Chapter 165: Ancient Demon

For some unknown reason, standing beside Luo Yong, Hera felt as though she were completely suppressed. Her usual wisdom, poise, detachment, and calm were utterly obliterated, leaving not a trace behind.

"If you're ready, let's set off... Wait."

Luo Yong had only taken two steps before he stopped abruptly. Hera, following closely behind, walked right into him, letting out a soft cry of pain as if she had bumped against a tender spot.

"For a mage, you are rather fragile."

Luo Yong looked at Hera with a complex wave of emotion. The last time he saw her, he had regarded her as an untouchable big shot.

Yet meeting her again now, he had witnessed the sacred light firsthand.

A coincidence.

All of this was purely coincidental.

No one had planned it.

Things had simply unfolded to this point, nothing more.

"Here, take this."

Luo Yong retrieved a golden orb of light from his storage space and handed it to Hera.

"What is this?"

Hera initially wanted to refuse. She did not want to accept Luo Yong's items or become too deeply entangled with him, lest she sink in beyond redemption.

However, as Luo Yong extended his hand, she found herself involuntarily reaching out and taking the golden orb into her palm.

"An item."

Pang Ding stood right beside Luo Yong, looking at him with a deadpan expression. From his eyes, a strange message seemed to radiate—

Choosing women over friends!
Choosing women over friends!!
Choosing women over friends!!!

To forget a fallen lover means betrayal!!!!

In an instant, Luo Yong read these messages from the man's gaze, causing veins to throb visibly on his forehead.

"You bastard... I swear..."

He was merely—

The fat bastard simply wanted an excuse to extort a few golden orbs, so he was making a mountain out a molehill and slapping labels on him!

He was, without a doubt, a complete villain!

"Here."

Luo Yong produced another golden orb and tossed it to Pang Ding.

"How do you use this item?"

Hera cradled the orb in one hand, careful not to make any abrupt movements that might cause the sacred light to spill over. Maintaining a calm expression, she asked nonchalantly.

"A contract," Luo Yong said.

"A contract!" Pang Ding echoed.

"A contract?" Hera asked, surprised.

Then, she saw a massive pillar of light erupt beside Pang Ding. A magic circle slowly revolved on the ground, and from within it crawled a soul with a fierce appearance and a ferocious demeanor.

"Slaughter or death..."

This soul-form creature possessed human characteristics, towering over seven feet tall with a massive build, wielding a giant sword much like the ancient giants of legend.

"This is?"
"An ancient sword soul?"
"This roll is decent!"

Pang Ding chuckled, a smug expression on his face. At least he hadn't lost face in front of the astrologer.

"Reality or illusion..."

While Hera was momentarily dazed, the orb in her hand emitted a dazzling radiance, and a figure identical to her materialized before her.

Same appearance. Same attire.

Except for the weapon in its hand, everything else was an exact copy of Hera.

Needless to say, besides the two overlapping cloaks draped across its body and a pair of shoes, this magical battle puppet was also going completely commando.

Swish, swish, swish!

The magical battle puppet, looking identical to Hera, suddenly shifted its posture and slashed continuously with its sword.

It seemed to be performing a routine introductory sequence.

Fluid, seamless, handsome, and breathtaking.

Yet throughout the process, the cloak fluttered and flew up and down with her movements, causing the sacred light to overflow once more, leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination.

"..."

Hera's eyes widened, her mouth agape. No sound came from her throat, and her face flushed bright red.

She felt she had completely lost the right to face others...

"This must be a shadow warrior, perfectly mimicking the master's form, appearance, and clothing, with only the weapon being different. It's a close-combat magical battle puppet, which suits you quite well," Luo Yong remarked calmly from the side, acting as if he had seen nothing and nothing at all had happened.

"Are there any others?" Hera asked, her face red as she proactively brought up the golden orbs, feeling that bringing along a shadow warrior prone to leaking sacred light at any moment would literally make her die of embarrassment.

"The items appear at random." Luo Yong took out two more golden orbs and handed them to Hera, then tossed two to Pang Ding before the latter could make a move.

Because of the overflowing sacred light, the fat bastard had retreated to the side, looking straight ahead and acting like an upright gentleman.

Yet his ears were perked up high, refusing to miss out on any benefits whatsoever.

Swish! Swish!

Following two successive summons, two more shadow warriors appeared before Hera, and the sacred light overflowed twice more.

"Reality or illusion..."
"..."

Hera was too stunned to speak, her face burning red and steam practically rising from her head. She felt as though she might drop dead on the spot right then and there.

For her, this was nothing short of a massive public execution.

"War, when will it end..."

A roar rang out from Pang Ding's side as he summoned another ancient sword soul, though this one had a different form, belonging presumably to another category.

"Shall we continue?"

