Chapter 96-97: The Small Stronghold

**Chapter 97: The Small Stronghold**

“What is it?” Amy asked curiously.

“Based on its energy structure, it falls within the category of a divine shrine.”

Jie Ming described the information he had gathered in detail.

“A divine shrine guarded by beastman elites?” Victor furrowed his brow, lowering his voice. “Jie Ming, are you sure? The guards there are at least battle-hardened beastman warriors, and there might even be shamans who can wield divine powers. Just the three of us…”

Amy also grew tense, gripping her staff tightly. “We’ve only just arrived. Going straight for trouble with beastman elites— isn’t that too risky?”

Jie Ming calmly glanced at the two. “It’s precisely because they’re elites that their numbers will be small.”

He explained carefully, “To maintain secrecy, the core guard for such an important faith nexus will never be large. They rely on an elite approach, with at most a dozen or so. There might be a few more peripheral guards, but not hundreds.”

“Moreover, this shrine’s strength isn’t high. From my reconnaissance, the guards’ power, while decent, is within our ability to handle.”

He paused before continuing, “Secondly, we need to probe the combat methods of this world’s intelligent beings, their use of transcendent powers, and their fighting habits. This will help us understand our enemies. If we can capture a prisoner, we might even gather some intelligence.”

“If their strength is within our capabilities, it’s worth considering,” Victor said, frowning in thought before nodding. “After all, gathering some intelligence is indeed necessary.”

“We don’t yet know the specifics of this plane. At the very least, we need some basic information on the enemy,” Amy agreed with a nod. “Plus, there’s the matter of language. If we need to disguise ourselves later, that’ll be essential.”

“Also,” Jie Ming pointed in the general direction of the shrine, “while this shrine isn’t large, based on its energy fluctuations and structure, it’s likely a faith nexus for the beastman forces in this region, providing continuous blessings and recovery for their frontline troops.”

“Destroying it would significantly impact the regional conflict and earn us substantial contribution points,” he added. “More importantly, it’s a perfect opportunity to refine our teamwork in combat.”

Victor and Amy exchanged a glance and nodded in agreement—they were convinced.

They both understood that risks and opportunities went hand in hand.

Even setting aside the importance of intelligence, the contribution points from this final assessment were crucial, not just as numbers but as tangible benefits for the future.

“Since we’ve decided to strike, we’ll act fast and decisively, sneaking into their core area for a swift, lethal blow. We’ll decide whether to leave survivors based on the situation,” Jie Ming said, quickly organizing the plan as both nodded in agreement. “After taking out their core units, don’t linger. Escape quickly while eliminating any enemies attempting to pursue us.”

Neither had objections to his plan. Through their previous monster-slaying mission, the three had tacitly established Jie Ming as the leader.

Amy nodded, pulling a witch artifact from her backpack. “I can use this to search souls for intelligence. If we move fast enough, it’ll take only a dozen breaths to complete.”

“A fifth-level witch artifact? You actually have something this good?” Jie Ming raised an eyebrow.

Victor, standing nearby, looked equally surprised.

The artifact Amy produced was specifically designed for gathering intelligence, inscribed with the “Soul Search” witchcraft model.

“Soul Search” could be constructed by first-level wizards, but its effectiveness grew with the wizard’s level.

At the first level, it took a long time and yielded only fragmented, often useless information, with the target’s soul typically collapsing afterward.

At the fifth level, it was not only quick but could also target specific information.

Jie Ming had his own preparations, but they weren’t as advanced as Amy’s. Since she had offered hers, he decided not to use his own.

As a team, they needed to contribute to each other’s efforts.

“Heh… I saved up a ton of points to buy this,” Amy said with an embarrassed smile.

Jie Ming nodded, immediately adjusting the plan. “In that case, let’s revise the strategy. I’ll try to leave one key enemy alive. Besides language and basic intelligence, see if you can find anything in their soul about tracking wizards like us. If we can uncover their patrol routes, even better.”

“Good idea. That way, we can plan our next move based on the intelligence. If their numbers are small, we take them all out. If they’re too many, we find their weak point and escape,” Victor agreed.

It was their first time on a real planar battlefield, so despite the enemy’s moderate strength, the three remained cautious.

After briefly confirming the plan, they quickly reached a consensus, adjusted their states, and stealthily moved toward Jie Ming’s chosen target.

On the tactical map constructed by his Five Aggregates Rainbow Mirror, every beastman patrol’s movements, their faint life fluctuations, and crude energy flows were clearly visible.

He selected an optimal infiltration route, avoiding all patrols, moving like a phantom, silently approaching the shrine.

This time, Amy and Victor truly grasped the “terrifying” advantage of Jie Ming’s intelligence-gathering skills.

Under his guidance, their infiltration was as if they were walking through an empty realm.

Jie Ming occasionally signaled them to stop or speed up.

To avoid detection, both Amy and Victor refrained from using detection witchcraft.

Yet, until they reached the core area, no one spotted them.

Finally, a cave emitting a faint glow appeared before them.

Inside, a small divine shrine stood, crafted from stone and massive vines, adorned with primitive yet powerful totems.

Around the shrine, ten burly beastman elites patrolled lazily. Eight were muscular warriors wielding giant axes, while two were shamans holding bone staffs, their bodies painted with strange pigments.

Their auras were far stronger than the monsters they’d faced before, reaching the level of third-level apprentices, with the two shamans at the peak of that rank.