The necromancer just wants to plant trees.

Chapter 535: Barto's Head

……

Facing the little wolf’s doubts and emotions.

Matthew just smiled and didn't answer. After all, he has always been low-key.

However, there are too many banners of call to action in Shadow Rift.

The group encountered each other several times before they had gone far.

The halo emanating from the battle flag almost covered the entire terrain of Shadow Rift!

Although these battle flags are just projections, projected from the treasure in Gracia's hand into the rift, the battle flags' inherent summoning aura still possesses impressive anti-stealth capabilities.

The existence of these battle flags caused great trouble to Matthew and his team's progress.

It's not like they can't dodge the anti-stealth aura of the battle flag.

It's just more troublesome.

And wherever the battle flag is, it is often accompanied by a large and chaotic number of recruited devils.

Not every chaotic situation is suitable for taking advantage of.

When the number of recruited devils once exceeded the carrying capacity of the Rift, many places became overcrowded.

There was no way for them to join the devil's army and get away with it.

After observation.

After gathering, all the devil armies here marched collectively towards the bottom of Fufeng Slope.

Even if identity is not an issue.

They will also face the dilemma of going in opposite directions.

at the same time.

Matthew and others also discovered a denser number of flying units in the sky, including rare demons hidden in the clouds.

This means that it is also difficult for them to cross the rift without being detected.

in the end.

The only viable way is to grope slowly on the ground.

Matthew just roughly estimated the time this method would take, and his brows quickly knitted together -

At this rate.

If I want to cross the Shadow Rift and reach the Tears of Baator, it will take at least half a month longer!

This is based on the fact that the situation in the second half of the rift is similar to that observed previously.

It would be a big problem if the second half gets even more crowded!

"Sure enough, everything is difficult when you go out."

Matthew couldn't help smacking his lips:

“No matter how well-planned you are, you can never keep up with change.”

at this time.

The little wolf, still in the form of a wild wolf cloak, suddenly suggested in Matthew's ear:
"I remember that there is an entrance to a tearing plane near the manor where the Fountain of Bliss is located."

"That torn plane is made up of an extension of Purgatory, an enclave of the Elemental Plane of Air, and fragments of the Plane of Shadow."

"There seems to be some unknown treasure hidden in that seat. In order to develop it, the Phantom Baron has done a lot of work."

"He has repaired at least three two-way portals pointing to the torn plane in his deep black castle, and I know two of them very well."

"If you can bear the risk of approaching Paradise Manor and Deep Black Castle, we can use the torn plane as a springboard. If everything goes well, we will directly reach the end of Shadow Rift, thus avoiding the long and crowded road in the middle..."

Speaking of it.

The little wolf emphasized again:
"But both Paradise Manor and Deep Black Castle are heavily guarded places."

"The Phantom Baron has severe paranoia. He always feels that others are trying to murder him. The density of devil guards in the area where he lives is also exaggerated."

"Of course, it's definitely better than the current Shadow Rift that is filled with conscripted devil soldiers."

Matthew pondered for a moment, discussed with Carlo and Luo, and finally decided to adopt Little Wolf's suggestion.

After encountering trouble at Fufeng Slope.

Their time had been delayed a lot, which was why Matthew decisively used the form of the Eastern Immortal Ape to climb the side of the cliff.

As soon as this wilderness form appeared.

Sooner or later, the news of Matthew's arrival in Purgatory would get out.

under these circumstances.

Time and efficiency become more important factors.

Matthew knew that he didn't have many options left.

Or give it a try.

Otherwise, it may be necessary to take the initiative to end this failed sneak attack at some point in the future.

no doubt.

Matthew would not choose the latter.

"It's probably because the terrain of Purgatory is too complicated. The Celestial Deer's ability is not only insufficient to perfectly shuttle through the planes of Purgatory, but it also easily leaves a lot of loopholes..."

He felt a little regretful.

The group immediately turned to the low hill on the side.

there.

There is a path leading to the junction of the Rift Valley and Fufeng Slope.

It is also home to the Fountain of Bliss.

But just as they changed direction.

However, the Purgatory Black Merchant Ciel found Matthew privately and asked to leave the team with an uneasy look on his face:
"I don't want to go near that Paradise Manor."

"My intuition told me that it was not a good place. To be frank, my heart and soul were extremely resistant to it, a resistance I had never experienced before!"

"I can try to cross the Shadow Rift from the front and then meet up with you at the Deep Black Castle. With my ability, I shouldn't be discovered by others."

Matthew gave Ciel a thoughtful look.

After a while.

He approved Charles' request.

There is the blood letter from Quinlan.

