At the same time, not far from the City of Slaughter.
Ghost and Chrysanthemum Douluo, who had been ordered to investigate, were about to reach their destination.
The two were close friends and worked together with perfect coordination. They also had a clear division of labor.
Gui Mei, who came and went like a ghost, flew ahead as a scout, while Yue Guan followed behind, ready to provide support at any moment.
Their journey had been completely unobstructed, with no obstacles in their way. It was only when they reached the small town outside the entrance that Federation troops intercepted them.
Asmodeus, Dragon Rider Demon God of the Thirty-Second Pillar and a member of the Vanguard Army, led more than a dozen eighth-rank members of the Demon Race to surround them and form a standoff.
"Hmm? What are these things? They look so ugly and strange!" Yue Guan scrutinized them, his voice full of disgust.
"They look like the offspring of humans and magical beasts. Damn it, is their leader a Titled Douluo?" Gui Mei frowned deeply and unleashed his Soul Power.
As they spoke, the two quickly regrouped.
They hovered back to back, on full alert as they surveyed their surroundings.
The Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum shone with golden light, answering the ghostly Gui Mei from afar. Light and dark, they seemed like a single whole.
They had set out early and hadn't heard about the battle in Sunset Forest. They knew nothing about the [Holy Demon Federation], so they were quite taken aback.
"Who are you? Why are you in the City of Slaughter? Could you be some new experiment created by that monster, the King of Slaughter?"
Spirit Hall and the City of Slaughter were currently cooperating.
Yue Guan had clearly misunderstood the situation and voiced his doubts.
But the answer he got was a flash of cold light. Dragon Rider Demon God Asmodeus had no interest in talking.
Gripping his spear, he launched the first attack. Meanwhile, the eighth-rank teammates beside him took out communication devices one after another.
Sparks rose into the sky, forming a simple energy signal—a reconnaissance alert to warn the troops at the camp.
Right after, powerful auras burst forth from deep within the town behind them. Their spiritual senses rushed over, instantly enveloping the area around the battle.
"Damn it! Are you kidding me? Titled Douluos! They're all Titled Douluos! So many of them!"
After dodging Asmodeus's charge, Yue Guan didn't even have time to think before the scene before him left him stunned.
At least seven or eight auras, no weaker than his own, had emerged from the nearby town. They clearly came from the City of Slaughter.
When had so many powerful figures appeared in that wretched place? He found it hard to believe, and nearly froze in place.
Fortunately, his teammate Gui Mei was right beside him.
Seeing his shock, Gui Mei barked at him, forcing Yue Guan back to his senses.
They exchanged a glance in perfect understanding. No words were needed; they immediately knew what to do.
Run! Run now! Run without hesitation! If they wasted even a little more time, they'd be done for.
Taking advantage of the fact that Dragon Rider Demon God Asmodeus couldn't seal off the area by himself, Yue Guan and Gui Mei immediately turned and fled at top speed.
When Marbas, Fifth Pillar Hell Demon God, arrived with several other Demon Gods, he could only make out a distant "black speck." His face darkened at once.
"What's going on? What were those two doing here?"
In a foul mood, Marbas frowned at Asmodeus.
"I was patrolling with the Third Squad when they suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The moment they saw me, they called me an experiment created by the King of Slaughter."
"I was going to stall for time and wait for you to arrive as reinforcements. Who knew they'd be such cowards? They ran the moment they sensed the fluctuations. Sorry, I couldn't stop them."
Asmodeus smiled awkwardly and scratched his head.
His straightforward answer left Marbas dumbfounded.
The good news was that they'd been scared off as soon as they arrived and hadn't gathered any intelligence.
The bad news was that they hadn't captured anyone alive, nor identified who the intruders were.
He considered giving chase, but Ghost and Chrysanthemum Douluo were good for little else—their escape speed was exceptional. They had already vanished from sight.
With an irritated sigh, Marbas could only sternly emphasize that such a thing must not happen again and order them to strengthen the patrols.
Then he returned the way he had come.
He went deeper into the City of Slaughter and entered the temporary command post.
At that moment, Samigina, Fourth Pillar Necromancy Demon God, was activating a communication array.
He was reporting the progress and state of the defenses to Lin Feng, who was in the Holy Demon Continent, when he happened to hear about what had just happened.
"Your Majesty, I'm very sorry. The intruders escaped too decisively, and we failed to capture them."
Though it had been an accident, Samigina and Marbas still bowed respectfully to apologize.
"Forget it. It doesn't matter. I've already guessed who they were. Of course Spirit Hall would react to unrest in the City of Slaughter."
"Continue strengthening the defenses at the base and send out more patrols. A mistake like this can happen once, but never again."
Lin Feng guessed in a second that the visitors had to be Ghost and Chrysanthemum Douluo.
He casually admonished them, using both kindness and authority, but didn't take the matter to heart.
Given the current strength of the [Holy Demon Federation], Yue Guan and Gui Mei's combat power could basically be ignored.
It would be best if they died, but it didn't matter if they survived. Once the Federation had secured its foothold, the legions would launch an all-out offensive and simply steamroll them.
"Thank you for your forgiveness, Your Majesty! We will remember!"
Once they confirmed that Lin Feng wasn't going to pursue the matter, the two Demon Gods breathed a sigh of relief.
Although His Majesty the Demon God Emperor seemed easygoing now, that was only because he was in a good mood.
As the Demon Race's most senior Demon Gods, Samigina and Marbas had lived through the great war of the past.
They had witnessed how Lin Feng crushed all opposition and became the Demon God Emperor, then subdued humanity with an iron fist. Every step of the way had been accompanied by bloodshed.
"Pick up the pace and finish setting up the defenses around the City of Slaughter."
"Humanity won its first battle, and it won't be long before you do, too."
"I can overlook one small mistake. It's no big deal."
"But if the battle goes badly when the time comes, you should know what the consequences will be, right?"
Lin Feng's voice echoed through the operations room. He couldn't be bothered to listen to their responses.
With that, he closed the communication screen himself, leaving behind a trace of pressure for the two Demon Gods to contemplate.
Samigina and Marbas broke into a cold sweat. Their brief relief and slackness vanished in an instant.
Of course... His Majesty was still the same as ever. Perhaps the successful invasion of Douluo had put him in a good mood lately, but that was no excuse for them to let their guard down.
"Quick! You'll personally oversee the patrols around the City of Slaughter. We can't let anything like this happen again!"
"I'll supervise the construction of the defenses. We must finish what His Majesty instructed us to do ahead of schedule!"
Samigina took a deep breath. He and Marbas rallied their spirits and threw themselves into their work with renewed zeal.
Meanwhile, the two instigators of all this, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo, had already fled far away.
Panting, they hid in a shadowy corner. Even though no enemies had pursued them, they still felt shaken.
"Old Ghost, did you count them just now? I sensed at least a dozen Titled Douluos, and many were stronger than us!"
"In a situation like that, you still had time to investigate? Forget it, hurry up and recover your Soul Power. We have to report this terrifying discovery to the Pope as soon as possible! It's horrifying!"
Before you continue