Chapter 707: Moonlight Church

When Yizite sent the message, the flames on the city's time pillars had already gone out, and the underground city had entered night; most areas were in darkness, hand could not see a finger, only a few Zhuoer aristocrats' homes glowed with crystal lights.

Reslin and three others passed through the portal and appeared in a bright hall, whose lavish decorations showed it was a noble household.

Three elves stood before them, one was Yizite, and another was also a male dark elf.

The last had smooth, fair skin and a head of blue hair; it was a wood elf.

"Taibeilun has seen you, guests from the surface," the unfamiliar male Zhuoer said politely, bowing to Reslin and the others.

He wore comfortable everyday clothes, yet could not hide his agile frame; his skin was dark and rough, clearly battle‑worn, and a fierce scar ran from his left eye down to his chin—at first glance intimidating, but his violet eyes showed no trace of cruelty, only warmth and calm.

His soul eye scanned and identified him as a Legendary Mid-stage Zhuoer warrior.

Reslin looked at Yizite and saw the Demonic Hunter's exterior unchanged, but his heart was extremely nervous, constantly monitoring his own reactions, as if a single word could trigger him to act.

He instantly understood the situation: Yizite needed him to discern friend from foe.

Yizite had escaped Mosuobulai over a hundred years ago.

During those hundred‑plus years he mostly roamed the Dark Regions, shuttling between the surface and the underground; every few years he returned home to covertly contact those who also longed to leave the depths, helping with daily hardships even if he could not free them.

However, Yizite had been planning his promotion to Saint Rank for twenty years; being away so long, he was no longer clear on Mosuobulai's shifting situation.

Even those once like‑minded kin could not be sure whether they had defected, falling back into Spider Queen Ros's evil faith.

Previously, Reslin had assured him there was a way to discern friend from foe.

So when he found this Legendary Zhuoer warrior before him, he immediately sent word for himself to come and perform a verification.

Reslin whispered via Message Transmission Technique, "He has no problem."

Distinguishing whether a dark elf is good or evil is very easy; just look at the other's fire of faith.

This Zhuoer warrior named Taibeilun does not worship Spider Queen Ros; his fire of faith is silver‑white, like the faint moonlight scattered on a midsummer night, filled with tranquil peace, a touch of melancholy and sorrow, and compassion for kind creatures.

Reslin was not familiar with this kind of fire of faith.

But he had once read about it in his mobile library; among the elf deities there is a "Dark Girl" named Ilyas, who, although the daughter of Spider Queen Ros, is completely different from her malevolent mother, being a profoundly benevolent god.

The Dark Girl maintains good relations with many deities, especially the Dark Moon Goddess and the God of Magic.

Therefore, their divine power is not especially strong among the gods, even rather weak, yet few deities dare oppose them; even Spider Queen Ros greatly fears this daughter who despises her.

The underground world's good races, especially dark elves yearning to return to the surface, are almost all followers of the Dark Girl.

Taibeilun is such; his faith in the Dark Girl is extremely devout.

When Reslin first met Yizite, he discovered Yizite was a follower of the Dark Moon Goddess, not the Dark Girl, which surprised him. However, present today is also a second follower of the Dark Moon Goddess, Eluna, the female wood elf beside them.

A wood elf appearing in Mosuobulai, Reslin could guess her history.

Predictably, she had been captured as a slave by dark elves, then luckily met Taibeilun, sparking love between them, and they became husband and wife.

Yizite's hanging heart settled, and he lowered his covert vigilance.

"I'll introduce you," he said with a smile, "This is my best friend in Mosuobulai, Taibeilun Takendui Si, the second son of the Takendui Si family, a Zhuoer noble, now one of the three deputy commanders of Mosuobulai City's Gray Lizard Cavalry Regiment."

Then pointing at the wood elf, he said, "This beautiful lady is Taibeilun's wife, Tarui'er."

The female elf gracefully greeted, "Tarui'er has seen you all."

The elf couple curiously observed the four; each time Yizite mentioned their names, they greeted them one by one.

Tarui'er is a High-rank Ranger, unable to precisely sense the four's strength, only feeling they are extremely powerful, guessing they must all be Legendary.

