Above the mage!

Chapter 581 Rock Fruit Acquired
【Crypt Element】(7/7).

The new source point was obtained instantly.

However, Gaode did not slack off because of this, and continued to launch an attack.

At the same time, Elena's magic became even more powerful.

She tightened her grip on the bone staff with her right hand, and the runes on the staff's surface suddenly lit up.

It's unclear what specific method was used, but the thorns of the vines that were wrapped around the ordinary cave elements suddenly turned dark, began to possess negative energy, and started to frantically absorb the energy of their prey.

Clearly, this is no longer a simple plant-based spell; it also incorporates the mystique of necromancy.

Ordinary cave elements, under the dual erosion of thorns and negative energy, lost their power and turned into real piles of rubble.

The powerful elite cave elemental was now at its last gasp.

Under the corrosive influence of negative energy and the pulling of countless vines beneath its feet, its movements became incredibly slow and stiff.

Its arm, holding the iron ore high, could no longer be brought down.

The massive rocky body was covered with terrifying black cracks, which were becoming increasingly dense, spreading like a spider web.

Finally, with a mournful cry of despair, like rocks crumbling, the earth elemental light in the eyes of the elite crypt elementals went out completely.

Its massive body lost its support and crashed heavily to the ground, shattering into countless black stones.

Each stone was covered with traces of negative energy erosion.

The battlefield fell silent instantly, with only the faint sounds of vines wriggling and stones rolling down.

In Elena's eyes, the third-tier ley line creatures didn't seem to be much different from the second-tier ones.

No, there is still a difference. Gao De, who had kept Mandora's Eye open, noticed that the energy on the bone staff in Elena's hand had dimmed considerably.

Clearly, some of the techniques just used still relied on the power of the staff, rather than being as effortless as they appeared on the surface.

"I didn't expect your ice magic to be so formidable." Elena slowly put down her bone staff, her expression unchanged, and said calmly to God with her back to him.

This tone, clearly that of a senior evaluating a junior, did not cause Gaode any dissatisfaction.

Since Elena's strength has already been demonstrated, it doesn't seem unreasonable to consider him a junior.

Although if they were to actually meet in the wild and fight to the death, Gao De is 99% confident that he could defeat Elena.

At this moment, Elena had already used her Mage's Hand to collect all the ley line crystals scattered on the ground.

To Gao De's surprise, she picked out nearly ten ley crystals and handed them to him.

“Yours,” Elena said.

This number is exactly the number of cave elementals who died at his hands.

Elena was able to keep track of who got the kills during the battle, which showed she was really at ease.

Gao De hesitated slightly, because ultimately, the reason he was able to kill these cave elementals so easily was entirely because Elena's magic had controlled them first.

However, in the end he did not refuse and chose to accept it.

“Take a closer look. It’s no coincidence that the elemental energy from the cave is gathered here.” Elena patted the bulging cloth bag at her waist, her brows furrowing slightly.

The weight isn't much, but the excessive size does hinder movement.

Gao De nodded and went forward with Elena.

Beyond the ravaged battlefield, the rubble and withered vines on the ground gradually thinned out.

Suddenly, an area surrounded by three giant stalagmites appeared ahead.

These three stalagmites, each over ten feet tall, stand like natural pillars, piercing the steam-shrouded sky and enclosing a hidden depression in the central area.

The ground in the center of the depression is recessed into an irregular circle, about three zhang in diameter.

The rocks along the concave edge are covered with spiderweb-like cracks.

The earth-yellow energy seeping from the cracks is several times more concentrated than elsewhere.

What struck Gao De even more was that, in the vision of Mandora's Eye, the depression below was surging with a much denser green energy than the surrounding area.

"This should be it." A thought flashed through Gao De's mind, and magical energy surged in his hands.

[Quickly Discover]

The next instant, a sandstorm suddenly swept through a five-foot square area centered on the point where his spell was aimed.

The full power of the [Quick Dig] spell effect is unleashed:

The surface gravel, iron-brown slag, and loose soil were instantly stripped away, as if dug open by an invisible shovel, forming a pit of moderate depth.

This scene made Elena glance at her slightly.

She never expected that a battle mage as young as Gao De, who had achieved considerable military merit in the Sea Sentinel mission, would still have the energy to master functional spells.

As the spell took effect, a dark passage entrance, half a meter wide, suddenly appeared beneath the thin layer of rock.
A unique smell, a mixture of sulfur and rust, wafted over.

The smell is exactly the same as that of Rock Ridge Giant Oak.

“This is it.” Gao De’s voice was tinged with excitement as he exchanged a glance with Elena.

