Chapter 1 A Fleeting Glimpse

Within the vast, dim confines of the palace, Marquis Ulysses' hand slashed through the shadows, drops of scarlet blood coalescing in mid-air to form a totem, which then erupted into tangible form.

It was as if darkness and light had merged, both the embodiment of art and the harbinger of destruction.

The cry of the crimson blood-eagle echoed through the heavens, its feathers gleaming with a blood-red luster, its eyes like two burning jewels, radiating the full might of its eighth-tier blood kin aura.

Marquis Ulysses lowered his arm, and the giant eagle soared aloft, transforming into a storm of blood-red lightning, sweeping toward the front.

Although it could not yet reach the throne, at this distance, the blood-eagle summoned in the void could bypass several layers of barriers and strike McCarthy ahead of his main body.

"If you want a sideshow, you're better off finding a beast to fight," Ulysses said.

"Before it gnaws you down to the bone, let me see your strength."

With each simple flap of its wings, the crimson blood-eagle stirred up violent gales, battering the barriers in front of Lancy, sweeping dust and smoke across the palace carpets, and unleashing echoing roars.

"..."

Lancy observed Zhen Ye Qing's dream, earnestly awakening her, while simultaneously raising his head to stare directly at Marquis Ulysses.

"Don't look at me; it's your opponent."

The tenth progenitor, Ulysses, commanded the eighth-tier blood-eagle to continue breaking through the barriers.

Although this blood-eagle was far inferior to his main body, the barriers remaining before Lancy would not hold for long.

"Damn it!"

The Fallen Qing on the distant throne plateau gritted her teeth.

The tenth progenitor's authority could even accelerate the speed at which he broke through the barriers. Once he truly summoned an army of summoned creatures, the barriers would collapse even faster!

"How is it? Strength is the essence of summoned creatures. Can your half-baked resolve to hone your drawing skills create a summoned creature that surpasses mine?"

The tenth progenitor, Ulysses, asked.

"..."

Lancy did not reply, but with a gentle flick of his hand, he threw out a streak of orange light. Its unique texture made it appear both illusory and ethereal, the flow of the patterns on the card like the heartbeat of a living being, as if suspended on the edge of the real and the unreal.

The magic card immediately began to shine.

Its entangled spirals separated with the release of power, coalescing into a massive vortex.

The runes surrounding the Ministry of Governance were twisted, drawn in, and even torn apart by this vortex.

Once stabilized, the vortex split open, revealing its true form – a colossal wolf, its body wreathed in crimson runes resembling temporal distortions, coursing over its pitch-black form.

The red lines on its body resembled the power of creation, each line shimmering and breathing, as if connected to another dimension.

Boom!!

The resounding clang of metal on metal erupted.

The light of the barriers scattered like sparks in the air as Marquis Ulysses' giant eagle slammed into them, but before it could completely shatter the barriers, the mysterious behemoth summoned by Lancy suddenly leaped forward, opened its jaws, and, to the Fallen Qing's stunned disbelief, devoured the blood-red eagle that was struggling to break through the barriers.

The ferocity of the blood-red eagle and the savage might of the giant wolf reached their zenith at that moment, then abruptly extinguished, plunging the palace into a brief silence.

Marquis Ulysses' face betrayed a hint of surprise at the dissipation of the giant eagle, while Lancy remained as composed as ever.

"...?"

The tenth progenitor, Ulysses, stared at the epic giant wolf, finding it incomprehensible.

Unlike the previous hellish specter, this aberrant wolf possessed magical fluctuations inseparable from those of a Radiant Demon. Clearly, its creator was none other than the Radiant Demon before him.

His giant eagle, an eighth-tier blood kin, had been dispatched so easily by the other's giant wolf. In Ulysses' eyes, this was an utter defeat.

"Hahahaha, it's really tiring to fight with summoned creatures. I'd say it's a draw."

Lancy said with a laugh.

Lancy's words made the Fallen Qing's eyelids twitch slightly.

He seemed to care a great deal about preserving the tenth progenitor Ulysses' dignity, not only refraining from mocking him but also offering such polite words.

He's too kind.

But Calielia couldn't help feeling that Lancy might be subtly, yet devastatingly, humiliating the tenth progenitor.

"With such skills, you could easily join the ranks of recognized Great Demons through your special talents and artistry. Why hide your name and be a nameless Great Demon?"

The tenth progenitor Marquis Ulysses finally fixed his gaze upon the demon before him and asked,

"No, why would a Great Demon with such superb drawing skills and power be a merchant?!"

Far from being merely a work of art, Ulysses was convinced that McCarthy was not so simple, if only because of that unreasonable epic giant wolf.

He accelerated the semi-decomposition of the barriers, causing the invisible barriers to crack like spiderwebs on glass in the air, then shatter and crumble.

If he continued to waste time, a sense of foreboding would rise in Ulysses' heart!

"Because I'm tired of drawing," Lancy replied with a shrug.

