In the dark and hot cave, a fierce battle had just ended.
A large number of demon corpses lay scattered on the ground, and the blood flowing out gathered into blood pools.
Xu Cheng walked among the demon corpses, checking whether there were still alive ones, and carried out the last-ditch attack in time.
Nearly a hundred soldiers were sitting in a corner of the cave, dressing their wounds and resting. They looked up at Xu Cheng from time to time, showing reverence on their faces.
After casually disposing of a demon that was still alive, Xu Cheng used a big stone to block the soldiers' sight, took out a bone nail cut from the demon's bone, and drove it into the ground hard, erasing the traces. .
"What's the point of doing these things?"
After planting the nail, Xu Cheng asked the dream demon in his heart.
During this year, in addition to eating, sleeping and fighting demons every day, he followed the instructions of the dream demon and quietly buried a large number of bone nails around the gate of hell.
He knew that this kind of behavior must be aimed at the seal of the gate of hell, but since the God of Life showed no sign of anything, he had no choice but to do it.
"Hey, you'll know when the time comes."
The dream demon was like a repeater, repeating this sentence. Every time Xu Cheng asked a question, it would use this sentence to frustrate him.
Xu Cheng gave up asking, walked out from behind the stone, and came to the front of the soldiers.
The soldiers stood up from the ground and lined up in order.
Xu Cheng looked at one of the soldiers: "Where is the next place that needs to be cleaned?"
The soldier hurriedly took out the map to check it, and then reported: "No more, this is the last place."
The fortress blocks the gate to hell, but there are many small space cracks around it. Many demons occasionally escape from the cracks, and they need to be cleaned regularly.
Xu Cheng took the initiative to take on this troublesome and dangerous task. Every once in a while, he would lead his soldiers to clean out the demons hiding underground - mainly to bury nails everywhere.
He looked at the expectant soldiers and ordered: "Then go back."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Although under the leadership of the legendary Master Chief Xu Cheng, the casualties of the suppression team were negligible compared to before, but their long-term outdoor activities also tortured them mentally and physically.
This environment tens of thousands of meters deep underground is not suitable for human survival. Although the soldiers here have extraordinary physiques, they cannot persist outside for long. Only by returning to the fortress protected by the God of Life can they maintain basic survival. .
After returning to the fortress, Xu Cheng had just finished handing over the mission and was about to go back to take a rest when he was stopped by a soldier.
"Master Chief, the regiment commander is in a meeting. Please come over immediately."
Xu Cheng had no choice but to walk towards the conference room with exhaustion.
Many soldiers patrolling along the way would look at Xu Cheng with respect when they saw him.
It has been nearly a year since he came to the fortress. Xu Cheng relied on his strong strength and approachable personality to be deeply loved by the soldiers and accumulated a very high reputation.
When he arrived at the door of the conference room, the two soldiers on guard did not stop him when they saw him. Instead, they took the initiative to open the door.
In the conference room, Shilin, as the commander of the army, was sitting in the main seat and was having a meeting with a group of generals, large and small.
Seeing Xu Cheng coming in rashly, the generals were not displeased. Instead, they all greeted him enthusiastically.
"Locke, are you back?"
"Remember to get more rest."
"Have you eaten? Do you want to come with me to eat something good later?"
Xu Cheng responded to everyone's enthusiasm one by one and was about to find a seat in the corner to sit down, but Shilin said: "Come here."
He had no choice but to walk over and sit in the empty seat next to Shirin, acting like the second in command.
Everyone can see that Xilin attaches great importance to Xu Cheng, but no one feels jealous. In this year, Xu Cheng has used his hard power to convince everyone here - those who are not convinced will have an accident. , or retired early.
His current military rank is very low because of his junior qualifications. After all, the army is a place that pays great attention to seniority. However, no one doubts that Xu Cheng will take over Shilin's position and become the new army commander in the future.
This can also be seen from Shilin's attitude towards Xu Cheng, asking him to attend every meeting.
The meeting continued, and the content was about the demonic wave half a month later.
Every three months, a large number of demons will pour out of the space cracks at the Gate of Hell, forming a huge wave like a flood.
This is an extremely severe test for the fortress, and various plans must be made in advance to prepare sufficient supplies and personnel.
Today's meeting seemed a bit heavy, because the fortress began to experience obvious shortages of materials and personnel.
This fortress consumes a huge amount of materials and personnel every year, and the cost has been shared equally between Arnold and other surrounding countries.
In order to fight against the devil, all countries were willing to contribute their own efforts at first. However, as time went by, more and more countries began to default on the payment, and finally it was Arnold who shouldered the responsibility.
