Douluo Continent: The Twin Sons of the Styx River, Shaking the World and Destroying the Heavens

Chapter 277 Dealing with Demons
With the tacit approval of the three factions of Douluo Star, the number of demons gathered here quickly surpassed 20,000. Only then did the figure controlling the gate slow down the summoning pace. The nine demon gates began to tremble violently, the purplish-black light flickering, and the surrounding distorted space rippled with even denser wrinkles, as if it were about to collapse at any moment.

Just as the gates were about to collapse, nine towering figures suddenly emerged from within. Their limbs gripped the ground like steel claws, their posture resembling hellhounds, yet they possessed three ferocious, gigantic heads—the two on either side bared fangs, spewing crimson mist, while the central head burned with eerie blue demonic fire in its eye sockets, seemingly capable of piercing the soul. Their fur was a deep crimson, like lava, each hair standing on end. Even when crouching, their backs exceeded five meters; if they stood upright, their bodies, several meters tall, almost touched the dark clouds. Upon their appearance, they pressed their sharp, blade-like forelimbs against the nine gates, a surge of immense demonic power flowing from their claws, instantly stabilizing the crumbling doors, and the purplish-black light reformed into a tangible barrier.

"Heh..." From the other side of the gate, a figure shrouded in shadows let out a low laugh. The terrifying pressure made the door hum slightly. "The consciousness of this world is laughably weak, yet it harbors such abundant life energy. It's practically a tailor-made granary for us." It greedily gazed in the direction of Douluo Continent, a calculating glint in its crimson pupils. "Before the fools in other planes realize it, we must devour this piece of fat meat in the shortest time possible!"

As its words fell, the demons within the gate surged forth like a flood bursting its banks. The original number of over twenty thousand increased visibly, the howls of hellhounds, the roars of demons, and the shrieks of flying demons weaving together into a symphony of purgatory. In moments, the total surpassed one hundred thousand, the mountaintop already covered in a dense swarm of demons, their purplish-black demonic energy coalescing into towering, sunless clouds that completely swallowed the sunlight.

As black blood began to seep from the bodies of the nine three-headed hellhounds and the power supporting the gate clearly weakened, the nine portals finally began to shrink and merge, eventually transforming into a giant demonic gate thirty meters high and twenty meters wide, though its light was several degrees dimmer than before.

The last figure slowly emerged from the doorway, instantly drawing the attention of all the demons. It stood three meters tall, its feet treading on leaping, eerie purple flames, each step leaving scorched marks on the ground. A dancing skull crystal was inlaid at the top of its purple-gold scepter, the shaft of which was entwined with countless tiny demon skeletons. Twisted runes were embroidered along the edges of its red wizard's robe, making a soft, rustling sound as it fluttered in the wind. Most bizarrely, its head was enveloped in purplish-black flames, through which a pale white skull could be vaguely seen, with two clusters of dark green soul fire flickering in its eye sockets.

"In the name of my king!" The demon wizard raised his scepter, and a hoarse yet majestic voice emanated from his fiery head, resounding through the heavens, "Slaughter! Devour! Turn the life energy of this world into our sustenance! My prophecies have never failed. After this battle, we will all be reborn!" It was the vanguard commander of this invasion.

"Roar—!" Ten thousand demons roared simultaneously, their dark energy spreading like a tsunami. Even the mountains beneath their feet were covered in purplish-black flames, rocks melting into flowing lava, and the air filled with the pungent smell of sulfur and blood. Behind the giant demonic gate, demons continued to pour out, their ranks stretching from the mountaintops all the way into the depths of the clouds, a terrifying sight.

"Let's go!" The demon wizard raised his scepter, and the skull crystal burst forth with a blinding light.

However, just as the demon army took its first step, before it had even moved a meter, all the demons suddenly froze.

An invisible yet immense pressure descended from the sky, as if the entire world had transformed into a colossal mountain, crushing down upon every demon. The weaker demons instantly exploded like crushed tomatoes, their bodies bursting into clumps of black blood, the foul-smelling liquid flowing down the hillside; the slightly stronger flying demons' wing bones shattered inch by inch, plummeting from the sky and turning into a bloody pulp upon impact; even the five-meter-tall demons, under this oppressive force, buckled at the knees, collapsing heavily to their knees, the bones beneath their purplish-black skin creaking under the unbearable weight.

The surrounding world seemed frozen solid; the air ceased to flow, the light stopped spreading, and even time seemed to stand still. The dark magic that the demon wizard was so proud of was stagnant within his body; every inch he moved was like struggling in quagmire, and the purplish-black flames on his forehead flickered violently, clearly also enduring immense pressure.

What terrified it even more was that at least several hundred incomparably powerful auras were firmly locked onto them, like swords hanging overhead. Among them, more than a dozen auras were no weaker than its own, and some even carried an aura of holiness and righteousness, causing the dark energy within its body to instinctively stir and fear—that was the pressure of gods and super Douluo, the most powerful forces on this continent, who had already laid a net of heaven and earth here.

The silence on the mountaintop was replaced by fear. The arrogance of the 100,000 demons vanished in an instant, leaving only the instinctive fear of death.

"What on earth is going on?!" The demon wizard's skull trembled violently in the purplish-black flames, his face flickering with horror. "How can there be so many king-level powerhouses in this world? Their numbers far exceed expectations! My prophecy... my prophecy has never failed! Why wasn't there even the slightest warning of danger?"

The "King-level" it spoke of refers to the God-level in the Douluo Continent. Although its own combat strength isn't top-tier among those of the same level, its prophetic abilities, upon which it relies for survival, are always accurate, never failing to seek advantage and avoid harm. Before coming here, it had repeatedly deduced that the prophecy was full of smooth paths, even capable of devouring endless life energy to forge the growth of the Demon Plane—it was precisely for this reason that it dared to summon an army of 100,000 without any scruples; otherwise, it would never have set foot here even with the slightest risk.

The response to it was a roar that shook the heavens.

A figure several times larger than the demon wizard suddenly charged out. Its dark gold armor reflected a cold gleam in the dim light, each plate engraved with ferocious bear head patterns, clanging with each movement. It was a colossal bear, its limbs as thick as pillars of heaven, its run shaking the earth. Eight dark gold halos pulsated slowly behind it, radiating a suffocating pressure—clearly at the level of a half-step god-king. It charged with the most savage and domineering force, its claws tearing through the air, the force of its attack causing ripples in the surrounding stillness.