Target

The giant lizard thrashed about, retreating. Its once rock-hard shell was now completely charred, revealing the tender, juicy flesh inside. Li Lin showed no mercy. He quickly raised his hand, and a bolt of lightning pierced the lizard's body through the wound. With a muffled boom, the lizard's body convulsed violently, contorting like a fish thrown ashore, before crashing to the ground. Although it appeared relatively undamaged, a simple cut would reveal the horrific sight of its internal organs being utterly obliterated by the lightning.

"I like it here."

Angela then released her small hand from the head of a stone monster, and looking at the convulsing body slowly dying and groaning in pain, a look of joy appeared in her eyes.

"Death is everywhere, how wonderful."

At first, Angela complained a bit about Li Lin's request to conceal her aura. However, once she sensed no threat, the subterranean creatures, far more ferocious than those on the surface, immediately revealed themselves. In just one day since entering the underground tunnels, they had already encountered dozens of monster attacks. Angela, in particular, was exceptionally excited by the killing. In her eyes, anything delivered to her was a toy; the only thing she needed to consider was how to torture them to death.

Perhaps because this passage had been abandoned for so long, various monsters had established their own territories. Therefore, the underground inhabitants attacked these "trespassers" at all costs. However, they soon discovered they had met their match. Chain Lightning, fireballs, and even deadly, invisible black rays easily pierced their shells, which even the sharpest weapons struggled to cut, sending these unfortunate creatures straight to darkness and death. Not to mention the little girl with glowing red eyes; she held only a small folding fan, yet she slaughtered them as easily as if she were killing chickens and sheep, completely unconcerned that the monsters before her were underground creatures that would plunge a small adventure team into a fierce battle.

Darkness is the domain of Vampire Species.

Thus, the attacks along the way were almost entirely handled by Li Lin, Nia, and Angela. The mercenaries were completely unable to participate, staring blankly at the unbelievable scenes before them, almost wondering if they were dreaming. Those passengers who had barely moved on the carriage were now reaping God of Death. They couldn't believe that the young, seemingly gentle scholar possessed such power. Not to mention the little girl; the methods she used to slaughter these monsters were probably even more brutal than the monsters' methods of slaughtering humans.

These mercenaries also tried to prove their abilities to their employer, but the underground monsters were beyond their capabilities. They didn't even realize how close the monsters were until they collapsed to the ground, howling in pain.

If Angela hadn't been so excited about killing, these mercenaries would probably be corpses buried deep underground.

The Mina sisters now served as protectors of the mercenaries and elves. Mina's keen vampire senses protected those monsters who managed to evade Angela and Li Lin, preventing them from following in their companions' footsteps and attacking those who appeared relatively "weaker." Although it was unclear whether Angela was toying with them or being serious, the "Battōjutsu" she taught Mina could indeed slice through bodies as hard as stone at an extremely fast speed, even clearly emitting flashes of light.

Fina took over the task of illuminating the entire team, which was originally Li Lin's responsibility. However, her magic was not yet at the level of Li Lin and Nia, and it was of little use against these monsters who also had strong magic resistance.

Of course, the most unfortunate of them all was the poor little thief walking at the very front. His life was clearly no one's concern. Even the usually kind-hearted Fina didn't pay him any attention. So, when he was pinned to the ground by a stone monster that suddenly leaped out of the wall, he almost desperately prayed for his next life... But quickly, Angela grabbed the stone monster's tail and swung it around. The massive body flew up as if weightless, crashing heavily into the wall with a sound that could have shaken the entire tunnel. And just moments before, its teeth had almost pierced the little thief's skin!

After that, this happened again and again. Angela always waited until the thief was almost dead before making her move. Clearly, she thoroughly enjoyed the human fear of death and the pleasure she derived from ruining her enemy's enjoyment of food; naturally, the more of this kind of amusing activity, the better.

"Okay, that's enough."

After eliminating another group of monsters, Li Lin had to clap his hands to signal a pause.

"We need to think about what's next, and Nia and I need a rest too. Angela? I think you've had enough fun?"

"Since it is your will, Master, then I will stop here for today."

Angela took out a handkerchief and gently wiped her fair, delicate hands. Even in such a bloody battle, she wasn't stained with a single drop of blood; it was truly a mystery how she managed to do it.

Vampire Species are the nobles of the night; darkness is our domain.

She set an example for the two sisters through her actions.

That's really strange.

Sitting by the fire, recovering his strength, Li Lin kept an eye on Angela, who was sitting in the distance. Her white hair seemed to glow on its own, and even in this environment, Angela was as dazzling as the moon in the night, even more dazzling. The darkness never blocked her figure; it was as if it were a subject who submitted to her, surrounding and bending around her, but daring not to conceal or obstruct her presence.

