Chapter 645: The Corpses of the Gods (1)
A Necessary Rest
In the Underworld, every region has an absolute powerhouse who shelters the area while simultaneously exploiting its wealth and resources.
Compared to other rulers, Klind was one of the better ones. As a Spectre, he didn't need to eat, and his personality leaned toward fairness, lacking the brutal, insane ideas of others. Because of this, neutral species in the surrounding area chose to establish strongholds in the Valley of the Dead. The Demon-Folk were no exception; they had their own shops and even served as market administrators.
After Klind left, Mohun immediately went to the tomb to inquire for more information. After paying a significant price, she finally received a hint from the Valley Master.
The great Lord of Flames, Klind, was not unhappy with the Demon-Folk regarding the Humans. Instead, he wished for them to make contact with the Humans.
Mohun understood the implication, and it filled her with dread and unease.
The Demon-Folk couldn't afford to offend Klind, and they certainly couldn't afford to offend the Humans, whose demonstrated power was no weaker than Death. Caught between the two, they were in a difficult position.
After careful consideration, Mohun decided to side with Klind. The Humans would leave eventually; there was no need to waste energy on them.
With a consensus reached, the three warriors immediately set off with the Spectre warriors Klind had dispatched, heading toward the God-Demon Battlefield.
The Journey and the Meal
The Underworld was incredibly vast, larger than imagination. The heroes traveled nonstop, flying for an entire day without reaching their destination. According to the map, their current location was the Ironwood Plain. Flying north for two more regions would bring them to the God-Demon Battlefield.
The Valley of No Return was located in the center of the battlefield.
Luke put away the map and asked Diana,
"What do you say? Should we take a break?"
She shook her head. "No need. I'm fine."
J'onn added, "It's probably better to prepare ourselves, or at least fill our stomachs. We haven't eaten for three days and three nights."
This statement hit a sensitive spot for Diana. Among the four, Superman and the Martian Manhunter had special physiques and could survive without food. Luke was in his soul form. Only Diana was famished, but she had been reluctant to say so out of pride.
"In that case, let's rest for a bit."
"Adam, is there anything edible nearby?"
Adam replied, "There's a type of Iron-Eating Rat on the Ironwood Plain. It's a top-tier ingredient, but it lives underground all year round and is very hard to catch."
Luke shook his head dismissively.
"As long as a creature is alive, there's no such thing as 'hard to catch'."
The group found a place to settle down. Adam set up the camp and prepared the grill and water. Clark and J'onn checked the surroundings, while Luke and Diana went into the depths of the plain to hunt for the legendary "top-tier ingredient."
Along the way, Diana suddenly asked a strange question.
"What if we can never go back?"
"Then I'll become the King of the Underworld, take all the Death Gods under my command. The Death God of every civilization has a way to get to the main universe. Earth's path might be sealed, but that doesn't mean other planets are, too."
"As long as I'm here, I'll definitely find a way."
Diana looked at him steadily and smiled. "You're always so confident."
"That's not confidence. It's a fact."
Luke put his arm around her waist and kissed her left cheek. "Don't overthink things. Everything will be fine."
"Stop fooling around, they'll see us."
The two chatted and laughed, unconsciously arriving at the territory of the Iron-Eating Rats.
These ugly rodents lived permanently underground, subsisting on metal. Aside from a type of viper that operated underground, virtually nothing could harm them.
However, this was not a problem for Luke.
With his Green Flame, he could clearly see the green light hidden beneath the rock layers. After locking onto a target, Green Flame erupted from his body, forming a large net that surrounded the rats from all directions, forcing them to climb upward. The moment they emerged from the ground, the prepared Diana captured them.
These rats were larger than a house cat, with short tails, six eyes, thick, long foreclaws, and short hind legs. Their bodies were pitch-black, as if covered in iron armor, and the nails on their foreclaws were razor-sharp; a single swipe could split rock. If they hit a person, they could easily slice a body in half.
Truly worthy of being an Underworld creature—even the lowest-tier food was terrifying.
But food was food. Luke repeated the process, and in no time, he had caught over a dozen Iron-Eating Rats. That was more than enough.
The two returned to the camp. Adam had the grill ready, and the water was boiling in the stone pot.
The Iron-Eating Rat's shell was hard, but its interior was soft, especially the muscle around the heart—crisp and tender. It truly deserved the title of a top-tier ingredient.
After eating their fill, the group immediately set off. Shortly after they left, a shadow descended from the sky.
It was the Underworld Dragon, Avogadro.
Guided by the Prophecy Bead, he had followed their trail all the way here.
The fire in the camp was already cold, meaning the Humans had left at least two hours ago. This greatly displeased Avogadro. He had been moving at full speed; not only had he failed to catch up, but the distance between them had widened.
"You won't escape. The God-Demon Battlefield is not a place for outsiders to tread."
Avogadro exhaled a blast of hot breath, destroying the camp. He then spread his wings and soared into the sky, rushing in the direction the four heroes had departed.
Arrival at the Forbidden Zone
The surroundings quieted down. After some time, another group appeared in the distance.
It was Mohun, Morn, and Moyin, the three siblings, along with the Spectre warriors dispatched by Klind. They found the camp and detected the residual energy signature left by Avogadro.
"The God-Demon Battlefield is just ahead. We must speed up."
"Can you still manage?" the Spectre captain asked, looking at the gasping Demon-Folk. Mohun, breathing heavily, pleaded,
"Can we rest for a moment?"
"No. Master said we must catch up to the Humans."
Morn couldn't help but ask, "Why must we catch up to them?"
"That is not your concern. Let's move. They left a long time ago."
The Spectre took the lead, followed by his subordinates. The Demon-Folk had no choice but to force out the last of their strength.
On the other side, the four heroes, moving at full speed, finally reached the legendary God-Demon Battlefield. There were many different stories about the battlefield in the Underworld: some said it was a war for divine positions between Gods from different worlds, others claimed it was a power struggle among the Death Gods. The versions varied, but the only certain fact was that a world-shattering battle had taken place here.
The life-and-death struggle between Gods and Gods had devastated the land for thousands of kilometers. Millions of soldiers had died in the war.
Divine powers from different systems lingered on the battlefield, mixing with vengeful spirits, powerful ghosts, and stitched-together monstrosities. Some of these creatures were created using the corpses of the Gods, and combined with the chaotic divine power, their strength was terrifying—perhaps even too much for Death Gods to handle.
The God-Demon Battlefield was the Underworld's forbidden zone. No one, except perhaps fearless dark sorcerers, would choose to live here.
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