Chapter 2440 Demon of Death Paradise

"W-Wait!" Gutou suddenly called out to them right as they started leaving.

"What about me? Do I have to enter Death Paradise with you?"

Yuan shook his head and said, "Your job has ended the moment you led us here. You can return home now. Thanks for your help."

"I see…" Gutou nodded, and after a moment of silence, turned around and flew away, sighing inwardly that they didn't even attempt to ask him to follow them.

Time passed swiftly, and after traveling for six million miles with Void Manipulation, Yuan and the others slowed to a halt when they sensed an unfathomably powerful aura in the distance.

They were still in the Bloody Expanse, surrounded by crimson water and a night sky.

"What a powerful presence!" Supreme Ruler Grant was the first to comment on it.

Even though this aura clearly belonged to an Absolute God like him, its presence was several times stronger than his own.

"I may be wrong, but this individual seems to be on par… if not even stronger than her…" Lev spoke in a nervous voice as his gaze pointed at Supreme Ruler Dena, who remained as calm as ever.

"How should we approach them?" Supreme Ruler Dena asked.

However, before she could receive a response, the overwhelming aura vanished into thin air, and the presence completely disappeared half a second later.

"…"

After a moment of silence, an unfamiliar voice resounded right behind them.

"Three who bear the Demon God's Authority, a tool, and one insignificant being," the voice remarked, its tone laced with intrigue. "What an odd gathering."

"?!"

Supreme Ruler Grant and Lev were startled by the voice and hastily flew away while Yuan, Supreme Ruler Dena, and the Demon Annihilation Sword calmly turned around to face the voice.

Hovering just behind them was a tall, strikingly beautiful woman with a bountiful figure and ghostly pale complexion. Her pitch-black hair flowed freely behind her, and her eyes—dark as abyssal depths—lacked both emotion and light, like twin black holes that swallowed all they beheld.

Though she appeared human, there was something about her presence that clearly transcended one.

"We're here to speak with Supreme Ruler Umbra, do you know where we can find him?" Yuan asked her.

The woman's void-like eyes shifted to Yuan, and a small smile tugged at her lips as she responded, "Are you human? One that isn't from this world."

Yuan was not surprised by her question and calmly replied, "Yes, I am."

The woman closed her eyes and released a low sigh, "How long has it been since I last saw a human? Ever since the Great Cataclysm, I suppose."

"The Great Cataclysm?" Yuan raised an eyebrow at this unfamiliar term.

He turned to Supreme Ruler Dena, only to find her equally unresponsive to the term, suggesting she had no idea what it meant either.

"What is the Great Cataclysm?" Yuan decided to ask the woman.

"…"

The woman remained silent for a moment before speaking, "It's been so long since I've had visitors… it would be a shame if you left so soon."

Hearing such ominous words, Yuan prepared to enter battle at any second.

However, the woman continued, "Let's play a game. If you win, I'll tell you everything you wish to know—including Umbra's whereabouts."

"And if you win?" Yuan asked.

"If I win…"

She slowly raised a finger and pointed it at him.

"You will remain here… and accompany me for eternity."

Yuan raised an eyebrow. "That hardly seems fair. If we win, you merely answer a few questions. But if we lose, I forfeit my freedom—my life—to you?"

"So what?" the woman replied indifferently. "The strong dictate the rules."

"I admit that you're pretty strong, but we won't know—"

Supreme Ruler Dena opened her mouth to speak, but before she could even finish her sentence, the woman unleashed her aura again.

An unfathomable pressure instantly enveloped their area—one that was several times stronger than what they sensed before.

"This is insane!" Lev cried out loud. Although he had been uncertain whether the woman surpassed Supreme Ruler Dena in strength, that doubt had now completely vanished, and he was certain she did.

"For an incomplete being to reach your level of strength is indeed impressive," the woman said calmly. "However… even if you spent your entire life trying, you would never come close to touching my shadow."

"An incomplete being…?" Supreme Ruler Dena frowned at the woman's choice of words, wondering why she used such a term.

"You know nothing despite carrying the Demon God's Authority? Well, I can't blame you for the Demon God's incompetence."

Supreme Ruler Grant's eyes widened with shock when he heard the woman openly scoff at the Demon God, something that was unthinkable in the Crimson Continent.