Perhaps this is the true Vampire Species.

Li Lin shook his head, not thinking much about it.

"Oh, sir..."

Just then, the mercenaries' conversation interrupted his thoughts. Li Lin turned around and saw that the mercenaries were looking at him with respect. This was understandable, as they couldn't be of much help in this battle and had been relegated to setting up camp and carrying goods. However, these mercenaries seemed quite satisfied with their new role and didn't seem to be complaining.

"We've already prepared tents for a few people, and..."

"You don't need to keep watch anymore."

Li Lin shook his head, interrupting their conversation. He naturally knew what these mercenaries were worried about.

"I will use magic to keep the entire camp safe. You should all go and rest; you must be tired after a long day of walking."

In the dark depths of the earth, the concept of a "day" is hard to grasp. For these mercenaries, it has been a long time, but for Angela, she probably hasn't had enough fun yet.

The mercenaries, overjoyed at being granted a pardon, happily entered their tents and began to rest. The two sisters, however, lacking clear instructions, could only huddle around the firewood, chatting quietly. Fortunately, girls always seem to have endless topics to discuss, so there was no need to worry. The elf watched the two sisters warily, then moved further away from Angela, who was admiring the dark underworld in the distance. Although she longed to approach Li Lin, he was, after all, someone who could directly communicate with her goddess, and the naturally introverted elf didn't know how to begin. She remembered her purpose with the book: the goddess would use her body to carry out a grand plan.

So the elf closed his eyes and began to pray devoutly.

While everyone else had found their ways to pass the time, Li Lin and Nia were also talking in hushed tones.

"The Dark Elf have several cities underground."

Nia casually waved her staff, revealing some scenes she had recorded during her travels in the underworld. The Eternal Library had spent a full ninety-eight years in the dark underworld; if it weren't for the worry that Li Lin might return at any moment, she might have stayed there even longer.

"The largest city is Menzoberranzan, which is also the center of the Dark Elf. However, if we want to make our move, Kasos City is a good choice. According to rumors I've heard, the eight most powerful families in that city are the most favored by that evil god. If we go too far enough, that evil god will surely reveal himself."

"Regarding the Dark Elf... just how powerful are they?"

"They are no different from elves, except for their superior close-combat abilities and their wicked and cunning intelligence."

Nia answered, while also glancing at Angela, seemingly unintentionally.

"However, since you've already decided to bring her along, then the latter is no longer within our consideration."

We can't afford to waste time either.

Li Lin nodded slightly, tacitly acknowledging Nia's guess. The Elf Goddess had no time to waste; she not only had to care for her race but also evade the pursuit of the God of Justice. Although these once-powerful gods had formed an alliance, Li Lin wasn't optimistic about it. He felt that the chaotic God of Justice was extremely dangerous, because absorbing a divine realm meant that the divine being must possess the same traits. Only a divine being with righteous characteristics could inherit the God of Justice realm; an evil god wouldn't suffice. However, judging from this god's current actions, he might be able to merge all the divine realms. He had never encountered such a chaotic situation before, so Li Lin wasn't entirely at ease. If the Elf Goddess couldn't defeat this evil god immediately, things would become quite troublesome if she were defeated herself.

Therefore, he decided to choose the most convenient and fastest route.

"Do the Dark Elf have any other allies?"

He thought about it carefully, then asked again.

"Before I left, they began using kobolds, orcs, and goblins as slaves."

Nia went on to explain.

"However, after that, I also heard that they had contact with a group of dwarves who had broken away from the dwarven world... I don't know the specifics."

"Thanks a lot."

Li Lin sighed deeply and grasped Nia's soft hand. How long had she wandered in this dark underground to gather this knowledge? What was her mindset when she came here? With Nia's intelligence, surely she could see through these potential dangers?

"This is what I should do... Li Lin, I've been waiting... just so that this knowledge could be put to your use."

Leaning on Li Lin's shoulder, Nia closed her eyes. Life in the Underdark was extremely dangerous and lonely, especially for a Weapon Spirit. She could revert to her original form at any moment, becoming a collectible for the Dark Elf or other subterranean races. Even if they couldn't use her, they would keep her safe or dismantle her—the materials Li Lin used to create the Eternal Library were all incredibly valuable, enough to buy a city.

But she did it anyway.

It's precisely for the sake of the present.

Angela seemed to sense something amiss behind her. Curious, she turned around, glanced at the two people by the fire, and paused for a moment.

In the end, she said nothing, but instead revealed a rare, gentle smile, turned her head back, and admired her own darkness.