CHAPTER 320: Treasure Trove

Han Shuo did not stop to chat with the forest trolls after dragging them far away, nor did he enter the forest troll village to meet the old priest who could understand the common language. He returned to his original path and sneaked into the Redbud Knights' camp.

With the Space Door Scroll, Cecilia's group shouldn't have any trouble escaping, even if their power couldn't match Kassel's group. However, Han Shuo felt that something wasn't quite right about the Redbud Knights of the Brut Merchant Alliance appearing in the Dark Forest. Since Emily couldn't tell him the truth because of Cecilia, Han Shuo decided to check things out for himself.

Using his only remaining Yin Demon to scout ahead, Han Shuo simultaneously sent out his consciousness to sense any presence within a certain range. Noon's sunlight pierced through the layers of foliage, shining stubbornly down on the ground of the Dark Forest. At first glance, these rays of sunlight looked like a bunch of sharp arrows.

Han Shuo's senses were razor sharp and he moved between the trees with the speed of an experienced hunter. His figure dashed through and over several trees and rocks without making a sound. Relying on his perverse sensitivity and the Yin Demon's vision, Han Shuo arrived at the Redbud Knights' staging area after a few minutes.

The knights were scattered around the area, resting lazily. They squinted in the sunlight and talked about things that children should not hear. From time to time, a perverse laugh could be heard from the group of knights. Apart from them, there were also a few knights sitting alone, training their combat aura.

The magical spell on the tent in the centre had yet to be lifted. One or two pitiful screams echoed faintly, seemingly the sounds of criminals being tortured.

Han Shuo patiently hid in the foliage of a large old tree to watch the Redbud Knights. He spread his powerful consciousness to enclose a small area, preventing anyone from approaching. A Yin Demon silently floated around, spying and constantly eavesdropping on the knights' conversations.

Most of the knights were talking about boring, trivial things. However, there were a few stern knights who were in the middle of a serious meeting. The Yin Demon cautiously eavesdropped on their meeting. From their brief descriptions, Han Shuo gradually deduced the purpose of their trip to the Dark Forest this time.

A faint wave of magical fluctuation emanated from the tents among the knights, followed by three soul-searching spells. Han Shuo had been on the alert, so he quickly pulled the Yin Demon back into his body before using magic cultivation to hide his presence.

As the fluctuation of the three soul searching spells passed, a huge eye appeared above Han Shuo's head. It was the Celestial Eye again. The Celestial Eye looked down for a moment before gradually dispersing.

Wuuu...

The battle signal of a buffalo horn trumpet suddenly sounded. A cry echoed from the centre tent, "Assemble. Prepare to march!"

The lazily resting soldiers immediately sprang to their feet, organising their armour and weapons at the call of the horn. They walked energetically towards the wild warhorses grazing and drinking on the riverbank. Suddenly, a wave of commanding air spread out.

They were indeed worthy of being one of the ten best knight troops on the continent. It didn't show when they rested, but when they organised themselves, they naturally emitted that fierce atmosphere. Han Shuo was secretly surprised as he watched the Redbud Knights gather from his hiding place in the lush foliage. He began to worry about the races in the underground world of the Dark Forest.

The Redbud Knights had travelled the long distance of a thousand miles to the Dark Forest this time to deal with the underground world beneath the Dark Forest. The underground world produced various types of exotic ores, as well as crystals and beautiful jade, which were used to refine magical weapons and protective gear. However, the path that connected the underground world to the world above was extremely mysterious. It was generally difficult for those above ground to find.

Of course, Kassel, as a great druid of the Druidic Order in the Dark Forest, knew about the entrance to the underground world beneath the Dark Forest. Once, when he'd ventured into the underground world to explore it, he'd stumbled upon the sight of the lizardmen mining a small magic crystal mine. As magic crystal ore is extremely valuable, Kassel was overcome by greed and violated the Order's doctrine by attempting to monopolise the magic crystal mine. However, an unknown, powerful super-rank creature had appeared and banished him while he was killing the lizardmen in the underground world.

