Necromancer, but pre-collapse civilization

　Moros's goal has been exceptionally clear from beginning to end: to successfully complete this hero template advancement mission and master the legendary spell [Time Warp Field].

　As long as he can achieve these two goals, he doesn't care at all how the situation in the 406th Abyss Layer will evolve after he returns to Earth.

　The necromancer believed that with his extraordinary spellcasting skills displayed on the battlefield, and his feat of using demigod-level necromancy to reawaken the demons who died in battle and transform them into undead soldiers, those lesser demon lords who were always bullying the weak and opportunistic would never regard him as a weakling who could be bullied at will.

　As it turns out, Moros's prediction was entirely correct.

　Even though the demon legions they sent to fight for Modisti's former territory suffered heavy losses, and even though Modisti's former territory had fallen into the hands of necromancers, the lesser demon lords who occupied other areas of the 406th layer of the abyss did not have the idea of ​​starting another war or challenging the necromancers.

　Without the interference of those lesser demon lords, the lesser demons born from the [Abyssal Blood Pool] alone could not possibly shake his rule.

　After all, it's rare to see high-ranking demons in the [Abyss Blood Pool].

　Generally speaking, once an Abyssal Worm grows into a Lesser Demon, it will instinctively leave the Abyssal Blood Pool to pursue greater power.

　As one of the main ways in which Tanaris are born, the territory of the six-armed serpent lord Modisti naturally has no shortage of [Abyssal Blood Pools].

　However, in order to maintain her own rule, the original guardians of these Abyss Blood Pools—the Mother of Worms—have all been eliminated by Modisti.

　Abyssal worms can be strengthened and promoted through combat and killing.

　If the Abyss Worm chooses to only upgrade but not advance, it will retain its basic form and gradually grow larger.

　When it reaches legendary combat power, the Abyss Worm looks about the size of a dragon.

　Having relinquished other abilities, the legendary Abyssal Worm possesses astonishing psychic powers and a terrifying ability to spew acid.

　Even the scales of dragons can be corroded by the acid they spew.

　If it retains this form, the Abyss Worm will grow even larger and eventually transform into the [Mother Worm].

　A terrifying demon of high legendary rank.

　Because they retain the form of abyssal worms, the [Mother Worms] move extremely slowly, so they rarely stray far from their nests.

　The Mother Worm prefers to build her nests around the Abyss Blood Pool, using the energy contained within the pool as nourishment for herself.

　It is worth noting that the Mother of Worms does not usually initiate attacks on demons.

　But any unauthorized intrusion by outsiders will enrage this powerful demon.

　Even high-ranking demons dare not easily set foot in areas where the [Mother of Worms] exists.

　This is also their biggest cause of death.

　The existence of the Mother Worm undoubtedly poses a significant obstacle to Modisti's efforts to replenish demons from the Abyss Blood Pool as cannon fodder for the Legion.

　Furthermore, given the extremely high value of the souls of high-level legendary demons, it is not surprising that Modisti devoured them as nourishment.

Chapter 598 The Establishment of the Soul Factory

　Without the protection of the high-level legendary [Mother of Worms], the [Abyssal Blood Pools] scattered throughout the territory of the six-armed serpent lord Modisti were utterly unable to withstand the attack of the undead army.

　Moros's purpose in sending a portion of his undead legion to occupy the Abyss Blood Pool was not limited to reducing the number of demons roaming his territory.

　More importantly, he needs to build a stable and efficient soul supply line to ensure a continuous supply of souls.

　On Earth, thanks to the existence of the [Territory-level Soul Collection Array], and the soul share extracted from taxes, necromancers' soul consumption during spell research is actually well guaranteed.

　He can even accumulate a large amount of spiritual energy every quarter.

　Souls, as strategic reserves of magical materials.

　However, in the bottomless abyss, Moros has only one way to obtain souls—endless slaughter.

　Although his previous killings brought him substantial profits, this was by no means a long-term solution.

　After all, having successfully occupied Modisti's territory, he could no longer lead his undead legion to roam freely as he had in the past.

　As for giving up this hard-won territory in order to obtain the soul, Moros would never agree to it.

　Without a relatively stable environment, he simply could not delve into the mysteries of the legendary spell [Time Warp Field].

　Compared to his fundamental purpose in undertaking the hero template promotion quest, driving the undead army to fight everywhere merely for the sake of replenishing souls is undoubtedly a shortsighted and counterproductive act.

　Moreover, the demons of the bottomless abyss are not to be trifled with.

