Chapter 698: Koutao Fish‑People

After resting for half a day, the party set out again.

The entrance to the underground world that Yizite mentioned is not far from Shield Island; a single teleport brings us to its vicinity, located at the bottom of a deep canyon.

The group entered the canyon and soon found the entrance.

It is a cave over four meters tall, its mouth largely blocked by several large trees and dense underbrush, the bottom invisible at a glance. From the marks at the entrance, it appears no living being or undead has passed here for a long time; a cool breeze drifts out of the cave, leading to an unknown space.

Yizite observed for a while, then turned and said, "Few know this entrance; I stumbled upon it by chance, and it leads to the upper layer of the Dark Realm."

"There shouldn't be any danger, right?" Beilake asked.

"Underground creatures are certain to exist, but they pose little threat to us," the dark elf said with a confident laugh.

"That's fine then," the Holy Spear ranger said, more as a casual remark.

Reslin nodded, "We'll go in."

Yizite led at the front, A Xina followed, then Beilake and Reslin, with Dao En Suosi at the rear.

A dozen meters into the entrance, no light could penetrate, and one could not see a hand in front of them.

Reslin instantly cast a spell, and several fist-sized light orbs hovered around the group, illuminating the path ahead.

The interior terrain of the cave was extremely rugged, like fissures formed after an earthquake; the wide sections resembled a hall, while the narrow parts forced one to crawl sideways, with no regular direction, and a fork appeared every short stretch.

Yizite was very familiar with this route and could make a choice without hesitation each time.

After advancing a few hundred meters, the cave began to slope downward; the deeper one went, the deeper it became, and each step echoed from afar.

Continuing forward for several li, the cave floor extended downward at nearly a thirty-degree angle.

The party delved ever deeper underground.

Gradually, the surroundings grew damp, and the air was filled with a strange odor. Reslin had an exact count of the distance traveled, already at least ten li underground.

At that moment, a faint light appeared ahead.

"We're almost there."

Yizite whispered, quickening his pace slightly.

A few minutes later, the group squeezed into a narrow opening, bent forward for dozens of meters, and upon looking up, a spectacular sight suddenly filled their view.

Reslin, A Xina, and Dao En Suosi were entering the underground world for the first time; after adjusting to the surroundings, they couldn't help marveling at the world's wonders.

Before them lay a massive cavern, astonishingly thousands of meters wide.

The cavern's ceiling was low, with massive stalactites hanging down like a dark sky ready to collapse, giving a sense of oppression.

Most areas were shrouded in darkness, yet not completely invisible.

"Sky," "walls," and the complex "ground" were dotted with various ferns emitting a faint glow. There were also some luminous rocks, lichens, and night‑glow crystals that illuminated nearby areas, though their colors were strange—green, dark red, cyan‑purple, and so on—creating a bizarre spectacle.

Neither darkness nor strange light affected Reslin's soul eye.

He scanned the cavern and at a glance spotted the underground creatures hidden within; the bright light spheres around him were glaring, drawing their secretive gazes.

The air was very humid, and distant water sounds indicated an underground dark river.

Yizite said, "This is the upper layer of the Dark Realm; it poses no danger to us. I will alert you to any places that need attention along the way."

He confirmed the direction, "We continue onward."

Darkness had almost no effect on the group, all of whom possessed at least Legendary High-rank strength; they traversed the rugged terrain as if on flat ground, advancing almost as quickly as on the surface.

The Demonic Hunter slightly released a demonic aura, frightening away the underground creatures that attempted to attack.

Soon, the party emerged from a narrow tunnel and entered an even deeper cavern. The Dark Realm is a black world composed of countless caves; some are so small only a few people can fit, while others are vast beyond sight. They interconnect via winding tunnels—sometimes only dozens of meters long, other times stretching dozens of li, like a massive maze.

The largest cave resembled a miniature of the surface world, its ceiling soaring over a thousand meters, with internal hills, valleys, forests, swamps, and rivers winding through, forming tranquil lakes.

The Dark Realm is a three‑dimensional world; sometimes one must climb the rock walls or cavern ceiling, or use flight techniques to find an exit.

Before entering, Yizite had already briefed everyone.

The Dark Realm is roughly divided into three tiers.