Luo Yong produced a few more golden orbs, pretending to see nothing as he said expressionlessly, "Though they are random items, there's a high probability of repeating the same type. For instance... that's how my entire legion came to be."

"..."

Hera remained silent, staring fixedly at the golden orbs in Luo Yong's hands. Driven by a surge of stubborn defiance, she initiated the contract once more.

And so, she now had six shadow warriors surrounding her.

"Again!"

Heated by stubborn pride, Hera felt rage rising straight to her crown. Without waiting for Luo Yong to speak, she reached out her hand to demand more.

"That should be enough, these..." Luo Yong pointed at the cluster of shadow warriors around Hera, which were nearly blinding his eyes, and said, "As a defensive force, this is more than enough. Their level is the same as yours!"

"Hmph!"

Hera grudgingly pulled back her hand. After a moment of thought, she wove and tied the hem of her cloak together, forming something resembling two trouser legs. This way, it wouldn't hinder her combat while heavily suppressing the leakage of sacred light.

The six shadow warriors mirrored her actions instantly, moving in unison as they guarded her flanks.

"Awesome!"

Pang Ding shouted excitedly on the other side, now flanked by six distinct ancient sword souls of varying forms.

"Alright, time to get down to business." Luo Yong glanced at Hera, and seeing that she had no further caveats to raise, he strode toward the center of the camp.

As Luo Yong approached the center of the camp, a wisp of black Qi suddenly billowed up, condensing into the shape of a demon mid-air.

Its eyes flashed with dark red light as it stared at the group, its form shaking slightly before it let out an eerie chuckle and vanished back into the ground with a swoosh.

The earth trembled accordingly.

"Ah!"

Hera, walking behind Luo Yong, lost her footing as her legs went weak, and she instinctively grabbed tightly onto Luo Yong's arm.

"You really shouldn't join the combat," Luo Yong said, staring straight ahead with an emotionless expression.

"No! This is my destiny. If I cannot defeat this demon, let me die here," Hera insisted stubbornly, her tone unyielding.

It gave one the overwhelming urge to pin her down and spank her for being so disobedient!

However, considering that she was a mage who neglected close combat, possessed a frail constitution, and was currently in a weakened state, Luo Yong had no choice but to abandon that thought.

"Let's go."

Supporting her, Luo Yong walked forward slowly. At that moment, the ground suddenly collapsed beneath them, leaving their feet suspended in mid-air as they plummeted downward together.

"Ah!"

Hera let out a startled cry, gathering her magic to cast a spell and prevent a fatal fall.

Luo Yong, however, wrapped his arms tightly around her, cutting off her action.

This woman truly had no concept of death. With most of her life force drained and her body extremely weak, she was still trying to act tough!

"With me here, nothing will happen."

Luo Yong frowned, genuinely wanting to give her a sound thrashing to see if she would feel any pain.

"Oh..."

Hera let out another gasp as Luo Yong scooped her up horizontally into his arms. Though she could feel her body still descending, it felt weightless, as if all gravity had vanished, drifting downward gently until they landed solidly on the ground.

Blushing, Hera tilted her head up to look at the man holding her tightly in his arms, her heart filled with a momentary sense of bewilderment.

Could this truly be destiny...

"Hmph!"

On the other side, Pang Ding shot Luo Yong an annoyed sidelong glance, thinking the fellow had zero self-control—he forgot everything else the moment he saw a pretty woman!

Fortunately, the fall wasn't long or particularly high. Moreover, the collapse brought down a shower of debris, massive chunks of earth, and splintered timbers, allowing him to use his formidable personal skills to step off these falling objects in a spiral descent. He landed easily and freely, completely unharmed.

Besides, even if he had truly crashed down, his physical constitution meant he would have been completely fine.

"Alright, you can put me down now."

Hera struggled lightly in Luo Yong's embrace until her feet touched the ground. Her legs were still a bit shaky, forcing her to lean against Luo Yong just to barely stand.

"Just tell me what we need to do."

Supporting Hera, Luo Yong quickly scanned their surroundings. They were in a fairly spacious underground cavern illuminated by green flames dancing around the perimeter.

Right in the center stood an altar—the very same one they had seen earlier. Light flickered across it, runes flared and died, and a powerful, tyrannical aura surged outward, carrying an oppressive corrosive force.

"Is this the ancient demon?"

The phantom that had appeared earlier now hovered above the altar, its eyes glowing with ghostly light as it coldly gazed down upon the group.

It raised its arms and performed a series of strange gestures, prompting another violent tremor to shake the earth.

"We're too late..."

Hera let out a soft sigh.

It was a strange sensation. Even knowing the outcome in advance, having a premonition of it, and trying their hardest, actually witnessing the moment still made it hard to accept.