The Art of Chaotic Divinity-Chapter 865: Ambush

Under normal circumstances, with Cao Meng's king-tier strength, even facing a monster like the Demonic Jiao Prince wouldn't have been an issue. But with Nightmare added to the mix, the situation had likely spiraled into the worst-case scenario.

At that moment, on the far-right fork of Zuowang Valley, Cao Meng had already encountered the Demonic Jiao Prince.

To be precise—he had already fallen into their trap.

"You... Pei Shao, you actually dared to ambush me?!"

Cao Meng clutched his abdomen. Just moments ago, Pei Shao had falsely claimed to have discovered traces of the demon race and rushed to report. But the moment he got close, he suddenly drew a dagger laced with deadly poison and stabbed it into Cao Meng's lower abdomen.

The venom on that dagger came from the Jade-Scaled Royal Serpent, a demonic poison so potent that even a king-tier expert like Cao Meng felt his entire body go numb. All his strength seemed to drain away in an instant.

"General Cao!"

The elite soldiers of the Northwestern Army behind him immediately drew their weapons, glaring furiously at Pei Shao. "Pei Shao! How dare you do this?!"

A sinister grin spread across Pei Shao's face. With a flicker of movement, he lashed out with a single punch—

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The three elites gasped as excruciating pain erupted in their abdomens, sending them flying backward.

"Cough!"

Blood sprayed from their mouths as they stared at Pei Shao in disbelief. How could their former comrade turn on them like this?

"Pei—Shao!"

Seeing his subordinates injured, Cao Meng's eyes burned with rage. He tried to summon his elemental force, but his body refused to respond. His face darkened with poison as he leaned against a boulder, barely managing to stay upright.

"Heh heh heh..."

A chilling laugh echoed from the distance as two figures streaked toward them—one clad in black armor, towering and imposing, the other with an abnormally large head.

The Demonic Jiao Prince and Nightmare had arrived.

"General Cao, the one who ambushed you wasn't him—it was this prince!"

The Demonic Jiao Prince strode forward, his laughter booming as he took in Cao Meng's weakened state. "A king-tier expert, yet so easily subdued! What a joke!"

Cao Meng's body trembled with humiliation. As he lifted his gaze to the Demonic Jiao Prince, regret flooded his heart.

Ling Feng had been right all along, the demon race's true target was Zuowang Valley!

He recalled Sun Gongming's warning at the fortress' final blockade. At the time, he had scoffed. Now, he realized what a grave mistake it had been to doubt Ling Feng.

"Cough..."

A mouthful of poisoned blood spilled from his lips as he glared at the Demonic Jiao Prince. "Using underhanded tricks to ambush me—what kind of skill is that? If you have the guts, fight me one-on-one!"

"Hahaha!"

The Demonic Jiao Prince roared with laughter before slapping Cao Meng across the face. "All's fair in war, General Cao. You're no rookie—surely you know that?"

He then turned to Nightmare. "Do it. Use your Dream Devourer abilities to take control of him."

Nightmare nodded blankly, his eyes rippling with concentric waves. Within moments, Cao Meng's consciousness faded into slumber—completely under Nightmare's command.

"Greetings... Third Prince."

Cao Meng bowed stiffly, his voice weak but obedient.

"Good. Very good."

Demonic Jiao Prince smirked, retrieving a Sunfire Supreme Herb from his storage spirit ring and forcing it into Cao Meng's mouth.

The herb's potency instantly neutralized the serpent venom. Soon, Cao Meng's elemental force began circulating again. With a king-tier expert's recovery rate, it wouldn't be long before he regained his peak combat strength.

Once that happened, the Demonic Jiao Prince would have a king-tier powerhouse at his side—a major advantage when entering the Wuji Cave Heaven!

"General!"

The remaining Northwestern Army elites watched in horror as Cao Meng bowed to their enemy. Grief and fury twisted their faces.

"Hehe... As for you three—"

The Demonic Jiao Prince flicked three round medicinal pills into their mouths. "These are special poison pellets from my clan. Obey me, and you live. Defy me, and within three days, your bodies will rot from the inside out."

Though Dream Devourers could control puppets, Cao Meng's cultivation far surpassed Nightmare's, requiring immense focus to maintain control. This severely limited the number of puppets he could manage.

The three soldiers clutched their throats, trying to vomit up the pellets—but the pills dissolved instantly. A dark energy coiled in their dantians, poised to ravage their organs the moment it spread.

"Go to hell! The Northwestern Army doesn't fear death!"

One soldier—Ning Chen—plunged his sword straight through his own chest. "I'd rather die than be your slave!"

Blood gushed from his mouth as his body convulsed, then went still.

The other two stared at Ning Chen's lifeless eyes, then at Cao Meng and Pei Shao. In the end, survival instinct won out.

If death were certain, they'd have chosen it without hesitation. But if there was a chance to live...

"Ning Chen... we don't want to die."

They sighed, unable to meet their fallen comrade's unblinking gaze.

"Smart choice."

The Demonic Jiao Prince smirked. Cannon fodder was cannon fodder—whether they died now or later made no difference.

This operation had gone flawlessly. With minimal effort, he'd subdued a king-tier expert.

"The third watch approaches. Wuji Cave Heaven will open soon. Let's regroup with Du Lang and the others."

With that, the Demonic Jiao Prince shot forward, Nightmare following with Cao Meng and Pei Shao in tow. frёewebnoѵēl.com

The two remaining elites exchanged a glance.

"Ning Chen... it's not that we're afraid to die. As long as we live, there's still hope."

"Right. The general's still under their control. We have to find a way to free him!"

Steeling themselves, they activated their movement arts and followed the demons.

...

Meanwhile, Ling Feng and Wang Chuanjia's group sprinted toward the center of Zuowang Valley. If Cao Meng had truly been enslaved, things had just gotten far more complicated.

But as they reached the valley's central entrance, they spotted a young girl in an emerald-green dress, encased within a shimmering luminous barrier.

Two demon clan experts relentlessly assaulted the barrier, clearly intent on killing her!