Entering the City

The world Underdark, is always so wondrous.

Just moments before, Li Lin and his companions had turned into the narrow corner of the cave, so narrow that only one person could pass at a time. The next moment, the world before them suddenly expanded, and a gigantic, almost endless cave appeared before them. It was nearly the size of a city, even more magnificent than the City of a Thousand Towers. Even Li Lin couldn't fathom how such a massive cave had been formed. The power of nature sometimes surpasses everyone's imagination, a fact that many have forgotten.

And indeed, there is a city within this place.

The Kasos City.

Li Lin gazed at the city before him, silent. He had prepared everything. Powerful spells and deadly threats had been prepared by Nia two days prior. Now, he only needed a trigger to begin his operation. He was confident he could force the evil god out of her divine realm. Arcane Mage were familiar with gods, and even if she was a new god, Li Lin understood how gods operated. He needed a large-scale purge, a catastrophe, to force these Dark Elf to seek help from their gods. Initially, the gods might not appear personally, but when things reached a point of no return, they had to. Otherwise, their faith would be severely damaged, and no god would ignore such a threat.

This was a risky move, but it might be for the best.

Li Lin gently tapped the cover of the Eternal Library, using this special method to convey a message to Nia.

It's about time I revisited my old fighting methods.

Then, Li Lin suddenly stopped and began to cast a spell.

A transparent dome immediately enveloped him and the others. Simultaneously, several arrows silently struck the magical barrier, only to be deflected. Then, several black figures emerged from the Underdark, their hands gripping crossbows warily, their eyes filled with danger and curiosity as they watched the newcomers. Although Li Lin had indeed displayed considerable magical skill, it seemed insignificant to the Dark Elf. They were not afraid to fight in the pitch-black depths. Even a powerful mage was nothing to them. Behind them lay the Kasos City, a powerful Dark Elf city with thousands of members, ruled by eight great families, and home to thirty-five other families—a place blessed by the great Spider Goddess. Even if these humans possessed immense power, would they dare defy the great goddess?

Unfortunately, these Dark Elf were unaware that this was precisely why Li Lin and his companions had come.

"You lowly humans!!"

The leading Dark Elf spoke, not lowering his crossbow, but keeping it raised and aiming at the uninvited guests before him.

"What are you doing here? This is not a place for you. Go back to the surface. You still have a way out."

He wore a serious and angry expression while subtly gesturing to his subordinates. If these humans didn't retreat, they could break through the defenses in the next instant with their superior magical weapons—nothing difficult for the Dark Elf skilled in magical resistance. However, if the humans did retreat, their fate would be to die "normally" on their way back.

"Kasos City is under lockdown!"

He raised his voice again. As the eldest son of the Seventh Family, leading a patrol to inspect the surrounding area was already infuriating enough. Now, he had actually encountered a group of humans here. The Dark Elf would never let go of these sacrifices who might appease their anger. Since they had taken control of this Black Road, no humans had appeared for many years.

"You must leave, immediately! This is the gathering place of the noble Dark Elf, and it will not be open to lowly humans!"

He thought he had made himself clear enough, but the silver-haired little girl standing beside the man clearly looked doubtful. She looked up at the scholarly-looking man beside her, then turned her head to look at the mercenary-looking humans, seemingly not understanding who he was referring to. So the Dark Elf decided to be even clearer, to let this foolish human girl understand what it meant to behave in the presence of a noble Dark Elf.

I'm referring to you! A man!

He raised his hand and aimed at Li Lin, who was standing at the very front.

"Are you mute? Don't you know how to answer questions? You lowly human, I reiterate..."

This time, he didn't finish his sentence.

Therefore, in the blink of an eye, Angela had pinned the reckless and unlucky fellow to the ground. Clearly, if the Dark Elf's "lowly humans" referred to the group of mercenaries behind them, she would absolutely agree. But when the target was Li Lin, Angela could not tolerate this offense that had crossed the line.

Her small hand easily slipped into the Dark Elf's gaping mouth, then with a sharp pull, accompanied by a bloodcurdling scream that pierced the silence of the earth, Angela's raised hand held something small and bright red. She then pressed it down again, shoving the little thing back into the Dark Elf's mouth. A soft tongue blocked the Dark Elf's throat, turning his agony into muffled, incoherent cries.

"Enemy attack!!"

Even the notoriously cruel Dark Elf were shocked by such a bizarre method. When they saw the hooded elf standing behind Li Lin, they immediately realized something was wrong. After all, elves were the mortal enemies of the Dark Elf, and anyone who brought elves to the Underdark, no matter who they were, would never leave alive!

The Dark Elf's well-trained skills were immediately apparent. Some rushed forward to shield themselves from the potential threat of the mage, while others retreated swiftly, simultaneously sending warning signals into the city.

They were disciplined and showed no fear of losing their lives; they were true warriors.

Li Lin watched the group of Dark Elf' fluid movements, a hint of admiration in his eyes.

But that didn't stop Chain Lightning from appearing at his fingertips and then roaring towards his unfortunate enemies.

