The Death Warrior version of Khan Chiyan was incredibly brave and fierce. Standing on the mountaintop, he launched a relentless assault on the Three-Headed Chimera.
He unleashed deafening roars and wave after wave of blade energy.
“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…”
The Chimera’s first head desperately breathed fire, instantly setting the Death Warrior Chiyan ablaze.
However, every Death Warrior was immortal.
His entire body engulfed in flames, Chiyan continued slashing wildly.
When it realised fire could not kill him, the Three-Headed Chimera switched to poisonous venom.
The terrifying poison splashed over Chiyan’s body, corroding chunks of flesh into rotten mush. The sight was horrifying.
Yet within moments, every corroded wound healed completely, restoring his body as though nothing had happened.
Seeing that poison was useless, the Chimera’s third head attacked, releasing a terrifying ultrasonic wave.
This ultrasonic attack was its most frightening weapon. Even weak cultivators suffered unbearable pain from a great distance.
Anyone struck directly by the sound wave would have their brain instantly destroyed. Outwardly, nothing seemed wrong apart from blood flowing from their nose and ears, but their brain had already been reduced to pulp.
Instead, Khan Chiyan burst into laughter.
The Three-Headed Chimera’s most powerful ultrasonic attack was actually the least effective against him.
Ultrasonic attacks were deadly because they passed through the body to destroy its most vulnerable organs. But every Death Warrior had already been transformed by Ling’s demonic blood. In a sense, they were already dead. Their bodies, souls and minds were entirely driven by demonic power.
Their brains were completely enveloped by demonic energy, making them naturally immune to the Chimera’s ultrasonic weapon.
Thus, the Death Warrior Chiyan and the Three-Headed Chimera fought a battle that shook the heavens and the earth, yet neither could injure the other.
…
Meanwhile, more than a hundred thousand Rakshasa prisoners had begun their rebellion, carrying iron tools as they charged towards the almost undefended city walls.
The walls stretched for three thousand five hundred metres, yet only thirty people defended them, each responsible for about one hundred and twenty metres.
It looked utterly insane.
And in truth, it was.
The barbarians had many characteristics, but one stood above the rest. They were savage and utterly fearless of death.
Over a hundred thousand people gathered beneath the ten metre high walls. Any normal army would have hesitated.
Instead, these madmen began climbing onto one another’s shoulders, forming human ladders to scale the walls.
“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…”
Ling’s fifty-shot rapid-fire arrows rained down without pause.
Nor was he alone.
Each of the twenty-six Death Warriors fired ten arrows simultaneously.
After inheriting Ling’s demonic bloodline, their spiritual power had surged. Even those who had once been mediocre archers could now unleash ten-arrow volleys.
Suo Mo’s archery was also exceptional.
As for Khan Xieli and his son, every Centaur was a master archer.
Thirty archers.
Every second, they killed more than a hundred people.
Every single second.
These thirty represented the finest combat strength of the entire Flame Demon Tribe.
Their destructive power surpassed that of a thousand elite archers.
“Swish, swish, swish…”
Every second, arrows fell like lightning-filled rain, harvesting lives without mercy.
Below the walls, more than a hundred thousand rebelling Rakshasa prisoners desperately continued building human ladders, climbing upward wave after wave.
It was completely futile.
The walls were simply too high. They possessed no bows, no siege ladders, relying entirely on human ladders. Ling only had to shoot the person at the base, and the four or five people above would all come crashing down.
Such a disorganised rebellion was nothing but a waste of lives.
Had they prepared even slightly, secretly building a hundred siege ladders, the outcome would have been very different.
With siege ladders, even if Ling’s thirty defenders had possessed six arms each, they could never have held back such an overwhelming tide.
…
At this moment, the Three-Headed Chimera also realised it could do nothing to Khan Chiyan. Continuing the fight would only waste its strength.
With an earth-shaking roar, it abandoned Chiyan and flew towards the Flame Demon Tribe.
From the sky, it saw over a hundred thousand people storming the city walls.
Its temporary master’s contract had been perfectly clear.
Do not kill the Rakshasa prisoners.
They might become its future food.
Its only targets were the people inside the Flame Demon Tribe.
And so, the Three-Headed Chimera began its arrogant rampage.
Flying several hundred metres overhead, it unleashed torrents of fire upon the thirty defenders atop the walls.
“Uncle, get inside the gatehouse,” Ling said.
“Yes.”
Though unwilling, Suo Mo retreated into the gatehouse.
His bloodline was still too weak to withstand the Chimera’s terrifying flames. Although he too carried demonic blood, its concentration was far lower.
Unlike Khan Xieli and his son, whose already powerful demonic bloodlines had been strengthened further by Ling’s gift, making them almost completely immune to fire and blades, though they still lacked the Death Warriors’ true immortality.
The Three-Headed Chimera continued spewing flames at Ling, the Death Warriors, and the Centaur father and son.
