At this moment, in another part of the Chaos World, there lay the dark city—the lair of the Lord of Darkness and the Lord of Hearts Demon.
"How did it go? How was your attempt to sneak into Chaos City and climb the Chaos Tower?"
The Lord of Hearts Demon inquired.
It knew that the Lord of Darkness had infiltrated Chaos City in an attempt to ascend the Chaos Tower and claim it. However, no other Demon Gods were aware of this endeavor—not even the most powerful among them.
"Six thousand floors… I only managed to climb six thousand floors of the Chaos Tower."
The Lord of Darkness clenched his fists tightly, his entire body trembling. Although he had surpassed the Lord of Light in his ascent, he felt no joy—only endless frustration.
The gap was simply too vast.
The Chaos Tower had a total of 129,600 floors, yet he had been forced to retreat after reaching only the 6,000th floor. For the proud Lord of Darkness, this was nothing less than humiliation.
For countless years, he had cultivated tirelessly, believing he could at least close the distance between himself and the Chaos City Lord. But now, he realized he was still nothing more than an insignificant ant in comparison.
"Six thousand floors?"
The heart of the Lord of Hearts Demon clenched. It had always known that the Chaos City Lord was incomprehensibly powerful, but it had never imagined the difference would be this immense.
"And as far as I know, the Deputy City Lord of Chaos City, Pangu, has climbed to the 121,100th floor of the Chaos Tower," the Lord of Darkness said in a deep voice, his expression dark and grim.
What?!
Even the ever-cunning Lord of Hearts Demon nearly cried out in shock upon hearing this revelation.
If only the Chaos City Lord stood above them all, they might still find solace in the idea that he was a special exception. But that was clearly not the case.
The Deputy City Lord, Pangu, had ascended to the 121,100th floor—though not yet reaching the summit, such a feat was still astonishing beyond measure.
For the Lord of Darkness, who had personally climbed the Chaos Tower, this was especially terrifying. The trial monsters within were boundlessly powerful, and he had been utterly incapable of resisting them.
He had been instantly slain upon reaching the 6,000th floor, forcefully ejected by the tower's safety mechanisms. If not for those protections, he might have perished entirely. Even now, the sheer terror of that moment sent shivers down his spine.
This was the fear of death.
"I never expected even Pangu to be so overwhelming. Who knows how many Daos he has mastered?" the Lord of Hearts Demon murmured, its thoughts churning.
"I have no idea," the Lord of Darkness admitted, his voice heavy. "But one thing is certain—it must be beyond our imagination. At this rate, surpassing the Chaos City Lord seems hopeless."
"Foolishness."
The Lord of Hearts Demon sneered. "The Chaos City Lord may be immensely powerful now, but surpassing him is not impossible."
"What do you mean?"
The Lord of Darkness, startled, immediately refocused.
"Do you have any idea how many Dao-level Demon Gods exist now?" the Lord of Hearts Demon asked.
The Lord of Darkness pondered before responding, "I haven't counted precisely, but by my estimation, there are at least 50,000 to 60,000 Dao-level Demon Gods."
"Before the Chaos City Lord established his Dojo and began preaching the Dao, no Demon God had attained enlightenment. At that time, even Quasi-Holy-level Demon Gods were considered overlords. Cultivation was painstaking, and each step forward was hard-earned.
"But after the Dojo was established, Dao-level Demon Gods began appearing like crucian carp crossing a river. Now, there are tens of thousands of them."
"Exactly," the Lord of Hearts Demon said. "And this is our greatest opportunity. Tell me, after cultivating for so long, have you forgotten what is the fastest way for us Demon Gods to grow stronger?"
"You mean… devouring Demon Gods?"
The eyes of the Lord of Darkness flashed with a chilling light, as if he had just awakened from a deep slumber.
"That's right! Devouring our kind, consuming other Demon Gods! The weak are prey to the strong. This is the fastest way for us to ascend."
The Lord of Hearts Demon roared, its voice filled with madness.
"But ever since the Chaos City Lord appeared, everything has changed. He tamed us like sheep, forcing us into an orderly existence. He made us forget the ways of bloodshed, even making us forget the most fundamental principle of our cultivation—devouring our own kind.
"This is the true path of our kind!
"If one devours a Dao-level Demon God, they gain all the Cultivation Base and Dao Laws that the victim had mastered, saving untold centuries of bitter cultivation! What could be faster or more efficient than this?
"Think about it—if we are far behind the Chaos City Lord now, what would happen if we devoured hundreds of Dao-level Demon Gods?
"Even if each of them only controlled one Dao, how many Daos would we acquire if we consumed them all?
"If we can devour all 60,000 Demon Gods, our strength would surely surpass the Chaos City Lord's, propelling us into an unprecedented realm!"
His eyes gleamed with an uncontrollable fervor.
"But… killing so many Demon Gods is no simple task," the Lord of Darkness cautioned. "Even if they control only a single Dao, their ability to escape is formidable."
He narrowed his eyes. "More importantly, we cannot simply start slaughtering Demon Gods at random. If we act recklessly, we will draw attention, and the Chaos City Lord will intervene. If that happens, our plan will be exposed, and we may even be annihilated."
The mere thought of the Chaos City Lord's wrath sent a chill down his spine.
To be honest, if not for the Chaos City Lord's deterrence, war would have already broken out among the Demon Gods long ago.
"You're worried about justification? That's simple."
The Lord of Hearts Demon smirked. "I recently discovered a Chaotic Secret Realm filled with precious ores—the Enlightenment Stones.
"As long as one consumes an Enlightenment Stone, there is a chance they will comprehend a new Dao."
The Lord of Darkness was ecstatic. "You actually found such an ore? Then why not take it out, use it to attain enlightenment together, and surpass the Chaos City Lord?"
"Foolish."
The Lord of Hearts Demon sneered. "The Enlightenment Stone only increases the probability of a demon god attaining enlightenment. It doesn't guarantee it.
"Bitter cultivation is neither as fast nor as efficient as devouring demon gods. Are you truly so naive? Instead of taking the shortcut, you choose the long road? You refuse to devour demon gods and instead rely on slow, uncertain enlightenment? That's like throwing away a watermelon to pick up sesame seeds!"
The Lord of Darkness fell silent, deep in though
"Now, tell me—if this information spreads, how will the Demon Gods react?"
"How else?" The Lord of Darkness chuckled darkly. "They'll swarm to it like ravenous beasts, desperate to seize these treasures."
"They'll fight amongst themselves, igniting a battle of the gods!"
The Lord of Darkness's excitement grew.
"A treasure that grants enlightenment… such a thing is priceless! How could any Demon God tolerate another stealing it?
"You understand now?" The Lord of Hearts Demon sneered.
"Instead of mindlessly consuming these ores, we will use them as bait.
"Once the war of the gods begins, we can hunt our prey openly, devouring them one by one.
"With so many Demon Gods caught up in the chaos, even the Chaos City Lord will struggle to intervene."
The Lord of Darkness's eyes gleamed with murderous intent.