95: The Four Demon Gods Cult

Somewhere in the Black Mountain Range, several figures cloaked in black appeared silently.

The lead black-robed figure took a disc from his robe and threw it onto the ground. The disc lit up, and three figures appeared; the other black-robed figures scattered nearby to keep watch.

"Giles, have you already met with that Red Dragon Queen?"

"Yes, she has agreed to join forces with us."

"Hahahaha!"

"I knew that Red Dragon wouldn't be able to resist the temptation of a Dragon King's Dragon Crystal."

The three figures on the disc were somewhat excited upon hearing Giles's reply.

"Hmph, Red Dragon Queen?"

"How can she call herself a queen without breaking through to the realm of an Extreme Realm King? She is but a false queen; of course she wouldn't pass up this chance to become a true monarch!"

"A Dragon King's Dragon Crystal... back then, we sacrificed a Great Demon's avatar to obtain it. Using it as bait to lure that Red Dragon was naturally foolproof."

Even now, Giles felt a pang of regret when he recalled the loss of that Great Demon's avatar.

"What did you discover during your investigation? What is the strength of Dragon Peak?"

Giles was one of the twelve Archbishops of the Four Demon Gods Sect. This operation was masterminded by the four Archbishops active within the territory of the Kingdom of Asriel.

And Giles was the primary driver among them.

"Dragon Peak is, after all, where ancient ruins are located. Coupled with that Red Dragon occupying it for thousands of years, it is filled with Magic Arrays and barriers. My raven was restricted, so I didn't see much."

As Giles spoke, the red-eyed raven perched on his shoulder shook its head in annoyance.

"According to my observations, there should be more than fifteen dragons within Dragon Peak. Including the dragons scattered outside, the total should exceed twenty."

"The Dragonkin, Dragon-blood Magic Beasts, and other bloodline vassals under the dragons are numerous and not weak. I sensed over thirty Gold Rank presences alone."

"Furthermore, that Red Dragon possesses extraordinary means. The Dragon Worship Cult she founded personally is quite formidable. Besides that Legendary Dragon-blood Sorcerer, Roderick, there is at least one Legendary Dragon-blooded Warrior, and the number of Goblin and Kobold tribes under their control is immense."

"By my estimation, Dragon Peak should have around five Legendary-level entities and over a hundred Gold Rank ones. Moreover, I see that the Red Dragon Queen is only a step away from taking the final step to touch the realm of a King; she could take that step at any moment."

"The aura on that Red Dragon is not a bit weaker than a Great Demon's avatar."

The other three Archbishops quickly calculated the impact of Dragon Peak on the overall situation.

"In that case, Dragon Peak is considered the strongest power in the Black Mountain Range. With them taking action, the success rate of this operation should be extremely high."

"Not necessarily. The other two major powers in the Black Mountain Range, the Secluded Valley and the Fairy Forest, haven't appeared in the world for hundreds of years. No one knows how many experts are hidden within them; they might not be weaker than Dragon Peak."

"I wonder if Dragon Peak's cooperation with us this time will provoke them. After all, thousands of years ago, the Human Empire signed covenants with the ancient beings in the Secluded Valley and the Fairy Forest."

Giles did not take this concern to heart.

"The Human Empire has been extinct for three thousand years. In these three thousand years, the human factions have experienced so many upheavals, and yet we haven't seen the Secluded Valley or the Fairy Forest step in to help."

"Those old-fashioned fogies only care about their own little patch of land and won't bother with outside affairs."

"Rest assured, there's no need to worry about them. I've made some arrangements in the Black Mountain Range. If there's any movement from the Secluded Valley or the Fairy Forest, we'll respond in time."

Giles turned his gaze toward one of the Archbishops and asked:

"How are things going at the Frostchill Corridor?"

"Everything is going smoothly. The army is ready and is heading south!"

"What about Eight Peaks Mountain?"

"The dwarves and humans have always been in close contact. Once we act, Eight Peaks Mountain is very likely to come to their aid."

Another black-robed Archbishop answered Giles's question unhurriedly.

"Everything at Eight Peaks Mountain is going according to plan. The mist of trickery is spreading rapidly, and the Dwarf King's anger toward humans is building. It won't be long before they sever ties with the human kingdom."

While Giles was communicating with the two Archbishops, the last Archbishop let out a sneer.

