This dungeon has mushrooms growing on it.

Chapter 202, Section 201: The Clever Qisi

Stone Fortress Underground City is just a name given to it by the tribe; its real name is unknown.

Unlike the six new and well-functioning underground cities created only 300 years ago, the history of the Stone Fortress Underground City is difficult to trace, only known to be at least a thousand years old.

The underground city has a rough structure, consisting of only three levels: upper, middle, and lower.

When the tribe first settled here three hundred years ago, the difficulty of the dungeon increased progressively from top to bottom.

However, this situation has been broken in the last thirty years.

On one hand, the underground city is gradually decaying over time, and this ancient fortress is approaching its twilight end.

On the other hand, it was due to the birth of "Kise".

It devoured the middle layer at a suffocating speed, isolating the upper and lower layers, and successfully making the middle layer the most dangerous level.

Unseen six-clawed hunters roamed the area, while eyeworms, peering into all things, hung high in the dome, not to mention that they also controlled several powerful behemoths.

Even knowing that a careful journey to the lower levels would yield a bountiful harvest, most of the demon race still only dared to hunt in the increasingly barren upper levels.

"Hunter..." Qiong's voice still carried a hint of disbelief as he followed closely behind Hunter. "We...are we really going to attack Qis?"

That's Keith!
Countless individuals, a unified will that works like an extension of their own limbs, possessing both terrifying combat power and all-pervasive reconnaissance... Even if they were lucky enough to find its "brain," would they truly have the strength to destroy it?
"As expected, given the current situation, if we don't eliminate Qis, we can only consider moving south. But the elders clearly don't want us to have contact with the Empire." Shou's voice was steady as he continued walking.

“If you ask me,” Qiong couldn’t help but mutter, “if the Empire is really that good, what’s wrong with making contact? Anyway, the Demon King has already…”

Before he could finish speaking, Shou suddenly turned around and instantly covered Qiong's mouth with his hand!
"Do you want to go to the execution post and receive the whip?"

Faced with Shou's stern gaze, Qiong widened her eyes in panic and shook her head frantically.

"Then don't talk nonsense!" Shou released his grip, his voice cold and hard. "Go back, prepare your weapons and leather armor, and don't overthink anything."

Watching Qiong flee in a panic like a startled snow rabbit, her back view filled with frustration, Shou didn't actually feel much blame.

In fact, how loyal can the new generation, who have never been bathed in the glory of the Demon King, be to that legendary master?
For the Empire, the harsh cold of the far north cut off contact with it, and the hatred that came from the elders was too vague for them.

Even Shou himself felt the same way, except he knew that the elders still held the final say in the tribe.

In fact, even among the older generation, it's hard to say how many people are tired of life here and yearn for the "hot land" in the central part of the mainland.

Behind those voices advocating for relocation to the south, was there truly no one planning to make contact with the empire?
Shou was unaware that he was merely one of those who drifted with the tide.

……

Two days later, the expeditionary force was ready to set off.

The pharmacist, his eyes bloodshot, distributed the potions he had worked on overnight to each soldier.

This time, the tribe staked almost everything.

Except for one senior warrior who remained in the tribe, the other five senior warriors were all present.

In addition, there were more than 30 clansmen assisting them; it would be an exaggeration to say that they came out in full force.

After all, the opponent is that Keith, so even if it's a surprise attack, we have to go all out!

The group was crossing the ice field when, halfway through, an ice giant nearly three meters tall blocked their path.

Warriors who frequently traveled to the dungeon were quite familiar with this; Hengyan, at the front of the group, smashed it to pieces with a single hammer blow.

However, everyone knew that these cold spirits were almost impossible to kill without special methods, and they would reassemble their bodies the next time they passed by, requiring another fight.

Fortunately, the Frost Spirits are only sparsely scattered across the vast frozen land and do not pose any real threat to the tribe.

The entrance to the Stone Fortress Underground City was not a grand gate, but a deep valley embedded in the bottom of an ice cliff, eroded by time to the point where only a few people could walk side by side. However, once inside, one could clearly feel...warmth.

