Li Xi, before the two Yanmos could form a complete encirclement, moved with incredible speed to stand before one of them. He imbued his hammer with the 'Earth Style: Heavy Rock Technique,' and of course, applied it to his own body as well. This invisible augmentation jutsu would prevent anyone from linking him to a deceased mercenary in the main world. Even those who could discern its intricacies would only associate it with dark magic.
No one could have anticipated that a Yanmo, twenty meters tall, could move with speed approaching instant transmission. It was as if he had taken just one step, covering hundreds of meters, and Li Xi, now in the form of a Yanmo, was there.
What fate awaited a Yanmo caught in Li Xi's close proximity? His movements were so slow in Li Xi's eyes, like an old woman crossing the street. Li Xi himself felt impatient for him. Even eyes that had never known fear or dread now experienced despair, but it was too late.
"Boom."
A simple, beautiful punch was all it took. Before the Yanmo could even raise its great hammer, its snow-white spine was directly impaled and driven out from its body. Li Xi casually reached into the Yanmo's belly and pulled out a still-warm, beating heart.
"Good stuff."
Li Xi's single eye seemed to feast on the sight of delicacies, sending shivers down the spines of all the demons. Demons slaughtering and killing were normal occurrences, but it was rare for a high-level demon to consume the body of another.
Such mutual consumption typically occurred only among lower-level demons. As demons evolved to higher ranks, their philosophies changed. Almost all high-level demons would abandon the habit of devouring other demons' corpses. The concept of not consuming one's own kind also applied to higher-level demons, shifting instead to a craving for pure energy.
Yet, here was Li Xi, in Yanmo form, still clinging to this primal habit, his expression conveying a desire to devour the other Yanmo's heart alive. This made the other demons feel as though they were not fighting against kin, but against a natural predator.
Unfortunately, Li Xi did not get to swallow the Yanmo heart whole. An惡風 (evil wind) struck from behind. Li Xi's body moved, leaving an afterimage as he vanished from his spot. A great hammer, imbued with immense power, tore through Li Xi's afterimage and flew into the distance with a beastly roar. It traveled far, smashing a small hill into a large crater before finally coming to rest.
Li Xi reappeared before another Yanmo. Facing a Yanmo without a weapon, one-on-one, was as simple and effortless as looking at the palm of one's hand.
"Crack."
Under the burning gaze of all the demons, Li Xi cleanly twisted the Yanmo's head ninety degrees. With another slap, he caved the Yanmo's head into its chest. As the headless Yanmo fell, Li Xi had dispatched two Yanmos in two moves.
"Boom!"
The battlefield instantly ignited. All the demons roared from the depths of their souls, waving their arms and cheering Li Xi's victory with fervent enthusiasm. The Abyss had no rules, no laws; it only recognized strength. Witnessing Li Xi easily dispatch two previously formidable Yanmos, all the demons looked upon Li Xi with adoration. The adoration of the strong was a rare and cherished principle in the Abyss.
"Die or submit." Sū Dān Fiction Network.
Li Xi surveyed the surroundings, seizing the opportunity to deliver his final judgment. The words "Die," "Submit," "Submit," "Die" echoed incessantly in the sky above the battlefield, like a seductive, death-knocking melody.
Immediately, many demons crawled to Li Xi's feet, extending their tongues to lick the dirt from his boots. In the Abyss, this was a gesture of submission. To fight under such a powerful Yanmo was the stuff of every demon's dreams. As for their former leaders, they would deal with them after defeating the current powerhouse. Lesser demons were like weather vanes between greater demons, aligning with whoever was strongest. Loyalty was a word utterly alien to them.
Li Xi pointed to an empty space outside the battlefield. "Go there and stand in line. No running, no wanton killing."
All the subjugated demons immediately scrambled to the location Li Xi indicated and began to jostle and chatter. Of course, casually killing a few lesser demons nearby to pass the time was considered a minor, everyday affair.
This was precisely why Li Xi had stipulated "no wanton killing." As long as the number of deaths wasn't excessive, it was acceptable. To expect demons to adhere to orders and prohibitions like human armies was a foolish notion born from a mind filled with excrement.
"My Lord Duke, this..." The four vampires watched intently. This Yanmo named Richard was terrifyingly powerful. Yanmos of the same level were dispatched in a single move, a stark contrast to their own battles, which felt like playing with children. Otherwise, they wouldn't be standing here alive and well. How many times had they breathed sighs of relief?
