Chapter 132: The Elf Conflict (Part 1)

They of course would not easily trust an outsider, and they remained alert, standing there.

Li Bucai's action was intended to show them that he bore no ill will; they were unwilling, and he did not force them. To avoid unnecessary friction, he bowed his hand to the five, made a farewell gesture, and then returned the way he came.

The five, until Li Bucai and his party left, exchanged glances; the leader among them nodded at one of them, who took the order, leapt into the lying cave to inspect the passage entrance, then moved the stone slab aside and loosely covered the opening with blue‑cloud vines. The five then slipped into various corners again, without entering the cave.

Li Bucai, worried about the others' safety, returned to the dark cave, then hurried toward the direction of the seven subordinates; when the three were halfway, a sudden footfall sounded ahead.

Li Bucai immediately halted the three's steps, leapt into the lying cave nearby, and waited silently for the footsteps to come this way. As the sounds drew near, the newcomers turned out to be allies, and the three emerged from the lying cave.

Yan Ji reported, "Report to the honored master: we spotted shadows of Dark Night Elves in the dark cave; they followed us. The master had just left, and they appeared, five of them, exchanged a few moves with us, but we couldn't gain any advantage. Now we don't know where they hid; we searched for a while but couldn't locate their shadows."

Li Bucai said, "Fine, let them stay here. As long as they don't trouble us, there's no need to drive them out."

When the seven were safe, the great weight in Li Bucai's heart finally settled.

Young Marshal said, "It's already bright outside, and the Goblin sentry was killed by Dark Night Elves. By now the Goblins must have noticed, and they'll commence a full‑cave sweep. Moreover, they've surely found those vines and will station heavy troops there. So, what should we do to get out?"

Li Bucai pondered, "For now, don't act alone; stay here and see what happens outside."

"What do you think will happen?"

"The Dark Night Elves slipped in here under cover of night and remained inactive the whole night. The Goblins will inevitably discover that the path ends, cutting off their retreat. They are still staying here; unless they intend to suicide‑style attack some important person or facility, they must have a meticulous deployment around the perimeter. Their current stillness likely means they are waiting for an opportunity—perhaps a coordinated interior‑exterior strike, perhaps a timing linked to the Tree Elves below. So, let's discuss later."

This time, Li Bucai did not let everyone rest in the lying cave; instead, he found a secret passage between the dark cave and the sleeping cave, and kept watch there, able to monitor the outside at all times.

The group remained silent here for a long while; outside, footsteps and numerous Goblin chatter began to echo. Then the sound of stone slabs shifting came from the entrance of the hidden passage overhead. Several dark silhouettes leapt in, eyes meeting; the black‑clad man froze, immediately brandished his weapon, and as the last one entered the cave, sealed the entrance. The Goblin noises grew nearer, and it could be heard that a few Goblins had already entered the sleeping cave above the group to conduct a sweep.

Li Bucai made a 'shh' gesture; the five black‑clad men halted there until the Goblin sounds faded. Then two of them charged together. Li Bucai, who was closest to them at that moment, faced only two foot soldiers. He sidestepped, ducked under the blade, lightly tapped their wrists, causing their weapons to slip from their hands, which he seized. He then leapt forward, passing through the three other black‑clad men behind them, and somehow the three swords also ended up in his hands.

The five were startled simultaneously.

Li Bucai, however, held the five weapons out before them and said, "Though we walk different paths, our goal is the same. Tree Elves and Goblins are our common enemies. I don't know what you think, but regardless, you are friends of me, Li Bucai."

The five hesitated briefly, then cautiously took the weapons from his hand, moved alertly past the group, exited through Shi Men, and vanished into the dark cave.

In the time that followed, several Goblin patrols entered the sleeping cave one after another, yet none discovered the secret passage. Around noon, the outside returned to utter stillness.

Dark Night Elves are a race adept at nocturnal activity; their night vision surpasses that of all other races, beasts included, who cannot move as freely at night as they can. Consequently, for other races, nighttime movement slightly reduces combat effectiveness, and Dark Night Elves often turn that slight edge into victory.

Rui Tong, observing at Shi Men, occasionally spotted Dark Night Elf silhouettes passing before him. After those few Dark Night Elves discovered the secret passage, they quickly alerted all their comrades hidden here. No sounds of combat came from outside, indicating that all the Dark Night Elves had slipped into the passage. Once the stone slab at the passage entrance is closed, it blends with the whole stone slab, making it hard to notice, and the numerous Goblins failed to detect it.

Later, no Goblin sounds entered Wangyueku again; what transpired outside was unknown. Li Bucai simply waited for darkness to fall, for that is when Dark Night Elves are active, and he could use the chaos they cause to observe the situation here.

In fact, shortly after dawn, shadows of Dark Night Elves began to appear beneath He Rui Peak. During the two days when Li Bucai clashed with the Goblins, they had sent scouts to monitor both sides. After the Goblin army suffered a crushing defeat, Li Bucai ordered a retreat, then saw the Goblin Chieftain drawn out of He Rui Peak. Seizing the opportunity, they sent agents into He Rui Peak and dispatched troops, preparing to intercept the Chieftain's return route midway.

All this was to prevent the Tree Elves from planting the Ancient Elf Tree into the Life Spring. Once the Tree Elves complete the planting, it will spawn countless elf soldiers. Moreover, He Rui Peak, a massive fortress already developed by the undead, is easy to defend but hard to assault, and will quickly grow in strength. At that point, perhaps only the Daka Kingdom beyond the valley could match them. Once the Tree Elves become powerful, they will first launch a massive attack on the Dark Night Elves, who have already been suppressed by the Tree Elves to the point where they can only parry and have no means to strike back.

Planting the Ancient Elf Tree and nurturing a massive elf army requires concentrating a great number of Tree Elf core members, using their collective strength to accelerate the tree's rapid growth. This is also when they are at their weakest. The Goblin elite forces that once guarded their perimeter, now mostly eliminated by mixed human and undead troops, present a rare opportunity.

By near noon, the Dark Night Elf army that had been preparing to block the Goblins learned that the Goblin elite had been completely annihilated, their leader captured alive, and they redirected all their troops—concentrating five thousand soldiers—to encircle the road leading to He Rui Peak. The Goblin elite, having no return, forced the Goblins stationed at He Rui Peak to abandon their sweep and, under the Tree Elves' orders, concentrate all their forces on the perimeter to prevent the Dark Night Elves from advancing.

Meanwhile, the Tree Elves have now gathered all their forces onto the several tiered walkways near the Life Spring and within the sleeping cave.

…