Chapter 276 Miracles and Surrender
The Sand Ridge Clan’s envoy was not far from the Demon King’s camp. They chose a secluded clearing in the forest, close to the first stream that ran through the forest, making it easier for them to collect berries and hunt monsters in the forest.
When Luo Yan arrived with Sarah and Okto following Thea and Nirma, more than a hundred young Sand Ridge warriors stood up and looked at the legendary Demon King curiously.
"Is he the Demon King? He looks... very kind?"
"A bit like a human."
"Human? Haha, don't be kidding, he is a demon who can cast down the fire of heaven's punishment with a spell and single-handedly destroy thirty thousand armored dragon soldiers! How can he be a weak human?"
"That ghoul...I actually felt the aura of extraordinary power from him!"
h "How strong was this guy when he was alive?!"
h What kind of guy is this guy with cat ears? "
"It looks very similar to the cheetah I caught while hunting yesterday...it looks delicious." A female lizard man spit out her long and slender tongue and licked the scales around her mouth, her amber vertical pupils flashing with ambition.
The habits of these guys are exactly the same as those of uncivilized primitive people. The only difference is that there is less shouting.
Sarah just glanced at these lizard people indifferently, as if looking at a group of reptiles.
As an excellent guard, she did not take those offensive glances to heart and just followed Luo Yan quietly.
What she has to do is to hide her aura, rather than being pushy like Arakto.
Thea turned her head, her soft yet majestic gaze swept across the bodies of these young tribesmen, signaling them to stay quiet.
Almost instantly, the warriors of the Sand Ridge clan immediately stopped whispering, and the scene became quiet.
Luo Yan glanced at Thea.
It seems that this guy has quite a high prestige among the Sand Ridge clan, and he is probably a relative of that clan mother.
After receiving Thea's signal, Nirma took a step forward, her face still as cold as ice, but her voice carried a hint of pride.
"Your Majesty the Demon King, please allow me to show you the capabilities of the Sand Ridge Clan."
Luo Yan nodded, that was why he came here.
"Let's get started."
"Yes!"
Nima nodded respectfully, and then glanced sharply behind him.
Almost as soon as her eyes signaled, hundreds of lizard warriors spread out like lightning, each lying on the nearby trees and rocks in strange postures.
The colors of their scales changed rapidly, and they completely blended in with the environment in the blink of an eye. If they hadn't looked closely, they would have been almost unrecognizable!
Not bad!
Very realistic!
Luo Yan's eyes were filled with a hint of approval.
As he expected, these lizardmen have a good foundation. Compared with chameleons, they can play a huge role with a little training and training.
Whether it is investigation or assassination.
… We, the Sand Ridge tribe, are born assassins. Atea, the mother of the earth, has given us the ability to integrate with the environment." Nirma's tone contained a hint of pride, and she turned back to look at the Lord Demon King and continued, "More than that, the hundred young talents in front of you are the leaders of the younger generation of our Sand Ridge tribe, and the strongest ones already have the strength of "warrior level"."
Luo Yan asked curiously.
ifies for a moment and she didn't know how to explain it, so she turned her attention to the eloquent Thea for help.
Thea looked at the Demon King standing next to him and added softly.
"Your Majesty, according to the strength of our Janna continent, there are five levels: soldiers, elites, warriors, holy generals and divine generals. The "warrior class" is the absolute backbone of our continent, and the quicksand of our Sandridge clan Assassins are better at leapfrogging challenges. Even when faced with the Holy General level, they are still capable of fighting... Please believe me, we have dedicated our best warriors to you, and we will have no reservations about you."
"It seems that you are determined."
Luo Yan smiled lightly when he heard this and made a polite comment, but did not express his true thoughts.
In fact, after experiencing several battles with the Holy Armored Dragon Kingdom, he has roughly figured out that the so-called "Holy General Level" here is just a benchmark for the steel-level strongmen on the continent of Oss. Even the higher-level "Divine General Level" is estimated to be at the silver to gold level.
As for the warrior level, maybe bronze?
Luo Yan saw his past self in them, thinking that he was also a bronze-level salted fish back then.
It’s okay.
Although the strength of the bronze-level ones is slightly weaker, what he values is not the strength of these lizard men, but their potential.
"I am very satisfied with your performance. Next, I will arrange for Sarah to be responsible for training you... She will tell you how to hunt the enemies of the Demon King's army outside the jungle and desert."
Withdrawing his gaze from Thea, Luo Yan paused for a moment, looked at Sarah standing aside, and gave instructions.