　Moros was able to lead the undead army to conquer the 406th level of the abyss relatively smoothly largely because he was a newcomer.

　The demon lords had not yet fully grasped the necromancer's strength and intentions, and were unwilling to initiate a conflict with him without feeling any direct loss to their own interests.

　But once Moros touches upon the interests of the demon lords, these powerful demons will never let it go.

　In the bottomless abyss, there are many demon lords who can wield the power of [virtual divinity], among whom are some who can rival true gods.

　If placed within the Tree Sea system, their strength is no less than that of the Herrscher of the End, or even the Cocoon of the End.

　Faced with such a powerful opponent, even a demigod-level necromancer like Moros had to prioritize survival and dared not be careless or underestimate his enemy.

　In this situation, Moros naturally needed to find a way to both greatly replenish his soul reserves and ensure his own safety.

　And the [Abyss Blood Pool] became his only choice.

　On one hand, the [Abyss Blood Pool] can continuously breed a large number of demon worms.

　These demonic worms will gradually transform into lesser demons through endless slaughter.

　The Lesser Demon is a Tanar'ari demon that falls between the Demon Worm and lower-ranking demons such as the Lesser Demon.

　Although their strength surpasses that of ordinary people wielding cold weapons, they are still in a very weak stage.

　Even ordinary citizens on Earth who have not received professional military training can defeat this weak demon in a one-on-one situation, provided they are equipped with appropriate firearms.

　Therefore, once the necromancer successfully controls the Abyssal Blood Pool, these lesser demons will become an excellent source of demon souls for him.

　On the other hand, even with the protection of the Mother of Worms, the Abyss Blood Pool could not withstand the powerful magical attacks of Moros.

　Worse still, even the [Mother Worms] who were supposed to protect this place have now been devoured by the former lesser demon lord of this territory, Modisty.

　It is obvious that for Moros, such a [Abyssal Blood Pool] is definitely a safe and fertile "soul pasture".

　Getting back to the main point, after successfully conquering the territory of the Six-Armed Serpent Lord and repelling those neighbors who tried to take advantage of the situation, all the [Abyssal Blood Pools] in this vast territory naturally became the necromancer's possession.

　As a top spellcaster capable of setting up a massive number of [territory-level soul collection arrays] on Earth and thereby monopolizing the flow of souls across the entire planet, Moros's array-setting skills are unparalleled in the world (Earth-only).

　He combined the unique geographical environment of each Abyss Blood Pool and tailored a set of efficient and ingenious soul collection arrays for each Abyss Blood Pool under his control.

　These magic arrays can cover a vast area with a radius of fifty kilometers centered on the [Abyss Blood Pool], capturing all the wandering souls on this land.

　With the added protection of the undead forces, these Abyssal Blood Pools were like "soul factories" in Moros's hands, providing him with a steady and abundant supply of souls.

　The 406th layer of the Abyss, the territory of the necromancer, contains a certain [Abyss Blood Pool].

　A purple abyss and a purple moon hang high in the sky, their cold light shining down selflessly, bringing a strange touch of color to this dark and mad world.

　As the Styx River tide receded from the Abyss Blood Pool, countless demon eggs were left behind.

　Suddenly, a slight tremor broke the surrounding silence, and a demon eggshell began to crack open, from which a demon worm wriggled out.

　This newborn demon worm has a long, twisted body and its skin is covered in a sticky liquid, making it look both disgusting and dangerous.

　It instinctively searched for food, and soon, the scattered eggshells became its first meal.

　After devouring the eggshells, it continued its search for new food sources.

　This time, it turned its greedy gaze upon the unhatched demon eggs.

　It struggled to break open another eggshell and began to devour its unborn sibling inside the demon egg.

　When it could find no more unhatched demon eggs, the demon worm turned its attention to its own kind that had just hatched.

　Driven by its desire for killing and evolution, it began to engage in a series of brutal battles with its kind.

　The battles between demon worms are extremely bloody; they entwine with each other and tear at each other with their sharp teeth, all in order to survive.

　With its tenacious will and good luck, this demon worm distinguished itself in battle and eventually became one of the best among a group of demon worms.

　Its body gradually became thicker and stronger, the mucus on its skin gradually solidified into hard scales, and its teeth became even sharper.

　Through countless killings and battles, it finally emerged victorious and was promoted to a lesser demon.

　Unfortunately, this was the peak of its demonic existence.

　The moment this newborn little demon stepped out of the Abyss Blood Pool driven by instinct, the vampire count guarding the Abyss Blood Pool keenly detected its presence.