It accomplished nothing.
These people simply could not die.
The flesh of the other Death Warriors was burned black before instantly regenerating.
As for Gou Li, her body transformed into a white crystal resembling flawless jade. Even under the blazing inferno, she remained completely unharmed.
Only, while transformed into crystal, she appeared frozen in place, unable to move.
When flames proved useless, the Chimera switched to poison.
It was equally ineffective.
Finally, it used ultrasonic attacks.
Still useless.
Enraged beyond measure, the Three-Headed Chimera gave up attacking those on the walls and began rampaging through the Flame Demon Tribe itself.
Ling fired arrow after arrow at it.
Yet…
His arrows were utterly ineffective.
The Chimera’s body was engulfed in flames. Even if an iron arrow pierced its flesh, it quickly melted and became part of its body.
He aimed for its eyes.
The result…
The first head’s eyes were literally made of fire. The arrows vanished into the flames and melted instantly.
The second head’s eyes were harder than crystal. Ling’s black-gold arrows struck them without leaving even the slightest mark.
As for the third head…
It had no eyes at all.
Within only a few minutes, Ling fired several hundred arrows at the Three-Headed Chimera, yet achieved absolutely nothing.
Its body possessed no weaknesses.
After surviving more than three hundred years beneath molten lava, enduring even harsher conditions than Sun Wukong, its body had long since become invulnerable. Its eyes were comparable to the legendary Fiery Golden Eyes, while its entire body had nearly transformed into pure energy.
How could ordinary arrows possibly harm such a creature?
Ling could only watch helplessly as the gigantic monster ravaged his Flame Demon Tribe.
One giant catapult after another was reduced to ashes.
One anti-air defence tower after another collapsed.
One enormous ballista after another was burned to nothing.
These were all defensive structures painstakingly built by countless craftsmen.
Even the brick houses could not withstand such prolonged infernal heat. Some glowed red-hot, while others cracked apart.
“Crack…”
One building finally gave way beneath the flames and collapsed.
Terrified screams erupted from within.
Several hundred people had been sheltering inside.
Overjoyed, the Three-Headed Chimera swooped down and unleashed another torrent of fire.
In an instant, hundreds of people were burned to death.
The air filled with the stench of roasted flesh.
Even Ling could not save them in time.
The agonised screams gradually faded until complete silence remained.
Everyone inside had perished.
Ling could feel the overwhelming fear gripping every member of the Flame Demon Tribe.
Under the shadow of death, they trembled uncontrollably.
Outside the walls, more than a hundred thousand rebels continued desperately climbing human ladders, accomplishing nothing.
Inside the walls, the Three-Headed Chimera rampaged wildly, slaughtering people and destroying everything in sight.
And Ling…
Could do absolutely nothing.
Damn it all.
…
For a full hour and a half.
The Three-Headed Chimera circled the Flame Demon Tribe again and again, wreaking havoc.
Finally, after apparently exhausting much of its energy, it flew away.
Outside the walls, the Rakshasa rebels continued their suicidal assault.
This time, however, they had learned something.
They chopped down numerous trees, carrying trunks over ten metres long in preparation to bridge the walls.
Ling no longer had any interest in playing with them.
With a single command…
Thousands of Centaur warriors surged from nearby caves and lakes like a tidal wave.
Consumed by fury, they raised their weapons and charged into the hundred thousand rebels.
Only then did the Rakshasa prisoners realise…
The Three-Headed Chimera had already left.
…
Only fifteen minutes later, the battle beneath the walls was over.
Of the hundred and eighty to one hundred and ninety thousand prisoners who had joined the rebellion, forty to fifty thousand had been killed.
Corpses lay piled like mountains.
The remaining one hundred and forty thousand knelt neatly on the ground.
Their earlier madness had completely drained away.
Especially after the Centaurs attacked, they had possessed no ability whatsoever to resist.
Looking at the kneeling rebels, Ling could not even be bothered to speak to them.
He merely said calmly,
“Dig a pit. An enormous one.”
Thousands of Centaurs immediately drove the prisoners towards an open plain, forcing them to excavate a gigantic pit. The earth removed from it would be used to build the third city wall.
Ling then entered the tribe.
The Three-Headed Chimera was gone.
The tribe’s civilians and soldiers emerged one after another from caves, tunnels and stone houses.
The soldiers silently searched for bodies, carrying them one by one to the open ground beneath the city wall.
Finally, the casualties were counted.
This single attack by the Three-Headed Chimera had killed more than nine hundred people.
Although nearly everyone had taken shelter, almost a thousand still lost their lives.
Combined with the previous days’ attacks, the death toll had reached nearly two thousand.
Every member of the Flame Demon Tribe wore expressions of grief and despair.
Their morale had fallen to its lowest point.
If nothing changed, if they remained powerless against the Three-Headed Chimera, the tribe’s fighting spirit would eventually collapse completely.
