Chapter 105: The Void Demon, Myriad Hands

The Capital Center Building.

This is the headquarters of the Dragon Kingdom’s intelligence agency. The office of the director is located on the top floor, surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows that offer a panoramic view of the vast capital city.

A woman dressed in red and gold traditional Hanfu sat in a chair, leafing through a book. She was Hua Buyu, the mother of Hua Piaowu. She let out a languid yawn. It had been another uneventful day, and it was nearly time to clock out.

Just as she prepared to close the book, her movements suddenly froze. She whipped her head toward the window, her gaze darkening. "The aura of the Void!" she muttered. "Another Void rift has opened! It’s in the direction of the snowfields."

She rose and hurried to the window, her eyes shifting to a deep, dark gold as she stared into the distance. A chilling murderous intent gathered in her eyes, and a terrifying pressure descended upon the office, causing the very room to tremble.

"It is indeed a Void rift. These beasts have emerged once again!"

With a flick of her hand, the floor-to-ceiling window slowly slid open. A howling gale rushed into the office, scattering books from the shelves. Hua Buyu stepped directly out of the office, her delicate bare feet treading on the air as if it were solid ground. With every step she took, her body vanished from one spot and reappeared a thousand meters away.

She glanced to her left and saw an old man enveloped in flames, flying toward her like a meteor. As he reached her, the flames dissipated, revealing the face of Zhong Zhen.

"You felt it too?" Zhong Zhen asked, his voice low. "The aura of the Void."

Hua Buyu nodded slightly, her dark golden eyes filled with killing intent. Even Zhong Zhen felt a shiver of shock at the sheer intensity of the aura she exuded.

At that moment, several other powerful auras flew in from the distance.

"Elder Zhong, Senior Hua," a middle-aged man standing on a flying sword called out as he approached, bowing his hands in greeting.

Zhong Zhen nodded. The man was Chen Ping, the president of the Capital Professional Association, whose strength was on par with their own.

Behind Chen Ping, a burly man clad in pitch-black armor soared through the air. "You all felt it, too?" the man boomed.

Zhong Zhen looked surprised. "I didn't expect even the Military Commander, Xia, to arrive."

The burly man was Xia Tianlong, the commander of the Capital Guard. He gazed toward the snowfields and spoke slowly. "I have already issued the orders. A hundred-man unit from the Northern Garrison has been dispatched to the Snowfield Village to stand by. Furthermore, I have reported to the Military Department. The main army is mobilizing and can be deployed at any moment."

Chen Ping looked astonished. "Isn't it overkill to mobilize so heavily for a mere Tier 1 Void rift? With the few of us here, a single Void demon shouldn't be able to stir up much trouble."

Xia Tianlong shook his head, his voice grave. "No. We received intelligence two days ago that a Tier 1 Void rift appeared in the Island Nation. Three Void demons emerged from it and slaughtered the local guard unit. They then worked together to expand the rift into a Tier 2. If their experts hadn't arrived in time, it likely would have escalated into a Tier 3. Because of this, the higher-ups have decreed that regardless of the rank, we must respond with full force."

Chen Ping and Zhong Zhen exchanged a look of shock. They had not realized the Void demons had mastered a way to expand the rifts. If that were the case, full mobilization was indeed necessary.

"Let’s go, everyone. We must not waste time, lest an accident occur," Xia Tianlong said. The others nodded and set off together toward the snowfields.

***

Xu Han stared fixedly at the rift. An ink-like liquid began to seep out from within. Suddenly, an arm covered in tentacles thrust out from the void, followed by a monster that resembled a human. The creature had deep blue skin, and its head appeared to be covered by an octopus. Tendrils dangled from its scalp, writhing incessantly.

"Is this... the... human world?" it rasped. "How marvelous..." The monster spread its arms, a look of intoxication on its face.

Just then, the sound of running approached from behind. Xu Han turned to see Xiao Hu racing toward him. It reached Xu Han's side and crouched down, allowing Qin Xuanyi and Hua Piaowu to jump off its back.

"Why are you here?" Xu Han asked, taken aback.

"Xiao Hu sensed you were in danger, so we came," Qin Xuanyi said worriedly.

Hua Piaowu looked at the monster, her face turning pale with terror. "That... is that... a Void demon?!"

Xu Han frowned. "A Void demon?" He had only just heard that term from Ye Die.

"What is a Void demon?" Qin Xuanyi asked, confused.

"They come from another world called the Void," Hua Piaowu said, her expression grim. "They possess strange powers. I don't know much, but I do know that even the weakest Void demon possesses strength above the Fourth Tier!"

Qin Xuanyi’s face went white. *Above the Fourth Tier?!* In that case, wouldn't they be like defenseless children in front of it?

Xu Han’s eyes took on a faint golden hue as he activated his Eyes of Truth to inspect the monster:

[Name: Ten-Thousand Hands]
[Race: Void Octopus]
[Level: 101]
[Skill 1: Detection LV.1 (Extends tentacles to scout surroundings; no cooldown)]
[Skill 2: Bind LV.1 (Stretches tentacles to bind a target; target loses mobility and combat capability; 5-minute cooldown)]
[Skill 3: Erosion LV.3 (Erodes bound targets, weakening their abilities; if the target dies, they become a thrall of the demon, gaining enhanced abilities; 1-hour cooldown)]
[Skill 4: Mental Shock LV.6 (Inflicts mental damage, ignoring all defenses; 4-minute cooldown)]

Xu Han’s brow furrowed. Level 101. It was indeed a Fourth-Tier entity. And he could sense that this creature’s combat power was far beyond that of an average Fourth-Tier.

Ten-Thousand Hands fixed its gaze on the three of them. "To think such weak humans would dare appear before me. Die!"

Its eyes glowed with deep blue light, and an invisible shockwave surged toward them. Xu Han frowned. He could feel the terrifying mental power contained within the wave. If it struck them, their minds would likely collapse instantly, leaving them dead or mindless fools.