Chapter 1557: Scarlet Macroverse! Succubus Lord - Nocturne!

Chapter 1557: The Crimson Great Universe! The Demon Lord-Nocturus!

Within the Crimson Great Universe.

Zhou Zhan found himself engulfed in utter darkness.

Something felt amiss.

What in the world was going on?

In previous instances of teleportation through the Shadow Realm's gateways, the surroundings had been dim, yes—somewhat gloomy—but never so completely black that nothing could be seen at all.

He immediately released his consciousness, sending it out to survey the surroundings.

To his dismay, even his late-stage, consciousness-embodied power proved utterly powerless against this absolute blackness.

A cold sense of unease settled within him as he realized the gravity of the situation. At once, he reached out to his subordinates, attempting to establish contact.

He had already prepared himself for the possibility of being unable to reach them. Yet, to his surprise, he found himself able to connect with Bai Yun and the others with astonishing ease.

"Bai Yun, what's the situation at your end?"

"Are any of the soldiers injured?"

Zhou Zhan asked immediately.

"Your Majesty, there's nothing wrong with me, and none of the soldiers have sustained any injuries. The problem is, we can't see anything anymore."

Bai Yun replied.

His tone was filled with shock.

Bai Yun had now ascended to the rank of First Supreme Deity.

For something so utterly invisible to a First Supreme Deity—something that could slip into a state of total blindness without a trace of detection—whether it was a deity or some other strange entity, it almost certainly meant the presence of a force beyond his reach.

He had been internally shaken, masking his fear with outward composure.

But upon hearing the Emperor's voice, Bai Yun instantly calmed, even managing to calmly communicate with the other soldiers, check on their status, and report back to Zhou Zhan.

"It's fine."

"Let everyone calm down first—things should settle soon enough."

"Perhaps just a minor glitch during the jump process."

Zhou Zhan replied, making his assumption for a reason.

As a great cultivator of destiny, upon realizing his situation, he did not feel any sudden, panicked instinct of danger—no sudden surge of crisis awareness.

He deeply trusted his intuition.

Since his intuition had not faltered, it was likely not a crisis at all. It might simply be a minor accident.

Upon hearing this, Bai Yun exhaled in relief and immediately relayed the news to the other soldiers, calming their spirits.

The army soon found its hearts no longer agitated.

A moment later.

Zhou Zhan's mind stirred, a sudden, inexplicable intuition prompting him to issue the mental command to open his eyes.

And then he saw—within the darkness before him—a narrow slit of light appearing. The light grew wider and wider, until finally...

He saw the world he was in!

A world of blood-red.

At first glance,

heaven, earth, the Moon Star, the Sun Star, trees, creatures...

everything was a unified crimson, differing only in shape, size, or shade of color.

The world appeared monotonous, yet beyond that monotony, it pulsed with a mysterious, dangerous aura.

At this moment, Zhou Zhan and his companions found themselves within an immense city of blood-red mist.

Within the city, countless mist-beings of varying power levels wandered through the streets.

The numbers were staggering—mere glimpses of these creatures in front of them numbered in the millions.

Some were trading goods, others chatting at roadside stalls or shops, while others moved through the alleys with blank expressions…

The scene was bustling, lively, and undeniably vibrant.

At first glance, it appeared no different from a normal city populated by ordinary beings.

Yet to Zhou Zhan and his companions, this scene felt utterly alien.

After all, the blood-red mist-beings they had encountered on the Highest Continent were typically silent, uncommunicative—merely slaughtered without hesitation.

To see them now living normal lives, with cities, routines, and even civilizations of their own, behaving indistinguishably from the life-forms of the Highest Continent—how could it not seem absurd?

"Your Majesty."

"Our appearance has changed!"

At that very moment,

Bai Yun's startled voice rang in Zhou Zhan's mind.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhan glanced at them—indeed, though they now bore the forms of mist-beings, they were clearly distinct from the mist-beings they had transformed into before entering the Crimson Cosmos.

Their current forms now aligned perfectly with the attire and aesthetic of this city of monsters.

Previously, before entering the Crimson Cosmos, their appearance had been somewhat haphazard, careless.

If they had arrived in this monster city in their former forms, they would have been swiftly recognized by the local mist-beings as outsiders. The consequences would have been dire—possibly even exposing their identity as beings from the Supreme Cosmos.

