Chapter 67

Chapter 10: Deke Manor

"Beep beep!"

Amidst the overwhelming negative energy, the EMs on the high-level demon hunters accompanying them went off wildly. Standing there, people could clearly see the bodies on the ground in front of the manor, marked with traces of fire and frost. Some of these bodies were enemies, while others were armored rangers and black-cloaked apostles...

"That's Mr. Kutz!" someone cried out in shock; indeed, at the foot of the manor's wall, a man in an apostle's cloak lay there, lifeless. His lower half was about twenty feet away from his upper half, and the wound between his upper and lower body still exuded a familiar negative energy that Ye Qi recognized.

Ye Qi's heart tightened instantly. This negative energy was all too familiar, just like the one he encountered in Wuye Town, Winter Forest District, with Freyka. He immediately signaled his companions behind him to be cautious and then called out to the strange wolf in his mind.

"You're right! It's the aura of a demon!" In response to Ye Qi's summons, the strange wolf quickly appeared and confirmed Ye Qi's suspicions, while also pointing out his mistake: "But what you encountered last time can't be compared to this! The demon ritual has already been completed!"

The ritual is completed?!

Ye Qi's brows furrowed. The terrifying aspect of demon worshippers lies in the bizarre powers they gain from demons after completing the ritual—although every time demon worshippers appear, they are eliminated by demon hunters, the demon hunters pay a price several times, even ten times, greater!

"This reckless fellow, while on surveillance duty, led his people to launch a surprise attack on the Deke family..." The cold-faced man explained the sudden turn of events to the frost-faced Jacob, his tone unusually angry; however, it was clear that he was angry at his own negligence: "Nofa has failed. Please report to you, Sir, and Nofa is willing to accept punishment!"

Kutz, the apostle who was dismembered, was the elite apostle from the previous year who had fought Ye Qi alongside Jagos. This time, he was sent by Jacob to monitor Deke Manor. Due to being continuously suppressed by the current apostles and feeling不服气 (unwilling to accept) that Ye Qi had discovered such an important clue, he wanted to resolve the Deke Manor issue before Jacob arrived. The result was obvious: not only did he lose his life, but his companions also couldn't escape, and the rangers were also affected.

Ye Qi merely glanced indifferently at the fallen bodies, without a trace of sorrow—because Kutz was the apostle who used the rust ability; it was already fortunate that Ye Qi wasn't laughing. As for sorrow? He wasn't a crocodile, shedding tears while eating its prey!

Moreover, Ye Qi didn't quite believe what the cold-faced man said. Given his understanding of the cold-faced man's methods and efficiency, he wouldn't make such a low-level mistake of failing to control his subordinates; even if his tone now conveyed regretful anger, it wouldn't change that. Of course, if the giant had been speaking, Ye Qi would have been more willing to believe him.

Nofa, what are you up to?

Ye Qi stared at the cold-faced man's icy expression, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Due to Kutz's premature action, the Deke family is now prepared, but their several charges have been repelled!" With Jacob's arrival, Nofa immediately handed over command: "Now, please give your orders, Sir!"

"High-level demon hunters and apostles, deploy in batches and launch a strong attack! Win quickly!"

After being alerted, it was impossible to take the manor by surprise and without a sound. Although a strong attack would increase casualties, the longer the delay, the more disadvantageous it would be for them—although the Demon Hunters' Guild had a dominant position in Shaker, there were still places they had to be cautious about, such as the manor district where many prominent families and wealthy clans had their estates. Even if most of the manors were only regularly cleaned by servants and the owners were not present, if even a small part were, the Demon Hunters' Guild would have a difficult time explaining it.

Therefore, the process had to be as quick as possible!

"Bang!"

Under the operation of a high-level demon hunter, the gate of Deke Manor and a section of the wall flew into the air with a dull sound. Jacob was the first to enter, followed by the other high-level demon hunters. At Ye Qi's signal, his team and the newly appointed apostles who had a good relationship with him walked at the back—those who rushed in first were likely to die first, after all, demon worshippers were no joke.

Leading his team, Ye Qi entered Deke Manor, and immediately a mix of negative energy and the smell of blood hit him. If the negative energy alone was just uncomfortable, the heavy scent of blood now made it almost unbearable!

"Phew!"

Ye Qi exhaled lightly, and a white breath appeared in the cold negative energy.

What a heavy negative energy! Combined with such a strong smell of blood, what demon ritual did the Deke family complete?

Ye Qi's doubts were quickly answered—inside the main building's hall, bodies lay scattered, numbering over a hundred. What caught everyone's attention was a massive altar built entirely from these bodies; at the key points of the pentagram, human skulls were stacked to form a tower of skulls. The grotesque faces were filled with unwillingness, resentment, and fear...

Blood flowed from under the skulls, converging along the lines of the pentagram. In the cruel, blood-soaked lines, the cold negative energy emitted a joyful hum. At the center of the altar, a tall figure was immersed in it, with a beautiful face, bare chest, and six smooth arms holding a long sword, each adorned with differently colored gems. The coiled, serpentine lower body clearly revealed its identity—the Six-Armed Serpent Demon.

"All high-level demon hunters, fall back!"

Although the Six-Armed Serpent Demon was not the highest-ranking demon in the Abyss and had not reached the level of a lord, it was no longer something ordinary demon hunters with firearms could handle. Only magical weapons, or even holy relics or apostles, could inflict damage on it.

It's actually a Six-Armed Serpent Demon! This is troublesome...

Before entering, Ye Qi had prepared himself for the heavy negative energy and the smell of blood, but when he saw the Six-Armed Serpent Demon at the center of the altar, he couldn't help but feel a deep shock—he hadn't expected the Deke family to be so疯狂 (mad) as to sacrifice over a hundred lives to fully summon the Six-Armed Serpent Demon to the material world. With this number, they probably sacrificed everyone in the manor, including relatives and servants! Even without the Demon Hunters' Guild's intervention, the Deke family would be extinct! However, facing the trouble left by the Deke family—the Six-Armed Serpent Demon—with the current manpower of the Demon Hunters' Guild, winning would likely cost more than half of them their lives...

And among them, it might include his companions...

"Hehe, boy, it looks like you're in trouble again, huh?"