As a Legendary Mid-stage Zhuoer warrior, Taibeilun had endured countless life‑or‑death battles over centuries, his eyesight far sharper than his wife's.

He grew increasingly alarmed, unable to hide the shock in his eyes.

"Yizite…" Taibeilun could not help but speak.

The Demonic Hunter, knowing what he would ask, laughed, "You didn't see wrong; my friends are all Legendary High-rank strong ones."

"Then you?" Taibeilun suddenly turned his head, staring tightly at the old friend he hadn't seen in over twenty years, as if he already had the answer he wanted.

"I am already Saint Rank," Yizite replied calmly.

"Dark Moon above!" the wood elf exclaimed.

Taibeilun suddenly stepped back a few paces, his lips trembling, crying with joy, "You finally succeeded! Yizite, I've waited this day far too long; when I first met you, I knew you could succeed, finally… finally…"

Joyful tears welled in the Zhuoer warrior's eyes.

He let the tears flow, half‑kneeling toward a direction in his home, praying silently.

Reslin looked toward that direction and discovered a secret chamber containing a sculpture as tall as a human; it depicted a nude dark‑elf woman wielding a silver sword, dancing in moonlight, her silver hair cascading like a waterfall to her ankles, her posture free and graceful, exuding endless charm.

He recognized it as a statue of the Dark Girl Ilyas.

As Taibeilun prayed, the statue gave faint reactions, as if coming to life, and the shadows in the secret room began to dance.

When the prayer ended, the statue's strange image also vanished.

When Taibeilun rose, his expression had returned to calm; he invited Reslin and the others to sit and asked, "Yizite, you have successfully advanced to Saint Rank and returned to Mosuobulai with powerful surface friends; is there something important?"

Under his expectant gaze, Yizite gave a slight nod, "Yes."

The wood elf beside him also grew tense.

Yizite said, "I have already found a suitable place on the surface for our people; this return is to inform everyone to prepare, to lead you out of the Dark Regions."

"Really?" Tarui'er could not sit still.

Taibeilun had some speculation, but hearing Yizite say it himself, his newly steadied emotions became highly excited again.

"Naturally it's true," Yizite told the elf couple not to get too excited, "but not now; we need time to make a complete evacuation plan."

"When? How long must we wait?"

Yizite glanced at Reslin; the two had discussed this before.

For a dark elf to escape the underground world is far from easy; without a teleportation spell, one must traverse a great distance through the Dark Regions.

For Zhuoers below Legendary, this is a near‑certain death sentence.

Yet the greatest danger still comes from their own kind's pursuit; Spider Queen Ros's doctrine contains a prohibition that absolutely forbids dark elves from returning to the surface.

Any Zhuoer daring to do so is a shameless betrayal of Spider Queen Ros, to be captured at any cost, subjected to the harshest punishments, at least tortured for seven days and nights before being thrown into the Demon Spider Pit, offering flesh and soul to the Spider Goddess.

To prevent the Dark Elves from escaping, every newborn is marked with a "spider mark" by the priests of Spider Queen Ros.

Through the spider mark, the priests can track the general movement range of all the Zuoer.

If a spider mark is found far from the city, beyond the normal range, and no report has been made to the priests, it means an escape.

The priests of the Spider Temple will dispatch hunters at once.

Very few Dark Elves can evade the pursuit; to avoid torture, those desperate Dark Elves kill themselves before being recaptured. Even so, the priests do not spare the dead escapees, whipping and humiliating their corpses, then hanging them on the pillars before the temple as a warning.

Such a dreadful fate makes the Zuoer who long to reach the surface dare not make any move.

The priests of the Dark Girl can lift the spider mark.

However, when the mark is lifted, it also alerts the priests of Spider Queen Ros.

Usually at this time, Dark Elves wishing to escape are still within the city, and even if outside, they do not stray far, making it equally hard to evade the Spider Temple's hunters.

This becomes a dilemma; no matter what, they must face a formidable foe.

Occasionally a few lucky or powerful Zuoer manage to escape the underground world, but large‑scale exoduses are virtually impossible.

