Lord of the Magical Beasts

After an hour of continuous attacks, there were no more Giant Crab Spiders emerging from the cave, as if they had already been exterminated. That was when Goode and a group of warriors hurried over, amongst them a few Spellcasters. Now, the abilities of the group became even stronger.

“Sir, this cave is incredibly weird. We will not be able to conduct a large scale excavation at the sulfur mine unless we properly scout this cave!” After confirming that there were no more Giant Crab Spiders in the cave, the fox elder deliberated for a moment before saying, “Our abilities are strong now. Rather than waiting here and doing nothing, why don’t we enter the cave and investigate it!”

“Yes, we have to understand whatever is happening in the cave as soon as possible!” Raising his sharp halberd, the ox chief loudly agreed with the fox elder’s suggestion.

The ox chief was muscular, his height roughly equal to the Twin-headed Ogre Braska. He was covered in developed muscles, clearly coming from a race adept at close combat. In addition to the giant war halberd, he was carrying two totem poles about half the height of an average person on his back. Despite the falling snow, he was dressed in thin clothing, revealing his bulging muscles. He looked exceptionally violent, barbaric!

Seeing the group shift their gazes toward her, the Medusa leader only nodded slightly, indicating that she agreed with the fox elder’s suggestion. Unlike the ox chief, she was wearing thick leather armor and had a total of four hands on both sides of her body, each wielding a curved scimitar that radiated a cold gleam. After seeing her blinding speed and precise blade techniques, Yang Ling did not doubt her battle power.

“Time waits for no man. Let’s go investigate what’s going on within the cave!”

Seeing Argus hurry over with a large group of barbarians, then looking at Goode and the rest arriving from far away, Yang Ling immediately agreed with the fox elder’s suggestion. For the large exposed sulfur mine, for the massive veins of crystals underground, he would have had no choice but to enter and scout the area even if there were no Beastmen around, much less now that there were so many powerful Bullmen and Medusas.

After completing the preparations, the group cautiously walked into the cave, careful with every step they took.

The powerful Bullmen took the front, responsible for opening a path. The Dogmen followed behind them, their task to provide the Bullmen with long-range firepower; Yang Ling, Goode, and the fox elder, as well as the rest of their men, were gathered in the middle so that they could adapt to any changes. The inner circle was comprised of elf archers responsible for long-range attacks, while the outer circle was occupied by the Medusas and Ogres who were adept in both defense and offense. Finally, the powerful barbarians were responsible for covering their backs.

Before they moved into the cave, Yang Ling had left Argus with three hundred Ogres, fifty elf archers, and twenty barbarians, tasked to stay outside and deal with anything that came their way. Coupled with the more than two hundred warriors Goode had brought with him, they formed a large team of six hundred people, more than enough to deal with any unforeseen circumstances and help the group defend their path of retreat.

The cave of the spiders was large, the ground even. The group was mighty, moving forward unobstructed. Other than a few small spiders, they did not encounter any monsters. But for some reason, Yang Ling had a feeling of unease, and the feeling became more obvious as they delved deeper into the cave.

At the start, the walls on both sides were not unique, save for the spider webs of varying sizes. But as they ventured deeper into the cave, wall carvings of various kinds started appearing on both sides of the walls. There were drawings of winding mountain ranges, a boundless sea, even the vast galaxy, dotted with stars of varying sizes.

Taking another corner, the group stepped onto a giant pathway paved with granite. At regular intervals, they would come across a glowing crystal adorning the ground. In the dim light, they could see visible transformations in the cave drawings on both sides of the walls. They were now carved with various images, from ferocious two-legged flying dragons to ancient divine temples. There were even priests earnestly grovelling on the ground…

What the hell is this?

Yang Ling felt more and more confused the deeper he went. With the technology and civilization in this world, it was impossible that they would understand the shapes of planets, nor could they draw a galaxy in such intricate detail. Without enough power, they would also be unable to excavate such a massive cave from the body of a mountain!

Yang Ling was full of doubt, and the fox elder was no exception. His expression became more serious the deeper into the cave he went. Many of the wall drawings felt familiar, but there was always a faint sense that something was off, but he could not place what it was.

After walking for an hour, the group arrived at a strange crossroad. The walls of the path on the left had carvings of high level Magical Beasts like flying dragons and Chimeras, the path in the middle was carved with earnest priests and ancient divine temples, while the tunnel on the right had walls carved with rising flames and demons holding scythes.

Flying dragons, divine temples, demons…

Looking a the sinister crossroad, looking at the lifelike flying dragons and demons, even the powerful Bullmen felt an unprecedented sense of danger, much less the elf archers. Originally, the group had thought that the cave was only a hive for the spiders, but after walking for half a day, they now realized that the situation far exceeded their imaginations!

Roar…

Just as the group was unsure which direction to take, a low, powerful rumble came suddenly from deep within the cave. It was as if a strong gust was assaulting them, their clothes flapping in the air.

The instant before the terrifying soundwave hit him, Yang Ling felt the Wizard Core in his body spin faster, driving the protective Wizard Power to quickly circulate in his body. His body released a thin, faint layer of red light, forcefully intercepting the sieging soundwave. Despite that, he still felt his body tremble, and he could not help letting out a grunt.

