From the distance came another cry of panic. Czekeflit appeared like an undead specter near the attacker, and a beam from his Demonic Eye of Destruction pierced the hastily erected and flimsy magical shield of a mage attempting to cast a spell, instantly incinerating the mage into charcoal.
Without even a moment to register the sensation of impending death, the Demonic Eye of Destruction completely annihilated the mage. The heat ray did not cease upon destroying the first target; it continued its trajectory, turning another mage diagonally opposite into charcoal as well.
In an instant! A mere handful of seconds, two mages were dead! The magic array, which had just begun to cycle and was moments from unleashing its power, became violently unstable.
A magic array, by its nature, required the combined energies of several, sometimes dozens, even hundreds of mages to harmonize their fluctuating magical waves, ultimately converging to unleash a devastating attack that even an ultimate bloodline warrior would approach with caution.
Of course, such an operation demanded mutual coordination and timing, while simultaneously harboring extreme danger. If a single lapse caused a disruption in the harmony that had formed, then... the casualty wouldn't be one mage! But an entire cadre, wiped out!
This was precisely why mages were usually guarded by squadrons of warriors.
“This is bad! I’ll stabilize it! The rest of you devils, eliminate that Fallen Angel bloodline Death Knight…”
Under the shroud of night, a voice brimming with commanding authority rang out again. Several Death Knights surged toward Czekeflit. Another beam from the Demonic Eye of Destruction ripped through a protective shield, and two more mages were instantly reduced to charcoal, denied even the chance to scream.
The magical elements, which had been harmoniously gathering, shifted from unstable to critically volatile—like a slumbering volcano suddenly awakened by an external force, ready to erupt with world-destroying lava to vent its rage at being disturbed from its sleep.
The Devil Martial Artist who had broken into the magic array suddenly spread his arms wide. The power of Lucifer’s Fallen Angel bloodline surged exponentially. A pair of fully realized wings ripped open from his back with a violent swish, emitting a wave of potent yet subtly soft mental energy that washed over the increasingly violent magical elements. In that single instant, the elements ceased their frenzied acceleration.
Soul Battle! A Death Knight bearing the Soul Battle of the Fallen Angel bloodline! A Fallen Angel bloodline Soul Battle far more formidable than Czekeflit’s, who had only awakened his own not long ago!
Although the volatility continued to worsen, it was no longer completely unrestrained. The rate of the escalating surge began to slow. The magic array, which might have detonated in the next second, would now likely take several minutes to explode.
“Seventh Brother’s devil?” Lucifer Liushui recognized the figure instantly. The devil commanding the center of the array was Lucifer Zhifeng, one of the Seven Slayers under the Seventh Prince, Lucifer Zhenshi.
Inside the array, the imposing Fallen Angel bloodline Death Knight shuddered slightly. “The Prince commands: kill everyone except the Princess!”
Has the Seventh Brother gone mad? Lucifer Liushui looked at Lucifer Zhifeng in confusion. Why would he dispatch such a powerful contingent for an ambush? What benefit was there in killing Qian Jing? His focus should be on the Crown Prince!
“The Crown Prince? Of course, we are dealing with the Crown Prince!”
Within the Imperial City of the Fallen City, under the faint glow of candlelight, the flickering light illuminated the face of a handsome young Devil, lending him an air of unpredictability tinged with malice.
“I know what Sairig is planning. Does he truly believe only the Crown Prince knows the secret of the Heart of Lucifer? Jī Liu Feijing! He must die! If this key is not destroyed, my plan could fall apart! If I weren’t afraid of being detected leaving the Imperial City by the Devil Lords, I would have come myself.”
“Seventh Prince… Zhifeng is the most low-key among us, the easiest for the Devil Lords to overlook, yet his strength is far from weak. You can rest assured.”
“Indeed! I trust Zhifeng’s execution of tasks. There can be no flaw in the plan for the Heart of Lucifer! Sairig, the position of Great Devil King belongs to Zhenshi! I presume Zhifeng has concluded the battle by now?”
“The battle should be concluded. After all, the devils under Princess Liushui are merely a group of low-level demonic warriors relying on bloodline power, their capabilities limited.”
Limited capabilities? Who said they were limited? The intelligence was completely wrong! Lucifer Zhifeng, standing at the center of the magic array, flapped his massive, perfect wings repeatedly, guiding the volatile magical power. He was incredibly frustrated watching the enemies before him—sheep who should have been weak and awaiting slaughter—suddenly transformed into lions and tigers.
Fallen Angel bloodline Death Knights! Formidable lower-class devils! And… a Hydra bloodline warrior! That’s right! Lucifer Zhifeng’s eyes widened in shock. Among Princess Liushui’s retainers, there was a Hydra bloodline warrior, one of the Ten Great Bloodline Warriors of the Zhence Dynasty!
