Chapter 729: The Final Outcome

Chapter 729: The Final Outcome

In the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon Galactic Cluster, the central river systems that have yet to fall and the northern river systems that remain untouched by war are in turmoil.

Inside the countless Floating Continents, thousands upon thousands of Eight-Armed Serpent Demons are writhing in agony. The pride of their Hydra Bloodline is being forcibly extracted, a pain that penetrates their very souls and bones.

As the bloodline power is drained, their life force is also being slowly sapped. As blood descendants, this is the eternal bond they can never escape. With a mere wave of the hand, the Bloodline Overlord, who looms over them, can take away everything they hold dear.

If the Eight-Armed Serpent Demons had not rebelled and had instead remained loyal to the Eight-Armed Demon God, supplying vast resources and life energy, the Demon God, who has lived for countless ages, would have understood the value of a steady, continuous harvest. There would have been no need for such a drastic and brutal extraction of bloodline power. However, the joint schemes of the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon leaders have clearly enraged the Demon God.

While many Eight-Armed Serpent Demons are being drained of their bloodline, a closer look reveals that they are less than half of the total population. The rest, though trembling and turning a deep red as their blood boils, are secretly protected by a strand of iridescent light that suppresses the turmoil within them.

In the northern river systems of the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon Galactic Cluster lies the Molten Serpent Floating Continent. As the only ninth-tier Floating Continent among the nearly a hundred river systems in the north, it serves not only as the central holy site of the northern river systems but also as the storage center for certain secret weapons of the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon civilization.

At this moment, one of the crucial trump cards of the Molten Serpent Floating Continent has been activated by an eighth-tier apex Serpent Demon Overlord in the Core Space.

Unlike other ninth-tier Floating Continents, the Molten Serpent Floating Continent, though it ascended to the ninth tier only recently and has limited resources, possesses Mythical Artifacts with greater power than those of the Demon God Floating Continent.

The reason is simple: the Demon God Floating Continent, being a peak ninth-tier Floating Continent, has a much stronger core than ordinary ninth-tier Floating Continents. However, its core has been divided into ten parts, with more than half dedicated to nurturing the Eight-Armed Demon God. The remaining less than half is further divided into nine parts, each used to nurture a unique colored Mythical Artifact.

As a result, even as a peak ninth-tier Floating Continent, the Mythical Artifacts receive only a fraction of the nurturing power.

In contrast, the core of the Molten Serpent Floating Continent is divided into only three parts, with the Mythical Artifacts it fuses receiving significantly more nurturing.

At this moment, one of the three core parts is emitting a vibrant iridescent light. A glaring shadow of a crucible emerges from the core, releasing its full power.

The Mythical Artifact fused into this core part is called the Crimson Crucible. Though it is only a high-tier colored artifact, it has a unique ability to seal bloodlines. If not for Cangli, who obtained this artifact by chance during his travels thousands of years ago, he would never have dared to rebel against the Eight-Armed Demon God.

The Eight-Armed Demon God's exploitation was too severe, extracting an overwhelming amount of resources from the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon civilization each year. Despite knowing that the Demon God Floating Continent is a crucial node on the Ascension Celestial Continent, the Demon God continued to drain its core power without regard. This left Cangli and other Eight-Armed Serpent Demon leaders with no hope.

As for the Eight-Armed Serpent Demons not affected by the Crimson Crucible's sealing effect, some were simply not yet marked by the artifact. This process had to be done secretly, and even after thousands of years, it could not encompass the entire Galactic Cluster.

However, most were excluded because of their fanatical devotion to the Eight-Armed Demon God, as the bloodline of the Eight-Armed Serpent Demons ultimately traces back to the Eight-Armed Demon God. Despite the guidance and education provided by Cangli and other high-ranking leaders, this fundamental allegiance remained unchanged, leading to these Serpent Demons being the first to be excluded from the plan to ensure its absolute secrecy.

...

Above the Demon God Floating Continent, in the sky.

Blood-red threads surged from all directions outside the Floating Continent. These threads, though seemingly delicate, each carried a substantial amount of pure blood energy. They originated from mid-to-low-rank Eight-Armed Serpent Demons, representing the entirety of their life energies accumulated over their long lives. Among them were also a few threads of silver energy from Overlord-level Serpent Demons.

The amount of blood energy gathered in this short moment already exceeded what Peyton Aclamont had used to summon the Blood Deity earlier.

