Chapter 686: Chapter 710 Tunnel

The companions surrounded a Stone Gate, watching as Lancelot summoned two emerald tendrils in the passage behind the door, each stretching towards the left and right walls to the larger and smaller candle holders, while Alamir spoke of their recent discovery.

“…That’s the conclusion we’ve drawn from those fragments,” the Elf said with visible pride, “Impressive, isn’t it!”

“We just need to destroy that Magic Formation, right?” the Half-elf shrugged indifferently, “The owner of that treasury is eagerly awaiting outside the city, I certainly don’t want a Barlow Flame Demon to suspect I’ve stolen its possessions, not to mention being in a city surrounded by an army of Demons.”

“I agree with what Tanya said,” Lancelot interjected, continuing to make hand signs, “However, I will still try to find that treasury and understand what the previous Archduke Aphnas was so eager to obtain, whether it can truly be useful to the current Commander of Demons. After all, even if we solve the predicament of Volcano Fortress now, the Demons can launch a new campaign as long as the battlefield of blood war continues at the Abyss, and Twin Bridges Town will always face the threat of war…”

“Ah, this is so boring,” Bruto twisted his neck out of boredom, producing a series of crackling sounds, “Knowing there’s a treasury and doing nothing about it feels too terrible.”

“We’ve already had enough trouble because of that treasury, remember who owned the last one we looted?” Lancelot shook his head, “Wealth is external, what’s most important is one’s own strength…”

As his words ended, the vines wrapped around the candle holders twisted simultaneously, and a low rumble sounded in everyone’s ears. The feared arrows, poison gas, or falling rocks did not come. Instead, an entrance to a vertical shaft about five feet wide appeared on the floor of the passage, pitch-black with no bottom visible. Lancelot snapped his fingers, and a small Fire Lotus flew from his hands, slowly descending like a leaf, illuminating the dark shaft interior.

“It doesn’t look all that deep,” Bruto commented with arms folded, “At most it’s about fifteen feet. I could jump straight down…”

“There’s clearly a ladder right here,” Alamir pointed to the wall near the Dwarf’s side within the shaft, “If you… if you stand on your tiptoes, you could see it.”

“I’ll go down first to take a look,” Lancelot stepped forward, “You guys just wait for me…”

“Come on down!” the voice of the demon monkey girl suddenly came from below, “It’s quite spacious in here!”

“Uh, when did she get in?” the Dwarf looked puzzled, “Haven’t we been surrounding this entrance the whole time?”

“The moment you turned your head to look at me,” Lancelot sighed, “What incredible speed… Well, it looks like there are no problems below, let’s all go down.”

One by one, the companions descended to the bottom of the shaft, discovering a stone tunnel before them. The tunnel’s height exceeded ten feet, but its width was less than three feet, requiring both Lancelot and Bruto to turn sideways to pass through normally. Faint red light emanated from the crevices on both sides of the tunnel, and every member of the team had night vision, making this level of illumination more than sufficient.

“I’ll take the lead,” Lancelot drew Frostslash, “If anyone dares to block the way ahead, I’ll stab him with the sharp end…”

“And me, I’ll bonk it on the head from above!”

Jing’s voice once again came from an unexpected angle. Lancelot looked up to find the demon monkey girl hanging nonchalantly from the ceiling of the tunnel, her iron-headed staff coiled in her nimble tail.

“Awesome, a three-dimensional formation.”

Lancelot shrugged at his companions and turned to enter the tunnel.

Despite being at an unknown depth underground, the tunnel was far from quiet. The stone floor and walls were in constant vibration, the roar from the volcano itself; in certain areas, they even heard the muffled sound of metal clashing, as if Demons were battling ferociously right above them.

Those sounds were almost tangible, incessantly squeezing the nerves of the group as they walked through the narrow tunnel. What was worse, as they moved forward, the dry air around them grew hotter and hotter, eventually reaching an unbearable level. Invisible hands of Fear had silently seized everyone’s hearts, making their eyeballs congested, eardrums swell, and minds flooded with a powerful impulse to turn around and flee.

“Goddess, please help these pitiful companions beside me, let them feel a breeze as gentle as a lover’s kiss…”

The Elf Priest suddenly spoke aloud, and his Shield emitted a soft glow. A comforting breeze immediately blew through the tunnel, relaxing the companions’ taut nerves at once.

“Praise Shuni!!!” Bruto almost burst into tears with excitement, “That’s definitely the best kiss I’ve ever had! Wait a second, I’ve never kissed anyone…”

“Alamir, I know a tough environment is an excellent opportunity for preaching, but that metaphor isn’t quite appropriate,” Lancelot’s calm voice came from ahead, “From my experience, a lover’s kiss certainly doesn’t cool one down. Come to think of it, nothing a lover does would have that effect…”

“Damn it, shut up,” the Elf Priest hissed through clenched teeth, “If you want me to teach you anything…”

With the breeze blowing, the oppressive tunnel became much more bearable, and the group unknowingly sped up quite a bit. After about half an hour of continuous travel, the end of the tunnel finally came into view.

Contrary to their expectations, the exit was not another vertical shaft but a grating on the floor. The tunnel had stealthily led to the ceiling of some room, and by simply pushing open the grille disguised as a ventilation duct, they could easily jump down.

Lancelot had long been gesturing silently to his companions, warning them to keep quiet; he lay next to the exit, carefully sensing the situation below.

“Stay calm, don’t speak.”

His voice suddenly rang out, startling everyone because it sounded as if it was being whispered directly into their ears.

“This is my special Dharma Method, the sound goes directly to your ears, and no one else can hear it.”

The companions quickly caught on and nodded at him to show they understood.

“There are two injured Ice Demons and three Bone Demons below, very tough opponents, but they’ve all sustained severe injuries, so we should be able to handle them… provided we don’t alert other enemies,” Lancelot looked at his companions with burning eyes, “Tanya, what do you say? Can you cut off these enemies’ psychic link?”