Chapter 279: The Trap

Wu Qingsong was slightly surprised to see Nina leave in such a hurry. He wanted to follow her out and find out what had happened.

In truth, he had little interest in the luncheon and was starting to feel a sense of distaste for it.

Eating should just be eating—inviting a few close friends and family to share a simple, relaxed meal around the table. What was wrong with that? Why did it have to turn into a tedious and pretentious political display?

But this was Ram’s doing, and likely just a common custom of this world. He didn’t want to embarrass her on the second day of their marriage.

‘I’ll talk to her about it in a few days.’

As he was mulling this over, he saw Nina return with a wolfman in tow, both walking briskly into the hall.

“What happened?” he asked immediately, standing up.

Nina nodded toward the wolfman, who stepped forward and addressed the room.

“My lords, our patrol team discovered a strange site that seems to be the center of some sort of plot. They also found a massive red crystal there. However, unlike the warnings we’ve received in the past, this one doesn’t have any magical fluctuations.”

The Crimson Demon Lord?

Wu Qingsong’s brow furrowed immediately.

He had thought that the Crimson Demon Lord would lay low for a while after its last defeat. But to think it would resurface so quickly. Or perhaps this was just an abandoned and failed site from its earlier attempts?

“Where is it located?” Wu Qingsong asked immediately.

Ram gestured for a servant to bring over a map of Orgrimmar and the surrounding areas, which was promptly spread out on the floor. The wolfman carefully examined the map before pointing out the location he had mentioned.

It was not far from the valley where the Norwei wolf tribe had attempted to summon the Crimson Demon Lord last time, just separated by a single mountain peak.

Logically, there was no way Marquis Osaga’s forces would have overlooked a place so close to their previous search.

“I need to check it out,” Wu Qingsong said.

Ram, Ling, and Liuli all stood up at once. Ram typically stayed out of such situations, but Ling’s movements were somewhat restricted, and Liuli… well, she wasn’t the most reliable in these matters. Wu Qingsong smiled at them reassuringly.

“No need to worry. You stay here and wait for me. I’ll check the situation out and return by tomorrow at the latest. Nina?”

The wolfwoman nodded firmly. “I’ll go with you.”

The team was assembled quickly. Since their destination was in the northern area where the Silvermoon wolfpeople were in hiding, Wu Qingsong left the houndmen behind and brought Nina along with a small squad of 20 wolf soldiers.

The visiting elders and chiefs who had come for the wedding also took their leave, but they trailed behind while Wu Qingsong’s group took a shortcut, riding swiftly toward the site in question.

The journey took a full four hours, even requiring them to pause briefly for a simple meal along the way. They arrived at the location the wolfman had described just before sunset.

Nearly twenty wolfmen were waiting nearby, their behavior seeming slightly strange to Wu Qingsong. It was nearing winter, and yet they hadn’t lit a fire, instead choosing to wait quietly by the roadside.

“You’re the ones who discovered this place?” Nina asked the wolfman who appeared to be their leader.

“Yes, Princess Nina,” he replied with a nod.

Nina dismounted first. “What’s your name?”

“Bart,” the wolf answered.

“Bart.” Nina glanced at Wu Qingsong before continuing. “Did you touch anything inside?”

“No, we only took a quick look to confirm there were no living people or unusual activity. Then we backed out and sent someone to report it.”

Nina looked around at the surrounding area. “This isn’t a patrol route. How did you find this place?”

“One of the team spotted a wild goat,” Bart admitted somewhat sheepishly. “We thought we might bring back some game.”

As they spoke, the group began moving deeper into the area. The mountain peak blocked out the setting sun, casting the place into shadow. But the darkness wasn’t an issue for the wolves. Before long, they entered a deep gorge, and a gaping hole in the ground came into view ahead of them.

“It’s down there,” Bart said, pointing to the hole.

Wu Qingsong stood at the edge of the cave entrance, peering downward. The place bore a striking resemblance to the cavern once occupied by the spiderlings, though it was much smaller. There were no signs of insectoid activity nearby, nor was the ground covered in fungal growths.

From this vantage point, he could just make out fragments of broken stone below, clearly carved by human—or perhaps non-human—hands. In the shadows sat a dark red crystal perched atop a rock.

Wu Qingsong sent a wisp of soul fragment energy down into the cavern, directing it to sweep through quickly. He detected no signs of large creatures or significant life forms.

“Have you inspected the cave itself?” Nina asked.

“No,” Bart replied. “We only looked around the crystal briefly before withdrawing.”

Wu Qingsong glanced at Nina. With her subordinates surrounding them, it was a little inconvenient for him to use her abilities openly.

“We’ll go down together,” Nina suggested.

“Stay close to me and be careful,” Wu Qingsong instructed, nodding. “Bring us a couple of torches.”

The torches provided little illumination in the vast, dark space, but they served well enough. Wu Qingsong and Nina moved cautiously, examining the scattered stone fragments on the ground. The pieces seemed to form a deliberate pattern, with the red crystal at the center. As Bart had mentioned, the area felt utterly lifeless and devoid of magic energy.

“It’s likely an abandoned altar,” Wu Qingsong concluded.

Nina meticulously examined the marks on the stones around the altar.

“Not even a hint of moss, and the marks are quite fresh,” she said to Wu Qingsong, her voice tinged with suspicion. “It rained recently. If these stones had been here for a long time, there should at least be some moss growth after getting wet.”

“Then, you think they’re still nearby?” Wu Qingsong raised his torch higher. 

The cavern extended deeper, revealing itself to be a natural limestone cave. Could those people be hiding further inside? And if so, what was their purpose in setting all this up here?

But before he could voice his thoughts, Nina suddenly asked sharply, “Why are you down here?”

Black shadows emerged around them—a ring of figures encircling the area. They were the wolfmen who were supposed to have stayed above, now standing scattered around the carved stones. They began to mutter in low, eerie voices.

“Something’s wrong!” Wu Qingsong exclaimed. 

He immediately directed his soul fragment energy outward in all directions, flooding the space. But the wolfmen remained completely unaffected, continuing their strange chanting.

“Wu!” Nina shouted urgently.

Without hesitation, Wu Qingsong activated her awakened powers. At that same moment, the crimson crystal at their center began to glow ominously. Red light lines flared to life, linking the stones together on the ground like a web of malevolent energy.

It was a magic circle.

“Welcome to the Third Layer of the Abyss,” the wolfman who had called himself Bart roared with laughter.

Wu Qingsong was both shocked and furious, but before he could react further, Nina unleashed all her power. Her silver energy blade slashed down mercilessly toward the glowing red crystal at their side.

The surroundings warped and twisted, distorting as though they were inside a rapidly spinning vortex of static, like an old television screen gone haywire. Nina’s silver blade struck the image of the crimson crystal with a fierce crack, but instead of shattering it, the energy fused with the warped environment, becoming part of the distortion itself.

“The True Crimson Lord will personally…” Bart’s voice echoed faintly, growing distant and hollow as though it was being sucked away.

In the next instant, the ground beneath them violently quaked, and their entire world spun uncontrollably.