Chapter 485: The Hidden Tunnel.
Walking deep below the surface, Thoren’s expression was calm, devoid of any emotions as he advanced through the ancient passage with steady and measured steps.
He stared directly into the tunnel that seemed to have no end in sight and strode forward casually.
This was the hidden tunnel that connected the Horn Lizard Clan and the Scorpion Clan.
The tunnel entrance was hidden beneath one of the massive ancient trees inside the King’s compound.
Without interrogating the Horn Lizard King’s soul, he would never have thought such a hidden entrance lay beneath the ancient tree.
It was not that he couldn’t find it if he searched for it, but no one would have thought the Horn Lizard Clan and the Scorpion Clan had a hidden tunnel connecting them.
Worse, the tunnel led directly into the King’s residence.
This alone made Thoren realize the relationship between the Horn Lizard Clan and the Scorpion Clan was far from ordinary.
With the might of the Scorpion Clan, they could have easily destroyed the Horn Lizard Clan if they truly desired to do so, especially considering the overwhelming strength of their army.
Yet, they never did so.
Apart from small skirmishes, they had never pushed each other to the brink of extinction.
All these pointed to one conclusion.
There had to be a deep secret between the two clans, one important enough for both sides.
Whoosh!
From his inventory, Thoren took out a piece of freshly cooked meat and devoured it with relish as he journeyed through the tunnel.
The tunnel was dark, dry, with dust everywhere. More importantly, the tunnel was not the usual desert tunnel.
The tunnel was made from a strange stone, with smooth walls stretching endlessly into the distance.
Despite the countless years that had likely passed, not a single crack or sign of erosion could be seen upon its surface.
Thoren had tried to find out what type of stone it was but could not. No matter how closely he examined it, the material resembled nothing he had ever encountered inside the Bleeding Desert.
Worse, when one of his undead servants struck the wall, intending to test its durability, the results left even him surprised.
Apart from a few sparks, the wall remained intact without any visible change on its surface. It did not even leave behind the faintest scratch, as though the attack had never landed in the first place.
This was a Peak Bronze Grade weapon, yet it could not leave a scratch on the tunnel wall.
After trying repeatedly, he gave up and decided to focus his attention on what lay on the other side of the tunnel.
But inwardly, he knew this tunnel must be the work of the original inhabitants of the Three Moon World.
Only a civilization with technology or craftsmanship far beyond the current Beastmen clans could possibly construct something of this quality.
From what he found at the previous ruins, he knew this world was once an advanced civilization in the pursuit of magic and the soul.
Thus, for them to have created such hard stone, impervious to Bronze Grade weapons, would not come as a surprise to him. To a civilization that had once stood at the peak of magic and soul research, creating an indestructible material was entirely within the realm of possibility.
He feasted on his meat without a care in the world as he journeyed deeper and deeper into the tunnel. Every bite echoed faintly through the silent passage, yet he showed no concern about revealing his presence.
Against such a dark tunnel filled with strange walls, many would have been scared or remained on high vigilance, expecting danger to emerge from the darkness at any moment.
But he was eating as though he were going on a casual stroll.
Reckless and careless.
Many would have thought so.
But they were wrong.
A kilometer ahead of him were the undead Echo Scarabs scouting the tunnel for any sign of danger, silently moving through the darkness while transmitting everything they discovered through their mental connection.
While behind him, another two undead Echo Scarabs made sure he was not caught in a sneak attack.
In such a narrow tunnel, he would be foolish and stupid not to make preparations for an ambush.
And this was the reason why he could act so casually.
Finishing the beast meat, he took out a wine bottle and drank it with relish, the rich aroma immediately filling the quiet tunnel.
The wine was filled with potent mana blended together, giving it a mellow taste that lingered pleasantly inside his mouth while a warm sensation gradually spread throughout his body.
Since he started drinking the wine from the Abyssal Market, he had slowly turned into a wine lover bordering on an alcoholic. Whenever he had the opportunity, he found himself reaching for another bottle without even realizing it.
Slowly, he finished one bottle after another.
Yet, he was far from being tipsy.
Even though his Constitution was not the highest among his attributes, his alcohol tolerance was much higher than that of an ordinary human by a wide margin. The mana infused within his body continuously neutralized much of the alcohol before it could truly affect him.
He belched continuously as he emptied each wine bottle. His face flushed slightly, but the satisfied grin on his face couldn’t have been more obvious. For a brief moment, he almost forgot he was walking through a mysterious underground tunnel.
Just as he prepared to take out the fifth wine bottle, his boots crushed an object beneath his feet.
Crack! Crack!
The crisp sound echoed throughout the tunnel, instantly breaking the quiet atmosphere.
Slowly, he lowered his head and saw what it was.
They were bones.
With a solemn expression, Thoren returned the wine bottle to his inventory and stared at the floor with a solemn expression.
The relaxed atmosphere surrounding him disappeared almost instantly.
At first, he could not tell which creature the bones belonged to, but as he journeyed deeper, more and more skeletal remains appeared scattered throughout the passage.
He began to see a pattern.
Crack! Crack!
Bones that looked like tails.
Serpentine tails to be precise.
Then claws scattered everywhere.
Their numbers reached into the hundreds.
Some had already crumbled into powder with age, while others remained surprisingly well preserved despite the countless years that had likely passed.
Then ribs mixed with other skeletal parts appeared along his path, forming small piles that seemed to stretch endlessly through the tunnel.
"What happened?"
He creased his brow and thought deeply, carefully examining the bones while silently piecing together every clue before him.
No matter how much he tried to guess what had happened inside the tunnel, he couldn’t arrive at a definite conclusion. The scene before him raised far more questions than answers.
But there was one thing he was confident in.
These bones belonged to the Horn Lizard Clan.