Chapter 247

Because of my own sake, I've brought so much trouble; to say I regret it would be true.

But the matter has already happened, and Lin Yifan will not dwell on it further.

And Airuiliya waved her hand, then continued speaking about some overlapping points:

"Alright, these messy matters, we can chat later when we have time! First, let's talk about the main issue: we came here because we received this news, so we spared no expense to obtain a 【Group War Mission Card】, in order to thwart the Dark Night Divine Cult's conspiracy and also to let more humans survive."

"So we are actually allies now; your willingness to help us is also helping yourself."

""Oh, I see." Lin Yifan finally realized, then furrowed his brows, full of confusion, and said:"

""But weren't you the princess of the Natural Elf Clan before? How did you become a member of the Silver Dragon Knight Corps now?""

""I was originally a member of the Silver Dragon Knight Corps!" Airuiliya shrugged and laughed."

"Our Natural Elf Clan is a core member of the Dawn Alliance, and even one of its founding races; however, because our Natural Elf Clan has declined, we retreated to the Intermediate Domain."

"However, there is still a privilege: all elves in the Natural Elf Clan who hold the title of princess can join the Silver Dragon Knight Corps, becoming captains of squads with ten first-rank knights; but how far they can go afterward depends entirely on themselves."

"I joined the Silver Dragon Knight Corps 100 years ago; now I am a mid-level captain, commanding about three to five hundred people. Since I've dealt with you before, I will lead this team this time."

Having said that, she glanced left and right, then lowered her voice and whispered:

"By the way, I forgot to mention, a traitor has appeared among your group in the football life philosophy; otherwise, the news of the golden resource point wouldn't have spread so fast—in less than an hour, almost a third of the people have already come over."

"If I hadn't arrived quickly, your group would have been completely wiped out!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yifan shuddered, suddenly looked up, and asked:

""What did you just say? Can the 【Group War Mission Card】 allow 300 people to enter together?""

""Yes! What's wrong?" Airuiliya nodded."

Lin Yifan's face instantly turned grim: "But I roughly saw earlier that the number of Dark Night Elf Hunters who came here wouldn't exceed 100; where did the rest of those hunters go?"

""Moreover, this golden resource point can only draw nearby people; what about the others?""

""Also, you haven't told me what the Dark Night Divine Cult actually wants to do; what is their conspiracy?""

Upon hearing this, Airuiliya also reacted instantly, her face grim, and said:

""Damn, they must have split into three waves, each heading to different places!""

""No, we absolutely cannot let the Dark Night Divine Cult succeed!""

""But your people are all here; how else can we stop them?" Lin Yifan also looked grim, but said helplessly.

""Don't worry about this; I naturally have a way." Airuiliya took a deep breath, then turned and waved at the Silver Dragon Knight Corps behind her.

Immediately, three knights stepped forward.

Airuiliya, with a solemn expression, said to the three:

"The Dark Night Divine Temple's forces have split into three routes; you also hurry to split into three routes, keep watch on them, absolutely cannot let them open the Abyssal Gate, otherwise we will all die here!"

""Yes, Captain!" The three knights heard the order, their faces instantly changed, and they immediately went back to assign orders."

And Airuiliya turned back, saying to Lin Yifan: "You might not know, the so-called golden resource point"

Airuiliya stopped walking, her back to Lin Yifan, and slowly opened her mouth: "What I just said wasn't complete; actually, the so-called golden resource point is merely a bait, attracting you Survivors here, then stealing your 'Mark' to open the Abyssal Gate."

Lin Yifan's heart jolted: "Abyssal Gate? What is that?"

Airuiliya turned around, her eyes deep: "It is a door connected to the Red Moon world; if they succeed, the consequences are unimaginable."

""Once the Abyssal Gate opens, the power of the Red Moon will directly corrode this battlefield; at that time, all Survivors will be contaminated, becoming puppets of the Red Moon, becoming disgusting 【Maggot Human Bone】."

""They have already set up an altar in the center of the battlefield; as soon as they collect enough Marks, the ritual will start, at which point all the forests will die here, none will escape, including that bunch of trash from the Dark Night Divine Cult."

""Are they crazy? They don't even care about their own lives?" Lin Yifan was so shocked his eyes almost popped out.

""They were crazy to begin with!" Airuiliya said, face full of indignation.