The upper tier, closest to the surface, is the largest in area and inhabited by numerous underground beings—gray dwarves, night goblins, cave dwellers, dark elves, subterranean gnomes, eye demons, Koutao fish‑people, and so on—often in contact with the surface, and sometimes encountering soul‑hunting parties from above.

The middle tier lies deeper underground, and most habitable regions are ruled by dark elves.

It is the dark elves' domain; they regard other races as slaves, and any outsider entering the middle tier who is discovered by dark elves will be attacked, killed, or enslaved.

The deepest lower tier has the harshest environment, lacking water and riddled with lava fissures.

The lower tier is also the most dangerous part of the Dark Realm, harboring many terrifying monsters and some mysterious ancient beings, rumored to predate the gods, being the earliest races of the Ai Lun E Si world, such as bottom‑dwelling demon fish and mushroom people.

There are many passages between the three tiers, allowing travel up and down.

The Spirit-absorbing Monster city "Thus Place: Yilaientu" that Yizite had once seen lies in the deepest lower tier.

Along this route, the group must first travel about ten days in the upper tier to reach the tunnel leading to the middle tier; after entering the middle tier, they traverse the dark elves' domain, passing two Zorul cities, before reaching the entrance to the lower tier.

After half a day in the Dark Realm, Reslin and a few others began to feel a sense of oppression.

Even though they could see in the dark, staying too long in such a confined environment inevitably caused inexplicable irritation.

Beilake twisted his neck and said as he walked, "No wonder the underground creatures are so irritable, their hearts full of hatred; living in this haunted place for a lifetime, it's no surprise they go mad!"

Yizite ahead let out a bitter laugh.

Dao En Suosi cast Divine Technique, soothing the companions' irritation.

Reslin rode a phantom horse he summoned, and Willpower kept his mind calm as he said, "Life will find a way out. No matter how harsh the environment, for survival, life persists generation after generation and will eventually adapt."

Yizite and Dao En Suosi, upon hearing this, wore thoughtful expressions.

A Xina was about to respond when Reslin suddenly halted the phantom horse and said calmly, "We need to prepare for battle."

The group was startled, then looked ahead.

At this moment, the party stood within a massive cavern hundreds of meters high, containing an underground forest whose trees were grayish, sparsely leaved, and whose twisted branches resembled living masses, baring fangs as if ready to devour.

A small path, forged by an underground caravan, ran through the forest's center, its way blocked ahead by a river.

Reslin's gaze pierced the river water, seeing countless aquatic creatures lurking below.

"Koutao fish‑people."

Yizite also discovered the ambush in the river, glanced twice, and whispered, "There should be a Kou Tao fishmen tribe in this cave; they think we're an underground caravan and want to rob us."

"Ha ha…" Bei Laku couldn't help but laugh.

He was bored and his hands were itching, just right to take these Kou Tao fishmen for amusement.

"Don't be careless," Reslin said. "These Kou Tao fishmen aren't simple; there are many of them, at least two legends."

The teammates' expressions all turned serious.

"Shall we go around?" Dao En Suosi suggested.

Yizite replied, "We can't go around; they've definitely blocked the cave's exit. Even if we teleport across the river, we'll still have to fight them in the end."

"Then let's kill them all," A Xina said, already wielding a shield and a longsword.

Reslin was of the same mind.

Kou Tao fishmen are downright evil creatures; like most underground races, they are filled with hatred and malice toward outsiders, and killing them carries no burden. The deity they worship is a very weak god, known by almost no one and not feared for retaliation.

To him, all those Kou Tao fishmen are just battery power.

The teammates quickly reached a consensus.

Then, as if nothing had been discovered, they kept moving forward; Reslin, riding a phantom horse, raised the Endless Storm and began casting.

As his spell rapidly formed, red light erupted from the canopy of the forest.

The air also grew hot.

A few seconds later, a layer of fire cloud covered the cave ceiling, an unknown thickness of flame cloud descending to envelop several hundred meters, instantly igniting the forest below.

The river surface also began to boil.

Eight-Ring Spell—Burning Cloud Technique!

Boom!

Rolling flames fell, the firelight illuminated the entire cave, the river churned, and gray‑blue humanoid creatures emerged from below.

