Elven cultivators

Dark red light surged from the depths of the cave, washing over the jagged rocks like a tide, turning the basin in front of the cave entrance a scarlet red.

At this moment, the basin was crowded with a dark mass of figures.

The Deeprock Ratman huddled in a crevice at the edge of the basin, his thin body squeezed together, his cloudy eyes glowing faintly red in the darkness as he anxiously looked around.

They were the most numerous, densely packed across half the basin, yet they were also the quietest, even their chirping was kept extremely low, as if afraid of attracting the attention of the many other groups around them.

The Thor Stone Monster clings tightly to the rock wall at the edge of the basin. Its grayish-white rock skin blends into the surrounding rock layers, making it impossible to distinguish from the rocks without careful observation.

Only the occasional movement of their eyes reveals their presence.

There are also fungus people, earth monsters, rotting corpse demons, subterranean dwarves... more than a dozen subterranean races gathered here.

They were clearly separated from each other, each occupying a corner of the basin, their eyes warily scanning the surrounding enemies.

The entire basin was shrouded in an eerie and oppressive atmosphere.

Among these various forces, three races occupied the positions closest to the cave entrance, each refusing to yield to the other, resulting in a standoff.

In the northeast corner, a group of eye demons floated in mid-air.

Their bodies are spherical, about two meters in diameter, covered with a hard, grayish-blue outer skin, and the surface is covered with mucus, which gleams wetly in the light of blood.

At this moment, the group of eye demons were coldly scanning their enemies with the enormous eye located in the center of their bodies.

Below the enormous pupil, more than ten eye stalks writhe like snakes, and the small eyeballs at the tips of the eye stalks all stare at the opposite side.

At a glance, there are thousands of eyes densely packed together.

If a more timid person saw this, they would probably faint from fright.

At the very front of these bewitching creatures, an exceptionally large individual stood out.

Its body was a full size larger than its kind, and the pupil of its central eye was a deep dark purple.

This is the Elder's Eye.

The leader of the Eye Demon race.

Its gaze slowly swept across the basin, and wherever it passed, all races unconsciously lowered their heads, not daring to meet its eyes.

Only the leaders of the two opposing forces remained calm and continued their standoff with it.

"Gustav, don't be so domineering. We discovered this cave first, why should we give it to you?"

A gruff voice came from the Dilo dwarves on the left.

Unlike their kin on the surface, the Dilo dwarves have sickly grayish-white skin, like aged wax figures, with fine wrinkles and wart-like bumps on their faces, making them look like some kind of twisted, failed creation.

They wore rough leather and chainmail, their armor covered with bone fragments and teeth stripped from their prey, which made a soft, clattering sound as they moved.

The weapons were also a wide variety.

Warhammers, short axes, maces, spiked clubs... each one is heavy and rough, yet exudes a savage, violent aesthetic.

At the forefront of the Dilo dwarves, the one-eyed dwarf elder was glaring menacingly at the Elder Eye opposite him.

"That's right," the leader of the rock beast demons on the other side chimed in. "You beholders don't even have your own bodies, what use are blood soul crystals to you? You're not planning to train servants, are you? You're really that kind-hearted?"

The Rock Beasts are even larger than the Earth Giants, standing over four meters tall and resembling moving hills.

Their bodies are covered with rough, grayish-brown stone-like skin, covered with sharp rock spikes that extend from their shoulders to their backs like rows of inverted swords.

The leader of the rock beasts that was speaking was significantly taller than its kind, with a shoulder height exceeding six meters.

Just standing there gives people a heavy sense of oppression.

The standoff between the three forces made the air so still it seemed as if water could drip from it.

Other races consciously distanced themselves from this area.

They were afraid of the strength of the three forces, but were unwilling to leave just like that, so they could only shrink on the edge of the basin and silently observe the development of the situation.

The stagnant silence was broken when the elder of the Dilo dwarfs and the leader of the rock beast demons spoke in succession.

Gustav opened his mouth below his eyes, revealing sharp, long teeth, and his hoarse, icy voice swept through the cave like a cold wind.

"The Blood Soul Crystal belongs to the Eye Demon clan. Anyone who dares to covet it must die!"

An extremely straightforward and blunt declaration!

This caused all the subterranean races present to show expressions of great dissatisfaction.

The elder of the Dilo dwarfs and the leader of the rock beast demons had even more gloomy faces.

But they didn't have a good solution.

As one of the three major races of the Underdark, the Eye Demons possess a status and power far exceeding those of other subterranean races.

Although the Eye Demon clan in front of them was not even in the middle ranks among the Eye Demons, with only a few hundred Eye Demons, their strength, all of whom were at the Iron and Silver ranks, completely overwhelmed any other force present.

The leader, Gustav, was a powerhouse at the peak of the Gold level.

Unless all the forces present unite, they cannot defeat these Eye Demons.