Lin Yifan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed the urge to curse, his face grave, and asked:

""Then what should we do? How can we stop them?""

Airuiliya took out a silver rune from her bosom and handed it to Lin Yifan:

""This is a 'Space Anchor Rune'; it can temporarily seal the opening of the Abyssal Gate. But someone must sneak near the altar and activate it before the ritual starts."

Lin Yifan took the rune, feeling its powerful energy: ""You mean... you want me to go?""

""You are the most suitable choice." Airuiliya looked straight at him, ""Your strength is enough, and your teammates are trustworthy; you leading them to do this will let me rest easy.""

""I will frontally restrain the hunters, creating an opportunity for you; your speed must also be fast, because besides this golden resource point, there are likely two golden support points—if any of these three points completes the ritual by the Dark Night Divine Cult, we will all die.""

At a moment of life and death, there simply aren't that many choices!

If we want to survive, we can only go all out, giving it our all!

Lin Yifan hesitated not even a second, then directly nodded: ""Alright, I'll go.""

Airuiliya showed a hint of approval: ""Remember, once the rune is activated, the altar will be sealed for ten minutes. Within this time, you must completely destroy the altar's core, otherwise the Abyssal Gate will still open.""

""Understood." Lin Yifan gripped the rune, a flash of determination in his eyes.

Returning to the team, Ruan Qingdan and Hong Shaoqiang immediately gathered around.

""Captain, what did she say to you?" Ruan Qingdan asked nervously.

Lin Yifan did not hide anything, quickly telling the two of Airuiliya's plan.

""What? The Abyssal Gate?!" Ruan Qingdan's face turned pale, ""Doesn't that mean we're all doomed?""

Hong Shaoqiang said in a low voice: ""We must stop them; Niuniu is still outside, I absolutely cannot die here.""

Lin Yifan nodded, his gaze firm: ""Time is pressing; we must act immediately.""

Ruan Qingdan bit her lip: ""But Captain, those hunters are too strong; can we really succeed?""

""No time to hesitate." Lin Yifan patted her shoulder, ""Airuiliya will draw fire from the front; this is our only chance.""

Hong Shaoqiang gripped his weapon and said in a low voice: ""I'll go with you.""

Lin Yifan showed a hint of a smile: ""Good brother.""

At that moment, the 【Father of God】 sneaked over furtively and said: ""Um... Yifan big shot, are you guys going to do something big? Can you bring me along?""

Lin Yifan glanced at him, "What's the matter, aren't you afraid of death?"

Father of God rubbed his hands and sneered, "Hehe, I'm just trying to atone for my sins! Besides, following the big boss is safer than wandering around on my own."

Lin Yifan thought briefly, nodded, and said, "Fine, but you must obey orders and stop pulling tricks."

"Definitely, definitely!" Father of God nodded repeatedly.

Night fell, and Lin Yifan's party moved silently toward the altar at the center of the battlefield, using the darkness as cover.

Along the way they avoided several patrols of Hunters and finally reached a high ridge where the full view of the altar unfolded.

It was a circular altar built from black massive stones, with a blood‑red Crystal hovering in the center; around it lay the bodies of Survivors, their Survivors' Marks stripped away and floating near the Crystal, emitting an eerie glow.

"Damn…" Hong Shaoqiang clenched his fists, anger flaring in his eyes.

Lin Yifan lowered his voice, "Stay calm. Our goal is to destroy the altar's core. Ruan Qingtan should be ready; once Ai Ruiliya makes a move, we'll charge down."

As he spoke, a violent surge of energy erupted in the distance, and silver light shot up into the sky!

"Look over there!" Father of God shouted.

Immediately, the sounds of fierce fighting came, and the Hunters were clearly drawn to Ai Ruiliya's attention.

"Now!" Lin Yifan barked, leading the charge down the ridge.

Hong Shaoqiang and Father of God followed close behind.

The three rushed toward the altar, but just as they were about to step into its range, a dark figure lunged from the side!

"Watch out!" Hong Shaoqiang shoved Lin Yifan aside, but the dark figure's claw slashed his shoulder.

"Hahaha, I knew someone would come to cause trouble!" The dark figure revealed its true form: it was the Hunter leader Luo Tasi!

He smiled coldly, "That stupid woman Ai Ruiliya really thinks I'll be restrained by her? You're the real targets!"

Lin Yifan's pupils narrowed, "A diversion?"

