Chapter 136: Burning the Boats

An Dao’s level had dropped to 45, and his vitality had greatly diminished. Seizing the opportunity while An Dao was weakened, Lei Yao sought to eliminate this dangerous individual in advance.

Little did he know that An Dao’s cunning schemes were even more formidable. Using his Contract Familiar, Phantom, An Dao drew a Summoning Magic Circle.

However, the summoning was merely a ruse; his true intention was to escape. He had deceived Lei Yao.

A shadow enveloped the severely injured An Dao and completely dissipated. An Dao’s presence vanished entirely from the room.

At this moment, after absorbing An Dao’s experience and vitality, Lei Yao had fully recovered. His previous state of exhaustion was swept away, replaced by a radiant complexion and an imposing, upright posture that exuded an aura of dominance.

Holding the all-black Dark Gold Longsword, Doombringer, in one hand, with a stunning beauty nestled behind him, his cold, stern face and eagle-like sharp gaze would have made him the quintessential villainous protagonist in any other novel.

“Lord Lei Yao, I’m glad you’re alright,” Ye Feixuan said with relief upon seeing that Lei Yao was not only unharmed but had become even more formidable.

Moreover, she had just realized that Lei Yao had chosen to retreat for her sake. Knowing that An Dao’s summoning could endanger her, he had immediately pulled her behind him to protect her.

Ye Feixuan thought to herself, “So Lord Lei Yao isn’t a cold-blooded, ruthless person who only pursues his ideals. He also values loyalty and righteousness.”

Seeing that the situation had now become safe, the advisors came forward one after another to praise him.

“Lord Lei Yao, you are truly remarkable.”

“So everything was within Lord Lei Yao’s grasp all along.”

“Indeed, I was extremely worried.”

Lei Yao glanced at them and said solemnly, “Thank you for continuing to support me during my most difficult times. Now, it is time for our counterattack.”

“Lord Lei Yao, but we have no troops left. All the Official Players loyal to you have gone offline. Those currently in the Sanctuary are all Rebels,” one advisor pointed out.

The advisor’s underlying message was that they still did not want to use Aberrant Beast Demons as a means of siege, as they were, after all, foreign beings. They did not wish to be branded with the derogatory label of human traitors.

Lei Yao gently raised his hand, and Ye Feixuan instinctively released her grip on his left arm.

He walked to the window and looked at the Bandit Players who were still causing destruction and undermining his stronghold. With a cold snort, he said, “I don’t need them. Open the Sanctuary and let the Aberrant Beast Demons in.”

“What?” one advisor thought he had misheard.

“My lord, please reconsider. This… this cannot be done. If the Aberrant Beast Demons charge in, they will tear down our entire Sanctuary,” another advisor worriedly cautioned.

The Aberrant Beast Demons could not breach the Sanctuary unless it was opened from within, which was why the Bandits were recklessly dismantling the Sanctuary’s defenses from the inside.

“Do you want me to repeat myself?” Lei Yao said, his back turned to everyone.

“Soon, I will possess the Main City Kaijistan. The locations of these two Sanctuaries must be repositioned. I will anchor them at the very front lines of the Crimson Earth,” Lei Yao declared, gazing into the distance with immense confidence.

At this moment, everyone else in the room understood.

It turned out that Lei Yao believed he would capture the Main City. By then, the location of this Cliff Sanctuary would become highly problematic, as an Emperor would not want someone constantly watching him.

Thus, this Sanctuary, which was used to monitor Kaijistan, no longer needed to exist.

What a clever plan to kill two birds with one stone. Lei Yao’s scheme was to use the Aberrant Beast Demons to eliminate the bandits and rebels who had betrayed him, while reclaiming the materials from the Sanctuary.

Aberrant Beast Demons would not actively attack a Sanctuary, but when the people inside attacked them, they would retaliate out of hatred, slaughtering all the humans within, dismantling the Sanctuary, and scattering building materials all over the ground.

Lei Yao was precisely that kind of person—someone who would exploit everything around him to achieve his goals.

Ye Feixuan and several other advisors looked at Lei Yao with admiration in their eyes.

“What should we do now? Should we move the items from the Sanctuary’s storage to the Second Sanctuary?” one of the advisors asked.

“There is no Second Sanctuary anymore. The Aberrant Beast Demons are dismantling it, and it’s extremely dangerous.” Lei Yao saw on his Interface Panel that the icon for the Second Sanctuary had already gone dark.

The group fell silent. It seemed An Dao hadn’t lied—the thousands of people in the Second Sanctuary were no more.

“Hurry and move everything into reality,” Lei Yao ordered.

He was determined to burn his bridges, forcing himself into a corner. Only by dismantling even this Sanctuary would he have the greater motivation to seize Kaijistan.

The others gaped, stunned by Lei Yao’s audacity.

Ye Feixuan was the first to turn and head toward the storage, running as she said, “There’s too much in storage. With just the five of us, we need to hurry.”

“Yes!” the advisors chorused.

Once again, the room was left with only Lei Yao.

A massive Skull Blood Wolf, its skin no longer oozing blood and looking much healthier, emerged from the blood-red Teleportation Array.

An eerie demonic voice sounded as Mephisto chuckled darkly, “Human, you never fail to surprise me.

I thought I might have chosen the wrong person, but your performance has been impressive, truly impressive.

Unfortunately, you shouldn’t have been so greedy. You should have killed that damned Torment Cultist impersonating my daughter Lilith’s followers sooner.”

“You’re no different. You didn’t tell me this weapon was so powerful,” Lei Yao deflected the second topic.

But in truth, the moment Lei Yao learned that An Dao had summoned the Lord of Torment, Duriel, he immediately stopped and decided to spare An Dao.

Lei Yao wanted to use An Dao, to leverage the Lord of Torment Duriel behind him to counterbalance the Lord of Hatred Mephisto!

Only Lei Yao could dominate the Crimson Earth alone. He was using the Demon Kings, but this so-called “using” wasn’t about complete reliance—he had to keep a backup plan.

However, Lei Yao didn’t grasp the hidden meaning in Mephisto’s words.

Mephisto’s remark, “You shouldn’t have been so greedy,” subtly pointed out that Lei Yao’s sparing of An Dao was driven by his greed to use Duriel to counterbalance Mephisto.

He had taken one greedy step too far.

This tactic was naturally seen through by Mephisto, who understood both human and angelic hearts.

Lei Yao possessed an Ancestral Legendary Spear capable of immobilizing and silencing his opponents. Killing An Dao earlier would have been as simple as a single strike.

Lei Yao had deliberately held back, and his act of sparing An Dao was blatantly obvious. To cover it up, he even used concern for Ye Feixuan’s safety as an excuse.

What a ruthless, iron-hearted, clear-minded, and resourceful Big Villain—someone who could exploit everything around him in an instant, all while pretending and putting on an act.

As the saying goes, such cunning and ambitious figures are far more formidable than those second-rate male leads who can only scratch their noses, chuckle foolishly, and survive solely under the protagonist’s halo.

Lei Yao paid no heed to Mephisto. With a light leap, he turned and flew out the window, heading straight for Kaijistan.