After all, this was based on the vast population of a top-tier civilization. Even though Cangli and the other six Ninth-Rank Serpent Demons had made some preparations over the past few millennia, they still found it difficult to fully counteract the effects of the bloodline extraction.

The bloodline extraction effect hasn't even reached half. It seems you were well-prepared, well done!

However, you underestimated...

"The Order Chain won't hold much longer. Jiang Yuan, Peyton Aclamont, Ying Yi, act now. As long as we can capture these two Divine Arms, I am confident I can lift the restrictions on our bloodline. Then, we will honor our contract and grant you the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon Galaxy Cluster free of charge!"

Cangli, his eyes already tinged with a fresh red glow, roared as he sensed more and more blood energy converging from all directions.

Although he knew that most of these blood-red threads came from the fanatical Eight-Armed Serpent Demons who already worshipped the Eight-Armed Demon God, they were still living beings, and all of the same race.

Thinking of this, Cangli and the other Ninth-Rank Serpent Demons were filled with endless anger and deep sorrow.

These were the foundations of the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon race. Every second they sustained this, the race's foundation would be depleted further, and it would take thousands or even tens of thousands of years to recover.

Especially since they would soon venture into a new Galaxy Cluster, where they would face more wars. They needed to preserve as much of their foundation as possible for a better future.

Of course, what troubled Him the most at this moment were the three Ninth-Rank Serpent Demons struggling far away.

Excluding the six who had already joined the rebellion and the one who had acted on their own and perished, only three of the original ten Ninth-Rank Serpent Demons remained.

These three had either been staunch believers in the Eight-Armed Demon God or had never shown any clear stance.

Without the protection of the Crimson Crucible, the vast life energy within their bodies was being continuously drained. As time passed, the auras of these three Ninth-Rank Serpent Demons weakened rapidly.

At one point, the Ninth-Rank Serpent Demon who had never shown any clear stance pleaded for help from Cangli, but Cangli ignored him with a heavy heart.

For a top-tier civilization, a Ninth-Rank Serpent Demon was like a world-destroying nuclear bomb, with immense deterrent power. In such a critical moment, Cangli dared not keep such a potentially explosive weapon in his hands.

If he showed mercy now and the other side betrayed them later, the Eight-Armed Demon God, whom they had just managed to escape, might return like a deeply ingrained parasite, which the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon civilization, having already experienced a tremendous rise and fall, could ill afford.

With His roar, the two sides in the high sky immediately shifted their targets.

Eight-Armed Serpent Demons summoned snake magic manifestations, forming snake demon fist seals and mercilessly striking the two solidified Divine Arms above their heads.

In comparison, the attack from the Flame-Ember Starship fleet was even more overwhelming.

Under the protection of the Song Family Azure Dragon Celestial Array, more than ten million Flame-Ember Starships simultaneously charged their ship cannons, the massive energy they condensed nearly draining the energy from a portion of the sky above the Demon God Floating Continent. The super Azure Dragon Phantom enveloping the millions of Flame-Ember Starships almost materialized, roaring as it charged forward.

Azure Dragon Celestial Array · "Wrath of the Azure Dragon World Destroyer Breath"!

Seven Stars Hall · "Heavenly Dipper Star Annihilation Strike"!

Phoenix Dragon Saber · "Phoenix Dragon God-Slaying Slash"!

Pantheon Map · "Heavenly Holy Light"!

Emperor's Sword · "Emperor's Heaven-Cleaving Sword Light"!

Crimson Dragon Stele · "Dragon Tongue Magic: Sky-Burning Sea-Boiling"!

Light of Order · "Light of Order"!

...

A series of shocking attacks erupted one after another. Each one generated energy fluctuations powerful enough to make the distant Ninth-Rank Serpent Demons tremble. The combined assault even made Cangli, who currently possessed near-mythical combat power, feel a strong threat to his life.

It's worth noting that even when facing the Tricorpse Hyperstate Mech Giant, He had never felt such a strong threat of death.

The final attack erupted from the energy core in the center of the Tricorpse Hyperstate Mech Giant's chest.

The Light of Order, a formidable force composed of nearly ten thousand Annihilator Ships, two Hyperdimensional Flagships, and dozens of Galactic Ships, unleashed a power that far exceeded ordinary mythic attacks. In this barrage, countless attacks were directed at the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon's first arm, while the Light of Order targeted the second.

Hú È Gǎo!