Furious, Kassel had returned to the Order of Druids and tried to use the power of the Order to destroy the lizardmen and the powerful super-beast. It was a pity that the elder Druid, who worshipped the Goddess of Nature, had rejected Kassel's proposal out of his love for peace. He'd even rebuked Kassel angrily. Kassel, blinded by greed, wounded the elder druid in a fit of rage, which put him on the Druidic Order's wanted list. He had to flee the Dark Forest, and now, for reasons unknown, he'd somehow allied himself with the Brut Merchant Alliance.

The wealth of the underground world and the small mine of magic crystals had successfully lured Celt, commander of the Redbud Knights of the Brut Merchant Alliance. He'd led the elite of the Redbud Knights on a long journey, spending a month travelling into the Dark Forest with the intention of returning with a huge haul from the underground world.

Celt's hair was grey at the temples, and his weathered face bore the marks of time. His figure was tall and his eyes exuded a calm, peaceful atmosphere. Had Han Shuo not known the purpose of his journey, he would not have mistaken Celt for a greedy bandit.

After emerging from the tent, Celt took out a clean white handkerchief and carefully wiped the blood from his hands. As he cleaned himself, he looked at the assembled Redbud Knights and casually asked the young mage beside him, "How come Teacher Marceau hasn't returned yet?

"I'm sorry, I don't know why the teacher hasn't come back even though it's so late." The young mage replied hurriedly, obviously being quite polite to Celt.

Celt promptly threw away the blood-stained handkerchief and looked at his two clean, slender hands with satisfaction. He said in a calm voice, "Forget it. Teacher Marceau knows what to do this time anyway. She can fly, so she can catch up with us as soon as she finishes her business. Let us go first."

Then Celt suddenly let out a loud, clear whistle, so shrill that it seemed to tear through the sky. A huge shadow flew over shortly after. As it approached, Han Shuo saw that it was a green dragon over twenty metres long.

This green dragon was much larger than Gilbert. The strength of each dragon race wasn't necessarily measured by volume. However, for the green dragon race, it was true that the larger the volume, the greater the power. This twenty-metre green dragon must be a super-rank magical creature in its second evolution. Otherwise, it couldn't have reached such a length.

Celt leapt seven or eight metres into the air and landed nimbly on the green dragon. His one metre eighty centimetre tall figure occupied a small space on the green dragon's back, but the faint presence emanating from his body couldn't be concealed by the dragon's huge body.

Celt sat firmly on the green dragon's back and gave another long, high whistle. The green dragon flew swiftly through the sky like a huge dark cloud, blotting out a large part of the air. Its direction seemed to be towards where Kassel was pursuing Cecilia's party.

The Redbud Knights on the ground below packed up their tents and, led by several majors, slowly moved in another direction. Their chosen direction seemed to be towards the entrance to the underground world that Han Shuo had once entered.

With such a powerful array, no one dared to provoke them even in the extremely chaotic Dark Forest. The magical creatures in this region were all intelligent, they certainly wouldn't come to seek their own death. Therefore, the Redbud Knights proceeded leisurely and unhurriedly to their destination without encountering any obstacles.

A few tragic cries echoed from the tent as they left. Marceau's disciples had suddenly cast fire magic. Han Shuo waited until these people were completely gone before he flew over to examine the burned bodies. They all appeared to be lizardmen. It seemed that the knights were looking for some information from these lizardmen.

Celt had probably gone after Kassel. With Celt's strength, Han Shuo would be very worried if he joined the group chasing after Emily. Cecilia would have a hard time escaping even with the space door. After some hesitation, Han Shuo decided to follow Celt and see what would happen.

At that moment, however, a huge, dazzling golden figure shot in Celt's direction like a streak of golden lightning. Han Shuo even heard a familiar voice from its furious roar.

"It's the golden dragon that was trapped in the forbidden land last time. Oh! It seems to be attacking Celt. This is getting more and more interesting!" Han Shuo exclaimed in surprise and peered through the Yin Demon to observe the situation on that side. Deciding to get closer, he took flight and stayed hidden.

"Damned bandit, you dared to take advantage of me and steal my treasure while I wasn't present. Hand it over quickly!" The golden dragon roared at Celt on the green dragon, its huge body thrashing in the sky. Lightning sparks crackled towards the green dragon.