The Elven Cultivator

A dark red light surged from the depths of the cavern, washing over the jagged rocks like a tide and dyeing the basin before the entrance a deep crimson.

At this moment, the basin was packed with a dense crowd of dark figures.

Deep Rock Ratmen huddled in the crevices at the basin’s edge, their small bodies squeezed together. Their turbid eyes glowed with a faint red light in the darkness as they glanced around uneasily.

They were the most numerous, densely packed into nearly half of the basin, yet they were also the quietest group. They kept even their squeaks to a bare minimum, terrified of attracting the attention of the many other clans around them.

The Sol Stone Monsters were pressed tightly against the rock walls at the basin’s edge. Their grayish-white rocky skin blended in with the surrounding formations, making it impossible to tell them apart from the stone without a close look.

Only the occasional turn of an eyeball would betray their presence.

There were also Mushroom-men, earth giants, Corpse Rot Demons, deep gnomes... Over a dozen subterranean races had gathered here.

They kept a clear distance from one another, each race occupying a corner of the basin, their gazes vigilantly sweeping over their enemies.

The entire basin was shrouded in a strange and oppressive atmosphere.

And among these many factions, three races occupied the positions closest to the cavern entrance, refusing to yield to one another and forming a tense standoff.

In the northeast corner, a group of Eye Demons floated in mid-air.

Their bodies were spherical, about two meters in diameter, and covered in hard, grayish-blue skin. A layer of mucus made them glisten wetly under the crimson light.

At this moment, the Eye Demons were using the large central eyes on their bodies to coldly scan the enemies across from them.

Below the great central eye, a dozen or so eyestalks writhed like snakes, the smaller eyeballs at their tips all fixed on the opposition.

At a glance, there were thousands upon thousands of densely packed eyes.

A more timid human seeing this sight would probably faint from fright on the spot.

At the forefront of these Eye Demons, an individual of exceptionally large size was particularly eye-catching.

Its body was a full size larger than its kin, and the pupil of its central eye was a deep, dark purple.

This was an Elder Eye.

The leader of the Eye Demon colony.

Its gaze slowly swept across the basin, and everywhere it passed, the other races unconsciously lowered their heads, not daring to meet its stare.

Only the leaders of the two opposing factions continued to meet its gaze, their expressions unchanged.

”Gustus, don’t be so tyrannical! We clearly discovered this cave first, so why should we hand it over to you?”

A gruff voice came from among the Di Luo Dwarves on the left.

Unlike their surface-dwelling kin, the Di Luo Dwarves had skin of a sickly grayish-white, like old wax. Their faces were covered in fine wrinkles and wart-like protrusions, making them look like some kind of twisted, failed creation.

They wore rough leather armor and Chain Armor, which were adorned with bone fragments and teeth stripped from their prey, making a soft clattering sound as they moved.

Their weapons were also varied.

Warhammers, short axes, Nail-Head Hammers, morning stars... each one was heavy and crude, yet exuded a savage, violent aesthetic.

At the forefront of the Di Luo Dwarves, a one-eyed elder was glaring hostilely at the Elder Eye across from him.

”That’s right,” the leader of the Rock Beast Ghosts on the other side chimed in. ”You Eye Demons don’t even have proper bodies. What use do you have for Blood Soul Crystals? Don’t tell me you plan on raising some minions. Since when are you so kind-hearted?”

The Rock Beast Ghosts were even larger than the earth giants. Standing over four meters tall, they looked like moving hills.

Their bodies were covered in rough, grayish-brown stone skin, which was studded with sharp rock spikes that ran from their shoulders down their spines like rows of inverted swords.

The Rock Beast Ghost leader who spoke was even a cut above his kin, his height at the shoulder alone exceeding six meters.

Just standing there, he exuded a heavy, oppressive presence.

The standoff between the three factions made the air so tense you could cut it with a knife.

The other races consciously kept their distance from this area.

They feared the strength of the three main factions but were unwilling to leave just like that, so they huddled at the edges of the basin, silently watching the situation unfold.

As the Di Luo Dwarf elder and the Rock Beast Ghost leader spoke one after another, the stagnant silence was broken.

Gustus opened the mouth below its eye, revealing long, sharp teeth. Its hoarse, cold voice swept through the cavern like a winter wind.

”The Blood Soul Crystals belong to the Eye Demon race. Anyone who dares to covet them will die!”

An extremely direct and brutal declaration!

It caused all the subterranean races present to show expressions of deep dissatisfaction.

The faces of the Di Luo Dwarf elder and the Rock Beast Ghost leader, in particular, grew as dark as thunderclouds.

But they had no good way to handle the situation.

As one of the three great races of the Dark Nether Realm, the Eye Demons possessed status and power far exceeding the other subterranean races.

Although this particular colony of Eye Demons couldn’t even be considered mid-tier among their kind, numbering just over four hundred, their collective strength—all at the Black Iron and Silver Tiers—completely overwhelmed any other single faction present.

Their leader, Gustus, was a powerhouse at the Golden Peak.

Only if all the factions present united could they hope to take down this group of Eye Demons.

The Di Luo Dwarf elder clearly realized this as well. He snorted coldly and said, ”Such arrogance. Are you planning to make an enemy of us all?”

