Cosmic Demon

Chapter 256 On the Sand Table, New Recruits Retreat!
The energy tides emanating from the Netherworld condensed into the black moon through numerous fissures, radiating its distorted power to every corner of the contaminated area.

Numerous subordinate servants are influenced and driven to absorb information instinctively in order to complete their evolution.

High-ranking members like the Spider-Man consciously learned how to utilize the blessings bestowed by the Chaos Demon.

In other words, they build a "nest"—using esoteric rituals and special materials to construct an altar, thereby increasing the chances of successful evolution.

The high priest of the human-faced spider clan was puzzled. They occupied 20 percent of the ecological niche in a polluted area that stretched for thousands of kilometers.

At least 40% of the energy tide released by the Black Moon was intercepted and directed to the nests built by the Spider-Man race.

"Most of the clan's elites failed. The success rate of hatching in the nest is usually around 60%, so this shouldn't have happened."

The high priest, slithering across the ground, gritted his teeth. The battle lines of the Hengzhou Rising Star Governor's Office continued to advance, and the Spider-Man Clan, as the primary line of defense, bore immense pressure.

It finally managed to obtain a "gift" of 40% of the Black Moon Tide's energy through massive sacrifices.

The purpose is to allow the elites of the clan to pursue the path of evolution and increase their strength.

"Who's doing this?"

The priest knelt and begged, his spiritual power linked to the enormous golden vertical pupil, making his mind, which had reached the level of meditation, seem incredibly insignificant.

Rumble!
The will of the Chaos Demon was almost tangible, as heavy as a towering mountain range tens of thousands of meters high, crushing over the priest's seemingly "weak" spirit.

Click, click...

The priest's entire decaying body seemed about to collapse.

In less than a few seconds, it endured excruciating pain until its mental connection was severed and it returned to itself!
"Pombell's hunting target! The root cause of the nest's failed hatching is actually a human? It seems Pombell is in grave danger."

The high priest received a vague answer, and in his dizzying and disoriented vision, a young face flashed by.

"The outpost...who should go? Stealing the source of our people's power deserves severe punishment."

After a moment of contemplation, the high priest unleashed his spiritual power like an electric shock, quickly locking onto his kinsmen dozens of kilometers away.

"Tia! Pombell may have been murdered. It died at the hands of a human. Bring the 'murderer' back."

The high priest's majestic voice echoed in his mind, and the tall female hand called 'Tia' gently squeezed.

With a "crack," its neck snapped instantly, like a fragile stalk of straw in a field, and lay askew to one side.

"Has Pombell finally paid the price for his arrogance?"

Tia tossed the corpse aside like trash.

"Remember, Tia, capture him alive. For a mere human to dare absorb the power of the Black Moon shows that he has profound potential and extraordinary heritage."

"Perfect as a 'superior sacrifice' to please the Great Demon!"

The high priest issued commands from a great distance.

"As ordered!"

Tia, who had recently completed her evolution within the nest, grinned.

This powerful female of the human-faced spider clan stands a full two meters tall. Her slender figure is full of explosive power, making her appear both agile and magnificent.

At its feet lay numerous corpses, all Dongxia soldiers in standard military uniforms, like wheat cut down and piled up on the edge of a ridge.

"Perfect timing, I haven't had enough fun yet."

Tia took a step forward, and the energy tides contained in the nest tempered her body and pushed her life force to a higher level.

Even Pompeii, who was once nearly as good as him, could now be dealt with with a single punch.

……

……

At the headquarters of Baiyang Fortress City, City Lord Yao Guodong rested his hands on the war sand table, his tiger-like eyes beneath his thick eyebrows fixed intently on the scene.

The sand table updates data every minute, showing details such as the number of dead and the casualty ratio in local battlefields.

"The western front is in a stalemate. We have sufficient manpower and high morale, so we should push forward and keep up with the pace of the eastern front."

Yao Guodong is robust and has a thick beard and hair. Although he is over seventy years old, he is still vigorous and looks like a young man in his prime.

He said in a muffled voice:

"What are the staff of the Governor's Office doing? They neither let us expand the front line and continue to advance, nor do they retreat and build a defensive line. They're just dragging things out like this."

The person Yao Guodong was questioning was not the supervising officer sent by the Governor-General's Office, but rather the sub-consciousness that had split off from Tai Jun.

The other party also wore a tall hat and long robe, with an ancient and simple appearance, but was only seventeen or eighteen years old, with rather immature eyebrows and eyes.

The gentleman, with his hands tucked inside his pockets, said in a soft voice:
"Lord City Lord, please calm down. The Governor's Office is not just concerned with one battlefield or one battlefield."