Elder Dilo, the dwarf elder, clearly realized this as well, and sneered, "Such arrogance! Are you planning to make trouble for all of us?"

He thought that with the cunning of the Rock Beast Demon leader, he should be able to quickly understand his meaning, stand on his side, and join forces to suppress the Eye Demon.

To his surprise, the Rock Beast Ghost didn't respond to his comment at all, but instead changed the subject and brought up another matter.

"Gustu, your Eye Demons are indeed very strong, but don't forget, there are more than just us local residents around here now."

Before Gus could speak, the dwarf elder Dilo narrowed his eyes and said in a chilling tone, "You mean those surface elves?"

As is well known, the Dilo dwarves hate surface creatures the most.

This includes not only their fellow humankind on the surface of the earth, but also all intelligent beings.

"That's right." The leader of the Rock Beasts nodded. "I've inquired about them. They come from a place called Nine Nether City, which is said to be a city founded by elves. It's only about ten kilometers from here, and they're very powerful."

"My people have fought those elves several times, and many have died or been injured."

All the subterranean creatures present frowned.

During this period of chaos, most of them encountered the elves and fought with them, only to be killed or flee in defeat.

I initially thought those elves were just unlucky souls who had wandered into the Underdark, but it turns out they were organized and had even built a city underground.

This is quite surprising.

Why are those damned pointy-eared creatures not staying on the surface? Why are they building cities in the Underdark?

Surely they're not planning to conquer the Underdark?

Observing the reactions of the numerous subterranean creatures around them, the Rock Beast leader continued, "The surface elves have built a city in the Underdark. What does that mean? I don't need to say more, do I?"

"They're here for the resources of the Underdark!"

"The Blood Soul Crystal is just the beginning. Sooner or later they will set their sights on our territory. Unless we are willing to relocate and go to a more distant place, we will eventually have to face those elves."

The dwarf elder Dilo's expression shifted uncertainly.

At this moment, Gustav finally spoke again.

"Stop beating around the bush, what exactly are you trying to say?"

A hideous grin spread across the ugly face of the Rock Beast leader: "How about we join forces to deal with those elves first, and then decide who owns the Blood Soul Crystal Cluster?"

"And then there's Nine Nether City. That city must have a huge amount of supplies stored up there. If we could take that city..."

Many of the subterranean creatures present swallowed hard, their eyes burning with desire.

The Darklands are rich in metal veins and rare plants, but what they lack most are common supplies.

The thought of having an entire city's worth of supplies laid out before them filled them with excitement, and they couldn't wait to rush to that place called Nine Nether City.

It would be even better if we could find an entrance to the surface world after destroying Nine Nether City.

A raid on the surface world yields enough spoils for them to live comfortably for several years.

For a moment, many subterranean creatures stared wide-eyed in excitement.

All eyes were on Gustav.

Elder Dilo the dwarf also turned to look.

Although he hadn't had a chance to express his opinion yet, he had actually already agreed to the proposal in his heart.

Even if they join forces to fight the Eye Demon and win, it will be a Pyrrhic victory. In the end, they will still have to compete with other forces for the Blood Soul Crystal Cluster.

And they might even get ambushed by an elf and gain an advantage.

However, if they join forces to kill the elves, even if they ultimately fail to obtain the Blood Soul Crystal Cluster, they will still have the resources of Nine Nether City as a safety net.

It's not like we won't gain anything at all.

Gustav hovered in mid-air, his central pupil slightly contracted, as if he were pondering or weighing his options.

After a long while, it slowly opened its mouth.

"Okay, let's join forces."

Compared to the Dilo dwarves and rock goblins, enemies from the surface pose a greater threat to the Eye Demon race.

The dwarf elder and the rock beast leader both breathed a sigh of relief.

"Then it's settled."

"What do we do with these guys?"

The dwarf elder of Dilo turned his gaze to the huddled figures at the edge of the basin.

Gusdu glanced around and said coldly, "I'm giving you a choice: either leave now and stop thinking about the Blood Soul Crystal Cluster, or join us and work together to deal with Nine Nether City. After we succeed, we'll share some of the spoils with you."

The dwarf elder and the rock beast leader exchanged a glance, neither of them objecting.

In war, there are bound to be cannon fodder.

We can't just use the lives of our own people to pay for it, can we?

These weaklings can actually be of some use.

As for the spoils of war... Heh heh, those elves are quite strong. After they conquer Nine Nether City, it's still unknown how many of these subterranean races will survive, and how much spoils they'll be able to share.

Among the subterranean races present, some recognized the risks of cooperating with the three major powers, but the allure of the Nine Nether City's resources was simply too great.

Ultimately, most of the subterranean races chose to participate, while only a small number turned away.

Those races that chose to remain, under the influence of the three forces, formed a loose coalition and began plotting against the elves.