Chapter 708 - Ashenwood Forest
Eternal Night Secret Realm
In a dense forest full of ashen-gray trees with black leaves, the One-Eyed Vulnerable Shaman hid in the high branches with the other Crimsonfog Tribesmen as several dozens of demons patrolled the ground.
"Ugh..." a soft groan came from Chief Baskara's mouth as he awakened from his consciousness—only to have a Battle Master quickly cover his mouth.
"Shh," the One-Eye Venerable Shaman gestured for quietness before Chief Baskara slowly regained clarity.
His gaze quickly turned solemn at the unfamiliar environment and strange trees that seemed to be soaked in Darkness Profound Energy.
Sometime later, the sounds of footsteps below grew distant until they could no longer be heard.
"They've finally left," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman softly sighed as the other Crimsonfog Tribesmen wore relieved expressions..
Chief Baskara took the opportunity to inquire, "Where are we, Venerable Shaman? How long have I been out for—No, how did I get out? I remember battling some strange specters that could not be killed."
"You were helped by Young Master Leonhardt, the Divine Doctor from the Darkmoon Tribe," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman answered before he began explaining further.
"Supposedly, when you were by the Demon-slaying Arrows' blast, your mind was invaded by the corrupted souls the Liches used to control the Undead Battle Kings. Only elemental attacks would have worked on them."
"That being said, it is no longer important. What's important is that you are finally awake. You've been asleep for a whole week, Baskara Boya. Right now, we are inside the Eternal Night Secret Realm."
"I took the liberty to bring you inside with me while you were still unconscious. You won't blame me for this, would you?" the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman asked.
"The Eternal Night Secret Realm?" Chief Baskara muttered with great surprise before shaking his head, "Of course not! This is a rare opportunity that cannot be missed. On the contrary, I am grateful that you took me in, Venerable Shaman."
"Nevertheless, a lot seemed to have happened during this short period, huh? Where did the secret realm open this time? How many people did we bring in?"
Chief Baskara was filled with questions after waking up, but then, he quickly noticed the atmosphere become heavy after he finished asking.
"What's wrong?" Chief Baskara asked with surprise.
"The opening of the secret realm occurred in the same spot as the previous two openings, the heart of the demon's territory," the One-Eyed Venerable said before sighing, "Although a lot of tribes came, we only numbered 700-odd Battle Masters."
"This number is far smaller than the last time our kind stepped foot inside the Eternal Night Secret Realm. On the other hand, the demon's forces are much greater than it has ever been, making this trip in the secret realm the most dangerous in history."
"What's the demons' strengths? Since we made it inside the secret realm, it means we made it to the heart of the demon's territory, right? Are they really that dangerous?" Chief Baskara asked.
"We only managed to make it so far into the demon's territory because the elite demons were all gathered at the center for the opening of the secret realm. Had they been guarding the borders, we would not have made it so far," a Battle Master stated.
"I see..." Chief Baskara shortly furrowed his brows in deep thought before he said, "It seems like the only way to guarantee our safety is to greatly increase our strength. Have we found any tombs?"
"Not yet, but there should be at least one inside this big forest," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman narrowed his eyes and said, "Considering the number of demons in this area, it might not be a low-level tomb."
"That's even better," Chief Baskara grinned and said, "Even demons will not have an easy time clearing the higher-level tombs. If we can let them do all the hard work, then swoop in to reap all the benefits when they least expect it."
"That was the plan," the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman nodded.
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Some distance outside of the Ashenwood Forest, Leon's party eventually discovered the towering trees while heading west for two hours straight.
"Leon, there's a forest up ahead!" Darlene pointed before saying, "We're finally leaving this Nethergrass region after walking for so long!"
"There's some blood on the ground over here!" Aria suddenly noticed after stepping on the patch of blood.
"This is human blood, and it is still fresh—at least fifteen minutes have passed since it was spilled," Leon studied the red patch of blood before saying, "Safe to assume that demons have been in this area, and the human is dead."
"There's only blood and not a corpse here. Isn't there a possibility that the person is still alive somewhere?" Darlene asked.
Leon stood up and observed his surroundings for a moment before he shook his head, "With this much blood loss, it's enough to kill a person. That being said, Body Cultivator has stronger vitality is than ordinary people."
"There is a chance that the person is still alive, captured as a hostage to lure out other humans. However, I am more inclined to believe that the human was eaten by the demons."
"Either way, the person is as good as dead. Without receiving immediate treatment, the person would not have lived long with this much blood loss."
Of course, if the person had refined their marrows and blood, they had a much higher chance of surviving.
But to Leon's knowledge, there was not anyone or any tribe that practices Body Cultivation outside of flesh tempering and bone forging.
"Let's go," Leon urged while facing the forest ahead, "If there are still demons in the area, entering the forest will allow us to hide our presence better than staying in the open field without any cover like this."
"Mm," Aria nodded before adding, "If there anyone else has passed this place, they would have also entered the forest to hide their trail from the demons' tracking."
A few moments later, Leon's party made haste as they headed into the large forest of towering trees to look for fellow humans.