Ash had circled behind and stabbed the man. He said, "How annoying. It’s so much easier to end it with one slash."

Adrian sneered. "Did you really think that after the previous battle, I would give you a chance to retaliate? Dream on. Take him away."

Adrian then continued walking deeper into the valley with Ash and the others. He noticed something. Despite capturing all these people, the surrounding monster aura showed no signs of weakening. He felt there might still be some issues with them. As they proceeded, they quickly arrived at the innermost part of the Netherites' base.

"What…"

Despite being prepared for many things, Adrian was still shocked. Before him stood a huge cave in a mountain. Outside, there were many defensive measures, now rendered useless because of the operators’ capture. The cave appeared dilapidated.

But the main point wasn't these defenses. It was the huge blood pool at the center of the cave. About ten square meters in size, it boiled with blood, emitting