Matthew didn't think the black marketeers in Purgatory could do anything.

But what he didn't expect was.

After learning this.

Roland actually proposed to act together with the black marketeers.

The reason he gave was that he wanted to scout the military intelligence of the devil in order to provide more intelligence support for the subsequent planetary defense war.

By the way, it can also serve to monitor and deter Charles.

Of course Matthew would not refuse.

After simply reminding the other party to be careful, he watched Roland and Charles walk towards the direction where the devil's army was gathering.

Subsequently.

The rest of the people also headed towards the designated path, heading for Baron Phantom's Paradise Manor.

Compared to the crowded main road.

The path is sparsely populated.

Apart from occasionally encountering some lone devils, which provided Matthew with material to practice brainwashing, everything else went quite smoothly.

along the way.

The little wolf also had time to teach Matthew some secrets of Paradise Manor.

"Gracia is clearly a hypocritical woman."

"You said she is a devil? No no no..."

"I mean, yes, all demons are hypocritical, but she's especially hypocritical!"

"She named the largest city in her territory "Tears of Baator", claiming it was a memorial to her father, Baator, the former Lord of the Nine Hells. In fact, it was just a declaration of her legitimacy as the Lord of Purgatory."

"Everyone knows that the relationship between Gracia and Barto is very bad, even to the point of being enemies."

"When Barto was still alive, the so-called Holy City was not called this name, and Gracia never took the initiative to visit her father."

"It wasn't until Bartor was sealed by the Scourge Mage that her attitude suddenly took a 180-degree turn. You weren't in Purgatory at the time. Tsk, tsk, tsk, that brazen change was really surprising."

"I'll tell you a secret. The Scourge Mage sealed most of Baator's remains, but only let his head go."

"After successfully escaping back to Purgatory, Barto's head planned to find a territory to redevelop and make a comeback. But what happened? He was found by his filial daughter Gracia, and then ruthlessly sealed away!"

"The specific sealing location is actually under the fountain of the Paradise Manor!"

"After that, the rules of Paradise Manor became completely different during the day and at night. I guess this is a manifestation of the power of Barto's head leaking out."

"Greshia gave Baron Phantom the top priority of sealing Barto's head. That stupid shadow demon was being played around by the queen of succubus, but he seemed to enjoy it. It was really disgusting. Whenever I think of those scenes, I hate myself for being so blind..."

"In short, Gracia doesn't want Barto to return to Purgatory. I heard that she plans to compete for the position of the Lord of the Nine Hells in the near future. Speaking of which, in the upper three layers of Purgatory, old Morgan was severely injured, Freiza is missing, and Barto is sealed. A powerful and ambitious person does have the opportunity to become the new Lord of the Nine Hells."

"But Gracia is clearly out of the question."

"why?"

"I just think she's impossible!"

The little wolf chattered a lot into Matthew's ear.

After Matthew learned that the head of Barto was suspected to be sealed in the manor, he understood why Charles was so resistant.

For a clone, he definitely doesn't want to get close to Barto's own will. If he is swallowed up, it would be equivalent to the complete annihilation of his own consciousness.

While talking.

They were approaching the border of Paradise Manor.

Standing on a small hill and looking down.

Although the valley was shrouded in thick white fog, Matthew could still see the endless outlines of the buildings in the manor.

The manor was filled with an ancient and evil atmosphere.

Anyone who comes near.

You can't help but want to get one step closer.

"The border of the manor is ahead. Be careful not to cross the black line. It is a barrier written with blasphemous words."

Matthew felt his shoulders relax.

The wolf cloak instantly turned into a ray of white light and fell to the ground.

The little wolf turned into the graceful wolf lady again. She shyly raised her furry paws and gestured:
"The road ahead is a bit difficult to walk, I have to lead the way myself."

After saying that, she quickly walked towards the rugged mountain road with a lot of stones piled on it beside the border.

There is actually no road here.

It is naturally extremely difficult to pass through.

Since this place is close to the torn plane, using the ability to fly has become a high-risk matter—

Matthew saw with his own eyes an unknown hellish bird fly into an area of ​​torn space and was torn into pieces in an instant.

In comparison.

The situation on the ground is much better.

At least where there are rocks and natural objects, the space nearby is relatively stable.

Matthew used his hands and feet to keep up with Mrs. Wolf.

He looked back at Carmela and immediately dispelled his concerns.

obviously.

As a priest who often goes to the fields, Carmela's physical fitness is much stronger than Matthew's, and her climbing ability is probably not inferior to that of a wanderer.

that's it.

The group climbed along the rocks for half an hour.

