Divine Emperor of Death

Sophie's mind was rocked with tumultuous waves as they headed into the inner region. Davis didn't give her any further explanation, leaving her hanging, and surprisingly, she still felt like believing in his words.

If it were from any other person she knew, any person from the Nine Western Territories, any person from mid-sized Territories, and even large Territories, she would have been skeptical inside even if she acted like believing. However, she placed great trust in him that even when she found it absurd, she couldn't help but still believe in him.

What's more, she was self-aware about the whole situation, that the thought of reaching Ninth Stage alone was absurd, let alone immortality. If it were so easy, many Grand Elders would've already become Ninth Stage Powerhouses. Even though she felt herself to be foolish for believing in his words, she couldn't think otherwise, or for what reason he would have in order to lie...

Even without Davis having to go this far to inform such a matter, she was still head over heels for him. She knew that he could undoubtedly discern her feelings for him too.

'... I didn't think falling in love would be this dangerous...'

Sophie couldn't help but shudder at this thought. She didn't like her rationality being taken away as she had never felt like this before.

However, thinking back, did she ever act rationally in front of him?

Sophie's lips curved into an embarrassed smile as she knew that the answer was no. Being with him, the only thing that made her feel was her heart unceasingly pounding, especially whenever he cast his gaze on her. It was a strange feeling, but she liked it.

Soon, Davis, Sophie, and Nadia entered the inner region. The scenery remained the same with lava flowing in streams and craters from below, but the density of magical beasts and the falling lightning became a little too high, with numerous magical beasts in the range of detecting a battle and coming to see it in curiosity rather than staying in their territory.

Davis felt that he would not be able to battle freely as there is the possibility that numerous magical beasts would gang upon him. At that moment, he would be forced to engage in a slaughter, reaping many lives rather than the ones he wanted.

"Well... This has turned into a difficult situation..." Davis uttered as he hid behind an elevated cliff along with Sophie.

"I agree..." Sophie nodded, "There's too many of them. There are even two Mid-Level King Beast Stage Magical Beasts in this surrounding hundred kilometers..."

Unlike them who kept their undulations under control, the magical beasts here sure did not bother to conceal, but instead, sometimes even made their undulations explode as if flexing their strength to warn the other magical beasts.

"Well, those two Mid-Level King Beast Stage Magical Beasts we sense are pretty far away. There's a bit of chance that we would disturb them when we fight, but if we did indeed disturb them, Nadia could take care of them."

"Isn't that right, Nadia?"

"They would be nutritious indeed..." Nadia's desiring voice resounded out from the void. It also sounded as if she licked her lips.

Davis wryly chuckled, also causing Sophie to hold in her laughter. The way Sophie felt, it was way easier to hunt them with Nadia fighting together with them.

Davis stood up from the scorched rock as he was sitting. He just took a step into the air when he suddenly stopped as his eyes narrowed. His narrowed eyes abruptly widened before he captured Sophie's wrist as he sent a soul transmission to Nadia.

"Nadia, get us out of here!"

He jumped off the cliff when Nadia suddenly swooped in and carried them away in her magical beast form, all the while maintaining her concealed state.

"What's happening!?" Sophie was shaken by his sudden movements.

"It's them..." Davis calmly uttered when suddenly sounds of distant roars could be heard.

It became increasingly audible as hundreds of undulations spread out, causing the magical beasts that were here to scram as if they had seen something terrible, like they were facing a calamity. Even the two Mid-Level King Beast Stage Magical Beasts were running for their lives in different directions.

Sophie looked behind, her purple eyes reflecting hundreds of tall Scorched-Crystal Crimson Apes coming their way with intense anger revealed in their eyes. The magical beasts that got caught in their grasp were either burned alive or tore off limb by limb as they squealed and cried in pain.

The Scorched-Crystal Crimson Apes at the King Beast Stage commanded the others to kill! However, they were also looking around as if searching for something.

"They're out here for the Scorched-Crystal Crimson Apes we killed...?" Sophie's expression changed, "How did they know!?"

"Who knows what kind of method did they use to know..." Davis had no idea as well, "But as you said, it seems like that Low-Level King Beast Stage Scorched-Crystal Crimson Ape we killed was extremely important to them. Otherwise, they wouldn't have come out in the hundreds, moving out from the Lord Beast Stage till the High-Level King Beast Stage."

"Yes, but they're increasing... They're gonna be a thousand of them soon..."

Sophie's scalp tingled as he saw those Scorched-Crystal Crimson Apes jump around, destroy mountains, become bathed in lava but still remain unscathed as they ran around killing any magical beasts that they could find in their path.