Therefore Yizite says a comprehensive plan is needed.

"About half a year," Yizite replied. This was the time he set after discussing with Reslin, but he gave little explanation and continued, "I need you to contact the people in Mosuobulai City, and at the appointed time, leave together."

Taibeilun furrowed his brow, "What about the spider mark?"

"We will lift it on the day we escape," Yizite said, having considered it many times. "You need not worry about the Spider Temple's hunters; my friends and I will block them."

The female elf Tairui'er glanced at the few humans, skeptically asking, "Mosuobulai City has at least four Saint Ranks; can you alone hold them back? There are so many Zuoer, the Gray Lizard Cavalry, and the slave army; even if we run fast, we cannot outrun the demon bat knights soaring in the sky…"

"You need not worry about that."

Yizite waved his hand, "Everyone need not flee far; as long as you get half a day's journey away from Mosuobulai, you'll be safe."

The elven couple's eyes lit up, and Taibeilun exclaimed excitedly, "Teleportation Array?"

"Exactly!"

Yizite smiled and nodded, then his expression turned serious as he asked, "How many people in the city now are willing to go to the surface?"

"I can confirm there are only about one hundred and fifty left," Taibeilun said with a wry smile.

"Why have they become so few?" Yizite asked, astonished.

He has roamed the Dark Realm for over a hundred years, visiting most Zuoer cities; wherever he went, he sought ways to contact benevolent Zuoer, totaling over a thousand.

Mosuobulai is the most populous Zuoer city, housing nearly forty thousand Dark Elves and over one hundred thousand slaves; when he left last, there were over three hundred known benevolent Zuoer, and in just twenty‑odd years that number has halved!

Taibeilun explained, "During the years you were absent, the Spider Temple's persecution of benevolent Zuoer grew ever harsher, almost daily searching the city for Ilyas's followers. After I became deputy commander of the Gray Lizard Cavalry, too many people beneath me eye my position, plotting to replace me, making me reluctant to act and rescue anyone."

Yizite nodded slowly, his expression showing an uncontainable pain.

Each loss of a benevolent Zuoer pained him.

"We can wait no longer," Yizite rose and said, "Taibeilun, go out tonight to place a mark, gather Ilyas's followers, meet them three days later, and announce this good news to them."

"Good!" Taibeilun replied excitedly.

The Demonic Hunter's mouth curled coldly, and in a low voice said, "By the way, I will eliminate the infiltrators hidden in the Moonlight Church to prevent any leaks."

The Moonlight Church is the church of the Dark Girl Ilyas.

Its divine offices are "Moonlight," "Dance," and "Swordsmanship," with the "Moonlight" office subordinate to the "Moon," so the Dark Girl Ilyas is also a subordinate deity of the Dark Moon goddess Eluna, and the two share an intimate sister‑like bond.

That night, Taibeilun went out in the name of the Gray Lizard Cavalry patrol, leaving signs in several places throughout the city.

Ilyas's followers, upon seeing the signs, could understand their meaning.

Reslin and four others hid in Taibeilun's house.

This legendary Zuoer warrior is the highest‑ranking follower of the Moonlight Church in Mosuobulai City, already able to reach the city's ruling class, the Mosuobulai Council.

Mosuobulai is a quintessential matriarchal society, with a strict hierarchy; the Council's members are the matriarchs of the eight most powerful families in the city, all women and all priests of Spider Queen Ros.

These eight families hold most of Mosuobulai's power.

There are dozens of other families, who, with Spider Queen Ros's tacit approval—or rather under Spider Queen Ros's manipulation—engage in scheming and murder daily, eliminating higher‑ranked nobles to advance their own family's standing.

Within each family, strife continues endlessly, with only power and intrigue, no trace of kinship.

Yizite, having had enough of the sibling slaughter, conceived the idea of escaping the Dark Realm.

Taibeilun feels the same.

Reslin and the others stayed at his house for three days; apart from the wood elf Tairui'er, they saw no member of his family.

Three days later, when the flame on the pillar extinguished, the gathering time for Ilyas's followers arrived.

(End of Chapter)