"They are vampires, I don't know when they accidentally came here. Seeing that the battlefield situation was unfavorable, they offered to help us overcome the difficulties. It is because of their help that we have been safe and sound. They are our most trusted companions," Kakarot's tone of worship and gratitude made the vampires seem like saviors.
Li Xi sneered. These vampires were truly insidious, their presence everywhere. Not content with stirring up trouble on the continent, they were also causing chaos in the abyss. Dracula, that old scoundrel, was truly going to great lengths to achieve godhood.
Seeing Kakarot's happy expression when mentioning vampires, Li Xi couldn't help but sneer. "Most trusted companions? You have already been sold out by them completely and don't even know it. How pathetic."
For vampires to become pacifists, the abyss demons would have to change their diets and become vegetarians!
As they neared their destination, Li Xi, relying on his twenty-meter height, could see the battlefield plains where the fighting was still ongoing in the distance. At the end of the plains was a hundred-meter-tall spatial gate. Ripples of spatial energy flowed out like water, spewing forth demons. They were mainly lesser demons, interspersed with horned demons wielding greatswords, succubi with graceful figures holding whips, long-tailed snake-men with swords, berserkers roaring wildly, and many ugly-looking abyss beasts.
They had no formation to speak of. The moment they rushed out of the spatial portal, they let out roars and charged towards the Mother of All Insects' side. Of course, before the chaotic demons could even engage the insectoid soldiers, a considerable number of them fell due to various reasons.
Some lesser demons dared to glance at higher-ranking demons and were trampled to death. Others were too slow and blocked the path, only to be crushed into the mud the next moment. The continuous stream of large feet behind them would send the fallen demons back to the abyss incubation pools.
Even more so, the berserk horned demons, impatient, swung their greatswords, frantically reaping the lives of other demons around them. Li Xi only watched for a moment and discovered that at least ten percent of the demons had died at the hands of their own kind. Truly characteristic of the abyss!
On the Mother of All Insects' side, the main force was composed of insectoid soldiers like Kakarot's group, acting in unison. A hundred insects formed a team, attacking with their curved blades held in their arms. Hundreds of such small teams were like grim reapers among the demons, carving bloody paths through the horde of lesser demons as if plowing the land. The entire battlefield resembled a mischievous student drawing irregular patterns on a blackboard with a red chalk.
Only under the higher-ranking demons like horned demons and succubi did the insectoid troops suffer casualties. Whenever this happened, a small number of higher-ranking demons from the Mother of All Insects' side would appear, blocking the opposing higher-ranking demons and keeping the battlefield in a stalemate.
"These are the reinforcements brought by the vampires. For a small price, they will fight for us." Kakarot pointed at the demons on their side and introduced them with considerable pride, as if it were a matter of great honor to have higher-ranking demons fight for them.
Li Xi dismissively curled his lips. These demons were practically half-enemies in his eyes.
Looking at the rear of the battlefield, four vampires with unfurled bat wings flew in the sky, observing the battlefield. Wherever there was a problem, they would direct their subordinate demons to reinforce it, maintaining the stalemate on the front line.
Li Xi understood after only a few glances. The strength of the 25th layer of the abyss was undoubtedly much greater, but they were chaotic and lacked discipline. In battle, regardless of friend or foe, many demons were enthusiastically attacking their own kind. Although they were numerous and powerful, it was difficult to achieve a decisive victory.
If they could all push forward and break through the insectoid defenses, it wouldn't take long. Li Xi estimated it would take half an hourglass. However, these demons were more immersed in the joy of killing the demons before them than in the victory of the war. Even if they were not enemies, but allies, they would still kill them.
On the Mother of All Insects' side, although the number of insectoid soldiers was far less than that of the opposing demons, they obeyed orders, were fearless, and could fight evenly with the demon army, which was dozens of times larger than them. Of course, maintaining the current defense line was their limit. The precarious and crude front line was like the stocking on a beautiful woman's leg, unable to withstand a gentle tear from a strong man. And to drive these demons back through the spatial portal, it was even more beyond their capabilities.
As for the vampires acting as commanders, Li Xi could see their sinister intentions from the battlefield situation. It was all about attrition. Whenever the number of opposing demons increased, the forces deployed on this side would perfectly counter them. Once or twice was understandable, but every time it was like this, it was truly bullying the demons in the abyss for being uneducated and ignorant!
