The Rise of the Black Plain

The moment the seven enemies arrived near the peak of the Eternal Pyre, the four corpses and the rest of the group shifted their positions as they sensed the power of those beings of levels 110, 111, 112, and 113.

Minos had already warned them of what would happen in the first few moments after the enemies arrived.

After Minos killed the last Fire Manticore, the cultivation of one of the corpses decreased to level 109, while his cultivation increased rapidly to level 108.

Ruth activated her ability and connected with all of her living companions except Theo, who was facing the challenge of the Eternal Fire Flower.

As he greeted the enemies with his words, Minos used the Divine Seal again, causing six more coffins to appear around him, while two of the four corpses he had summoned earlier returned to their urns before disappearing from the area.

Seeing Minos' change, Jembei narrowed his eyes as he realized what was happening.

"It's trap!" He said as his companions realized the same, already get in formation for the battle about to begin.

The group of Fire Manticores should have been enough to test the strength of Minos' group and reveal just how powerful he was. However, they had been deceived and had misjudged their opponent's strength!

Minos smiled as he saw what greed and the traits of overestimating and underestimating others could do to the minds of powerful and influential creatures.

He, too, could be driven by greed, but his Incorruptible Heart was at work to protect him and make him see reality clearly when he came face to face with the enemy.

"Jembei, you will pay with your life for defying me." Minos said as he raised one of his hands while his beautiful golden wings opened.

From his position, a golden beam of light shot out at the group, an attack with Minos' maximum strength, capable of terrifying even the strongest of those enemies.

It wasn't enough to kill those at level 112 or higher, but it was enough to show them all how powerful Minos really was.

Jembei swallowed his saliva as he felt this attack and Minos' subsequent action as his weakest ally lost one level of cultivation, while Ruth and one of the corpses in the surrounding area grew stronger.

Ruth's cultivation reached level 107, while one of the two corpses that had been there since the beginning of today's incident felt his strength surpassing what he had in life.

"Hehe, fighting alongside you is really comfortable, Minos." This corpse said as he felt his cultivation reaching level 111.

The other six newcomers understood what they had to do and surrounded the seven opponents, already unleashing their cultivation energy to pressure them.

Minos pulled out the Divine Sword from a seal in space before charging at the group of seven with an attack deadly even for local level 112 cultivators.

Having been strengthened by one level since facing the monster created by fusing the black liquid with two of his former enemies, Minos was now strong enough to kill a level 112 enemy on his own. He wouldn't be able to do that against someone at level 113, but he certainly wouldn't be overwhelmed without a chance to counterattack someone at that level.

The level 113 cultivators in Jembei's group realized this when they felt the power of the dark giant attacking them with an enormous sword, mimicking Minos' movements.

"Shit! Fight for your lives!" This individual said as he stood in front of the group and formed a huge hand of red energy in front of them.

The moment the hand and the sword touched, gusts of wind blew from the area, while the energy in the surroundings vibrated with the power of attack and defense.

With such a strong clash of forces, the air exploded, while the pulse of wind and energy overwhelmed the surroundings, causing the smoke in the area to drift away from the vicinity of the two groups that started the fight.

The eight corpses, seven at level 110 and one at level 111, attacked together with Minos, three of them forcing the stronger enemy into a difficult situation by adding more power to Minos' attack, while the others attacked the other members of the opposing group.

The level 113 cultivator defended his group from Minos alone, leaving the other opponents for his allies to deal with.

"Shit! I told you we shouldn't have come here!" The individual at level 109 shouted as he saw black rings appear around him and those of level 111 cultivation and begin to suck their energy.

The giant hand defending them from Minos cracked, while the strongest cultivator in the group turned pale, with blood dripping from his lips.

Then, as everyone defended themselves, Jembei regretted it to the core of his soul when he sensed something and looked down with his eyes wide open.

"No!"

He barely opened his mouth before the rock beneath him shattered and searing flames covered his body.

"Aaaaagh!"

Jembei was not the only one facing this terrible situation. Three of his six companions were attacked by burning flames, while Minos skillfully controlled his powers.

'Absorbing the Flame Crystal and suffering in The Red Expanse was really worth it.' Minos smiled as one of his hands burned in red flames, before making his second move against the level 113 Sovereign.

Dragon's Gaze!

Crack!

As a golden dragon flew from Minos' body towards the red energy hand, the hand exploded into countless pieces as the level 113 Sovereign was thrown backward.

With their principal men against these enemies wounded and thrown away from them, the group of six, some of whom were trying to protect themselves from the flames manipulated by Minos, saw their defenses shatter as the corpses approached them.

Minos flew past them toward the level 113 Sovereign, using the moments he had to end the battle before his powers weakened.

As he passed the enemies, the two level 112 Sovereigns fell to their knees on the ground with energy swords piercing their bodies.

Meanwhile, Jembei saw the last scene of his life flash before his eyes.