Apocalypse: Master of Soul Beasts

"We are of the same kind! We are both demon spawn..."

"Demon spawn... what is that?"

An anthropomorphic confusion surfaced on the face of the Giant Eagle.

"We can talk about these things once we get back home, okay?"

"Home?"

"Yes, it's where one lives! Of course, it's much more comfortable than here!"

After hearing Peng Jun's Spiritual Fluctuation, the Giant Eagle's mind had considerably calmed down. Simultaneously, with the deepening of the spiritual link, it felt an inexplicable fondness for Peng Jun.

Upon hearing Peng Jun's invitation, the Giant Eagle hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Its body quickly shrunk, transforming into a petite eagle less than half a meter long, and it landed directly on Peng Jun's shoulder.

Peng Jun gently stroked the eagle's small head, a hint of a smile that he couldn't hide curling at the corner of his mouth.

Behind him, the black-robed man had already caught up. Seeing the eagle on Peng Jun's shoulder, preening its feathers, he said humbly, "Congratulations, Lord Sect Leader, on acquiring a new sacred beast."

Peng Jun nodded and looked up at the ash-gray sky.

Perhaps his joy was overwhelming, or the hefty secret he carried compelled him to share it with his trusted subordinates. Peng Jun slowly began to speak, "Do you know what it is?"

...

"It is a demon spawn, a term you must have heard because it's not a big secret among us in the Demon Worship Sect!"

"Earth has divine beasts. Do you know how divine beasts are produced?"

Seeing the black-robed man shake his head, Peng Jun continued, "So-called divine beasts are a result of Earth's will infusing its origin power into Earth's creatures, thereby causing terrifying transformations in mutant beasts!"

"It's no exaggeration to say that the combat power of a divine beast is truly the peak power of this world. Humans, no matter how many fortuitous encounters they have, find it very difficult to defeat a divine beast!"

"They are the favored children of this world!"

"However, since Earth has divine beasts, why wouldn't the Demon Realm, also being a world, have creatures bolstered by the Demon Realm's Origin Energy?"

Peng Jun paused briefly, pointed at the Mysterious Crystal on his chest, and continued, "According to my observations, this seems to be a collective embodiment of the Demon Realm's will. Although I don't quite understand why it appears in the form of a crystal, this doesn't prevent me from harnessing its power!"

"When I absorbed this crystal into my body, its power transformed the very essence of my life!"

"It's similar to an augmentation by the Demon Realm's Origin Energy—that is, a demon spawn!"

"So, strictly speaking, I am no longer a human. It and I, we are the same kind!"

Hearing Peng Jun's words, the black-robed man became even more deferential and said respectfully, "Under the guidance of Lord Sect Leader, we will certainly defeat those professionists and become part of the great Demon Tribe!"

Peng Jun glanced at the black-robed man, sighed softly, and shaking his head, said, "Do you know the true purpose behind my establishing the Demon Worship Sect?"

The black-robed man shook his head, looking bewildered.

"My intent was never to defect to the Demon Tribe or to destroy humanity! It was to find a glimmer of hope for our survival!"

Peng Jun stared into the sky, muttering, "This Crystal has granted me power and, at the same time, brought many messages!"

"Messages, you could also call them intelligence..."

"Having the enemy's intelligence is a good thing, but this intelligence about the Demon Tribe... I would rather have never known it!"

Peng Jun fell silent for a moment, then continued, "Do you know the combat power of a demon spawn?"

The black-robed man shook his head in response to Peng Jun's question.

"The combat power of demon spawn isn't overwhelmingly strong—of course, that's only when compared to divine beasts. Under similar physical conditions, it takes two demon spawn to challenge a divine beast. Three can hold their ground against one, five are needed to defeat one, and ten or more are required to ensure its complete eradication."

"So, divine beasts are still the peak fighting power of this planet!"

"However, the problem lies in the numbers. Do you know how many soldiers the Demon Tribe has? Do you know how many demon spawn the Demon Tribe possesses?"

Upon seeing the bitter smile on Peng Jun's face, the black-robed man remained silent for a moment, then shook his head again.

"The Demon Tribe has hundreds of times more low-level cannon fodder than Earth's creatures. Their mid-tier combat forces are also hundreds of times stronger, and the same applies to their high-tier forces—still hundreds of times stronger!"

"Even the number of demon spawn in the Demon Realm is in the tens of thousands!"

"This is a complete, all-around crushing!"

"When the Demon Realm's Gate opens, the war situation will deteriorate rapidly! Given this power disparity, I find it hard to see any hope of defeating the Demon Tribe. No! I can't even find any hope that Earth won't be destroyed!"

Peng Jun's face was filled with an expression of terror, as if he foresaw a future where Earth was overrun by the Demon Tribe, with countless demon spawn soaring through the skies.

"So, I thought of a method: I become one of them, become a demon spawn, and then pray that the Demon Tribe might leave behind a spark of humanity for us... Even if it's only a few humans, it would be something..."

His low voice emanated from him, and the black-robed man could even feel the once proud and domineering old man before him slightly stoop.

Peng Jun shook his head, turned, and walked away, muttering to himself all the while.

"I don't want to be a traitor either; I wanted to be a great hero! I wanted to be like Lin Haifeng, to gather all our strength and contend with the Demon Tribe, with these invaders! But I know too much..."

"So much that I've already lost the courage to resist..."

...

When Wen Yu awoke, the first thing he saw was an Ancient Demon standing on the city wall.

Beside the Ancient Demon was a newly appeared Demon Fiend.

It was a Soot Skin Demon Fiend.

Although Soot Skin Demon Fiends were merely a Cannon Fodder Species in the Demon Realm, their sheer numbers were immense! Even if individual members were pathetically weak, it was inevitable that a few powerful, fortunate ones would emerge!

The fact that this one could stand beside the Ancient Demon spoke volumes.

In just five short hours, the Demon Tribe had been reinforced by another Level 4 Demon Fiend.

Unfortunately, none of this mattered in front of Wen Yu!

Wen Yu understood this, and the Ancient Demon naturally understood it too. The three Level 4 Demon Fiends stood on the city wall without making any move, merely observing Wen Yu's side of the situation quietly.

Cyclops was still sprawled on the ground, snoring non-stop. Star, however, was energetic, loudly roaring at the Demon City since early morning. It occasionally spewed Dragon Flame, which struck the Demon City's Protective Shield and slowly dissipated.

Judging by Star's indignant expression, it was clear the little fellow still held a significant grudge over yesterday's crash!

Seeing Wen Yu wake up, Star immediately trotted over to him.

Its massive body blotted out the sky, and Wen Yu could see nothing but Star's form before him.

"Shrink."

With a soft command, Star's body quickly shrank. Wen Yu then took out food and magic crystals from his space ring and began to eat breakfast with Star.

At this moment, a series of CRACKLING sounds came from the communicator lying to the side.

Then, a familiar voice spoke.

"Wen Yu, do you need my support?"