After walking through seven or eight corridors, there was finally no road ahead. The middle-aged man named Courtini continued to walk forward, stopping in front of a tall wall. He stretched out his hand to pull apart a layer of moss that was half a foot thick, and gently knocked on it.
With a heavy twisting sound, the wall slowly rose up, and a few female elves came out from inside. Their eyes fell on Han Jin, Jeddes, and Majordomo Gail, but they didn't say anything and just stepped aside.
"Sir, please follow me." After saying that, Coutini took the lead and walked in.
Han Jin, Jeddes, and Majordomo Gail looked at each other and followed in. In Riptide's commander's tent, Coutini kept saying that he wanted to pass on the gift prepared by Zagunéd to them. Everyone, including Han Jin, was very curious about the mysterious gift. As for whether or not this was a trap set by Zagunéd, the possibility was infinitely close to zero. Coutini was an old subordinate of Zagunéd. He personally admitted that he had fallen out with Zagunéd a long time ago, but that was just a pretense deliberately set up by them. Whether this was true or not, it didn't have anything to do with Alquete. To put it bluntly, it was impossible for Alquete to win Coutini's loyalty in such a short time.
Moreover, Coutini was also a human. Coupled with the few Night Elves that appeared just now, and what Guevara told them about Coutini's past, Han Jin had no reason to suspect anything.
"Those elves don't look too good. It seems that Zagunéd's death has dealt a big blow to you," Jeddes said softly.
"It's nothing." Coutini's footsteps paused, and he replied faintly in front of them, "Anyway … they have to pay a painful price for this."
"They? You mean Alquete? "Jeddes asked.
"No, I mean everyone!"
"We've been walking for so long, where is the gift you mentioned?" Majordomo Gail's tone was full of anger.
"Why are you in such a hurry? You'll see it when you walk out of here. "
After walking for about four to five hundred meters, the area in front of them suddenly opened up. A dense red light rushed towards them. Looking further ahead, Han Jin and the other two revealed shocked expressions. In the center of the plain, there was an incomparably huge conical mountain peak. They were about twenty to thirty li away from the mountain peak, but they had to look up to observe it. They estimated that the mountain peak was at least several thousand meters tall.
Compared to the huge mountain, everything around them seemed so small. The uneven piles of rocks were like grains of sand, and the strangely shaped trees that grew between the rocks were no different from moss. They were like ants walking among the sand.
The strangest thing was that the top half of the mountain was bright red, like a piece of red-hot iron. At the top of the mountain, twisted smoke rushed out in a ferocious manner, forming a giant pillar with a radius of a thousand meters, straight into the sky.
"What's that? A volcano?! "Majordomo Gail murmured.
"Sir, please don't go any further. The air here is full of poison, and the temperature is very high. It's dangerous." Coutini said as he cast a magic shield on himself. He then slowly rose into the air and flew towards the giant mountain in the distance.
Majordomo Gail knew that Coutini was not exaggerating. He reluctantly retreated into the crevice, where he dared to breathe.
Jeddes also cast a magic shield on himself and flew into the air. Han Jin turned back and exchanged glances with Majordomo Gail. He leaped up with his sword and instantly overtook Coutini and Jeddes, quickly approaching the giant mountain.
"Sir, danger … danger …" Coutini's faint cry came from behind.
The green light stopped abruptly. In fact, there was no need for Coutini's reminder. Han Jin already felt the pressure from the sword light.
Moments later, Jeddes and Coutini arrived one after another. As the saying goes, a mountain will cause a horse to stumble. Looking at it from a distance and observing it from up close, this volcano gave off a completely different feeling. In the giant crater, there was a sea of boiling hot lava. Suddenly, it spewed out a cloud of mist and emitted sparks that swept hundreds of meters into the air. The crater was too large. Almost every moment, there were hundreds of clouds of mist spewing out. That was how the pillar of smoke that covered the sky and earth was formed, and it also let out a deafening roar.
On the north side of the crater, there was a small gap, as if someone had gently taken a bite out of a bagel. Every time the lava near the gap rolled, a small stream of lava would flow out of the gap and gather at the foot of the crater, piling up into a small pool. Of course, it was small in comparison to the volcano. In the end, it formed a lava river that slowly flowed towards the south.
"Not far from there, the lava river will split into two and then drill into the ground." Coutini pointed towards the south.
"Two lava rivers? They will all pass near the underground city in the end, right? " Jeddes said word by word. He often followed Nicholas, and although his battle experience could not be compared to Zagunéd's, the difference was not that great. Seeing this incomparably huge volcano and thinking of Zagunéd's gift, he immediately understood what Coutini was going to do.
"Yes, my lord." Coutini smiled.
Jeddes was speechless for a long time. After a while, he sighed. "It seems that our army coming here … is a little unnecessary. If you lead the lava out of the volcano, all the Abyss Warriors except for the Vampires will die!"
