Chapter 1991: Infiltration

A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality - Volume 7: Traversing the Human Realm, Chapter 10: The Demon Realm War

A short while later, in the dense forest near the demon fortress, a long howl suddenly erupted. This was followed by a flash of emerald light as over a hundred colossal wooden figures, dozens of meters tall, emerged from the woods as if from thin air. Moving with surprising speed, they charged directly towards the fortress. Close behind these giants, thousands of Wood Tribe members surged forth, each mounted on various flying magical artifacts. Emerald-green wooden spears and bows appeared in their hands. With a raise of their arms, countless emerald rays shot densely towards the fortress. Both the wooden spears and arrows, upon leaving their hands, rapidly grew several times in size. The protective barrier of the demon fortress immediately erupted with countless dazzling light clusters, accompanied by a continuous series of thunderous roars. At this moment, the more than one hundred gigantic wooden figures also reached the fortress. Their hands blurred, instantly transforming into colossal, white-glowing iron hammers, which they used to furiously pound the light barrier, producing loud ripping sounds!

Under intense tremors, the fortress barrier shattered bit by bit in just a few moments. The entire process lasted merely a few breaths. Only then did the ordinary demons on the fortress react, and shrill alarm cries echoed across the battlements. Swathes of black light also poured from the city walls, covering the Wood Tribe members below like rain. Instantly, an extremely fierce battle erupted in front of the fortress. Amidst the flashing, interweaving black and emerald lights, a colossal light web formed above the fortress, continuously roaring and flashing. The colossal wooden figures appeared somewhat clumsy, yet their entire bodies were harder than steel. Ordinary demon attacks left only minor dents and shallow marks, unable to truly harm them in the slightest. In a short while, they had already created massive breaches in the city walls and fearlessly charged inside. These wooden figures seemed to possess innate immense strength; as their hammer-transformed hands swung, all demons in their path were sent flying, their bodies torn to shreds. They led the other Wood Tribe members straight into the demon ranks. However, this action instantly enraged the high-level demon entities. At a roar from a high-level demon, several low growls immediately emanated from large structures within the fortress. Over a dozen rhino-like demonic beasts, dozens of meters long, charged out. These super beasts, their eyes bloodshot, opened their mouths and unleashed torrents of hazy white light beams, which, in a flash, struck the wooden giants. Immediately, a dozen or so wooden figures staggered, nearly falling to the ground!

Where they were struck by the light beams, charred holes appeared conspicuously. The next moment, the other wooden giants charged towards these colossal beasts, their hands already primed. Not to be outdone, these super beasts lowered their heads and charged forward like a whirlwind, instantly engaging in battle with the more than one hundred wooden giants. Amidst deafening roars, the two sides seemed evenly matched for a time.

Simultaneously, thousands of meters above the ground, the Wood Tribe elder and a middle-aged couple were in a standoff with four armored demons. "Hmph, how did your courage grow so bold? So you brought reinforcements," sneered a high-level demon whose face was covered in stiff black fur, resembling a colossal bear. After scanning the elder, he showed no surprise, only a hint of ferocity. "No matter, it's good. If we eliminate this old fellow, there will surely be no higher-tier Wood Tribe members nearby." Upon hearing the demon's words, the Wood Tribe man and woman's expressions subtly changed. However, the elder's demeanor remained unchanged; instead, he calmly retorted, "Just you few at the Deity Transformation stage? Your arrogance is a bit much. Let this old man properly assess your abilities first."

"If those four are not enough, then what about me?" With a thunderous boom, spatial ripples emerged as a dark figure flashed into existence amidst the four high-level demons, gazing coldly across at their opponents. It was a sinister-faced man in black robes with two horns on his head, his triangular eyes radiating a chilling cruelty. The Wood Tribe elder's spiritual sense swept over him, and his heart immediately sank. This newly appeared high-level demon was actually a late-stage Void Refinement cultivator, two levels higher than his own early-stage Void Refinement realm. He was almost certainly no match. Although the Wood Tribe couple couldn't discern the demon's exact cultivation, they could sense that his aura was several times stronger than the elder's, and their expressions immediately turned grim. "Sir Inspector, what good fortune that you have graced us with your presence. Otherwise, we would truly be in great trouble. These Wood Tribe members are the leaders of the local resistance, and we would appreciate your assistance," said the bear-like demon, respectfully bowing to the black-robed man. "Heh heh, just these three fellows? With such meager cultivation, I can exterminate them all with one hand. Rest assured, since I've encountered them, I naturally won't let them escape," the two-horned man declared with a sneer and a wild laugh.

