### Chapter 90: Cave Opportunities (Part 3)
*Boom! Boom!*
Explosions rocked a vast chamber as dozens of Foundation Establishment cultivators detonated mid-grade and upper-grade artifacts, shredding hordes of fiends. Corpses littered the ground—fiends and cultivators alike, their faces unrecognizable.
The surrounding arrays loomed, threatening to teleport or blast anyone who strayed too close. Every step was a gamble.
…
In the medicinal garden, the cultivators attacking the barrier were exhausted. Breaking it would take far longer than the month-long siege on Yin Moon Mountain's outer barrier—they were outmatched.
Zhang Ziyan, at Fifth Level, knew she'd gain nothing even if the barrier fell. After confirming Lin Yi wasn't there, she slipped away, her priority clear: *find Lin Yi*. Treasure meant nothing compared to his safety.
…
The three Core Formation cultivators were separated, each trapped by arrays laid by the 魅魔 (succubus). She planned to pick them off one by one, sending waves of fiends—equivalent to Foundation Establishment cultivators—to overwhelm them through sheer numbers.
Core Formation power dwarfed Foundation Establishment, but endless waves could drain even their spiritual energy. *One falls, another takes its place.*
Of the 1,500+ cultivators who'd entered the cave, only 400-500 remained—veterans, high-level Qi Refinement, or those with piles of artifacts to detonate.
Peng Qingyun staggered from a fiend horde, blood soaking his robes. He'd survived by detonating his top-grade artifact—a desperate move that left him with only upper-grade tools, drastically weakening his offense and defense.
*This cave isn't a blessing*, he thought grimly. *It's a death trap.*
…
In a hollow within Yin Moon Mountain's core stood an unmarked tombstone, covered in rune-like symbols. Before it sat a man with black skin, white hair, and eerie green eyes—no wings, no fangs. The cave's sole succubus.
Three wingless fiends stood a respectful distance away, awaiting orders.
The succubus smiled coldly. "Lord Yin Demon will awaken soon. These humans dare raid his lair? They'll regret it."
"Master, when will Lord Wu arrive?" one fiend asked.
"An hour," another replied.
The succubus snorted. "That scheming old fool drags his feet. If he delays Lord Yin Demon's plans, even he won't escape punishment."
The fiends fell silent. In the demon hierarchy,高阶 demons held life-and-death power over lower ones—a cruelty far harsher than cultivators' sects. A lowly fiend slaying a superior would spark a purge.
"Go," the succubus ordered. "Tell Wu: if he's not here in half an hour, he can answer to Lord Yin Demon himself."
"Yes, Master," a fiend bowed, retreating backward before fleeing.
…
Outside, the slaughter continued. Cultivators fell to fiends; fiends were torn apart by artifacts. The cave echoed with screams, a symphony of greed and despair.
Lin Yi, clutching the sentient pill, dodged a stray fireball. He'd slipped away from the pill pit, but danger lurked everywhere. *Ziyan, Peng… where are you?*
Zhang Ziyan wandered the passages, her whip at the ready. Every shadow made her jump, fearing fiends—or worse, finding Lin Yi's corpse.
Peng Qingyun, nursing his wounds, stared at the ceiling. *Without my top-grade artifact, I'm vulnerable. I need to find Lin Yi and Ziyan—safety in numbers.*
The succubus's laughter echoed through the cave, cold and triumphant.
"Let the games continue," she murmured, green eyes glinting. "Soon, none will leave alive."
The cave's depths rumbled faintly, as if something ancient was stirring—something far more terrifying than fiends or arrays.
For the remaining cultivators, the line between opportunity and death had blurred. Only the strongest, luckiest, or most ruthless would survive to see what secrets Yin Moon Mountain truly held.