"Sarah, I leave it to you."
"Yes, Lord Demon King." Sarah nodded respectfully and said meekly.
At the same time that Luo Yan finished speaking, there was a commotion among the lizard people lurking around, exchanging glances and whispering to each other.
Training?
Let this prey train them, these battle-hardened hunters?
What a joke!
At this time, a female warrior from the Sand Ridge tribe who was about two meters tall climbed down from the tree and strode up to Luo Yan and his party.
Her pupils were shining with a strange light, and there was a hint of cold arrogance in her voice, and she spoke with a strong and flat chest.
"Your Majesty the Demon King, we have received rigorous training and can serve you directly. The Sand Ridge clan only obeys the strong. Instead of being trained by this cute cat lady, I would rather follow the powerful you personally."
She deliberately glanced at Sara with a slightly contemptuous and provocative look, and her slender tongue gently scraped the scales at the corner of her mouth.
This young and brave female warrior of the Sand Ridge tribe is named Kana. She is recognized as a genius assassin among the tribe. She has already reached the peak of the warrior level at a young age, and is only one step away from breaking through the bottleneck and reaching the holy general level!
It’s more than that.
Early when she was still in the middle of the warrior level, she had killed the holy general level warriors of the Holy Armored Dragon Kingdom and escaped unscathed!
With her outstanding achievements in the past, she is extremely confident in her own strength, which is why she does not take the introverted guy in front of her seriously.
Thea's face changed slightly when she heard this, her amber vertical pupils shrank instantly, and she glared at the young tribesman fiercely.
The warning in her eyes was obvious.
However, the latter remained unmoved. Instead of restraining himself, he gave the Demon King a fiery and provocative look in front of a certain cat.
The Shaji clan believes in respecting the strong. Strong males are only worthy of being owned by stronger females, so that stronger children can be born... This is almost an instinct engraved in her blood.
She suddenly found that this hairless monkey was quite interesting, and there seemed to be an aura about him that made her blood boil.
Looking at that ambitious gaze, Sarah frowned slightly, and her indifferent eyes gradually revealed the ferocious aura of a beast.
At first she didn't pay attention to the provocation of these bugs, just like a lion doesn't pay attention to the mice crawling in the sewer.
But the look in this guy’s eyes...
Isn’t it a little overstepping?
Looking at the ambitious lizard and the faintly panting cat, Luo Yan found it unexpectedly interesting, and the smile on his face deepened.
It seems that these lizardmen still need some training.
“Your Majesty, please forgive Kana for the offense, we——” Thea quickly stepped forward to smooth things over, trying to cool down the situation, but Luo Yan raised his hand to stop him.
"It's okay, it's a good thing for young people to be ambitious. I don't hate subordinates who are eager to make progress."
Speaking of this, Luo Yan looked at the lizard warrior named Kana and said with a smile.
"Since you are so confident, you might as well have a competition with Sarah. If you win, you will be the captain of this group of assassins."
As for what happens if you lose, he did not say.
Because that is almost certain, there is no need to mention it.
But Kana didn’t seem to think so, and instead grabbed the opportunity excitedly.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for giving me this opportunity. I will not let you down." The two-meter-tall female lizard puffed up her chest confidently, shook her right paw, and a bronze scimitar appeared in her hand. She looked at Sarah and said provocatively, "If I lose... let this Miss Mew do whatever she wants."
Looking at Sarah, who was aroused by her desire to win, he added in a low voice.
"Stop, don't break the peace."
Sarah nodded slightly and was about to speak when the stupid lizard standing opposite her misunderstood the Demon King's instructions as speaking to herself.
The corners of her mouth were slightly raised, the scimitar in her hand danced cleanly, and she opened her mouth first, confident of winning.
ifier |
The cold touch and the fear of death stirred the nerves under her skin through her scales, and it was only then that she came back to her senses.
Kana's vertical pupils shrank instantly, her tightened chin tilted back subconsciously, and traces of fine sweat dripped down the gaps in the scales on her forehead and fell to the ground.
She looked straight at Sarah, who was pointing the dagger at her expressionlessly, and her words solidified in her throat in the middle of her words.
What a fast speed!
When did this guy take action? !
Lizardman's sweat glands are not well developed, so forcing her to sweat is even harder than making her bleed!
Not only Kana, but Nirma who was watching the battle also widened her eyes instantly, and a trace of disbelief crept on her cold face.
Let alone the warrior-level Kana who didn’t see Sarah’s movements clearly, even the holy general-level she only saw an afterimage!
