The Elven Cultivator

The tunnel was deep and dark, its rock walls showing distinct layers of grayish-brown and ochre.

It made Laine feel as though he were walking down the gullet of a colossal beast.

Light from the Light Source Stones at the front and rear of the party seeped out, illuminating the passage, yet it couldn’t pierce the heavy, oppressive feeling that pressed in from all sides.

The air in the Dark Nether Realm was always like this.

Humid, stagnant, and carrying a pungent, acrid smell—a mix of earth and minerals. Every breath felt like scraping one’s lungs with sandpaper.

Anyone accustomed to the sweet, fresh air of the surface would feel their chest tighten after staying here for too long, as if slowly being squeezed by an invisible hand.

Fortunately, everyone in the team was already used to this environment.

Everyone’s expression was normal. They treaded lightly, minimizing any sound, and remained vigilant of their surroundings as they advanced, guarding against any potential attacks.

Just then, Laine’s expression shifted, and he raised a hand, making a signal.

The party immediately halted, and everyone looked ahead.

Before long, a strange rustling sound suddenly arose.

It was followed by a small head that suddenly poked out of the ground three or four meters away. It let out a low cry in Laine’s direction.

Laine beckoned, and the owner of the small head quickly burrowed out of the ground and scurried toward him.

It was a beast shaped like a medium-sized dog.

Its entire body was covered in fine, grayish-brown fur. Its limbs were thick, with especially developed front claws, and hard, keratinized scales grew between its toes.

Its tail was as bushy as a broom. It was currently raised high, the tip twitching slightly as if catching some invisible scent in the air.

A Rock-Piercing Weasel, a Tier One Spirit Beast.

Laine had specifically spent a good number of Contribution Points to acquire it from the Beast Garden when he had returned to Taichu City.

This type of Spirit Beast could travel through rock and soil and was extremely sensitive to the spiritual pulse of the earth’s veins. It could determine the direction of ore veins, locate underground caverns, and even predict potential dangers ahead by sensing abnormal fluctuations in the earth’s energy.

When encountering enemies, it could also spray a foul miasma from its tail that would contaminate a person’s protective Spiritual Light and daze the enemy. Although it couldn’t kill directly, it was a first-rate support ability.

The Rock-Piercing Weasel had been a great help to him during their recent explorations in the Dark Nether Realm.

”Chirp... chirp...”

The Rock-Piercing Weasel came up to the crouching Laine and nuzzled his palm with its damp nose, letting out a series of gurgling sounds from its throat that continuously changed in pitch.

Laine listened intently.

After spending so much time together, he could now discern specific information from the Rock-Piercing Weasel’s sounds.

A long, drawn-out gurgle meant there were creatures ahead.

A rapid gurgle meant there were many of them.

The absence of a tremor in the sound meant there was nothing the Rock-Piercing Weasel considered a threat.

”There are subterranean creatures ahead,” Laine said, standing up and explaining in a low voice to the others. ”Quite a few of them, but they’re not strong.”

This exploration team consisted of over thirty members. Aside from seven or eight Catmen and members of the Ghost Scale Race, the rest were Elves.

Among them, only Laine, Furlo, Mia, and Lucius were disciples of Taichu City.

Naturally, the team was centered around them.

After a brief discussion, Laine and the others decided to continue scouting ahead.

The party set off again, creeping forward in silence.

The tunnel gradually widened. The rock walls receded, and the stalactites overhead grew denser, resembling an inverted forest of swords.

After passing through a final narrow crevice, the space ahead suddenly opened up.

Before them lay a massive underground cavern. Its dome hung high above, at least fifty or sixty meters from the ground by visual estimation.

Before they even stepped into the cavern, a thick stench of blood assailed their nostrils.

Laine and Furlo, who were at the very front, exchanged a look. Furlo nodded slightly, took out a Silence Talisman, and infused it with Spiritual Qi to activate it.

A silent hush instantly enveloped the entire party.

Only after this was done did the party slowly approach the tunnel’s exit.

Soon, they could see the situation inside the cavern clearly.

A fierce battle had clearly just taken place here.

Corpses lay strewn about haphazardly on the ground.