“Sir, be careful!”

Seeing Yang Ling’s body shake, the sensitive Goode lifted his hand and created a small barrier for Yang Ling. As a Great Spellcaster, he could sense that the soundwave harbored a powerful mental attack, and its effect on Yang Ling seemed exceptionally prominent.

“Sir, are you alright?”

After his shock, the fox elder looked nervously at Yang Ling, his expression turning more serious. In terms of individual ability, Yang Ling who was a Summoner might not stand out from within this group of people. But in terms of true ability, he might be stronger than the sum of everyone here.

The fox elder believed that if Yang Ling summoned the Magical Beast army and got them into formation, even the powerful ox chief might not be able to survive long enough to reach Yang Ling. He basically had no chance of winning.

“It’s alright, I am fine!” Taking a deep breath, Yang Ling felt that he had not suffered any physical harm. His resistance for Soul Attacks was much greater now that he had formed the Wizard Core. If this had happened two days ago, he might have spat out blood after suffering the impact of one soundwave.

According to the explanation on the stele, people with stronger souls were more susceptible to the Soul Attacks. Because of that, in front of the same soundwave, the Bullmen, barbarians, and Ogres who fought their battles using their tough muscles were the safest. Spellcasters such as Goode and the fox elder were second, while Yang Ling was the most susceptible.

A Wizard was extremely susceptible to Soul Attacks, and would be easily injured if their abilities were not strong enough. But their resistance toward Soul Attacks would increase dramatically when they reached a certain stage in their training, becoming far superior to the Ogres and barbarians who had weak souls. That was the reason why Yang Ling did not suffer from any physical damage. If he had not reached the level of Earth Wizard, he might have retreated long ago.

Seeing the three sinister paths, the group hesitated for a long while, unsure of where to go. But no one dared suggest splitting up. Splitting up in this sinister cave was the most foolish course of action, and they would only be picked off individually by the monsters hiding in the dark.

It was unfortunate that the Horned Bee Beasts couldn’t defend themselves against the terrifying soundwave!

Thinking about the Soul Attack imbued within the soundwave, Yang Ling shook his head in frustration. If it wasn’t for that terrifying soundwave, sending out the Horned Bee Beasts to scout the way would be the optimal choice. But being so close to the home of that monster, sending them to scout a path was definitely sending them to their doom.

“Sir, you can decide which path we take. We will listen to your orders!” After a moment’s discussion, the fox elder represented the Beastmen and elected Yang Ling as the leader, fully willing to listen to his instructions and plans.

Both in constitution and strength, humans were naturally incomparable to the powerful Beastmen and Orcs, but they were exceptional when it came to leadership abilities and adaptability on the battlefield. Many of the intelligent races had to admit this even though they did not like humans, and the Beastmen were no exception.

In the heart of the fox elder, Yang Ling being able to fight back ten thousand of the Banto Empire’s Black Armor Guards and seize firm control over Wissen Town naturally meant that he had exceptional abilities. Furthermore, his faction was the strongest within their group. Other than being able to summon a Magical Beast army at any time, merely having a few hundred elf archers, barbarians, and Ogres was already about half the total abilities of the group.

They will listen to my orders?

Seeing the fox elder toss the ball into his court, Yang Ling shook his head and let out a mirthless smile, but he did not reject the offer. As long as he planned it well, he could not only securely control the situation in the Taildon Valley after killing the monster in the cave, he could also set the foundation for subsuming the Beastmen in the Ladak Mountain Range. It was two birds with one stone!

Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

After a moment’s deliberation, seeing the three sinister crossroads before him, Yang Ling decided to take a gamble. He was prepared to find a way as soon as possible even if it meant sacrificing a few Horned Bee Beasts.

Unexpectedly, just as he was about to sit down cross-legged, the pagoda-shaped mark between his brows started pulsing in agitation. Following which, the Unicorn that was staying guard by his side also neighed. Soon, a chilling skittering sound came from all around them.

“Quick, get into formation!” In his shock, Yang Ling issued an order loudly, not daring to wait around. Having been through many life threatening battles, he instinctively could sense an impending, unprecedented danger.

With the help of the fox elder, the group soon formed a tight formation in the wide tunnel. The fierce Bullmen and Ogres took the front, responsible for any close combat. The barbarians and Medusas stayed behind, preventing the enemy from suddenly emerging at their backs and attacking them. The rest of the people stayed in the middle so that they could adapt to any changes.

Chitter…

With strange piercing cries, a large group of calf-sized monsters swarmed out from all three paths. They had two watermelon-sized heads growing from their necks, and their calf-sized bodies were covered in spines like a porcupine. They had four horse-like hoofs growing from each side of their bodies. Their sharp fangs had a cold gleam, and they had a stub for a tail. They looked incredibly eerie!

“Twin-headed Horse Spiders. My god, they are Twin-headed Horse Spiders!” the fox elder shouted in shock.

Seeing the sudden appearance of the fierce monsters, he swallowed with difficulty and gripped his staff tightly in his hand.