Mo Han continued to explain, "Have you forgotten? I told you that my Bright Jade Token had detected traces of the Nether Clan, which is why I received the prompt, why I knew the Nether Clan was invading. And I was positioned to the south at the time, so I had reason to suspect the Nether Clan infiltrated the Elven territory from the southern forest. Furthermore, your meeting with the Nether Clan was certainly something that couldn't see the light of day, so you wouldn't discuss it in an obvious location. Only the dense woods south of the city were the most ideal spot, as it had the fewest resident elves and was the safest. That's why I guessed you must have met there."

Hearing Mo Han's explanation, Luyi instantly slumped back into his seat, looking as if he had aged decades in an instant. He muttered, "I can't believe after planning for so long, I was still outmaneuvered by an outsider like you. Is this truly the will of fate? What wrong did I commit? Everything I did was for our Elven Forest."

Hearing Luyi's defense, the Elven Queen spoke coldly, "You colluded with the Nether Clan to kidnap the Elven Princess. Do you still dare claim that was for the good of the Elves? You are truly beyond saving."

Luyi, hearing this, excitedly shouted towards the surrounding elves, "What have I done wrong? All of you, you only know how to cower in this barren place, the Elven Forest, and you don't know how to utilize the mighty strength of the Elven Race! Instead, you endure the wind and rain here, waiting for death like fools, trapped in this place for your entire lives. You possess great abilities yet have no place to use them—don't you find that a terrible waste?" Upon hearing Luyi’s words, the Elven Queen coldly stated, "And so you kidnapped the Princess? That is your justification?" "Especially you Elven Queens, you are completely useless."

Luyi cast aside all caution, screaming hysterically, "Why is it that only you useless women get to dominate the Elven Race? If it were me, the Dragon Ascent Continent would already belong to us Elves by now! Our people wouldn't have to endure this harsh, meager life here. Is what I did truly wrong?" The Elven Queen, hearing Luyi’s outburst, was surprisingly not enraged, but merely looked at him with pity, shaking her head as she said, "Ah, your original intent was indeed for the Elves, but tragically, you chose the wrong methods and approach. Do you truly believe it is for their good to plunge the Elves into constant war, letting countless Elven people perish in conflict? Even if you succeeded in conquering the Dragon Ascent Continent, how many of our people would remain?"

The Elven Queen’s rebuttal left Luyi’s face pale, his expression turning complex. He weakly tried to argue, "To taste the fruits of victory, one must pay a price. Isn't that how it is? Cooperating with the Nether Clan—all of this was for the future and benefit of the Elves. Compared to the future gains, the current sacrifices mean nothing!" "Benefits? A joke! I think these are the benefits you alone desire," the Elven Queen continued coldly. "And do you truly believe that paying such a heavy price to occupy the entire Dragon Ascent Continent is what all our people desire? Have you ever genuinely considered what they need? They need family unity, not families torn apart. Kinship is the most important thing to them—that is what everyone truly wants. Do you understand? Not pursuing your own selfish desires at the cost of countless tribal lives."

Her words struck Luyi dumb, leaving him with no room for rebuttal. He leaned weakly against the chair, lost in thought. The elves in the room, having heard the exchange, all cast looks of contempt toward Luyi, even those who had previously sided with him wore the same expression.

Seeing this, Luyi suddenly burst into loud laughter, "You short-sighted fools! Even though I have failed now, it doesn't mean you can capture me. In the future, you will all understand that what I did was correct."

Hearing Luyi, Elder Ai Rui coldly stated, "Do you really think you still have a chance to escape? Are you going to remain so stubbornly deluded?" Luyi laughed in response, saying, "Naturally, I cannot defeat you all, but you won't catch me either."

The moment the words left his lips, Luyi crushed an item he had hidden in his palm. Immediately, a cloud of black smoke erupted, and Luyi sneered maniacally, "This Nether Barrier was given to me by the Nether Clan in case of an emergency. It is currently unbreakable. When they come to rescue me, that will be your death day."

At Luyi’s words, Ai Rui’s expression changed drastically, ready to intervene, and even the Elven Queen couldn't help but show a flicker of alarm. But just then, Mo Han’s voice clearly reached everyone’s ears, "It’s fine. I’d like to see if the Nether Clan is truly so generous as to give you a Nether Orb for self-preservation. Being used and not even realizing it—you idiot."

Indeed, as Mo Han finished speaking, the black smoke vanished, yet Luyi stood perfectly unharmed. Clearly, what the Nether Clan had given him was not a Nether Orb, but merely a deception.

Seeing this, Luyi spoke blankly, "How is this possible? They explicitly told me this was for life-saving emergencies! Why did they lie to me? Why...?!"

Mo Han sighed upon hearing this, "You still don't understand. You were just a pawn in their hands. Now that you are used up, you hold no value whatsoever. Why would they waste a priceless Nether Orb to save the life of a mere pawn like you? These Nether items are extremely precious to them, and they certainly wouldn't give one to an outsider. What are you still fantasizing about?" Hearing Mo Han's words, Luyi was completely speechless, muttering only, "Did I truly do wrong? Why did they cheat me? Why? Everything was agreed upon, why is it like this? You damned Nether Clan liars..."

Just then, Mo Han spoke up, "If you genuinely wish to atone, tell us everything you know and assist us in rescuing Anna to the best of your ability. Only then can you remedy the damage you caused. A few words of regret here won't compensate for your actions. If anything happens to Anna, you will be an eternal criminal to the Elven Race. Even in death, you will never earn forgiveness from your people, and you will be permanently expelled from the Elven community."

Luyi’s face turned ashen, and he cried out tragically, "It’s not that I don't want to tell you; I truly do not know where they took the Princess. They only told me to cooperate with their plan, and they promised they would not harm her life. They would return her when the time was right."

Everyone fell silent upon hearing Luyi’s words. What he said seemed likely to be true. If that were the case, they had no way to rescue Anna. The Dragon Ascent Continent was vast—where could they possibly find their Princess? Thinking of this, everyone turned their gaze toward the Elven Queen and Mo Han. After this incident, those present were utterly awestruck by Mo Han’s abilities and hoped he could deliver another surprise to save Anna.

At this moment, Mo Han asked, "Then how did you contact them? You must know that, at least?" Luyi nodded and took out a black stone from his robe, saying, "We relied on this Nether Stone to communicate. Whenever they had something, they would notify me through the Nether Stone, and then I would follow the directions on the stone to meet them."

Mo Han quickly pressed, "How did it give you directions? Tell me quickly."

Luyi replied, "Actually, every time they contacted me, the Nether Stone would display a few characters: the meeting location. Then I would go to that address to contact them. I truly know nothing else?" The Elven Queen ordered someone to take the Nether Stone and examine it closely, but she found nothing. She reluctantly handed the stone to Mo Han.

Seeing this, Mo Han took the stone and scrutinized it seriously. From the outside, there was absolutely no clue. If it weren't for the faint, almost imperceptible dark aura emanating from the Nether Stone, Mo Han might have suspected Luyi was deceiving him; the stone looked no different from an ordinary rock.

After observing it for a while, Mo Han handed the stone to Ai Rui, offering a wry smile, "Elder, see if you can discern anything different. I can't make out a thing."

Ai Rui took the Nether Stone and examined it carefully, remarking with surprise, "I have never heard of the Nether Clan possessing anything called a Nether Stone. I have heard of the Nether Orb, but regarding this Nether Stone, aside from a slight dark aura, I can sense nothing different. I am completely unfamiliar with it either."