They stood on two legs, about one and a half meters tall, with ugly fish heads, skin covered in gray‑blue fish scales, wielding various crude weapons—mostly harpoons, also spears, shields, and the like—clambering out of the water and charging at the group.

A rough count showed at least five hundred Kou Tao fishmen, and their numbers kept rising.

"So many!" Bei Laku jumped in fright.

Like the many fishmen of Ai Lun E Si, Kou Tao fishmen have a trait that lets them link their lives with their kin to amplify strength.

The more there are, the stronger the power boost.

These Kou Tao fishmen originally possessed only Foundation to Mid-stage power, but when hundreds gathered, their auras linked, instantly multiplying everyone's strength several times, with a small fraction reaching High-tier.

The three leading legendary Kou Tao fishmen surged directly to Legendary Mid-stage.

Their bodies swelled to three or four meters tall: one fishmen priest wielding a wooden staff, and two fishmen hunters brandishing massive harpoons in a high‑speed charge.

At the rear of the party, a large group of Kou Tao fishmen appeared, surrounding the five of them.

Thousands of Kou Tao fishmen would spell certain death for an underground caravan or soul‑hunting squad. Encountering such a massive scene right after entering the upper layer of the Dark Realm made everyone truly realize the danger of the underground world.

"Fight!" Yizite shouted.

He wielded two massive battle blades, transformed into a towering Demon, sprouted a pair of wings on his back, and unleashed a vast torrent of evil energy.

The aura of a Saint Rank powerhouse frightened the Kou Tao fishmen into a chaotic scramble.

The three legendary Kou Tao fishmen's eyes bulged, and they emitted a gurgling croak; even without understanding, one could guess they were shouting retreat.

However, retreat was already too late now.

The scorching flame cloud fell straight down, instantly engulfing most of the Kou Tao fishmen in fire; aquatic creatures dread flame, and Kou Tao fishmen are no exception.

In an instant, countless wails rang out in the cave.

Hundreds of Kou Tao fishmen were burned raw, the Burning Cloud Technique's flames like bone‑gnawing sores that, once on the fish scales, would not extinguish; the terrifying heat instantly pierced the scales and skin, and the water‑bubble shields of some fishmen priests were merely a drop in the bucket.

In just a few breaths, most of the Kou Tao fishmen died, turning to ash.

The forest along the riverbank was also burned to bare ground.

In the forward direction, only a few faster Kou Tao fishmen escaped the Burning Cloud Technique's range; those that jumped back into the river also couldn't get away alive, but they fared a bit better than the ones on land, at least leaving whole bodies.

On the boiling river surface, boiled Kou Tao fishmen corpses floated up one after another.

When Reslin's Burning Cloud Technique ended, he smelled a familiar aroma and recalled a delicacy from a past life: boiled live fish…

However, the battle had only just begun.

A Xina and Yizite had already surged forward, pursuing the two legendary Mid-stage Kou Tao fishmen hunters. Bei Laku, both hands gripping a Bolt Gun, fired, blasting the surviving enemies from the Burning Cloud Technique one by one.

That Kou Tao fishmen priest, seeing the unfavorable situation, was casting Water Escape Technique.

Reslin pointed his staff at it; a semi‑transparent Disintegration Technique struck, instantly shattering the shield and interrupting the spell. Then, dozens of black chains sprouted from the surrounding void, binding it tightly, rendering it immobile.

A burst of Flame Explosion Technique shot toward it.

Rumble!

The explosion rattled the entire cave; the Kou Tao fishmen priest's bones were gone, and the dozen fishmen beside it were blown to pieces, turned into countless chunks of flesh.

The two legendary fishmen hunters were killed even earlier.

In front of A Xina and Yizite, they couldn't even block a single strike and instantly turned into corpses.

The Kou Tao fishmen that had surrounded them from behind, seeing this scene, were terrified and fled. Reslin, steering his phantom horse, turned his head; spears of light materialized, firing together, instantly catching up to the enemies, piercing each fleeing Kou Tao fishmen as if guided with perfect precision.

Bei Laku also swung his gun around, and bullets rained down like a storm.

After a dozen seconds, the gunfire ceased.

Over a thousand Kou Tao fishmen were all killed; this was not a battle but a one‑sided slaughter. Reslin glanced at his phone screen, seeing the battery level rise by more than three hundred units.

(End of Chapter)