Kakarot led Li Xi into the army. His imposing height as a strong thousand-year-old ancient tree, coupled with the aura of a powerful being, caused the ground to tremble and drum with every step. This was the ground's terrified scream of being unable to withstand Li Xi's power.
With a rustle, all the insectoid soldiers and demons parted way for Li Xi. Here, a fifth-level demon was considered top-tier, and a sixth-level Flame Demon was an absolute apex predator.
Li Xi, with his twenty-meter height, charged through the army. He deliberately walked where there were more people. Killing a few demons or insectoid soldiers with every step was intentional. Every time he heard a "poof" sound under his feet, Li Xi would recall the eggs he had maliciously crushed as a child.
It wasn't that Li Xi was cold-blooded, but this was the abyss, a place that worshipped chaos and valued strength above all else. If you were a Flame Demon and walked around cautiously, other demons would look down on you. Arrogance and dominance were what Li Xi needed to display. The more he acted like this, the more other demons would fear him.
Upon reaching the command center, the disparity in strength meant that no one here could speak to Li Xi as an equal. Therefore, Li Xi's left cheek bore a cold expression, and his right cheek bore a cruel one. Together, they conveyed a message of "stay away, I'm not to be trifled with."
"I'll help you fight. What will I get?"
Li Xi deliberately raised his voice, causing the area to rumble. Many low-level demons, vampires, and insectoid soldiers frowned, covering their ears, and moved aside.
"Hmph."
Two plumes of fire spewed from his nostrils. He casually swung the house-sized hammer in his hand. It was as if a fly had been swatted by a fly swatter. Before it could even let out a scream, its entire body exploded into pieces, leaving only a bloody imprint on Li Xi's hammer.
This was a vampire who had been frowning unhappily and was about to leave, but Li Xi had smashed him. "How dare you frown at me? What are you?"
The few vampires in charge of command, despite the death of their companion, dared not speak out in anger. This violent individual from who-knows-where was a complete brute. To negotiate with him, one had to rely on fists, not words.
Beside him, a high-ranking insectoid soldier, who resembled a human but was covered in external insectoid armor, heard Kakarot's report. Knowing that this was a Flame Demon who had stumbled into their small plane and intended to help them, he immediately smiled. He looked at Li Xi, who was so strong and killed without a word, as if he were a privilege of the strong. Even Li Xi's bloodthirsty face seemed kind and amiable.
"Respected Lord Li Chi, the Flame Demon, I am Lassi, a commander under the great Mother of All Insects, responsible for directing this war. Your arrival will surely give us a significant advantage. After the war is won, you can choose anything we have at will."
"That's a good offer."
While speaking, Li Xi had already assessed the composition of the army here. The insectoid soldiers were the backbone, numbering around a hundred thousand. The scattered demons were the vanguard. As for the vampires present, who should all hold the rank of Count, their interdimensional intelligence served as the command center in the abyss, but Li Xi did not take them seriously.
Only by transforming into a Flame Demon did he understand the Flame Demon's power. In the main world, this was a high-ranking demon that required level seven to challenge, and often double the number of level seven powerhouses. Just like Calidos, who had found four peak experts before daring to annihilate two Flame Demons. If there were only three, Calidos probably wouldn't have dared to go.
For Li Xi, who had inherited the full legacy of a Flame Demon, controlling his immense power with reason would exponentially increase his strength. Compared to ordinary Flame Demons, Li Xi could easily fight several of them at once. Therefore, looking at these pale-faced vampires, Li Xi was delighted that they would come looking for trouble themselves.
Perhaps the god of luck had favored Li Xi today. Just as Li Xi finished thinking about why the vampires weren't coming forward, a vampire in front of him extended his hand to stop them.
"Wait, Lord Lassi. Currently, neither side has deployed high-level demons like Flame Demons. If Li Chi suddenly joins, I believe the opponent will also dispatch a Flame Demon. We only have Li Chi as our sole Flame Demon, while they will surely have more. In that case, not only will we have no chance of driving the enemy out of this small plane, but we might also cause the entire battle to collapse."
Even as an intelligent insectoid nurtured by the Mother of All Insects, Lassi's mind seemed insufficient when faced with complex situations. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been usurped by the vampires. He felt that what this vampire, Lance, said made sense, yet something felt off, but he couldn't figure out what it was, his eyes hazy.
