"Didn't they say..." Shi Wu stopped in his tracks, surveying the vast, desolate cavern where not a blade of grass grew, with a hint of confusion in his voice, "that the Deep Area of the Purple Crystal Dungeon is teeming with dangerous demons?"

It was already the third cavern they traversed since entering the Deep Area.

Looking around, all that met their eyes were rugged, dark gray rock walls and the ground covered with dusty rubble.

There was no sign of any ferocious demons as expected, not even moss.

"It used to be quite lively here," responded the Sword Saint in front without turning his head.

"How long ago?"

"Uh..." The Sword Saint's steps paused briefly, as if searching for a vague time point in his memory, "About twenty years ago?"

Shi Wu said nothing further; information from twenty years ago was completely meaningless...

Inanna, however, stared silently at the ground beneath her feet, feeling as if... there were fungal threads beneath the rock layer...

At the thought of fungal threads, she began enduring once more.

From the first layer all the way down, it had already been a struggle for her to endure.

How she wished she could become a Puki, lying on a Fungal Mat, merging into the Fungal Network, carefree and at ease.

It wasn't a big deal before experiencing it, but once experienced, returning to the feeling of being detached from the Fungal Network and all alone was truly terrifying.

Though the fungal threads below seemed to be buried a bit deep, making her perception vague.

She couldn't help but glance at Edin, who appeared indifferent, as if he hadn't noticed anything at all.

...

At the other end of the cavern, where the Chis Rift was located, a battle concerning the survival of their home was underway.

This time, Chis was the defender.

Countless Chis of various shapes filled the cavern, pressing close to the rugged rock walls and natural cover, forming a flesh-and-blood barrier, striving to fend off the Puki army's assault.

Having dealt with these Puki for over half a month, Chis knew all too well what kind of entities they were facing; they absolutely couldn't let the Puki seize control of this rift.

Otherwise, even their stronghold would be at risk of annihilation.

Fortunately, the advantageous terrain offered Chis a brief respite.

The Evil Eye floated near the upper rock wall of the passage, adjusting its height to avoid being injured by the Heavy Armor Puki's big explosion.

Shooting Petrification Beams vertically downward prevented the Heavy Armor Puki from providing cover for other Puki.

The remaining Chis forces seized the opportunity to concentrate fire on those Heavy Armor Puki without other Puki nearby, employing this strategy to forcefully confine the surging offensive near the passage entrance.

Meanwhile, the frigid field was notably unfavorable to the Puki, even though they were equipped with [Cold Resistance Level 7], rendering them immune to the cold but unable to handle the icy ground.

Their short legs, prone to slipping on the ice, made even advancing cautiously difficult, and when firing Mushroom Cannons, they would spin back from the recoil.

On the contrary, Chis's sharp claws easily pierced the icy ground, enabling them to grip firmly and maneuver nimbly, fully utilizing their advantages in flexibility.

Thus, the battle devolved into a brutal war of attrition, both sides becoming like tireless grinding mills, ceaselessly feeding low-tier cannon fodder into the meat grinder-like passage.

Besides exhausting each other, another contest played out on the battlefield—the contest of claiming bodies.

Whether it was Chis or Puki remnants, as soon as they fell, figures dashed in, dragging them swiftly back within their respective ranks, leaving no recoverable resources for the opponent.

Resultantly, even though the fierce battle had dragged on for an extended period, the passage didn't become clogged with a mountain of corpses, only the surrounding area littered with scattered fungal threads and purple blood.

At one point, the Puki suddenly ceased their attack and withdrew!

But this was not due to defeat; it was an orderly retreat, so Chis made no attempt to pursue.

After all, right now, simply securing the rift was already depleting all of its strength...

Moreover, what troubled Chis was the discovery at the outset of the battle of some Puki capable of supporting [Magic Shields]. Though fragile and quickly pierced by the [Petrification Beam], the implications behind it filled Chis with dread.

If it could, it would close the rift immediately, but unfortunately, that wasn't within its control...

However, what Chis didn't know was that the Puki withdrew solely because they found others approaching!

In a passage connected to the Rift Cavern, a solitary Eye Worm floated quietly, with over a dozen Chis assigned to protect it below.

The frontal attack drew attention, while another force stealthily attacked from behind, culminating in a pincer maneuver.

After suffering several setbacks in the hands of the Puki, Chis had learned its lesson.

Even with the frontlines being so dire, it still kept reconnaissance units in other passages to guard against sneak attacks.

This time, however, it didn't spot any Puki but rather, creatures somewhat resembling the Demon Race.

Before it had a chance to observe closely, the connection with all Chis, including the Eye Worm, was abruptly severed.

A new threat!

...

"Finally ran into some demons; I thought they'd all disappeared! But... why is this blood purple? What kind of strange breed is this?" Shi Wu squatted down, curiously prodding the still-warm Chis corpse with his sword sheath.

Mage Guge gazed intently at the syrupy, viscous purple blood, his brow furrowing as his lips moved silently, yet in the end, he said nothing.

Inanna, meanwhile, was more focused on another issue: "It was actually invisible! Uncle Elvyn, how did you spot it from so far away?" Her eyes widened in curiosity.

"It's Qi..." Shi Wu started to answer, only to be abruptly cut off by a precise sidekick from the Sword Saint, booting him aside.

"It's 'Qi Sensitivity,' little one," Elvyn retracted his foot, smiling brightly, "It allows you to directly sense the surrounding presence—the stronger it is, the more conspicuous it becomes. So, Little Inanna, want to learn it?"

Inanna pondered for a moment, then shook her head: "Forget it; Father said most people can't learn your techniques, Uncle Elvyn, besides..."

She raised her slender hand, causing moisture in the air to instantly condense.

A bowl-thick, entirely azure Water Serpent hissed into form, winding spiritedly around her, its head held high, warily surveying the surroundings.

No need for Inanna to spot enemies; the Elemental Spirit had its own independent target-seeking technique!

"Tsk, almost forgot about this absurd creation of yours..."

The team continued deeper into the passage. Originally still nursing his backside and muttering complaints, Shi Wu suddenly fell silent, tensing up, as did the water snake on Inanna's body, poised for combat.

The scene at the end of the passage broadened suddenly, yet what greeted their eyes left everyone's hearts on edge.

Ahead, a dark, menacing Chis army filled the space like silent reefs, countless cold gazes fixed on them, exuding undisguised hostility.

Further away, several bloated Clumsy Worms writhed greedily, devouring the last remaining Chis and Puki body remnants on the battlefield, emitting a sickening sucking sound.

Above it all, a massive Evil Eye hovered silently, exuding the oppressive aura unique to a giant beast.

But most striking was the colossal space rift at the center of the cavern.

"Of course it's Chis..." The old Mage Guge's voice resonated low, carrying a hint of realization, "No wonder the areas we passed through earlier were like dead zones, devoid of life."

"Chis? What's that?" Shi Wu kept his eyes locked on the hair-raising insect horde ahead, gripping his sword handle tightly.

"A type of demon that inhabits the bitter cold of the Far North," Guge quickly explained, "Theoretically, it's something humans could hardly encounter in a lifetime. This is the first time I've seen one... Unbelievably, there are rifts connecting to such distant places!"

"Alright, alright, further explanations later," the Sword Saint rubbed his nose, finding the smell in the cavern rather intolerable, "Let's move quickly!"

With that, he flicked his wrist, drawing the longsword from his waist, its blade shimmering with a layer of focused and pure magical radiance.

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