The underground city is self-contained, isolated from the extreme cold of the icy plains, and its internal temperature is much higher than that of the outside world.

It was this meager heat that once nurtured monsters such as slimes and fat beasts, forming the fragile ecological chain upon which the tribe depended for survival.

However, as the underground city has declined, it has become increasingly difficult to see them here, and even the temperature has become more and more in line with the outside world.

At the end of the first floor is a huge ancient castle that stretches across the middle of the deep valley, which is why they call this place the Stone Castle Underground City.

Unlike the clearly defined upper and lower layers of the amethyst, here, when you step into the castle, you have already entered the middle layer. The castle is just the surface; the space inside is much larger than it appears from the outside. In essence, it is a three-dimensional maze structure.

"Really... do we have to go in?" Qiong asked Shou softly, holding the wooden cane in her hand.

Having come this far, this question seems a bit silly, but Shou knew he was just a little scared.

"Stay by my side, I'll protect you!"

They didn't enter through the main gate; it was no different from delivering takeout to Keith.

Hōhiko led the group to an outward-opening window and they climbed through it one by one.

The place to settle down is a secluded corridor, and there are no breeding sacs or fleshy growths clinging to the buildings.

There was no sound even around them. Several soldiers skilled in reconnaissance exchanged glances and shook their heads, confirming that there was no Qisi nearby.

Clearly, Hirohiko wasn't leading everyone astray; he had indeed found a viable route.

The group walked through the castle's winding corridors, staircases, and countless side paths. A heavy silence hung in the air, broken only by the sound of suppressed breathing.

After an unknown amount of time, Hirohiko finally stopped in front of a tower standing alone on the edge of an ancient castle.

The tower's base has a gaping hole, revealing a dark and deep primitive cave structure beneath.

Continuing onward, at the end of the cave, they lay prone on the edge of the passage and finally saw the legendary "brain"!
A huge, pulsating, dark red ball of flesh hangs like a heart on the rock wall, surrounded by a dense array of Qis Guardians, while several Eyebugs patrol back and forth in the air.

If it weren't for a prop given to Hengyan by the elder, everyone would have been discovered long ago.

"So it had been hidden underground in the stone fortress all along. No wonder no one had discovered it all these years!" someone said through gritted teeth, clearly having suffered at the hands of Qisi.

Hōyō looked at everyone and said, "Cover me as I charge forward! I can destroy it in one fell swoop! Once it loses its commander, the remaining Qis will be nothing but a disorganized mess, and we can easily take advantage of the chaos to fight our way back!"

No one objected; even Shou gripped his weapon tightly.

When the group suddenly appeared, it clearly caught Keith off guard.

The senior warriors killed all the Keiths blocking their way, while those behind provided either remote support or used magic to break Keiths's invisibility.

Qiong closed his eyes tightly, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. Visible pale blue ripples spread between his hands, silently boosting the morale of those around him with rare mental magic.

When Suo Yan roared and threw the spear with a piercing effect at "brain", everyone's heart jumped into their throat!
The spear pierced the throbbing behemoth without any resistance. The mass of flesh twitched violently, its surface luster dimmed instantly, and it shrank and shriveled rapidly like a deflated bladder.

However, before the cheers could even be uttered, a cold reality gripped everyone's throats—Keith's actions remained completely unaffected!
Countless kis emerged from all around in an orderly fashion. They neither became invisible nor rushed to attack, but instead made a "hissing" sound, as if they were mocking each other.

When the two evil eyes, radiating a powerful aura, silently drifted into the cave, the air inside seemed to freeze.

The expression on Hirohiko's face changed drastically in an instant: from the joy of a successful strike to the astonishment of disbelief, then to the immense shame and indignation of discovering that he had been deceived, and finally, all the intense emotions settled into a cold and resolute despair.

He said, "Hunter, take the younger generation and escape! The rest of you, follow me and hold off Qisi!"

(End of this chapter)