Chapter 548

Chapter 548: Infernal Mad God – War King

While Trilobite was busy sending money to his "spawn," his "opponents" weren’t idle either.

Though the Abyss lay in slumber, His actions hadn’t ceased.

While the Abyss slept, the energy He released flowed freely, still carrying its master’s will as it slipped past the "Holy Tree’s Dam" and the "Ether Sea behind the dam," arriving at the distant "Chest of the Swamp."

Even though this area was called a "chest," it merely referred to a swollen part of the hourglass-shaped Chaos Swamp and didn’t mean it was rich in nutrients.

On the contrary…

This place was barren.

The air radiated raging energy from the "Inferno," churning the Chaos Swamp and making it bubble with scalding "ether bubbles."

These wild forces carried the Inferno’s madness and chaos, erupting in "major explosions" from time to time.

When violent explosions happened, the raging energy shrieked, hurling etheric liquid baked by Infernal heat high into the air, scattering it across the void.

Though energy was plentiful, these untamed forces were hard to control and wildly unstable.

Not even deities could easily subjugate them.

Only extremely tough and simple-structured deities thrived here.

Yet environmental limits kept them small; in the Chaos Council, they’d rank lowest—too weak to serve as subordinate officials for core councilors.

This energy-filled land had become a barren exile zone.

Only areas along the "Endless Ether," battered by the cold Ether Sea, plus a few "higher grounds" or spots with "ether streams," fared slightly better.

The last "Formidable Minor Gods" lived near the Ether Sea.

After the Giant God’s maneuvers, most became fertilizer.

The few survivors fled back to their "Ether Ponds," trembling and never daring to venture out again.

Fear gripped them, and with so many dead, the living inherited their comrades’ "legacy," making life comfortable. Why risk danger when comfort beckoned?

So…

"Hiss—!"

Though the golden energy dragon hissed—rich with power and shards of divine rank—as it wove between "Ether Ponds," not one "Formidable Minor God" answered the Abyss’s call.

This, however, was expected by the Abyss.

The golden dragon swam onward, deeper into the "Chest of the Swamp."

After crossing bleak wastelands, the shimmering entity reached a highland jutting from the Chaos Swamp.

Below this highland…

"Crash—!"

A massive "Ether River" ribboned through the swamp, its glistening flow splitting the "Chest of the Swamp" in two.

Against the cool etheric liquid, raging energy from the "Inferno" fought stubbornly but uselessly; howling, it tore apart and diluted, swept by the ether flood toward the Endless Ether.

Finally, only faint warm wisps of "Inferno" energy seeped from the Primal Mud, too weak to wreak havoc.

The ether flood stirred void energy convection, scattering the "Infernal Mist" that clouded the void.

In some specific areas around this "Ether River," deities found places to settle down.

Some chaos deities, defeated in the Chaos Council, came to hide here.

They gathered their twisted, short-lived spawn and lived in this small world. They hunted dangerous beasts, sacrificed them to their savage gods, and helped their deities lick their wounds.

Over the long years, some deities gradually lost their desire to battle and became content with their situation. They paid only limited attention to internal matters of the Chaos Council, using agents placed within it to voice their thoughts.

The First Demon God Barbatos also accepted this relationship. He claimed to let bygones be bygones but stayed vigilant and watchful.

In theory, they were the ones the Abyss wanted to court.

However, these fellows hated Barbatos but not the Chaos Swamp. They strongly disliked the endless ether forces constantly eroding the Chaos Swamp Realm.

So, the golden energy dragon bypassed their "riverbank world" and swam toward a tributary of the "Ether River."

Not only the unfortunate, banished chaos deities could settle in these places.

There were also some "neglected" deities.

"Caw—!"

"Ah—!"

A group of strange deities, covered in scale armor with short skulls and exposed fangs, wrestled with each other in a steaming swamp.

They roared as their massive divine bodies collided. Flames and lightning flickered over their giant forms.

"Boom—!"

"Bang—!"

Each collision involved both physical impacts and magical confrontations.

The huge explosions nearly ignited the void filled with "Infernal Mist," setting off blast after blast!

In the ongoing clashes and close-range magical duels, their divine bodies grew battered. Yet, fallen scales regrew thicker, and broken bones healed sturdier.

The constant battles distorted their divine forms but also honed them stronger!

Their souls came from the "Inferno," and their divine bodies were forged and cooled continuously in the Endless Ether, Chaos Swamp, and Inferno realms, born from the Primal Mud.

As deities born in the "Chest of the Swamp," they adapted well to the Infernal energy here, even turning it to their advantage!

This was a group of crazy and formidable powers. Once they broke free, these insane deities with souls from the Inferno would unleash a destructive tide like a tsunami.

Fortunately, their main focus now was on wrestling and fighting each other.

Also, for many years, none of them had risen as an absolute powerhouse.

If this endless internal conflict in the "Infernal Mist" ever crowned a strongest one…

A colossal disaster would soon unfold.

That was the Abyss’s plan.

Since these "Infernal Mad Gods" had fought each other for thousands of years without a winner, He intended to lend them a hand!

"Hiss—!"

A golden serpent, rich in powerful energy and shards of divine rank, slithered silently through the swamp…

It moved quietly, unnoticed by the "Infernal Mad Gods," just watching and searching carefully.

The Abyss’s "golden energy dragon" was made up of many shards of divine rank. Though not a deity, just an "object," it had some self-awareness and could independently identify the strongest one.

Soon, it found its target.

It was a massive Infernal Mad God, floating in the Ether River to rest.

Covered in more scars than any other, its limbs were thick yet slightly twisted, but this didn’t slow it down. Without doubt, this was the group’s most battled, most powerful "battle-hardened individual."

Many similar "battle-hardened individuals" existed.

But none matched this one in size.

Given more time, it might have grown into the ultimate "Infernal Mad God: Battle King," then led its comrades in a terrifying assault on the entire Chaos Swamp!

However…

The Abyss couldn’t wait!

The golden energy dragon couldn’t wait either.

As a vessel for shards of divine rank and energy, its lifespan was limited.

Once time ran out, the shattered divine rank would fail to hold its formless "Divine Body" together, dooming it to complete disintegration.

Who might claim those shards and energy then? No one could say.

So…

"Hiss…"

The golden energy dragon coiled gently around the Infernal Mad God, circling it once, twice.

Then…

"Zii—!"

The dragon split in two!

One thick, one thin.

The slender one swam off.

This time, the Abyss had prepared thoroughly, covering every angle.

Bearing the Abyss’s iron will, it left the "ether water area," surging downstream to find another sturdy Infernal Mad God.

Meanwhile, the thick one kept coiling, slowly melting into golden energy as it poured silently into the "Battle King."

"Whoosh—!"

The resting Infernal Mad God: Battle King snapped its eyes open!

Its Divine Body and bones cracked and swelled!

At the same time…

"Roar—!"

The slender golden energy dragon fulfilled its duty, channeling a fraction of energy and the Abyss’s fierce will into another battle-hardened Infernal Mad God.

Now, leading part of its group, it migrated slowly downstream.