My Misfortune Crushed Instances-Chapter 294: Even Brother Zuo Would Call This Professional
The distant palace complex was magnificent and grand, with the Yangli Race guards lined up in formation, clad in armor and holding sharp weapons, their spirits high. The road on the ground was meticulously paved with wooden planks, and neatly arranged green trees were planted on both sides of the road.
Li Rui found it hard to believe that the Yangli Race and tribes like the Powerful Ape were all part of the Demon Race living together in the Forest of Divine Wood.
"How come you all live in thatched huts and grass shelters, while it’s so luxurious on their side?"
Yuan Ju chuckled awkwardly, "We have shortsighted visions, constantly fighting among ourselves and being exploited by the Yangli Race. They reap the benefits, so naturally, they are wealthy and prosperous."
Li Rui thought it made sense, "It’s not your fault. In the future, you should put aside your prejudices. All this constant killing only leads to unnecessary losses."
"What you said is true, sir."
Currently, the southern tribes refer to Li Rui as the Grand General. Only trusted followers like Yuan Ju, who have been with him from the beginning, call him sir.
After defeating the main elite forces of the Yangli Race, now Li Rui’s task list showed up with the favorability of dozens of tribes, most of which were still fear and worship, with a few showing respect and dread.
But it didn’t matter anymore, even if a small number of tribes were disloyal, they were ultimately a minority.
Of course, Li Rui wasn’t too concerned. Normally, increasing the reputation with local indigenous tribes was primarily to unlock more skills, gather information, and so on.
However, now he could freely take what he wanted from the Forest of Divine Wood and naturally didn’t care.
"First, have them gather all the treasures from the tribes in the Forest of Divine Wood, no hiding, I want to carefully pick out....."
Li Rui almost slipped up as he spoke and quickly changed his words, "Select and categorize, then distribute them among the tribes."
Yuan Ju was deeply impressed, "Yes, sir."
Li Rui then said to the elders of the Yangli Race, "You all shouldn’t act like you’re at a funeral. Now that the Forest of Divine Wood is united, working together will definitely bring more prosperity than before."
"The Grand General is right."
Regardless of their true feelings, the elders of the Yangli Race could only smile wryly and agree.
There was no choice. The elite forces of the tribe had been wiped out in the White Leaf Forest, and later, a group of righteous warriors—no, traitors—attempted an assassination but were killed by several major competitions. Now, no one dared to resist.
Li Rui asked, "May I ask the elder if there are any secrets within this Divine Wood?"
"There are no secrets."
The elder replied, but seeing the unfriendly look in Li Rui’s eyes, he coughed dryly and said, "At the root of the giant tree is a secret tree hole, that place...."
"Elder, just speak frankly."
"That’s where we execute criminals. The place is filled with heavy Evil Qi, and it’s not suitable for someone with your status, Grand General, to visit."
"Don’t worry about me."
Li Rui looked up at the giant tree towering like a skyscraper and was convinced that if there was any important treasure in this forest, it must be related to this tree. At least he couldn’t rest easy without exploring it.
He was led by the elder to the base of the giant Divine Wood, where he found the area cold and sinister, a stark contrast to the vibrant life above.
Around the tree hole was a prison, where anyone who committed offenses against the Yangli Race or who was a rebel within the tribe would be imprisoned.
The plump head jailer of the Yangli Race led the way humbly. Given his size, maintaining a bowing posture was quite challenging.
"Grand General, Elder, this way, please."
Every time they turned a corner, he would stop to bow and gesture, waiting for the two to pass before catching up.
Li Rui estimated that many of the prisoners here were likely only guilty of noncompliance with the Yangli Race and had committed no other crimes. It would be a task for Yuan Ju to identify and release them later.
After navigating through several twists and turns, the group finally arrived at the base of the roots, outside a sinister and dim iron door.
Just standing there, he could feel a cool breeze coming from within, and when he touched the iron door, it was icy cold.
Clang.
The elder of the Yangli Race ordered to open the door, revealing a sinister and dim cave entrance.
This entrance was located right on top of the giant tree’s roots, slanting downward, making it impossible to see what lay deep inside. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖
Li Rui asked, "Elder, has this cavern always been like this?"
The Yangli elder dared not lie and answered, "It’s said that many years ago, this was a cave connected to the Earth’s veins. We used to execute major offenders in it to nourish the Divine Wood."
"Later, perhaps due to the many lost souls, the cave became filled with Yin energy, and none who were thrown in could ever return alive."
Li Rui couldn’t help but roll his eyes: You guys just can’t get enough of it, can you? Killing creatures in such a Spiritual Qi rich environment, if you didn’t develop a big evil spirit, it would be a miracle. Even Brother Zuo would have to acclaim your expertise.
He called Yuan Ju over and said, "Bring a team of elite soldiers, and call for the experts from the Profound Bear, Sheep, White Deer, and Forest Antelope tribes to guard the cave entrance. Until I come out, do not let anyone approach it."
Planning to enter the cave, he needed a safe exit, so he must have trustworthy people guarding it.
Yuan Ju was taken aback, "But sir, this kind of cave is a deathtrap, extremely dangerous, and it must not be ventured into."
Li Rui waved his hand, "My mind is made up. No more discussing it."
He asked Yuan Ju to bring the soldiers while smilingly telling the Yangli elder, "Please wait patiently here."
"Yes, yes, yes."
The old cat hesitated to speak, but eventually said nothing.
Once the experts and elite soldiers arrived, they tried to dissuade him, showing that Yuan Ju had informed them in advance. However, Li Rui was determined to go, and after waving them off, he walked alone into the large, man-high cave.
Not to mention, the Blue Silver Lamp Ring’s lighting function was indeed handy.
He carried a Vajra Umbrella as he walked on, the air filled with a foul stench, yet the path was very clean, without even a single skeleton.
Thud, thud, thud.
The sound of footsteps echoed crisply as his shoes hit the ground because it was wooden underneath as well.
The deeper he went, the larger the space became, and the steeper the slope. It was said that when executing prisoners, they would break their limbs and throw them into the cave, letting them roll all the way down the slope.
Unable to explore it slowly, Li Rui could only quicken his pace, rushing down the slope that nearly reached a sixty-degree angle.
Thud.
Finally, his feet hit the ground, and he entered a cavity beneath the tree.
With a beam from the Blue Silver Lamp Ring, he saw the walls were covered in a dense network of petrified skeletal remains, as if something had plastered them to the walls.
At the center of the cavity was a spherical object emitting a faint glow.
Li Rui wasn’t easily frightened. Since he was already there, he didn’t hesitate at all and walked right up to it. He found that the spherical object didn’t pose much of a threat, but to be cautious, he first poked it with the Vajra Umbrella. As soon as he touched it, information appeared before his eyes.
[Evil-infused Divine Wood Crystal.]
[Category: Enhancement Material.]
[Quality: Legendary.]
[Description: Both righteous and evil.]
Discovering it was a legendary level material, he was overjoyed and quickly stashed it into his inventory in a heartbeat.
As expected, the Evil Qi in the cavity began to converge.
Taking a treasure naturally requires a boss fight.
Li Rui was just thinking, this creature’s aura seems strong, he might need to use his ultimate move to deal with it, and once it’s dead, there should be more rewards, right? They can’t just end it with a single enhancement material.
