates; it was because the Flower Lord of the Deep Blue Flower Field differed from most Lord-level demons in one crucial way: he had no subordinates!

If those valiant heroes from history could return again and witness this scene, they would likely shed tears of anguish: Such a lucky break! Why couldn't I ever encounter something like this? Sister, want to team up?

Just as the common demons looked down on the flowery fluff, the Flower Lord repaid them in kind, scorning those average demons. Even if demons came seeking allegiance, he turned them away. As for Flower Demons, who could almost be considered kin, they were simply too weak, so he disdained them too, resulting in the Flower Lord remaining a solitary commander to this day.

This unique and niche approach had once made countless demons drool with envy.

Why "once"? Because all those demons who once drooled over the opportunity had gone heroically and never returned.

Indeed, the Flower Lord had no subordinates, partly due to his personality, but there was a more significant reason: having subordinates made absolutely no difference to the Flower Lord.

He was a Flower Demon, capable of controlling all flora within several li, and empowering them to become demonic entities. This wasn't an innate ability but one acquired later. Under this power, his attack range spanned everything within his sight, and he had no fear of being surrounded.

The number of flowers and plants in his vision was the number of attacks he could launch.

As for how many flowers and plants were near him, that question seemed unnecessary.

In short, any challenger who came to solo the Flower Lord would have to solo a whole field of flora; if they came in a group intending to swarm him...

It was precisely because of the Flower Lord's monstrous talent that even though he was alone, over the years, no challenger had ever managed to overthrow him; every attempt ended in utter crushing defeat. However, this ability was highly dependent on terrain. If he went somewhere devoid of flora, he would suffer immensely. Thus, despite possessing nearly invincible defensive capabilities, he lacked comparable offensive reach.

Consequently, he never left his territory, and the demons who sought to make a name for themselves gradually realized, after countless predecessors sacrificed themselves, that the Flower Lord was no soft touch, and it was better to go home and sleep.

And so, from then on, no one challenged the Flower Lord. As for other Lords of the same rank, they were initially wary, but upon discovering his lack of offensive reach beyond his domain, they stopped paying attention.

In any case, his talent could only be displayed on his own patch of land; outside, he amounted to nothing. Go play by yourself; you aren't interfering with our development... For this very reason, all the Lords ignored the Flower Lord, never considering him a competitor.

As a result, over the years, the Lords who rose to prominence alongside the Flower Lord either grew stronger, breaking into the elite ranks or even reaching the pinnacle of the pyramid, while others perished, permanently exiting the stage of history.

Only the Flower Lord remained, unchanged, day after day, decade after decade.

But was this truly a good thing or a bad thing?

The Flower Lord never pondered it; he never cared. He continued to live alone in the Deep Blue Flower Field, and everything outside seemed utterly irrelevant to him.

So, when the Flower Lord saw a little girl arrive at his Deep Blue Flower Field today and declare her intention to challenge him, he was momentarily stunned and didn't react for quite some time.

A challenge? Challenging him? What did that mean?

Oh, she wanted to defeat him to establish her name. He understood now. But how long had it been since he’d encountered such a thing? Ten years? Twenty? A hundred?

No, he couldn't remember at all.

The Flower Lord finally grasped Youxiang's purpose, but he felt no desire to fight, nor did he even spare her a second glance, instead walking off preoccupied, completely ignoring Youxiang's presence.

This wasn't because he was slow-witted; he was a Lord-level demon, after all, not that foolish. But who was the challenger before him? A minion who didn't even possess the power of Rules, and a Flower Demon at that. Such an opponent was utterly unworthy of his serious attention.

Fighting such an opponent was far less worthwhile than taking a nap.

The Flower Lord certainly had the standing to look down on Youxiang; he didn't need any other reason than being the Flower Lord—that was sufficient. He understood this, and Youxiang understood it too.

A challenge was a challenge, but Youxiang had the self-awareness to know her place.

However, this clear disregard was insufficient to shake Youxiang. Facing the Flower Lord's disdain, Youxiang had only one response... Attack!

Her objective was clear: defeat the Flower Lord and use this as a springboard to enter the world stage!

Beyond that, nothing else mattered.

Facing the Flower Lord, Youxiang certainly dared not be careless. She unleashed her full power in her first move, demonstrating perfect control over both speed and force, instantly closing the distance.

Good!

To be able to close the distance so swiftly brought a flash of surprise, and Youxiang instinctively thought a "Good!" in her heart. But before her excitement could fully bloom, a vine suddenly extended from the side and swung out with a light flick.

Smack!

Though the vine moved lightly, its force was considerable. In an instant, Youxiang was flung backward, traveling just as fast as she had advanced, scattering a spray of blood mid-air.

Youxiang and the Flower Lord had no feud. If she challenged him and succeeded in killing him, no one could criticize her, as it was her right.

Similarly, if Youxiang proved too weak and the Flower Lord killed her, no one would accuse the Flower Lord of bullying the small, because that too was his right.

The weak being devoured by the strong was the fundamental law of this era.

PS: It seems everyone wants me to take it easy, sigh... (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to visit Qidian to cast recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)