Chapter 576: Chapter 291: Inferior Demon
In his heart, he had already made the decision that when he returned, he would send the scout responsible for the intelligence network in River Valley Town of Pan Yun Province to be cannon fodder in the Blood War.
Actually, even if it were something else, like a Bear or possibly a more combat-capable demon, it wouldn’t make any difference to him, as he could easily use his own abilities to lead Abi deep into the tunnel of the cave.
But it was just this "Petrified Lizard," a creature that relies on its unique ability to support its Challenge Level.
With only a consciousness temporarily reliant on a special tool, he was unable to help Abi resist the attack of the "Petrification Gaze."
And with Abi’s physical constitution, as long as he’s within the range of the ability’s effect, being looked at even briefly almost certainly triggers the petrification effect, leaving him helpless to resist.
"This is troublesome."
The devil from Hell began to consider countermeasures.
"Lord Saloyan, is there a problem?"
The sudden silence of the male voice in his mind made Abi, whose mind had gradually been influenced and controlled over this period, panic and he asked nervously.
"Hehe, it’s nothing major, we just might have to switch..."
As usual, Saloyan’s voice came to comfort him, but he stopped midway as if he had discovered something.
With a hint of surprise in his tone, he directed Abi to look to the northwest.
The young man lying in the shrubs, with his breath concealed by magic particles, turned his gaze to the grass ahead to the side.
In front of him were three fully armed figures.
An adventurer team!
Almost instantly, Abi recognized the familiar figure in the middle of the group.
"Boss Adeline!? Why is she here?"
"Oh?" The devil’s voice echoed in his skull once again, "You know them?"
Hearing this, Abi instinctively pursed his dry, bloodless lips, hesitated slightly, and then slowly said:
"I have no impression of the other two, but the short-haired woman in the middle was the senior who brought me into the profession, her name is Adeline, and I heard recently that she has achieved a Professional Level."
"Hmm, the three of them don’t look familiar with each other, so they probably aren’t long-time teammates." Without needing to make contact to inquire, the devil deduced Adeline and her companions’ relationships through the details of their interactions, "So... it’s a temporary team-up for an advancement mission?"
"They appeared at just the right moment, saving us the trouble of going deeper into the woods."
From Saloyan’s tone in his mind, sensing he might be planning something.
Abi seemed visibly hesitant, mumbling for a while before cautiously pleading:
"My lord, can you spare that woman, she was quite good to me in the past, I..."
Before he could finish, Saloyan, sensing his signs of breaking free, interrupted him with an unusually severe tone, questioning:
"Good to you?"
"If she was really that good to you, why didn’t you stick with her, instead of going out to form teams with others?"
In just a few days, under the devil’s verbal control, Abi had even disclosed the names of neighbors from his childhood to him, so he naturally knew about his separation from the Green Blood Team.
"I... I..."
Abi opened his mouth but couldn’t speak.
"Isn’t it because those seniors exploit their years of experience to hog the richest earnings, leaving the dirty and tiring work for you."
"You’re all adventurers; she can’t be unaware of the stress you face, playing a few games at the casino or drinking with friends; how does that affect her, why should she meddle so much?"
"Isn’t she just worried that you’d detach from her control, become rebellious by mingling with others?"
"Thinking about it that way, is this Adeline really as good as you think?"
The hastened speech rate and warning-like tone made Abi instinctively not dare to question.
Initially, he felt that what the other party said had some issues, but immediately, as the devil’s words unearthed the disagreements that prompted him to leave the team, his emotions were quietly stirred, and anger surged.
"Indeed! Why can’t I enjoy the hard-earned money I’ve earned by risking my life?"
"Even if it’s all thrown at the gambling table, all turned into booze, it’s what I earned, it has nothing to do with that rigid and stubborn woman!"
"Now that I finally have a bit of opportunity, with Lord Saloyan’s guidance, why is she coming out here again?"
"Could it be she wants to..."
The young man’s changing yet obviously darkened expression made the devil from Hell silently laugh.
But he didn’t follow the thought, instead deliberately changing his attitude, using a gentle tone to dissuade:
"Don’t think too much, those things are in the past, and aren’t you already away from the Green Blood Team now?"
"Don’t worry, you don’t have to do anything, leave everything to me."
"Just stay here obediently, and follow my instructions when the time comes."
Hearing this, Abi’s face suddenly showed gratitude, he nodded vigorously.
He didn’t bring up the previous matters again, only quietly stayed deep in the shrubs, waiting for the devil’s next order.
Following that, Saloyan started his actions.
First, his mind extended to the maximum, beyond the vision ranges of Abi, and even of those adventurers in front of him, sketching a basic array on the ground behind the entrance of the tunnel.
Magic power infused.
Buzz—
The Magic Radiance vanished in a flash, and the space twisted for an instant.
Amidst quickly dissipating sulfur stench, an almost gooey ugly creature slumped on the ground.
Its limbs were replaced by a mass of molten flesh, writhing forward, two disproportionate arms stretched out from the ribs, barely discernible in the shape of a chest and abdomen, hesitantly moving;
Its face was bizarrely grotesque, with features present but arranged as if in the scattered pattern of a child’s puzzle, nose next to an ear, mouth below an eye, chaotically arranged.
A banished twisted soul, flesh deformed under the curse of Nine Prisons.
This was an—
Inferior Demon!
The already fragile consciousness was shattered the moment it was teleported into the Material Realm by the summoner, turning into a stiff, broken shell of flesh.
Saloyan remotely controlled the body of the inferior demon, silently writhing into the nest.
Its doughy, twisted movements significantly reduced the noise it made while moving.
Added with some insignificant tricks, the deeply asleep Petrified Lizard remained unaware.
As planned, the inferior demon quietly bypassed the Petrified Lizard’s massive body, reaching its back.
Then, the three oval cyan-gray lizard eggs that Saloyan had sensed long before appeared in the inferior demon’s line of sight.
Delving too deep, gradually moving out of control range, the connection between him and the inferior demon rapidly weakened.
Without hesitation, Saloyan manipulated the inferior demon’s body, deliberately emitting a sulfur scent, lunging towards the three lizard eggs.
"Krack."
The crisp sound echoed eerily in the cave.
Roar—
The furious roar erupted abruptly from behind, severing the connection with the inferior demon instantly.
Feeling the fine vibrations rapidly coming up from deep underground.
A peculiar smile appeared on Saloyan’s unseen face.
Controlling the magic particles, he gently gathered them on those three unlucky adventurers.
A faint sulfur smell, beyond the Perception Ability of ordinary humans but within the range of a demon’s sense of smell, emerged on their bodies.
This didn’t even qualify as the simplest trick; it was merely the most basic application of the magic particles.
It wouldn’t take even five minutes for this faint scent to dissipate on its own.
But at this moment, it was enough to become the target for the violence of that frenzy-driven demon.
Roar—
The massive cyan-gray figure charged recklessly, disappearing into the chaotic thickets at an exaggerated speed.
Feeling the tension and fear of the young man below, Saloyan softened his tone and spoke softly:
"It’s okay now, get up."
"Head into the cave."