Clue

Whoosh! Whoosh!

After several flashes, two figures instantly arrived before a towering cliff. They slowly came to a stop, constantly scanning their surroundings as though searching for something.

Before long, several female elves riding black panthers appeared behind them.

The one standing in front wore a black eyepatch and held two strange weapons in his hands. Eerie dark green flames rose beneath his feet, and not a blade of grass grew where he stood.

The figure behind him wore clothes pieced together from animal hides. Though he was not tall and his build was somewhat slight, the faint smile on his face gave people a feeling as refreshing as a spring breeze. An unknown glimmer shone from his slightly narrow eyes.

The newcomers were Yudian and Huang Long. Behind them was another group of Huntresses, though their starting levels were only level 1.

"Yudian, are you sure it's here?" Huang Long frowned, his gaze sweeping the area as he searched for any sign of Ina, who had not responded for some time, and her team.

"That's right, Chief. I've continuously sensed through our Night Elf faction's secret nature arts. The place Ina and the others last reached, where their auras vanished, is here. There can be no mistake." Demon Hunter Yudian answered expressionlessly, continuing to sense the surroundings.

"How could this be? There aren't any traces here at all! Where are they? Yudian, are you really sure Ina and the others were here?" Huang Long's brow furrowed even tighter. With his eyesight, after searching for so long without finding anything, it was certain that Ina and the group she had led were no longer here.

Demon Hunter Yudian did not say anything. The Demon Fire surrounding him merely flared more fiercely as he continued searching with greater effort.

"How could there be no sign of them? There were more than twenty people in their group. How could so many simply vanish without a trace?"

Demon Hunter Yudian was growing anxious as well, but no matter how hard he searched, he could not sense Ina and the others. No, more precisely, he had followed the faint trace of Ina and Elisa's auras to this place, only for those auras to disappear completely here. Yudian could not determine which direction they had gone. That meant either they had remained here, or they had been instantly transported elsewhere by some special method, like Huang Long's "Teleportation" skill.

Of course, the second possibility was unlikely. Skills as rare as Huang Long's were exceedingly scarce, so it was far more likely that they had remained where they were. Yet no one could be seen at the scene, so the first possibility was immediately ruled out.

"There is one more possibility..." Demon Hunter Yudian's senses nearly covered the entire area below. Every inch of the ground had been examined, but he had found nothing.

"What?" Surprise appeared on Huang Long's face.

"Ina and the others may be trapped somewhere we have yet to find, a place shielded by a powerful force. That is why even with my strength, I cannot see through that barrier." Demon Hunter Yudian showed a thoughtful expression as he calmly analyzed the situation.

"That's possible, but it shouldn't be likely." Huang Long paused in thought, then shook his head. "On this Spirit Island, the highest level is level 7. Of the three strongest level-7 magical beasts, two are dead and the remaining one has surrendered. There shouldn't be anyone with such power. Ina possesses level-7 strength, and she also had one level-6 hero and five level-6 warriors with her. How could a team like that be trapped so easily?"

"Trapping them would not be simple. And I have not received any notification from the Warcraft Elf System, so they cannot have been harmed. They must have disappeared somewhere else. As long as we search more carefully, we will definitely find something."

"With Ina's strength, unless the enemy had several level-7 experts and many level-6 experts besieging them, it would have been impossible for no one to escape after being attacked. But if that wasn't the case, how could they have vanished for no reason? And if it was, what force could possess such a powerful lineup?"

At that point, Huang Long's brows were practically knotted together. He thought bitterly, yet could not make sense of it.

"Chief, where did you learn that this Spirit Island only has three level-7 magical beasts?" Demon Hunter Yudian suddenly asked a strange question.

"Probably?" Hearing Yudian's question, Huang Long's heart jolted, and his mind instantly cleared.

"Damn it! I never considered that the creatures on this Spirit Island with level-7 strength might not be limited to the Great Golden Roc and the other two. Or perhaps there were only three among the magical beasts!"

"That must be it. It seems we've run into trouble. Those level-7 creatures hiding in the shadows of Spirit Island must have grown tired of watching us openly conquer this island." A cold smile appeared on Demon Hunter Yudian's face, though he was worried about Ina and the others' current situation.

"Damn it, those bastards are despicable. They actually waited until we split up to defeat us one by one. But it's strange. If they were going after Ina, shouldn't they have acted by now? That's rather odd." Huang Long's expression darkened. He had been the one to propose splitting up. If anything had truly happened to Ina and the others, he would bear an inescapable responsibility.

"Not necessarily. You said it yourself—if enemies truly wanted to deal with us, Ina would definitely be dead by now. So there is one final possibility. Ina and the others may have accidentally entered the lair of some powerful creature. Perhaps they disturbed it for a moment and were trapped there. In other words, we still have a chance to rescue them." The aura of Demon Fire around Demon Hunter Yudian grew ever more intense, but every word he spoke struck straight at the heart of the matter, making Huang Long's eyes light up.

"You mean they're in this area?" Huang Long looked around once more. Though he was not entirely certain, he now mostly believed Yudian.

"While I cannot be one hundred percent certain, I am ninety percent sure." Demon Hunter Yudian spoke calmly. Though he only said ninety percent, his tone was extremely confident.

"Then let's search again, all around this area. See if there's anywhere we missed." Huang Long decisively trusted Demon Hunter Yudian and quickly sent out the Huntresses he had trained the previous night to scout the surroundings. As the most elite Sentinel unit, reconnaissance was what they did best. Having them search was undoubtedly the best choice.

"I hope this time won't disappoint me. Otherwise, I truly won't know what to do." Huang Long joined the search as well, examining every corner and refusing to overlook the slightest detail.

"Report, Master! A cave has been discovered!" Suddenly, a loud cry rang out, causing hope to ignite in both Huang Long and Demon Hunter Yudian's eyes.

"Where?" Huang Long rushed toward the source of the voice and instantly arrived before the Huntress, asking anxiously.

Demon Hunter Yudian arrived just as quickly, his speed no slower than Huang Long's. He too looked tensely at the female elf.

"Over there!" The Huntress was merely a puppet and did not understand emotion, so she casually pointed toward a crack in the cliff face not far to the east.

There!

Hearing this, Huang Long and Demon Hunter Yudian exchanged a glance and walked over together, staring curiously at the cliff wall in confusion.

"Is it here?" Huang Long frowned and asked again for confirmation.

"Yes, Master!" the Huntress nodded.

"But where is the cave?" Demon Hunter Yudian could not help interjecting.

"Above."

"Huh?" Huang Long froze, but Yudian had already leaped into the air. Hovering in midair, he looked down and was startled.

"Damn it, how is there a cave here? Why did I never notice it before?" Yudian said in disbelief, his face filled with shock.

"Damn it, stop talking and get inside quickly! Otherwise, it'll be too late!" Hearing Yudian's words, Huang Long urged him. Rather than wasting time discussing why they had failed to notice the cave earlier, they should hurry in and save them.

"Understood!" Yudian gave an embarrassed smile and quickly followed Huang Long inside.

The moment he entered the passage, Demon Hunter Yudian felt an exhilarating sensation permeate his entire body. Surprise flashed through his eyes.

"What dense demonic energy!"