Monarch Domain

[Level Up]

As expected of an intermediate Dungeon—the levels gained from killing Demon Beasts were much higher. This time, he was definitely going to make a fortune!

Cheng Xiaoyu continued exploring deeper into the mine. A spatial vortex appeared before him. It was probably a Magic Array similar to a barrier; stepping inside would lead to the real Dungeon.

He immediately strode in, and his whole body arrived in another space. Before him stood a towering iron gate, somewhat similar to the gate from the previous [Job Change Quest].

In an instant, the gate before him suddenly opened on its own. A cold, gloomy wind rushed into his face, sweeping through the cave.

Unlike the dimness outside, the interior looked like a resplendent palace. Warm firelight illuminated the scene within.

Rows of burly demons stood on both sides of the palace, holding all kinds of weapons in their hands. They were like a well-trained army, constantly striking the ground with their weapons and sending out a chaotic echo.

Above the palace, four demons of clearly extraordinary status and strength stood there, a faint sense of pressure rolling toward him.

And on the throne, a demon dressed in a robe sat there with an imposing sprawl. Its hideous, ugly face had several sharp fangs extending up from the corners of its mouth, and its scarlet pupils stared fixedly at Cheng Xiaoyu below.

[Human, do you fear me?]

In an instant, a powerful magical aura swept through the palace, rushing all at once toward Cheng Xiaoyu.

[Skill: Killing Intent]

"Hmph!"

Cheng Xiaoyu let out a cold snort. A dark glimmer filled his eyes, and an intense Killing Intent spread out, colliding head-on with the aura rushing toward him.

Waves of air swept through the palace. The two auras clashed together, neither giving an inch!

The reason he could understand this demon's language was because of a skill provided by the system, called [Monster Language].

[Interesting. To think I would encounter such an amusing human...]

A trace of curiosity appeared in the Robe Demon's eyes. Seeing that some of the demons under it could no longer restrain themselves, it raised a hand to stop their killing intent and spoke in a playful tone.

[Human, although I do not know how you came to my palace, if you kneel now and pay your respects to me, I can consider taking you under my command.]

Hearing this, Cheng Xiaoyu looked indifferently at the Robe Demon before him. The corners of his mouth curved into a mocking arc as he said coldly, "To be honest, this is the first time I've felt such a powerful magical aura..."

[Hmph. Naturally. You humans do not possess magical talent as powerful as mine.]

"But unfortunately, we really don't get along. Of course..."

Dense Dark Aura radiated from all around him. The shadow beneath his feet extended dozens of meters backward, and one Shadow Soldier after another stood up from within it. The Shadow Demon Wolves and Shadow Ice Bear also rose behind him, confronting those ferocious demons.

"That's unfortunate for you."

Seeing this, the Robe Demon did not panic at all. Instead, it looked disdainfully at the Shadow Legion below. Compared to its vast demon army, the difference was not small.

[You think you can oppose my army with that tiny handful of troops? What a shallow idea!]

Faced with the Robe Demon's disdain, Cheng Xiaoyu merely chuckled.

"Heh. If you underestimate us too much, you're going to suffer a huge loss."

[Class-Exclusive Skill: Monarch Domain]

In an instant, a ray of light spread from Cheng Xiaoyu's body until it enveloped every member of the Shadow Legion present. An aura even stronger than before rushed forth, suppressing the morale of those demons.

This was the class-exclusive skill he had learned after reaching level 70. The combat strength of all Shadow Soldiers would increase by 50%, and they would even directly enter berserk mode!

Sensing the aura coming from the Shadow Legion, the disdain in the Robe Demon's eyes slowly faded. It raised a hand and waved.

[Attack.]

Facing the demon army's fierce assault, Tank straightened his massive bear body and roared. That sound wave alone shattered several demons, showing just how terrifying the berserk effect was.

As Tank charged forward, the remaining Shadow Ice Bears all followed behind their boss, truly like a squad of tanks crushing everything in their path.