"Tell them on the other side that this Yanmo's strength is monstrous. Send more Yanmos. If he's not dealt with soon, it will be detrimental to our plans." Duke Lian De'er's expression was grim. He couldn't even match the strength of a single Yanmo, let alone contend with such a violent demon. Being in the same vicinity as this brute Yanmo was like a rabbit and a tiger confined in the same cage. Regardless of the reason, this Yanmo had to be eliminated.
The strength displayed in defeating two Yanmos, dispatching three in total, had already made Li Xi the most radiant star on the battlefield. Wherever he went, before he even made a move, a sea of demons would kneel in submission, eagerly extending their tongues to lick the dirt from his feet. Due to the sheer number of lesser demons, Li Xi's two feet were not enough, leading many lesser demons to lick the footprints he left behind.
After licking, they would obediently run to the designated area. Their docile demeanor gave Li Xi the feeling that he wasn't in the Abyss, but in a landowner's sheep pen, where he could select lambs for slaughter at will. Not a single demon dared to bare its fangs at him.
The battles on the field had concluded. Li Xi, in his Yanmo form, had ended all the fighting. Some demons had submitted and obediently gathered in the designated area. Others had already fled back through the Abyss portals. The last remaining group huddled near the Abyss portal, desperately awaiting reinforcements.
Laxi seized the opportunity to reorganize his insectoid forces, allowing the heavily damaged troops a moment of respite. Laxi was now filled with vigor. The feeling of being protected by a powerful being was wonderful. He couldn't have imagined that wars which previously required desperate struggles could now be as simple as watching a play.
Li Xi, in his Yanmo form, did not pursue the lesser demons further. The strength he had displayed was enough to deter all demons from making any rash moves. Wherever there was unrest, a mere glance from him could instantly quell it. The aura of a strong being instilled fear in all demons, and he ruled the entire battlefield.
Thus, Li Xi had the leisure to meticulously collect the three Yanmo corpses and retrieve their three hammers, placing them at his feet. These weapons, which defied human comprehension, were surprisingly effective, capable of annihilating gods and Buddhas alike.
Finally, the portal flickered to life again. Before the demons emerged, the potent aura of destruction that erupted from it caused the hearts of many lesser demons to pound uncontrollably, leading some to faint. This was a symbol of the powerlessness of lower-level lifeforms in the face of higher-level beings, akin to a stray dog encountering a Siberian tiger; it wouldn't even dare to run, only exposing its belly in the hope that submission would grant it a chance to live.
Five towering figures appeared, each with horns that threatened to pierce the sky, each wielding great hammers forged from the Sī Mò metal of the Abyss's 166th level, and each body ablaze with lava.
They were not accompanied by any other demons; there were only the five of them. Their extreme confidence was undeniable, and they possessed the resources to back it up. Five Yanmos were enough to conquer a small plane.
With every step they took, their feet left behind scorched black footprints. The moment the five Yanmos appeared, the fervent cheers that had been erupting for Li Xi's Yanmo form were abruptly silenced, as if their throats had been constricted.
Yanmos were not low-level demons commonly found throughout the Abyss. They were the unevolved form of the ultimate demon, the Balor, and high-level demons after evolving from Horned Demons. Their status dictated that their numbers would not be large. A Balor could command at most a few dozen Yanmos, and the number deployable in combat would be even fewer. Now, eight Yanmos had appeared sequentially on the Moonlit Plains, demonstrating the considerable attention given to Li Xi's Yanmo form.
Duke Lian De'er, observing the battle from a distance, was not surprised by the appearance of the five Yanmos. However, he felt a pang of unease that only five Yanmos had been sent to deal with this berserker Yanmo. But upon seeing the Yanmo at the forefront, his heart unexpectedly throbbed. He murmured, "Feierde, it's actually him."
The four vampires behind him, unaware of what this name represented, curiously inquired, "My Lord Duke, do you know that Yanmo?"
Duke Lian De'er nodded solemnly, "Yes."
"He is the great Yanmo most likely to ascend to Balor within a century. His strength far surpasses that of ordinary Yanmos. Even a Prince once tried to subdue him without resorting to his domain, and failed."
