Chapter 174
“Not at all.” The paper figure shook its head. “I can only tell that this is a powerful curse, utilizing the connection between the Inferno Core and the Inferno Beasts to bind them to the Inferno Demon God. They now share a tighter symbiotic relationship; one could say the Inferno Core is the Inferno Demon God.”
This meant that at this moment, Kraken was devouring the power of the Inferno Core, which was equivalent to consuming the power of the Inferno Demon God.
Moreover, due to the curse, the Inferno Demon God itself was likely weakened further by some damage from the branches of the Tree of Life, causing its perception to falter to the point of mistaking identities, leaving it unable to resist. That fleeting glance it had just cast was probably its only means of attack.
No wonder Kraken, after being attacked, didn’t retreat but advanced instead; it had sensed the Inferno Demon God’s weakness earlier and immediately took action.
With this thought, Ye Bai suddenly recalled how the Inferno Demon God had initially mistaken Kraken for Kedar, and her expression turned quite peculiar.
The nature of the Serpent Demon is greed and consumption. Kedar, the lord of the eighth layer of the Inferno, wouldn’t find it difficult to locate the entrance to the ninth layer.
Inferno Beasts are inherently chaotic and unruly, requiring absolute power to suppress them.
If the Serpent Demon entered this layer and discovered an injured and immobile Inferno Demon God, one could only imagine what thoughts would cross its mind.
Combining this with the words just revealed by the Inferno Demon God, Ye Bai could easily envision the entire growth process of Kedar.
The absence of any material in this layer of Inferno space made sense; all those substances tainted by the aura of the Inferno Core had been consumed by Kedar, becoming nourishment for the eight-headed Serpent Demon. However, due to the high essence of the Inferno Core, it had a natural suppressive force, preventing the Serpent Demon from devouring it.
Upon encountering Kraken, Kedar must have sensed an opportunity, willing to go to any lengths to consume the still demigod-level Kraken, evolve into the nine-headed Serpent of the Inferno, and then swallow the bound Inferno Demon God of the ninth layer, becoming the new ruler of the Inferno.
Now, Kedar’s plan had failed, but the one doing the consuming was now the higher essence Sea God, Kraken… The imposing Inferno Demon God before Ye Bai suddenly took on a different impression in her eyes.
Ye Bai couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pity—wasn’t this just a giant battery?
First the Serpent Demon, then the Sea God, and now the Inferno Demon God—what a tragic fate!
“Kraken!”
At that moment, the Inferno Demon God spoke again. From this distance, Ye Bai could clearly see its face filled with anger and disbelief.
“How could you possibly be here? Did… someone send you?”
Across the water’s surface, Ye Bai distinctly saw the ‘…’ as it emerged from the Inferno Demon God’s lips. It spoke a name, but curiously, Ye Bai heard no sound at all. Even the shape of its mouth was so blurred that she couldn’t make any guesses or judgments about the syllables, as if it had been completely ‘blocked.’
Good grief! Does even a holographic game have ‘pixelation’?
As a cold joke flickered in her mind, Ye Bai heard the Inferno Demon God continue, “Have you forgotten who your true master is? You actually listen to that traitor!”
Ye Bai was taken aback. She could confirm that Kraken’s former master was the God King, so who was the traitor the Inferno Demon God was referring to? Kraken had claimed to be placed here by the God King, so why did the Inferno Demon God say Kraken was listening to a traitor?
Moreover, speaking of ‘betrayal,’ Ye Bai had seen the chains binding the Inferno Demon God, one of which bore the title ‘Rebel.’ The existence of the curse indicated that the rebel referred to the Inferno Demon God, which could certainly be connected. What was the relationship here?
The Inferno Demon God’s words seemed contradictory and chaotic compared to what Ye Bai had learned earlier, but at this moment, logically speaking, the Inferno Demon God had no reason to lie.
And who was that name that had been pixelated? Could it be the nameless one currently in Ye Bai’s scroll?
Ye Bai’s mind raced with the implications of the Inferno Demon God’s words, but it was clear that its true conversation partner was Kraken.
