Chapter 1200
"Alright, Lord Dubois, you're right. Matthew Merlin is getting stronger and stronger. He hasn't even truly broken through to Sky Rank yet, but his power already surpasses most first-level Sky Rank beings. If we keep waiting, we'll never get our chance for revenge.
When do we start the war against that detestable Matthew Merlin?"
A faint smile appeared on Dubois's face.
"Lord Sterlin, rest assured. This time, Matthew Merlin is absolutely doomed. One month. In one month, our alliance's entire army will be assembled. All our forces will be used to deal with Matthew Merlin.
Remember, from now on, when the Crimson Sun sets for the thirtieth time, that's when we launch our full-scale war against Matthew Merlin—when we finally get rid of that foolish bastard!"
Satisfied, Dubois left. Now, with a three-pronged assault, the massive Abyssal army numbered at least several hundred thousand strong. With two demon lords joining forces, no lord who hasn't broken through to level forty can possibly withstand them.
After Dubois left, Sterlin's expression turned cold.
Dubois, that idiot, actually tried to sway me with Abyssal Demon-speak. Foolish bastard, does he really think I don't know what he's plotting?
With Matthew Merlin being attacked from two directions by demon lords, he’ll definitely retreat north, leaving me here to stall him.
It would be best if I perished together with Matthew Merlin—then no one would ever know your deeds in the Abyss.
Damn him. To be a Sky Rank mage and end up as a demon lord's mount—any human or mage who knows this is definitely on that idiot's kill list. He won't let this news get out.
So, after Matthew Merlin is dealt with, I'll be next on the chopping block…
Foolish bastard. As if I don't know how selfish and cruel these abyssal demons are. Once Matthew Merlin is dead, this so-called alliance will instantly turn into enmity.
No matter. With two demon lords, Matthew Merlin is definitely doomed this time. As long as I stay hidden in this harsh desert, those two demon lords won't be able to take me out here.
I’ll just wait as time passes. Once I reach level forty, I’ll leave the Abyss. Whatever they do to destroy this world won’t have anything to do with me anymore…
Sterlin decided to just watch the chaos unfold, never leaving the safety of the desert’s harsh depths.
Time passed, and Leon Merlin continued to collect Eternal Dark Gold. More and more of the metal was excavated, and the deeper into the desert, the fewer impurities in the mined ore. Occasionally, some would be refined by the desert’s pressure and tumbling, resulting in extremely pure Eternal Dark Gold.
After half a month, most of the desert’s surface had fallen under Leon’s control.
There was even a startling discovery.
At the heart of the desert, the flowing waves of sand—almost half of them—were actually fragments of Eternal Dark Gold ore!
In other words, the center of the desert was a massive open-pit Eternal Dark Gold mine. The sand just needed refining—burn away all the impurities with intense flames, and what remained would be pure Eternal Dark Gold!
After learning this, Leon personally appeared in the depths of the desert. As for the desert demon constantly banging around underground, Leon simply ignored him—as long as he didn’t interfere.
Upon arriving in the desert’s depths, Leon summoned Theo.
He hadn’t dared summon Theo recklessly before, fearing the artifact’s extraordinary magical fluctuations would be sensed by the realm’s overlord.
If that happened, a terrifying demon overlord might personally come to seize the Spellbook of Ages. After all, a magical tome artifact like that was exactly what most demons desired.
Later, he learned the overlord of this layer had been asleep for over ten thousand years. Leon recalled that the master of Abyss Layer 333 seemed to be in constant slumber—even when powerful humans arrived, the demon overlord never woke.
A being beyond Sky Rank is always stronger than the fluctuations from any extraordinary artifact…
So, Leon prepared to have Theo set the desert’s center ablaze…
Eternal Dark Gold was nearly impossible to burn, even with Theo’s terrifying flames. Everything else in the desert—sand or abyssal creatures—could be reduced to nothing, and it wouldn’t matter.
Even if there were other metals in the desert, burning them to nothing was fine—as long as there was Eternal Dark Gold, other materials weren’t that valuable.
A massive door wreathed in flames appeared at the desert’s center, dozens of meters tall and radiating terrifying magical energy.
The moment the flaming door appeared, the desert’s violent and harsh environment seemed suppressed—sandstorms and hurricanes vanished instantly.
Even the constantly undulating waves of sand were subdued by this terrifying power.
