After the news of the Inheritance site spread through the Trial World, many powerful people began to congregate at its location.
Outside the ancient temple, tens of geniuses and even a few beasts who had gained intelligence were lined up in wait. They would have already charged in if it wasn't for the fact that the temple was still sealed.
Qing Tan sat quietly at the side and watched as these forces all continued to pile in, her gaze indifferent.
'They still aren't here yet…they should be preparing something big then.'
A small smile decorated her face as she thought of it. If the demons really decided to go all out, it was perfect for them.
As Qing Tan was getting ready to close her eyes and begin meditating again, a lithe figure appeared next to her.
"How is it?" The woman asked.
"It's good so far. Actually, even more people than we expected showed up." She responded.
"Mm, even I didn't include these beasts into my calculations. We haven't had much contact with them, so I was expecting them to be more like the beasts in the ground layer of our 3000 Beast Mountain Range."
Qing Tan nodded in agreement. "Right, most of them are like that. They just mindlessly slaughter and eat with no real goal. The ones who have appeared here are probably those cream of the crop among the beasts in this realm, as well as those who have been living in seclusion for a while."
"The Inheritance site really draws all sorts of characters to it. We definitely underestimated its star power."
Qing Tan shrugged. "It can't be helped. We aren't natives here so we don't understand the appeal of an Inheritance as much as they do. Also, this thing probably doesn't mean as much to us as it does to them."
Feng Qing'er furrowed her brows before coming to a realization. "Right, I almost forgot."
For them, the Inheritance was a boost in power, sure, but that was it. It was something they would look at in greed more than anything else. However, it was different for the natives of the secret realm.
They had a power cap at the peak of 3rd class, being unable to progress further. Even more than that, they lived within the confines of a realm that would seem smaller and smaller as one gained more power.
For the humans, this kind of thing didn't matter since they were destined to live as mortals or near mortals for their entire lives. However, the lifestyle of a beast promoted evolution and growth at the lower levels. Only after they gained intelligence would they hold the capacity to become complacent.
But by that point, the pursuit of power was already ingrained in their bones, and the feeling of gaining it would become a kind of pleasure. To realize that there was no hope to continue this pursuit and that they were essentially trapped in a cage for their whole lives, wasn't it only natural that they would feel disillusioned?
Something like an Inheritance site was hope for them. These Inheritances were the best way for them to gain massive boosts in power and ability. And considering the kinds of rumors about the Inheritances that spread through the Trial World, perhaps they even saw it as a hope of freedom.
Only, finding an Inheritance was already an extremely rare thing. And when one found an Inheritance, they'd usually do everything they could to keep it to themselves. Since the Inheritance sites didn't raise massive spectacles when they opened, it was even rarer for one to steal an Inheritance found by someone else unless that person failed and died within.
For an Inheritance site to be publicized like this, of course all parties converged as soon as they could.
As Qing Tan and Feng Qing'er conversed about these things, more and more people arrived. Soon, the number had already crossed the hundreds.
There weren't many outside geniuses when they first entered the Trial World in the first place. In the later battles, more than half had met their end. The majority of those who had come for the Inheritance opening were natives of the Trial World, bringing immense surprise to those geniuses who didn't realize there were so many experts in hiding.
Suddenly, a gloomy aura pervaded the atmosphere. The sky turned dark as it was blotted out by hundreds of black specks.
"They're here." Feng Qing'er muttered as she peered into the sky.
"Mm." Qing Tan let out a sound of agreement.
The auras blotting out the sky soon began to descend. Those standing beneath them unwittingly made space, pressured by their intimidation.
As they descended, their forms finally became visible.
"Hisss…" Qing Tan breathed in a cold breath.
Hundreds of Demon Captains and Generals lined the ground like organized soldiers. Each and every one of them was emanating a bloodthirsty aura. Their hands were all gripped on heavy chains that seemed too large to be realistic.
Attached to those chains were the abominations that had lost their purpose due to the power of those the demons had been facing recently. But with the current circumstance, even these were brought out.
Each chain held tens or hundreds of abominations that clawed and bit at anything they could find. They were extremely rabid, and even with their low strength, their behavior alone was enough to heighten the intimidation factor.
But even the combined aura of these thousands of abominations and hundreds of Generals and Captains couldn't hold a candle to the auras of those who stood at their helm.
Four Apostles, two men and two women, with sharp gazes that pierced the surroundings. Since they were in the outside world, they had assumed their hierarchal position as Commanders.
In front of them, there were three figures that stood out the most.
One was a curvaceous woman who caused the hearts of men to swoon even as she stood and did nothing. Some were already foaming at the mouth because they couldn't handle her beauty.
"Demon Queen Eliza." Feng Qing'er muttered. She and Qing Tan naturally recognized the woman, as they had met personally only a few months back.
Next to her was a burly man with a gargantuan stature. He was at least 10 feet tall, with muscles that seemed to be carved out of pure steel. His face wasn't handsome, but contained a rugged air that had its own charm.
"He must be Granheim." Qing Tan said. Although they had never seen him before, they had heard from Damien in Acier about the Demon Kings' mental transmissions. The voice Damien described could only fit this man.
"As for Eden, that bastard said he couldn't even identify their gender through their voice. I wonder what they look like?" Feng Qing'er pondered out loud. But she didn't have to wait long for her answer.
Descending at the forefront of the entire demon army was a being who couldn't be described as anything other than androgynous.
His face had the structure of a man's, but the features of a woman's. His body was lithe and graceful, but wasn't curvaceous. His skin was pale white, matching the long wheat-colored hair that descended to his waist.
"That's…a man, right?"
"…maybe?"
Many hushed conversations took place in the surroundings as people witnessed the Demon Army's grand entrance. But soon, their attention shifted back to the ancient temple.
Even if the opposition had brought an army, it didn't matter much. Within the Inheritance site, it was every man for themselves.
Qing Tan and Feng Qing'er nodded to each other before hopping off the tree branch they were situated on. Now, it was time to imitate the manner of a certain hateful man they knew.
"Yo~ Demon Queen! It's been so long since we last met! Did you miss us?"
