Chapter 72: Chapter72-Divine Body
Even the story depicted on the mural could very well have been fabricated to mislead those who saw it.
However, John felt that the Crimson Demon might have indeed been gravely injured or even dead.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have stayed here for so many years, and this secret realm wouldn't just be a high-level one.
Pushing aside his thoughts, John approached the massive coffin, casually kicking the hunched-over Lucas, who was ready to fight to the death, sending him flying away.
Then he circled the huge coffin, meticulously examining it, not missing any detail, until he found a keyhole in an inconspicuous rune.
The corners of John's mouth curled up, a smile spreading across his face.
Just as he had thought, the coffin indeed contained the Crimson Demon's treasure!
The most dangerous place is often the safest.
Who would have thought that the Crimson Demon's treasure would be right under their noses?
John took out the Crimson Key from his storage ring and inserted it into the keyhole on the coffin.
The key fit perfectly.
Subsequently, the eerie runes and blood-colored patterns on the black coffin seemed to come alive, starting to move and shift continuously.
Not long after, to Lucas and Seraphina's astonished gazes, all the runes and blood patterns astonishingly formed into a sinister blood-colored wing!
"Click!" A soft sound was heard, as if a mechanism had been activated, and the blood-colored wings on the black coffin slowly opened.
[A special scene "Land of the Blood God" has been discovered!]
A prompt appeared before John's eyes.
The first thing that caught his eye was a vast sea of red spider lilies, flanked on either side by pools of bubbling blood that resembled magma, with no end in sight.
It was hard to imagine that such a vast space existed within the coffin.
At the end of the red spider lily sea, there stood a majestic throne constructed from red crystals.
John's gaze shifted there.
In an instant, his pupils sharply contracted because, upon that throne, sat a person!
This was a young man dressed in a luxurious red robe, wearing a golden crown, with long red hair.
His appearance was strikingly handsome and slightly sinister.
His fair skin emitted a faint glow, and beside him lay a dark red longsword, over a meter in length.
The young man had his eyes closed, one hand propping his cheek as if he was dozing off.
However, the terrifying pressure naturally emanating from his body nearly suffocated everyone present.
Is this... the Crimson Demon?!
John almost had the urge to turn around and flee.
Damn it, this was a miscalculation!
The Crimson Demon was actually inside the coffin!
But before John could even think of escaping, he noticed something amiss.
Upon closer inspection, one could see a nearly imperceptible red crack at the young man's brow, resembling a shattered porcelain piece.
Moreover, there was no reaction from him to John's intrusion, as if... he was dead!
After observing for a while, John finally let out a long sigh of relief.
As he had anticipated, the Crimson Demon, even if not dead, had suffered grave injuries; this was merely the body it left behind.
Lucas, with his failing eyesight, did not notice the anomalies with the Crimson Demon.
Seeing the figure on the throne, his eyes, which had dimmed, suddenly burst with radiant light.
Staggering to his feet, Lucas crawled to the entrance of the Land of the Blood God.
"Oh, God!" he looked at the Crimson Demon with fervent adoration, bowing down without hesitation.
His voice was hoarse yet filled with devotion, "Great Crimson Demon, I am a follower who has inherited your power. I beseech you to save me and slay these disrespectful beings!"
After speaking, Lucas prostrated devoutly on the ground, as if truly a faithful devotee of the Crimson Demon.
John's brow twitched, suddenly feeling the urge to slap this man to death.
Even in this state, Lucas dared to cause him trouble, truly incorrigible.
Not far from John, Seraphina looked at the body of the Crimson Demon on the throne, feeling the terrifying pressure that made it impossible to harbor thoughts of resistance.
Her complexion gradually turned pale, barely managing not to collapse on the spot.
This was a true dark god!
Even the top powerhouses of the Federation couldn't maintain composure in its presence, let alone Seraphina, who had awakened just a few days ago.
The outside world also noticed the change within the trial.