He still appeared so relaxed.

"Tired... of it?"

The tenth progenitor Ulysses' voice held a hint of disbelief.

"Yes, after reaching the pinnacle of painting, you come to realize one thing: that painting is nothing more than that," Lancy continued.

"I thought it was good when I was young, but one day I suddenly realized that world peace is the greatest, most sublime pursuit of all."

His indolent, detached voice made it difficult for listeners to determine whether he was making a frivolous joke or had truly attained profound enlightenment.

"Bastard!"

The tenth progenitor Ulysses had never seen an opponent who so despised art and mocked him, a painter. He tightly clenched his fist at his chest.

Ulysses' fingers trembled slightly, and his breathing became somewhat labored. As a proud artist, he had never encountered such direct scorn and suppression.

But soon, he regained his composure.

The royal palace barriers stood before him, allowing someone so weak to be fearless.

But the absolute difference could not be compensated for by the external environment.

"Hmph, very well. Just how much ability do you possess to be so boastful? Let me see it with my own eyes."

Ulysses waved his hand and said.

After a moment of anger, he quickly adjusted his emotions, took a deep breath, and his eyes gleamed with renewed determination and resolve. At this critical moment, he chose not to retreat, but to display a deeper level of power!

Marquis Ulysses' fingers danced lightly in the air, and his blood dripped once more. This time, the translucent totem he slowly drew in the air flickered with an ominous, fierce light.

He would summon more creatures to see if that wolf could swallow them all!

"This palace is so dark," Lancy said simply, releasing the card that crackled with a scorching orange cocoon, a card as holy as the sun.

Instantly.

A dazzling light, like that of the sun, instantly flooded the entire palace.

In an instant, it became a world of pure white light, seeming as if it would burst through the gates of the Ministry of Governance and explode outward, coating the corridor of the first floor of the Nicalis Palace with an iridescent halo.

Before this, the entity within Lancy's shadow, capable of using telekinetic magic, had thoughtfully sent a pair of floating sunglasses to the Fallen Qing behind him.

After briefly closing her eyes, the Fallen Qing slowly opened her bright eyes.

Her eyelashes trembled slightly. She couldn't believe that a demon in this world possessed such power to restrain the blood clan!

On the battlefield, this guy was practically the blood clan's daddy!

A sun-like orb of light rose in the entire palace, and the earth became warm under the blessing of its light.

Marquis Ulysses felt as if his brain was about to be pierced through, as if he had been plunged into noon with day and night reversed!

Marquis Ulysses, who had been about to paint, painfully covered his eyes, which felt as if they were being pierced by a million needles, and was forced to interrupt his painting, staggering back as if he had lost his balance.

And the half-finished blood kin he had hastily summoned were also scorched by the sun and tormented by the rhythm, beginning to wail.

"I don't accept it, I absolutely don't accept it! You, a whimsical guy like you, are actually on par with me!"

The tenth progenitor Ulysses roared in agony in the light.

In the last instant, he saw clearly the great sun. He couldn't believe that this Radiant Demon could create a sun with a mortal body.

Although Marquis Ulysses preferred to believe that the light that hurt his eyes was just an illusion, the truth was that his whole body's strength had weakened to less than one-tenth!

"If you believe that you can see results with just enlightenment and enthusiasm, that's just a sweet dream," Lancy lamented.

"When the strongest painting skills became your pursuit, you didn't realize this. The end of any skill is not a mountain peak, but an endless ocean, with no end in sight."

"Don't pretend you know anything, you guy who insults and despises art!"

Marquis Ulysses roared with his eyes closed.

Clearly, he was trying his best to break through the barriers, but the other party's casual attitude made it seem like he was just playing along.

"It's precisely because I haven't defiled art that I'm patiently talking to you," Lancy said, watching Zhen Ye Qing's story and addressing Marquis Ulysses,

"Your anger is a sign of your inner turmoil. All right, don't worry. It's not a big deal if you don't understand. You've made me quite happy."

His tireless voice of instruction set the tenth progenitor Ulysses ablaze with rage.

At this moment, he would rather his opponent mock him than hear such comforting words, filled with concern for him.

Ulysses' face twisted, his eyes burning with a fire that could incinerate everything, his body surrounded by a violent blood clan magic, so intense that it almost distorted the space around him.

Even under the sunlight, he still possessed strength surpassing the seventh tier!

"Hahahaha, hahahaha!"

Ulysses covered his forehead and laughed, his voice becoming heavy and threatening, each breath seeming to reveal the anger and resentment within his heart.

"This is your demon clan's only princess! As long as I continue to drag on with you, her soul will melt in the gentle land of depravity. We can see who has the last laugh!"

Ulysses had figured it out. If he continued like this, he probably wouldn't be able to stop the Radiant Demon from awakening Zhen Ye Qing.

McCarthy had a high chance of winning as the defender.

But he, Ulysses, had immortality and could always wear them down!