The thunderous power didn't inflict enough damage on the Dark Elf; after all, even their ancestral elves possessed a unique talent for resisting Magic Power. These kin who dwelled underground naturally also possessed strong magical resistance. However, lightning was their enemy. Even when patrolling, they didn't carry torches like humans, and they wouldn't even walk in areas relatively bright to humans. But now, the light of lightning was unbearable even for humans, let alone these fragile Dark Elf.

Dark Elf are extremely afraid of light.

This was Nia's first assessment of them, and clearly, she was right.

The light limited their vision, and the Dark Elf could no longer see anything clearly. At that moment, another spell that Li Lin had prepared was immediately cast.

"Strong acid!!"

He ran one hand over the cover of the Eternal Library, whispering a command. Soon, a torrent of corrosive, dark green liquid rained down from the sky, splattering onto the Dark Elf and inflicting even more horrific torment on their already aching bodies. They desperately stretched out their limbs, trying to escape this terrible attack. But they failed. Unlike fire and lightning, the acid penetrated every body, turning them into writhing cheese. The Dark Elf's not-so-robust physiques could not withstand such agony for long; soon, they all died, their bodies continuing to emit wisps of white smoke in the corrosive acid.

"They are very agile and quick in their actions, but their weaknesses are also very prominent."

The white smoke dissipated.

Gazing at the stench-filled, barely recognizable Dark Elf corpse, Li Lin frowned, beginning to summarize the information he had gleaned about the Dark Elf from the recent conflict. He nodded first, then shook his head. Such an army was powerful, but also fragile. Moreover, if the Dark Elf couldn't withstand the stronghold, how could they possibly reach the surface and fight humans there?

This is a problem that needs to be solved.

Ignoring the surprised looks from the mercenaries and elves behind him, Li Lin muttered to himself as he walked forward towards the quiet, almost unchanged city before him. Its high walls and tightly closed iron gates indicated that it did not welcome any visitors.

"We seem to have a lot of problems to solve..."

Li Lin shook his head, then opened the Eternal Library in his hands.

The hapless scout team, though wiped out, had ultimately completed its mission. The distinctive signals of the Dark Elf had spread throughout the Kasos City, and all the families were ready for battle. On the surface, Kasos City appeared perfectly normal, but all the families were on high alert. Male elves shouted, urging orcs and goblins to the city gates; these slaves were their first line of defense against the enemy. They knew their enemy was a mage. Dark Elf had never held mages in high regard. Perhaps they once did, but now, having fully embraced darkness, everything they possessed before venturing underground seemed to have vanished.

Disaster struck!

When Matron Ryan entered the hall, the other seven matriarchs were already in place, their faces filled with excitement, joy, and nervousness.

The enemy is coming, disaster is coming; this is the mission the goddess has given them.

"Everything is ready!"

Matron Ryan didn't seem to have any intention of consulting with the other matriarchs, and issued the orders on her own.

"We've made all the preparations to win the goddess's heart!"

She uttered another pointless remark, but everyone knew that Dark Elf only spoke nonsense in such situations. In fact, they were gathered here simply to confirm that each other was prepared. Each matriarch knew that they could be stabbed in the back by other families at any moment, and they did not want to face those strange enemies first. Although there were not many of them, since the goddess had already issued her decree, underestimating them would only make them more foolish and easier to defeat.

But who knows if the goddess intends to use these people to reignite chaos in the Kasos City?

"That's all for today. Please remember, we have never met here before!"

One last point is pointless; the matriarchs should go back and prepare for their own duties.

At that very moment, the situation suddenly changed.

The powerful, omnipresent magical force suddenly became violent yet orderly, enveloping the entire city. The matriarchs were horrified; they sensed a terrifying magical pressure taking shape, and their prized natural resistance seemed utterly useless against this terrifying pressure.

"The Mythal...!!"

Matron Ryan gripped the armrests of her chair desperately, screaming the cursed word almost frantically.

"Who is it that dares to cast such a blasphemous and terrible spell in the city of the great goddess?!"

She wanted an answer, and she got it.

Angela's sweet, clear, and lovely voice rang out, penetrating the ears of every Dark Elf in the city without missing a beat.

"You bunch of dark-skinned, lowly bitches who only know how to mate and be in heat all day long, now obey my command and get out of your moldy, hairy, filthy, disgusting spider holes!"

Angela stood on the heavy city wall with a light laugh. At her feet, a dark-skinned priestess, Angela limbs broken, was arranged in a kneeling posture, facing Li Lin who floated in the air. She let out a low growl of resentment, angry at this humiliating treatment, but powerless to do anything about it. She was the third daughter of the Sixth Family, and now, she was nothing more than a toy for Angela to play with.

Li Lin floated in the air, the pages of the book in his hand imbued with the most powerful magical energy, and shimmering magical traces enveloped the entire city of the Dark Elf.

"Get out here right now, you black-skinned idiots."

Angela said smugly once again that Li Lin had already let her "do whatever she wanted," so the little girl didn't need to worry too much and could use what she was best at.

"Kneel before your master and beg for his forgiveness for your foolishness, and I can at least guarantee that I will only break one of your legs! And I will allow you to become his flesh slaves!"

The silent, still city began to tremble at Angela's words; the Dark Elf's rage almost materialized into visible waves.

Finally, it erupted.