Chapter 350: The White Dragon Must Die!

The Spell-Eater Demon, Alduhar, rushed into an inconspicuous cabin at the core of Ten Thousand Blades Fortress in a blind panic. He twisted a hidden mechanism beneath the desk. With a heavy clatter of grinding gears, the center of the floor sank, revealing a pitch-black staircase.

Igniting a pale blue magical flame in his palm, Alduhar stepped into the hidden passage with a heart full of dread.

He followed the winding stairs deep underground, finally arriving at a dimly lit basement at the end of the passage.

The moment he stepped inside, five Six-Armed Snake Demons wielding curved blades blocked his path. Emotionless, diamond-slitted eyes locked onto the sudden intruder.

"Step aside, Udina! I have urgent news for the master!"

"The master is healing! She is seeing no one!"

The guard commander, Udina, stared coldly at the Spell-Eater Demon. Had the intruder been anyone other than one of their master's most trusted subordinates, she would have already cleaved him in two.

When the Six-Armed Snake Demon didn't budge, Alduhar anxiously pleaded his case.

"The enemy from Blackrock Fortress somehow brought in a massive Floating Tower! But instead of attacking with it, they've shrouded their entire camp in fog. They are definitely plotting something. If Ten Thousand Blades Fortress falls, can you bear the responsibility?!"

"Very well. You may pass. But disturbing the master comes with a price..."

Udina gave the Spell-Eater Demon a long, deep look before sheathing her blades and stepping aside.

"Good luck."

Alduhar slipped past the Six-Armed Snake Demon without hesitation. If he failed to report to Durio and the enemy's scheme succeeded, he would die when the fortress gates fell anyway. He was better off gambling for a sliver of survival by delivering the news early.

Past the guards, he hurried down a straight corridor stretching for dozens of meters. Beyond it lay the secret chamber where the Eight-Armed Snake Demon was recuperating.

Knock, knock, knock!

"Who is it?!"

The Eight-Armed Snake Demon's voice was brimming with rage, making the Spell-Eater Demon shudder.

"Master! Ten Thousand Blades Fortress is in terrible danger!"

...

Atop the City Wall of Ten Thousand Blades Fortress, the Spell-Eater Demon clutched his swollen, aching face and pointed toward the fog-shrouded region in the distance.

"Master, just this morning, those damned invaders brought out a Floating Tower from who knows where. Soon after, that fog appeared. It doesn't just block magical probing from the outside; it even muffles sound. We know absolutely nothing about the enemy's situation—"

"Shut up! I am not blind!"

Durio, the Eight-Armed Snake Demon lord, was in a foul mood.

The magic level of Shattering Roar was not high, and the physical damage it dealt was limited. However, wounds inflicted by Soul Magic were notoriously difficult to heal and left massive hidden dangers. Resting immediately after taking the hit yielded the best results, yet here she was, forced to step out and take personal command.

Leaving Alduhar in charge of the fortress's defenses was something the Legendary Rank Spell-Eater Demon could barely handle, but ordering him out to investigate this anomaly was essentially a death sentence.

"Alduhar! Gather your Mage Corps!"

The Eight-Armed Snake Demon barked the order, but the Spell-Eater Demon secretly breathed a sigh of relief. At least his head was safe for now.

Alduhar accepted the command and hurried off. The Eight-Armed Snake Demon then turned to her Six-Armed Snake Demon guards.

"Udina! Take your sisters and see if you can infiltrate that area! I need intelligence on the enemy!"

"Yes, Captain!"

Udina and her four fellow Six-Armed Snake Demons melted into thin air.

From the City Wall of Ten Thousand Blades Fortress, Durio stared down at the outer city, which had been leveled into flat ground by magical bombardment. Right now, it looked like nothing more than loose dirt, but she knew Udina and the others were out there. Combining Greater Teleportation with stealth was a standard tactic for High Tier Snake Demons.

Durio had once been a guard captain for the Blade Sovereign before being entrusted with the heavy responsibility of overseeing Ten Thousand Blades Fortress. Udina and the other four Legendary Rank Six-Armed Snake Demons had followed her here.

She had always had absolute faith in her old subordinates' abilities, but this time, she felt a creeping sense of uncertainty.

"Don't let me down, Udina!"

Durio turned and headed back inside. She needed to prepare a backup plan. If Udina failed, she would have no choice but to take the field herself.

Udina dispersed her squad, ordering them to approach the fog from different angles. What she didn't know was that long before the Six-Armed Snake Demons even touched the mist, they had already been detected by the White Tower's Scan function.

"Five intruders detected!"

