The Dark Elves’ Plight and a Timely Intervention

The underground world bore a striking resemblance to the realm of the undead. However, the key difference lay in the subterranean realm being illuminated by an abundance of glittering ore, casting a dim, yet pervasive, light. In stark contrast, the true realm of the undead was a place of utter darkness, shrouded in black mist, where only the faint glow of phosphorescence flickered.

“Shh!” Su Han was about to speak when Luo Shang cut her off, making a silencing gesture.

“Hm?” Su Han frowned, perplexed.

Luo Shang pointed into the distance. Following his gaze, Su Han spotted several small, purple-haired elves, their backs adorned with delicate black wings, conversing with a group of green-scaled lizardmen.

“Let’s go!” Luo Shang gestured for Su Han to follow.

“Kenzadi, I advise you to step aside quickly, or our father will not spare you if he finds out!” one of the adult dark elves, her purple hair flowing, declared with a hint of anger.

Kenzadi, the leading lizardman, flicked his tongue. “Yo, yo, yo, Qianzhe Ying, I merely wished for your sister to stay and play with me. Why are you so furious? Could it be that you, too, desire my attention?” White mucus splattered as his tongue darted in and out, causing Qianzhe Ying to wrinkle her brows in disgust.

“Don’t assume that just because your Lizard Tribe has the Black Dragon Tribe’s protection, you can act with such impunity! We Dark Elves are not soft persimmons for you to squeeze as you please!” The dark-skinned male dark elf declared passionately, his face flushed with excitement. Qianzhe Ying was Mokeke’s dream goddess, and how could a hot-blooded man tolerate his goddess being bullied by others? Even if they couldn’t win, their morale couldn’t falter!

“Mokeke, why waste so many words on him? Let’s utterly annihilate him!” another taller dark elf indignantly exclaimed. “This is going too far!” With that, a dark magic spell, ‘Impact Demon Light,’ was unleashed into the lizardmen’s ranks.

“Audacious! Since you refuse to yield, I won’t hold back either!” Kenzadi, clearly surprised that his opponents would fight to the death, snarled maliciously. “You won’t shed tears until you see the coffin! Brothers, attack!”

“You’re asking for death!” Qianzhe Ying gritted her teeth and plunged into the fray.

Although the lizardmen were only Fifth or Sixth-tier, and Mokeke, their leader, was merely Seventh-tier, their sheer numbers were overwhelming. The Dark Elves, including Qianzhe Ying’s sister, numbered only five, while their adversaries outnumbered them tenfold. Even with Mokeke and Qianzhe Ying possessing peak Archmage strength, they were forced to temporarily retreat in the face of such numerical superiority. Moreover, Qianzhe Ying’s pale face clearly indicated she had sustained a serious injury.

[Elves possess frail bodies, thus they cultivate magic. Lizardmen, conversely, cultivate their bloodlines, while High Elves master both bloodline and magic.]

Su Han, intent on gathering information about the elves, moved to assist the Dark Elves. However, Luo Shang stopped her. “Let’s observe a little longer.”

“You must understand, people are most grateful not when you add fuel to the fire, but when you offer charcoal in the snow,” Luo Shang calmly analyzed for Su Han. “They can hold on for a few more minutes in this situation. Only when they can no longer endure, when they’re on the brink of death, will your intervention yield incomparable goodwill compared to acting now.” Su Han considered this, finding it reasonable, and continued to lie in wait with Luo Shang from a distance.

‘Ugh, I’m truly foolish, to not have thought of something so simple!’ Su Han chastised herself, tapping her head. She then felt Luo Shang was becoming increasingly unfathomable, not only in strength but also in intellect. Yet, she soon felt a sense of relief; how else could he have reached such a pinnacle without a sharp mind?