The vast majority of them were creatures that stood only as high as an adult human’s waist and resembled bipedal rats.

Laine recognized these creatures at once.

Deep Rock Ratmen.

A variant species of the common Ratman.

Legend had it that in ancient times, a group of Ratmen fled into the Dark Nether Realm to escape persecution from the surface races.

In that dark, damp land, filled with radiation and toxins, they underwent brutal natural selection and mutated astonishingly.

They grew larger, their claws became sharper, and their reproductive capabilities strengthened.

Generation after generation, they bred and evolved into the Deep Rock Ratmen of today.

Individually, Deep Rock Ratmen were not strong; their elite members were only at the Black Iron Tier level.

But this race possessed an incredible reproductive rate.

A single clan could often reach a population of several thousand, or even tens of thousands, making them a rare outlier in the Dark Nether Realm.

Due to their large population, food was often scarce, so they ate anything and everything.

For this reason, they were also known as the garbage disposals of the Dark Nether Realm.

The other, less numerous corpses, Laine also quickly identified as a subterranean race called Earth Trolls.

They stood between 2.5 and 3.5 meters tall, with bodies like goblins magnified several times over. They had massive heads, mouths full of fangs, and bloated abdomens. Their earth-brown skin was covered in wart-like bumps, making them extremely ugly.

The victors of this battle were clearly the Earth Trolls.

At this moment, around the periphery of the corpses, over thirty Earth Trolls were squatting on the ground. They used their thick fingers to rummage through the remains of the Deep Rock Ratmen, dragging the more or less intact bodies to one side and piling them up, as if taking stock of their spoils.

A few other Earth Trolls were grabbing Deep Rock Ratman corpses on the spot, shoving them into their mouths, and chewing loudly. The cracking of bones was clearly audible.

”Should we make a move?”

Laine heard Mia’s voice from behind him, her tone tinged with eagerness.

Over the past few days, while exploring this area, they had been ambushed by other subterranean races more than a few times.

The Earth Trolls were among them.

These creatures had low intelligence but were exceptionally greedy. They would attack any being that entered their territory, much like starving hyenas.

Mia held a grudge and had been bottling up her anger. Now that there was a chance for payback, she was naturally itching for a fight.

Laine didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he looked at Furlo, who was beside him.

A faint silver light was swirling in the Elf Maiden’s eyes.

A moment later, Furlo closed her eyes. When she opened them again, they had returned to normal.

”Two at the Silver Tier, twelve at the Black Iron Tier. The rest are at the White Rank level,” Furlo said in a low voice.

Laine nodded, not doubting the Elf Maiden’s words.

Among their batch of disciples, Furlo was the only Elf who had mastered the Delusion-Breaking Spirit Eyes.

This Technique allowed her to directly perceive the strength of an enemy’s physical body, vitality, and Divine Soul, letting her roughly determine their power level. It could also see through most Illusion Techniques and disguises.

It was remarkably effective for gathering intelligence on enemies.

When encountering unfamiliar creatures, for example, Furlo could determine their strength with a single glance, allowing them to decide whether to fight or flee and avoiding many unnecessary risks.

’If the Delusion-Breaking Spirit Eyes didn’t have such high talent requirements that very few disciples could successfully cultivate it, I would want to learn this Pupil Technique too,’ Laine thought.

”So, we’re doing this?”

Mia asked again in a low voice, her hand already gripping the Red Training Whip at her waist.

The Fire-Feathered Sparrow on her shoulder seemed to sense its master’s fighting spirit. It flapped its wings twice, spitting a few sparks from its sharp beak.

Laine no longer hesitated and gave the order in a low voice.

”Make it quick. Leave no survivors.”

Earth Trolls had low intelligence and were basically impossible to communicate with. They didn’t even qualify to be slaves, so there was no point in keeping them alive.

The moment the words left his mouth, Lucius had already shot forward like a streak of light.

His speed was astonishing. The Elf soldiers behind him hadn’t even reacted before his cyan figure had crossed a hundred meters and appeared in front of an Earth Troll.

The light of his sword swept out like a bolt of silk.

The Earth Troll only had time to turn its head before the blade struck its neck.

