Chapter 241 The Founding of the Demon Clan

Deep in the Changbai Mountains, a military high-altitude stealth drone is silently hovering above the clouds.

Through ultra-high resolution psionic detection lenses, high-ranking military officials at the Kyoto command center witnessed firsthand a chilling phenomenon.

In that pristine basin covered in ice and snow, there were no scenes of wild beasts tearing each other apart for territory and food, as was common in the past. Instead, a chilling sense of order prevailed.

Tens of thousands of mutated monsters were arranged in an extremely tight hierarchical formation. Standing on the highest point at the very center was the Tiger King, as imposing as a mountain. Like a true monarch, it coldly looked down upon its subjects.

Beneath it stood hundreds of commander-level demons, each radiating second-tier spiritual energy. They were divided into different factions according to their race and abilities. The massive mutated black bears and wild boars formed a heavy infantry phalanx, while the agile snow leopards and gray wolves were organized into guerrilla scouts. The foxes and venomous snakes, capable of spitting frost and poisonous mist, were concentrated in the rear, resembling a disciplined magic-based army.

Upon seeing this, everyone in the conference room unconsciously held their breath.

"Don't they need to eat?" A logistics officer stared intently at the screen, his forehead covered in cold sweat. "With so many mutated creatures gathered in one basin, the ecological carrying capacity of Changbai Mountain has long been exceeded. Based on their past instincts, they should have already started cannibalism by now!"

Professor Wang Mingyuan rapidly tapped on his tablet, pulling up a set of the latest spiritual energy wave data, then shook his head, his face pale.

"They have solved the food problem. Or rather, they have redefined their kind."

Wang Mingyuan zoomed the drone's camera out to the edge of the basin.

In the scene, several mutated giant wolves, equally enormous but with bloodshot and murky eyes, are charging madly toward the ranks of the demonic beasts, drawn by the scent of blood. They are clearly starving, their gaping maws ready to tear at a snow fox with a broken leg lying on the edge.

But the moment they got close, the two second-tier Shadow Leopards that were acting as guards darted out in a blur and swiftly bit off the necks of the crazed giant wolves.

Then, several intelligent mutated macaques stepped forward and skillfully used their sharp bone blades to disembowel the giant wolves, distributing the flesh and blood, rich in high-energy heat, to the surrounding army of demonic beasts.

The entire process was orderly, and not a single monster fought amongst itself over food.

"It's not about turning all beasts into intelligent beings." Wang Mingyuan's voice echoed in the hall, carrying a deep sense of powerlessness. "Only those mutated creatures that have crossed the threshold of intelligence can be considered true demons. As for those with low brain capacity and only bloodthirsty instincts, in the eyes of the demons, they are no longer their own kind."

"Unintelligent wild beasts have an extremely high reproductive capacity and have now completely become the demon race's mobile food reserves. They are driven, raised, and then slaughtered in large numbers by the demon army, just like pigs, cattle, and sheep raised by humans."

Upon hearing this explanation, the high-ranking officials in the conference room felt a chill run down their spines and straight to their heads.

The demon race not only developed discipline, but even developed animal husbandry!

But what truly shocked everyone in the command center was not that they had solved the food problem, but what was happening on the other side of the basin.

Hundreds of intelligent, mutated macaques were gathered around a pile of spoils captured from the human defenses. These were the broken exoskeletons and discarded weapons left behind by fallen human hunters.

In the scene, several elderly macaques, wielding sharp demonic bone spikes, patiently pried open the black steel breastplate of a second-generation exoskeleton. Their technique was remarkably precise, carefully avoiding any psionic energy loops that could trigger a self-destruction. Then, following the spine, they forcefully ripped away the pseudo-spiritual root stained with human blood and bone marrow.

In the past, human hunters would go into the wilderness to kill monsters and dig out their cores. Now, these macaques are extracting human spiritual roots from human mechs.

A pseudo-spiritual root, though crudely crafted, was deeply rooted in the hunter's spine, absorbing the human's lifespan, essence, and spiritual energy day and night. To the demon beast, this thing was practically a perfect tonic, condensing the essence of human life!

A particularly large and robust macaque leader walked over. It opened its mouth and swallowed the still-bleeding pseudo-spiritual root whole without hesitation, without even chewing it.

