Elven cultivators

While Night Eyes was conducting the examination, the Bladeclaw Clan captain beside her spoke in a low voice.

"When we found this monster, it was already badly injured and moved very slowly, almost dragging one side of its body as it crawled. We didn't disturb it and followed it all the way to this cave. We only came in to check after we were sure there was no sound inside. By then, it was already dead."

"Are there any other signs of living things around?" Nightshade asked.

"No." The Bladeclaw Clan captain's tone was very certain. "We carefully checked the route we came from and found no other footprints or bloodstains. We don't know how this spider monster was injured or how it got there."

Ye Tong nodded, seemingly lost in thought.

This monster looks a lot like the spider monster mentioned by the dark elves of Vion, belonging to some mysterious dark elf faction.

If that's the case, the fact that the spider monster appeared here means that people from that faction are also in the vicinity.

"Wyatt," Nightshade called out as she turned around.

A cat-man youth immediately stepped forward.

"Report the discovery here to Nine Nether City immediately."

"Yes, Captain." Wyatt responded, took out a communication talisman from his waist, walked to the side of the cave, and began to report in a low voice.

Night Eyes turned back to face the spider monster's corpse, clasped his hands together, and the spiritual light between his ten fingers intertwined like silk threads, eventually condensing into a dark blue halo.

She pressed the halo against the spider monster's skull, and with a slight movement of her fingertips, a wisp of extremely faint grayish-white smoke immediately seeped out from the cracks in its shell, climbing up her finger and finally transforming into a tiny point of light, hovering a few inches above her palm, slowly rotating.

The technique of tracking remnant souls.

This technique can extract the last wisp of a beast's soul after death and refine it into a traceable beacon.

Once the beacon is formed, it will instinctively drift toward the creatures that the deceased had been in contact with for a long time during their lifetime.

As long as the caster acts in time, they can follow the clues and track the target all the way to its vicinity.

Ye Tong then took out a Soul-Guiding Incense stick, guided the wisp of light into the incense, and with a flick of her fingertip, a blue flame silently ignited along the tip of the incense, and wisps of smoke immediately rose up.

Strangely, the smoke did not dissipate, but instead condensed into a thin, grayish-white thread, slowly extending out of the cave and leaving an almost invisible trail in the air.

"Walk."

Night Eye stepped out of the cave, mounted the Shadow Leopard, and ran ahead in the direction indicated by the smoke.

The rest of the team members followed closely behind.

The incense burning slowly as they moved swiftly, its smoke sometimes bright and sometimes dim, like a semi-transparent thread guiding the procession through narrow passages and crevices.

While urging the Shadow Leopard to keep up with the direction of the smoke, Nightshade also kept a close eye on the surrounding movements.

The gazes of her teammates behind her would occasionally fall on her, filled with undisguised admiration.

They hadn't noticed it before, but ever since the captain successfully established his foundation and began cultivating magic, they gradually came to witness the various strange methods of the disciples of Taichu City.

Combat, binding enemies, tracking, healing... it can do almost anything.

This made them even more respectful of the disciples of Taichu City.

Ye Tong paid no attention to the gazes behind her.

Her attention was mostly focused on the smoke in front of her.

The effect of the Soul Tracking Technique is time-limited.

If the target is not caught before the incense burns out, the trail will be broken, and it will take more effort to catch up again.

Just as the fragrance shrank to less than half its original size and the smoke gradually became thin and whitish, the terrain in front of it suddenly changed.

The once orderly passageway suddenly shattered at this point, with the rock walls on both sides receding outwards to reveal a large expanse of jagged, strange rocks.

Stone pillars and rocks are stacked and intertwined in various shapes, some like inverted fangs, others like the ribcage of a giant beast, stretching across the field of vision and cutting the road ahead into countless narrow gaps and winding alleys.

The wisps of smoke paused slightly at the edge of the stone forest, then, as if disturbed by something invisible, turned to the left and disappeared into the narrow crevice between two giant rocks.

Ye Tong slowed down and raised her hand behind her.

The procession stopped immediately, making no unnecessary noise; even the breathing of the riding beasts was suppressed to a minimum.

Night Eyes then dismounted from the Shadow Leopard, landing silently, and began casting a spell with her fingers.

A very shallow ripple spread through the surrounding air, like a pebble dropped into still water.

Ripples spread outwards, and countless water vapors seeped out from between the rock wall and the ground, quickly condensing and gathering in the void to form a palm-sized water mirror, suspended in front of her.

The mirror surface blurred for a moment, then gradually became clear, as if someone was looking down from above, capturing an open space in the picture.

The open space reflected in the mirror is not large, and it is partially surrounded by stone pillars and rock walls. The ground is dry and flat, and the gravel has been simply swept aside.

More than ten spider monsters were lying on the ground with their limbs folded up, their carapaces almost blending into the rocks in the dim light, so quiet that there was hardly any undulation of their breath.

Among the spider monsters, more than a dozen figures were sitting cross-legged.

Without exception, they were all tall and slender, their dark gray skin gleaming faintly in the dim light, and their long silver hair tied into neat ponytails that hung down their backs.

It was a dark elf.

These dark elves did not light any open flames, nor did they speak loudly; they simply ate their dry rations quietly, their posture casual yet not lax.

