The Black Swamp That Devoured the Hosen Family

The capital of the Volcano Kingdom cascaded down a mountainside, its architecture forming a grand, tiered spectacle.

The higher one's dwelling, the nobler their status. At the summit stood magnificent palaces, imposing ancient castles, and classic stone lighthouses.

Atop the volcano's mouth lay a fearsome Ruhe beast, the Lava Monster.

This was the Volcano Kingdom's second Ruhe beast, symbolizing the power of lava and volcanoes, and representing the Volcano Kingdom and the Hosen family.

Much like the Sky Beast represented the Xilong family of the Sky Temple.

In the indoor forbidden garden filled with Sun Cups, the King conferred with his sons, who also served as military commanders, about the war against the Star Luo Kingdom.

"The Star Luo Kingdom doesn't dare to deploy their beast's power. The Desert Worm of the Samo family has appeared suddenly within Star Luo Kingdom's borders several times, just a few hundred miles from the God-Servant City."

"If the Star Luo Queen dares to send out the Sky Beast, we and the Samo family will immediately dispatch our beasts to besiege the God-Servant City."

"The Star of Death is much weaker out of water, and the Xilong family has always used it to guard the Sacred Mountain."

However, they were in a similar situation. The Sky Beast's terrifying speed and air superiority made them equally cautious and fearful of the Sky Temple and the Xilong family.

The princes began to report on the situations they had observed recently on the Sun City battlefront.

"The Star Luo Kingdom is now pinned down, fighting on two fronts. They can't hold out much longer..."

"The wavering Sele family, under the persuasion of my vassal, will likely soon side with us."

"It won't be long..."

The sons boasted of their achievements, each portraying himself as the protagonist and greatest contributor to their seemingly inevitable victory.

Suddenly, everyone felt the ground beneath them shake.

People staggered, some falling flat on their faces.

Violent tremors came from underground, the earth-shaking sensation making people dizzy. In the palace, some frantically clung to pillars or pressed against walls, while others fled to open areas.

The King hastily led his entourage to the open square, his gaze sweeping over the capital.

"Woo woo!"

They saw the Burrowing Demon Worm, once belonging to the Volcano Kingdom, tunneling through the mountain, creating a massive hole at the foot of the capital.

It came from underground, having bored through something unknown, causing the entire capital to shake.

Simultaneously, it reawakened the dormant volcano.

"No, his target is the volcano!"

The King's face suddenly changed as he realized the reason for the tremors. Though he didn't know who was behind this, he instantly guessed their intentions.

Building a city on a volcano was meant to cultivate the Lava Monster, but they also knew the inherent dangers, especially the successive kings.

But the Burrowing Demon Worm capable of doing this and its cultivation method were in the Volcano Kingdom's hands. The former Volcano Kingdom naturally felt secure, never imagining that one day the Burrowing Demon Worm would become their nightmare.

He looked up towards the volcano's crater, just in time to hear a tremendous roar.

Then, a scene of heaven and earth shattering unfolded before their eyes.

This volcano, dormant for countless years, roared back to life.

Rolling magma burst forth from underground, flowing out of the crater and down the mountainside. Flaming rocks like meteors fell from above amid billowing smoke and thunderous explosions.

The people of the Volcano Kingdom looked up at the erupting volcano, their faces filled with utter terror, including the King and the princes.

As if witnessing the arrival of doomsday, the once lofty royals and priests, those nobles who ruled the entire kingdom, were all frightened out of their wits.

They rushed out of castles and palaces, gathering in the streets to flee downhill.

But their speed was no match for the rolling lava. They watched helplessly as their magnificent palaces and towering ancient castles were gradually covered and swallowed by the magma.

Even the lighthouse standing tall at the summit collapsed with a thunderous crash.

The royals who enjoyed luxurious lives and the nobles who owned vast fishing grounds and slaves were all reduced to ashes in the scorching lava amid painful wails.

In contrast, the commoners and slaves living at the foot of the mountain reacted quickly, fleeing in groups with their families towards the distant plains and deserts, most escaping with their lives.

"Roar!"

The Lava Monster at the summit moved. The Volcano King rode it, carrying a small number of royals as they plunged downward, trying to escape this land of death.

But at that moment, the ground rolled and heaved, and the Burrowing Demon Worm appeared before him, blocking his path.

The Volcano King's composure shattered. Wild-eyed, he stared at the Burrowing Demon Worm and demanded, "Who are you really?"

"Weishi? No!"

"You can't be Weishi."

A familiar voice came from the worm's mouth.

"Respected King of Volcano!"

"Fleeing in panic is not befitting of a king's demeanor."

"As a king, when the capital falls, you should perish with it. That is what a king should do."

The Volcano King, riding the Lava Monster, was stunned for a moment. Hearing this tone, he finally remembered who was before him.