With the Shadow Ice Bears serving as the vanguard and meat shields at the front, the Shadow Soldiers in the rear could attack very safely. Combined with the agile Shadow Demon Wolves, the battle immediately began to tilt in favor of the Shadow Legion.

Yegelite planted its longsword before itself. It was clearly only standing in place, yet sword marks abruptly appeared on the bodies of the demons that tried to approach it. In an instant, blood sprayed everywhere, and they all turned into chunks of flesh and bloody water as they collapsed to the ground!

Yegelite merely lowered its longsword calmly. Not a single drop of scarlet blood landed on its body, as though it were an elegant swordsman on the battlefield.

Aside from it, Tank and the Wolf King were the most ferocious killers. After all, the two beasts' strength was second only to Yegelite's.

On the other side, a figure weaved through the swarm of demons like a swimming dragon. A flash of Cold Light flickered in the air, and several demons had their heads or other vital parts severed. In just a few seconds, every demon in that small area was dead.

Cheng Xiaoyu appeared in a spot untainted by blood. Just now, he had slaughtered those demons as easily as chopping melons and vegetables, killing them in an instant. He felt that his own strength had risen by another small margin.

His gaze quickly swept over the battlefield. The demons were all at the Battle General level, and their numbers far exceeded the Shadow Legion's. Among them, there was no lack of Commander Level demons.

Just killing one demon required the sacrifice of two Shadow Soldiers. He had to reduce their numbers!

[Song of the Fire Dragon!]

As soon as the words fell, fierce flames swept through the rear. Bright firelight illuminated the palace. Cheng Xiaoyu quickly turned his head to look, only to see that all the Shadow Soldiers in that area had vanished, and the demons there had not been spared either.

A Magic Array appeared before the Robe Demon. At its center was a Dragon Head with flames pouring from its mouth. That last attack had likely been its doing.

[Your soldiers are nothing but decorations. Do not be too arrogant.]

"The one who shouldn't be too arrogant is you."

Cheng Xiaoyu's gaze turned cold, and he summoned the Shadow Soldiers who had just disappeared once more.

"No matter how many times it happens, my Taxi Soldiers can be reborn again and again. Your subordinates can't."

[Guardian Song!]

The Robe Demon cast its magic again. An enormous crystal appeared above Cheng Xiaoyu, then rapidly dropped.

[Gravity Acceleration!]

Cheng Xiaoyu had just dodged the crystal when a force surged up from the ground. Spatial power carried shattered stones straight into the air, forcing him to dodge aside.

[Reverse Gravity Magic!]

The spell activated. The shattered stones that had shot up to the ceiling suddenly froze, then, under the control of some force, fell like a meteor shower. Their targets were the Shadow Legion and the demon army on the ground.

[Before your mana runs out, I will keep destroying them until you are utterly exhausted... Flame Song!]

Seeing pillars of fire shoot into the sky, Cheng Xiaoyu frowned. He hadn't expected this guy to care nothing about whether his own subordinates lived or died.

He plans to rely on his powerful mana and long-range, wide-area magic to keep me from getting close...

He took out the [Greed Orb] from his [Item Inventory]. Silver light filled his eyes, and a powerful wave of Mental Power blocked the rolling waves of flame outside, then wrapped up all the fire.

"I'm going to smash that annoying shield of yours!"

The next second, the massive flames wrapped in Mental Power swept over. With the magical amplification from the [Greed Orb], they instantly broke through the sturdy crystal shield and exploded across the Robe Demon's body.

Seeing that the attack had worked, Cheng Xiaoyu glanced at the situation on the other battlefields and bought a bottle of [Mana Recovery Potion] from the [Shop].

"Arise!"

It was not only the Shadow Soldiers. Even the demons that had died before were transformed into Shadow Demons and joined the Shadow Legion.

"Before long, all of you will become my Shadow Soldiers too. Of course..."

Cheng Xiaoyu raised his Short Blade and pointed it straight at the Robe Demon, who had been blasted into a wretched state by the flames. The corners of his mouth curved into a smile, and he spoke in a playful tone.

"You're no exception!"