Seeing the Crimson Demon, their bodies shuddered, eyes filled with astonishment.
There truly was a dark god here, and if it were to escape, Stellarburg itself might be destroyed!
Baron, Black Ghost, and others engaged in battle also saw the scene in the sky, their bodies stiffening for a moment.
But the next moment, they realized something was amiss.
They all realized that this was merely the body left by the Crimson Demon, not Its true self. Eldritch, who was providing healing, reassured the anxious crowd,
"This is just the body left by the Crimson Demon. The life energy and soul power that once inhabited this divine body have long since dissipated. Now, it's nothing but an empty shell; you needn't worry about it."
Hearing Eldritch's words, those who were anxious also came to their senses, realizing they had been overly alarmed.
They finally let out a long sigh of relief.
If it were truly the Crimson Demon itself, they wouldn't even have the chance to resist; they would simply be waiting for death.
Theodore, frowning at Black Ghost and Owen who were still fighting fiercely as if unaffected, pondered for a moment and then communicated telepathically to Baron and the others,
"Be cautious. These guys are clearly stalling for time, even resorting to techniques that harm their own foundation. Things may not be as simple as we think; we must be vigilant!"
Baron and the others also noticed the odd behavior of Black Ghost and his accomplices, nodding in agreement.
Logically, upon discovering that the Crimson Demon was already dead, the Dusk Sect's people should have retreated.
But instead, Black Ghost and his companions fought even more desperately, clearly indicating something was amiss.
The most likely scenario was that they still had a backup plan, and John's discovery could not affect their overall scheme.
Their hearts sank. What exactly were these Dusk Sect fellows plotting?
Inside the trial, John glanced at the fiery red sea of red spider lilies and then at Lucas, who was prostrated on the ground, emaciated.
After a moment's thought, he decided not to kill Lucas outright.
Instead, he grabbed Lucas by the neck and threw him into the sea of red spider lilies.
It took Lucas a while to realize something might be amiss with the Crimson Demon.
But before he could lift his head, he found himself being picked up by John and thrown into the sea of red spider lilies.
Lucas immediately understood—John was making him pave the way with his life!
This beast, utterly inhuman!
Lucas scrambled up, cursing loudly, "You lowborn, how dare you treat me this way. Sooner or later, I'll make sure you die without a place to be buried!"
John looked at Lucas with an icy gaze, coldly saying, "If you wish to die now, I can fulfill that wish. If you don't want to die, then do as I say."
Lucas, after all, was a prodigy of House Carter and the former heir.
It wasn't easy for him to submit.
But when he met John's chilling eyes, his breath hitched, and he swallowed back the words at the tip of his tongue.
Lucas knew that if he dared to haggle, John would really kill him without hesitation.
This madman didn't care who he was or what status he held.
Seraphina approached John, by then she too had realized that the throne only held the shell of the Crimson Demon.
She spoke with a grave tone, "Are you sure you want to go in? It might be dangerous inside. After all, this is where a dark god fell, and no one knows what lies within."
John smiled, "Don't worry, if there's any danger, we still have Lucas to scout ahead."
Lucas's withered face twitched, but he dared not utter another word.
Seraphina sighed, "Then be careful. I won't go in. Alex is still outside, and I can keep an eye on him from here."
"Alright," John nodded, then he and Lucas entered the Land of the Blood God together.
In the sea of red flowers, countless red spider lilies swayed without wind, resembling a raging sea of fire.
John and Lucas proceeded cautiously forward.
Despite John's light-hearted words, he was on high alert upon entering.
After all, this was the site of the Crimson Demon's fall, and any monster that might appear was not something a mere bronze-tier mage like him could handle.
Lucas was even more anxious.
Now nearly drained of all his strength, even his equipment and storage ring had been taken by John.
If any accident happened, he had no means to resist.
However, to their surprise, they encountered no danger on their way to the Crimson Demon's throne.