Elena nodded slightly and took the lead, stepping into the passage first.

After walking about thirty steps in the narrow passage, the passage suddenly opened up, forming a natural cave about twenty feet high.

In the center of the cave, three enormous demonic trees stood prominently.

It was the giant oak from the rocky ridge that he had been searching for!
However, two of them had already withered and died.

The trunk is dark black, and the grooves on its surface are dry and cracked.

The twisted branches were bare, without a single green leaf.

Some branches have broken off and are scattered on the ground.

Their roots were pulled out of the vein, withered into black charcoal, and no longer showed any energy fluctuations.

Only the giant oak tree in the very center of the rocky ridge still survives. Its trunk is like a giant stone pillar, its surface covered with grooves, inlaid with dark gold runes that gleam with an eerie light.

The bark was as hard as refined gold. When Gao De tapped it with his fingers, he could hear a dull sound like a war drum, which made his fingertips tingle slightly.

The twisted and gnarled branches, like the limbs of a petrified giant lizard, extend towards the stalagmites at the top of the cave, with a dozen or so hexagonal prism-shaped fruits hanging on the branches.

The fruit has a rough skin covered with raised, nodular bumps, and its color gradually changes from dark brown to grayish-black.

Several of the ripe fruits had tar-like resin seeping from their surfaces, which dripped onto the slag on the ground with a soft "tap-tap" sound.

What's most amazing is its root system.

The thick roots, like giant black pythons, burrow deep into the mineral veins surrounding the cave, continuously supplying the earth element energy from the veins to the tree trunk.

The stalagmites at the top of the cave are also intertwined with the root system, and the earth vein energy in the stalagmites flows into the magic tree along the root system.

It was as if the bamboo shoots at the top were nourishing this giant oak tree on the rocky ridge.

Gao De strode to the side branch of the giant oak tree on the rock ridge and looked up at the fruit on it. Its scientific name is rock fruit, and long-term consumption can increase the bone density of the consumer.

However, Gaode Maps places more emphasis on the tree species itself.

As long as the rock fruit is brought back to the North, Lady Flora will plant a giant oak tree on the rock ridge for him.

Thinking this, Gao De used his mage's hand to pluck several ripe rock fruits, which felt heavy in his hand.

But a question flashed through Gao De's mind: "Since the giant oak tree on the rock ridge grows in such a deep cave, why would we find its broken branches at the edge of the stalagmite forest?"

However, he soon noticed another detail.

On one of the thick side branches of this surviving giant oak tree, there is a fresh fracture mark with a smooth surface and light brown wood fibers.

It was obviously broken recently.

There is also a corresponding crack on a giant stalagmite at the top of the cave, and several small branches are scattered below the stalagmite.

Elena took the initiative to explain: "The ley lines in Blackrock Canyon are naturally active and often cause tremors."

It must have been the earthquake that caused the stalagmite at the top of the cave to collapse, breaking off a side branch of the giant oak tree on the rock ridge.

"The broken branches rolled out of the cave along the passage and were swept up by the flow caused by the earthquake, eventually reaching the edge of the stalagmite forest."

As she spoke, Elena walked up to the two dead giant oak trees on the ridge, examined them carefully, and said, "It's a good thing we came early. If we had come any later, I'm afraid even the last giant oak tree on the ridge would have died."

Upon hearing this, Gao De raised an eyebrow and leaned closer to observe, immediately realizing that Elena's words were true.

Because the dead giant oak trees on the rocky ridge showed obvious signs of having their energy forcibly extracted, they did not die naturally.

“It was done by the cave elementals,” Gao De said.

“Yes,” Elena said, her gaze sweeping over the cracks around the cave, “the giant oak trees on the rock ridge are an excellent source of energy for them.”

"Although the earth element can draw energy on its own, the root system of the Rock Ridge Giant Oak can condense and purify the dispersed earth element energy, forming an energy form that is more suitable for them to absorb, just as humans need to cook food to better digest it."

She paused, then continued, "The cave elements here have long relied on the energy of the Rock Ridge Giant Oak to survive. In the beginning, the three should have had a symbiotic relationship."

"The Rock Ridge Giant Oak uses the Cave Element to clear away debris and protect itself, while the Cave Element obtains purified earth element energy from the Rock Ridge Giant Oak."

"However, as the number of cave elements increases, and as some cave elements absorb enough earth element energy to evolve into third-tier elite individuals, their energy demand also increases, and they begin to over-absorb the energy of the Rock Ridge Giant Oak."

