The Elven Cultivator

The Stone-blind Barbarian Race.

Anton recognized the creatures.

A native race of the Dark Nether Realm. They were born blind but possessed extremely keen hearing, smell, and touch, making them elite hunters and guards.

They were also one of the most common and loyal servant races of the Mind Flayers.

The appearance of the Stone-blind Barbarian Race here meant that a Mind Flayer city-state was likely nearby.

The suspicion in Anton's heart was confirmed at this moment.

In the vicinity of a Mind Flayer city-state, one was unlikely to see scattered corpses.

This was because Mind Flayers were extremely "efficient."

They utilized every single corpse.

Either as vessels for propagating their own kind.

Or converted into Intellect Devourers.

Or stored directly as food.

Any corpse that fell into the hands of Mind Flayers would not be wasted.

That was why he hadn't seen any remains on his way here.

The worst-case scenario had still come to pass.

The existence of a Mind Flayer city-state was, without a doubt, terrible news for the Silver Moon Race.

Anton's brow furrowed slightly as he quietly watched the Stone-blind Barbarians pass by in the distance.

The Shadow Travel Skill was even more effective in this subterranean world than on the surface.

There was no sunlight here; shadows were everywhere. His figure blended into the surrounding darkness, making him nearly impossible to distinguish.

Despite their keen senses, the Stone-blind Barbarians still couldn't detect Anton's presence and departed, completely unaware.

After the Stone-blind Barbarians were a good distance away, Anton slipped out from behind a giant rock and followed them silently.

Following the patrolling Stone-blind Barbarians along the edge of the cavern for about a kilometer, the space ahead suddenly opened up.

Anton stopped behind a protruding rock wall. As he looked out, his pupils contracted slightly.

A magnificent vista unfolded before his eyes.

Thousands of stalactites hung from the cavern ceiling like giant pillars supporting the sky, glowing with a faint purple light in the dim phosphorescence.

Below were countless towering, twisted buildings with sharp arches and thick stone walls, presenting an overall dark and grotesque Gothic style.

Upon closer inspection, however, one would discover that many of the buildings were not made of stone or wood, but of some kind of organic material.

The walls of the buildings were covered in pulsating, fleshy textures and slick slime, a nauseatingly disgusting sight.

A faint, sweet, and rotten smell, like a mixture of onions, garlic, and vanilla, permeated the air.

That was the scent given off by the bodies of Mind Flayers.

Without a doubt, this was a Mind Flayer city-state.

The entire city-state was enveloped in a faint purple halo—a psychic barrier released by the Mind Flayers to block outside perception.

Anton did not approach recklessly.

He only observed from a distance for a moment before turning to leave.

Mind Flayers were extremely dangerous creatures that used Spiritual Energy.

They were adept at using various kinds of Spiritual Energy and Magic.

Creatures with weak wills could easily be stunned, or even controlled, by Mind Flayers, and thus be enslaved by them.

Cultivators trained both body and soul. As a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator, Anton possessed a resilient Divine Soul. His willpower and soul strength far surpassed those of ordinary Golden Tier individuals, making him largely unafraid of the Mind Flayers' mental manipulation abilities.

But in a Mind Flayer city-state of this scale, there were bound to be High Tier Mind Flayers who had awakened the Power of Law, and even Legendary Tier Mind Flayer elders.

Until he had gathered more detailed intelligence, it was best not to approach the Mind Flayer city-state rashly, lest he encounter danger.

With the experience from his journey in, the return trip was even smoother.

In less than half the time it took him to get there, Anton returned to the fissure's entrance.

The Great Elder and the others were still waiting outside the fissure's entrance.

Seeing Anton's figure emerge from the darkness, everyone visibly sighed in relief.

"How did it go?" Darian asked impatiently.

Anton briefly recounted what he had discovered.

When they heard the three words "Mind Flayer city-state," the expressions of everyone present turned extremely grim.

The terrifying reputation of Mind Flayers was known to all, even in the surface world.

Worse than discovering a fissure leading directly to the Dark Nether Realm was finding a Mind Flayer city-state down there.

"This is big trouble."

The three elders exchanged glances, each seeing the gravity and worry in the others' eyes.

"We should seal this fissure immediately," the Second Elder said with a solemn expression.

"I'm afraid it won't be that easy," the Third Elder said, shaking his head. "The fact that burrowing worms could break through this passage means the rock structure is already very unstable. If we simply block it with earth and stone, those underground creatures can just dig it open again."

Everyone fell silent.

This was precisely their biggest worry.

A fissure connecting to the Dark Nether Realm was not easy to seal in the first place.

If the subterranean races and creatures hadn't discovered it, that would be one thing. But once they had, it wouldn't be difficult for them to reopen the fissure with their methods.

"Leave it to me," Anton said calmly. "I will find a way to seal the fissure and conceal its existence as much as possible."

For some reason, hearing Anton say this, everyone present unconsciously let out a sigh of relief.

This was the trust born from Anton's previous string of brilliant achievements.

Everyone knew he wasn't one for empty boasts.

If he said something like this, he must be quite confident.

The Great Elder did not object, merely nodding at Anton. "Then we'll leave it to you."