Inside the control room of the White Tower, the Tower Spirit channeled magical energy to project a three-dimensional map into the air, clearly marking the exact locations of five red dots. Master Owen watched them with keen interest.

"Lord Leopold, proceed according to plan!"

"Understood!"

At last, Udina stepped into the fog. Within this conjured mist, even a legendary powerhouse could only see three meters ahead. And it wasn't just physical sight—their spiritual perception was equally suppressed.

For a legendary powerhouse capable of crossing a hundred meters in an instant, a three-meter sightline was virtually indistinguishable from being blind.

Slithering forward almost completely flat against the ground, Udina sensed the surrounding space, and her face turned ashen.

Just as she had feared, the enemy had locked down the surrounding space. Stripped of Greater Teleportation, the assassination-specialized Six-Armed Snake Demons had both their combat prowess and their escape capabilities severely crippled.

Suddenly, the earth trembled from the impact of a heavy object, yet not a single sound echoed through the fog. Udina's heart lurched in horror. Her expression twisted as she realized the spiritual connection to one of her squad members had vanished.

We've been discovered!

Without a second thought, Udina whipped around and fled, maintaining her stealth. Just as she crossed the threshold out of the fog, the spiritual connection to another member vanished.

Losing one might have been a fluke. Losing two proved the enemy had a specialized method for tracking stealth targets.

Thrashing her serpentine tail, Udina and her two surviving sisters ran for their lives. Fortunately, once they were clear of the fog, the enemy did not pursue them.

Inside the grand hall of Ten Thousand Blades Fortress, Udina and the two remaining Six-Armed Snake Demons stood before Durio, their heads bowed.

"Are you telling me you lost two members without even seeing the enemy's faces?!"

Udina didn't dare argue. She kept her head down, offering herself up for punishment.

"Yes. Please punish us, Captain."

Durio's face turned livid. She took a deep breath, forcing down the shock and fury bubbling in her chest.

In truth, this failure was well within Durio's expectations. Given how powerful and cunning the enemy was, they were never going to leave such a glaring weakness for her to exploit.

Ultimately, this had just been a high-stakes gamble using the lives of five Six-Armed Snake Demons. If it paid off, Durio would be delighted. If it failed, it only cost someone else's life.

What truly infuriated Durio was that not only had Udina failed, but the sacrifice of two elite warriors had yielded absolutely no intelligence.

"Useless trash!"

...

Inside the White Tower, the Gold Dragon absentmindedly toyed with twelve exquisitely forged standard curved blades. These blades had been custom-made by the Blade Sovereign, who had gathered rare minerals from the Abyss specifically for her elite snake demon subordinates. While not quite Legendary equipment, they were still top-tier magical gear.

"Master Owen, to be perfectly honest, I really don't understand why you and Amos are being so cautious. With the White Tower's support and the three of us, we hold an absolute advantage in strength. Why don't we just charge right in?"

Master Owen, who had been observing Ten Thousand Blades Fortress, frowned at the Gold Dragon's complaints.

"Lord Leopold, never underestimate any Demon city, or you will pay a steep price for your arrogance. As you well know, Blackrock Fortress was meticulously crafted by the divine smith, Lord Melville. Demon cities are similarly born from the blood and sweat of Abyssal lords. And Demons always have a certain habit..."

"Never mind, you'll see for yourself tonight! For now, let's watch how Durio responds."

Master Owen didn't have to wait long. A massive commotion erupted in Ten Thousand Blades Fortress in the distance as overwhelming Magical Energy illuminated the entire stronghold.

Within the fortress walls, all the spellcasting Demons moved into action under Alduhar's command. They formed teams of dozens, spreading out across the various magical nodes of the fortress to pour their magic into the Array with everything they had. The surging torrent of Magical Energy channeled through the Array and converged directly onto the Eight-Armed Snake Demon lord.

Suspended in the air by nearly tangible Magical Energy, Durio looked like a descended deity. Every slight movement of her body pulsed with power, sending visible ripples through the surrounding air.

With the combined magic of every caster in Ten Thousand Blades Fortress focused entirely on her, Durio felt more powerful than ever before. Even a casual strike would carry immense might. However, the piercing pain emanating from her soul was growing sharper by the second.

"Damned White Dragon!"

If such a brutal infusion of magic lasted too long, even the mighty physique of a High-Tier Legend would collapse under the strain. Unwilling to delay any longer, Durio allowed the magic to lift her higher and higher until she hovered above the fortress's Magic Barrier.

Floating above the hemispherical barrier, Durio drew all of her curved blades. Unlike the ones wielded by the Six-Armed Snake Demons, these Eight-Armed Snake Demon tier weapons were genuine Legendary equipment. Every single blade was enchanted with the signature technique of the Snake Demon Clan: the Shadow Slash Strike.

