Chapter 305: Chapter 278: Dark Elf

"The Engraving Race?"

Looks of confusion appeared on everyone’s faces.

They had never heard of this race before.

Wyatt, however, knew a few things and explained, "The Engraving Race is also known as the Hand-Tattooed People or the Branded."

"I’ve heard they look somewhat similar to Elves—pointed ears, slender builds, and delicate features. However, they’re shorter and have grayish skin."

"The most distinct feature of the Engraving Race is their hands. From their fingertips to their wrists, their skin is covered in deep-cyan patterns that they are born with. These patterns spread as they age."

"Because of these patterns, their hands can easily identify all sorts of materials and distinguish textural differences that are imperceptible to the naked eye. As a result, they are exceptionally skilled at creation and invention. You could say they are born Alchemists and Enchanters."

Hearing this, the group grew even more astonished.

The Sol Stone Monster asked curiously, "If they’re such an incredible race, why have I never heard of them before?"

Wyatt sighed. "Unfortunately, that’s also where their trouble lies."

"During the era of the Dragon Race’s rule, the Dragon Race coveted the Engraving Race’s talents. They captured them in droves to serve as slaves, exploiting and oppressing them. Any who dared to resist were killed on the spot, pushing the Engraving Race to the brink of extinction."

"It wasn’t until the Dragon Cities across the land fell one after another that the Engraving Race was liberated. By then, their population had been reduced to less than a tenth of its original size. When the Clan heard about this, they sent people to the various Dragon Cities to recruit the Engraving Race. It’s said that the order came directly from Lord Anton himself."

"Now, many of the alchemy workshops in Taichu City have Engraving Race artisans."

Everyone finally understood. They felt a sense of sympathy for the Engraving Race’s plight, and their resentment toward the Dragon Race grew stronger.

"The Engraving Race had it so rough."

"Damn that Dragon Race. So cruel."

"Good thing the Dragon Race is on the verge of extinction now."

Wyatt looked at Harrison, returning to the original topic. "You still haven’t said how that member of the Engraving Race became a disciple of Taichu City."

Harrison said, "I heard it’s because he improved the Magic Core, significantly increasing its energy efficiency, which was a great contribution."

"Improved the Magic Core? Incredible..."

The group clicked their tongues in amazement.

They knew that the Clan was currently expanding its Daoist Soldier Corps and had a massive demand for Magic Cores.

Improving the Magic Core to be more powerful at a time like this was, one might say, perfect timing.

No wonder he was directly promoted to a disciple of Taichu City.

Just then, Wyatt noticed that Ye Tong, who was standing to the side, hadn’t said a word the entire time.

He turned his head and saw Ye Tong frowning in deep thought.

"Captain?" Wyatt looked at her, puzzled.

Ye Tong snapped back to her senses. She suddenly pointed to an open patch of ground about twenty meters away and said, "Damon, dig there."

Damon was the Sol Stone Monster in the team.

Although he was baffled by Ye Tong’s sudden command, Damon did as he was told. With a grunt of acknowledgment, he strode forward, plunged his thick forelimbs deep into the ground, and began digging with labored grunts.

The other team members exchanged glances but watched quietly.

Ye Tong stared at the excavated ground, a glint in her eyes.

The `Profound Yin Night Wanderer Chapter` she cultivated was a Cultivation Technique based on the primordial Water-element and Yin Attribute Dao.

It drew from the concepts of "nurturing the spirit with Profound Yin, and shapeshifting through night wandering," and integrated the secrets of innate yin and yang creation.

According to the scriptures, upon reaching a deep level of cultivation, a cultivator could have their spirit leave their body to roam at night, perceiving the world in their Spirit Body form and thus comprehending the mysteries of the Heaven and Earth Law.

Of course, she was still a long way from that realm; she hadn’t even reached the threshold.

But even so, after practicing the Cultivation Technique, her five senses and intuition were greatly enhanced at night or in dark environments, becoming several times sharper than before.

And just a moment ago, she had sensed a faint aura emanating from that spot, one that was colder and more sinister than its surroundings, which had particularly caught her attention.

