Chapter 347: The Underground Secret
"Excellent. You performed well during the battle to capture the fortress. For now, there will be no more fighting."
Phield patted Haiky on the shoulder.
"Let the wounded rest and receive treatment. Those who aren’t injured should organize themselves and begin clearing corpses and debris from the fortress."
"Yes, my lord!"
Haiky immediately saluted with a standard Imperial military salute before heading off to arrange the Second Army.
"They still need to be observed. The battles ahead will mainly rely on our core forces."
Phield shook his head.
The reason he assigned the Second Army to logistics and support duties wasn’t just because they had suffered heavy casualties and were down to a little over four hundred men. Loyalty was a major concern for any newly absorbed force.
Phield understood human nature.
People were prone to overthinking.
Not only would the former border troops overthink things, but he would too.
So it was simpler to let them handle logistics for now.
The First Army and the Corrupted Legion, both highly motivated and unquestionably loyal, were his true trump cards.
"Ophelia, does Ram City still have any value left? Can it still be corrupted?"
"It can."
She nodded before adding,
"But I should mention that Ram City doesn’t have much life energy left. Night Demon slaughtered too much. The local environment suffered severe damage. Still, there are gains to be had."
"That’s enough."
Phield drew a straight line across the map.
"Your next mission is to head into the northern region, select powerful corpses for conversion, and corrupt the Ram Territory. You can also transport weapons and equipment back along the way."
"Oh?"
Ophelia glanced at the route.
"That’s actually pretty convenient. Don’t tell me you’ve been planning this all along."
"Of course. The only reason I didn’t let you corrupt Ram City earlier was because the gray mist would have caused too much commotion and attracted enemies. But now, that no longer matters."
Ophelia affectionately rubbed her large tail against him.
"Not bad, trash lord."
"The corpses will disrupt the Shadow World Sect’s rhythm and create internal chaos. But be careful on the road. Don’t get isolated and picked off."
"Don’t worry. I’ll use Divine Skills to travel."
With that, Ophelia turned and left.
"Next, it’s time to examine the resurrection array."
Phield was extremely interested in this so-called Divine Chosen of Destruction.
For the sake of resurrecting a seemingly mythical Divine Chosen, they had even dared to misuse one of the Goddess of Life’s sacred treasures.
"My lord, we can’t open the gate leading to the underground section of the fortress."
A guard stepped forward with the report.
"Let’s hope Fierce Stallion Baron can be useful."
Before long, Fierce Stallion Baron was brought before him.
"I still can’t believe you actually managed to reclaim the border fortress."
Annie Rui spoke frankly.
"That’s not the important part. Do you know how to open the underground gate? As far as I know, most border families possess the method."
"Of course I do."
Annie Rui nodded.
"But... what exactly are you planning? If you’re thinking about stealing the national treasure, then give up. The formation has already been integrated into the Empire’s land itself. It can’t be moved, and it can’t be destroyed."
"Do I look like that kind of person?"
Phield said it with a straight face, though the disappointment in his eyes betrayed him completely.
He had originally been considering relocating it to Starnight City.
"The Shadow World Sect has already reached the location of the Tidebind Lattice of the Surging Realms with Richard’s help. They’ve even constructed magical formations down there. If you don’t want the fortress blown sky-high, you’d better open the gate."
"...Fine."
Annie Rui frowned deeply, constantly trying to figure out Phield’s true intentions.
Clearly unwilling, he nevertheless led everyone to the underground hall and unlocked the passage below.
"Rumble..."
The enormous circular floor split apart and slid to either side.
A hidden pathway emerged beneath it.
A spiral staircase stretched downward into the depths.
Contrary to the cold and damp environment everyone expected, the underground passage was overflowing with life.
Golden sacred flowers bloomed across the nearly vertical walls.
Countless firefly-like insects floated through the air like stars scattered across the night sky.
"What overwhelming life energy."
Rosalia’s pupils contracted violently.
She almost lost control and jumped down.
Sweat appeared on her forehead as she hurriedly retreated several steps.
"It’s like the sweet scent released by a Venus flytrap. Beautiful, but filled with deadly danger."
Phield, on the other hand, felt nothing but comfort.
His mana was actually improving on its own.
Considering he had never cultivated before, that was astonishing.
"Ashina and I will go."
He glanced at the depths below.
"Rosalia, wait for me outside."
He had already spotted several Shadow World Sect scholars carving runes underground.
The moment they noticed him, panic flashed across their faces and they hurriedly began gathering their materials.
Clearly, they had never expected Imperial forces to discover them.
"Damn those Shadow World Sect bastards. I’m going to kill every last one of them."
Annie Rui grinned viciously and prepared to leap down.
Phield grabbed him by the arm.
"I have another plan."
He smiled.
"Mr. Annie Rui, your territory should also have an arsenal, correct? There should still be survivors as well."
Annie Rui immediately shook his head.
"No. I know nothing."
"Are you sure?"
Phield’s smile widened.
"Tell me how to open it. We need more equipment. Very soon, you’ll have the chance to personally cut off Richard’s head."
Annie Rui glanced at the formation below.
After a long silence, he finally gritted his teeth.
"Phield, can you really withstand the Shadow World Sect’s retaliation?"
"Of course."
In truth, Phield wasn’t certain at all.
But he had no intention of damaging morale.
"Good."
Annie Rui clenched his fists.
"I must settle things with Richard in a proper knight’s duel."
He finally revealed the complete method for opening the arsenal.
He even handed over his family’s insignia, allowing Phield to formally absorb the forces of the Fierce Stallion Territory.
"Excellent."
Phield nodded.
"The First Army can absorb them and transport the equipment back."
After making all the necessary arrangements, he dismissed everyone else.
Only Ashina accompanied him as they descended the spiral staircase into the depths below.
"ROOOAR!"
Various rare and powerful magical beasts were locked inside cages.
They roared furiously at Phield.
Yet he could sense that it wasn’t anger.
They were afraid.
A gigantic blood-red magic formation covered the ground.
Upon closer inspection, the formation wasn’t made of random lines at all.
Every stroke consisted of ant-sized runes intricately carved together.
Corpses were nailed at various points throughout the formation.
Thirteen shattered Divine Artifacts emitted their final traces of light.
At the center of the formation floated a heavy, mysterious cylindrical scroll.
"Greetings, young baron."
A middle-aged man dressed in priestly robes slowly approached.
Heavy bags hung beneath his eyes.
"I know we’re already doomed, but I still hope you’ll give us a chance."
Phield was surprised.
He had imagined many possible scenarios.
Negotiation had not been one of them.
The Shadow World Sect members were astonishingly calm.
"What kind of chance?"
Phield lazily raised an eyebrow.
The priest lifted both hands.
"We hope to complete the ritual and restore the glory of the God of Destruction."
"Jamie mentioned something about this."
Phield narrowed his eyes.
"So this is what you’ve been working on all along? This Divine Chosen of Destruction... is that the true god you worship?"