"You followers of the Lord of the Devious Path still love engaging in these conspiracies and tricks as much as ever."

Giles and the other two Archbishops looked at the fourth Archbishop with unfriendly expressions.

Upon closer inspection, it could be seen that although all four Archbishops wore black robes, the robes had different patterns.

The patterns on the black robes of Giles and the other two were similar, while the fourth Archbishop's robe had different decorations; his robe had fewer mysterious lines and many more signs of rot.

"Sergio, follower of the Father of Decay, we contacted you to participate in this operation, not to stand aside and sneer."

The Four Gods Sect is descended from the four Demon Gods of the Chaos Demon Abyss. Rumor has it that in ancient times, the four Demon Gods performed miracles on the Noah Continent, after which followers of the Four Demon Gods appeared and established their respective sects.

However, although all four Demon Gods hailed from the Chaos Demon Abyss, back then, the four gods were hostile to one another, incompatible as fire and water, and frequently engaged in wars. As sects that worshipped the Demon Gods, the four major sects were naturally also at odds.

But since the four Chaos Demon Gods disappeared along with the ancient gods tens of thousands of years ago, the conflicts between the four Demon God sects gradually decreased.

Over tens of thousands of years, the activities of the Four Demon Gods Sect on the Noah Continent became increasingly difficult.

They could no longer communicate with the four Demon Gods they worshipped, and it was hard to even contact powerful beings from the Chaos Demon Abyss like former Demon Princes or Great Demons. Occasionally, if the four major sects were lucky, they could only summon an avatar of a Great Demon.

Under such circumstances, the strength of the Four Demon Gods Sect was greatly diminished, and at one point, it was nearly wiped out.

During that special period, the Four Demon Gods Sect merged under the leadership of a powerful individual who claimed to possess the blessings of all four Demon Gods.

These four once-incompatible sects merged into one for survival, which is the current Four Demon Gods Sect.

However, even after merging, internal strife within the Four Demon Gods Sect continued; as long as external pressure wasn't great, they would begin their internal struggles.

Giles was a rising star who had emerged within the Four Demon Gods Sect in the last thousand years. He worshipped the Demon God who legendarily mastered wisdom and knowledge, whose eyes saw through everything: the Lord of the Devious Path.

Giles, a follower of the Lord of the Devious Path, was completely unable to communicate with the Archbishops who worshipped the Lord of Bloodlust. Every time he thought of those three muscle-bound, brainless fellows, he would get angry.

He had collaborated several times with Sergio, who worshipped the Father of Decay. Although he still found the other man unpleasant, they could at least work together.

"Don't be angry, Giles. Anger is bad for the body. I have a newly concocted potion here; would you like a taste?"

"It's very nourishing!"

"No need. Just tell us about the situation on your end!"

"Rest assured, rest assured. The followers of the Grandfather are always reliable. The potion you requested has already been concocted. As long as you need it, the Plague Flowers will bloom for you."

Upon hearing the definite news from Sergio, Giles's mood improved slightly.

"Very good!"

"Then prepare the final materials!"

"This ritual will surely succeed. Now it just depends on what choice the chosen Demon Seed makes."

Sergio actually had some doubts about Giles's plan.

"The Demon Seed... in the endless passage of time, the Demon Seeds everyone has chosen number in the hundreds or thousands, yet not once has the right one been picked. Giles, are you sure there's no problem with this target?"

"I sacrificed a hundred thousand lives to receive the revelation, then spent decades undercover by his side to confirm his identity. There can be no mistake!"

"Fine, whatever. As long as you're confident, there's no harm in trying once!"

Sergio shrugged indifferently. Anyway, he was only providing some potions this time; it didn't matter if it failed. It just so happened that those masterpieces he recently concocted were waiting for living beings to taste them!

Thinking of this, he could hardly wait to return to his great cauldron to concoct more brews.

"That's all then. Everything that needed to be said has been said. I'm going back to continue concocting my potions. Contact me if anything comes up!"

With that, Sergio's figure disappeared from the disc, leaving behind only the three followers of the Lord of the Devious Path.

Giles ignored Sergio's departure and continued to plot the implementation of the remaining plan with the other two Archbishops.

In the dark, dense forest, the shrill cry of a raven echoed through the woods.