"Vampires? That's not necessarily true. " Coutini's gaze lowered and fell on the ring on his left pinky finger. After a moment of silence, he took off the ring and threw it towards the crater.
Although Coutini was a dual cultivator, his own strength was limited. According to the trajectory of the ring, there was no way it could land in the crater. However, a shocking scene happened. When the ring was still seven to eight hundred meters away from the crater, a puff of green smoke suddenly rose, and then the ring disappeared without a trace.
"I believe both of you have noticed the color of the lava. Hehe … the temperature here is frighteningly high. Not to mention the vampires, even steel will turn into ashes if it gets close to the crater." Coutini pointed at the foot of the volcano. "Look, there's very little lava flowing out from the gap. The heat contained in the lava dissipates easily in the air. Even so, the lava is always white. It only turns bright red when it flows into the ground. If we make the gap bigger and make the lava flow faster and fiercer, I can guarantee that the lava will still be white when it reaches the underground city. Are the bodies of those Vampires tougher than steel? "
"When did Zagunéd discover this volcano?" Han Jin asked softly.
"About a year ago," Coutini replied.
"And you have been staying here all this time?"
"Yes." Coutini nodded and said, "My Lord, you should know that this volcano poses a serious threat to the underground city. If it is discovered by the enemy … even if all the Grand Magi on the continent come, they may not be able to save the underground city."
"If Zagunéd is not dead, this gift is prepared for me, right?" Han Jin smiled faintly.
Coutini did not know how to answer this question, so he could only lower his head.
"How can you guarantee that all the lava will flow out? What if it is blocked in the underground river? "Jeddis asked.
"My Lord, you must have seen many lava rivers since you arrived in the Abyss World, right? Why are there tall cliffs on both sides of each lava river? " Coutini smiled. "Because lava can corrode rock layers. As time passes, the lava river will naturally lower and lower. In fact, the underground river is much wider than we thought. There is no possibility of it being blocked. Moreover, Lord Zagunéd left many dark seeds on the walls of the underground river. As long as the seeds start to germinate, the walls will collapse in a short time."
"Collapse?"
"My Lord, the impact of millions of pounds of lava is unimaginable. Collapsing walls will not block the river. Instead, it will increase the impact of the lava."
"Zagunéd actually planted dark seeds in the underground river. It seems that he was prepared for this day." Jeddis frowned. "Why?"
This time, Coutini was silent for a long time before he replied, "My Lord, you may not believe it, but when Alquete first came to the underground city, he proposed that he lead the Blood Clan to attack Isolated Cliff City. Not only did Lord Zagunéd reject his proposal, he also tried to stop Alquete."
"Isn't the expansion of the dark forces in line with Zagunéd's wishes?" Jeddis said. "And you did not answer my question. Why?"
"I don't know." Coutini shook his head. "I have always felt that … Lord Zagunéd is very wary of the Abyssal Race."
"Haha … He is not too muddle-headed." Han Jin said faintly. "Coutini, do you still remember the order that Zagunéd gave you?"
"Of course, that was … that was my Lord's last order." Coutini smiled bitterly, a hint of sadness in his eyes. He had been restraining himself from missing Zagunéd to avoid being suspected. After holding it in for so long, he could not control himself anymore.
"Repeat it."
"Lord Zagunéd's emotions seemed to be a bit unstable, and he said a lot of meaningless things. However, I have been carrying that order with me. My Lord, do you want to see it now?" Coutini said, "Then we will have to go back. The temperature here is too high. I will turn it into ashes in an instant."
"No need." Han Jin pointed his sword finger, and the green light under his feet suddenly grew brighter, enveloping Coutini in it. The flickering light also dyed the magic shield released by Coutini into a green color.
Coutini hurriedly took out the secret letter and handed it to Han Jin. Han Jin took the letter and read it carefully. After a while, he handed it back to Coutini. "Keep it as a memento. It is best not to show it to anyone else."
"Understood, my Lord." Coutini breathed a sigh of relief. On one hand, he was touched that Han Jin did not destroy the secret letter. On the other hand, he did not need to express his opinion anymore. Zagunéd had made it very clear in the letter that he was also a high-level professional and had his own dignity. There were some things that he could not say shamelessly.
"What did the letter say? Why can't I read it? "Jeddis asked curiously.
"It's nothing. The things that Zagunéd wanted to express are a bit confusing." Han Jin paused. "But … I think he has already noticed Alquete's strange movements, so he gave the order. If something happens to him and Alquete becomes the new Lord of the Dungeon, then Coutini and the others have to surrender to us and tell us the secret of the volcano."
Jeddis was silent for a moment. "When did Zagunéd plant the Seed of Darkness?"
"My Lord, it has been more than three months."
"Lord Raphael, you have already been to the Dungeon at that time, right?" Jeddis asked.