SHINK!

The Earth Troll’s rough, rock-like skin split open under the sword’s edge. Grayish-brown blood spurted from the wound as its massive head flew high into the air.

Just a moment later, Laine, Furlo, and Mia also charged out of the tunnel.

Mia’s figure was like a flash of lightning. Her Red Training Whip cracked sharply in the air, its body wreathed in blazing fire as it viciously lashed an Earth Troll’s head.

CRACK!

The ugly head struck by the whip instantly burst into fierce flames.

The Earth Troll only had time to let out a short, miserable howl before its head was cooked by the extreme heat, killing it instantly.

With a flick of her wrist, Mia’s whip, once again shrouded in a blazing heatwave, lashed out toward another Earth Troll.

Furlo did not engage in close combat directly.

She stood at the rear, her hands cupped as if holding something. A verdant green light gathered between her palms, forming into vine arrows as thin as strands of hair.

With every wave of her hand, several vine arrows shot out, precisely striking the Earth Trolls’ weak points like their eyes and throats.

The moment the arrows entered their bodies, they would quickly take root and sprout, burrowing deep into the flesh from the wound and drawing on the Earth Troll’s Life Force to grow rapidly.

In just a few moments, the Earth Trolls struck by the vine arrows turned ashen. Their movements became sluggish and their auras weakened, allowing the advancing Elf soldiers to finish them off with ease.

Meanwhile, Laine and Lucius confronted the only two Silver Tier individuals among the group of Earth Trolls.

Lucius’s figure was like lightning. The moment his sword light flashed, flames erupted.

A blazing wheel of light bloomed from his blade, slashing fiercely at the Earth Troll’s chest.

The smell of burning flesh instantly filled the air. The Earth Troll let out a miserable howl, a charred sword mark left on its chest.

It roared and swiped its claws in retaliation, but Lucius had already withdrawn his sword, spun around, and unleashed another blazing slash from the other side.

Lucius’s figure left a trail of afterimages in the cavern. His sword light rained down like a torrential storm, each strike accurately tearing through the Earth Troll’s defenses.

The relentless and fierce assault completely suppressed the Earth Troll, leaving it unable to even lift its head, only able to roar in futile rage.

Its companion was faring no better.

Laine formed a sword with his fingers and pointed forward.

A silent, golden-red ray of Spiritual Light shot from his fingertip. It exploded violently the moment it touched the Earth Troll’s chest, blasting its massive body backward and leaving a charred patch.

Before it could recover, Laine flicked his fingers again, sending three more rays of Spiritual Light flying like shooting stars chasing the moon. They struck the Earth Troll’s shoulder, abdomen, and knee in succession.

Each hit exploded in a ball of golden-red flame, forcing it back stumble after stumble.

The attack was fluid and decisive.

Laine pressed forward step by step. His ten fingers moved as if he were playing a zither, and rays of Spiritual Light shot out from all directions, enveloping the Earth Troll in a dazzling net of light.

In just a few moments, the Earth Troll was covered in wounds, its aura weakening.

A sharp glint flashed in Laine’s eyes. He abruptly raised his hand and thrust his palm forward.

A golden-red Fire Lotus slowly floated from his palm. Its petals were layered, each one formed from pure Spiritual Light. It was scorching but not blinding, beautiful yet deadly.

The Fire Lotus silently landed on the Earth Troll’s head.

The petals bloomed layer by layer. Spiritual Light surged out like a tide, completely enveloping the Earth Troll’s head.

Without even time to scream, the Earth Troll’s head was reduced to ashes by the blooming Fire Lotus. Its headless corpse swayed for a moment before crashing to the ground.

Laine withdrew his hand. The Spiritual Light faded, and his robes fluttered gently in the residual wind, unstained by a single drop of blood or dust.

At almost the same instant, on the other side of the cavern, six wheels of light resembling brilliant suns rose into the air. The golden-red flames wove together to form a dazzling canopy.

Six Suns Emerge as One!

The blazing wheels of light crashed into the Earth Troll’s chest like falling meteors. The flames instantly engulfed it, and its miserable screams came to an abrupt end.

When the light dissipated, only a charred corpse remained.