Over the years, Arnold has gradually felt the pinch. The supply of supplies has gradually decreased every year, and this year has made things even worse.
At the meeting, everyone felt very heavy. They had submitted applications to Arnold for additional supplies many times, but they had never received a clear response. Even the latest batch of supplies delivered was less than half of the original.
If this continues, the entire fortress will be unsustainable.
"alright."
Seeing that the atmosphere was very solemn, Shirin, who had been silent, finally spoke: "I will find a way to ask for help from the Lord of Life. Everyone should concentrate on dealing with the wave of demons in half a month. This is the last wave of this year."
Everyone cheered up. If the great Lord of Life helps, it can indeed alleviate the various difficulties the fortress is facing now.
After the meeting was dissolved, Xu Cheng was about to leave, but Shilin called out to him: "Locke, come with me, I have something to tell you."
The other generals looked at each other with tacitly ambiguous expressions - ever since Xu Cheng rescued Xilin from the siege of two Balrogs during the wave of demons half a year ago, she had often been left to fend for herself.
A man and a woman alone, even if they say the gun was not accidentally fired, no one will believe it.
However, out of respect for the two of them, no one dared to make up any sexy news in private.
Xu Cheng was used to facing everyone's teasing gazes and followed Shilin out of the conference room.
There is no alternation between the sun and the moon in this underground world, and work and rest are all determined by the sound of bells.
After the evening bell rang, the soldiers gathered in the mess hall and began to eat dinner.
Shilin invited Xu Cheng to stay for dinner. Her dinner was very simple. As the highest officer of the entire fortress, Shilin's life was miserable and without any enjoyment.
After having dinner together, Xu Cheng had to accompany her to the top floor of the fortress, take a stroll to eat, and chat by the way.
“Time flies so fast, and before I know it, I’ve been here for a year.”
Walking to the female wall, Shirin put her hands on the wall stacks and asked: "What are your plans next? Are you going to stay? Or return to the ground?"
Xu Cheng also felt that life passed quickly, and one year passed before he knew it.
"I haven't thought it through yet, I'll talk about it then."
He can't help himself now, and no matter where he goes, he can't decide on his own.
Shirin looked at the Gate of Hell in the distance and suddenly said: "I have applied to the higher authorities. You can go back after resisting the wave of demons for half a month."
Xu Cheng looked at her in surprise: "I thought you would let me stay and inherit your position."
For the past six months, Xilin has been cultivating Xu Cheng as his successor, but she didn't expect that she would send him away in the end.
"Is my seat good?"
Shirin said without looking back: "This ghost place has no seasons, no sun and moon. There is no future if you stay here. You are still young and should have a better future."
"how about you?"
Xu Cheng looked at her profile: "I remember that you also have many opportunities to leave here, right?"
Shirin has been guarding the Hell Fortress for more than ten years. Based on her achievements, she could have applied for transfer from this place long ago.
"Opportunities should be left to young people."
Shireen said softly: "I'm used to life here."
Xu Cheng was about to say something else when he suddenly heard the voice of the Dream Demon ringing in his heart.
"Aren't you curious about the reason why I asked you to bury the bone nails? You will see it soon."
Before Xu Cheng could be surprised by its sudden opening, he heard a rapid ringing of bells. Having been a soldier for a year, he knew very well that this was the highest level of alert.
He subconsciously looked forward. A few kilometers away, on the thousand-meter-high rock wall, countless space cracks emerged and quickly gathered together to form a huge door that was also a thousand meters high.
The door is wrapped with circles of shining golden chains. This is the true appearance of the Gate of Hell. The chains above are the embodiment of the seal of the God of Life.
At this moment, the door was slowly pushed open from the inside, and the chain above was tightened, making a deafening sound.
"Why……"
Seeing this unprecedented scene, Shireen was so shocked that she lost consciousness.
The appearance of the Gate of Hell means that the seal has been completely pried open, but it shouldn't be like this. This has never happened in the hundreds of years they have been stationed here.
However, Xu Cheng knew that this should be his own credit - he had worked tirelessly to bury a large number of bone nails throughout the year, and finally broke the seal left by the God of Life.
"Locke, what happens next is up to you."
The dream demon's voice sounded in Xu Cheng's heart: "Unlock the seal of the gate of hell and welcome the great Sartos to this world!
"
"Can you please stop making such a villainous sound?"
Xu Cheng complained in his mind, then grabbed the still shocked Shilin's wrist and dragged her back.
When they arrived at the command post, the generals had gathered together, but everyone looked panicked. They had never encountered such a thing before.
Everyone focused their attention on Shirin, but Shirin also had an expression that could not calm down at the moment, making it difficult to make a decision.