This guy might have reached the peak of the Holy General level!
It is not even ruled out that...she has already entered the realm of a divine general!
Thea's tail was spinning anxiously, looking at what Luo Yan wanted to say for a while, and then looking at Sarah and Kana who were confronting each other, for fear that the sword had no eyes and would kill someone.
In fact, if it weren't for Luo Yan's previous instructions, this annoying head would have fallen to the ground.
"You talk a lot of nonsense."
Looking indifferently at Kana, who was frozen in place and not daring to move, Sarah neatly retracted the dagger in her hand.
"Do you still want to continue the gesture?"
The winner has been decided.
The gap in strength between the two sides is too large, and in her opinion there is no need to continue humiliating the opponent.
Listening to that understatement, a trace of humiliation flashed across Kana's face, but it was quickly replaced by stubbornness and anger.
This hateful...stinky cat!
How dare you look down on me like this!
Looking at Sarah who was walking toward the Demon King with her back turned, Kana let out a suppressed growl.
The moment Sarah stopped and turned around, she jumped back like a rabbit, suddenly opening a distance of more than ten meters from the former!
Sarah made no next move, just watched her continue her performance quietly.
"I haven't lost yet!" Kana said with a ferocious smile, and the scales on her body suddenly began to fade, gradually blending in with the surrounding environment.
"I admit that you have some skills! But the battle is not over yet!"
Looking at Kana disappearing into the trees, Sarah laughed softly, with a hint of ridicule in her voice.
That’s it?
However, although she did not take this guy's methods seriously, there was not much mockery in her eyes. Instead, there was a hint of respect in her eyes compared to before.
That is not out of respect for the strength of the opponent, but respect for the courage of the weak who dares to draw the sword and face the strong.
She admitted.
This guy is a warrior.
It's just a little weaker and a little more arrogant.
"That's enough, Kana, that's enough! Her strength is far superior to yours, there's no shame in losing to her!" Thea stared at the woods not far away and reprimanded anxiously.
This guy was well hidden, and even she couldn't find his exact location.
But it’s obvious——
This level of concealment alone is not enough to defeat a powerful man at the level of a god general!
An angry roar came from the forest. The sound seemed to be surrounded from all directions, making it impossible to identify the specific location.
"Please allow me to refuse! You can punish me any way you want afterwards, even if you cut off my head, I will admit it! But now, I must not... lose to this guy like this!"
At the same time, a green light flew from the nearby trees and shot like lightning towards Sarah, who was standing defenselessly in the open space.
However——
That defenselessness just looks defenseless.
Sarah, who seemed to be full of flaws, had already immersed her five senses in the surroundings. Her perception was like a dense network, covering the entire area with a radius of tens of meters... The swaying of every plant and tree, and even the breathing of insects in the trees, could not escape her intuition.
This of course also includes Kana, who thinks she has hidden herself perfectly.
Almost at the moment she launched the attack, Sarah had already prepared a response and lightly held the dagger in front of her.
——!
The crisp sound of metal chiming rang out, turning into a breeze that swayed the surrounding trees.
Hikana stared at the bronze scimitar broken into two pieces in her hand with wide eyes, and then looked at Sarah with no contempt in her eyes, only deep shock and admiration.
There is no room for argument.
If the dagger pressed against her throat before could still be compensated by a sneak attack, now she not only lost to her opponent in head-to-head confrontation, but was also severely outclassed by her opponent in the area where she was best at - concealing traces.
"...I lost."
She knelt on the ground on one knee, picked up the broken blade, held it forward with both hands, and said without any regrets.
"My lord, Kana...I am willing to listen to your wishes and let you do whatever you want!"
Sara just glanced at the broken bronze knife that Kana held in both hands, then put the dagger back into the scabbard and said in a cold voice.
"The Demon King asked me not to see blood, I will not deal with you, and your sword does not need to be dedicated to me, just give it to the supreme master." Kana raised her head in astonishment and looked at Sarah in disbelief as she let herself go like this. A hint of surprise was written on her amber vertical pupils, and soon the surprise turned into emotion.
In the Sand Ridge tribe, losing a duel means losing one's scales and tail.
Especially because she had been so provocative before and had promised to let the other party do whatever she wanted. Even if the other party tortured her to death with the most cruel torture, she should not have any complaints.
Her throat moved, and Kana spoke sincerely.
"I will dedicate my sword to the Demon King, and I will also remember your forgiveness and kindness... I will definitely return this favor to you."