"It's you, Henir!"

"How did the Burrowing Demon Worm end up in your hands? Where's Weishi?"

Henir's voice was calm: "What do you think?"

The King clenched his fists, his eyes bulging with rage: "Why are you doing this?"

"Of course," Henir sneered, "I want you dead!"

The King was nearly driven mad with anger. This lowborn bastard, this black mud born of commoners.

How dare he, how dare he!

"You madman!"

"Because of you, the Hosen family has lost its capital, lost hundreds and thousands of its members."

"The Volcano Kingdom has lost the foundation it accumulated over hundreds of years, do you realize that?"

Henir didn't speak, responding only with mocking laughter. The more the King lost his composure, the more it was what Henir wanted to see.

"Hahahaha!"

The battle between the two erupted on the volcano. At the Volcano King's command, the Lava Monster spewed scorching red magma from its mouth.

The magma swept across the ground, and the Burrowing Demon Worm immediately burrowed underground to avoid it.

But whenever the Lava Monster tried to leave the volcano, the Burrowing Demon Worm would instantly emerge to block it, its fangs biting the Lava Monster's feet, its tentacles tightly entangling it.

The Lava Monster possessed attack power far surpassing the Burrowing Demon Worm and was once the Volcano Kingdom's greatest deterrent force.

But now, faced with the Burrowing Demon Worm's abilities, it couldn't fully unleash its power.

Henir controlled the Burrowing Demon Worm, firmly blocking the King and the Lava Monster on the path down the mountain. The King grew increasingly anxious, while Henir became more and more at ease.

"Rumble rumble rumble~"

Another round of volcanic eruption came, this time a full-scale eruption.

Magma surged out like a tidal wave, creating a giant wave tens of meters high from the summit.

It raised hundreds or thousands of meters of thick smoke, and a red glow tens of meters high.

The towering magma wave rolled down, enveloping the entire mountain peak, approaching the battling Burrowing Demon Worm and Lava Monster.

However, the Burrowing Demon Worm burrowed underground at the last moment, narrowly escaping.

The Lava Monster wasn't so lucky. The terrifying magma engulfed it, and the beast's horrifying roars echoed for tens of miles.

The Volcano King watched the magma pouring down from above and the objects falling endlessly amid the thick smoke.

He let out a final roar of rage: "Henir!"

The name he had given that illegitimate son long ago, meaning black mud.

He never imagined that one day, it would transform into a terrifying black swamp, completely devouring the entire Volcano Kingdom and the Hosen family.

In the distance, Henir controlled the worm using the divine technique of Consciousness Projection, a smile spreading across his face.

"Ah!" Henir exclaimed, "Finally, it's all gone."

Looking at the capital engulfed in destruction, fire, and magma, seeing the Hosen family vanish into thin air.

With this single move, he had killed almost all the power holders of the Volcano Kingdom here.

All those who could oppose him, those who looked down on him from above, all perished here.

This was exactly what Henir wanted—

The Samo Kingdom's army and beast were firmly held back by the Star Luo Kingdom at the Volcano Kingdom's border, where an even more intense battle was unfolding.

Four Ruhe beasts and tens of thousands of soldiers were engaged in a great battle there, with the Star Luo Queen and the Samo King personally leading the fight.

The Samo Kingdom received news and wanted to rush to rescue the Hosen family, but the Star Luo Kingdom naturally wouldn't allow that.

However, it's likely that none of them anticipated everything here would end so quickly.

"Lord Henir."

Rows of priests and nobles stood behind Henir. These priests all possessed royal blood but were from side branches or were illegitimate children who hadn't been given important roles. Henir had been cultivating their loyalty for a long time.

They had once been frustrated and unappreciated, but now they all rose to power alongside Henir.

And these nobles were local lords and aristocrats who saw in Henir an opportunity to enter the core of power.

In their eyes, Henir saw excitement, ambition, as well as greed and desire.

"Desire is not shameful, wanting to gain more is not wrong in itself."

"From today onwards," Henir declared, "everything here belongs to us. I will share power and glory with you all."

Everyone knelt before Henir, shouting his name.

However, at this moment, there was another disturbance from the volcano.

Everyone turned to look in that direction.

A primitive, hollow sound echoed across the sky. It was the voice of the beast.

The Lava Monster, which had been swallowed by the volcano, came back to life. The insect-like shell on the beast's body gradually fell off, and the Ruhe beast restored its original appearance.

It writhed on the ground, slowly moving towards the distance.

At the end of its journey lay the sea.

Having lost the Ruhe brand, no Trilobite Man could restrain or control it anymore.

Henir recalled the messenger of God he had encountered, and the words she had once spoken.

"God will bestow upon the Trilobite Men the power of creation, and reclaim the power of destruction."

God had taken back the gift He had once bestowed upon King Redlichia.