The seal is pried open, and a large number of demons will pour out. This is definitely not something that a small fortress can stop. Everyone who stays will die.
"Everyone."
Xu Cheng, who had been mentally prepared for a long time, stood up directly: "Organize a retreat immediately and abandon the fortress."
"no!"
Shirin reacted immediately and said decisively: "We must not give up the fortress!"
This fortress has hundreds of years of history, and countless people have sacrificed their lives here to stop the demon. The significance of countless sacrifices made Shirin unable to tolerate the loss of the fortress in her own hands.
"Everyone, I don't need to elaborate on the importance of the fortress."
Shirin took a step forward and looked around at the panicked generals: "Our mission is to stop the devil, even if we sacrifice our lives..."
Xu Cheng took a step back, feeling a little guilty.
The soldiers here will stick to the lofty beliefs in the fortress, but they are in the current desperate situation because of him.
But this is a struggle between gods and demons. These tiny individuals can only drift with the tide, unable to resist.
The only thing Xu Cheng could do was to prevent these soldiers from dying in vain.
Shirin was still cheering for the generals when she suddenly felt a pain in the back of her neck. She staggered forward and looked back with an expression of disbelief.
Before she saw Xu Cheng's face, her eyes darkened and she fell to the ground with a thump.
Before she fell into coma, one last thought came to her mind - Locke, I misjudged you, you coward!
The other generals were all surprised. They didn't expect that Xu Cheng would sneak attack and knock out Xilin at this time.
"Locke, you guy!"
They all became angry, thinking that Xu Cheng knocked out Shilin in order to escape. This cowardly behavior made them despise her.
"Order a retreat."
Xu Cheng looked around: "If I stay here to break up the rear, I'm stronger than all of you. I can buy you enough time to evacuate."
"You...what did you say?"
Angry expressions froze on everyone's faces. They thought Xu Cheng wanted to leave before knocking Shilin unconscious. It turned out that he wanted to stay alone to buy everyone time to evacuate.
The person who originally misunderstood him as a coward suddenly felt guilty.
A general suddenly stood up: "I will stay with you."
If you stay, you are almost certain to die. To dare to stand up at this time is to put life and death at risk.
"Brothers!"
Xu Cheng walked over and punched the opponent in the abdomen, beating him until his eyes turned white and he passed out.
He looked around: "Who else?"
A few people who originally wanted to stand up quietly retracted their feet.
The evacuation was carried out very quickly. Due to the long-term lack of personnel replenishment, there were only a few thousand soldiers left in the fortress. There was no need to carry heavy supplies and they could escape quickly.
Many soldiers wanted to stay and break up with Xu Cheng, but they were all dragged away.
The generals took the unconscious Shilin and looked back at Xu Cheng, who was standing alone on the city wall, and their eyes were red.
They are the real cowards, running away along the steps given by Xu Cheng.
On the city wall, Xu Cheng watched the team leave and sighed slightly.
"What are you sighing about?"
The dream demon's strange voice sounded in Xu Cheng's heart: "You are about to become a saint in their hearts. If they know that it was you who pried the seal, what expression will they show on their faces? I don't know yet, but you are still like this There is love.”
Xu Cheng complained coldly: "Use your underdeveloped cerebellum and completely underdeveloped brain to think carefully. If you don't send these troublemakers away, what will happen if they hinder me later?"
"Oh, I admit that what you said makes sense, so hurry up and unlock the seal."
The dream demon's voice became louder: "I can't wait any longer."
Xu Cheng turned his head and looked at the Gate of Hell a few kilometers away. The entire door had been pushed open by an obvious gap, and the chains on it had been tightened to the limit and were about to break at any time.
Shirin and her group misunderstood. Even if the gate to hell is opened, there will not be a large number of demons running out.
There is only one demon that can escape - the Demon King of Hell: Saltos.
On the back side of the world, that is, in hell, Saltos' status is equivalent to that of a god, but for some unknown reason, it always wants to invade the front.
Xu Cheng jumped off the city wall and walked towards the gate of hell. At the same time, he asked the dream demon in his heart: "The God of Life knew about your existence a year ago and even placed surveillance power on me. Don't you know anything about it?" Aren’t you worried?”
"The gods are hypocritical and arrogant. The God of Life thinks he can control the situation."
The Dream Demon said proudly: "However, the great Sartos has already seen everything. Hurry up and open the seal."
Xu Cheng had already arrived in front of the Gate of Hell. In front of the huge door that was a thousand meters high, he was as small as an ant. He was as small as an ant trying to open the door, just like a cricket trying to shake a tree, overestimating his ability.