But now, their appearance seamlessly blended into the local style. No monster, no matter how observant, would detect any difference between them and the native crimson mist-beings.

Zhou Zhan turned to look at himself.

And he saw that his own attire and style had also undergone a significant transformation from what he had once become.

First, the crimson imperial robe transformed into one dominated by a deep violet hue.

The nine-serpent crown upon his head shifted into a monstrous, eerie abyssal demon god's headdress.

His skin now took on a dark violet tone, adorned with intricate, arcane, and mysterious golden law runes that shimmered across its surface.

His eyes remained a blood-red, yet now a subtle, seductive deep violet glow pulsed at their core.

Zhou Zhan glanced at it, slightly astonished.

After all,

though his appearance had undergone a dramatic transformation, in terms of overall charisma and regal presence, his current form did not fall short of his original self.

The body he had originally inhabited still carried certain flaws—

a lack of the grand imperial aura and commanding imperial presence nurtured by great destiny.

Yet now, having taken over this form, that aura and presence were no longer merely restored—they overflowed, surpassing even the inherent demonic elegance of the original being.

Let any other crimson monster see Him for the first time and immediately feel that he is a born emperor; the second thought, then, would be: wow, this emperor is too perfectly formed!

The changes in appearance and demeanor were mere trifles.

Zhou Zhan merely glanced at them and dismissed them as such.

Yet, in doing so, an inexplicable doubt arose within him.

What on earth was going on?

How had he and his subordinates transformed into such beings?

Where exactly was this place?

Could it truly be that he had stepped through the portal of the Shadow Realm and landed precisely within the capital city of this crimson mist monster?

As Zhou Zhan pondered these questions, a vast flood of information suddenly surged into his mind.

Zhou Zhan's heart leapt in surprise.

But soon, He realized that this information was harmless, so He attempted to accept it.

A moment later.

Zhou Zhan, having fully absorbed the information, had a look of sudden realization in His eyes.

"So that is how the Supreme Will hid our identities."

"This should resolve most of the issues."

Zhou Zhan muttered to Himself.

According to the information in His mind.

To conceal their identities so they could smoothly enter the Scarlet Cosmos and become Scarlet Lords—while also providing them with a suitable justification to attack Os's elementary True God kingdom—the Supreme Will chose to have Zhou Zhan and the Scarlet Army under His command directly replace a powerful Scarlet Lord within the Scarlet Cosmos.

Which was His current identity as a Scarlet Lord.

This Scarlet Lord bore the title of the Succubus Lord, with the true name of Noctur, whose mother was the Succubus Goddess Nocturna.

Born of the succubus race and sired by the Succubus Deity itself, the godling had once been an unremarkable entity among the divine master’s vast brood, later met with a grim fate when slain by the crimson mist monsters invading the Abyss and transformed into one of their own aberrant kin.

Yet, it was at this very juncture that the gears of destiny began to turn.

Having been remade into a crimson creature, Nocturne entered the fierce hegemony of the crimson lords, where the deity unexpectedly awakened a legendary lord talent; then, through a crucible of trials and tribulations, succeeded in elevating this legendary trait into a mythical, singular lord talent.

Blessed with a talent both mythical and unique, Nocturne rose swiftly through the ranks of the crimson struggle, eventually becoming one of the premier crimson lords, second only to the likes of Os.

Upon hearing tidings of this ascension, the Succubus Deity realized that this once-ignored offspring might very well possess the chance to touch the supreme, peerless station of the Crimson Paragon in the days to come.

Thus, the deity rapidly elevated Nocturne's status, making the godling the most cherished of all its progeny, and personally crowned Nocturne as the Succubus Lord.

Bearing the title of Succubus Lord meant that no other lord among the myriad races of the entire succubus lineage could lay claim to that name, leaving Nocturne alone to fight under this banner within the crimson hegemony.

Concurrently, with the title of Succubus Lord in hand, Nocturne could command all crimson lords of the succubus race, compelling them to deploy troops, expend effort, and yield resources to further the grand campaign.

Bolstered by such monumental aid, the power of Succubus Lord Nocturne surged exponentially, instantly matching the renown of Os.

Had events continued along this trajectory, Succubus Lord Nocturne might truly have overthrown Os in the future, seizing the position of the fifth reserve candidate for the Crimson Paragon.