The familiar murmurs once again surged from the depths of the storm vortex, but this time, the voice lacked the previous anger, filled only with wails of despair.

Billions of attacks rained down on the demon's arms. As the saying goes, even an elephant can be brought down by a swarm of ants, let alone when a few tigers are among them?

The assault lasted for an extended period. When the explosions finally subsided, the two black demon arms were drenched in blood.

However, mythic beings were truly terrifying. Despite the intense focused fire, the two arms had not completely lost their vitality. The residual chaotic power continued to attempt to repair the damaged flesh.

Simultaneously, the previous containment methods were about to fail, and the two demon arms began to struggle once more.

At this moment, the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon activated another Mythical Artifact, a rainbow-colored bow. The bowstring was drawn taut, and a rainbow energy arrow gathered, then shot forth as a blur.

On the other side, the Tricorpse Hyperstate Mech Giant, controlled by Jiang Yuan, also moved swiftly. The Mirror Blood Deity surged toward the depths of the storm vortex.

The rainbow arrow successfully struck one of the two demon arms, and the Mirror Blood Deity, upon reaching the storm vortex's depths, chose to self-destruct without hesitation.

After all, it was just a projection, and its duration was nearly over. This final explosion undoubtedly maximized its effectiveness.

The explosion was intense, and the black storm vortex above dissipated with a thunderous boom.

Seeing this, countless mid- and low-ranking Ember Captains and the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon all showed expressions of surprise and joy.

At the same time, in the bottomless abyss, the Molten Abyss.

In the Crimson Magma Domain.

The boundless blood clouds in the sky rapidly dispersed, and all the erupting volcanoes calmed down at this moment.

The Crimson Magma Domain, the stronghold of the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon, was entirely occupied by the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon and the Abyssal Hydra. This vast and chaotic domain provided ample living space and various rare resources for the two races, allowing the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon and the Abyssal Hydra to become one of the strongest races in the Molten Abyss.

Together, the two races possessed more than a hundred Ninth-Rank Sovereigns. This formidable strength made the other chaotic domains of the Molten Abyss dare not cross the line.

However, today, a rule that had been tacitly agreed upon for millions of years was broken by an unexpected visitor.

A vast pressure enveloped the entire Crimson Magma Domain, the life force of a mythic being unmasked, filled with malice, and racing toward the heart of the domain.

This brazen provocation enraged several Ninth-Rank Sovereigns of the two races. However, the moment they ascended to the sky, they were crushed by the overwhelming mythic power.

This was not a remote attack across the vast starry sky but the arrival of another Abyssal Demon in person, a stark contrast to the previous encounters.

Only when this unknown Molten Abyss Demon was about to reach the central area of the Crimson Magma Domain was it intercepted by a terrifying nine-headed giant serpent.

As the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon's mount, the Abyssal Hydra was a fearsome creature that had lived for a long time. Though it had not yet officially reached the mythic rank, it had been a near-mythic being for hundreds of thousands of years. With the enhancement of the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon's domain, it managed to force back this newly ascended demon.

Afterward, the entire Crimson Magma Domain fell back into silence. However, everyone knew that this was just the calm before the storm. As long as the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon did not appear in person, the various factions would continue their probing.

The Molten Abyss, vast and boundless, with an area exceeding that of ordinary floating continents, had produced no shortage of demons over the long ages. With the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon seemingly injured, it was inevitable that it would face scrutiny from all sides.

...

The Ember Human Civilization and the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon civilization were not fully aware of the specifics in the Molten Abyss, but they could guess the general situation.

The Molten Abyss was one of the deepest and most dangerous levels of the bottomless abyss. Therefore, the number of demons there was not small. The injury to the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon would undoubtedly cause significant turmoil.

This was the premise for the two civilizations to secretly cooperate. During this period, they could develop and grow without restraint. By the time the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon awoke from its slumber, they might no longer fear it!

Looking at the two black arms rapidly falling from the sky, the Tricorpse Hyperstate Mech Giant and Cangli, still in their combined state, rushed out one after the other. Soon, they each secured one arm.

Despite the arms being pitted and blurred, their value was unparalleled in this Civilization War.

These arms came from a true mythic being. The demon blood they contained was nearly priceless, with each drop significantly increasing the Ascension success rate when Galactic Ships faced Hyperdimensional Flagships. If eighty percent of the blood could be refined into mythic source blood, it would also provide a significant boost to the Shenxia Jili's future attempt to reach the tenth rank.