As she spoke, Elena pointed to a deep trench on the trunk of the withered demon tree: "Look here, there are obvious scratch marks on the trench wall, which should have been dug out by the cave elementals."

In order to acquire energy more quickly, they even directly damaged the trunk of the magic tree, forcibly extracting the earth elemental energy within.

"These two dead giant oak trees on the rocky ridge died because their energy was excessively depleted, and their root systems were unable to replenish enough energy from the mineral veins."

"And this surviving giant oak tree on the rocky ridge is actually having its earth element energy constantly consumed by the cave element, and its fruit has withered down to only a dozen or so left."

When its own energy is insufficient, the giant oak, as a plant, will instinctively stop producing fruit and use its limited energy to sustain its life.

But this is just a drop in the ocean. If Gaode arrives a month or two later, the energy of this giant oak tree on the rocky ridge will eventually be exhausted.

“The Rock Ridge Giant Oak has been found. Now it’s time to fulfill your promise.” After explaining, Elena turned around, her gaze falling on God’s hands.

That was the rock fruit he had just picked, and it was also Gaode's destination for this trip.

Elena's tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable certainty.

Gao De, of course, wouldn't go back on his word. He carefully put away the rock fruit, nodded, and said, "Let's go then."

The two returned along the mine passage they had come from. When they emerged from the cave where the giant oak tree on the rock ridge was located, the steam from the stalagmite forest was still thick.

White mist, like a light veil, clung to the bamboo-like rocks, obscuring the surrounding scenery.

Without any markers or knowing how Elena navigated, she led Gaode westward.

This time the journey will be much longer.

The two wandered through the stalagmite forest, the steam like a flowing barrier, constantly spreading out in front of them and gathering behind them.

After walking for about two hours, the surrounding bamboo-shaped rocks underwent a noticeable change.

The originally towering, robust stalagmites gradually became shorter and thinner, with the tallest no more than ten feet tall.

Furthermore, the surface is no longer a dark gray rock texture, but is covered with a layer of fine blackish-purple patterns.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, the small, dark purple-patterned boulders around us became increasingly dense.

The quartz sand on the ground has turned into fine, dark purple pebbles. Stepping on them doesn't produce the "crunching" sound of ordinary slag; instead, it has a soft, humid feel, similar to rotten soil.

At this moment, Elena suddenly slowed down.

She pointed to three giant rust-patterned stalagmites arranged in a "品" shape in front of her: "This is it. The entrance to the cave is at the bottom of the middle stalagmite."

Gao De looked in the direction she pointed.

The three giant stalagmites were several feet taller than the surrounding shorter stalagmites, and their surfaces were covered with a thick layer of dark purple rust.

Rust, like blood vessels, meanders down the surface of the stalagmite, eventually converging at the bottom to form a circular depression about half a meter wide.

The surface of the depression is not hard rock, but covered with a flexible, dark purple film.

The underground steam around the depression was tinged with a light gray-black color, as if it had been polluted by something.

With the help of Mandora's Eye, God saw the entrance to the dark passage below the depression.

The passage is not vertically downward, but extends obliquely into the ground at a 45-degree angle.

More importantly, the entrance to the passage was covered with a layer of fine, silvery-white spider silk.

These spider silks are thicker than ordinary spider silk, and their surface has a dark purple sheen.

Clearly, this is the web woven by the late-stage Tier 3 elite cave spider queen that Elena mentioned.

Broken pieces of shell were hanging between the spider silk, likely traces left by the burrowing spider queen after she preyed on her prey.

"I'll go into the passage first and lure out the cave spider. I'll try to provoke it so that it will relentlessly pursue me and focus all its attention on me. You just hide and wait for your chance to strike."

"After I lure it away, I will choose the best time to sneak into the cave."

“I’ll distract it for at least fifteen minutes, which is plenty of time.” Elena briefly went over the plan with Gao De.

She paused, then pointed to the spider webs at the entrance of the passage and added, "The passage is about eighty feet long. The first half is relatively safe because the spider queen is often active there, so the spider webs are relatively sparse."

The latter half is the outer perimeter of its lair, where there will be dense webs of traps, and those spiders carry necromantic venom. You must be very careful.

"Okay." Gao De nodded, indicating that he understood.

Seeing Gao De nod, Elena didn't add any more details.

Because Gao De is a warrant officer mage of the Sea Sentinels.

This is enough to prove that Gaode has rich practical experience and adaptability.

A mage so young and with such a high military rank, in these details, while not necessarily comparable to her, certainly wouldn't be too far behind.

"Then let's get ready to move out," Elena said, taking a deep breath.

(End of this chapter)