The governor comes from a military background and has commanded several large-scale and famous battles. He is not an amateur who does not know how to use troops.

Moreover, both the eastern and western fronts are under the overall coordination and analysis of the battle situation by the Thai General. The fact that the Governor-General's Office is hesitant to issue an order for a full-speed advance on the western front indicates that they have their reasons.

Yao Guodong had thought about Tai Junzi's words countless times. As a military man, he didn't think he had any strategic vision and couldn't compare to the far-sightedness of the Governor's Office.

But having been stationed in the fortified city for more than ten years, witnessing one brave young man after another perish in the contaminated area, wasting troops in a seemingly meaningless way, Yao Guodong felt extremely distressed.

"The contaminated area is extremely deep, and without mobilizing a large-scale military force to carry out a sweeping, cleanup, and subsequent cleanup operations, it will be difficult to contain the entire area."

All efforts are in vain!

Yao Guodong stared at a spot on the war sand table, straightened his back, and pointed, saying:
"Look! This area belongs to the territory ruled by the human-faced spider clan. They are extremely aggressive and often swarm out to hunt down the scouts and sentries of various camps!"
Every ten days, the city of Baiyang has lost more than twenty soldiers due to carrying out fixed exploration and collection tasks.

This is a form of chronic blood loss, tantamount to using new recruits as expendable resources... I personally don't understand it and don't support it.

Tai Junzi smiled understandingly. That's how war is. The overall strategic planning and the weighing of gains and losses can't always be compatible with the emotions and stances at the individual level.

"Lord Yao, I deeply respect your contributions to the rising stars of Hengzhou, and I also respect the sacrifices made by all the people of Hengzhou for this great pioneering movement."

But war has no merciful side; once this machine is started, it either annihilates the enemy or devours one's own forces.

Tai'an Ziti answered seriously.

"As the administrator of Poplar Fortress, you are indeed responsible for the new recruits who have devoted themselves to the Great Expansion Movement, but Your Excellency also bears the responsibility for the future of Hengzhou's rising stars."

Yao Guodong remained silent for a long time before finally agreeing with Tai Junzi's words, and said with a wry smile:

“When I first joined the army, my squad leader said I was a good-for-nothing and that I would only ever be a common soldier. But fate is cruel, and I ended up being assigned to the fortified city to guard Baiyang.”

Tai Junzi comforted him, saying:
"Lord Yao is kind-hearted and cherishes his new recruits, which is not wrong. But as the old saying goes, 'A kind heart cannot command an army,' which is indeed true."

Boo!
The war sand table emitted a soft popping sound as bubbles were being punctured, and Yao Guodong turned his attention back to it.

He then raised his thick eyebrows, revealing a hint of surprise and anger:
"The Spider-Man race is taking advantage of the Black Moon tide to hunt down our spies!"

In a certain area of ​​the war sand table, more than a dozen green lights suddenly went out and dimmed.

Yao Guodong frowned, raised his hand to zoom in on that spot, and saw that the triangular flag representing the reconnaissance team had been removed.

In less than twenty minutes, several small flags fell. "During the Black Moon Tide, the aggression of the familiar creatures is high. We must suspend the exploration mission to avoid unnecessary casualties."

Just as Yao Guodong was about to give instructions, he saw Tai Junzi shake his head. His face stiffened, and he whispered:
"The purpose of the exploration mission is to keep abreast of the movements of the creatures in the contaminated area to prevent the front line from shifting... Sigh, Lord, I'm really having a hard time doing this. Why don't you give the orders and let me take the Divine Machine to the front line!"

Yao Guodong scratched his messy hair, revealing that this highest-ranking officer of Baiyang Fortress City was completely unaccustomed to the role of "commander-in-chief".

"Lord Yao, according to the highest constitutional decree of Dongxia, active consciousness entities may not replace administrative units or overstep the authority of the administrative head. We are only responsible for analysis and execution!"

Tai Junzi smiled in response, but this active consciousness participating in the war simulation suddenly noticed that the area ruled by the human-faced spider seemed to be experiencing abnormal fluctuations.

"The reconnaissance team's kin is approaching the outpost."

Through the "God's-eye view" of palm reading, Tai Junzi discovered that in addition to the high-speed moving spider-like creatures, a higher-level reconnaissance squad was also approaching the outpost.

Tai Junzi's eyes flashed with data streams, instantly bringing up the exploration mission release details of all units under the jurisdiction of Baiyang Walled City.

"They're actually new recruits from the Yellow Springs Training Camp. It's really not easy for them to get so deep into the outpost."

Tai Junzi frowned slightly. Judging from the situation, this group of new recruits on an exploration mission was likely to run into that high-ranking familiar.

"If we encounter that reconnaissance team, we might be able to be rescued."