However, Xu Cheng's efforts to buy nails everywhere this year were not in vain. He had already used the power of the dream demon to dig a gap in the seal.
He raised his right hand high and completely released the power of the dream demon in his body.
Dark power spurted out from his right hand, rising like thick smoke, and finally formed into a huge hand, grabbing the chain on the door of hell, and pulling with all his strength.
Of course, with the power of the dream demon, it is impossible to shake the seal in the slightest, but the power of the demon king within the door has already reached the limit of the seal's endurance.
The chain, which was already extremely tight, was like the last feather that broke the camel's back, breaking the chain directly.
Once one chain is broken, dominoes follow, and the remaining chains have been broken by their roots without the Dream Demon taking action.
When all the chains are broken, the seal is lifted, and the gates of hell are finally opened.
boom!
The two doors suddenly burst open, and the terrifying air pressure blew out from the door. With Xu Cheng's strength, he was also blown away, flying several kilometers in one breath, and slammed into the wall of the fortress.
Nothing could be seen in the dark door, only endless air pressure pouring out, sweeping away everything in sight.
Xu Cheng was pressed against the wall by the strong air pressure and couldn't move. His heart suddenly skipped a beat. He endured the air pressure and opened his eyes. He saw a dark hand slowly reaching out from the door of hell and grabbing the door frame.
The Gate of Hell is a thousand meters high, but for this palm, it seems a bit narrow.
Another dark hand stretched out from the door and grabbed the door frame on the other side.
Then, a black head poked out of the door.
The Demon King of Hell: Saltos!
With Xu Cheng's current strength, he couldn't see clearly the true appearance of this demon king. It was like a black hole, sucking away all the light. He could only vaguely see an image with goat's horns on its head.
However, the changes in the surrounding environment have announced the arrival of this demon king. The strong wind formed by the air pressure began to howl, and the temperature dropped to such an extreme level that no living thing could survive.
Xu Cheng felt that he couldn't breathe, and his body was suffering from tearing pain. Just looking at Saltos, he felt that his eyes were going blind.
"Ah! Great Sartos!
"
The dream demon flew out of Xu Cheng's body, knelt on the ground, and kept bowing to the demon king, shouting with joy like crying.
Saltos ignored this little pawn. The Gate of Hell was too small for its huge body, and it could only barely squeeze out its upper body.
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Xu Cheng was still clinging to the city wall and enduring the pain of facing the devil, but he did not take any action. He knew that what was coming next was not his home court.
The next moment, Xu Cheng felt a strong breath of life surge from his body, like the first bud that broke out of the ground in early spring, so green and full of vitality.
The pain surrounding him disappeared, but Xu Cheng could not move. He had become a puppet.
The green light of life surged out of his body, taking shape like a liquid, gradually condensing into a green figure a thousand meters high.
This figure could not tell the difference between male and female. She could only see that she had long emerald green hair, and her lower body was covered with tree roots and branches, as if she was connected to the earth.
She waved her hand gently, and the originally open door of hell suddenly closed tightly, directly clamping the demon king who squeezed out half of his body.
"Saltos, look at how embarrassed you are now."
The vast voice of the God of Life sounded in this underground world: "You are like a beast trapped in a cage, squeezed in the prison door and unable to move, so ridiculous."
"Akeso, is this your purpose?"
Saltos's voice was like a beating drum, and every byte made Xu Cheng's heart beat fiercely. He suspected that if the God of Life wasn't lurking in his body, then Saltos would only need If you speak, your heart will explode.
"As stupid as you are, can't you still understand?"
The purpose of Akeso, the God of Life, is very simple. After Xu Cheng's report, she learned about Sartos' attempt to kill the god, so she took advantage of the trick and sent Xu Cheng to garrison at the Gate of Hell.
As expected, Saltos would not miss this opportunity and use Xu Cheng to lift the seal of the Gate of Hell.
When half of Saltos's body squeezed in, Akeso appeared. She wanted to take the opportunity to annihilate this demon king who always tried to sneak away.
"Of course I understand!"
Saltos' voice was sarcastic: "You who claim to be smart, don't you see that this is a trap for you?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Saltos' huge body crowded at the gate of hell suddenly turned into countless flying ash.
"Hahahaha, come on, Lord Saltos, please use me as much as you like."
Amidst the maniacal laughter of the dream demon, Xu Cheng felt a terrifying force that did not belong to him or the God of Life, emerging from his body.
The demon king of hell, Saltos, was born from Xu Cheng's body using the dream demon as his placenta.
Saltos, who was supposed to have half of his body still in hell, somehow used the soul and body of the dream demon to be completely born into Xu Cheng's body.
The power of gods and demons exists simultaneously in his small body.