The Shadow Slash Strike compressed the energy within a Snake Demon to its absolute limit before firing it as an energy blade, granting it blinding speed and devastating penetrative power.

High in the sky, the Eight-Armed Snake Demon suppressed the gnawing discomfort in her soul. She slowly spread her eight slender arms wide like a massive fan, channeling her boiling magic into the blades. Tangible Magical Energy began to spill over the surfaces of all eight weapons.

At last, the infused energy reached the absolute limit of what the blades could contain. Her eyes burning with trails of blue magical fire, the Eight-Armed Snake Demon locked onto the distant fog and viciously swung her blades forward.

Under Durio's precise control, the eight Shadow Slash Strikes fused together into a single, crescent-shaped energy blade twenty meters long, hurtling straight toward the fog.

Within the mist, the White Dragon Lord atop the Altar was startled to see the energy slash arriving in the blink of an eye. Judging by the fine spatial fissures trailing in its wake, he knew this strike was nothing to scoff at.

"Detonate!"

Durio manually broke the energy balance within the slash. The eight Shadow Slash Strikes violently clashed against one another, causing the energy blades to detonate instantly and unleash a ferocious energy storm.

The shockwave from the storm shredded the fog in a split second, exposing the scene hidden within.

A purple Magic Barrier shielded the White Dragon Lord and a massive, ice-blue Altar. Surrounding the White Dragon Lord were numerous mages sitting cross-legged on the ground, while a colossal white Magic Tower loomed majestically behind the Altar.

Without the fog to isolate the area, the Eight-Armed Snake Demon could feel the turbulent magical elements and hear the resonant chanting of an ancient spell.

A magical ritual?!

The moment she saw the Altar, everything clicked into place for Durio. The enemy was preparing a spell of catastrophic power to wipe out Ten Thousand Blades Fortress once and for all without shedding a single drop of blood. To do so, they had been forced to construct an Altar and blanket the area in magical fog to hide their progress from her scouts.

The fog was only dispersed for an instant before it surged back, once again cutting off the Eight-Armed Snake Demon's sight and perception. The ancient chanting faded back into silence.

Shock and fury welled up in Durio's heart, swiftly replaced by wild ecstasy. During a magical ritual for a high-powered spell, the casters could not be interrupted under any circumstances. Even the slightest interference would trigger a devastating magical backlash—one severe enough to kill them on the spot.

The time for revenge is now!

Durio was overjoyed. Defeating three High-Tier Legends in straight combat was beyond her capabilities, but interrupting their magic? For a master of stealth like her, that would be child's play.

"All forces, attack!"

The moment she issued the command, Durio severed her connection to the fortress's Array and vanished from the sky.

Heeding the Eight-Armed Snake Demon's order, the gates of Ten Thousand Blades Fortress swung wide open. The Demons inside swarmed out in a frenzied rush toward the fog.

At the rear of the Demon Army, Durio advanced toward the fog, heavily guarded by her direct forces and surrounded by a retinue of Legendary Demons.

Finally, the Demon Army entered Master Owen's casting range. Inside the White Tower's control room, Master Owen rapidly fired off his incantation.

Legendary magic—Earth Surge!

A strange, overwhelming wave of Magical Energy poured into the ground. Despite the lack of any real moisture in the soil, the earth rippled like the surface of a lake, undulating like ocean waves.

The waves compounded upon each other, swelling higher and higher until they formed a towering crest over ten meters tall. Crashing down like a tsunami, Earth Surge swept the shrieking Demons into its tide, crushing them into the liquefied soil and dragging them deeper and deeper until they were buried alive far beneath the surface.

The legendary magic Earth Surge could temporarily liquefy the soil within a specific area, weaponizing it into a tidal wave that dragged ground-based enemies deep into the earth. Trapped so far underground, the victims couldn't even twitch, let alone fight for survival.

However, Earth Surge could only target ground forces. In the sky, a dense flock of flying Demons blotted out the light like a massive colony of bats. Ignoring their panicking comrades below, the aerial Demons cackled maniacally as they dove toward the fog.

Just as the flying Demons were about to breach the mist, a dense barrage of arrows and energy blasts shot out from within. The Demons' laughter abruptly choked off as they scrambled to evade the onslaught.

But the volley was far too concentrated, and there was nowhere to run. One by one, the Demons had their defensive magic shattered before they were skewered by arrows or blown into a mist of blood by the energy blasts.

Watching the flying Demons rain from the sky, Durio tightened her grip on her curved blades, her eyes fixed unwaveringly on the fog.

As long as I can kill the White Dragon, every sacrifice will be worth it!