Chapter 134: Elf Conflict (III)

Dark Night Elf leader Ai Na and another commander Ai Lisi each led a group of people out of the dark tunnel, splitting into two squads; they descended the stairs from opposite directions. Because the dark tunnel was narrow, like a boardwalk, only two people could walk side by side, so the forces stretched into a long human chain.

When they reached a point five levels above the lowest floor, Ai Na led the vanguard. As they walked, a sudden wail rose from behind; in a cavern at the rear of the formation, a barrage of arrows erupted, and instantly a hundred Tree Elf archers blocked their retreat.

Amid the chaos behind them, a line of figures flashed ahead; more than three hundred Tree Elf archers appeared beneath the formation, surrounding them in the middle.

It turned out the Tree Elf had indeed discovered the dark tunnel. While Goblins were hunting them, the Tree Elf possessed Qingwolf Beasts, whose sense of smell was extraordinarily keen; following the scent, they located the tunnel entrance. The Tree Elf then began quietly scouting other tunnels, finding one in the cavern of each room, and when many Dark Night Elf gathered outside the mountain, they secretly sent men to slip into the caves and lie in ambush.

Nevertheless, although the Dark Night Elf fell into an ambush, they dared to plunge deep into enemy territory, naturally having prepared in advance; after a few were shot, they quickly organized a Crossbow counter‑press.

Tree Elf excel at using bows; a bow's agility surpasses the Crossbow, and it can be re‑loaded quickly. Yet the Dark Night Elf's Crossbow, though short, is forged from a unique material; despite its size, its power is in no way inferior to a standard large Crossbow, and in range, penetration and accuracy it far exceeds the elves' long bow.

The dark tunnel was narrow, and both sides were adept shooters; even though the Tree Elf tried to sandwich the Dark Night Elf, they dared not advance too far and kept a distance. A Tree Elf's arrow could only kill one person, while a Dark Night Elf's Crossbow bolt could pierce two. In open ground the Tree Elf could rely on agile dodging, but in this cramped space evasion was difficult; even if the front cleared, those behind could not escape, and the number of attackers was fewer than the Dark Night Elf. Ai Na cleared the way at the front; when she saw incoming arrows, she first blocked them with a dagger, then fired a Crossbow in return. Her Crossbow was far more powerful than the ordinary troops' earlier weapons, and instantly four people failed to dodge and were pierced by crossbow bolts.

Both sides continued exchanging arrow rain for a long time; the Tree Elf gradually weakened and were broken through by the Dark Night Elf.

At that moment, Ai Na heard shouts and gunfire from outside; nearby, she led the remaining people to charge out of the dark tunnel…

……

At this time, Li Bucai and his companions, who had been watching the two sides from the top level, suddenly heard the thundering run of Qingwolf Beasts overhead.

"Bad, the wolf pack is coming in. Quickly, split up and try to herd the wolves into the passage. Once sealed, go back the same way to see if anyone is commanding the pack and eliminate them. Then we'll rendezvous outside."

At Li Bucai's command, the group immediately emerged from Shi Men and blocked the four stairs leading down.

Soon a massive herd of Qingwolf Beasts roared as they surged down from above, like a black tide pouring down.

Li Bucai's party formed groups of two or three; one person blocked the entrance while another hid in a cavern on the lower level. The Qingwolf Beasts descended from above, spotted them, and locked onto them. The group immediately guided the wolves into the passage between the dark tunnel and the sleeping cave, then used a stone block or similar heavy object to seal the opening. They all chose the longest passage, which could hold over a hundred Qingwolf Beasts. At that moment, those hidden on the lower level shut the stone gate from behind the pack, thus sealing several hundred Qingwolf Beasts tightly.

Going back up, they discovered that a few Goblins were directing the pack; they rushed up and eliminated the Goblins, and the group reconvened outside at one spot.

Below, the two elf races had already merged into a chaotic melee. The cavalry led by Ailin that first reached the bottom of the cave was now being raked by a rain of arrows from the Tree Elf perched above; of the six hundred horsemen, only a few remained. Occasionally some Tree Elf leapt down to engage in close‑quarters combat to stop them from damaging the Ancient Elf Tree.

The other cavalry, having been ambushed in the dark tunnel, broke through the Tree Elf's center, and the two forces clashed together.

Li Bucai and his companions looked down from the top; Young Marshal said, "The Dark Night Elf numbers are too few; it looks like they won't hold out much longer."

"Yes, even though the Dark Night Elf are few, they probably haven't deployed all their cavalry here. In other words, their tribe or the area outside the mountain must still have many horsemen. From the numbers of these Dark Night Elf, their reach is comparable to the Tree Elf, yet the Tree Elf treat this place as their nest with only two thousand people here. How could they suppress the Dark Night Elf to the point where they can't even lift their heads?" Li Bucai felt the Tree Elf's low numbers were somewhat abnormal.

"It's precisely because the Tree Elf are so few that they bribed Goblins and came to seize the Life Spring."

"It's better to assume the worst rather than the best in such matters." Li Bucai still felt something was off.

"Regardless of whether they're many or few, we're here to eliminate them. Should we go down now to aid the Dark Night Elf, or …"

Li Bucai said, "They're about to collapse. If we go down now it won't help; the Tree Elf have already discovered the dark tunnel, there's no longer any hiding place here. Prepare to withdraw."

The group immediately returned to the summit. At that moment, 200 Dark Night Elf were on the gate tower at the mountain‑road entrance, fiercely holding off incoming Goblin reinforcements. Below the tower, more than 2,000 Goblin spearmen gathered, launching wave after wave of fierce assaults.

Down the mountain, killing cries echoed as several thousand Goblins massed on the two lowest tiers of the winding road, and about three thousand Dark Night Elf launched a fierce attack toward the entrance.

However, a fortified gate stood at the entrance; although the Goblin elite had been eliminated, most of those gathered there were throwers and spearmen. Relying on numerical superiority, when one fell another took its place, making it hard for the Dark Night Elf to find a way to breach.

"It seems those inside are waiting for outside reinforcements. At this rate, even half a day more they won't break through; if they keep holding, they'll be annihilated. Rui Tong, go and inform the people below that the situation has changed and have them retreat."

Rui Tong responded and left; Young Marshal followed closely behind, intending to go in as well, but Li Bucai grabbed her back.

"My lightness skill is better than hers; why won't you let me go in?"

"Young Marshal, if you want to join the fun, take a few people down from here; cutting off the Goblins' rear path would be better—why waste effort on a useless task?" Li Bucai pointed to the upward path. The vines there had already been cut down by Goblins, and Li Bucai handed a rope to her.

At present, opening a way out is far more useful than helping in Wangyueku, and Young Marshal did not object. He led four guards down the cliff, to disrupt the Goblins from behind.

Li Bucai then took the pre‑prepared timber from his pack and stacked it at the entrance.

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I am at fault; I cannot finish the third watch today, but I will make it up tomorrow.