The Sol Stone Monster was a natural tunneler, able to move freely through rock.

In just a few moments, a pit several meters deep had been dug, the excavated rubble scattered to the side.

And Damon’s movements also came to a halt.

"Ma’am, there’s something down here."

The group paused, stunned, then hurried forward, their gazes simultaneously fixed on the pit.

In the glow of the fluorescent moss, a grayish-white arm was revealed amidst the rubble, its fingers curled and as stiff as a dead branch.

Its skin was covered in a layer of fine, grayish-brown scales—a characteristic of the Blade Claw Race.

"Clear away the surrounding rubble," Ye Tong said in a low voice.

The Sol Stone Monster quickened his pace, digging out large swaths of rubble and dirt. Soon, more limbs were revealed from beneath the ground.

One, two, three... A total of thirteen Blade Claw Race corpses were buried deep in the pit, stacked and pressed together like carelessly discarded trash.

A sickly sweet, cloying stench of decay filled the air, mixed with the metallic smell of the soil, making one’s stomach churn.

The Blade Claw Race member in the team had an ashen face.

He recognized these bodies.

They were the clansmen who had gone missing not long ago.

Although their faces were swollen and blackened, their scales and equipment were still vaguely recognizable.

His face ashen, the Blade Claw Race member jumped into the pit and knelt to examine the bodies.

Soon, he made a discovery.

"Captain, this must be the work of Dark Elves."

The Blade Claw Race member said, pointing to the wounds on the corpses.

The wounds had a charred, coal-black texture, with hair-thin, blackened cracks spreading outward from them.

"The enchanted weapons of the Dark Elves are commonly coated in demonic poison. The flesh around a wound caused by such a weapon doesn’t tear normally. Instead, it rapidly withers and carbonizes, exactly like what we’re seeing here."

"Furthermore, the wounds on these bodies are almost all in vital areas, with very few injuries elsewhere. This clean and efficient method is also a trademark of the Dark Elves, who are masters of killing."

The expressions of everyone present immediately turned grim.

As one of the three major races of the Dark Nether Realm, the Dark Elves, while not possessing the bizarre and deadly supernatural abilities of Mind Flayers and Eye Demons, were natural-born Warriors and assassins. They were renowned for their cruelty, cunning, and exquisite killing arts, striking fear into the hearts of countless subterranean races.

More importantly, Dark Elves lived in family-based clans and never acted alone when they appeared.

"It seems there are Dark Elves active in this area."

Ye Tong broke the silence, making a decisive call.

"Wyatt, use a Sound Transmission Talisman right now and report this to our superiors."

"Yes, Captain." Wyatt immediately took out a Sound Transmission Talisman.

Ye Tong’s gaze swept over the others as she said in a low voice, "Pack up. We’re heading back to Nine Nether City."

No one objected.

Dark Elves were not easy opponents to deal with.

Their small team could handle a few Dark Elves, but if they ran into a large force, they would likely meet their end here.

The group began to collect the Blade Claw Race corpses, wrapping the remains and placing them into a Dimensional Bag to take back for burial.

A few moments later, the team set off again, heading back the way they came.

They hadn’t gone far when Ye Tong suddenly stopped and flicked her finger.

A wisp of frigid energy, as thin as a strand of hair, shot silently from her fingertip and disappeared into the shadows of a recessed corner of the rock wall ahead.

Immediately, a suppressed grunt came from the shadows, followed by a figure stumbling out.

Wyatt and the others were startled and quickly raised their weapons. In the light of the surrounding fluorescent moss, they soon got a clear look at the figure’s face.

A slender, willowy figure that was nevertheless curvaceous, with dark gray skin.

She had long, silvery-white hair tied back in a neat ponytail. Her face was exquisite but as hard and cold as an ice sculpture. Long, pointed ears peeked out from her hair, their edges adorned with several small silver rings.

Most striking were her eyes. Her pupils had a dark red sheen, glowing in the darkness like two dying embers, exuding a dangerous and bewitching light.

A Dark Elf!

Wyatt and the others’ expressions changed. They never imagined an enemy was lurking so close by.

