My... My Lord

The woman named Lin turned her gaze sideways, and when she caught sight of the figure, a ripple of emotion flickered in her eyes: "Yinyue?!"

There, standing before her, was a massive wolf several meters in size, its eyes as cold and bright as actual silver moons.

"Yes, Lady Lin! For tens of thousands of years, I’ve longed every day to see you again!"

Yinyue crouched low to the ground, its voice trembling with excitement. "In that battle long ago, we were scattered and sealed within the Nether Prison, enduring the torments of hell. Most of our kin couldn’t withstand it and turned to ashes."

"But now... we’re finally free!"

Its body was riddled with horrific scars, a testament to the suffering it had endured in the Nether Prison.

Lin stepped forward, gently tracing her fingers over its wounds, her expression shifting from fury to sorrow. "All these years... you’ve suffered, my comrade."

Yinyue’s eyes glistened with unshed tears, but it quickly composed itself. "Lady Lin, I can sense it—besides me, Talya, Flame Demon, and Wind Slash have all escaped as well!"

At this, Lin’s eyes flashed with restrained excitement. "The seal... it truly has weakened... So it wasn’t just my imagination..."

Tens of thousands of years ago, Yinyue and the others had been her most loyal subordinates, standing by her side as the Nether Clan’s most fearsome generals, sweeping through battlefields like an unstoppable tide.

With their strength restored, Lin was certain she could fulfill their monarch’s long-cherished ambition—to lead the Nether Clan back to the pinnacle of this world!

But before that... she needed to address the issue of manpower.

With this thought, Lin stood atop the tower’s peak, gazing down at the mindless horde of demonic creatures bowing beneath her. She took a deep breath, her voice laced with bitter irony. "To think the mighty Nether Clan has degenerated into such a state."

"Neither their strength nor their intellect even reaches a tenth of what it was millennia ago."

Yinyue nodded in agreement, sniffing the air. "The spiritual energy in the atmosphere has also grown incredibly thin. Elemental beings are few and far between."

Lin shook her head. "Who knows what has happened in all these years..."

She then let out a scornful chuckle. "It seems the Sacred Beasts haven’t done a very good job managing this world."

Speaking of the Sacred Beasts—

Lin suddenly sensed something strange.

Frowning, she closed her eyes and focused.

A moment later, her eyes snapped open, filled with shock and grim delight. "The Black Tortoise... is dead?!"

"Hahahaha!! Serves it right! This is the retribution it deserves for betraying the Nether Clan and siding with humans!"

"Hahahaha—"

But as her laughter echoed, it soon morphed into choked sobs. "My Lord... If only you were still here... It’s a shame I couldn’t personally execute that traitor for you. Otherwise..."

The Nether Monarch had been the absolute sovereign of their race.

His true form was that of a Three-Life Demon Claw, wielding unrivaled power to command the Nether Clan.

And in times of crisis, the entire Nether Clan could even merge their strength into the Monarch, transforming him into an existence beyond imagination!

Yet, in the end...

The four Sacred Beasts, swayed by unknown whispers of deceit, chose to betray the Nether Clan and side with humanity. Together, they ambushed and assassinated the Nether Monarch.

That was what ignited the war between the two races.

And now... with the Monarch gone, the responsibility of restoring the Nether Clan’s dominion over this world fell upon their shoulders!

Just then—

Yinyue’s ears twitched. "Lady Lin," it growled, voice low. "I hear fighting to the east—our kin, and... the stench of humans."

Its lips curled back in a snarl, its eyes burning with hatred.

Lin smirked. "Perfect. When I first awoke, I ordered the Nether army to slaughter every human in this region."

"And yet, more come knocking at our door."

"Come, Yinyue..."

With a graceful leap, she landed atop the giant wolf, her voice dripping with murderous intent. "I’ll personally exterminate these humans who dare trespass on our territory."

"As you command, Lady Lin!"

......

......

Beneath the blood-tinted night, the moonlight was feeble, the earth shrouded in a hazy crimson mist. Only the eerie whispers of the wind broke the silence.

Among the twisted trees, vines writhed like living creatures, as if every shadow concealed unspeakable secrets.

Drip, drip.

Gu Yan and Old Gao advanced cautiously through the terrain, the latter carving a path by slicing through the tangled vines with practiced ease.

"Tsk. This place used to be a paradise," Gu Yan mused, scanning their surroundings.

"Now? More like a living hell."

The aura of demonic beasts permeated the air, the thick, blood-red mist obscuring vision.

If not for the fact that he had enveloped himself in the protective layer of his innate martial prowess—reaching the Grandmaster realm—he might have already lost himself in the suffocating fog.

"Young Master, stay alert," Old Gao warned, his tone grave. "Without a Grandmaster leading the way, survival here would be... a one in ten chance."

"The demonic creatures we’ve encountered so far are only at the early Xiantian stage, but their numbers and this accursed mist make exploration a nightmare."