It was probably around the front of the manor and to the side.

Shortly afterwards.

A side door appeared in Matthew's field of vision.

The side door was built very secretly, a bit like a semi-hidden secret door.

Matthew discovered a large number of devil guards near the secret door!
"The entrance to the torn plane is in the cave on the side. You can see it not far away."

The back of a huge rock.

Mrs. Wolf whispered in Matthew's ear:

"It's better to reduce the number of units in action and sneak over."

Matthew nodded.

After installing Carmela and Sandrine in Paradise Lost.

He opened the invisibility ball to cover the Wolf Lady, and the two of them clung to the rock wall, groping their way towards the cave step by step.

Matthew's invisibility spell was not the best, but with the accumulation of various super-magic abilities, the effect was not something that an ordinary fifth-level spell could match. Only those with extremely keen perception could possibly detect his existence.

The group of devil guards in front of him were obviously not among them.

Compared to the possibility of being discovered.

Or it was the rugged rocks beneath their feet that made it more difficult for Matthew and Mrs. Wolf to move forward.

Soon.

They bypassed the guards on the side and came to the entrance of the cave.

Matthew wanted to observe the situation in the cave before taking action.

But at this time.

A powerful and strange force suddenly surged from the direction of the manor.

Matthew's eyelids twitched.

A huge warning sign emerged from the bottom of my heart.

Mrs. Wolf's anxious voice also sounded:
"not good!"

"The borders of Paradise Manor are expanding in our direction!"

“See that black line?”

"We can't get involved in the black line, otherwise we have to abide by the rules of Paradise Manor..."

"Now, now it's daytime..."

"Matthew, we have to hurry!"

Let’s talk about the following sentences.

Her voice was almost distorted with anxiety.

Matthew also noticed that something was wrong. Not far away, the black line that symbolized the barrier was rushing towards the cave like a tide.

At the critical moment.

He silently cast a sprint spell, then pulled Mrs. Wolf into the cave!

While running fast, the invisible magic ball will inevitably shake.

Fortunately.

The group of devil guards seemed confused by this sudden change.

Ten seconds later.

The black line stayed near the hole.

Matthew and the other two had already entered the cave and disappeared from the devils' sight!

"so close!"

“I almost got sucked in…”

Mrs. Wolf stuck out her tongue unconsciously, then shyly pulled her hand out of Matthew's.

Seeing her move.

Matthew was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help laughing:
"You don't think I'm a special person who's interested in furry creatures?"

Mrs. Wolf's face instantly turned red:

"Not at all!"

"I'm just worried that if I get involved, it might embolden Barto."

"You should know that every devil has its own rules. The rules of primary devils are reflected in the contract, while the rules of mid-level and high-level devils are more widely used."

"If you can force many people to follow your rules, the devil will gain incredible power from it."

"The special rules of Paradise Manor are such advanced rules."

"I know Baron Phantom very well. He is not yet able to manipulate the rules. So Barto must be behind these anomalies."

"I even suspect that Baator's head developed its own, independent consciousness during the sealing process."

"He established this rule in the manor and tempted others to come in and abide by the rules. In fact, it is a process of gaining strength and growing continuously..."

“When He has accumulated enough strength, perhaps He will be able to grow into a brand new Demon Lord under the blessing of the Blood River’s will.”

Matthew nodded solemnly.

Mrs. Wolf's judgment about Barto's head was very accurate.

If the latter really had self-awareness, then the rumors and advertisements about Paradise Manor could be explained -

For the Demon Queen Gracia.

There is nothing better than having your old father stay under the Bridge of All Beings.

Baator's head is one of the most important enemies in her fight against the Lord of the Nine Hells.

If this head can give birth to its own consciousness, it will completely cut off Barto's roots in Purgatory.

under these circumstances.

It is understandable that people condone or even fuel the rumors about Paradise Manor.

"If we think about it from another angle, if we want to deal with Gracia, we can actually use Barto's power?"

"Just be extra careful..."

This thought just occurred to Matthew.

A mud-like monster suddenly and silently emerged from the stone wall in front of the two people.

The monster's voice was extremely rough and vicissitudes, as if it had endured thousands of years of pain and experienced endless roars, making it hoarse and rough:
"You just thought of me, didn't you, Matthew?"

"It's rare that you come to my territory, why don't you come to my manor as a guest?"

Mrs. Wolf hadn't responded yet.

Matthew lowered his head suddenly——

In the dim cave.

At some point, the black line that symbolized the boundary of the barrier had actually crossed the two of them and wrapped them in the side belonging to the manor!
……

(End of this chapter)