Chapter 566

Chapter 566: Victory Woven from Truth to Please the First Demon God

"Excellent work!"

"Hahaha…"

"Those detestable insect deities! We ignored them deliberately, yet they dared act so arrogantly!"

Within the "Barbatos domain," its master erupted into maniacal laughter, brimming with pride.

Under normal circumstances, he shouldn’t have felt this way.

After extensive clearing, the toppled Fantasy Tree of Subspace crushing Barbatos’s "Chaos Pillar" was finally removed; this tree, nominally belonging to the "King of Ether," was called "Chang Geng Jian Mu."

Since the "King of Ether" was merely an external ally—a deity from the Endless Ether Realm who only appeared once in the Chaos Swamp—the incident caused no major repercussions.

The sole unlucky victim was the First Demon God Barbatos.

His dedicated Fantasy Tree of Subspace, the "Chaos Pillar," had been knocked crooked by "Chang Geng Jian Mu," suffering irreversible damage—it could no longer stand straight.

This forced him to magically reconfigure his domain; otherwise, every deity would move at a slant.

A devastating loss.

At minimum, his Fantasy Tree of Subspace lost its imposing appearance.

Yet the First Demon God roared with laughter amid his attendants’ uneasy exchanged glances, divine might spilling out with each joyful laugh!

"Hiss…"

"Cough cough…"

The attendant deities kneeling before him felt potent divine energy flood their bodies; this energy, infused with delight, tempered and strengthened their souls!

"We thank the great First Demon God!"

"Your… generosity knows no bounds!"

The attendant deities lowered their heads, offering grateful praise.

"This is nothing!"

"Bring me more victories like this! Keep me pleased, and rewards will flow endlessly!"

Barbatos swelled with pride because of the "spoils" his attendants brought—severed limbs of Star-Eater Plutonium Dragons, shredded chitin armor, even their mouthparts and scalps.

After Barbatos verified these "scraps" originated from Star-Eater Plutonium Dragons, he enchanted them to shrink before displaying them in his domain.

They would serve as Barbatos’s "trophies" to flaunt before core councilors and intimidate all lesser foes!

Much like displaying heads as warnings.

"Now, redouble your efforts!"

"We cannot let these mud-dwelling insects multiply further!"

"Your next mission is…"

…

When Barbatos’s attendants emerged from the "First Demon God domain," cold sweat drenched them, and they dared not exhale.

Until they left the range where Barbatos could monitor them and entered the interwoven domains of other core councilors, these secondary demon gods finally dared to openly discuss.

“That was too close.”

“Yeah, I thought we’d been exposed.”

“But we didn’t actually lie, did we?”

“Otherwise Barbatos’s magic would’ve reacted instantly!”

The First Demon God wasn’t foolish enough to blindly trust his attendants.

Under his powerful pressure, the attendants couldn’t speak falsehoods.

Yet what if their words weren’t lies—merely selectively presented truths?

As for Chaos Marks, while ensuring absolute loyalty, they were precious and costly magics. Wasting them on secondary demon gods seemed impractical; Barbatos reserved them only for "key deities."

“A great battle occurred, the Star-Eater Plutonium Dragons were forced to retreat, abandoning their limbs and chitin armor while suffering heavy casualties. Only one of our deities perished…”

“You believe ‘forced to retreat’ is truthful?”

“Naturally! That was the core area of the Fantasy Tree of Subspace. Soon other core councilors would arrive. We could’ve stalled longer—had we endured.”

“And ‘heavy casualties’?”

“That’s skillful wording!”

“‘Heavy casualties’ covers both wounded and dead. While none fell due to their formidable defenses, our jaws and fangs tore countless wounds into them!”

“Nearly every Star-Eater Plutonium Dragon bore injuries—some so grave they needed carrying.”

“Doesn’t that qualify as ‘heavy casualties’?”

“We spun truth into victory for the First Demon God.”

“Precisely! This serves us both.”

“Perhaps we’ll strike more deals with the Star-Eater Plutonium Dragons. Weaving ‘truth’ into pleasing tales could keep the First Demon God content!”

“Indeed. After they topple two Fantasy Trees of Subspace, even if overlooked, the First Demon God will divert forces against them. More opportunities await!”

“…”

Abruptly, all attendant deities froze.

They tensed.

Barbatos’s voice drifted once more from his domain.

“Quickly!”

“I’ve located those fleeing Star-Eater Plutonium Dragons!”

“You! Attack immediately!”

The attendant deities exchanged glances, smiles spreading.

Another chance for a deal had arrived!

—-

“Hmm…”

"The strong winds rose and the clouds soared; where could we find brave warriors to guard our lands?"

"The tree bandits must be eradicated—there’s no alternative!"

Trilobite crouched in what was once barren land, gazing through the endless rain at the lush greenery before him.

The tree variety here was pitifully limited.

Scalebark Ferns transplanted from the swamp had claimed nearly every inch.

They’d thrived in the heavy rains, spreading wildly while Trilobite was absent.

"It seems primitive things…"

"…aren’t necessarily worthless."

"Sometimes, they’re just born in the wrong era."

"Scalebark Ferns grow faster than most woody plants, spreading through their roots."

"Though they can’t reach far quickly, they blanket entire areas, choking all other plants."

Plants might seem motionless, but their struggle is ruthless.

Their battle revolves around sunlight.

As the saying goes, nothing grows beneath tall trees—their vast crowns steal the light.

Sunlight fuels most plants; robbed of this resource, those below perish.

A single-species forest creates fragile ecosystems, easily destroyed by fire, flood, or invasive creatures.

"Tsk…"

Scalebark Ferns were masters of this vicious game.

They cared nothing for stability, shooting upward to spread broad crowns that seized every drop of light in the "heavy rain."

"Tsk…"

Trilobite wandered beneath the tall, slender ferns until he spotted a "shrub" he’d transplanted—likely an ancient fern.

It stood on a slight rise in a basin’s center.

Now water surrounded it, forming a shallow lake.

Pale beast bones gleamed beneath the water’s surface—

remains from his hunts with Miss Baryonyx.

Trapped in its tiny island, the ancient fern couldn’t escape.

Neither roots nor seeds could breach the Scalebark Ferns’ blockade to reach the wasteland beyond.

"Hmm…"

"Let me think…"

"How to bring variety here?"

"Not to wipe out Scalebark, but to break their dominance—give other plants a fighting chance…"

Suddenly, Trilobite remembered long-neglected clients.

"Of course!"

"Biological control!"

"Trick some clients into becoming Scalebark’s natural enemies! Cull their numbers!"

"Could bring Diplopods, though they’re inefficient."

"But I enhanced local Suchosaurs earlier!"

Trilobite mentally scanned his client list—

though he hardly needed to.

Because—

"Gah—!"

"Help! Help—gah!"

A cacophony of cries erupted in the distance!