The lizardmen, having solely cultivated their bloodline system, inherited only their ancestral bloodline skills. The elves, however, were a different story. Dark magic spells, such as ‘Grand Darkness,’ ‘Dark Current Strike,’ ‘Soul Requiem,’ and ‘Darkwing Cleave,’ were unleashed without reservation. Elves were naturally favored by magic, their bodies inherently vessels for elemental power, meaning casting spells consumed little of their mana. Yet, even these spells, at their highest, were only Arch-tier magic, rendering them little more than a nuisance to Kenzadi.

With each passing moment, Qianzhe Ying and her companions were inevitably growing exhausted, destined to be beaten into submission without any means to retaliate.

Kenzadi, however, grew tired of prolonging the struggle with Qianzhe Ying and her group. He surged forward, deflecting an attack wave, and led the lizardmen in surrounding them, cutting off any possibility of retreat or escape. Then, the lizardmen swarmed the Dark Elves like a hive.

“It’s time to act!” Su Han moved, while Luo Shang remained in place, clearly giving Su Han the opportunity to intervene and earn the elves’ favor.

Seizing the opportune moment, Su Han’s ‘Heavy Pupils’ accurately plunged into the battlefield. Activating ‘Gluttony,’ she unleashed a luxurious legendary sword skill, ‘Ten Thousand Dances of Lingering Slashes.’ Immediately after, she deployed a ‘Stasis Field’ to launch a mental assault. After this devastating combo, roughly seventy to eighty percent of the lizardmen lay fallen.

Seeing that Su Han hadn’t even resorted to her Emperor Armor, Luo Shang nodded in satisfaction.

The Dark Elves and lizardmen were clearly startled by this unexpected intervener. Yet, the lizardmen, relying on their superior numbers, quickly regained their composure. Despite a portion of their forces falling, Kenzadi ignored the newcomer’s identity. “Kill!” he roared, turning to attack Su Han, leaving his remaining subordinates to deal with Qianzhe Ying and the others.

Su Han gripped her longsword, activating ‘Forbidden Hand’ as her right arm instantly entered its Emperor Armor state, engaging Kenzadi in fierce combat.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!” Intense clashes generated dazzling sparks. Although Kenzadi possessed considerable strength, being at the peak of the Seventh-tier, how could he possibly be a match for Su Han?

With a swift vertical sweep of her blade, sword light flowed like a river. Kenzadi’s eyes widened in shock before he was bisected at the waist.

“Piece of cake!” Su Han winked her starry eyes at Luo Shang, who had appeared at the edge of the battlefield at some unknown point.

After Kenzadi was dealt with, the battle on the Dark Elves’ side swiftly concluded as well. After all, their remaining foes were mere cannon fodder, unable to withstand a single blow.

“Thank you, young lady. May I ask who you are?” Qianzhe Ying, despite appreciating Su Han’s assistance, remained slightly wary and hostile, clearly not trusting her.

Su Han observed this without comment. After all, she had a request to make, so she replied courteously, “Might this sister be of the Elf clan?”

“We used to be, but not anymore…” Qianzhe Ying had intended to say yes, but a sudden thought made her pause. She spoke with a hint of melancholy, “We are independent Dark Elves, a clan unto ourselves.”

Su Han sensed that something was amiss and complicated. However, since the other party was unwilling to elaborate, Su Han didn’t press the issue. Instead, she planned to have Qianzhe Ying and her companions lead her back to their elf tribe to investigate further.

Things unfolded precisely as Su Han had anticipated. Having aided the kind elven race — even if they were Dark Elves — her actions had not gone unnoticed. They extended a rare and warm invitation for Su Han to visit their tribe and be treated with hospitality, an offer Su Han naturally did not refuse.

Su Han felt that being treated as a “savior” was only natural, even though her intentions were not entirely altruistic.

Luo Shang shook his head, finding it increasingly amusing. “Hearts are separated by bellies; you know a person’s face, but not their heart!”

“Hey, what did you say? I have no intention of harming them!” Su Han turned back, glaring at Luo Shang.

Luo Shang quickly shook his head and waved his hands. “Nothing, nothing at all.”

This time, it was Su Han who found Luo Shang rather amusing.