Divine consciousness, like an invisible giant hand, gripped the Demon Gate's frame and tore it apart.
The planar barrier's resistance was utterly ineffective.
The spatial passage connecting to the Demon Plane expanded visibly—from three zhang to five, from five to ten. The darkness beyond the gate was no longer calm but churning and boiling, as if some enormous existence was awakening within.
Under the Demon Empress's watchful gaze, the darkness within the gate suddenly parted. A demon army encompassing winged demons, demonic humanoids, hellhounds, and other races marched out in neat steps.
They emerged in silence and formed ranks in silence, like a spreading black ocean.
One hundred, five hundred, one thousand—three thousand.
The demon army continued pouring from the gate, rapidly occupying the entire rocky hills area. They arranged themselves according to some ancient, strict military formation—vanguard, main force, flanks, rearguard—with clear division of labor and orderly precision.
Behind the Demon Empress, the Holy Spirit Cult Title Douluo who had arrived one after another watched this scene with grim expressions.
Though only three thousand strong, these demons all exuded auras of at least Soul Emperor level, with over a dozen Title Douluo among them. The Holy Spirit Cult's Title Douluo naturally didn't dare underestimate them.
Some quietly gripped their soul tools. Others assessed escape routes. A few whispered to ask if the Demon Empress needed reinforcements.
The Demon Empress didn't answer. She simply stared at the gate, her gaze growing deeper.
What they didn't know was that this army had been formed by Alba after gathering scattered demon forces from across the Demon Plane in recent days.
Though Huo Yuhao had specifically left him three thousand elite troops for appearances, as a subordinate, Alba clearly had initiative—he'd proactively helped Elder Electrolux upgrade the production value.
Judging by the results, it seemed to be working.
After the three thousand elite emerged, heavier footsteps came from within the gate.
Twelve experts comparable to Super Douluo walked out one by one. Some were great demons over ten meters tall with massive wings. Others were three-headed hellhounds or four-armed demons.
Facing these experts, the Holy Spirit Cult's members' expressions turned completely grim.
But what truly shook them came next.
The darkness within the gate suddenly grew dense, as if some unspeakable existence was pressing against the boundaries of space.
Then a thirty-meter-tall figure stepped out of the gate—it was Demon Lord Alba.
He emerged from the Demon Gate, his gaze sweeping across the army and the twelve great demons. He slightly slightly, as if inspecting his troops. Then he turned, knelt on one knee facing the gate, and lowered his noble head.
The twelve great demons knelt in unison.
The three thousand demon troops knelt in unison.
Across the entire rocky hills area, a black mass knelt in silence. The night wind rustled through the battle banners, the only sound Besides the suddenly quickened heartbeats of the Holy Spirit Cult members.
Even having suspected the moment she sensed divine consciousness, seeing this scene now made the Demon Empress's heart sink further.
For a quasi-divine ruler-like existence to show such deference—this couldn't be merely a spiritual power at the Divine Origin realm. The Demon Plane truly had a divine-level expert!
With that thought, the Demon Empress didn't hesitate. She quickly used a secret method to contact the Ghost Emperor and the Killing God.
The situation had exceeded expectations. The Demon Plane had a divine-level expert—this was no longer something she could handle alone.
At the very least, she had to show the Demon Plane the Holy Spirit Cult's strength. Otherwise, forget cooperation—they might not even make it out alive today.
While the Demon Empress did this, the darkness within the gate suddenly boiled, as if stirred by an invisible hand from within. It churned and roared before slowly parting to both sides.
An aged yet majestic voice emanated from within the gate. It wasn't loud, yet it reached the ears of every living creature present, carrying a solitary pride that looked down upon all things: "Plucking stars from sun and moon, there is none like me beneath the heavens."
The moment the voice fell, the plane's suppression arrived. Spatial distortion intensified, yet it didn't affect the figure slowly stepping out of the darkness.
This figure was naturally Electrolux. But his current appearance, while not completely unrelated to his former self, was vastly different.
Now, his face was aged, covered in magic patterns. He wore a black robe with golden runes flowing across it, topped with a white cloak.
To the Holy Spirit Cult members, he looked very human. But the magic patterns, the spectacle—three thousand demons kneeling, twelve great demons bowing—all indicated: he was no human, but the Demon Lord!
Electrolux emerged from the gate, stood still, and calmly swept his gaze across the kneeling demon army, finally resting on Alba, the Demon Lord kneeling on one knee.