　And then, nothing happened.

　A mere little devil has absolutely no chance of escape in front of a vampire count with mid-level strength.

Chapter 599 The Neighbors' Reactions and the Beginning of Research

　Just like the little demon that was unfortunate enough to be born in the Abyss Blood Pool within the territory of Moros, such cruel scenes are constantly playing out across the vast territory of the necromancer.

　Prior to this, Moros spent two whole months creating a real undead army.

　These undead forces are organized into regiments, each deployed around a different Abyssal Blood Pool.

　Once a lesser demon emerges from the Abyss Blood Pool, attempting to find an opportunity to evolve in this land, the undead soldiers, granted new life and power by necromancy, will attack without hesitation.

　They will use the most ruthless methods to transform those little demons who have survived countless brutal battles among the demon worms into the necromancer's soul reserves.

　It was thanks to the tireless efforts of these undead soldiers that, even though Moros consumed a large number of souls every day for magical research, his soul reserves continued to grow at a relatively stable rate.

　However, an operation of this scale cannot be completely concealed.

　Some clever little demons gradually discovered the tragic fate of their kind who left the Abyss Blood Pool.

　They realized that leaving the Abyss Blood Pool was tantamount to walking into death.

　So these little demons began to try to hide deep within the Abyss Blood Pool to escape the slaughter of the undead forces.

　However, the Abyss Blood Pool is not a suitable place for life to survive.

　Every so often, the Styx River flowing into the Abyss Blood Pool rises, submerging everything within it.

　At that time, all life that has not yet left the [Abyss Blood Pool] will be swallowed by the waters of the River Styx.

　Therefore, even if the undead forces stationed outside the Abyss Blood Pool discover those clever demons hiding in the Abyss Blood Pool, they will not take immediate action.

　Because before long, those clever demons who try to escape their fate by hiding will be driven out of their hiding places by the ever-rising waters of the River Styx.

　By then, they will still be easily slaughtered by the undead forces and eventually become the soul reserves of the necromancer.

　Moros's neighbors—the lesser demon lords—were certainly aware of his rampage against the lesser demons who emerged from the Abyss Blood Pool.

　However, the Tanaris demons' sense of kinship is truly complicated.

　To rise to the position of a lesser demon lord, every one of them has their hands stained with the blood of their own kind.

　Unless the necromancers are truly restless and gather a massive army to attack them, Moros's slaughter of the lesser demons alone is not enough to provoke these lesser demon lords to unite against the necromancers.

　After all, compared to Moros, who will eventually leave the Abyss, these lesser demon lords are the real rivals to each other.

　Although the necromancer never revealed a single word about his departure after completing the hero template promotion quest.

　If facing demons of the lawful evil alignment, Moros might reveal this information in exchange for their tacit cooperation.

　But the demons that disrupt the evil faction...

　Given the chaotic nature of the Tanaris demons, who can accurately predict how these lesser demon lords will react once they learn the truth?

　In any case, Moros wouldn't gamble on the unpredictability of the demons.

　Even unaware of this, the lesser demon lords had their own plans.

　The Tanaris are genuine immortal beings.

　Even the lowest-level demon worms can live forever as long as they are not killed by external forces.

　This is why, even though Moros had already joined the ranks of the immortals, the lesser demon lords still firmly believed that, with the passage of time...

　They will eventually wear it down to the end of their lives.

　At that time, they will be able to occupy the former territory of the six-armed serpent demon lord, Modisti, without any risk.

　This is not only the idea of ​​those lesser demon lords, but also a common problem among powerful mortal forces that have once conquered a territory of the Abyss, or even a layer of the Abyss.

　Under the relentless crushing force of time, those who cannot attain immortality will ultimately find it difficult to maintain their glory for long.

　Once they enter a period of decline, those mortal forces will naturally be unable to maintain their existence in the bottomless abyss.

　Whenever such a moment arrives, it is undoubtedly a grand carnival for the demons surrounding those mortal forces.

　They can not only slaughter mortals who fail to escape the abyss in time, satisfying their bloodlust and reaping massive amounts of souls, but also easily occupy large territories and rise to become new lesser demon lords.

　Based on this logic and expectation, the lesser demon lords who occupied other areas of the 406th layer of the abyss adopted a wait-and-see attitude towards Moros's actions.

　Of course, they are also accumulating strength, preparing for the day when Moros's power gradually diminishes due to the erosion of time, so that they can launch a swift and decisive offensive and take over the territory once controlled by the six-armed serpent demon lord, Modisti.