The four vampires' eyes widened. "A great Yanmo? That strong?"
Duke Lian De'er suddenly smiled. "Isn't it better that he's strong? The stronger he is, the more beneficial it is for us."
The four vampire counts also smiled. "Your Grace is wise."
Over at Li Xi's side, the moment the five Yanmos appeared, even though their physiques were similar, like walking quintuplets, Li Xi's single eye still fixed on the Yanmo leading them in the center.
His height was not the tallest, rather, he was shorter. His build was not the most imposing, rather, he was somewhat lean. Yet, among the five Yanmos, he was like a lion lying in slumber amidst a pack of stray dogs, an inherent aura of aloofness emanating from his being that could not be concealed.
Li Xi could sense that this Yanmo's aura had surpassed the peak of level six, with the power of a dormant volcano hidden within his body, ready to propel him across the threshold to level seven at any moment. If his strength continued to grow, then upon breaking through to level eight, he would evolve into a Balor!
This was not a level six Yanmo, but a level seven great Yanmo!
"State your name, powerful Yanmo."
The great Yanmo Li Xi valued most, upon appearing, did not attack immediately. Instead, he politely greeted Li Xi.
"Richard, a wandering Yanmo. And you, powerful great Yanmo, may I know your name? You are worthy of being my most prized trophy."
Li Xi's words were like a deep-sea bomb, creating tidal waves on the Moonlit Plains. Before this, the battles had been below level five, with the most numerous participants being lowly lesser demons and level three insectoids.
Battles between Yanmos were already of world-ending proportions. The appearance of a great Yanmo was now an epic event destined to be chronicled in classic battles across various planes.
The demons who had already fled to great distances now ran even further, desperately expanding the space around the combat zone. They had never experienced battles of this caliber and did not know the extent of the ensuing destruction. However, they knew that getting close meant certain death.
Laxi, a somewhat less intelligent insectoid, almost convulsed and fainted upon hearing the words 'great Yanmo.' Even if all their forces were combined, they wouldn't stand a chance against this single great Yanmo, let alone the other countless demons and four Yanmos. Laxi despaired. Was their fate to end here?
The scene of hundreds of thousands of combatants had vanished. Under the clash of six peerless auras, the Moonlit Plains fell silent, eerily so. All life was focused on the six supreme powerhouses in the center of the field; their victory or defeat would determine the course of the war.
"I am Feierde. While you do not qualify as my most significant trophy, dying by my hand is fitting for your strength, Richard, the wandering Yanmo," Feierde said slowly.
"Are we to fight one-on-one, or will you all come at me together?" Li Xi, in his Yanmo form, extended his left hand and picked up a hammer from the ground. With dual hammers in hand, he showed no fear, instead proposing a five-on-one confrontation, a boastful exaggeration.
"With me here, why would they need to intervene?" Feierde stepped forward with extreme confidence. Looking at Li Xi, who appeared as an ordinary Yanmo, he seemed to imply that fighting such an opponent in a group battle would be an insult to his status as a great Yanmo.
"I hope your arrogance does not lead to your demise."
With that, Li Xi exploded into motion, kicking twice. The remaining two hammers on the ground shot forward, breaking the sound barrier as they hurtled towards Feierde.
Such a devastating move seemed capable of shattering a mountain, but Feierde made a gesture with one hand, and the first hammer, which was about to crush him, calmly fell into his grasp. Instantly, Feierde was also in a dual-hammer stance. The second hammer, following closely behind, was met with a violent blow from Feierde's hammer as soon as it arrived.
"Boom!"
The sound of dual hammers colliding erupted.
The great hammer, which Li Xi had used as a throwing weapon, immediately shattered into pieces, spraying outwards and peppering the ground with countless holes, making it look like the surface of the moon after being bombarded by numerous meteorites.
Feierde had, with his own brute strength, shattered a hammer forged from the renowned durable Sī Mò metal!
The tens of thousands of lesser demons hiding far away widened their eyes, not daring to miss any detail of this battle destined for the annals of history. They held their breath as if it might cause them to suffocate.
Li Xi did not wait for Feierde to attack. Instead, he leaped high into the air, raising both hammers above his head, and brought them down towards Feierde with a force that could cleave mountains.
Imagine a twenty-meter-tall demon smashing the ground with a multi-ton great hammer. It was akin to a small star colliding with Earth.