The macaque leader closed its eyes, its fur standing on end. The originally rampant demonic power within its body, after digesting the pseudo-spiritual root filled with human essence and blood, began to circulate in an extremely regular manner, as if it had received some kind of catalyst.

In less than five minutes, the macaque leader suddenly opened its eyes, and a faint light screen that was extremely similar to the human exoskeleton defense array appeared on its body!

"They are plundering the fruits of our cultivation..."

Wang Mingyuan stared intently at the large screen, his voice becoming hoarse and raspy. "They devour pseudo-spiritual roots not only to replenish their energy, but also to decipher the runic logic that humans have inscribed into these pseudo-spiritual roots. Their flesh and blood are the perfect furnace."

But it's not over yet.

After the macaques devoured all the life essence from the pseudo-spiritual root, they did not discard the heavy industrial achievements that humans were so proud of.

A second-tier Crimson Flame Ape, radiating intense heat, approached. It opened its mouth and spewed out scorching demonic fire, turning the discarded black steel armor plates red-hot and limp.

A mutated black bear, as large as a small mountain, walked over on its own.

Taking advantage of the softening of the black steel, several macaques cruelly embedded and glued the scorching hot alloy plates directly into the mutated black bear's already incredibly hard bone spurs and flesh crevices!

The black bear let out a painful growl, its flesh sizzling and emitting acrid white smoke, but it stubbornly held on. When the alloy cooled, a layer of armor, forged by human industry, was revealed on its chest and joints!

The black bear, which could only withstand the psionic cannon fire with its bare skin, is now clad in human-made black steel bulletproof vests. It's an extremely brutal and bloody, but absolutely effective, form of enhancement!

"They are using our metallurgical materials in reverse..."

"They eat our spiritual roots to strengthen their cultivation, and use our scrap metal to forge their demonic armor. These beasts are treating humanity like a ready-made resource mine!"

When wild beasts are no longer content with eating raw meat and drinking blood, when they learn to cooperate, to raise their own food, to devour the cultivation of their enemies, and even to use the armor of their enemies to arm themselves.

This is civilization.

A brutal civilization built entirely on the law of the jungle, absolute power, and extreme plunder is proclaiming its birth right under humanity's nose, stepping on the corpses of human hunters.

The tiger king on the high ground was quietly watching everything that was happening below.

This newly awakened monarch harbored an unprecedented ambition in its eyes. Originally, it had shattered its forward base simply to drive those annoying two-legged sheep out of its territory. But now, everything had changed.

The Tiger King knew very well that although the natural spiritual energy of the Changbai Mountains was abundant, it was simply not enough to sustain his large army. If they continued to hide deep in the mountains and forests, they would eventually perish due to resource depletion without human intervention.

But the appearance of humans pointed them down a bloody path.

Those two-legged sheep were extremely fragile, but their spines contained pseudo-spiritual roots rich in life essence. In the Tiger King's eyes, this was simply an inexhaustible treasure trove of spiritual herbs.

Since humans have been slaughtering demonic beasts relentlessly as materials for alchemy, the roles have now reversed. For the survival of the demon race, and to acquire more armor and elixirs, they must take the initiative. They must break out of the snow-capped mountains, flatten human fortresses, and devour humans as domesticated prey.

Tiger King seemed to keenly sense the spying from ten thousand meters above. Its cold, vertical pupils snapped open, staring intently at the drone's camera lens across the vast distance.

There was no wild rage in his eyes, only a chilling calm, the calmness of looking at prey.

The tiger king opened its blood-red maw, but did not roar. It simply raised one of its massive forepaws and, with extreme agility and slowness, carved several deep furrows into the smooth snow.

The drone's camera immediately zoomed in.

Upon seeing the pattern on the ground, the top decision-maker's fingers, which were holding a cigarette, suddenly trembled, and the ash fell onto the expensive carpet.

They were two extremely ancient, distorted, yet their outlines were still barely discernible.

The Demon Kingdom.

These two words were like a formal declaration of war, carrying a strong stench of blood and absolute confidence, slapping hard across the faces of humanity's elite.

Immediately afterward, a mutated snow eagle beside the Tiger King soared into the sky like a white lightning bolt, instantly piercing through the clouds. The screen shook violently, then completely turned into a deathly silent display of static.

Inside the Kyoto command center, the lights appeared exceptionally dim.