’In his mind, with the Rock Beast Ghost leader’s cunning, he should be able to quickly grasp the meaning behind my words, side with me, and join forces to pressure the Eye Demons.’

But to his surprise, the Rock Beast Ghost didn’t take the bait. Instead, he changed the subject entirely.

”Gustus, you Eye Demons are indeed powerful, but don’t forget, we aren’t the only inhabitants around here anymore.”

Before Gustus could respond, the Di Luo Dwarf elder narrowed his eyes, his tone chilling. ”Are you talking about those surface Elves?”

As everyone knew, the Di Luo Dwarves despised surface creatures more than anything.

Not just their own kin on the surface, but all intelligent life from above.

”Correct,” the Rock Beast Ghost leader nodded. ”I’ve made some inquiries. They come from a place called Nine Nether City. It’s said to be a city founded by an Elf, just over ten kilometers from here. They are very strong.”

”My people have clashed with those Elves several times and suffered considerable casualties.”

All the subterranean creatures present frowned.

During the recent chaotic battles, the vast majority of them had encountered those Elves and engaged in combat. The result was always either being killed or being forced to flee in disarray.

They had originally thought those Elves were just some unlucky souls who had accidentally wandered into the Dark Nether Realm. They never expected them to be organized, let alone to have built a city underground.

This was truly rather surprising.

’Why would those damned pointy-ears build a city in the Dark Nether Realm instead of staying on the surface where they belong?’

’They can’t be thinking of conquering the Dark Nether Realm, can they?’

Taking in the reactions of the surrounding subterranean creatures, the Rock Beast Ghost leader continued, ”Surface Elves have built a city in the Dark Nether Realm. I don’t need to spell out what that means, do I?”

”They’ve come for the resources of the Dark Nether Realm!”

”The Blood Soul Crystals are just the beginning. Sooner or later, they’ll set their sights on our territories. Unless we’re willing to relocate and move farther away, we will have to face those Elves one day.”

The Di Luo Dwarf elder’s expression flickered with uncertainty.

At this moment, Gustus finally spoke again.

”Stop beating around the bush. What are you trying to say?”

A hideous grin stretched across the Rock Beast Ghost leader’s ugly face. ”How about the three of us join forces first to deal with those Elves, and then we can decide the ownership of the Blood Soul Crystal cluster?”

”And there’s Nine Nether City. That city must store a huge amount of supplies. If we could take it...”

Many of the subterranean creatures present swallowed hard, their eyes gleaming with fervor.

The Dark Nether Realm had abundant metal veins and rare plants, but what it lacked most were all sorts of common supplies.

The thought of an entire city’s worth of supplies laid out before them made their hearts burn, and they wished they could charge toward that place called Nine Nether City right now.

’It would be even better if, after destroying Nine Nether City, we could find an entrance to the surface world.’

’The spoils from a single raid on the surface world would be enough for them to live comfortably for years.’

For a moment, the numerous subterranean creatures widened their eyes in excitement.

All eyes focused on Gustus.

The Di Luo Dwarf elder also turned to look.

Although he hadn’t yet stated his position, he had already agreed to the proposal in his heart.

’Joining forces against the Eye Demons, even if we won, it would be a pyrrhic victory. We’d still have to fight the other factions for the Blood Soul Crystal cluster in the end.’

’And who knows, the Elves might launch a surprise attack and take advantage of the situation.’

’But if we join forces to annihilate the Elves, even if we don’t get the Blood Soul Crystal cluster in the end, we’ll still have the supplies from Nine Nether City as a fallback.’

’We wouldn’t end up with nothing.’

Gustus floated in mid-air, its central pupil contracting slightly, as if in thought, or perhaps weighing its options.

After a long moment, it slowly spoke.

”Fine. We’ll join forces.”

’Compared to the Di Luo Dwarves and Rock Beast Ghosts, the enemy from the surface posed a greater threat to the Eye Demon race.’

The Di Luo Dwarf elder and the Rock Beast Ghost leader both breathed a sigh of relief.

”Then it’s settled.”

”What about these guys?”

The Di Luo Dwarf elder cast his gaze toward the cowering figures at the edge of the basin.

Gustus’s eye swept around the basin, and it spoke coldly, ”I’ll give you a choice. Either retreat now and stop thinking about the Blood Soul Crystal cluster, or join us in the fight against Nine Nether City. After we succeed, we will share a portion of the spoils with you.”

The Di Luo Dwarf elder and the Rock Beast Ghost leader exchanged a look and had no objections.

’In war, you always need cannon fodder.’

’You can’t just throw your own kinsmen’s lives away, can you?’

’These weaklings are perfect for the role.’

’As for the spoils... heh. Those Elves are strong. By the time Nine Nether City falls, it’s anyone’s guess how many of these subterranean races will even be left alive. How much in spoils could there possibly be to share?’

It wasn’t that no one among the assembled races saw the risks of cooperating with the three major factions, but the allure of the supplies in Nine Nether City was simply too great.

In the end, most of the subterranean races chose to participate, with only a small number turning to leave.

As for those who chose to stay, they were swept up by the three major factions into a loose coalition and began plotting against the Elves.