Elven cultivators

Shadow City, the Black Veil Council Chamber.

Maya followed her mother Heather through the stone gate into the hall.

Twelve high-backed stone chairs were arranged along both sides of the long table, each chair back engraved with a different dark elf family crest.

At this time, only the first stone chair was empty; the other eleven stone chairs were already full of people.

The matriarchs of all the major families in Shadow City had arrived, their expressions quite solemn, clearly already aware of the content of today's meeting.

Heather walked without stopping and went straight to the head of the long table to sit down.

Maya and her sister Meredith stood on either side, each a step behind, silently casting their gazes at the matriarchs opposite them.

In Shadow City, only the First Matriarch is entitled to be accompanied by guards when entering the Black Veil Council Chamber.

This demonstrates the status of the first matriarch.

"Everyone's here," Heather said. "Let's begin. First, let's talk about the prisoners in the dungeon."

She waved.

Maya immediately stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "We have investigated thoroughly. None of the dead prisoners showed any signs of external intrusion, poisoning, or external injuries. We highly suspect that their deaths were caused by internal factors."

"They may have had some kind of magical device implanted in their bodies. If certain rules are violated, it will automatically activate and kill the host. This is probably why these prisoners have been unwilling to confess."

The hall was quiet for a moment.

The matriarchs exchanged glances, their brows furrowing in unison.

Although this sounds unbelievable, there is indeed no way to explain why those prisoners kept their mouths shut.

The dark elves weren't so unyielding.

"Which force is behind those prisoners?" the third matriarch, seated to the right, asked. "The city of Vion, the land of blood and fertile soil?"

Heather said calmly, "They are indeed from Vian City, but their backers are not from Vian City."

"What do you mean?" The third mistress frowned.

"More than fifty years ago, the Crimson Blood Fertile Land was completely swallowed up by a force called Nine Nether City." Heather's gaze slowly swept over the matriarchs present. "All the city-states, including Vion City, either surrendered or were destroyed, without exception."

The matriarchs present all frowned.

In their plan, Crimson Soil was the next target for Shadow City's conquest.

But unexpectedly, other forces beat them to it.

A unified and integrated Red Blood Fertile Land is far more difficult to conquer than a loose and disorganized Red Blood Fertile Land.

The Ninth Mistress asked, "How strong is this Nine Nether City? Is it stronger than us?"

Heather looked at her calmly: "A force that can make Vion City submit and the dark elves willingly serve as scouts, what do you think?"

Silence fell over the hall once again.

For the dark elves to submit and willingly serve as scouts, it means that the power is so strong that even the dark elves, who are adept at rebellion and backstabbing, dare not harbor any thoughts of resistance and can only obediently serve the other side.

Honestly, Shadow City certainly couldn't do something like this.

"So what if Nine Nether City is strong?" The Fourth Mistress suddenly spoke, breaking the silence. "Don't forget, we still have a trump card."

These words eased the heavy atmosphere in the hall slightly.

The other matriarchs also nodded slowly, their tense expressions easing somewhat.

Heather glanced at the Fourth Mistress and nodded slightly: "That's right. As long as we provide enough live food, we can persuade the Dark Spider Queen to take action. No matter how strong Nine Nether City is, it can't possibly be our match."

The matriarchs nodded subconsciously.

In the past, they had encountered enemies even more powerful than Shadow City.

But as long as the Dark Spider Queen makes her move, even the most powerful enemy will crumble and be routed.

That's how Shadow City grew so powerful.

Nine Nether City was merely one of the nutrients that fueled the growth and expansion of Shadow City.

Heather continued, "I have ordered all the scouts from Nine Nether City to be driven out of the border area. The other side is likely to launch a war next, and we must be prepared for it..."

Before he could finish speaking, there was a loud bang, and the heavy stone door was suddenly pushed open from the outside.

A dark elf guard with a panicked expression rushed in.

Heather's face instantly darkened, and she glared coldly at the guard.

Meredith and Maya, standing behind him, had already grasped the handles of the whips at their waists, and the dark red whips silently slid halfway out of the buckles.

If the guards in front of them don't have a sufficiently valid reason, they will beat them to death so that others will know the consequences of breaking the rules.

The guard, his face ashen, still spoke urgently, "Lady Heather, there's a huge commotion coming from the direction of the Spider Cave. It seems an enemy has invaded and is currently fighting the Dark Spider Queen!"