"Rise." His voice was soft, yet carried an unshakable authority.
The three thousand demon army rose in unison, movements perfectly synchronized.
Alba also stood and retreated to a position half a step behind Electrolux, head bowed in reverence.
Even Ye Hui beside them drew closer.
Only then did Electrolux's gaze turn to the Demon Empress and the others. His eyes were deep, with dark laws manifesting externally, his aura like an abyss.
The overwhelming presence made the Demon Empress, who had just finished her communication, feel immense pressure.
She dared not be negligent, fearing he might strike them down directly. She quickly spoke: "I have no intention of opposing the Demon Plane."
"I know." Electrolux's aura retracted as he looked at the Demon Empress impassively. "I have seen everything through my subjects' eyes. You had no intention of stopping the Demon Gate—rather, you appeared pleased. Were it otherwise, you would already be dead."
"Speak. What do you seek? I grant you the opportunity to state your case."
His somewhat domineering words made the Demon Empress uncomfortable, but under the circumstances, she had to humble herself.
Their forces here were indeed weaker than the opposition.
So the Demon Empress didn't waste words. "I am the Demon Empress, leader of the Holy Spirit Cult. I wish to form an alliance with you to jointly plot against the Douluo Continent."
Electrolux frowned. Seeing this, Alba, ever perceptive, stepped forward and said coldly, "With your meager strength, you dare speak of alliance with the Lord of the Demon Plane? If you're willing to serve as subordinates, that would be sensible. Perhaps after we conquer the Douluo Plane, you could be enfeoffed as a ruler here."
"You—"
A Holy Spirit Cult Title Douluo couldn't help but glare at Alba with anger.
Even the Demon Empress cast a cold gaze at Alba.
But Alba was unfazed.
He had backing now—deities watching his back. Even a true deity might not necessarily kill him. Why shouldn't he be arrogant?
The Demon Empress suppressed her emotions, shifting her gaze from Alba back to Electrolux. She knew the true decision-maker was this Demon Lord before her, not that gesticulating quasi-divine.
And this scene hadn't come as a surprise—she'd been prepared for it since sensing Electrolux's aura earlier.
"Do you find my strength insufficient?"
The Demon Empress released her vast aura. Oceanic power flowed around her, traces of divine persona power manifesting.
At this, Elder Electrolux nodded slightly. "Not bad. But you should understand that only after truly breaking through to the divine level will you qualify to speak with me. Since you still have confidence facing me, I assume you have other trump cards. Show them directly. I have no interest in endless verbal probing."
"...You have keen eyes, sir."
The Demon Empress was silent for a moment, then took a deep breath and directly summoned projections of the Ghost Emperor and the Killing God.
The Killing God was naturally there to display strength.
The Ghost Emperor was summoned because he was better at negotiations and dealings.
As for the other Holy Spirit Cult higher-up, the Demon Emperor—since he represented the Abyss Plane, and this involved cooperation with another plane, he was temporarily excluded from the discussion.
When Electrolux saw the Killing God's projection, formed with divine consciousness, his expression finally changed—or at least, that's what the Demon Empress perceived.
"I knew when someone tried to seal the Fallen Angel that the Douluo Plane had divine-level experts. I didn't expect to encounter one here."
The Ghost Emperor's projection, having just arrived, heard these words and felt a long-standing puzzle click into place.
Earlier, when they'd speculated that the Titan Giant Ape had helped Ye Hui resolve her Fallen Angel martial soul, he'd found it strange—why hadn't a true deity completely solved the problem?
Now, knowing the Demon Plane had a divine-level existence and hearing it from the other's mouth, everything became clear.
It was because of this deity that the Titan Giant Ape hadn't been able to fully resolve the issue!
On the other side, the Killing God looked Electrolux up and down and frowned slightly.
"I didn't expect the lower realm to produce someone like you so quickly after the Divine Realm's disappearance. I am the Killing God, Shupuros. May I ask your name?"
Though it was only a projection, he was using divine consciousness to manifest it, allowing him to perceive much.
And precisely because he saw clearly, he understood the person before him's terror all the more.
Electrolux had no divine power; only his laws had surpassed normal limits, and his divine consciousness was overwhelming, giving the Demon Empress the illusion that he was a deity.
Even if Electrolux wasn't a true deity, the Killing God wouldn't underestimate him.
Electrolux had undoubtedly divine-level combat power. In the Killing God's time in the Divine Realm, he'd rarely seen anyone with such profound foundations before achieving godhood.