What was going on? Astonishment and shock flashed simultaneously through the minds of every demon who saw Duan Feng’buer. In that moment of surprise facing the Troll bloodline Death Knight, a sudden chill swept across their throats! Scalding blood erupted from their throats like a fountain.
On the battlefield, life and death are often a single instant. The Troll bloodline Death Knight, whose strength arguably surpassed Duan Feng’buer’s, would not have been surprised to see him on the Human-Devil battlefield. But it was precisely because he was a retainer of Lucifer Liushui that he hesitated in surprise, allowing the fatal blow to end his life.
“Comrade!” Duan Feng’buer kicked the corpse away toward Qian Jing. As the other devils froze in fresh bewilderment, Qian Jing swiftly stored the Troll bloodline Death Knight’s body into his Soul Realm.
Qian Jing’s team members clearly remembered his obsession in the Ancient Desolate Sea, where he had repeatedly expressed a desperate need for fresh corpses of various bloodline Death Knights. This craving, seen through the eyes of Duan Feng’buer and the others, always sent a shiver down their spines.
Now, a Troll bloodline Death Knight was slain. Even taking the head back to the Zhence Dynasty would fetch a handsome reward, so why would Duan Feng’buer show any mercy to an enemy at this moment?
“Focus all force on killing Jī Liu Feijing!” Lucifer Zhifeng’s scalp prickled with alarm. What were they doing by taking the corpse? Did they intend to use the body as evidence to present to the Great Devil King?
In an instant, Lucifer Zhifeng’s limbs turned cold. If this matter were truly exposed, the Seventh Prince would instantly find himself arrayed against the devils of nearly every major clan.
If Jī Liu Feijing died, that was one thing. But if Jī Liu Feijing survived! Lucifer Zhifeng rapidly analyzed the gains and losses, realizing that while the survival of the other devils was secondary, this Jī Liu Feijing absolutely had to die! The evidence was stored within his Soul Realm! Killing him would destroy the proof!
Furthermore, once he was dead, even if the other devils learned of the plot, they wouldn’t confront the Seventh Prince over a dead, worthless devil!
In a wave of sudden panic, the volatility of the magical power, which had just begun to subside slightly, started to spiral out of control again. Lucifer Zhifeng hurriedly composed himself, immensely vexed. He had intended to use a volley of arrows for an assassination, followed by a massive spell to conclude the fight cleanly, leaving no trace of the crime.
But now, the very method intended to mask his actions—the magic array—had become his greatest restraint. Without the constraints of the array, Lucifer Zhifeng possessed the means to dispatch all his opponents alone; at worst, he would leave behind an undeniable trace.
Now, he couldn't even act. If he relaxed his control over the magical power by even a fraction, the array would detonate immediately, inflicting the greatest damage upon those closest to it.
Lucifer Zhifeng stood at the very center of the array. If he stopped controlling it, he would likely be the first to be killed before the other devils were even eliminated.
“Qiaoka! Ignore the others! Kill Jī Liu Feijing!”
As Lucifer Zhifeng roared in desperation, the ground suddenly burst open, and a shadow clad in black erupted from below, wreathed in swirling black flame. The Devil descended upon the battlefield as if he were the demon rumored to command the fires of the underworld, suddenly appearing from the earth.
The Devil who burst from the ground clenched his five fingers into a fist and struck out through the air directly at Qian Jing’s chest. The air where his arm passed burned with eerie black flames. It appeared bizarrely mesmerizing but wasn't truly scorching hot, lacking the biting chill of Ice Flame Dou Qi; it exuded an unsettling, sinister aura.
“Poison in the heart!” Lucifer Liushui’s body stiffened, his single eye widening as he recognized the punch launched by Qiaoka. This was a Devil Martial Artist bearing the bloodline of the Element King, one of the three ultimate bloodlines of the Demon Race. Once activated, this lineage power allegedly granted control over all elements in existence.
Among the Six Great Ultimate Bloodline Warriors, every ultimate bloodline family would claim superiority when asked who the strongest was. But if asked who possessed the most bizarre lineage power, the Element King bloodline was universally recognized as the strangest.
Whether it was the Elf King bloodline or the Three-Headed Golden Dragon bloodline, they possessed certain established patterns; the developed abilities and bloodline combat skills were generally understood by all. Only the Element King bloodline power was exceptionally peculiar!
No two devils who activated the Element King bloodline power would possess exactly the same specialties!
Some might control four elements, others only one or two. As their strength grew, so did the intensity and power of the elements they controlled, varying greatly.
Fire, Freezing, Diamond… various elements could become the focus of their supreme control.
The Qiaoka attacking Princess Liushui’s group controlled four elemental abilities: Earth, Metal, Poison, and Dark Fire!
Of these, Earth was his weakest area of control. The other three abilities were almost perfectly balanced in terms of proficiency. Legend held that Qiaoka had skillfully fused Dark Fire, a special kind of flame, with Poison, creating the rare Dark Poison Fire.