She looked back at Davis, feeling fortunate that she was with him as she felt secure.

Davis's expression appeared to be a bit pissed off while looking back, staring at the destruction they caused. He stood up and jumped off.

"Nadia, take Sophie to safety..."

"Wait!" Sophie screamed as she saw him escape the concealment, but then, he disappeared from her sight, causing her to be taken aback. Her body flinched, wanting to go after him but then instantly realized that she would only be a burden.

Most likely, she would get into a life and death situation faster than him and possibly die.

"Nadia, leave me somewhere here and go after your master! I promise that I'll hide!" She urged!

"Master doesn't' need my help..." Nadia simply replied.

"I know, but what if their Peak-Level King Beast Stage Ruler arrives? What would you do then!?

Sophie felt a minute trembled while sitting over Nadia's back. She knew that this was her chance and tried to convince, "Nadia, your master's life is more important than mine! Remember who you should protect! Is it me or him!?"

"Hmph!" Nadia snorted and abruptly split into two.

Sophie became flabbergasted as she looked at the other Nadia. Wasn't this the same move Nadia used in the battle exchange to corner the Ancestor? She had heard about this strange technique before...

Nadia used her doppelganger technique to split herself before using her main body to search for Davis, while she used her energy body to take Sophie to safety.

Sophie sighed as she felt that this arrangement was okay. Last time, it was because of her that Davis failed to kill those Twin-Shelled Earthen Tortoises, and she still felt bad about it. She didn't want the same or similar matters to occur.

While the energy body escaped in the outer region's direction, the main body flew towards the skies before stopping at five thousand meters above the surface. Nadia oversaw the mess and kept a lookout for her master. Due to his concealment, she was unable to find his exact location but could feel the general direction.

However, she frowned.

"Master headed further into the inner region...?"

Purple lightning fell around as she looked into the distance, noticing that there was a bright red forest aligned in front of two long mountain ranges. She felt that was where her master went, and with a dark flash, she disappeared into the distance.

*Roar!~?*

A High-Level King Beast Stage Scorched-Crystal Crimson Ape glanced up and saw the dark flash of light, feeling suspicious. Thinking that it was probably just a bolt of strange lightning flashing in the skies, it continued its search.

======

Numerous thousand-meter tall trees stretched into the skies, with at least each reddish tree ranging from five to thirty meters wide, looking like massive skyscrapers. Davis arrived in this bright red forest region and saw that the purple lightning landing on these fire-attributed trees caused little or no damage to it as when it lit up, the flames surged from combustion automatically end up disappearing, seemingly absorbed by these trees.

'Well then, since the people are not at home, it's time to rob...' Davis smirked as he looked around, searching for treasures with only his eyesight. He didn't use his soul sense since he was not even a Soul King yet.

Chances are that he would be quickly found out by a King Beast Stage Magical Beast, especially the Mid-Level King Beast Stage Scorched-Crystal Crimson Apes and above. After all, his concealment had only worked against that Low-Level King Beast Stage Scorched-Crystal Crimson Apes so far.

There was no guarantee that it would work on Mid-Level King Beast Stage Scorched-Crystal Crimson Apes.

Right now, he was in the inner region of this bright red forest and not the core region. He felt that he would be relatively safe from the Peak-Level King Beast Stage Ruler of this Scorched-Crystal Crimson Ape Clan and began his search. However, he only saw juveniles running around, seemingly gossiping with each other about why the elders all left in a hurry.

'Oh... So, I killed one ruler candidate of this Scorched-Crystal Crimson Ape Clan... Makes sense since that Scorched-Crystal Crimson Ape was capable of releasing attacks one level higher, possibly qualified to fight against Mid-Level King Beast Stage Magical Beasts because of the Crystallized Flame Bead it had given birth to...'

'In the absence of a King-Tier, I can understand why they're so mad about losing its life... However, how did they manage to find that it died...? Do they have something similar to life crystals, life tablets, or something...?'

Davis mused, but his concentration was on swiftly finding some treasure and leaving from this place. Considering that the Scorched-Crystal Crimson Apes seemed to have left out in rage from the conversation of these juveniles, he felt that some of them might quickly return after not being able to find its carcass since he was the one who had it.

However, the fountain of blood in the place he slaughtered would be clear to see, so he knew that they would quickly return, only bothering to send out a few search parties to discover the enemy or enemies who killed their ruler candidate.

Davis walked past numerous giant trees. At the same time, he picked up whatever herbs and ingredients alike he came across, and to his excitement, most of them were useful in concocting pills that related to Fire Laws and its attribute.

Well, considering the environment, he wasn't surprised, but he knew he hit the jackpot by sneakily approaching this place!