To be honest, Young Master Hollow felt like he was terribly unlucky.
It wasn't like he hadn't tried to find the treasure grounds, but somehow, he had inexplicably gotten lost. Not only lost, but wandering aimlessly through the jungle for who knows how long—until, in the dark, he finally saw the guiding light of Xuanhuang Town's Dawn Lantern. Following that beacon, he managed to find his way back to the town.
As he entered, he sighed inwardly, "Truly, no matter where you go, riding in a carriage is always the most comfortable—at least you won't get lost." He swore that from now on, if he could avoid traveling alone, he absolutely would. The feeling of being lost... was just too hollow.
But upon returning, he saw the proclamation posted in town.
Learning that Xuanhuang Town was about to be attacked by an army of foreign races, he immediately made a decision: he wasn't leaving.
The very reason he had come out was to make more people aware of the great name of—Young Master Hollow!
He hadn't had the chance yet. Originally, he had planned to display his strength in the treasure grounds and become famous across the lands. Unfortunately... he got lost. No need to say more about that.
His heart was full of tears.
But now, he saw a great opportunity.
With the foreign races attacking Xuanhuang Town, all eyes within thousands, even tens of thousands of miles would be drawn here—not just humans, but also ferocious beasts, monsters, and powerful beings of other races.
If he could make a name for himself here, then without a doubt, his name would spread across the entire region.
"Only when all beings sing praises of my name can the hollowness in my heart be filled!"Young Master Hollow raised his head to the heavens and sighed, his expression empty.
He had decided—he was definitely participating in this great battle. There was no way he would miss such a chance.
Besides, Xuanhuang Town was far livelier and more interesting than his old mountain villa. It was one of the major human settlements. Every day brought something new, and even at night, the town was brightly lit by Dawn Lanterns, making it feel like daytime. Night was no less bustling than day. Skilled performers would even put on shows in the evenings.
There was an acrobat master who performed regularly at night. The liveliness here far outstripped the cold and quiet mountain villa.
And it wasn't just Young Master Hollow. Many other visiting cultivators also changed their plans after seeing the proclamation. Some decided to stay, while others left Xuanhuang Town at once.
Clearly, everyone made their own choice.
Some chose to face the foreign races head-on. Others feared them and chose to flee the battlefield.
No one could be blamed for this.
These were their personal decisions—ones they would have to live with.
Not far from the treasure grounds where the Immortal Tomb lay hidden...
Deep underground, a vast space had been carved out. A cold-blooded army stood silently within this subterranean cavern.
These were the Scorpionmen.
Demon Scorpion stood at the front. Behind him, tens of thousands of Scorpionmen warriors carried a mysterious altar, their eyes burning with fervor. A closer look revealed that their numbers easily surpassed twenty to thirty thousand. Every single Scorpionman was a fierce warrior, fully capable of combat.
If this army were to appear above ground, it would be a terrifying force.
At this moment, beneath the altar, the Scorpionmen warriors knelt respectfully.
Even Demon Scorpion bowed slightly before the altar, reverence in his expression.
Below the altar, countless poisonous scorpions were clustered together, a mass so dense it induced fear. They trembled as they encircled the altar.
"Offer the sacrifice—worship the Demon God!!"Demon Scorpion shouted loudly, waving his hand.
Swish swish swish!
Numerous Scorpionmen warriors stepped forward, dragging along captured humans—men and women alike. Clearly, they had been abducted en masse, numbering at least a hundred thousand. Some fainted from fright, others screamed in horror, while some even died on the spot from sheer terror.
"No, I don't want to be eaten! The foreign races eat people—they're monsters!"
"I'm a prince! Let me go! I'll give you gold, jewels, slaves, and beauties—anything! I don't want to die!"
"You damn monsters! Someone will avenge us! In eighteen years, I'll be back to cut you all down!"
"So many scorpions... this altar... are we being sacrificed? We're doomed. This is definitely some evil ritual!"
A wave of desperate cries filled the cavern. The scene was utter chaos, yet every single person was drowning in despair. With so many Scorpionmen around, escaping was simply impossible.
"Feed them to the altar. Sacrifice them to the Demon God."Demon Scorpion ordered coldly.
In his eyes, these humans were nothing more than livestock awaiting slaughter.
Screams echoed.
The Scorpionmen carried out the order without hesitation. Humans were thrown onto the altar, regardless of gender. The massive altar was shrouded in black mist. As soon as a body touched it, shrill screams erupted. Their flesh was rapidly consumed, their bodies vanishing into dust—swallowed whole by the altar.
Not even a trace remained.
Everything was offered up to that mysterious Demon God.
The altar acted like a monster, devouring anything tossed into it. No matter how many went in, they all vanished. The sight was deeply evil and terrifying.
One by one, humans were sacrificed.
It wasn't clear how long this continued.
But eventually, all 100,000 captives had been devoured.
At that moment, mysterious black lights flickered across the altar. Runes flowed along its surface. A vast, invisible pressure emerged—as if an unseen gaze were now observing them from beyond.
The pressure made all the Scorpionmen drop to their knees, heads bowed.
"Please, O Great Demon God, grant your blessing! Let the Scorpionmen multiply! Strengthen our kind! We shall offer you even more sacrifices!"Demon Scorpion called out with fervor.
Fwoosh!
As soon as his voice fell, black light burst from the altar, enveloping all the poisonous scorpions nearby.
Then a terrifying scene unfolded.
The scorpions began to swell rapidly, writhing in pain, some rolling across the ground in agony. Many reached their limit and exploded, bursting into clouds of blood mist—which were then absorbed by other scorpions, accelerating their transformation.
Many perished in this way.
But the ones that survived… underwent a monstrous metamorphosis.
Their bodies grew large and humanoid. Their upper halves transformed until they looked exactly like Scorpionmen warriors—with nearly identical auras and bloodlines.
These poisonous scorpions had been forcibly transformed into Scorpionmen through the power of the altar.
If word of this got out, it would cause shockwaves across the world. This kind of world-altering power was beyond imagination.
More and more scorpions exploded or transformed.
By the time the black light faded, there were tens of thousands of new Scorpionmen warriors, pushing their total number to nearly one hundred thousand.
The altar then returned to its original appearance—calm and serene, as if nothing had happened.
"Good! With such a vast army, how could we not claim dominion? A mere Xuanhuang Town—I refuse to believe you can withstand the might of my 100,000-strong army!"
Demon Scorpion laughed maniacally.
"Yi Tianxing, you dared to humiliate me! If I don't raze your town to the ground, how will I ever quell this rage in my heart? Besides… we're not the only ones who've got their eyes on you this time."
His cold laugh oozed with murderous intent.
With a wave of his hand, the Scorpionman army resumed their underground march, digging a tunnel toward Xuanhuang Town.
This time, they were going to flatten it.
In a hidden valley, the air was cold, the temperature clearly lower than outside. The chilling atmosphere was palpable.
Within the valley, packs of Gnoll warriors had gathered.
Their numbers were no less than the Scorpionmen—hundred of thousands strong, each one large, upright, weapon in hand, and eyes gleaming with vicious light.
Among them, some emanated a particularly intense icy aura.
At the front stood a massive Gnoll leader, easily twice the size of the others, clad in armor and carrying a quiver of javelins on his back—each one gleaming with cold, deadly light.