What if he switched to the defensive? Even if McCarthy could hold on, would the Fallen Qing really dare to drag on?

"Even if the Fallen Qing's blood clan's plan fails, before I leave, I will make your demon clan lose the last key to their ancestral land! McCarthy, how will you win!"

Every one of Ulysses' fingers was tightly curled, the magic in his palm expanding like a blood orb about to explode.

"What if there's another one?" Lancy asked in confusion.

He spread his hand, throwing out the last orange, as if returning freedom to that petal.

Every time he asked her to come out for battle, it basically meant the end.

You should know that this is the gentle land of depravity.

Defeating an opponent doesn't necessarily require crushing their body.

Ulysses had probably forgotten what a broken Dao heart meant in the gentle land of depravity.

Orange light feathers scattered, and a flower fairy-like girl had landed in the demon king's palace.

Her red dress fell like rose petals, her figure fluttered, carrying a faint floral fragrance, her eyes filled with a tender smile.

Before the Fallen Qing could react in shock and anger, she stared in astonishment at that angelic face.

"Oh ho ho, I'm also of royal blood."

The Great Love Poet covered her mouth with the back of her hand, leaned back slightly, and said with a wanton giggle.

Instantly, Ulysses felt his heart tremble violently.

Although he couldn't open his eyes, his magic could detect it.

The summoned creature that McCarthy summoned last --

Was the real deal, a demon with the qualifications of demon royalty, just like Princess Hyperion, both were demon royals by blood!

"... Impossible, the information can't be false. Where did you find a second princess?"

Ulysses trembled so much that he could barely steady himself.

Not only was this a bizarre fact, but this demonic sound made his state frantic. As his senses became unclear, he felt his vision flicker, as if he were seeing stars, his brain about to crack open.

Ulysses was certain that this was a summoned creature from the other party's hand, yet the lifelike quality was a masterpiece he could never create!!

"I drew her. Royal blood isn't anything to be surprised about. You haven't seen what a truly embarrassing princess looks like."

Lancy shook his head, the slightly upturned corners of his mouth carrying a hint of humility, as if he were remembering something that made him unable to help but smile.

"...?!?"

At this moment, Ulysses felt that there were too many things he couldn't understand.

This was like the last straw that broke the camel's back. His brows twisted, his lips began to tremble, accompanied by a moment of voicelessness, followed by an uncontrollable emotional outburst.

"Did you fight me just to humiliate me?"

Ulysses covered his chest, a sweet pain surging in his throat, and angrily questioned.

"... Of course not."

Lancy's eyes remained clear.

He blinked, as if to ask the other party, how could he possibly have bad intentions?

But to Ulysses, that compassionate and pure voice was like telling him --

You're nothing more than a commoner born in an era without me.

"McCarthy..."

This voice made him feel as if his internal organs were splitting apart.

He rushed over like a madman to question Lancy.

But before he could reach Lancy, he froze like a stone statue.

Ulysses had fallen into the [Gentle Land of Depravity] first.

In the barriers of the gentle land of depravity, every time you walked across a distance the size of a floor tile, you would fall again.

This time, Ulysses was clearly unable to maintain his flawless heart any longer. Reality had become like a cruel hell to him, turning into a still figure like a statue.

"This..."

The Fallen Qing Calielia watched the Radiant Demon's relaxed posture.

She didn't understand. This was clearly her magic, yet another demon played it as if it were his own home.

Poor Marquis Ulysses. He was ruined by a green tea in this life, meeting a Great Demon who manipulated him in the palm of his hand.

From the beginning, McCarthy had not intended to destroy the tenth progenitor Marquis Ulysses with force, but to gradually break his pride and make him fall into an unreal world.

"Alas."

Lancy sighed regretfully,

"I told you that your mentality was not good. Adjust yourself properly. We'll wait for you to come back."

He shook his head with his hands behind his back, no longer paying attention to the loser, and walked toward the high platform.

It was time to concentrate on awakening his Great Demon friends, and he would naturally treat this blood clan marquis well later.

One thing that blood clans were better than Aske Sang was that blood clans could really come back after they adjusted.

This time, he had gained two blood clan progenitors, and his blood clan ecology report would probably be enriched with a strong stroke, and Dean Loren would definitely not have to worry about this year's performance.

There was no more dialogue. The only two awake demons performed their duties, making final arrangements for this battle that was about to end.

The long-delayed morning light was projected from the sky after the heavenly curtain barriers were removed, onto the towering corridors of the Nicalis Palace ceiling. Golden sunlight spread into the Ministry of Governance, adding a bit of the glory of the demon clan's heyday thousands of years ago to this throne.

In the throne hall, Great Demons gradually began to awaken.

They only saw the blurred outline of the Radiant Demon with the sun above his head.

His figure was invisible, inaudible, and unspeakable in the blazing light, like an angel awakening and guiding them.

"..."

Calielia beside the throne watched the figure of the Radiant Demon in the distance, her eyes filled with curious splendor.

(End of this chapter)