Elven cultivators

The passageway was deep and dark, like a giant python lurking deep underground, winding its way into the endless darkness.

The dark flags were arranged in two columns, moving steadily along the central axis of the passageway.

The elven soldiers were fully armed, their eyes scanning the side passages and crevices warily, their hands always on their sword hilts, ready to strike.

On both sides of the procession, hundreds of Netherscale Clan members followed closely.

Every now and then, they would place their palms on the rock face, close their eyes and concentrate, sensing the unusual movements deep within the rock strata through the scales.

Further ahead, cat-people scouts were active.

They crouched low, their footsteps silent, their vertical pupils gleaming faintly in the dim light, their gazes sweeping across every crevice and corner ahead like those of a hawk.

Its pointed ears twitched slightly, catching any unusual sound in the air.

The passageway forked ahead, and the cat-man scout suddenly stopped.

Several cat-human scouts huddled together and whispered a few words, then one of them turned and quickly returned to the group.

A moment later, an elven soldier trotted up to Roman.

"Lord Roman, the cat-people scouts have spotted some signs of activity from underground creatures ahead."

"What kind of subterranean creature?" Roman slowed his pace.

"The traces are too mixed for them to discern," the elven soldier replied, "but there are quite a few, and they haven't been there for long, no more than a day."

Roman raised an eyebrow and looked at Ryan.

The latter understood, raised his fingers, and a flash of inspiration disappeared from his fingertips.

A moment later, the rock-piercing weasel emerged from the ground beneath his feet.

Ryan crouched down and talked to the little guy for a moment, then stood up and nodded to Roman: "There are indeed ambushes ahead, and quite a few of them."

"Can you pinpoint the exact location?" Roman asked.

Ryan shook his head: "The Rock Piercer can only sense anomalies in the earth's spiritual energy, but it cannot pinpoint the exact location of the ambushers."

Roman was not disappointed upon hearing this. He glanced at the passageway ahead, pondered for a moment, and then gave the order.

"Send a team of Yellow Turban warriors to find where those guys are hiding."

Immediately, disciples of Taichu City took out golden beans from their dimensional pouches and threw them out.

Hundreds of golden beans traced dense golden arcs in the air, falling like a meteor shower into the passageway ahead.

Ding Ding Ding!

The sound of golden beans falling to the ground was as dense as rain, and the crisp impact sounds blended together.

The next moment, dazzling golden light burst forth one after another, quickly condensing into humanoid creatures that were three meters tall.

Several cat-people looked at the golden steel giants before them and subconsciously swallowed.

They knew that each of these alchemical puppets called Yellow Turban Warriors possessed combat strength comparable to a mid-level Silver rank warrior, far surpassing the elite warriors of their tribe.

At Roman's command, hundreds of Yellow Turban Warriors took heavy steps and marched forward.

Their footsteps merged into a deep rumble, shaking the pebbles on the ground and causing the moss on the tunnel walls to rustle and fall.

The Yellow Turban Warrior stopped only when he reached the spot where the cat-man scouts had discovered the traces. He raised his golden mace high and smashed it fiercely against the surrounding ground and rock walls.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A dull thud echoed through the tunnel, sending shards of stone flying like shrapnel.

The ground was smashed open with spiderweb-like cracks, and the moss and fungal carpet on the rock walls shattered and peeled off in the shock wave, revealing the grayish-white rock layer underneath.

The stalactites on the dome broke and fell after being hit by a series of hammer blows, crashing to the ground with a dull thud.

The passageway trembled violently, as if the entire passageway was shaking under the relentless bombardment of the Yellow Turban warriors.

Under this almost brutal offensive, the hidden ambushers could no longer remain hidden.

Large patches of fungal carpet rose up and cracked, and strange figures emerged from beneath them.

That's a mushroom person.

They range in height from half a meter to two meters, and their skin is grayish-white with fine wrinkles on the surface, like dried old tree bark.

The trunk resembles a mushroom stem magnified countless times, topped with a huge cap, from which fine mycelium hangs down, trembling slightly in the air.

These mushroom people had no obvious facial features, only two thin slits, probably where their eyes were, that gleamed with a faint green light in the dim light.

In addition to the mushroom people, a large number of rotting corpse demons also emerged from the cracks on both sides of the rock wall.

These creatures, resembling enlarged versions of goblins, are grayish-green in color, with their skin covered in rotting sores and pustules, oozing yellowish-green pus.

Their eyes were cloudy and white, and thick saliva dripped constantly from the corners of their mouths, making a hissing, corrosive sound as it fell to the ground.

What's most terrifying are their claws, each as long as an adult's finger, curved like a hook, gleaming with a sharp, cold light like a blade.

"So they are mushroom people and corpse demons." A look of understanding flashed in Darian's eyes.

Mushroom people are naturally able to blend their own aura into their surroundings.

When they stand on the fungal carpet, their scent and energy fluctuations become indistinguishable from the carpet, making them difficult to detect even for the most sensitive senses.