"Where to next, Young Master? The tower?"

As he spoke, Old Gao’s right hand slashed through the air like a blade, effortlessly cleaving through any creature that lunged at them.

His movements were precise, ruthless.

"The tower? No, no. First, we find Tao Ying and the others. They’re... part of the plan."

Gu Yan suddenly paused mid-sentence, his senses prickling. "Old Gao, hold."

"Understood, Young Master."

Old Gao halted immediately—he, too, had sensed the shift in the atmosphere.

Gu Yan scanned the area. Without warning, the surrounding mist began to dissipate.

Then—

Growls.

One after another, low, guttural snarls echoed from all directions, like a sinister signal.

The trees themselves seemed to come alive, countless pairs of eyes gleaming in the darkness—predatory, ravenous.

And then—whoosh!

Figures emerged from the shadows, their forms grotesque and varied. Some resembled malformed wolves, others looked like nightmares given flesh, their bodies reeking of decay and death.

Their eyes burned—some with frenzied flames, others with a sinister crimson glow. But one thing was identical: every single one was fixed on Old Gao, sizing him up like prey.

The next second—

"Rrroar!"

A half-rotted, deformed demon wolf lunged at Old Gao.

The older man’s gaze sharpened, his right fist clenching as energy coiled around it. "Young Master, be careful. Never seen these before."

Boom!

A shockwave of condensed energy erupted from his punch, reducing the creature’s body to pulverized chunks.

Squelch. Squelch.

Yet, horrifyingly, the shattered remains continued to writhe, as if still alive.

Thud! Thud!

Old Gao continued fending off the onslaught of creatures.

Meanwhile, Gu Yan, standing at the rear, furrowed his brow.

Something felt... off.

How strange… why did it seem like these demonic creatures had no intention of attacking him?

"Roar!"

At that moment, a demonic beast lunged at them from behind.

Strangely enough, even though it was closer to Gu Yan, it completely ignored him and instead targeted Old Gao.

Gu Yan didn’t overthink it.

His right hand condensed into sharp claws, and he reached out, seizing the blood-eyed wolf-like demonic beast by the throat.

The creature let out a shrill, agonized scream.

Its eyes also flashed with a desperate plea for mercy.

"…?"

Only then did Gu Yan realize something was off.

Wait a second… these demonic creatures…

Had no intention of attacking him?

Their target was Old Gao alone?

What was going on?

Then—

BOOM!

A powerful aura surged from the distance.

Old Gao’s expression changed instantly.

Thud!

After slaying another charging demonic beast, Old Gao turned to Gu Yan and said, "Young Master, a troublesome opponent is coming. We need to leave."

Yet before his words fully faded—

A voice exploded in both Old Gao and Gu Yan’s minds.

"Leave?"

"Hmph. And where exactly do you think you’re going… humans?"

BOOM!

The sudden voice carried an overwhelming domineering arrogance, as if it ruled over this dark land. Even the air trembled in its presence.

A massive silhouette crashed down from the sky, landing right in front of them.

"Hmph. A demon general-level fighter, no less… and as for this one next to you, dressed in such strange attire…"

Old Gao and Gu Yan simultaneously looked up toward the source of the voice.

There, blocking their path, stood an enormous silver wolf, its snow-white fur marred with scars.

Perched atop the silver wolf—Yinyue—was a tall, slender woman draped in a black dress.

Her silhouette flickered under the moonlight, her deep, penetrating gaze seemingly capable of piercing through one’s soul.

The surrounding demonic creatures bowed their heads in reverence, their growls subdued.

Gu Yan studied her, puzzled.

A human?

No… that wasn’t a human.

In his perception, the presence atop Yinyue felt like a monster wearing human skin.

Her strength was overwhelming—terrifyingly so.

After a brief moment of thought, Gu Yan concluded that this was not an opponent he and Old Gao could handle.

Yet in the next second—

The woman showed no intention of letting them leave.

Thud!

Lin leapt down from Yinyue, her piercing gaze locked onto Gu Yan as she approached step by step.

"You… you are…"

"Young Master, be careful!"

Old Gao’s expression hardened as he moved to shield Gu Yan.

But in an instant—

Whoosh!

A gust of wind brushed past his ear.

A cold sweat trickled down Old Gao’s cheek.

So fast…!

From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the woman now standing behind him.

Even as a seasoned grandmaster, he hadn’t sensed her movement.

The gap in their strength was this vast?

No… at the very least, I must ensure the Young Master escapes.

Just as Old Gao prepared to act—

The woman’s next move left both him and Gu Yan frozen in place.

Instead of attacking…

Lin stopped in front of Gu Yan, her expression shifting from shock to disbelief, then to unrestrained joy.

Her trembling hand reached out, gently touching the claw-covered mask over Gu Yan’s face.

Her voice trembled with excitement, wonder, and ecstasy:

"My… my liege?!"

Gu Yan: "…?"

Old Gao: "…??"

Claws: "Squeak?!"