Volume One: The Lord of the Infernal Realm Chapter Nine: The Elven Village
With his newly synthesized pet in tow, Chen Gu and his companions descended Wolf Mountain.
While atop the mountain, he hadn’t noticed anything unusual. But upon reaching its foot, Chen Gu discovered a blank flagpole planted in front of the mountain. This was a sign of ownership for a wilderness camp.
Chen Gu hurriedly hung his battle flag upon it. Since he was still a newcomer and had not been granted a specially designed banner, he posted a flag with a red background, bearing his name in bold script.
Once the flag was raised, a new interface appeared before him.
[You have occupied a wilderness camp; your territory interface is now open.]
[Territory Name: None
Main City: None
Subcities: None
Resources: 16 gold coins, 0 stone, 0 wood, 0 metal, 0 food, 0 mercury, 0 crystal, 0 gems, 0 sulfur
Wilderness Camp: Wolf Mountain (Level 1)
Wilderness Resource Points: None
Roads: None
Outposts: 1
Safe Area: 0.001%]
Chen Gu smiled at the newly revealed interface. His ownership of the territory was now officially recognized.
It was a promising beginning, and from here, he would have to work even harder.
“Let’s go!”
He brandished his rusty sword, shouldered his heavy pack, and marched toward the haunted Elven settlement.
With the Bloodshadow Wolves and the Corpse-Eating Vines at his disposal, Chen Gu was now confident in his ability to survive in the surrounding lands.
Now was the perfect time to seize the village and develop his own power.
He was still far from victory, but hope was not lost.
As he advanced with the Bloodshadow Wolves, Chen Gu discovered their ability to blink. They would appear at his side in a flash, only to vanish the next moment. Unlike the Corpse-Eating Vines that moved underground, their movements were far more mysterious.
Their range was also greater—he often saw them attack targets over a hundred meters away, then swiftly return to his side.
After only ten minutes, Chen Gu realized how to best employ these wolves: they were assassins meant for sneak attacks.
In battle, their blinking ability allowed them to appear behind enemies.
Having such formidable pets and troops at the outset was a boon for Chen Gu.
His confidence soared, and he no longer advanced cautiously, scanning his surroundings; instead, he strode forward with vigor.
His pace quickened noticeably.
An hour later, Chen Gu drew near the Elven village he had spotted from the outpost.
It was a small Elven settlement, long since abandoned.
From the outpost, one could see ethereal, azure silhouettes drifting through the village from time to time.
Chen Gu stopped about a hundred meters from the settlement and observed from afar.
The village displayed classic Elven architecture, with trees as the main building material and roofs made of logs and leaves.
Nine large structures formed the core of the settlement, with smaller cabins scattered around.
Most buildings had collapsed, leaving only foundations and shattered walls.
“Advance.”
After surveying the village for a moment, Chen Gu strode forward, rusty sword in hand.
When he was within fifty meters of the settlement, seven or eight ghostly figures appeared.
They retained the original Elven features—pointed ears and silver-white hair. Their eyes were void of pupils, their bodies hovered without legs, and they wielded no weapons.
Upon noticing Chen Gu and his group, they raised their arms and floated toward him.
“Bloodshadow Wolves.”
Chen Gu issued a decisive command.
Six Bloodshadow Wolves surged forward, pouncing upon the phantoms.
The ghosts had no leader; they were wild spirits trapped in the village, appearing only out of instinct.
As they rushed toward Chen Gu, they ignored any threats nearby.
The wolves blinked behind them and bit down hard at their necks.
The ghosts struggled to shake them off, but the wolves’ ability was not only to bite spirit forms but also their powerful jaws.
Once bitten, unless the wolves released, there was no escape.
No matter how the ghosts twisted and turned, the wolves refused to let go, their claws raking the spirits and inflicting damage.
Within less than a minute, only one ghost remained—the rest had perished, leaving behind azure spheres of light on the ground.
However, with the death of these ghosts, the Elven settlement erupted.
A multitude of blue phantoms rose from underground, arms raised, rushing toward the wolves.
“Bloodshadow Wolves, retreat! Fall back!” Chen Gu commanded as he ran toward his original observation spot.
There were now over a hundred ghosts; even if the wolves faced no resistance, it would take ages to eliminate them all, never mind if the spirits fought back.
Without hesitation, Chen Gu opted to retreat, luring the ghosts from the village to deal with them outside.
Once he reached his ambush point, he glanced back and saw the ghosts had left the settlement, entering the forest.
Calculating their speed, Chen Gu formed a plan.
“Bloodshadow Wolves, lure the ghosts eastward—draw them five hundred meters away, then blink back.”
Without a word, the wolves darted ahead.
Chen Gu hid in the woods, watching the ghosts drift past.
All were fixated on the wolves, ignoring Chen Gu, who was right beside them.
Yet as they passed, he felt a wave of pressure—a chill that made his skin crawl.
When the ghosts had chased the wolves away, Chen Gu quickly stood and sprinted toward the Elven village.
He had seen that all the spirits had pursued the wolves—now the settlement was empty.
This was his chance.
Rushing into the village, Chen Gu pointed.
“Search—find construction stone and the Heart of the City.”
All the Corpse-Eating Vines burrowed into the remnants of the large buildings.
After dispatching the vines, Chen Gu, rusty sword in hand, went to the central hall of the village.
It was clear this wooden house had once been the council chamber.
Pushing open the collapsed door, his eyes brightened.
Beneath the door panel, he found a crushed cabinet—it seemed to contain something.