The extraordinary magical aura spread through the sand, reaching hundreds of meters underground, where a subterranean palace began to tremble.
Sterlin, hiding in the underground palace, suddenly changed expression and quickly spat out several abyssal runes shrouded in black smoke.
As the abyssal runes dissipated, clumps of sand rapidly converged on the surface, forming a fist-sized Demon Eye.
The moment the Demon Eye formed, it saw the massive flaming door, dozens of meters tall.
It resembled the ancient gates of a temple, with columns carved with mysterious patterns on either side. At the top, a cluster of flames watched the gate, and within the flames was an ancient book.
On the twin doors, countless densely packed spells flowed slowly and continuously…
Then the doors slowly opened, revealing a world filled with endless flames beyond.
In an instant, the terrifying sea of fire surged out from the flaming doors like a flood unleashed.
The Demon Eye formed from Sterlin’s sand control was vaporized by the intense heat before it could even touch the flames…
Underground, Sterlin’s head was drenched in cold sweat, and his magical fluctuations began to grow chaotic…
Damn it, damn it, Matthew Merlin found me!
No, shit, that’s an artifact! Matthew Merlin’s artifact!
How did he bring an artifact into the Endless Abyss? Damn, it’s an extraordinary artifact—and it even has an awakened avatar!
This guy definitely found me. He’s insane—he’s going to use that extraordinary artifact to burn the entire desert to nothing!
I knew it—Matthew Merlin isn’t easy to kill. Even Dubois, that idiot, couldn’t deal with him before he reached Sky Rank, and he even lost his fortress to him.
Now he’s even less of a match—how could he think he could finish off Matthew Merlin here?
Impossible. He’s doomed…
Even two demon lords probably couldn’t take out Matthew Merlin now—not with an extraordinary artifact whose avatar has awakened!
And I remember Matthew Merlin seems to have another top-tier True Spirit artifact, also with an awakened intelligent avatar. Damn it—with those two artifacts, it’s like having two Sky Rank powerhouses.
It’s a plot, a total plot. I remember Matthew Merlin was reborn as an Abyssal maggot—everyone saw it—but now how is he a pureblood Hellfire Demon?
There must be secrets here we can’t understand or know. Damn it—I can’t keep waiting. If I do, once Matthew Merlin burns the whole desert to nothing, I’ll definitely be dead…
Damn it, this totally unpredictable guy must have many powerful trump cards. I need to get out now…
The moment Sterlin saw Leon’s Spellbook of Ages appear, he nearly broke down—especially feeling the heat intensify overhead. He could clearly sense the desert above melting rapidly, the sand burning away to nothing.
The hundreds of meters of desert protection were now a joke. The heat didn’t even need to reach this far—given time, it would cook him alive like a crab trapped in a steamer…
Sterlin, drenched in sweat, grew more convinced this was a massive plot—Leon was luring them in to wipe them all out.
No need to ask why—everyone’s soul entered the Abyss, and not a shred of magical power could be brought in. So how did Leon’s extraordinary artifact appear in the Abyss?
This is a conspiracy!
From the very start, relentless pressure drove him to the center of the Mad Desert. Then, here, an extraordinary artifact was summoned to burn from the desert’s heart, killing all creatures hiding underground.
Once he understood, Sterlin didn’t dare hide any longer—he controlled layers of sand to cover his body and rushed toward the surface.
Seven or eight meters from the surface, Sterlin felt as if he’d jumped into molten lava—sand had melted into sticky, bright liquid, and the heat from above grew even more intense.
Sweating profusely, Sterlin didn’t dare go higher. The deadly aura overhead made it clear—if he fell into those flames, he’d be reduced to ashes in seconds. No, not even ashes would remain.
After all, he was only a Level 30-something desert demon, without Sky Rank power or Endless Sand protection. Facing the flames from an extraordinary artifact, he’d die very quickly…
“Lord Merlin, I surrender! I surrender! Please take back these terrifying flames…”
Sterlin shouted hoarsely, his voice piercing the molten earth and reaching the surface. Leon frowned slightly.
He’d thought there was just an ordinary desert demon below, but it turned out to be someone reincarnated as a desert demon who even knew his identity.
Ignoring Sterlin’s cries, Leon continued having Theo scorch the desert’s core. As the flames burned, more Eternal Dark Gold appeared as grains in the molten earth. Once the magma evaporated, only pure Eternal Dark Gold would remain…