Sarah nodded slightly and said nothing more. She just returned to the Demon King with a normal expression and glanced at him with a hint of expectation.
"Did I do the right thing?" 』
Hum, is this even necessary?
It’s so right!
Luo Yan could certainly understand the expectation in Sarah's eyes, smiled and reached out to touch her head.
Sarah knew just how heavy the attack should be.
As expected of my cat!
Feeling the warmth passing through her scalp, a shy smile gradually appeared on Sarah's silent face.
But because there were other people watching around her, she acted restrained and did not make any other noise.
Thea looked here in surprise, while Nirma on the side looked at Sarah with obvious fear and shock.
This person's control of power is so precise. Not only does his attack flow smoothly, but he also cut off the bronze scimitar given to Kana by the clan mother with just one blow!
She is now more and more certain that this mysterious woman who always stands beside the Demon King and controls her aura to the extreme may be far more powerful than she imagined!
As for the unfathomable Demon King...
She did not dare to think about it at all!
Not only Kanna was in admiration, but also all the young talents of the Sand Ridge clan present had changed their initial views on Sarah and no longer dared to question her at all.
The Sand Ridge clan only submits to the truly strong.
And there is no doubt that this is the person standing in front of them!
Thea knelt in front of Luo Yan.
"Your Majesty the Demon King, please calm down. I beg you to forgive Kana's rudeness. She is just eager to prove herself to you and has no intention of offending you..."
"Get up, I'm not angry, how can I calm down my anger?"
Luo Yan smiled faintly, motioned for Thea to get up, then looked at the soldiers of the Sand Ridge clan present, and continued in a majestic voice.
"Your courage is commendable, but your strength is a little weaker... But this is not your fault, but the mother of the earth you believe in, Ateaa, has been away from this world for too long, and his power can no longer protect you, not to mention that the Dragon God's barrier is shrouded here."
This is the truth.
If the belief in the dragon god still has a place on the continent of Os, then the gods of elements such as Ateaa, the mother of the earth, and Uranus, the god of the sky, have long been completely abandoned by the times like Hades. Only the theory about the elements has survived as a consensus among everyone.
The magicians of the Imperial Academy can use earth spells without praying to Ateaa, and Ateaa has long been unable to control the reincarnation of the souls of most believers.
The lizardmen standing here are actually one of the few believers who can still receive the favor of Ateaa. It is difficult for newborn souls to awaken to extraordinary power.
This is also true in Osland.
Speaking of this, Luo Yan paused for a moment, looked at the lizard people with their heads hanging down, and suddenly changed the topic and said.
"However, although Atea, the mother of the earth, is no longer able to care for her children, you are lucky to have met me."
"I can give you the power you have never had before, allowing you to stand up in a true sense, as long as you surrender to me from the bottom of your heart and offer me your faith and loyalty."
The scene fell silent.
All the lizardmen showed expressions of disbelief, looked at each other, and whispered one after another.
"What is the Demon King talking about? Giving us power we have never had before? Does he mean to say... that he can improve our soul level?!"
"How is this possible?! Isn't the soul level innate? I I’ve never heard of anyone being able to improve the day after tomorrow..."
"It’s not that there is no way, it is said that as long as you please the gods while you are alive..."
"You mean the chosen one?! But... that situation is too rare!"
It is not just the young talents of the Shaji clan who are talking a lot.
Thea, who was standing next to him, also had an expression of disbelief on her face.
Give them greater power?
How is this possible? !
General tribesmen don’t know this clearly, but Thea, as a member of the mother line of the Sand Ridge Tribe, knows very well that extraordinary power is linked to the level of the soul!
However, the soul is the domain of gods. Most people cannot even touch the soul, let alone change the quality of the soul!
Even the Necromancer can only indirectly control the souls of the dead for her own use through the power of the netherworld. Spells that can upgrade souls are unheard of in her knowledge base!
When she thought of this, she couldn't help but have a strange look in her eyes when she looked at Luo Yan.
She did not rule out that the demon king was talking nonsense.
But if what he said is true, doesn’t it mean that this gentleman really holds power comparable to that of a god? !
No matter what kind of turmoil arose in Thea's heart, Sarah standing next to Luo Yan had a calm expression.
She has seen the Demon King's ability with her own eyes, so naturally she will not be as surprised as these inexperienced guys.
Seeing the surprise and disbelief of all the lizardmen present, Luo Yan did not intend to explain anything, but just motioned for Nirma to come over.
Nima hesitated slightly, but still did not dare to step forward carelessly and knelt on the ground with one knee.