Night's Eyes lingered on a few of the dark elves for a moment longer.

The short blades they carried had a more curved shape, and the scabbard openings were inlaid with some kind of bone ornament. The edges of their collars were embroidered with fine purple patterns, a style never seen before in the city of Vion.

Just then, one of the dark elves sitting in the very center suddenly raised his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through a water mirror, locking onto the people watching the screen.

The water mirror shattered in the next instant.

Ye Tong was not surprised but rather pleased upon seeing this.

It seems she has found her target.

These dark elves with spider monsters are most likely the mysterious dark elf force that Vian City was talking about.

With that in mind, Ye Tong no longer hesitated and issued the order in a deep voice.

"Grab them!"

The team members responded in unison.

Having spent years operating in dark and shadowy areas, they had long accumulated rich combat experience and knew that they should never rush into such complex terrain as the one before them.

Especially since their upcoming enemy is the Dark Elves, who are skilled in ambushes and sneak attacks.

A reckless advance could easily lead to an ambush by the dark elves, who could exploit the terrain to their advantage, resulting in heavy casualties.

Without prior arrangement, all the team members took out gold beans from the talisman pouches at their waists.

Countless golden lights bloomed in the air like fireflies, and the figures of the Yellow Turban Warriors expanded and solidified the moment they landed.

Ye Tong then took out a five-colored command flag and waved it gently. Twenty-five rays of light, including blue, red, yellow, white and black, bloomed simultaneously and transformed into twenty-five divine soldiers of different shapes, each occupying its own position, their auras faintly connected.

Dao soldiers are perfect for probing and breaking through.

"Go in."

At Ye Tong's command, hundreds of Yellow Turban warriors charged into the stone forest, their heavy footsteps echoing through the narrow crevices of the rocks like deep drumbeats.

Following closely behind, twenty-five divine soldiers from the Five Camps entered in a Five Elements formation, their spiritual light merging together like a moving barrier.

Soon, sounds of fighting came from deep within the stone forest.

The crisp clang of metal clashing and the dull rumble of metal exploded together, interspersed with short groans and curses, echoing among the layers of strange rocks.

The spider monster's shriek rose sharply and then stopped abruptly, as if it had been cut off by something.

Ye Tong did not rush to enter.

She waited patiently for a while until the sounds inside the stone forest gradually subsided before leading her people deeper into the stone forest.

As you pass through the crevice in the rock, your view suddenly opens up.

The scene on the open ground was completely different from what had been seen in the water mirror.

More than a dozen spider monsters lay sprawled on the ground, their carapaces covered with cracks and scorch marks, their limbs twisted into unnatural angles.

There were also many remains of Taoist soldiers and the corpses of dark elves nearby.

Only four or five dark elves remained on the open ground, struggling to hold on. The Yellow Turban Warriors and the Five Battalions of Divine Soldiers closed in from all sides, compressing their space to maneuver into ever narrower and narrower areas.

Faced with the siege of numerous silver-rank soldiers, these dark elves were no match at all.

Ye Tong's gaze swept over them, and he suddenly realized something was wrong.

What about the dark elf who noticed their spying earlier?

Without making a sound, Ye Tong spread her divine sense outwards, like ripples spreading across the surface of water, extending along the contours of the rock wall into the depths of the shadows.

The next moment, she sensed something, but did not turn around. Her gaze narrowed slightly, and her right hand's five fingers curled together, a cluster of grayish-white flame quietly condensing between her fingers.

Mysterious Yin Netherfire!

The next moment, Ye Tong flicked his hand without hesitation, and the flames shot precisely at the seemingly empty shadow on his right.

laugh.

A soft sound.

The flames exploded the moment they hit something, scattering grayish-white sparks that clearly outlined the figure hiding there.

A dark elf stumbled out of the shadows, his leather armor on his right shoulder burned through, revealing a charred wound.

She gritted her teeth and glared at Ye Tong, a hint of horror and astonishment flashing in her eyes.

He seemed puzzled as to how the latter had noticed his sneak attack.

Ye Tong chuckled inwardly.

The "Mysterious Yin Night Tour" she cultivated already had the effect of enhancing perception, especially in dark regions where yin energy was abundant, she was like a fish in water.

Subtle changes in breath, temperature, and airflow were as clear to her as ink marks on white paper.

Unless the opponent's strength far surpasses hers, any infiltration in front of her is futile.

Seeing that the sneak attack had failed, the dark elf's face turned cold and fierce. He suddenly pushed off the ground and transformed into a shadow, rushing towards Night's Eye. The short blade in his hand drew a cold, eerie light in the dim light.

With a flick of her wrist, Ye Tong revealed five slender, thin blades that emerged from between her fingers. They were entirely silver-gray and shimmered with a soft, flowing light like moonlight.

In the Primordial City, disciples who successfully establish their foundation generally possess profound-level magic treasures.

Some disciples even possess more than one Xuan weapon.

For example, Ye Tong possesses two low-grade Xuan artifacts.

Night Hunt Finger Blade is one of them.

This low-grade mystic artifact is made of light yet tough material, with edges as sharp as silk. Every stroke leaves a barely perceptible micro-crack in the air.