Building the Strongest Undead Empire from Scratch

The endless abyss was a scene of carnage.

Demon corpses littered the landscape, shrouded in a sinister black mist. The combined miasma of thousands of decaying demons rose from the abyss, a horrifying yet strangely majestic sight.

Among the fallen were massive corpses radiating a holy aura: Titans.

The Titan race had no god, only a true god who rarely intervened in conflicts. On this lower-level battlefield, they were no match for the Demon race.

The beleaguered Demon race had recklessly deployed their god-level combatants, but the Titans dared not risk their true god.

(Gods were categorized into three tiers, from weakest to strongest: pseudo-god, god, and true god.)

The Holy Court had withdrawn, but the dragon race, a far more formidable force, had joined the fray, stabilizing the situation and launching a counteroffensive against the Demon race.

Deep within the Valoria continent, the chieftains of the twenty-four Demon tribes gathered in a strange, shadowy forest. They typically ruled their own territories, avoiding contact with each other, convening only under special circumstances.

These twenty-four demons varied greatly in appearance and power. Most were pseudo-gods or gods. The rest were representatives of chieftains currently engaged in battle or acting chieftains, mere third-stage Sovereign level beings, filling in for fallen leaders.

They stood silently, motionless, without a word exchanged between them.

After a moment, they all looked up towards a figure descending from the western sky. She radiated an aura of darkness and death, her eight wings, black as ink, giving her the appearance of an angel of death.

Xiao Hui landed gracefully, her expression impassive as she surveyed the assembled demons. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am a member of the undead race, the Death Angel King."

"I know your purpose," the leading demon, a devil with a sinister grin, boomed. "I'll say this now: the Demon race will remain eternally neutral!"

The demons weren't fools. They knew why she was here, and Alex's destruction of the core of will was public knowledge.

She had done what they had always wanted to do but hadn't dared.

The previous undead lord had done the same. It seemed this new undead lord was following in his footsteps.

Only by eliminating the ruling race of a continent could a destroyed core of will slowly regenerate, a process that took centuries.

Conversely, if the ruling race remained in power, the core of will couldn't recover.

This was why the other races had been so determined to destroy the former undead empire, regardless of the cost.

"Then we are natural allies," Xiao Hui said coldly. She hadn't come here for mere assurances.

"Thamior," a small, unassuming demon, a low-level imp in appearance, but a chieftain and a god in power, spoke up. "Once the humans fall, we're doomed. We should fight alongside them, even if it means mutual destruction!"

"Even with our combined strength, we'd have a slim chance against the Angel race," Thamior replied, his gaze sharp as he assessed the situation. "There would be no turning back."

Although the era war raged on, and the Demon race was losing ground, it had never escalated to a war of extermination. But destroying a core of will was different. It meant becoming an enemy of all races, fighting alone.

He didn't believe the current undead lord would fare any better than the previous undead lord.

"Thamior, when did you become such a fucking coward?!" the other demons roared in disapproval.

Xiao Hui frowned. Just as Satan had said, they were prone to infighting.

"I never thought the mighty Demon race would be so timid," Xiao Hui taunted. "It seems I overestimated you. The undead race does not fear failure. We would make the same choice again."

The demons were angered by her words, but they dared not attack her. That would mean making another enemy, an enemy who could destroy them more quickly.

"Farewell," Xiao Hui said, turning to leave. "Even if you lack the courage, I will keep my promise. The undead race will attack the dragon race to create a diversion for you. As for the second core of will, you can wait for news in this forsaken forest."

The chieftains glared at her, then at Thamior, who remained silent.

Thamior knew it was a taunt, but when had the Demon race become so hesitant?

Now, they had to weigh the pros and cons of every action, prioritizing their race's survival above all else. They had become afraid.

Since the end of the Demon era, they had lived in fear of the Angel race.

Thamior's eyes hardened, a blood-red glint appearing in his pupils.

"Wait!"

He called out to Xiao Hui, stopping her departure. The other chieftains looked at him in surprise.

"I know this is a taunt," Thamior said, his voice filled with newfound resolve. "But I'll show you what true demonic courage looks like. The courage to face death is not exclusive to the undead!"

He shot up into the sky, unleashing a massive black mist that slammed into the earth.

The mist dispersed, enveloping the entire forest. The ground trembled. All the demons sensed what was happening and looked towards the center of the continent.

On the front lines, a massive Titan, having just punched a demon away, roared, "Have demon race gone mad?!"

"You fool! We don't need your permission!" the demon retorted, unleashing a torrent of power.

Xiao Hui smiled. Now, they could trust the Demon race without reservation.

The Titan's shock stemmed from Thamior's actions. He had drawn out the Valoria continent's core of will, a swirling mass of black mist tinged with gold. The golden light within the mist was slowly growing stronger.

"Watch closely!" Thamior declared, meeting Xiao Hui's gaze. He crushed the core of will in his hand.

A cracking sound echoed through the air as the energy within the core dissipated. The entire continent shook violently as the energy burst outwards. Moments later, the core of will was gone.

"Impressive," Xiao Hui said, her voice filled with admiration. "The undead empire won't forget this."

She vanished, returning to the undead empire.