"Exactly!" Luo Tasi waved his hand, and dozens of Hunters instantly swarmed around, encircling the three.

"Now, hand over your marks, and I'll let you die a little more peacefully."

Lin Yifan sneered, "Dream on!"

He suddenly activated the "Spatial Anchor Rune" in his hand; silver light burst instantly, enveloping the entire altar!

"What?!" Luo Tasi's face turned pale, "You actually have something from the Silver Dragon Knight Corps!"

"Attack!" Lin Yifan roared, charging first toward the altar's core.

Hong Shaoqiang and Father of God immediately followed, fighting the surrounding Hunters as a group.

Luo Tasi roared and lunged at Lin Yifan, "You're asking for death!"

Their silhouettes crossed in the air, blades flashing; Lin Yifan felt immense pressure. Luo Tasi's strength far exceeded that of ordinary Hunters, each strike carrying lethal threat.

"We must destroy the core quickly!" Lin Yifan gritted his teeth, defending against Luo Tasi's attacks while closing in on the altar's center.

Yet the sheer number of Hunters was overwhelming; Hong Shaoqiang and Father of God soon fell into a hard fight, sustaining many wounds.

At the critical moment, a silver figure descended from the sky!

"Lin Yifan, I'm here to help you!" Ai Ruiliya brandished a long spear, charging onto the battlefield like a war god.

Her arrival instantly turned the tide; the Hunters were driven back.

Luo Tasi's face turned iron‑blue, "Ai Ruiliya! How dare—"

"Shut up!" Ai Ruiliya pointed her spear, coldly saying, "Today is your death day!"

With Ai Ruiliya's support, Lin Yifan finally seized the chance and rushed to the altar's core.

He raised his weapon and struck with all his might!

"Boom—!"

The blood‑red Crystal shattered in response, and the runes surrounding the altar dimmed instantly.

"No—!" Luo Tasi let out a desperate roar.

With the core destroyed, the altar began to collapse, and the ritual to open the Abyssal Gate was completely halted.

Seeing the tide turn, the Hunters fled in panic.

Luo Tasi glared at Lin Yifan viciously, "You'll wait for me!"

With that, he turned into a black shadow and vanished into the night.

——

After the battle, Lin Yifan let out a long sigh and collapsed onto the ground.

Ai Ruiliya walked to his side and whispered, "Well done."

Lin Yifan gave a wry smile, "I almost ended up here."

"But you succeeded," Ai Ruiliya said, looking at the collapsed altar, "The crisis of the Abyssal Gate is resolved."

Hong Shaoqiang and Father of God also came over, wounded but with victorious smiles on their faces.

Ruan Qingtan arrived with other Survivors to regroup; seeing everyone safe, she was moved to tears, "Great, you're still alive!"

Lin Yifan smiled, "Thanks to everyone's effort."

Ai Ruiliya surveyed the crowd and solemnly said, "The Dark Elf Tribe will not give up easily; you must be more cautious from now on. I will report this to the Silver Dragon Knight Corps to request more support."

Lin Yifan nodded, "Understood."

Ai Ruiliya hesitated, then whispered, "Also, about your lack of a Survivors' Mark… I might have a clue."

Lin Yifan snapped his head up, "What clue?"

"We'll talk privately later," Ai Ruiliya glanced at the others, "For now, you all rest and recover."

Lin Yifan suppressed his doubts and told Ruan Qingtan and the others, "You handle the wounds first; Ai Ruiliya and I have something to discuss."

Moving aside, Ai Ruiliya said directly, "Your Survivors' Mark was probably never issued from the start."

"Why?" Lin Yifan asked, puzzled.

"Because you are a 'special existence'," AiRuiLiYa said meaningfully, looking at him, "your body bears the aura of the Red Moon."

Lin Yifan's heart jolted: "What?!"

"I can't pinpoint the exact reason yet, but this may be why you lack a seal," AiRuiLiYa said gravely, "You must be careful; if others discover it, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Lin Yifan remained silent for a long while, then finally nodded: "I understand."

AiRuiLiYa patted his shoulder: "I will continue the investigation; I'll inform you when I have news. For now, you all should leave here and find a safe place to rest."

Lin Yifan stood atop the ruins, the night wind brushing his face. In the distance, the surviving Survivors were bandaging each other's wounds, speaking in low voices.