For the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon, the blood and flesh of the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon were crucial for unlocking the bloodline shackles within their bodies, making them equally invaluable.

Inside the Tricorpse Hyperstate Mech Giant, the three Ember Emperors wore faint smiles.

"With this Demon God arm, the Shenxia Jili will have a greater chance of reaching the tenth tier!"

"Let's discuss that later. Right now, the most important thing is to complete the contract with the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon. Only when they fully arrive in the Veritas Mechanized Civilization's territory will everything be truly settled, and we can proceed with the final step!"

As they spoke, the three did not revert from their Tricorpse Hyperstate Mech Giant form but continued to communicate face-to-face with Cangli.

While they had indeed signed a high-level cooperation contract previously, it was not entirely foolproof. What if the other side had some high-level artifact to break the contract?

Maintaining the Tricorpse Hyperstate Mech Giant form ensured their safety and maintained a certain level of deterrence against the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon, which would likely make the other side more eager to head to the Veritas Mechanized Civilization's territory, thus maximizing the efficiency of the subsequent migration without needing any additional urging.

"Cangli, according to the contract we signed, you must now start the migration process!"

"Don't worry, we are even less eager to be neighbors with your Ember Flame Civilization. I have already issued the order for a full migration. However, before heading to the Veritas Mechanized Civilization's territory, we need to inspect it first. Although the contract guarantees it, the future of our civilization depends on this, so we must personally confirm it."

"That's no problem. We can arrange your inspection at any time."

"Let's also confirm our previous agreement. After the migration, we will still assist you in clearing out the Veritas Mechanized Civilization and the Star Sea Gigantopithecus Civilization. However, as compensation, we need the final kills of all high-level Star Sea Gigantopithecus, including their bodies. Other spoils from the battlefield will be split equally between us."

This meeting did not result in any disagreements. In fact, this was a mutually beneficial cooperation.

The Ember Flame Civilization would gain the entire territory of the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon Galactic Cluster, while the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon would migrate to a new Galactic Cluster that had not yet seen a top-tier civilization, thus completely breaking free from the control of the Eight-Armed Demon God. Such a mutually beneficial cooperation naturally would not lead to significant disputes. Minor issues were insignificant in the face of the broader trends of both civilizations.

The discussion lasted for quite some time. Finally, Cangli made another unexpected request.

"Your Excellencies, after this cooperation ends, could we keep the wormhole passage between us?"

"For over a hundred thousand years, our standoff was based on our neighboring territories and the control of the Eight-Armed Demon God. Once the migration is complete, with a distance of trillions of light-years between us, these conflict factors will no longer exist. Why don't we form an alliance?"

Upon hearing this proposal, the three Ember Emperors inside the Tricorpse Hyperstate Mech Giant did not immediately respond. They exchanged glances, their eyes flashing with a mixture of thoughts.

Having lived for hundreds of thousands of years, they had seen and heard far too much. They immediately understood the other side's intentions.

If it were just as the other side said, there would be nothing to argue against. An alliance between two top-tier civilizations could bring immense benefits, such as free trade, which would benefit both sides immensely.

However, the question was whether the other side would truly be at ease.

The current strength and resources of the Ember Human Civilization far exceeded those of the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon Civilization. Once the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon settled in the new Galactic Cluster, the Ember Human Civilization would likely have fully digested the entire Eight-Armed Serpent Demon Galactic Cluster, making them even more powerful. Would the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon truly be at ease with free trade and communication between the two civilizations at that point?

Despite not having much hope, the three quickly agreed.

While there was little hope, agreeing was still the right move. They could deal with the consequences later. Even if the alliance didn't materialize, the period of exchange and trade would still bring significant benefits.

After the agreement, the Ember Human Civilization and the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon Civilization began to clearly delineate their paths.

One side focused on preparing for the migration, while the other side took over the unclaimed territories from the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon according to the previous battle achievements and the distribution rules set by the four empires.

During this process, there were no conflicts, as both sides' high commands had issued strict orders, with severe punishments for any violations.

Of course, there was one more crucial matter.

The final merit rankings and reward exchanges for the Demon God Floating Continent battle.

Although the process was only halfway through before the entire Eight-Armed Serpent Demon Civilization defected, the merit points were still very real.

After several days of tallying by the statistics departments of the four empires, the results were finally announced today.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end