Swish—
Although the target moved quickly, Lan Qingyou still caught a glimpse of something dodging the dispelling light ball.
No, perhaps it was dodging the light itself?
Lan Qingyou stared at the weathered monster skeletons in the illuminated area, feeling uncertain. She decided to observe further.
She ordered her golems to throw out a few more light balls.
Swish— Swish—
Having prepared herself this time, Lan Qingyou finally managed to capture those swift figures.
【Dark Demon (D)】
【Mana Points: 300】
【Health Points: 200】
【Skills: (Stealth) (Dark Stab) (Mental Shock)】
【Description: Darkness is their best sanctuary and their best camouflage. When someone steps into their domain, they have fallen into their trap. However, do not worry; bright light is their greatest enemy.】
Well now.
This was the first time she had seen a monster with higher mana than health.
However, this also indirectly confirmed her suspicion.
It seemed these guys were likely placed here deliberately to block outsiders.
Otherwise, how did those skeletons on the ground get there?
Though it was just a guess, Lan Qingyou felt it was highly probable, so...
“Kill them!”
Lan Qingyou coldly issued the order to her golems.
The Dark Demons were unfortunate to have run into Lan Qingyou.
While their abilities were decent and their combat power in the dark was likely strong, unfortunately, Lan Qingyou's golems weren't pushovers either.
Most importantly, each squad of golems had a member carrying a magic lantern, making it impossible for the demons to hide in the light.
As the golems engaged the enemy, Lan Qingyou finally got a clear look at these Dark Demons.
Her first impression was that they were very ugly.
The Dark Demons were pitch-black, blending perfectly with the darkness.
They had no faces—or rather, no facial features. Where a chin would be, there was a mouth-like opening filled with sharp fangs.
But that wasn't the most important thing.
The most significant part was that they were upright—the kind of upright with two hands and two feet.
“Oh! Humanoid monsters!”
Lan Qingyou’s eyebrows shot up. She immediately rushed forward to use Soul Siphon.
This was like being handed a pillow just as she was getting sleepy. She had been worrying about not having any humanoid Soul Crystals, and here they were.
However, despite her confidence, Lan Qingyou discovered after stepping forward that killing these Dark Demons wasn't as simple as she had imagined.
While light was indeed their natural enemy, they weren't devoid of combat intelligence.
Precisely because light was their bane, they began to swarm the purple knights who were carrying the magic lanterns.
Fortunately, the combination of purple knights and Horned Lions was an agility-focused one, so it was quite difficult for the Dark Demons to break the magic lanterns on the purple knights.
After all, there were other golems beside the purple knights, and Lan Qingyou herself had joined the front lines.
The floating cannons played a crucial role at this moment.
Although her own attacks couldn't keep up with the movement speed of the Dark Demons, they were excellent for suppressive fire.
To put it simply, she blocked the Dark Demons' movements, forcing their agility and speed advantage down a notch.
Pfft—
Pfft—
As Lan Qingyou joined the fray, the already outnumbered Dark Demons were picked off one by one by the golems.
When the last monster fell to the ground, the battle—which could hardly even be called a battle—finally came to an end.
Lan Qingyou looked at the Soul Crystal: Dark Demon in her hand and nodded with satisfaction.
She then had the golems gather the Dark Demon corpses and the other monster skeletons before taking a rest on the spot.
Taking photos and uploading them, performing dissections to understand them, and installing the Soul Crystals into her humanoid golems—by the time she finished these steps, Lan Qingyou saw that it was already past eleven at night.
Sure enough, there was no concept of time in a place like a cave.
Lan Qingyou even felt as though she hadn't been inside for very long.
This was probably how time felt when one was busy.
Feeling a bit hungry, Lan Qingyou took out some food that Gu Xiaobei had distributed in the group and began to eat.
Of course, food for Steel Wool and Little Spoon was also essential.
After eating, the rejuvenated Lan Qingyou felt that she didn't need to sleep at all—or rather, she couldn't sleep with treasure right in front of her.
She decided to just burn the midnight oil.
Staying up late? Who in research hadn't pulled an all-nighter before?
So, after eating and drinking her fill, Lan Qingyou simply packed away her tent and flew deeper into the tunnel with her golems and the two little ones.
“Squeak!”
Not long after leaving the relatively open space, Little Spoon, cradled in her arms, finally reacted.
Lan Qingyou looked ahead and saw a small white speck.
“No, that’s light!”
She had initially thought it was a white dot, but a closer look revealed what it was.
In other words, was that the exit of the passage?
Lan Qingyou immediately accelerated, shifting from first gear to second, and charged toward the light with her golems.
The moment she stepped from the darkness into the light, the intense glare made her squint, and she even raised a hand to shield her eyes.
“Whoa!”
When Lan Qingyou slowly opened her dazzled eyes, she was completely stunned by the sight before her.
Giant crystal clusters hung from the cave ceiling, which was perhaps one or two hundred meters high, like an inverted starry river, pouring soft, pale gold light into every inch of the space.
Vines clinging to the rock walls and trees bore light purple bell flowers. Ferns unfurled their feathery fronds in the warm light, and there were even butterflies resting on wild roses, their wings reflecting rainbows.
It was a magical contrast to the blizzard raging outside the cave.
It was as if someone had sealed an entire spring underground.
Even more startling were the architectural ruins scattered throughout. Half of a wooden tower with a mortise and tenon structure was wedged diagonally into a tree; several clusters of wildflowers peeked out from a weathered door frame; and moss-covered ceramic jars still sat in the positions they had been stacked in.
At the far end of a slope stood a stone house with a collapsed dome. Vines surged from the cracks, weaving a flowing green carpet over the ruined walls.
These human traces didn't seem desolate; instead, they appeared exceptionally gentle due to the regenerative power of nature.
Although the scene was beautiful, looking very much like a hidden paradise, Lan Qingyou cautiously released all her golems to protect herself. Only then did she slowly walk toward the solitary stone house at the far end.
The space was vast, and that place looked like the most unique spot in the entire area.
Going there first would save time.
Otherwise, in a space at least the size of a dozen football fields, Lan Qingyou would spend an enormous amount of time searching every single corner.
However...
Before Lan Qingyou and her squad of golems and two little ones had even moved ten meters toward the stone house, there was a sudden crack, and the purple knight walking at the very front was swatted away.
If it hadn't been for the Automatic Cruise and the Soul Crystal: Dark Demon allowing the purple knight to raise its shield the moment it sensed the attack, it was hard to say if that single hit would have scrapped it entirely.
Rate on N.U.