The air in the hall seemed to freeze for a moment.

The matriarchs were all stunned, their faces showing a mixture of surprise and bewilderment.

The Dark Spider Queen is a Saint-level magical creature, one of the top predators in the Underdark. Who would be so foolish as to provoke it?

Heather's expression changed slightly, and she decisively said, "The meeting is adjourned. Everyone, follow me to the Spider Cave."

She took the first step and walked towards the door.

The other matriarchs exchanged glances and followed suit, each using their own abilities to rush towards the spider cave.

Maya followed behind her mother, a sense of absurdity welling up inside her.

Someone actually dared to provoke the Dark Spider Queen?

That's incredibly audacious.

Not long after leaving the Shadow City's territory, and still quite a distance from the Spider Cave, the group sensed a strong energy fluctuation coming from afar.

Even through the thick layers of rock and the winding passageway, the oppressive feeling still made everyone's chests feel tight and their breathing become somewhat labored.

Even if one cannot witness the battle firsthand, one can judge from the fluctuations in their aura that the other party is no ordinary expert.

And soon, they saw the person in question.

The cave in the center of the battlefield was completely unrecognizable. Large sections of the rock walls had collapsed and crumbled, and spider webs were torn apart and scattered among the rubble, leaving long gray-white trails on the ground.

Above those ruins, the enormous body of the Dark Spider Mother flickered and disappeared.

Its segments moved in a crisscrossing motion in the void, each swing creating a distorted pattern of light.

The void was filled with dense spatial folds and pitch-black spatial cracks, like a mirror that had been shattered and repeatedly pieced back together, where even light would be unnaturally deflected when it passed through.

Just looking at it from afar sends chills down your spine, making you afraid to take a single step closer.

However, the dark elves paid no attention to this.

Their gazes were fixed on the figure in the center of the battlefield, directly confronting the Dark Spider Queen.

Fair skin, long, pointed ears, pale golden hair... by all accounts, they look like those proud, pointed-eared creatures from the surface world.

But how did they end up in the Underdark? And why are they fighting the Underdark Spider Queen?

The key is that anyone who can directly confront the Dark Spider Queen must also be at the Saint level.

"Could they be elves from the Emerald Court?" The Third Mistress asked, her face full of surprise and uncertainty.

In her memory, only the Emerald Court in the surface world had elves of the Saint rank.

"Now is not the time to speculate about their identities," the Fifth Mistress said, her brow furrowed. "What should we do?"

"What can we do?" the Fourth Mistress said coldly. "Can we get involved in a battle between saints?"

The matriarchs present all fell silent.

Even Heather, the strongest among them, was only a peak legend.

Getting involved in a battle at this level would likely mean not even being able to withstand the aftershocks.

"Don't worry." The Third Mistress quickly regained her composure, her tone resolute. "The Dark Spider Queen is at the pinnacle of Sainthood, and this is her home turf. Ordinary Saints are no match for her. Even if other Saints at the pinnacle came, they wouldn't be able to defeat her easily..."

Before he could finish speaking, a blinding purple light suddenly shone from the dome of the distant cave.

The light arrived extremely quickly, covering the entire cave in almost an instant, turning all the rock walls, spider webs, and rubble into a bright purple-white.

A deafening thunderclap then erupted, bouncing back and forth in the enclosed underground space, as if an entire sky had crashed directly into the earth, causing rubble to fall from the tunnel walls.

The dark elves instinctively closed their eyes and raised their hands to shield themselves.

They only opened their eyes again when the oppressive feeling subsided slightly.

Then I witnessed the most unforgettable scene of my life.

A massive figure, enveloped in smoke and debris, flew out from the depths of the cave and crashed heavily into the rock wall not far in front of them.

The gravel and dust churned up, like gray waves surging to both sides.

Once the smoke and dust had settled, they were able to see what the thing truly looked like.

Who else could it be but the Dark Spider Mother?

Its carapace was covered with large areas of charred black and cracked surfaces, as if it had been repeatedly plowed by lightning and fire.

Several limbs were curled up and tucked under the body, with lingering purple-white arcs of electricity still visible at the edges. Tiny sparks traveled down the lines of the carapace, crackling and popping.

It struggled a few times, but couldn't stand up immediately.

All the matriarchs were stunned.

They watched as the Dark Spider Mother tried to climb out of the ruins, then slowly shifted their gaze to the tall, slender figure rushing towards them from afar, their minds going completely blank.