The military commander was like a lone wolf driven completely mad. He turned around abruptly, staring intently at the top decision-maker, his eyes bloodshot and veins bulging on his forehead.

"Sir, we can't wait any longer! They've established a nation! A bunch of beasts have actually established a nation on our land!"

The commander's voice was hoarse with extreme anger. "You see, they not only have tactics, but now they've even made armor. If we wait until they've fully integrated their army and charge down from Changbai Mountain, what will we use to stop them?"

"The conventional defense line will collapse completely within a month at most. Authorize it! Immediately authorize the preparation of the tactical nuclear arsenal! Once they show signs of crossing the defense line on a large scale, wipe Changbai Mountain along with that damned demon country off the face of the earth!"

The top decision-maker fell silent. He looked at the screen filled with static, then at the councilors in the meeting room, who were usually aloof and high-ranking, but now looked utterly desperate.

The survival of civilization seems to have reached the precipice.

But as the supreme decision-maker, he understood better than anyone the cost of nuclear weapons devastation. It would not only destroy the demon race, but also potentially destroy the spiritual veins and environment that Earth had painstakingly recovered. Once this home planet was completely polluted, humanity would forever lose the soil for cultivating immortality, not to mention facing the void calamities beyond the stars in the future.

Before he can actually get to that point, he must squeeze every last drop of the conventional power out of him.

"The nuclear arsenal is on high alert. No one is allowed to launch without my final order."

The supreme decision-maker slowly closed his eyes, his voice low but exceptionally resolute, "But before that, issue my supreme order. Notify all war zones worldwide to immediately abandon all secondary supply depots and forward bases located deep in the wilderness. Withdraw all to the primary main defense line and the edge of fortified cities."

"Commander, abandoning the outer defense line is tantamount to handing over two-thirds of Earth's land to the newly born demon kingdom!" a councilor cried out in panic. "And what about the tens of millions of low-level hunters who have been withdrawn? Without their hunting income, how will they pay for their expensive mech repairs and life-saving drugs every day? There will be huge internal chaos!"

"Who cares about the chaos now!"

The top decision-maker slammed his fist on the table, a rare occurrence for him, like a fading but still ferocious lion. "Tell those powerful clans. It's time to save yourselves. Bring out all the low-level demonic beast blood, psionic ammunition, and second-generation exoskeletons they've stockpiled! Distribute them to the hunters at cost price, or even for free!"

"There's nowhere to retreat. Behind the main defensive line lies our inner city, and the lives and fortunes of everyone here."

The top decision-maker took a deep breath, his voice echoing in the hall, carrying a chilling, iron-willed tone.

"This is not hunting; this is a racial war to decide who will rule this planet Earth."

A storm has fully formed between humans and the newly born demon kingdom.

……

A few hours later.

The military order to retreat and hold the line was relayed to the front lines of all major war zones.

Outside the Jianghuai defense line, in the muddy trenches of the No. 13 front-line supply station.

The rain intensified, and various kinds of garbage and bloodstains floated in the dirty water. Old Ding sat in the shadow of the blast wall, holding a whetstone in his hand, and was sharpening the high-frequency vibrating knife, whose blade had already been chipped, with great effort.

Little Stone limped out of the communications room, his face even more ashen than the gloomy, rainy day outside.

"Uncle Ding, we've received a death order. All the outer supply depots are to be abandoned, and the defensive line is to be completely withdrawn. They've ordered us to retreat to the main defensive line 30 kilometers away and hold it to the death. Without heavy firepower support, we'll have to rely on our lives to fill the gap."

Old Ding's hands never stopped sharpening the knife; the harsh metallic scraping sound was especially clear in the rainy night.

"Stone, do you know why butchers who used to slaughter pigs always had a kind of malevolent aura about them?" Old Ding suddenly asked out of the blue.

The little stone was stunned and shook its head blankly.

"Because pigs struggle and bite when they're being slaughtered. The more pigs a butcher kills and the more blood he sees, the tougher he becomes."

Old Ding stopped what he was doing and tested the sharpness of the blade with his thumb. His cloudy eyes revealed a fierce and crazed intensity born of being driven to the brink.

"The bigwigs at the top have backed down and want to use the lives of us ordinary folks as shields. Well then, let's show them what we're made of."