Red Hair descended from the sky. The monsters and battle beasts that had been chasing her lost all interest, their gazes now fixed on the undead Dragonfish still hovering in the air.
Yangos even flew up to it, sniffing with its massive draconic nostrils—only to be met with a ruthless tail swipe from the Dragonfish.
The dragon dodged, its eyes filled with disappointment.
It understood what a legacy was. Different lifeforms manifested it in different ways—the Nine-Winged Crow condensed it into a pearl, while others might leave behind a beam of light or a drop of essence.
But no matter the form, a legacy could only be used once. Once absorbed, it couldn’t be stolen—unless the inheritor reached a certain level and chose to pass it on again.
Now, with the legacy pearl assimilated by the undead Dragonfish, there was no way to reclaim it. Even killing the Dragonfish wouldn’t help.
With a dissatisfied roar at Red Hair, Yangos sulked back. It truly didn’t dare provoke her or her mount. In Cloud Peak’s hierarchy, Red Hair and her Dragonfish ranked second on the list of beings it knew it couldn’t defeat.
“I sensed something strange in that pearl’s energy,” Red Hair explained to Ye Zhongming. “I might be wrong, but I think it would’ve had severe side effects for non-secret-realm lifeforms. But for it… it was perfect.”
She had to justify feeding such a precious item to her Dragonfish.
Earlier, he’d suspected the pearl might be a trap set by the dying Nine-Winged Crow. Otherwise, why wouldn’t it directly pass its legacy to one of its kin among the monsters? Why leave it floating in the air, inviting a free-for-all?
Outsiders had caused the Crow’s death. It was impossible it hadn’t died resentful. Whether intentional or not, its failure to specify that otherworldly lifeforms couldn’t take the legacy spoke volumes.
With the legacy pearl gone, the monsters and battle beasts regained their senses. The demon monster commander reasserted control over the monster army, and human evolved retrieved their beasts. The inter-dimensional war was finally over.
The demon monster commander gave Ye Zhongming a long look before retreating with its forces several kilometers away to regroup. Soon, it would begin gathering demon crystals and materials.
It had abandoned all other schemes.
In that brief moment, Cloud Peak’s main forces hadn’t even intervened—just a few elites and three massive machines had slaughtered countless monsters, reaffirming their absolute dominance.
Cooperation was now its only option.
With the monsters gone, cleanup began.
Two Cloud Peak teams remained on the battlefield to collect demon crystals and valuable materials from the corpses. Given the sheer number of monsters, the process would take days.
Another team and Yellow Ball were dispatched for security. The remaining task? Processing the two level-nine corpses.
When Deacon Water, Li Daqian, and Commander Mu arrived with their forces, they found Cloud Peak already dissecting the Nine-Winged Crow. Their expressions were complex.
Guang Yao briefed Ye Zhongming on earlier events while Deacon Water watched from afar as Liu Zhenghong’s team carefully placed Armor King’s remains into an ornate metal casket.
It felt surreal.
The top-ranked mutated lifeform in the nation—dead.
The news would send shockwaves across the region. Whether Cloud Peak would claim responsibility remained to be seen, but secrecy was unlikely with three allied forces as witnesses.
Armor King’s casket was swiftly transported back to Cloud Peak for study before being refined into top-tier materials.
The Nine-Winged Crow, however, would be dismantled on-site.
Li Daqian, Deacon Water, and Commander Mu approached, hesitation written on their faces.
Ye Zhongming smiled. He knew what they wanted—a share of the spoils.
And he couldn’t blame them. He’d do the same.
“Zhongming, about this…” Li Daqian spoke first. His Thousand Beast Villa had suffered the heaviest losses—battle beasts and handlers alike. They hadn’t collapsed but their losses were very heavy.
Compensation was only fair. The best solution was from Ye Zhongming.
“I know we didn’t contribute much, and we’re already grateful for your earlier protection from the Nature Staff. But… our losses are severe. Would you consider selling us some materials from the Nine-Winged Crow? Price won’t be an issue.”
What was Li Daqian afraid of? He wasn’t afraid of spending money. Level nine materials were a market without supply, and however much was worth it. He was afraid that Cloud Peak wouldn’t sell any.
Ye Zhongming appreciated the tact. No blame-shifting, just a straightforward offer that made it sound very sincere.
Were you going to say that Cloud Peak wasn’t responsible? They called you here to assist, and even if they were going to take a cut based on their contribution, they were to be paid for appearing.
“I’ll select premium demon monster breeds for you, plus 1,500 kilograms of level-eight monster meat. Consider it a token of gratitude.”
Li Daqi’s face fell. While valuable, he wanted more. The young demon monsters could be developed into strong battle beasts, and the meat would provide his battle beasts with enormous amounts of energy.