Chapter 326 The Dungeon Concludes

Shaoke was the first to rush to the Eighth-rank Blue-robed Mage's side, and what he saw was shocking. The Blue-robed Mage looked utterly disheveled; her once smooth blue hair was now tangled and draped over her shoulders, though the crown remained firmly on her head. The small staff in her hand was gone, and a small section of her left arm had vanished. However, the blue-covered spellbook floating before her was still slowly turning its pages, though many of them were now blank, devoid of any magic script or spell structure.

"Honorable Mage," Shaoke said, bowing to the Eighth-rank Mage enveloped in a faint blue glow, but before he could say more, the Blue-robed Mage pointed toward the passage ahead, signaling him to leave quickly. At that moment, the explosions from spell collisions in the distance grew louder, and some of the still-standing giant stone pillars began to emit strange, soft glows with powerful magical fluctuations, making it impossible for Shaoke to discern the situation there.

After Shaoke and the others arrived, the Eighth-rank Mage led them forward again. This time, even more magma erupted from below, but they did not intervene. Each time magma burst forth, the blue crown on the female mage's head emitted a beam of blue light that quickly transformed into a net, either dispersing the magma or solidifying it into columns. She appeared to handle it effortlessly, making Shaoke suspect she was not truly injured.

A few of them finally reached the passage, and Shaoke then realized that the two stone paths—the one they came from and the one they were taking—were tightly adjacent. Without the original passage for orientation, he would never have noticed this.

By then, someone had come to greet them from the passage.

"Honorable Mage," said the Ruler, who was dressed as a warrior. Upon seeing the Eighth-rank Mage missing part of her arm, her expression darkened but was quickly masked.

The Blue-robed Mage shook her head slightly, declining to let her speak further. Instead, she led Shaoke and the others swiftly into the passage. Shaoke followed behind, briefly and tersely recounting their experiences inside to the warrior ruler before falling silent.

Shaoke felt somewhat relieved by the situation inside the passage, where over twenty professionals were present, including the four Seventh-rank Mages he had brought. Upon seeing Shaoke and their other companion return, these four mages quickly came forward, bowed, and began conversing in low tones. Meanwhile, the Blue-robed Mage started questioning the warrior ruler in detail about their situation, as she had noticed the markers left by the major empires here.

Hundreds of staffs and weapons from other professionals were interwoven in a peculiar pattern, forming a strange throne. The Blue-robed Mage absently touched this unique throne before asking the warrior ruler for specifics, never expecting that such a throne would be obtained by these low-rank beings.

The warrior ruler glanced worriedly at the outside, then detailed the discovery of the throne. They had roamed the stone paths following a certain pattern until, after an unknown time, they found the throne on a sunken stone fortress. On their way back, a misstep led them off course, causing encounters and battles with other groups. Fortunately, the scattered teams regrouped after a few fights, met other imperial teams, and finally returned to this passage shortly before the Eighth-rank Mage arrived.

After hearing the warrior ruler's explanation, everyone fell silent, realizing that of the over two hundred who entered the passage, fewer than forty had survived. Moreover, the leading Eighth-rank Mage had been severely injured.

"Let's go," the Eighth-rank Mage said, once again touching the throne made of hundreds of weapons, then stood and checked a crystal ball in her hand. With a grim expression, she gestured for Shaoke and the others to follow her back to the surface. They readily obeyed and, after a brief rest, proceeded along the passage toward their starting point.

Before leaving, Shaoke cast a spell to detect the situation in the vast space outside. Numerous glowing stone pillars were slowly sinking into the magma, and occasional giant Fire Snakes leaped from the lava, their massive bodies slapping against the stone paths. Yet the seemingly fragile paths remained firmly connected, fulfilling their purpose. At that moment, Shaoke inexplicably recalled the Giant Beast he had seen in the wasteland—those that roamed freely across barren lands.

The journey back to the surface was smooth, without any interception. However, days of relentless running and high mental strain slowed their pace. Few spoke, only quietly discussing their encounters in the magma world during breaks for meals.

The Blue-robed Mage often sat dazedly, staring at her severed arm, and this continued even after they left the underground city.

"Honorable Mage, your injury..." Back at the hilltop, Shaoke noticed her face suddenly turn extremely pale and her eyes unfocused, prompting him to ask about her condition.

"It's nothing," the Eighth-rank Mage said, quickly taking a pill from her ring and closing her eyes to rest. Then she told Shaoke and the others to return to the Fallen Imperial Capital on their own, as she would leave first. They all seemed to deliberately ignore the absence of other Eighth-rank beings.

"Whatever you gained in the underground city is yours to keep. After you return to the Fallen Imperial Capital, the military will give you additional rewards," the Eighth-rank Mage said, then reminded them of precautions before swiftly flying toward the capital.

After her departure, the atmosphere among the group eased slightly. The warrior ruler approached Shaoke again, discussing their gains and speculations about the underground mission. Both were cautious, but their pleasant conversation lasted until they reached the Fallen Imperial Capital, where they parted ways with their respective organization members. Some mages and warriors returned alone to their territories.

As for the rewards from the underground city, the low-rank beings had no claim. They only received medicinal rewards from Shaoke and the other ruler. Shaoke gave his mages some high-grade potions and a meditation method, promising the five Seventh-rank Mages access to original spell texts for study.

Shaoke's return thrilled Mage Roman and the Cleric. After passionate embraces, he detailed his underground experiences to the two Female Spellcasters. Though they knew he was unharmed, they clung to his arms nervously, kissing him to ease their worries.

"If I'm not mistaken, the staffs and weapons on that throne were at least owned by Eighth-rank beings," Shaoke concluded. "I think those staffs were left by Eighth-rank beings who fell in battle within that underground city." He sighed softly, having not participated in the final war of that era. Roman and the Cleric hadn't truly been involved either, but he knew the major empires had deployed armies like the Death Mage Corps and Bloody Knight Corps, with no clear victor until today.

The Cleric shifted to get more comfortable on top of Shaoke. "You were gone for a whole month this time. Lan Wei'er misses you." Blushing, she squirmed as the Male Mage's hand began to wander. Her naked body couldn't withstand such teasing, and another round of passion was inevitable.

Afterward, Shaoke fell into deep sleep on the two women. During their time in the underground city, sleep had been brief, with one group resting while the other kept watch, sustaining them for an unknown duration.

Perhaps due to prolonged mental exhaustion, Shaoke slept heavily. At some point, he felt his nose pinched, thinking it was Roman's usual joke. He pulled her onto him and started fondling, confused as to why her chest seemed larger.

"Father, don't you know I'm your daughter?" Lan Wei'er's voice reached his ears, soft but startling, like the roar of a Giant Beast.