The hissing sound that came from the darkness was distinctly different from the one Fang Hong had imitated.

The sound was louder and shriller, and soon, a Lizardman appeared at the edge of the flickering torchlight, standing firmly, with a long spear and icy gaze fixed upon them. Its body was slender, covered in fine black scales, and it wasn't one of the Ta Hess War Lizard People.

"Night Lizard Clan," Fang Hong warned everyone, then remembered these unexpected guests. It seemed he and Sophie had guessed right; the Jiefulite Red Cloak Team really had let their allies advance first into the twelfth layer.

The question was, were the Jiefulite Red Cloak Team and the Night Lizard People also minions of Toragotos?

Fang Hong recalled all the details, the interactions between the Red Cloak Team and the Rain Listeners, and the scene when they had departed from the Mountain Palace. He felt deep inside that the answer was no.

However, this didn't mean the Night Lizard People would let them off easily. More of these cold-blooded creatures were appearing in the darkness and seemed to be encircling them. Seeing this, Fang Hong stepped back slightly and positioned Hilveld behind him, saying to the others, "Prepare for combat!"

Upon hearing this, the knights gathered together, raising their shields to form a crescent formation, protecting the ranged and spellcasting professions behind them. The Night Lizard People, however, did not attack immediately; instead, they circled them from a distance, well beyond the ranger's range, watching coldly. Realizing their peculiar behavior, Fang Hong decided, "Let us fight as we retreat to the other side of the square."

As they moved, a Lizard Warrior Leader wearing a metal facemask coldly observed the scene and suddenly let out a shrill, loud scream. At this signal, the Night Lizard People in the darkness surged forward, charging in their direction.

"They really couldn't hold back and attacked!" Ran Qingzhu shouted out.

"It's likely that the Jiefulite Red Cloak Team couldn't wait and gave them early orders. I suspect they were waiting for reinforcements since these Night Lizard People are as unfamiliar with this environment as we are. They wouldn't have a great chance of finding us if they didn't spread out," Fang Hong explained to the others.

Everyone nodded, finding his explanation reasonable.

"Where is it? Where?" Parker shouted from behind.

The knight leading the Silver Weslan turned and instructed another knight to carry the Papalarians on his shoulders. "Heaven's sake, I see it—!" Parker, enjoying such treatment for the first time, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Though the knights did so partly out of respect for Fang Hong and partly because, as a crossbowman, he indeed qualified, and ranged professions often required a better view.

Parker, 'sitting high,' had a broader view and suddenly screamed, "Holy saints, be careful, those guys are coming from above!"

It turned out the Night Lizard People had not launched an attack from the front. They moved agilely, primarily advancing along the rooftops of the ancient buildings flanking the square—Parker's scream indicated that this would allow the enemy to easily bypass the front lines and directly attack their rear.

Fang Hong had also noticed this, but he couldn't come up with a good solution immediately. Each Grand Guild had its own aerial tactics, and Silver Weslan also had Pegasus Knights, but obviously, this place was an exception.

Searching his mind for a suitable tactic without success, he spontaneously commanded the only Elementalist in their team to use the Fireball Technique to first blow up the buildings on both sides.

This crude method seemed incredibly inefficient, but the others, out of blind obedience, did not object. Surprisingly, it worked miraculously—the buildings collapsed in a burst of golden flames, and while the destroyed ruins could not stop the Night Lizard People from advancing, the bright firelight forced them to halt. Being creatures of the underground, the Night Lizard People had an extreme aversion to light, and the high temperatures also confused their thermosensitive organs, making them circle disorientedly amidst the smoke.

With their movement hindered, the Night Lizard People exposed under the firelight became the first targets for the rangers, and a volley of arrows brought at least a dozen Night Lizard People down from above. Seeing that the situation was bad, the Lizard Warrior Leader let out another hissing sound, ordering the remaining Lizard People to leave the rooftops.

Thus, the battlefield was brought back to the ground.

Meanwhile, in the surface world of Fenris—

The temple of the deity of commerce and travelers slightly quivered and then stopped, as if every previous movement had been an illusion.

"Was it an earthquake?" Sophie swayed with the ground, holding onto the holy altar to stabilize herself—the communication also broke off at that moment, cutting off the visuals from underground along with Su Changfeng's figure.

That thought crossed her mind as she stood up and turned around, only to find the hall in disarray, many people had fallen to the ground during the previous shake, and those who, like her, had managed to stand were looking at her with surprised expressions, their eyes fixed on something behind her.

What was behind her?

Sophie paused, then remembered that behind her stood the holy icon of Madam Roman, the deity of travel, commerce, the grand avenue, and wealth. Had something happened? She looked back, doubtfully, then her eyes widened in shock—at the goddess's hand, the symbol of divine justice known as the ever-unswerving Scales had, during the previous shaking, tilted slightly.

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