Having had countless feeding experiences, Ye Bai knew that when it came to eating, Kraken was completely focused, not a bit distracted. Right now, Kraken was in a state of relentless consumption, and the Inferno Demon God’s barrage of questions received no response.
Even Kraken’s status information had settled into a stable ‘Feeding’ state.
The Inferno Core was continuously generating power, while Kraken was continuously devouring it. The waters no longer churned, and this space was no longer filled with rampant chaotic energy; instead, a kind of balance was gradually achieved.
The ‘insatiable hunger’ that had been plaguing Ye Bai was suddenly resolved, but she couldn’t feel any joy at this moment. Wasn’t this just another form of sealing?
But Kraken had also said that this was her responsibility as the Sea King.
Fortunately, the Inferno Demon God, which could have posed a significant threat, was in a dire state, while Kraken held the advantage and remained unharmed. In the future, Ye Bai might find a better way to resolve this issue, but for now, she felt utterly helpless.
With no response from Kraken, the Inferno Demon God fell silent after its furious accusations.
Ye Bai then turned her gaze to the Inferno Demon God’s wounds, focusing on the main objective of her quest—
Since she was already here and had encountered the weakened state of the Inferno Demon God, shouldn’t she seize the opportunity to obtain that item?
But there was one more thing to consider… Ye Bai asked the paper figure, “If I take the branch of the Tree of Life, will it enhance the Inferno Demon God’s power?”
If the Inferno Demon God’s strength exploded, breaking the current balance, that would be digging her own grave.
The paper figure pondered for a moment before giving a definitive answer: “No, it will only restore more of its perception. The main limitation is the curse, and… Kraken is also growing stronger.”
Hearing this, Ye Bai glanced at Kraken, who was nearing level 110, and nodded.
Then she pushed the bubble of light slowly to the surface, wanting to cautiously approach the bound Demon God and take the branch of the Tree of Life.
However, just as Ye Bai surfaced—
“Who?!”
A searing gaze attacked her.
Ye Bai heard the sound of the bubble threatening to burst and quickly leveled up, executing a rapid roll in the opposite direction. The bubble barely poked its head above the surface before swiftly submerging again.
‘-1387’
Not only that, but a terrifying damage notification also floated up from Ye Bai.
The bubble had shielded her from the burning damage, but she had still suffered soul damage, even with the damage reduction effect of the Crocodile King’s bracers.
Kraken’s tentacles moved beneath the water, blocking the Inferno Demon God’s searching gaze, but while maintaining the balance with the Inferno Core, there was only so much Kraken could do.
“Who is it? Sneaking around there! Kraken, who are you protecting?”
From this statement, Ye Bai truly realized that the Inferno Demon God’s gaze was no longer friendly; it had only just now noticed her presence. Perhaps it was also because her level was too low, and her size was dwarfed by Kraken.
But this attempt made Ye Bai understand that even in such a severely weakened state, the Inferno Demon God was still akin to a high-energy laser cannon with incredible speed. As long as it aimed, it was inevitable that she would be swept by its fire. One more glance, and Ye Bai’s health bar wouldn’t hold up.
In this situation, it was unrealistic to expect Ye Bai to rush over and grab the branch of the Tree of Life from the Inferno Demon God.
Long-range skills were useless; given the Inferno Demon God’s status, simply taking the branch from it would likely be quite a challenge.
The situation had once again reached a stalemate.
The quest item was so close, yet to miss it was truly frustrating. If only the branch of the Tree of Life could fly over!
Unfortunately, the paper figure could only alter magical text; even if the branch had elvish language inscribed on it, it wouldn’t have any effect. The paper figure could at most change the state of the item, like the Death Codex.
Wait a minute… Ye Bai’s gaze swept over the fishing rod in her personal backpack, which had proven immensely useful before. Suddenly, an idea struck her, and she looked at the paper figure:
“Can you change the properties of the branch of the Tree of Life to that of a fish?”
The paper figure was taken aback. “B-but that’s a branch, not a living creature…”
Ye Bai replied, “Isn’t the ‘vitality’ of the Tree of Life branch enough?”
The paper figure paused, then took a deep breath. “You truly are a genius!”
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