They hadn’t noticed anything unusual the entire way. If the captain hadn’t acted, they probably wouldn’t have realized anything until the moment the Dark Elf attacked.

The consequences of that would have been unimaginable.

At that moment, the Dark Elf was kneeling on one knee.

Her lips were purple, her teeth chattering, and her body trembled uncontrollably from the cold. Yet, she forced herself to remain upright, staring death at Ye Tong, her eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

She couldn’t understand how her stealth had been seen through.

Ye Tong scoffed inwardly.

’Trying to fool my senses? You’d need to be at least Golden Tier for that.’

’A mere Black Iron Tier dares to play hide-and-seek in front of me?’

The Profound Yin Finger was the ultimate in yin and cold. Those struck by it felt as if they had fallen into an ice cavern, their qi and blood stagnating. This Dark Elf wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon.

"Don’t lower your guard. There’s more than one ambusher," Ye Tong’s voice cut through the group’s shock. "Be careful."

Before her voice had even faded, several sharp whooshes cut through the darkness.

Five figures simultaneously shot out from the shadows in different directions, pouncing on the group with astonishing speed.

The battle erupted in an instant.

Ye Tong took a sudden step forward, her figure instantly becoming as elusive as flowing water, leaving a trail of blurry afterimages in the darkness.

Water Shadow Step.

This was the core Body Technique of the `Profound Yin Night Wanderer Chapter`, drawing from the concept that "water has no constant form, and a shadow has no fixed trail."

When executed, her form was like a reflection in a stream; it appeared to be there, but reaching for it would grasp only emptiness.

A Dark Elf’s blade lunged forward, but it only pierced an afterimage. The empty feeling from her sword tip made her heart lurch, and she decisively dodged to the side.

But she was a step too slow. Ye Tong had already closed the distance, her five fingers forming a claw as she lunged for the Dark Elf’s throat like lightning.

The Catman girl’s hands were covered by a pair of five-fingered claw-gauntlets.

It was a Yin Attribute Magical Artifact she had specifically redeemed, which was a perfect match for her `Profound Yin Night Wanderer Chapter`.

The glint of cold light that suddenly appeared in her vision made the Dark Elf’s pupils shrink. She instinctively leaned back, barely dodging the fatal blow, but she couldn’t evade the second attack that followed close behind.

Ye Tong changed her claw into a palm, striking the Dark Elf’s chest.

The frigid energy of the Profound Yin Finger penetrated her body. The Dark Elf grunted, her movements abruptly freezing as she fell heavily to the ground.

Before she could even catch her breath, Ye Tong’s claw shot out like lightning and tore open her throat.

Blood spurted out in an instant.

In just over ten seconds, a mid-level Black Iron Tier Dark Elf had fallen, dead.

The other four Dark Elves saw this, and their hearts sank.

The strength of these people was unexpectedly formidable.

Putting aside the Catman girl with her bizarre techniques, the others were not weak either.

They were well-equipped, each wearing at least one piece of Micro-Light Level Magic Equipment, and they also used a type of Magic Scroll that was unheard of, making them extremely difficult to deal with.

After a brief exchange of glances, the remaining four Dark Elves quickly came to a silent understanding.

Retreat.

They unleashed their power simultaneously, forcing back their respective opponents, then fled into the darkness without a backward glance, their speed astonishing.

As for their companion who lay immobilized on the ground, they didn’t even spare her a single look.

Cold and decisive.

This was the law of survival etched into the very bones of the Dark Elves.

To them, a companion who had lost their ability to fight was nothing but a burden, completely worthless.

What should be abandoned must be abandoned!

Ye Tong stopped her companions who wanted to give chase.

"Don’t chase them. The Dark Elves are extremely cunning. Who knows what traps they might set up ahead, or what dangerous places they might lead us into."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the group. "After all, we’ve just set foot in this area. We’re in unfamiliar territory. It’s best to be cautious."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Ye Tong then looked at the Dark Elf on the ground and ordered in a low voice:

"Tie her up. We’ll take her back and hand her over to the higher-ups."

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