In his view, if the Divine Realm still existed, the person before him could have accomplished what the Emotion God did—create a divine seat with God King-level potential.
For him to reach this level under planar suppression marked him as a true exceptional talent, worthy of the Killing God's respect.
"Electrolux." Elder Electrolux didn't hide his name.
He hid his appearance because he'd shown his face in Mingdu, and now playing the role of Demon Lord required some demonic characteristics. It was necessary.
But regarding his name, aside from those closest to him, no one else knew it. He was a hidden asset of the Spirit Transmission Tower, with information security so tight even the Tower Master didn't know.
Even Ye Hui, a participant in the plan, only knew to call him "Elder." There was no need to deliberately fabricate an alias.
If someone could connect him to Huo Yuhao just from his name, that would mean there was a traitor among the insiders.
The Killing God nodded. "You previously thought we weren't qualified to cooperate. I trust you no longer feel that way."
"Just speak plainly about how you wish to cooperate."
Hearing this, the Killing God's gaze turned to the Ghost Emperor's projection.
He too felt that the Ghost Emperor was best suited for negotiations.
Catching his gaze, the Ghost Emperor stepped forward, bowed to Electrolux, and then spoke. "What the Demon Plane seeks is life energy. And the Douluo Continent is the richest region of the Douluo Plane in life energy. Our Holy Spirit Cult's greatest enemy is the Douluo Federation—the ruling power of the Douluo Continent. Eradicating it is our goal."
He looked up, his eyes burning.
"But the Federation isn't weak. You've likely dealt with them before—they too have divine-level experts. Though the Holy Spirit Cult isn't afraid, having an ally like you would undoubtedly increase our chances."
"The Holy Spirit Cult is willing to join forces with you to destroy the Federation. When that's done, the Douluo Continent's life energy will be yours to harvest. As for other interests, if you're willing to cooperate, we can discuss them in detail."
The Ghost Emperor didn't try to hide the Federation's strength to trick the Demon Plane into joining. After all, the Federation's power was public knowledge on the Douluo Continent—there was no point lying.
"It sounds good. But greater rewards mean greater risks. We have no basis of trust between us. Entering into cooperation rashly..."
Elder Electrolux trailed off, glacing toward the Killing God's direction. Then he suddenly chuckled. Just as the Holy Spirit Cult thought he might refuse, he changed his tone: "The Demon Plane accepts."
Accepts? They accept!
The Holy Spirit Cult experts wore expressions of disbelief.
Wait—you sounded like you were about to refuse! Why the sudden change of heart?
"Don't look at me like that. As I said, we have no basis of trust. Only interests can unite us."
Elder Electrolux's expression gradually turned cold.
"I've actually heard of your Holy Spirit Cult through the seeds. People of the Douluo Plane, yet betraying their own plane, attacking the powerful Federation—clearly you stand to gain from it. And for those who've reached the pinnacle of a plane, there's generally only one goal left—godhood!"
"Setting others aside, this Demon Empress's aura is already not far from the divine level. I can cooperate with you, but only if the Demon Plane is included in your godhood plan!"
The Ghost Emperor's heart jolted, but upon reflection, it made perfect sense.
If the Demon Plane didn't trust the Holy Spirit Cult, why should they trust a Demon Plane that suddenly had a divine-level existence?
Both sides bore the risks of cooperation, yet they still chose to ally with the Demon Plane—and it was just to conquer the Douluo Federation? Who would believe that?
But if the goal involved achieving godhood, that was different.
Similarly, if the Demon Plane's goal was also related to godhood, then agreeing to cooperate was understandable.
For those below the divine level, "godhood" was a maddening word.
The only thing the Ghost Emperor didn't understand was—hadn't the person before them already become a deity? Why was he still so fixed on godhood?
Unlike the Ghost Emperor, who couldn't see Electrolux's true situation, the Killing God understood.
Though the person before them had divine-level strength, he wasn't a true deity. Pursuing true godhood was only natural.
And from his words, he clearly knew about some of the Douluo Continent's affairs.
The Douluo Continent now had many deities and opportunities related to godhood. Knowing this, he wouldn't miss out on this place where godhood might be possible.
The Federation would only view the Demon Plane with hostility, leaving the Holy Spirit Cult as the only potential ally.
Of course, he could also choose not to cooperate and try his luck on the Douluo Continent alone.
But the consequence of that would be making enemies of both sides.
***
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