Chapter 78: The Demon Lord Immortal

Neither demons nor devils are easy to deal with; even summoning a mere projection of one through a scroll carries considerable risk. Although the Realm of Chaos lacks the legendary Abyss and the Nine Hells, devils and demons do exist, and—as the stories claim—they are indeed wicked and dangerous.

They are masters at corrupting hearts, tempting mortals into downfall.

Of course, summoning a devil’s projection with a scroll does not mean Sun Yu has been seduced or corrupted, nor can one say he has colluded with devils simply by using a scroll.

But the power of devils is never borrowed lightly.

Every devil is a master at manipulating minds. To borrow their strength always demands a price—even when using a scroll.

This projection of the Abyssal Forge Devil, once summoned, said nothing but immediately called forth a horde of devils to assault the city. There was no usual demand for payment, which leaves only two possibilities: either the price has already been paid, or it will be claimed later.

It’s worth noting that, though the Abyssal Forge Devil bears the name “Abyss,” it is not an abyssal demon but rather a hellish devil.

This is a high-ranking archdevil, immensely powerful, many at the legendary tier. Adding the title of “Devil Lord,” its true form must be at least legendary, if not stronger. The projection’s strength depends on the power invested in the summoning; this one is at the extraordinary tier, but with its true form’s bonus, it must be much stronger than a typical extraordinary entity.

A swarm of low-tier devils surged forward, many soaring straight for the city walls, and the fear was plain on the faces of the orc defenders.

Devils frighten not only humans, but all races.

Fortunately, their numbers were few. Though the orcs were afraid, they did not flee. With their officers constantly shouting to bolster morale, they steadied themselves, took up javelins, and threw them, while others manned the ballistae atop the walls, aiming at the sky.

Thick bolts shot upward, most missing their marks, but when they struck, they killed instantly.

Ballistae boast attack power above a thousand, with exceptional armor-piercing capabilities—especially when used in siege defense. Any devil struck with less than a thousand health is slain outright.

Elsewhere, the catapults on the walls began to adjust, and with each launch, dozens of stones—some as large as basins, others as small as fists—rained down, causing a flurry of damage.

The impact of a catapult depends on its size and the stones thrown. Fist-sized stones deal two or three hundred damage, while basin-sized rocks deliver over a thousand. They have a high chance to trigger crushing, shattering, critical or fatal strikes, as well as maiming, dismemberment, and other effects.

A mere graze wounds, a direct hit kills.

This is why Chu Cheng dared not recklessly assault military fortresses.

The Blackstone Fortress had only five hundred defenders before, led by a terrifying warlord with a template above level forty and elite lieutenants of similar rank. With their upgraded spatial refraction talents, they could have fought tactically, but Chu Cheng had never intended a frontal assault on Blackstone Fortress, fearing disaster.

The fortress’s war machines weren’t confined to the walls; they were inside as well, including nets.

If anyone were ensnared, their fate would be dire.

As the orcs scrambled to fend off the attacking devils, the projection of the Abyssal Forge Devil suddenly rose into the air, vanished in a flash, and reappeared behind the Blackstone Fortress’s gates.

Its enormous claws hovered, terror radiated outward, and masses of orc soldiers scattered in panic, but some fell under its charm, their eyes dazed as they walked toward the gates.

With a dull boom, the gates of Blackstone Fortress were opened from within.

“Damn!”

Seeing this, Chu Cheng was speechless.

The gates had been opened; Sun Yu had claimed the greatest benefit of the bounty. If Chu Cheng went now, it would merely be a supplement—he could not claim the top reward.

He abandoned his previous plan; making a wedding dress for another was not to his taste.

The ensuing events unfolded without surprise. A supernatural devil led the charge, and the devils alone threw Blackstone Fortress into chaos. With the outside forces taking advantage and storming in, the orcs within quickly collapsed.

The fortress still had a level forty-three orc warlord, but under the Abyssal Forge Devil’s suppression, he was powerless.

Attacked from within and without, the war machines atop the walls proved ineffective.

In less than two hours, the battle within the fortress had ended.

“Sun Yu’s ranking has surpassed yours.”

This message arrived from the homeroom teacher less than ten minutes after the fortress fell; Sun Yu’s performance in this battle propelled him past Chu Cheng, relegating him to second place, with Pan Yue in third.

“Damn it!”

He asked, exasperated:

“Teacher, isn’t this against the rules? I remember there’s no way to summon an archdevil or use such scrolls in the joint exam scenario.”

Duanyu Qin was silent for a moment before replying:

“Strictly speaking, this method lies at the edge of the rules. Whether it’s allowed depends on the school’s discretion. Since no action has been taken, it implies permission.”

“Emmm.....”

Chu Cheng had nothing to say.

A True Realm Stone worth a thousand gold coins, used just like that—what could he do?

He could cheat, so others could as well. Sun Yu was using a resource hack.

Don’t talk about fairness, or claim that outside forces aren’t allowed to interfere in the exam.

The school does have such rules, but since they haven’t reacted, Sun Yu’s scroll isn’t considered a violation—it might even be a previous reward.

Though he didn’t believe it; it was surely against the rules.

“This is getting dangerous.”

From what Zhang Chunlei had said earlier, Chu Cheng inferred that Sun Yu could use the same method again. If he repeated it when assaulting the Orc King’s headquarters, opening the gates once more, he would again seize the crucial plot influence and five-star scenario rating.

Given this move, surpassing Sun Yu’s ranking would be difficult.

Even if Chu Cheng achieved the same key plot influence and five-star rating, it wouldn’t suffice; he would need to go further.

And going further meant achieving core plot influence.

Take the assault on the Orc King’s city: he would have to breach the gates before anyone else—the so-called “first ascent.” Then, by killing masses of orcs to trigger a qualitative change, and slaying the Orc Grand Chieftain.

But this was an impossible task.

Sun Yu would never let him succeed; aside from killing masses of orcs, the other two were unattainable.

“Headache!”

Chu Cheng rubbed his face hard, unable to think of a way to break the deadlock.

Once the orcs were cleared and the human army moved in, Chu Cheng entered the blood-soaked fortress.

But as soon as he stepped inside, he sensed a strange aura approaching, and the mark in the void between his brows began to burn.

He turned quickly, seeing a human warrior in armor walking toward him.

This figure was unusually tall, far taller than others, and approached empty-handed. He removed his helmet, revealing an exceptionally handsome eastern face. Placing a hand over his chest, he made a graceful salute and said:

“My name is Immortal. It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

“Abyssal Forge Devil!”

Chu Cheng’s brow furrowed as he stepped back warily.

Immortal smiled and said,

“Indeed, this isn’t the place for conversation. Perhaps we can go somewhere else.”

He curled two fingers and snapped them, and Chu Cheng saw the space around him twist. The crowd vanished instantly, the bustling scene replaced by utter silence.