"This..."
Lassi didn't understand. Li Xi, of course, knew what this vampire was plotting. Wasn't it that they feared he would disrupt their plans? But the more they disliked it, the more he wanted to do it.
Smiling, he looked at the vampire radiating the power of a level six Count. The inexplicable smile on his lips confused Lance. He only felt that this Flame Demon was somewhat different, not like other simple-minded demons. Instead, the glint in his eyes seemed even smarter than their blood race.
On the surface, Lance also smiled in response. Just as he was contemplating how to eliminate the troublesome Flame Demon,
Suddenly, a large hand seemed to tear through space and appeared directly in front of him. It gripped, suffocated, and squeezed. All the blood in his body seemed to surge to his head at that instant.
"Bang."
Lance was crushed on the spot by Li Xi before he could utter another word. His mangled corpse fell to the ground. This act completely stirred up a hornet's nest. The other vampires unfurled their bat wings, drew their short swords, pointed them at Li Xi's Flame Demon form, and shouted, "What are you doing?"
Li Xi flicked the blood from his hands, his smile as cold and cruel as ever. "What am I doing? Since when did it become your business, you vampires, to interfere with our abyss affairs? If you dare to babble in front of me again, I'll kill you all."
Seeing that these vampires were blustering but didn't dare to act, Li Xi knew they were afraid. Don't look at the two who had died; there were still eight vampires before him, each at level six. But if they truly fought, the worst outcome would be for him to annihilate them with minor injuries.
He casually swung his great hammer, which whistled through the air, a violent aura sweeping through the surroundings. His single eye was filled with a thirst for slaughter. He licked his lips, and the flames from his nostrils were almost forming a conflagration. This was the Flame Demon's extreme desire for battle. Any enemy, upon seeing a Flame Demon in this state, would surely flee in terror, because if they didn't flee, they would face an inescapable pursuit.
The blood of the last vampire had not yet cooled, and Li Xi declared war on the remaining vampires. "Heh heh, if you're going to fight, hurry up. Otherwise, I'll slaughter all of you."
The leading vampire looked around cautiously for a few moments, then retracted his bat wings and reluctantly landed on the ground. He dared not speak harshly to provoke this Flame Demon, whose mind was filled with killing. Instead, he angrily said to Lassi, "Our people cannot die in vain. We will report this matter to Duke Lean Del. We vampires have helped you so many times. Each time, it was with our help that you were able to overcome crises. Now, here, at our command center, two of our companions have been openly murdered."
Lassi looked at the vampire before him with difficulty, his mouth filled with helpless and inarticulate words, "This... this..."
"Heh heh, and a Duke? Hurry up and call him out. I've experienced countless abyss planes and fought countless life-and-death battles, but I've never fought a vampire. But your bodies are too weak. If there were a Duke, it would be a different story."
Li Xi's sarcastic remarks were like slaps to the face of this vampire. You're trying to pressure me with a Duke? Come on, hurry up! I can't wait! My warlike blood is boiling.
"You..."
The vampire was rendered speechless by Li Xi's retort and could only look at Lassi. Lassi, panicking, looked at both sides. His racial heritage had no way to deal with such unexpected situations.
"Since he is helping you, then we will leave."
In this situation, the eight vampires threw down their roles and turned to leave. Lassi rushed to stop them, full of remorse. But Li Xi grinned, his bare white teeth looking like he had seen delicious food. "Where do you think you're going?"
One side did not expect this unvirtuous Flame Demon to dare to kill, while the other side had long been prepared to ambush. Therefore, as the eight vampires turned their backs to Li Xi, two of them were blown to pieces by the great hammer. The six vampires, hearing the screams from behind, turned back to seek revenge on Li Xi. As a result, with a fierce kick, another vampire was completely annihilated.
Seeing their current state, the vampires could only fight desperately, otherwise, their vampire pride would be completely lost. Facing Li Xi's Flame Demon form, an invisible killing intent began to surge. "Flame Demon, our forbearance is not the capital for your arrogance. Today, we will let you know what fear is."
In Li Xi's eyes, the shouts of a few small insects couldn't even stir his fighting interest. "Heh heh, I haven't experienced death before? What is there to fear? If you want me to be afraid, you'll have to show me if you have the ability."