The teleportation channel, upon appearing, did not descend directly to the ground but manifested as a swirling vortex from which the figures of three Demon Lords emerged.
This channel appeared and vanished quickly. As it was only for teleporting three Demon Lords and not an entire army, it did not need to be maintained for long.
Primarily, they feared it might be destroyed mid-transit.
"Wan Lei, I'm leaving."
"Farewell."
Qian Niao soared into the sky. As the three Demon Lords fully materialized and the teleportation channel began to retract, he flew past them and entered the vortex, disappearing without a trace.
The three towering Demon Lords exchanged bewildered glances.
"What in the blazes was that?"
"Where did that giant black rat come from?"
"Did that seem like a demon?"
The three Demon Lords looked up at the sky, but alas, the teleportation channel had completely vanished, leaving them seeing nothing.
Wan Lei's gaze remained fixed on the spot where the teleportation channel had disappeared.
That channel had brought three enemies and taken away a friend.
Fortunately, he had spent half a month with Qian Niao, giving him ample time for a proper farewell and to learn much about the demon race.
Earlier, Wan Lei had asked Qian Niao if the demons would send more Demon Lords to invade the Lei Feng Realm if he defeated the current invaders and killed all the Demon Lords.
At that moment, Qian Niao's expression towards Wan Lei was something Wan Lei would never forget.
It was an expression of utter stupidity, so profound it was almost unbelievable, laced with a hint of disdain.
It was as if Qian Niao was thinking, "Why do I have such a foolish friend?" or "How did someone this idiotic become the supreme leader of a universe?"
As Wan Lei felt unnerved by Qian Niao's gaze, Qian Niao finally explained.
"Use your pea-brain and think. For example, if you were a demon and you sent a vanguard and Demon Lords to invade a plane that had no immortals, only for the Demon Lords to be lost at the outset and the vanguard annihilated.
Then, you send another army and Demon Lords, and again, the Demon Lords are lost, and the vanguard is wiped out.
Finally, in a fit of rage, you send several Demon Lords. By all rights, this universe has no immortals, so it should be a surefire victory. Yet, all the Demon Lords you dispatched are killed without a word.
At this point, what would you, as the demon commander, think?"
Wan Lei pondered for a moment and then replied earnestly,
"I would be furious. I'd feel provoked and would send more forces to ensure that plane was destroyed."
This time, not only Qian Niao but even Fang Xiao Yu cast looks of incredulous contempt his way.
"Facing such bizarre and unnatural events, it means this universe must have traps.
You get fooled once, twice, thrice, and you still keep sending more people to their doom? How many heads are needed to fill this unknown pit?
The demon commander would likely guess that perhaps a legion of immortals from the Immortal Realm was hiding here, waiting for the demons to jump in.
In such a situation, they would certainly want to avoid risk and choose other universes to attack. Why would they willingly leap into a known trap?
Besides, the demon race is very busy. They are fighting daily on the main battlefield of the Sea of Suffering. They don't have that many forces to dispatch to your small Lei Feng Realm every day, wasting their energy."
Having said this, Qian Niao earnestly advised Wan Lei,
"In your life, you might be alright as a lone warrior, or even as a spiritual leader, but you should never personally command battles or lead armies. If you were to become a commander, I believe the demon race would be quite pleased."
The Lei Di, having been thoroughly disdained, finally understood that as long as he killed all the demons who had invaded this time, the demon race would likely not attack the Lei Feng Realm for at least several hundred or even thousands of years.
It was even possible that the Lei Feng Realm might be added to the demon race's list of dangerous territories.
At this thought, Wan Lei grew excited. He looked at the three Demon Lords before him as if they were lambs awaiting slaughter. If he killed them, the Lei Feng Realm would enjoy peace and tranquility for many years.
At this moment, the three Demon Lords finally lowered their heads and began to scrutinize their surroundings.
The first thing that caught their eye was a scorched, dead land, devoid of any vegetation. It was as if the site had been specifically chosen for a battlefield, eliminating any concern for harming other living beings.
Looking further around, the three Demon Lords were startled.
They saw millions of natives from the positive plane surrounding them, all looking at them with immense excitement and enthusiasm. Their demeanor suggested they were on the verge of holding up banners and shouting, "Welcome, welcome, a warm welcome!"
What was this, a welcoming party?
"We are invaders, we are great Demon Lords. You should be weeping, fleeing in terror, crying out in despair as you face your death, or perhaps cursing us. This is the normal reaction to an invasion.
Why are you all smiling and cheerful?"
At this moment, the three Demon Lords almost thought the world had already been conquered by them, and its inhabitants had been subjugated.
After a moment of absurd disbelief, the three Demon Lords finally deigned to lift their gaze and focus on the pair of young man and woman standing proudly in mid-air.
The man wore a black dragon robe, possessed a refined appearance, yet exuded an imposing aura, carrying the air of a superior being, his gaze calmly fixed upon them.
The girl, on the other hand, was adorned in a bright yellow phoenix robe, her beauty stunning, her demeanor icy. Her gaze towards them was extremely hostile, filled with deep resentment.
Most crucially, both of them were Immortal Realm powerhouses!
"Fili, was the intelligence inaccurate? Wasn't it said that this world had no Immortal Realm powerhouses? Only an old man on the verge of becoming an immortal, and he was on our side.
Our mission was to eliminate that old man and transform the universe's heart here, preparing for the main army's landing. How are these two natives we see Immortal Realm powerhouses?"
A Demon Lord on the left asked the central Demon Lord.
Demon Lord Fili pondered for a moment, then took out a strange tablet-like device from his pocket. Flowing light appeared on the screen, displaying some information.
Then, while looking at the tablet, he turned his gaze towards Wan Lei.
"Kid, I have a few questions for you."
Wan Lei nodded.
"Is there a native called Liu Nai Weng here? Has he become an immortal?"
Wan Lei nodded again.
"Where is he?"
Wan Lei pointed downwards.
"What do you mean?"
"He's been pulverized into dust. If you want to find him, you can sift through the ashes. You might even find some unburnt scraps of flesh."
Demon Lord Fili was momentarily stunned by Wan Lei's words, then looked back at the tablet.
"Then what about your native leader... Wan Lei? Where is he?"
"I am Wan Lei."
A sinister smile played on Wan Lei's lips.
"Esteemed Demon Lords, Your Emperor has been awaiting your arrival."