Chapter 1064 Death and decay As soon as Liam noticed the peculiar occurrence, his mind immediately fixated on the red pillars of light. While others might struggle to push through the relentless undead army, he possessed the power to break through their ranks and reach the pillars. With swift determination, he carved a path through the mountain of rotting skeletal corpses, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. Even the formidable elites proved no match for his strength, succumbing to his flames and contributing to his growing pool of experience points. However, as Liam finally arrived at the red pillar, his progress came to an abrupt halt. Before him stood an invisible barrier, impenetrable and unyielding, preventing him from advancing any further. "Damn it," Liam cursed, frustration seeping into his voice. In the past, he could have relied on his ability to utilize [Soul Splice] to break through such barriers, but now he found himself at a loss. He closed his eyes, letting out a long sigh, before a sudden realization struck him like a lightning bolt. The nether energy was not truly spilling out from the red pillar. With renewed clarity, Liam closed his eyes once more and delved into his senses. There was no mistaking it. The nether energy in the area was indeed elevated, but it was not emanating from the red pillar. The undead were merely harnessing the nether from the surrounding air, artificially raising its concentration and creating the illusion of it pouring out from the red pillars. The revelation left Liam in a state of shock. More importantly, if the excess nether energy wasn't originating from these red pillars or the portals, then where was it truly coming from? Taking a step back from the chaos and commotion, Liam thought about what was happening. He carefully contemplated the situation, searching for clues amidst the maelstrom of uncertainty. Gradually, a realization dawned upon him, and he decided to distance himself from the immediate vicinity of the red pillar. With a calm and focused mind, he began sensing the nether energy in the air, extending his perception far beyond the reach of the red portal. It didn't take long for Liam's heightened affinity with the nether to guide him toward the source. Slowly and methodically, he took to the skies, meticulously tracking the elusive trail of leaking nether energy. The distinct and pervasive aura of the nether served as his guide, leading him closer to the origin. As he drew nearer to the location, Liam's senses heightened, and he noticed yet another peculiar aspect of the area. The land surrounding the leaking nether was desolate and lifeless. The ground appeared dry, cracked, and barren, devoid of any signs of vitality. The once majestic trees and vibrant foliage now stood withered, their barks and trunks decaying and rotting away. Liam's heart raced as he observed the eerie sight. The connection between the undead invasion, the red pillars, and this desolation was becoming increasingly alarming. As he ventured deeper into the barren landscape, he noticed some movements, and it did not take long for him to recognize these new invaders. They had tall and sturdy bodies with dark red skin color, and many of them had protruding horns on their heads. "Demons?" Liam observed the group. He couldn't understand how demons ended up in the middle of an undead invasion. What was happening here? There was only one sure-shot way to find out about this. Liam flew down directly to the middle of the small demon encampment who were enjoying a hearty meal and resting. Without hesitation, he then slaughtered the entire group. From the looks of it, they had to be below level 50, as they couldn't even withstand one single blow from him. They popped like blood-filled balloons. Liam furrowed his brows in deep thought. Perhaps these demons were remnants from the first wave of the apocalypse and entered the world along with the beast horde? Hmmm. He shook his head. There was no point trying to think about this and coming up with an explanation. There was only one way to get to the bottom of it, and perhaps this might just tell him everything that he needed to know. Liam grabbed the souls of the dozen demons he had slaughtered and forged them all at the same time. His soul was currently injured, but these demons were so weak that they did not provide any resistance to his actions. Liam only grunted in mild pain as he finished the process smoothly. However, when it came to inspecting them, once again, he found himself staring at a dead end. Liam interrogated each and every demon, only to find out that all of their memories and knowledge had been completely erased. He couldn't access even a single one of their thoughts or life story. They were all just blank slates, staring at him with dead eyes. Liam paused and looked at the death and decay all around him. He did not have a good feeling. The demons definitely had their own personalities and were very much alive and normal at the time he had killed them, but they became lifeless dolls with every memory erased the moment they were dead. It looked like somebody had purposefully taken care of this. However, Liam did not plan on giving up just yet. He once again resumed his search and examined the surrounding areas. In just a few minutes, he ended up running into two more demon camps. This time he did not kill them directly. He first tried talking to them. He was familiar with some of the demon tongues that he had learned back in the tutorial world, and luckily the ones he had run into were able to understand that. But even that did not go well. The demons were not looking for negotiations. They did not look oblivious to Liam's strength, and yet most of the demons were outright violent and refused to talk at all. They charged toward Liam with their weapons ready. There were indeed some in the group that decided to take the alternate route, but even the ones that looked cowardly and wanted to give in exploded before they could say anything of value. Liam did not have a good feeling. If he was not suspicious before, he was definitely suspicious now. It looked like dead or alive, he wouldn't be able to get any information out of these demons. Could these demons be somehow related to the nether that was infiltrating the world? Liam contemplated this as he moved around to search for more demon camps. Perhaps an elite team would have more information? He also summoned his soul army and sent them out to do the search to cover more area at the same time. A few minutes passed by like this without any results when all of a sudden, Liam came to a halt. He took a few steps back as he stared at the ground with a grave expression on his face.