"Your Majesty, what are your orders?"
Luo Yan didn't say anything, he just raised his index finger slightly, and a green light shot out from the fingertip and penetrated into Nirma's forehead.
Nima had no time to react.
But even if she had time, she probably wouldn't dare to resist. After all, this master holds not only her fate in his hands, but also the fate of the entire Sand Ridge clan.
It was precisely because of her heartfelt obedience that the dark green light passed through her scales without any hindrance and went straight into the deepest part of her soul.
As the dark green light completely integrated into Nirma's forehead, she was shocked, and she felt a warm and vast power surge throughout her body instantly.
"This is..." Feeling the vast and surging power, Nirma's face was filled with shock, and she clenched her claws unconsciously.
For a long time, she has been trapped in the bottleneck of the Holy General level. No matter how hard she practices, she can't break through even half a point!
But now, the shackles that had been binding her were so easily broken by a ray of green light!
God general level!
She made a breakthrough!
Nima was so shocked that she could hardly speak.
Her strong shoulders were trembling slightly, and her whole body was immersed in indescribable emotion and ecstasy, unable to extricate herself.
The next second, she knelt down on the ground without hesitation, so excited that tears even fell from her cold face, wishing she could offer her heart on the spot.
"Thank you...Your Majesty the Demon King! Thank you for giving me a new life!"
Her excitement was not just due to the increase in strength.
What's more, she knows that the promotion of soul level will not only affect her in this life, but will also accompany her in the next life!
Her destiny has been completely rewritten!
All the lizardmen present were stunned to see Nirma's reaction, their amber vertical pupils filled with expressions of disbelief and awe.
"Is Nirma...breakthrough?!"
"It should be true! I feel it, the aura on her body is completely different! It's obvious that she has reached the level of a god general!"
"His Majesty the Demon King actually reshaped Nirma's soul?!"
"This..."
The lizard people of the Sand Ridge clan instantly surrendered to this unimaginable miracle and fell to their knees one after another, as if they were worshiping gods.
Thea's heart was filled with huge waves. She looked at Luo Yan in disbelief, and the astonishing fact echoed repeatedly in her mind.
The miracle that happened before her eyes completely confirmed her suspicion -
The Demon King standing in front of her at this moment was really not an ordinary person, but a truly living god!
What she said before was just polite flattery, but she didn't expect it to be wrong...
Thea knelt down slowly and with great piety, putting her forehead on the ground, expressing her awe at the moment in the most humble manner.
"Your Majesty the Supreme Demon King, the miracles you have performed have surpassed my knowledge... Please forgive me for my indifference. If we had known that you were a real god, we would have stood with you the first time you set foot on this earth."
When she said this, her voice took on a hint of solemnity.
"From now on, you are our totem... The Sand Ridge clan will follow your footsteps forever and be loyal to you forever!"
The tone was solemn to the point of being disgusting.
Luo Yan chuckled and nodded, without saying anything more. After all, the increment of faith value jumping on his panel said everything.
It seems that gaining the faith of these aboriginal people is easier than he imagined... He just needs to do what he has done countless times again.
Looking at Niima who was kneeling on the ground with a pious face, he continued in a gentle tone.
"This is the reward I have advanced to you. If you want more, go to the battlefield to get more meritorious deeds and prove yourself."
He had seen before that this "holy general level" warrior had reached the bottleneck of breakthrough, and was only unable to break through due to the limitations of his soul level.
The Holy General level is comparable to the fine steel level in Osland. Upgrading the soul of the fine steel level to the silver level requires 100,000 faith points.
This expenditure was a huge amount of money for him in the past, but now it is only 5 days of faith value income. It is a fraction compared to the tens of millions of faith points he holds in his hands. It is perfect to use it as a carrot to win people's hearts.
Moreover, judging from Nirma’s reaction, this investment is quite cost-effective.
Being pious is not only a prerequisite for contributing the power of faith, but also a prerequisite for being influenced by the power of faith. Being able to be influenced by her own godhead at least shows that she has a trace of piety towards herself in her heart.
If there was any slightest resistance or doubt, the power of his faith would not be able to penetrate her soul and complete her upgrade.
Withdrawing his gaze from Nirma, Luo Yan glanced around at all the lizardmen kneeling on the ground, especially Kana, who had just lost to Sarah. Those eyes were burning with desire for power and ambition. As a demon in human skin, what he admired most was this naked look.
Bathed in the fanatical and pious gazes of the pair, Luo Yan continued with a gentle yet majestic voice.