Douluo: Brains Over Bloodline

Tang Yinmeng paused briefly before providing a more detailed explanation.

"According to King Zhen Bei, the pressure on the Three Northern Kings has already surpassed their capacity to handle. Even if we hadn't approached them, they would have eventually sought us out."

It had been such a long time since Alba's disappearance, and naturally, all the surrounding overlords were aware that his imperial city had been occupied by beings from another plane.

During this period, the Three Northern Kings had suffered the most.

Guarding the Gates of Hell was already a tremendous burden, requiring constant vigilance against invasions from the depths of Hell.

Now, with chaos erupting behind their lines, the three kings were at their wit's end.

Especially since they relied on Alba's support every three months.

The Gates of Hell experienced a surge once every month, during which hordes of creatures from Hell flooded into their realm.

At these times, a massive purge was necessary. While the top-tier forces could suppress the situation under the Three Northern Kings' command, the sheer number of invaders made it impossible to avoid heavy losses among their armies.

This was why they depended on Alba's reinforcements. The nine Great Demons from the imperial city were all Purple-Gold Demons—noble-blooded and stronger than any of the Three Northern Kings. These demons were typically sent to assist the Northern Kings.

Though no large army accompanied them, the arrival of three top-tier Great Demons could decimate the invading Hellspawn almost effortlessly.

In this way, they barely managed to sustain the supply of troops within the territories of the Three Northern Kings.

However, six months had passed, and they had endured two waves of Hellspawn invasions. Their forces had already suffered losses exceeding thirty percent.

While this might not seem like much, it was significant given the oppressive conditions they'd endured for so long.

Constant conscription had already depleted the eligible demon population within their territories.

In other words, losing thirty percent meant there was no way to replenish their ranks in the short term.

And as time went on, their total forces would only dwindle further.

After all, resisting an invasion of three thousand with ten thousand soldiers might cost a thousand lives, but resisting with seven thousand would result in even greater losses. As their forces dwindled, resistance would grow increasingly difficult until they were inevitably overwhelmed by Hell.

Among the Three Northern Kings, King Zhen Bei was the strongest, but he also guarded the most perilous passage—a gateway connected to one of Hell's core regions, where Hellspawn reproduced several times faster than in other areas.

Hell's ability to launch an invasion every three months stemmed from the fact that Hellspawn reproduced far faster than demonkind.

Three months was enough for a Hellspawn to be born, mature, and become a capable soldier.

When Alba invaded the Hell plane years ago, he had capitalized on this trait, hoping to seize Hell and amass a vast army to conquer other planes.

Unfortunately, the appearance of the Lord of Hell thwarted his plans, costing him dearly and severely hampering his ability to invade other planes.

"So, King Zhen Bei wants us to send students to help him hunt Hellspawn?" Cai Yue'er summarized.

Tang Yinmeng nodded.

"Yes, King Zhen Bei's forces have suffered the heaviest losses, especially due to his poor governance."

Though he was the strongest among the Three Northern Kings, he was not the most skilled at administration.

Under his rule, oppression was rampant, leaving little room for conflict—but also stifling the emergence of strong individuals. Though he managed to recruit many demon soldiers annually, the majority were low-level demons, with very few powerful ones.

In the past, King Zhen Bei had deliberately sacrificed his weaker soldiers to preserve his elite troops.

But after two consecutive waves of resistance, even his elite forces had suffered heavy casualties.

He was in a worse position to recover than the other two overlords.

"It's reasonable, but we must remain cautious," Cai Yue'er said after some thought. "King Zhen Bei is Alba's subordinate, and as a Great Demon, he undoubtedly possesses bloodline gifts bestowed by Alba."

"We still don't fully understand the nature of the Demon Lord's bloodline blessings. If they can be revoked at will or exert absolute bloodline suppression, our cooperation with King Zhen Bei could backfire, leaving us vulnerable to betrayal."

Even if King Zhen Bei was sincere in his cooperation now, a single order from Alba could cause him to abandon the Gates of Hell and leave Shrek Academy holding the bag.

"Contacting them is still necessary, as you said, Elder Cai," Ya Li agreed. "Our understanding of the higher secrets of the demon race is insufficient. Ordinary demons don't have access to this information. To learn more, we need to engage with Great Demons like King Zhen Bei—or even the true Demon Lord."

Indeed, contact was essential for gathering intelligence.

"In fact, Hell itself isn't necessarily our enemy. Perhaps we should consider reaching out to them as well."

"In that case, let's make initial contact with King Zhen Bei and use him to gather information about Hell. If the opportunity arises, we should also attempt to reach out to Hell's upper echelons," Cai Yue'er suggested. "I'll inform Zhushe and have him visit King Zhen Bei's city when he has time."

Zhushe was still wandering the map in search of opportunities.

"Yinmeng, continue maintaining contact with King Zhen Bei and the other two kings. Determine their stances."

"Yes."

After speaking, Tang Yinmeng didn't leave. Instead, she looked conflicted.

Seeing this, Ya Li smiled.

"Don't worry. Lan Muzi's battle armor upgrade is complete. He's successfully evolved his martial soul and has begun condensing his soul core. Everything is fine."

Hearing that Lan Muzi was safe, Tang Yinmeng visibly relaxed, though her cheeks flushed slightly as she quickly excused herself.

---

Shrek City

Fang Yuan let out a sigh of relief.

"Finally back."

He had been away for over a month.

As the inner court disciples spent more time in the Demon Plane, they gradually adapted to its ambient energy.

Particularly after using the plane's energy to temper their meridians, they no longer suffered severe damage from absorbing ambient energy.

Still, minor injuries persisted.

Based on Ya Li's estimates, it would take at least twenty to thirty rounds of refinement for their meridians to fully adapt to the plane's energy.

But that would take years.

In the meantime, many of the inner court disciples returned to the academy to borrow mecha suits, improving their efficiency.

Since Lan Muzi obtained the Dark Yang Stone and sensed the opportunity for a breakthrough, the inner court disciples gained a clearer understanding of what this new world meant for their cultivation. Their exploration efforts became even more enthusiastic.

Fang Yuan was one of them.

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