After some discussion, they decided that the Second Elder and Thorvin would remain here to stand guard, while the others would return to the Silver Moon Forest.

The sudden appearance of the Dark Nether Realm and the Mind Flayer city-state had caught everyone off guard.

There were many things to deal with next.

Anton also needed to go back and make some preparations.

As they walked out of the mine, the sky was already turning fish-belly white.

No one had slept all night, yet none of them felt tired.

Everyone's thoughts were weighed down heavily by the Mind Flayer city-state deep within the Dark Nether Realm.

Only Anton remained relatively calm.

The appearance of the fissure to the Dark Nether Realm was troublesome, but looking on the bright side, it was also an opportunity.

The Dark Nether Realm was extremely scarce in food and fresh water, but it was exceptionally rich in all kinds of resources.

This vast subterranean world was rich in various rare magical metals, unique fungi, mosses, and magical plants, making it a paradise for Pharmacists and Alchemists.

Furthermore, due to its unique geographical location, the Dark Nether Realm contained numerous Magic Stone Veins, as well as many points where Magic Power converged or intersected.

Setting aside the former, the latter was of great significance to Anton.

Points where Magic Power converged or intersected were known as Earth Vein Nodes on the Dawn Continent, the best locations for building magic towers and stabilizing Teleportation Gate networks.

In the cultivation system, such places had an even more familiar name—Spirit Veins.

Spirit Veins were excellent locations for nurturing Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, setting up large-scale Arrays, or even establishing abodes.

Although Earth Vein Nodes also existed on the surface, they were relatively few and scattered across the vast continent, making them very time-consuming and labor-intensive to find.

Even if one was found, most Earth Vein Nodes were already claimed.

Unless Anton were to take one by force, finding an unclaimed Earth Vein Node would not be easy.

In comparison, the difficulty of finding an unclaimed Earth Vein Node in the Dark Nether Realm was undoubtedly much lower.

To Anton, the Dark Nether Realm was a brand-new 'treasure trove of materials'.

With the Dark Nether Realm, finding suitable substitute materials in the future would surely be much easier.

For instance, he had yet to find the main Fire Attribute and Earth Attribute materials for refining the Ninghua Pill, not to mention the yin and yang qi. Perhaps he could find something in the Dark Nether Realm.

However, before he could enter the Dark Nether Realm to search for materials, the first thing he had to do was deal with the vicious dog at his doorstep.

'The Mind Flayers' combat methods focus on psychic and spiritual attacks. As long as I solve the problem of defending against that, dealing with them will be much easier.'

Anton pondered to himself.

This problem wasn't hard to solve.

The Taoist Jade Scroll contained records of many Magical Treasures specifically designed to protect the Divine Soul.

For example, the Soul-Suppressing Bell, the Six Desires Disc, the Bright Heart Lamp... the variety was endless.

These types of Magical Treasures were completely different from the Separation Fire Shield. They offered little defense against physical attacks but were extremely effective against attacks targeting the Divine Soul, Spirit, and mind.

One could say they were the perfect counter to enemies like Mind Flayers, whose attacks were powerful but one-dimensional.

'It would be safer to explore the Dark Nether Realm after I refine a Magical Artifact to protect my Divine Soul.'

Anton had a plan.

In a place as perilous as the Dark Nether Realm, especially when he might have to face ferocious monstrosities like Mind Flayers, one could never be too prepared.

Before that, the fissure in the mine had to be sealed first.

It wouldn't be too late to reopen it after he had made full preparations and was ready to begin exploring the Dark Nether Realm.

After returning to the Silver Moon Forest, Anton spent a few days learning new Techniques and Arrays, as well as collecting materials, before returning to the depths of the mine.

First, he set up an Illusion Technique Array and a warning Array at the exit on the other side of the fissure.

This way, unless a Caster got close and observed carefully, it would be difficult for any subterranean creatures to notice the fissure's existence.

And if any subterranean creatures attempted to reopen the fissure, Anton would be alerted immediately by the warning Array.

After that, he used a newly learned Technique, the 'Stone-Shifting Art,' to manipulate the earth, causing it to surge back, filling and compacting the passage until it was completely sealed.

Only after finishing all this did Anton leave the mining area with his mind at ease.

Meanwhile, the Elder Council and Thorvin tacitly sealed all news about the fissure, strictly forbidding anyone with knowledge of it from leaking the information.

Because of this, news of the fissure did not spread through the mining area or the Silver Moon Forest, preventing any panic.

Production and smelting work in the mining area continued as usual.

However, the Elder Council and Thorvin unanimously decided to accelerate the mining speed to excavate all the Frost Pattern Silver from the vein as quickly as possible.

This way, even if something were to happen in the mine, their losses would be minimized.

To this end, Thorvin specifically applied to Gray Rock Castle and brought in another batch of Dwarves.

The Elder Council also sent more Lizard-man slaves to the mining area as labor and had the Forest Guard take over the defense of the area. This freed up the Dwarves who were originally responsible for this task, allowing them to join the mining efforts.

The appearance of the fissure not only didn't affect the mining area's production schedule, but it actually made the area even livelier, with the mining work proceeding in full swing.

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