Yet at this very moment, the demon lord himself found himself lost in folly.

The demon lord, whose power surged without end, had his mind swell with arrogance—so much so that he later believed himself capable of standing equal to Os, the unrivaled master of the wind. And with Os being deeply trusted and anticipated by the Crimson Sovereign, Norc Turl had long harbored envy.

Thus, a thought took root within him—like a goddess dreamed of in the stillness of night—whispering through the depths of his soul:

To challenge Os, to become the mightiest of the billion trillion Crimson Lords!

Only then could he truly compete for the coveted fifth reserve seat of Crimson Sovereign!

This idea stirred his heart like a flame in the dark, unquenchable and insistent.

At last, upon learning of Os’s plan to ascend to the rank of Junior Supreme God Nation Lord, the demon lord could no longer contain his ambition. He chose to launch an invasion upon Os’s Chaos Crimson Dominion.

For he himself was a master of a Junior God Nation, and thus held confidence in his own forces.

He believed that though Os was a master of a higher-tier nation, the gap between them might not be as vast as one might imagine.

Most importantly, He realized one thing.

If Os truly established the first Lord of a Primary Divine Realm, becoming the foremost master of the Crimson Lordship, then He would have absolutely no chance of competing for the Fifth Reserve position of Crimson Supreme.

Therefore, whether driven by impulsive fury or a calculated decision, He had to fight—must fight!

For there was no retreat left.

From that point on, events unfolded simply.

Noctur did not anticipate the vast disparity in strength between himself and Os. He never imagined that Os was protected by one hundred Divine Servants and one Supreme Divine Servant.

Faced with such overwhelming power, Noctur suffered a crushing defeat. Had it not been for the direct intervention of the Demon God Sovereign pleading on his behalf, Noctur would have perished on the battlefield—there would have been no survival at all.

Yet, though he had managed to survive, Noctur bore heavy losses. Not only had half of the forces he had painstakingly cultivated been destroyed, but even the Demon God Sovereign, after witnessing this devastating defeat, concluded that he was no longer fit for greatness, ceased to favor him, and thus, his prestige within the Demon Clan was utterly shattered. All the Crimson Lords of the Demon Clan turned away from him. Now, he commanded only his own core forces—no other factions remained loyal to him.

Already wounded beyond repair, upon realizing he had completely lost his eligibility to vie for the Fifth Reserve of Crimson Supreme, Noctur’s faith collapsed entirely—and he died instantly.

Then Zhou Zhan led his forces forward.

"Phew."

"I've just taken on the script of a man whose life has been a complete failure."

Zhou Zhan murmured in astonishment.

Yet in an instant, he dismissed the thought.

Ossus, whom Nocturnal found so formidable—

had long ago been defeated by the original's forces.

And now, with the current form of Him?

A single percent of any of His main combat units could crush a hundred such adversaries, over and over again!

Then He did not hastily summon his subordinates to launch an assault upon the junior Primordial God realm of Os.

The original self, having just suffered a defeat, would immediately rush forth to challenge again—losing would draw scorn from other Crimson Lord factions, while winning would only provoke suspicion from other Crimson Lords, if not the Crimson Sovereign itself. Such a course would be utterly unwise.

Thus, Zhou Zhan resolved to conquer the junior Primordial God realm of Os through a method less conspicuous and more strategic.

Before that,

His attention turned inward, to the depths of his divine consciousness.

There, in his hand, appeared a cube shimmering with an enigmatic hue.

The Cube of Reality—the artifact of Will Transcendence!

Zhou Zhan had not expected that, just yesterday, Wei Yue’s will had taken possession of this sacred relic, and now it had returned to his own hands today.

Still, considering the matter:

This artifact of Will Transcendence, capable of altering reality and blinding perception, truly proved to be the most effective means for Him and His subordinates to conceal their identities and infiltrate the Crimson Cosmos.

"But is this priceless treasure granted to me by the supreme will, or given directly to me?"

Zhou Zhan murmured to himself.

He thought it over, then shrugged it off.

Whether it belonged to him or not didn't matter—what mattered was that he could access it when he needed it most.

He shifted his focus, turned, and walked toward the demon goddess temple behind him.

Time was pressing. He had to act now.