I, Uchiha Hikaru, have joined the chat group.

Chapter 378 Red Demon River and Thunder Valley (Thanks to reader Fox Doesn't Eat Pears for being the Alliance Leader)

present.

Yuan Zhisheng then prepared to send someone to deliver several sets of diving equipment so that they could dive down from the entrance of this underground river and see what was going on below.

Uchiha Hikaru raised his hand to stop him, then formed a hand seal.

With this action.

The "ki" within Uchiha Hikaru's body was slowly gathered, and after a brief pause, it spread out in all directions like water ripples.

—This is another kind of "burst of energy" that she has trained during this period. Unlike the ferocity she displayed when fighting enemies in the world of sorcery, the energy she unleashed at this moment was quite gentle. Genjiro and the others only felt as if they were being blown by a gentle breeze, while Uchiha Hikaru used this "energy" to take in every rustle of wind and grass within a radius of more than ten kilometers.

Rocks, streams, roads, people...

Then there were the floating water plants in the underground river, the swimming eels, and all sorts of snakes, insects, rodents, and ants scurrying about and digging holes...

All of this was sketched into a three-dimensional spatial image, which was reflected in Uchiha Hikari's mind. Then, as her consciousness transformed into tendrils, they stretched out to the surrounding distance, detecting more images and phenomena.

at last.

From the depths of the underground river, in a narrow, rugged, and dark passageway, Uchiha Hikaru caught sight of several shadowy figures with human heads and snake bodies.

Following them further in, we came to see a huge underground cavern.

This place seems to be a cave, with ancient stalactites hanging upside down, and numerous holes of various sizes scattered on the surrounding rock walls. Some of these holes are interconnected, allowing you to hear a faint sound of wind blowing through them; others are inhabited by creatures such as bats and moles.

At the bottom of the cave was a deep, crimson pool of water, resembling blood. Snake-like undead were bobbing up and down within it, using various tools and their own hands to dig and carve something.

Interspersed among them were some figures and large mechanical devices, presumably the things Herzog had managed to obtain in an attempt to excavate the "Holy Remains".

It is worth mentioning that.

The temperature inside this cavern seemed very high. A layer of white mist swirled within the enormous cavity, further obscuring the already poor visibility, making it impossible for Uchiha Hikaru to discern who the people below were or whether Herzog was among them. But this question seemed to no longer need verification—

"...It really is here."

Uchiha Hikaru reopened his eyes, a slight smile playing on his lips.

In the original work, Herzog did excavate the "Holy Remains".

To be precise, it was he who, under the identity of "Tachibana Masamune," single-handedly propelled the Snake-Headed Eight Families to invest a large amount of funds and manpower into this project, ultimately excavating the "burial site of the gods" that had been buried for thousands of years. Then, at the crucial moment, he himself jumped out, swallowed the Snake-Headed Eight Families' achievements, and orchestrated the deaths of the three Genji siblings.

now.

The pseudonym "Tachibana Masamune" has been exposed.

Most of Herzog's spies within the Snake Clan were also read by Uchiha Hikaru, who then instructed Uesugi Koshi and his son to eliminate them. Furthermore, the Oni Clan had also suffered heavy losses at the hands of the Execution Bureau. Under these circumstances, Herzog could only mobilize a small number of loyal Oni Clan remnants and his carefully cultivated assassins.

When under control, these Deadpools are indeed excellent at physical labor, and there's no need to worry about overuse, since they're all consumables anyway.

"The cave we just saw should be in... this area, right?"

Uchiha Hikaru compared the three-dimensional image in his mind with the scene in front of him and quickly determined the location of the cave.

"You pick a few people, and I'll take you in." Uchiha Hikaru glanced at Genjiro.

In theory, she could handle Herzog alone, and it would even be a waste. However, this matter involved Erii's safety after all, and if Genjiro didn't see it with his own eyes, he, Uesugi Koshi, and the Snake Clan probably wouldn't feel at ease.

"……good."

Genjiro nodded, called over Crow and Yabuki Sakura, and then instructed Yasha to stay outside and provide backup.

Uchiha Hikaru was no stranger to these three retainers. After nodding in greeting, he activated "Shangri-La".

The deep purple teleportation array pattern reappeared, enveloping Uchiha Hikaru, Erii, and Minamoto no Chisei.

In the blink of an eye.

The figures vanished along with a flash of light, and when they reappeared, they were inside a dark cave—one of the countless large and small holes in the surrounding rock walls of the cavern. At that moment, a deafening roar rang out, causing the surrounding rock walls to tremble violently, and the Uchiha group felt as if an earthquake had struck beneath their feet.

Rumbling--

"...What happened?"

The crow instinctively reached out to grab the rock wall beside it.

Sakura Yabuki took a few steps forward, peered inside, and then whispered, "This place... seems to be the Thunder Valley from mythology."

"There is a rumor that there is an underground river in the Tokyo area called the 'Red Demon River,' which flows through an area similar to the Tama River. It is formed by the confluence of two streams: one is boiling water that flows into Mount Fuji and is heated by magma, and the other is cold underground water. When the two mix, they make a huge sound, like a valley of thunder..."

After a pause, Sakura Yabuki added, "There are indeed many dead servants down there; it must be that person's doing."

talking.

The group arrived at the front of the cavern. Looking down, they could see an underground cavity hundreds of meters below, as large as two or three football fields, and a dark red river emitting enormous amounts of water vapor due to the alternating hot and cold temperatures. The figures of the Dead Servants appeared somewhat tiny in the river.

"...Only he could pull off such a setup. I never imagined he had so many Deadpools under his command."

Yuan Zhisheng glanced down, his expression turning somewhat grim.

to be honest……

Even now, his feelings towards Herzog remain complex. After all, the latter had diligently played the role of "Tachibana Masamune" for so many years, and the time they had addressed each other as father and son was far longer than the time he had with Uesugi Koshi. It was one thing to know rationally that the other was pretending, but it was a completely different feeling emotionally.

Therefore, seeing his "father" going further and further astray, Genji felt somewhat heartbroken.

Sakura Yabuki, on the other hand, was more composed. She quickly scanned her surroundings and roughly estimated the number of enemies:

"We can see about 120 Deadpools in our field of vision, and there may be more underwater. There are about 20 humans, all of them hybrids, and they are all of high rank, probably all A-level."

(End of this chapter)