Han Jin nodded. Coutini continued, "Yes, at that time, the Hexagram Array was already …" Before he could finish, he saw a cold light shoot out from Han Jin's eyes. He immediately understood that he had said something wrong and hurriedly shut his mouth.
"Hexagram Array? What Six Pointed Star Array? "Jeddes looked surprised.
Coutini was a spy left behind by Zagunéd, so of course he knew what Han Jin had done. However, he also realized that Han Jin must have deliberately concealed the matter at that time. He had made a big mistake by leaking it, and he regretted it too much. How could he answer Jeddis' question?
Jeddis pondered for a moment, then slowly turned his gaze to Han Jin.
Han Jin felt a burst of helplessness. With Jeddis' intelligence, using other excuses to cover up or explain would be almost useless. More importantly, he could hide it from Jeddis, but he could not deliberately deceive Jeddis. These were two completely different things. If he chose the latter, it would be very likely to plant a barrier between the two of them.
"I'll tell you later," Han Jin said softly.
"Okay." Jeddis was straightforward. Of course, he also understood that the Hexagram Array must have something to do with Han Jin.
"Now, we should go back and inform Guevara to prepare to retreat. The lava doesn't distinguish between friend and foe," Han Jin said.
On the way back, Han Jin asked Coutini many questions, such as the number of Abyssal Mages under his command, the method to blast open the breach, and so on. It could only be said that racial barriers were very difficult to break. In Zagunéd's' mixed army ', the humans always got along well with the elves because they all came from the ground, and their bodies and appearances were similar. Who would want to be friends with a monster full of tentacles? The people Zagunéd assigned to Coutini were either humans or elves. There was not a single Abyssal Warrior. This also meant that the only people who could truly make Zagunéd trust were the races from the ground. In the end, he had no right to blame anyone for betrayal. Even he was secretly on guard, so why would Alquete really trust him and support him?!
It took almost half a day to go back and forth, and the warriors of Riptide had already recovered their energy. Guevara, Lang Ning, and the others gathered in the commander's tent to discuss how to launch the attack. The first sentence Han Jin said after entering the commander's tent stunned all the generals, "Prepare to retreat."
Lang Ning was stunned for a long time, and hurriedly asked, "Sir, retreat … why should we retreat?!"
"Jeddis, you explain." Han Jin sat on the main seat and looked at the map in front of him. He couldn't help but shake his head. Some parts of the map were drawn by him, but it was useless now. If the lava hidden in the giant volcano really flowed out, the surrounding terrain would change drastically, and the Dungeon would be turned into ruins.
Jeddis told Guevara everything that they had seen and talked about. Guevara's expression changed again and again. He understood that when Zaganide first discovered the volcano, he was only worried that it would be used by the enemy. Later, Zaganide changed his mind, and he no longer had the confidence to fight against Han Jin. Thus, the volcano became his trump card. At the critical moment, Zaganide would definitely retreat with his army and leave the Underground City to preserve his strength. However, the moment they tasted the fruit of victory, they would be drowned by the overwhelming lava. As for ordering Coutini to surrender to them, it was only a contingency plan that he had prepared after discovering Alquete's abnormality.
Strictly speaking, the volcano was prepared by Zagunéd for them!
"That guy … he's still as vicious and cruel as before!" Guevara sighed. In fact, it wasn't just him, Han Jin was also scared. Fortunately, he decided to sneak into the Dungeon alone to contain Zagunéd's army, and he also seized the opportunity to severely injure Zagunéd, which led to a series of events that led to Zagunéd's death on the spot. Otherwise, they would have fallen into a trap. In the face of the surging lava, he could escape, and Jeddis and Yalina also had a chance to escape. However, Guevara, Majordomo Gail, and the others definitely couldn't. Zagunéd's vicious plan was enough to destroy the force he worked so hard to build!
Kurtini paused for a moment, obviously dissatisfied with Guevara's evaluation, but he closed his mouth in the end. He had already surrendered according to Zagunéd's last wish. If he still remembered his former leader, it would be easy for him to be criticized. Of course, he couldn't just forget about Zagunéd. Not to mention whether he could get past himself, if he did that, people would definitely look down on him. The key was the word 'degree', and it all depended on himself.
"If we can end the war quickly, we … may be able to rush back to the Beitman before Wild Willow City and Holy Crown City launch their attack." Lang Ning suddenly said.
"The Beitman doesn't belong to us anymore." Han Jin smiled. He didn't want to say it at first, for fear of shaking everyone's fighting spirit, but the Dungeon was no longer a threat. His enemies now were Dismark and the elves of Wild Willow City!
"What??" Everyone was stunned again.
"In other words, we have no home now." Han Jin's tone was very indifferent. "But … we can go back to Black Raven City."
"So fast?!" Lang Ning shouted.
"Because Wild Willow City's strength is very strong, far beyond your previous estimation." The God of War was his magic weapon. At that time, he didn't hesitate to release his spiritual sense into the God of War, and saw Wild Willow City's attack in an instant.
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