……

……

Qin Shi's mortal body gradually became thinner, as his bones became like a black hole, swallowing the energy tide released by the black moon.

Logically speaking, such a powerful life force nourishing the body should have transformed him completely, making him look brand new.

However, Qin Shi, who had just broken through the fifth major limit, was preparing to make a breakthrough to a higher level in one go. The life essence of the crystalline stage was constantly turning into firewood, which propelled the "body" and "mind" to continue to grow stronger.

With constant wear and tear, his once plump and radiant body gradually lost its luster, becoming like a piece of rotten wood.

"Brother Qin, what's going on?"

Zhao Su inquired about the tall robe.

"I don't know. This is quite a big commotion; I'm worried it might attract other summoned creatures."

The man in the tall robe gazed at the vast wilderness where dark clouds hung low, a hint of worry in his eyes.

This is a polluted area, the home ground of its creatures!
"Transformation? The boss is undergoing a 'transformation' at the professional level."

The short-haired woman had a much broader perspective, recognizing that Qin Shi was in the "evolutionary stage" after his breakthrough to the professional level.

The biggest difference between professional and amateur levels is not the purity or numerical value of vitality.

Rather, each breakthrough achieved by the former resulted in a tremendous evolution of the mortal body.

The continuous accumulation of this foundation is the key to breaking through the genetic shackles and the limits of the human body!
"Captain, I have a feeling that the boss came here specifically to run a dungeon."

The blindfolded boy with the watermelon-shaped haircut muttered.

“You once told me that every step forward in the path of martial arts requires sweat and effort.”

But I feel like the boss levels up as easily as eating and drinking; he just grinds monsters and gains experience.

The short-haired woman's lips twitched as she thought to herself:

"Can geniuses and mediocre people be compared?"

The fact that he crushed Pompeii shows that the boss is no ordinary genius.

The short-haired woman works in the P9 position at Xuyang Heavy Industry and has an impressive resume, but she still couldn't help but feel a sense of "cognitive breakdown" and "irrationality" when she saw Qin Shi make a move.

"This job seems pretty easy, Captain."

All we have to do is cheer and shout encouragement; there's absolutely no danger..."

The blindfolded girl with the watermelon head was grinning when suddenly a terrifying figure entered her consciousness.

Like a powerful hunter at the top of the food chain, it exudes a dangerous aura that is as overwhelming as the tide.

The reflection in his mind was like a huge, heavy, dark cloud that blocked out the sky, making it hard for the watermelon-headed man to breathe.

"Another powerful family member has arrived."

She said with a pained expression.

"Who told you to jinx it, saying this job would be easy?"

The short-haired woman, filled with helplessness, looked into the distance and caught sight of a blurry shadow moving toward her at an alarming speed.

Bang bang bang!
The atmosphere exploded with a deafening roar, as if barriers were being torn apart, and in almost an instant, it had already approached the danger zone of 500 meters.

"Such a strong sense of life."

Tia took a deep breath, a look of intoxication appearing in her eyes.

Like drinking fine wine, a blush spread across her delicate face.

Compared to the male Pombel, Tia has a more subtle sense of perception in some aspects. She can smell the wonderful scent that makes her extremely restless when Qin Shi is using his cultivation technique to accelerate his training.

As if drawn by the intense attraction of pheromones, Tia's two strong, muscular thighs, powerful enough to crush steel, tightened slightly.

The gradually rising desire to kill transformed into another primal impulse.

The true dragon casts its gaze upon you.

[If you choose to have intercourse with a bountiful female, you will receive a blessing...]

Qin Shi, who was wholeheartedly accepting the evolution, was disturbed by the monument panel. He glanced at the lines of text information and couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth.

Of the four pillars, the "True Dragon" seems to be the least reliable.

【Tianren】is about slaying monsters, 【Taiyi】is about maintaining order, and 【Shenji】is about creating.

Only the [True Dragon] allows people to be used as a stud!
"Aren't you even considering reproductive isolation?"

Qin Shi looked at the two-meter-tall, robust, and voluptuous human-faced spider retinue.

The creature's appearance is aesthetically pleasing, but its six pairs of segmented limbs indicate its alien status.

"Evolution is only 90% complete; it's still a little short of being finished."

Qin Shi was slightly disappointed that the progress bar had paused before it was full, which made him a little annoyed.

"We must finish this quickly, kill it, and then continue our cultivation..."

Just as he was about to get up, another figure sped by from the other side, wearing a dark green robe, leather military boots, and kinetic weapons hanging at his waist...

A standard Dongxia warrior!
"The First Reconnaissance Battalion of Baiyang Fortress City!"
The new recruits retreat; we'll take over the battlefield!

(End of this chapter)