Chapter 191: "I Didn't Hear That Clearly"
It was just a broken leg, along with being sent flying.
If it were an ordinary person, this punch would have reduced them to a bloody pulp.
Margarita stood to the side, looking incredulously at the towering figure of the Goblin King.
She knew the Goblin King was strong.
But she hadn't expected him to be this strong.
Two ghost beastmen, formidable as they were, had been annihilated in an instant.
The overwhelming power made it hard to believe he was merely a Goblin King.
"Hey, stop wasting my time. If you want to fight me, come at me all at once. Let's see how I crush you all!"
Li Meng, wielding his massive iron rod, pointed towards the tent.
The tent was enormous, filled with numerous powerful ghost beastmen.
The two ghost beastmen he had just killed were elite-level ones.
"Goblin, this is a demon camp. Aren't you afraid we'll make sure you stay here forever?"
At that moment, a cold voice rang out from inside the tent.
The voice's appearance caused the beastmen outside to pale and retreat quickly, dispersing in all directions.
Li Meng grinned beneath his helmet, his iron rod resting on his shoulder.
"I came here, and I'll leave whenever I want. If you want to try me, I'm game!"
The inside of the tent fell silent.
After a long pause, the door curtain was lifted from within.
A graceful figure swayed out, every movement exuding an alluring charm.
It was Agatha, the seductive female ghost beastman who resembled a succubus.
"Well, well, it seems you've gotten even stronger since we last met!"
Agatha approached Li Meng with a smile, curiosity lighting her face as she tapped on the armor covering his leg.
She raised her head to look at the Goblin King's helmet, which resembled a large iron barrel.
Agatha chuckled softly, her laughter shaking her shoulders like blooming flowers.
"Goblin, dressing so heavily, are you afraid of us?"
Li Meng grabbed Agatha by the waist, lifting her into the crook of his arm, then strode towards the entrance of the tent.
Agatha smiled coyly, naturally wrapping her arms around Li Meng's arm. She gestured with her delicate hand, signaling the beastmen outside to make way.
The beastmen quickly stepped aside.
Watching the imposing figure of the Goblin King, Margarita's eyes sparkled with admiration.
She had never imagined that a mere Goblin King could confront ghost beastmen with such composure.
The overwhelming power he displayed was beyond belief.
Margarita could feel her heart racing.
Meanwhile, inside the tent.
As soon as Li Meng entered, he was met with powerful presences rushing towards him.
Compared to outside, the tent was dimmer but far more spacious.
Inside, more than a dozen ghost beastmen sat cross-legged, their unfriendly gazes fixed on the massive goblin at the entrance.
"Put down Agatha!"
Upon seeing Agatha perched on the Goblin King's arm, one of the ghost beastmen couldn't help but shout angrily.
Li Meng grinned, striding forward.
As he passed by the shouting ghost beastman, he paused, then turned to look down at it from above.
"Ghost beastman, what did you just say? I didn't hear that clearly!"
Faced with the Goblin King, the ghost beastman broke into a cold sweat. It felt an overwhelming pressure that made breathing difficult.
Yet its pride forced it to meet the Goblin King's gaze head-on.
"All right, stop bullying it!"
Agatha, sitting in Li Meng's arm, laughed softly, her hand tapping on Li Meng's chest plate, resolving the ghost beastman's predicament.
Li Meng turned away silently and continued forward.
As he walked away, the ghost beastman breathed a sigh of relief. It wanted to gasp for air but managed to hold back.
After that encounter, all the ghost beastmen silently watched the massive Goblin King. None of them spoke.
They had never imagined they would feel such suffocating power from a Goblin King. This aura seemed even stronger than that of Lord Douglas.
Could that be possible?
No, it couldn't be. He was just a Goblin King, after all.
Li Meng strode forward and sat cross-legged across from the main seat.
Agatha naturally slid into his lap.
In the tent, one large figure and one smaller one locked eyes.
Li Meng sized up the ghost beastman seated in the main position.
This must be Douglas.
To Li Meng, most ghost beastmen looked the same.
This one just seemed slightly stronger than the others.
"Huh, information is hidden?"
Li Meng attempted to view Douglas' stats, only to find they were all question marks, just like when Vanessa wore her black robe.
"Could this guy also have some kind of artifact?"
While Li Meng scrutinized Douglas, Douglas was also evaluating Li Meng.
For a long time, the two stared at each other in silence.
Finally, Douglas broke the silence, his voice resonating within the tent.
"Welcome to the demon camp. I am Douglas, commander of the demons!"
"I'm Gobumeng!"
"Pfft!"
Agatha burst into laughter at the name, her body shaking with mirth.
It certainly was a fitting name for a goblin.
"Do you still remember the alliance you made with Iron Mask?"
"Of course I remember. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come to your demon stronghold!"
Hearing this, Douglas smiled. Beside him, Iron Mask also let out a sigh of relief.
It was good that the goblin acknowledged the alliance. That would simplify matters.
"In recent years, humans have been restless. They seem intent on expanding southward and fully dominating the southern continent. Although you defeated the Irisis Principality's expansionary army two years ago, that loss barely affected them.
"We've received news that the Papal State is persuading human nations to launch a crusade against the outer realms. Once the crusade army is assembled, it will wipe out all the barbarian tribes in the outer realms.
"At that time, every barbarian tribe in the outer realms will face annihilation. Perhaps your goblins could survive by hiding, but I doubt a life of running and hiding is the ending you desire."
Outer realms?
Crusade army?
Inside his helmet, Li Meng's expression turned contemplative as he quickly absorbed the information in Douglas' words.
The outer realms likely referred to the southern lands outside human control.
The crusade army seemed to be a coalition of human nations, akin to the Crusades of Earth's medieval period.
If the news was true, then the barbarian tribes in the outer realms indeed faced the threat of extinction.
"What do you intend to do?"
Douglas smiled faintly, uttering three words:
"Go to war."
War?
Inside his helmet, Li Meng's expression grew thoughtful.
Proactive offense was indeed better than passive defense.
While it wasn't certain the Papal State could succeed in rallying the nations to form a crusade army, what if they did?
Douglas' voice continued.
"Human power comes from crystals. If we destroy the Irisis Principality's crystal, human strength will weaken. By then, the outer realms will be safe, at least from this human threat."
A war merely for self-preservation?
Queen
Li Meng squinted as he looked at Douglas.
Something told him the demons' reasons for targeting the crystal weren't so simple.
It couldn't possibly be just for survival.