284: No more clues? Then just die peacefully.

At this moment, extreme terror was like billions of cold ants, instantly crawling into the marrow of every Demonic Evil.

It left them cold all over, frozen in place, with even their thoughts almost coming to a standstill!

It was over!

Completely over!

They had been treated as disposable pawns by His Majesty the Monarch and ruthlessly abandoned!

And this terrifying existence before them, whom even the Monarch fled from at the mere sight of, how would he deal with them?

The answer seemed self-evident!

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

The dead silence lasted for less than two seconds before it was broken by even more intense and humble sounds of kneeling and kowtowing!

The remaining Demonic Evils, including the two peak seventh-tier Demon Commanders—the Shadow Demon Commander and the Bone Staff Demon Commander.

At this moment, they no longer cared about image or dignity.

They slumped to the ground like limp mud, pressing their heads firmly against the cold, viscous floor mixed with the blood and minced flesh of their companions.

They let out hysterical, incoherent wails and pleas for mercy, filled with extreme fear and despair!

"Lord! Supreme Lord! Spare us! Spare our lives!"

The Shadow Demon Commander's voice was hoarse and distorted as he kowtowed like a garlic pestle hitting a mortar.

His hard forehead struck the ground with muffled thuds, and his skin split open instantly.

"We were wrong! We truly know we were wrong! We were blind! Our hearts were clouded! Please don't kill me!"

The Bone Staff Demon Commander was streaming with tears and snot; he had long since tossed his bone staff aside, crawling on the ground with both hands in a posture as humble as dust.

Seeing this, the other Demonic Evils followed suit, kneeling and begging for mercy one after another.

"We beg of you! Have mercy! Spare the lowly lives of us ants!"

"We are willing to offer everything! Our Souls! Our lives! Everything! We only ask that you stay your hand!"

"From now on, we will be your most loyal dogs! If you tell us to go east, we would never dare go west!"

The Demonic Evils displayed all sorts of unsightly behavior, willing to pay any price just to stay alive.

However, Chen Nian merely looked down expressionlessly at the crowd of kowtowing Demonic Evils at his feet.

His gaze was so cold that it didn't hold a single ripple of emotion.

He spoke slowly, his voice flat yet carrying a chill that could freeze one's Soul:

"Too noisy."

"Shut up!"

"Now, I ask, and you answer."

Hearing this, all the Demonic Evils were instantly startled and shut their mouths, not daring to make another sound.

Chen Nian's gaze fell upon the Shadow Demon Commander and the Bone Staff Demon Commander kneeling at the very front.

Then, he asked indifferently: "Aside from this stronghold that your master personally cut off, are there any other ways to reach the Gloomy Abyss?"

Hearing this, the Shadow Demon Commander and the Bone Staff Demon Commander trembled violently!

The two of them subconsciously raised their heads, their eyes filled with extreme terror and bewilderment.

The other Demonic Evils also held their breath instantly, a faint glimmer of hope flashing in their eyes—a hope they themselves hardly believed in.

The Shadow Demon Commander's mind raced, desperately scouring every bit of information in his memory.

The Bone Staff Demon Commander was also dripping with cold sweat, trying to find any possible unrecorded secret passage or ritual.

However, a few seconds later, both of their faces turned as pale as paper.

That faint glimmer of hope in their eyes was completely extinguished.

It was replaced by an even deeper despair.

The Shadow Demon Commander's voice was dry and tearful as he said despairingly, "Re... Reporting to the Lord... There... there are no more... truly no more..."

The Bone Staff Demon Commander also added with a trembling voice full of despair:

"Lord, please understand, the barrier between this world and our Gloomy Abyss is extremely solid, and spatial weak points are very few."

"This stronghold was the most stable passage that His Majesty the Skeleton Monarch found and established after paying a massive price..."

The Shadow Demon Commander seemed to think of something and continued with a voice of resigned despair:

"Moreover, after Lord Annihilator and this incident, His Majesty and the others are likely already filled with great wariness toward you."

"Given the way His Majesty and the others operate, they will never give you another chance—a chance to follow the connection and find the core of the Abyss..."

After the two finished speaking, they seemed to have all their strength drained away, slumping to the ground with only ashen despair left in their eyes.

They knew that this answer would likely be their death warrant.

But they didn't dare to lie.

Lying before such an existence would only lead to a worse fate.

After listening, Chen Nian fell silent for a moment. No expression could be seen on his face, and he only sighed softly.

"Is the trail gone again?"

"What a hassle..."

There was a faint, almost imperceptible trace of helplessness in his tone.

Immediately after, he looked again at the crowd of ashen-faced Demonic Evils at his feet, his tone becoming flat once more:

"So, do you have anything else to say?"

Hearing this, all the Demonic Evils were momentarily stunned before they began kneeling and begging for mercy again.

"Lord! I am willing to sign the most stringent Soul Contract to be your slave for eternity, scouting the movements of the Abyss for you!"

"We are willing to submit! We are very useful! We can help you do things!"

"Don't kill me, don't kill me, don't kill me!"

The Demonic Evils scrambled to speak, desperately showing off whatever minuscule value they might possess.

They tried to use this information and these promises to trade for a slim chance at survival.

The two commanders even struggled to straighten their bodies, their eyes filled with pleading and expectation.

They hoped that this god of slaughter before them would spare their lives for the sake of their 'honesty' and 'remaining value'.

However, as Chen Nian listened to these pleas and professions of loyalty, not only was there not the slightest hint of emotion on his face.

Instead, he showed unmasked contempt and mockery.

He shook his head slightly, as if lamenting the naivety and absurdity of these creatures.

"Submit? Work for me?"

"With just you trash, whom even your own master despises?"

"You don't even have the qualifications to be dogs."

Before his voice had even faded—

Chen Nian's figure vanished from the spot like a ghost, without any warning!

In the next instant, he had already appeared in front of the Shadow Demon Commander!

The Shadow Demon Commander's pupils shrank sharply, and the trace of expectation on his face instantly turned into extreme terror!

He subconsciously wanted to activate his Shadow Power to resist, wanted to open his mouth to beg for mercy—

However, Chen Nian didn't give him any chance at all.

He simply raised his right hand and casually slapped the Shadow Demon Commander's head.

Bang—!

Accompanied by a loud explosion.

The Shadow Demon Commander's head, condensed from Shadow Energy, burst instantly!

Along with it, the core Origin within his body also completely shattered and turned into nothingness under this single palm strike!

[Ding! Killed peak seventh-tier Demonic Evil 'Shadow Demon Commander', gained 39,891 points!]

The System's notification sound rang out clearly.

The headless shadow body of the Shadow Demon Commander fluctuated violently.

Then it dissipated like smoke, leaving no trace behind.

An instant kill!

An effortless instant kill!

The pleading and expectation on the faces of the Bone Staff Demon Commander and the other Demonic Evils froze instantly.

It was replaced by boundless horror and completely shattered despair!

Chen Nian slowly turned around, his gaze falling on the Bone Staff Demon Commander and the crowd of Demonic Evils, his eyes as indifferent as ice.

"It seems there really are no more clues."

"In that case, you can also die in peace."