"Fellow Daoists, the situation is dire! I will do my best to hold off this old demon for a moment; you two must immediately lead the others to retreat. Save as many as you can!" The Wood Tribe elder took a deep breath, barely suppressing the shock in his heart, and rapidly transmitted this message to the man and woman. "Elder Zhu, please do not engage this old demon directly! If there's any chance, you must also retreat!" The Wood Tribe couple's hearts clenched upon hearing this. The man quickly transmitted a warning back. The elder nodded gravely, saying nothing more. Instead, he flicked both sleeves, and over a dozen green wooden orbs flew out, instantly transforming into a dense barrage of green light spheres that shot towards their opponents, encompassing all five demons. "Seeking death!"

The black-robed demon's expression turned cold. With a furious roar, his horns suddenly flared with crimson light, and countless red threads burst forth from them. Each thread accurately struck and instantly pierced through all the green light spheres. But before a smile could form on the demon's face, a series of crisp sounds, like shattering porcelain, rang out! All the green light spheres exploded simultaneously in a flash, emitting intensely dazzling spiritual light. For a moment, all five demons, including the black-robed one, instinctively closed their eyes as their vision stung.

Seizing this opportunity, the Wood Tribe couple's figures blurred slightly before they each transformed into a green rainbow and shot backwards. Simultaneously, two distinct long cries, one firm and one gentle, erupted from their mouths. The five demons' momentary disorientation lasted only a fleeting instant; they immediately recovered their senses. Seeing this, they were all utterly enraged. "I will tear you limb from limb and refine your soul! You four, bring those two back! This old man, I shall deal with him personally," the black-robed man roared. He rubbed his hands together, and streams of dark demonic energy erupted from his body. They briefly swirled and condensed, faintly forming a two-headed demon avatar. However, this demon avatar was blurry throughout, its general form barely discernible. But after a strange hum, the avatar ferociously lunged at the elder. The Wood Tribe elder, however, remained exceptionally calm. He opened his mouth again, emitting several streams of yellow bamboo-like sword light, which formed a dense sword curtain, protecting him tightly—a posture of seeking no merit but making no mistakes. Although the demon avatar was incredibly ferocious and gained the upper hand upon contact with the sword light, it couldn't immediately break through the sword light and kill the elder. Seeing this, the other four Deity Transformation stage demons exchanged a brief, hesitant glance. Then, they transformed into gusts of black wind and sped after the two distant green rainbows.

Simultaneously, the mass of Wood Tribe members attacking below heard the two long cries. They first showed surprise, but then, without hesitation, changed their flight direction, retreating backwards. However, this time, the demons were unwilling to let the Wood Tribe members leave easily. They surged out of the fortress with strange cries, pursuing the Wood Tribe members in a dark, overwhelming wave. The more than one hundred colossal wooden figures, however, were entangled by the enormous demonic rhinos and could not extricate themselves in the slightest. Inside and outside the demon fortress, chaos reigned for a time.

No one noticed that, while the area below was in utter disarray, a faint green shadow flickered and vanished at a "node" tens of thousands of meters high, then its light receded, revealing its true form: it was Han Li, who had cast an invisibility spell. This node was covered by a layer of dark demonic energy, and over a hundred spear-wielding demons, riding on a dozen or so warboats, continuously guarded the edge of the demonic energy. They were clearly much more elite than the demons in the fortress below and remained completely unresponsive to the battle, maintaining a solemn vigil. Now, seeing a stranger suddenly appear before them, these demons were naturally greatly surprised. But before they could react or take any action, Han Li merely flicked his sleeve. Dozens of green swords flew out in a swarm, then blurred, transforming into hundreds of green threads that streaked across the void and vanished. The next moment, these demons and their warboats were instantly shredded by the green sword threads. Then, Han Li suddenly opened his mouth, and a cluster of silver flames spurted out, exploding on its own into countless silver sparks that shot across the sky. As these silver flames touched the demon and warboat wreckage, they instantly vanished with "pffft!" sounds into thin air.

Only then did Han Li form a single-handed incantation seal. Layers of five-colored gray mist emerged from his body, and with a single motion, he flashed directly into the surging demonic energy. Strangely, as the demonic energy, which seemed to be a form of restriction, came into contact with the gray mist on Han Li's body, it flickered and scattered away. In the blink of an eye, Han Li passed through the demonic energy, and before him appeared the demon "node" about an acre in size. This node was pitch black inside, and indeed, bursts of demonic energy continuously surged out from within. Seeing this sight, Han Li's expression shifted, revealing a grave look for the first time. But after a brief contemplation, he suddenly gritted his teeth and clapped his hand on his body. Black energy surged over his form, and an ancient-looking demonic armor immediately appeared on him. As he made an incantation seal, countless black runes surged out from the armor, completely enveloping his body. Han Li suddenly rolled on the ground, and intensely vibrant multicolored light radiated from his body. He transformed into a colossal Sky Phoenix adorned with long, five-colored feathers. This Sky Phoenix exuded an extremely majestic aura. With a flap of its wings, the surrounding void gently rippled, and the incoming black winds immediately dissipated. The colossal Sky Phoenix moved, then plunged into the massive black hole.

A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality - Volume 10: The Demon Realm War (Main Text)