The Corpse Demon is also adept at stealth.

Their metabolism is extremely low, their heartbeat is as slow as a hibernating snake, and their body temperature is almost the same as the surrounding environment.

Even if you walk right past them, it's hard to notice their presence.

These two creatures, one relying on camouflage to blend into the environment and the other on extremely low vital signs, together form this meticulously arranged ambush network.

This is also why neither the cat-people scouts nor the ghost-scaled race were able to detect their presence in advance.

Both of these subterranean creatures are adept at lurking.

If the Yellow Turban Warriors hadn't destroyed the surrounding environment with their savage attacks, they might have actually succeeded.

"charge!"

Taking advantage of the chaos caused by the mushroom people and the rotting corpse demons, Roman gave the order, and the elven army surged forward like a tide.

Arrows and spells instantly overwhelmed the ambushers like a storm.

Mushroom people and carrion demons are not known for their combat prowess in the Underdark; they rely more on numbers and ambushes to kill their prey. Once they get into a direct confrontation, the outcome is usually not good.

Not to mention that they were facing the well-equipped and well-trained Dark Banner of the Silvermoon Legion.

The battle ended in just fifteen minutes.

The passageway was littered with the corpses of mushroom people and rotting corpse demons, the fungal carpet was soaked in blood, and the air was filled with a strong smell of blood and rotting.

Only a few mushroom people and rotting corpse demons escaped into the depths of the side passage and disappeared into the darkness.

The elven soldiers did not pursue.

In the shadowy realms, chasing after fleeing enemies is sometimes not a wise move.

Because no one knows whether another trap or an even more powerful predator awaits ahead.

The team regrouped.

The cat-people scouts went out to scout again, the ghost scales continued to monitor the rock tremors, and the elven soldiers checked their equipment, replenished their talismans, and distributed potions—everything proceeded smoothly.

"According to the map, the cave where the Blood Soul Crystal Cluster is located is less than 500 meters away."

Roman turned his head to look at Darian beside him.

"Judging from the ambush just now, those underground races anticipated our arrival and seem to have joined forces."

Darian nodded slightly, agreeing with Roman's assessment.

The fact that the mushroom people and the rotting corpse demons, two races with completely different habits, would unite speaks volumes.

"After all, we come from the surface, so it's not surprising that we are being targeted by the local inhabitants. In the eyes of these subterranean races, we 'outsiders' are probably more hateful than their sworn enemies."

Dari paused for a moment, then looked ahead into the deep, dark passageway.

"Moreover, if they really have joined forces, then the ambush just now was probably just an appetizer, and the real trap is probably waiting for us ahead."

Roman didn't mind, patted the battle axe on his back, and laughed, "Then let's take care of them all at once. They've caused us a lot of trouble these past few days. Now that they've come to us on their own, it'll save us the trouble of searching for them one by one."

Darian was already used to the elven girl's warlike style, so he just smiled slightly and didn't say anything more.

With the strength of their team, as long as they don't encounter an army of the Black Iron Legion level, or face multiple enemies at the peak of the Gold level at the same time, they have nothing to fear.

A moment later, the team set off again and continued to advance steadily.

After walking for about ten minutes, the view suddenly opened up ahead.

A vast basin came into view.

The basin is estimated to be over a kilometer in diameter, surrounded by steep rock walls, and the dome is at least one or two hundred meters above the ground.

At the end of the basin, a huge cave entrance suddenly comes into view.

A rich, blood-red light emanated from the depths of the cave, turning the entire basin into an eerie crimson.

"It seems that this is the cave where the Blood Soul Crystal Clusters grow."

Darian raised his staff, and the gem at the tip of the staff glowed with a pale blue light. An invisible wave of detection spread outwards from him.

After a moment, he frowned, but found nothing.

Meanwhile, the cat-people scouts who had gone out to scout also returned one after another, bringing consistent information—no trace of any creatures had been found in the basin.

Even Ryan's Rock Piercer didn't detect anything unusual in the Earth Leyline Aura's perception.

Roman and Darian exchanged a glance, both showing surprise.

There was no ambush at all?

That shouldn't be the case.

Were those subterranean races scared away by them?

Unlikely.

Those underground races have been fighting to the death for the Blood Soul Crystal Cluster these past few days, losing countless people. How could they possibly abandon their target without saying a word?

The two men secretly became wary and, using the same tactic, once again sent Yellow Turban warriors into the basin.

However, after the Yellow Turban warriors unleashed their furious barrage, no creature emerged from the shadows.

Roman pondered for a moment, then sent a small elf squad into the basin.

After a thorough search, the elf team found nothing and turned back into the cave.

Not long after, the elf team returned.

"Lord Roman, a large number of Blood Soul Crystals have been found inside the cave, but no other living beings have been discovered."

Roman and Darian grew increasingly suspicious.

Have those subterranean races really given up on Blood Soul Crystal Clusters?