When they saw Ling, however, their eyes lit up with hope.
Their Chief had accomplished miracle after miracle.
Surely…
Surely he could kill this monster as well.
No one knew who knelt first.
Soon, one after another, the entire tribe knelt before him.
“Chief, please save your people.”
“Chief, please kill that monster and avenge our brothers.”
Looking across the devastated tribe, Ling nodded solemnly.
“I will destroy that monster. I will protect the peace of our tribe.”
The moment he spoke those words, he felt an immense weight settle upon his shoulders.
That was a promise.
Once spoken, it had to be fulfilled.
Otherwise, the people’s faith in him would shatter.
Hearing his promise, hope instantly returned to the eyes of every tribesman.
To them, the death of the Three-Headed Chimera already seemed inevitable.
Some might say these ordinary tribesmen were merely burdens.
Their combat ability was nowhere near that of the Centaurs.
That was true.
But…
These people were the seeds of Ling’s future Flame Demon Empire.
The empire’s civilisation, mighty cities, towering walls and powerful weapons would all be built by their hands.
The Centaurs existed only for war.
They could kill.
They could not build.
…
“Mirror Demon King, is there any way to kill the Three-Headed Chimera?” Ling asked.
After a long silence, the Mirror Demon King replied,
“Master, if your cultivation reached Little Rakshasa King’s level, or even half of it, you could kill the Three-Headed Chimera.”
“What about another method? One I can accomplish in a short time.”
“The Three-Headed Chimera has already become an energy-based lifeform. It is immune to almost every form of damage. Only two powers can harm it. The first is lightning. The second is Star Magic.”
“What is Star Magic?” Ling asked.
“It comes from meteorites that fall from outer space. They contain terrifying energy. Any living being entering their range rapidly loses vitality. Their power penetrates every defence and can exterminate nearly all life.”
Ling immediately thought of radiation.
When he had rescued Yan Nai’er and the Silver Wolf Legion, he had encountered exactly such a radioactive meteorite beneath a lake.
That single meteorite had transformed an ancient desert city into a lifeless wasteland.
Whenever moonlight shone upon it, terrifying radiation spread outward, killing every living creature.
Ling had even used that radiation to eliminate the Silver Wolf Legion’s enemies and had nearly killed Tuling Duo.
“Mirror, do you know where another of these Star Magic meteorites can be found?” Ling asked.
“Master, I truly do not. Everyone who has ever discovered one has died. The Ghost King once searched for such meteorites, but he has already used the one he found.”
Everything the Mirror knew came through the minds of its spiritual slaves.
Since anyone who discovered those meteorites eventually died, very little information remained.
“So comprehending Hell Lightning is your only option,” the Mirror Demon King said. “Once you master Hell Lightning, the Three-Headed Chimera will fear you like a demon. Wherever you appear, it will never dare approach within a thousand metres.”
“I understand,” Ling replied.
“How long would it take to comprehend Hell Lightning?”
“You must travel to Heaven-Piercing Peak, the highest mountain in the Southern Wilderness. Only there does the world’s most powerful lightning exist, allowing you to comprehend the power of heaven and earth and awaken Hell Lightning. Heaven-Piercing Peak lies seventeen thousand li away. In roughly two months, you can complete your training and return to the Flame Demon Tribe.”
Ling vaguely sensed that the Mirror Demon King was once again planning the next stage of his journey.
“I understand.”
Two months.
Far too long.
By then, the tribe’s morale would already have collapsed, and the Three-Headed Chimera would likely have destroyed everything.
The Mirror Demon King, however, did not care.
Its only concern was helping Ling transform into the Demon Emperor as quickly as possible.
It cared only about Ling’s personal strength, not his empire.
Just then, Suo Mo entered.
“Ling, a mysterious woman is waiting outside the city gates. She says she knows how to tame the Three-Headed Chimera.”
Ling was startled.
“Bring her in. Gou Li, go escort her here.”
Soon, Gou Li returned with a woman whose alluring figure was hidden beneath a black cloak.
She lowered her hood, revealing an exquisitely beautiful and seductive face.
It was Sisi, the missing Second Madam.
The moment she saw Ling, she gracefully knelt.
“The first thing I must tell you is this. I helped Nai Shu summon the Three-Headed Chimera.”
She lifted her beautiful eyes and gazed seductively at Ling.
Ling’s heart tightened, and his pupils contracted, though his expression remained unchanged.
“Go on,” he said.
“Aren’t you going to kill me?” Sisi asked.
“I said, continue.”
“The second thing is that I know how you can completely tame the Three-Headed Chimera. Not through a spiritual contract, but by making it your true mount, with you as its absolute master.”
“Continue.”
“The third thing…”
Sisi looked directly at him.
“You once promised to marry me. As long as you keep that promise, I will tell you how to make the Three-Headed Chimera yours.”