Chapter 349 - Invasion of the Hell Civilization
After resting overnight in Han Wu’s Living Dimension, everyone shed their fatigue and felt vibrant Life Energy coursing through their bodies. A prolonged stay in that sanctuary would have strengthened their physiques to the point of resisting illness. Unfortunately, their mission demanded they move on.
Once they finished their preparations, Han Wu reopened the entrance to the Living Dimension. They stepped out at the same campsite they had prepared the night before, only to find the surroundings altered in their absence.
Scattered across the ground lay the remains of massive insects, each nearly a meter long with grotesque, armored exoskeletons that had made them notoriously difficult to kill. Something, or someone, had torn through them with ruthless force.
The group exchanged sharp glances, silently agreeing this place was no longer safe. They were about to withdraw when the insect carcasses started to exude thick plumes of demonic aura and miasma. The smoke spread unnaturally fast and curled around them in an oppressive shroud.
Su Mei activated her Skill to pierce the haze, but her vision found nothing beyond a suffocating wall of white.
Han Wu was worried this was an ambush and warned the group to take their positions. “Everyone, get ready!”
Meng Qi activated all his defensive skills immediately. In the next instant, a heavy strike slammed into his back. The loud bell chime rattled him, and he felt relieved that he had prepared his Skills in advance. Without Han Wu’s warning, his head might have been severed before he could react.
Han Wu activated Dragon Shield and bellowed, “Stay alert! Tanks, protect everyone!”
Meng Qi nodded and moved in front of Leng Ning and Su Mei, shielding them. Han Wu could protect himself with Dragon Shield.
Su Mei’s eyes scanned the area, and alarm rose in her chest when she noticed Ding Shanhai hadn’t responded. “Ding Shanhai, what are you doing? Regroup!”
Silence answered her.
A cold sense of foreboding settled over her. The attacks came in relentless waves, each one sending ripples across Han Wu’s Dragon Shield. Any strike capable of such force had to be formidable. Thankfully, Dragon Shield drew power from Han Wu’s Life Energy, which allowed him to sustain it indefinitely. He had enough to maintain it for five days straight, yet he despised being forced into defense. He would not let the hidden assailant within the miasma escape so easily.
He turned to Leng Ning. “Prepare Eight Path Frost Domain. I’ll initiate Life Dragon Domain, so time your Skill to coincide with mine. This way, we stand a better chance of freezing them. Let’s see what’s trying to kill us.”
Leng Ning nodded and activated her Skill in perfect sync with Han Wu’s. The Life Dragon Domain expanded in a 100-meter radius, pressing down on everyone outside Han Wu’s group. The dragon’s aura suppressed their strength and lowered their potentials.
Meanwhile, cold air spread through the area as Leng Ning’s Eight Path Frost Domain took effect. Ice crackled relentlessly, and the demonic aura and miasma began to dissipate under the chill. She then used Frost Dragon Blizzard to blow away the thick white smoke, revealing their attackers.
They were humanoid, yet their bodies bore grafts of various organs from different life forms, giving them a monstrous, unnatural appearance.
Han Wu’s brow furrowed. He knew what they were—demonoids, hybrids of demons and humans. They possessed human intelligence and the powers of demons.
Why are they here?
Han Wu wondered. The Assist Civilization was a backwater that didn’t even know Great Dragons existed.He glanced at Su Mei, ready to ask if she knew anything, but noticed she did not recognize the creatures. At the same time, Xue Qian noticed Ding Shanhai had already collapsed.
“Shanhai!” Xue Qian rushed forward to check his friend’s wounds, but Han Wu stopped him.
“Why are you stopping me? I need to help him!” Xue Qian shouted, desperation cracking his voice.
Han Wu shook his head. He could sense everyone’s Life Energy within his Life Dragon Domain and confirmed that Ding Shanhai was already dead. Worse, his body had been implanted with strange spores that radiated demonic aura and miasma. Any external disturbance would trigger an explosion.
He said nothing, but his expression conveyed everything. The loss of an ally was devastating, yet they still had a mission to complete.
After crushing the frozen demonoids, they pressed onward toward their goal. They were only a third of the way there. Leng Ning’s Frost Dragon Blizzard cut a path through the treacherous terrain, and it significantly increased their speed. Still, sustaining it drained her severely. Dizziness overtook her, and her strength felt completely spent.
Han Wu placed her in his Living Dimension to rest. Without her aid, the rest advanced painfully slowly.
The deeper they ventured, the stranger the place became. Sometimes, mutated life forms dropped items that seemed oddly familiar. Han Wu examined them carefully and realized they were enhanceable organs unique to the Hell Civilization. The fact that the mutated life forms carried them confirmed they had all been transformed into demons.
Han Wu suddenly realized that the seal of the Demonic Miasma Forest hadn’t weakened with time. It had broken because another civilization was invading—the Hell Civilization! The Hell Civilization must have infiltrated the Assist Civilization through a hidden passage beneath the forest’s seal. If that were true, sealing the corridor with their own strength alone would be an almost impossible task.
Han Wu was weighing a retreat when Erebard reached him telepathically, drawn by the scent of something delicious.
Confused, Han Wu glanced at the enhanceable organ in his hands. Erm... Can he even eat this?
Han Wu tossed it into the Living Dimension. Erebard pounced like a cat on a fish, swallowed it in a single gulp, and informed Han Wu that it wasn’t enough. He observed that the dragon had grown slightly larger after eating the organ and was convinced that it was a good source of food for the dragon.
If he wanted Erebard to grow faster, he would need to harvest more of these organs.