"To call the Demon God incompetent… that's blasphemous!" Supreme Ruler Grant subconsciously shouted.

"Hm?" The woman shifted her attention to him.

Suddenly, she vanished without a trace, only to reappear directly before Supreme Ruler Grant.

"You should consider yourselves fortunate," she said calmly, her gaze cold. "Had you encountered the others instead of me, they would have torn you apart without a word for being the Demon God's dog."

"Demon God's dog? We're Supreme Rulers!"

"What's the difference?" The woman shrugged.

"But you also have a Supreme Ruler. Umbra." Yuan suddenly pointed out.

The woman looked at him and smiled, "Enough with the chatter. If you want me to answer any questions, you will need to win my game."

"And if we refuse to play?"

"Then I'll kill all of you," she calmly said.

"…"

Despite the woman's arrogant claim, Yuan couldn't say with certainty that he could defeat her. Her aura was simply that overwhelming—perhaps even on par with the Dragon God's eldest daughter at her full strength.

However, even if he could defeat her, it would likely take all his effort and a tremendous amount of time.

In such a situation, he'd rather avoid an unnecessary fight and see what kind of game she wanted to play.

"Alright. What is this game that you want to play?" Yuan asked.

The woman then said, "You will have to choose one person out of your group to participate. For the game itself… you simply need to endure a trial."

"I will do it," Yuan said without hesitation.

However, the woman slowly shook her head and said, "No, this trial won't work on you or that tool. The participant must be originally from this world."

Yuan frowned at her words.

"You're telling me that I cannot participate in a game where my own life is at stake? This is beyond unreasonable."

"What other choice do you have?" The woman chuckled, clearly proud of herself.

Yuan sighed but said nothing.

Although the situation appeared unfavorable, it wasn't truly dire. Even if they lost the game, he had no intention of remaining in Death Paradise for the rest of his life, and if they proved unable to defeat this woman, he could always call in the favor owed to him by the Primal Sovereign of the Seas.

"What does the trial entail?" Supreme Ruler Dena asked. The woman suddenly swept her slender arm through the air, and at her gesture, the air—or more precisely—the poison within it, surged toward her.

Everyone stared in bewilderment, as none of them had expected her to be able to manipulate the poison itself.

"The participant must accept this and survive. Quite the simple game, right?"

"How is that a game?" Yuan said as he stared at the overwhelming amount of Demon God's Ordeal gathered around the woman with a deep frown on his face. "You're basically just asking one of them to die."

"Anything can be a game if you put your mind to it," she calmly replied. "That being said, if they survive this game, they will be greatly rewarded."

'Rewarded…?' Yuan thought to himself.

"Um… I can participate."

Lev suddenly spoke aloud.

Yuan turned to look at him and asked, "You'll die, you know? This is nothing more than a death sentence."

"That's precisely why I am stepping up. If anyone has to be sacrificed here, it should be me. It's a pity since my life had just changed for the better," Lev responded with a bitter smile on his face.

"Or, we can just make him do it." Supreme Ruler Dena said while pointing at Supreme Ruler Grant.

"What?! I am not going to sacrifice myself for you, even if you kill me!" he cried out loud.

"I am just joking," Supreme Ruler Dena suddenly said, dumbfounding them.

With a slight turn of her head, she looked at Yuan and continued, "Let me do it."

"But—"

"I have no intention of sacrificing myself," she interrupted Yuan, who had just opened his mouth.

"Since your life is on the line, I can't entrust it to anyone else. Moreover, out of everyone here, I have the highest chance of surviving that much poison."

"..."

Yuan fell silent at her logical reasoning.

'There's no need to risk your life like this. Let's fight her. If we cannot defeat her, we can just have the Primal Sovereign of the Seas to kill her for us,' Yuan then said to her through voice transmission.

However, Supreme Ruler Dena shook her head and replied, 'I am not only doing this for you. That woman looked down on me—belittled me. I will win this stupid game of hers and make her swallow her own words.'

After a moment of silence, Yuan turned to ask the woman, "She will participate, but before we begin, can you give us some time to prepare for the game?"

"Since it will prolong your presence here, I will allow it," she calmly nodded.

The next moment, Yuan approached Supreme Ruler Dena and extended an arm toward her.

"Will you accept my blood?" he asked.

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