Digimon: I really didn't want to be the Digimon Emperor!

Cheng Yuan then noticed that countless red dots had lit up around the nest—those were the eyes of the predators!

Chapter 128 The Scavenger of the Underworld

"Run!" Cheng Yuan grabbed the woman's wrist and dragged her forward desperately.

Behind me came a dense "clattering" sound, the sound of dozens of black-skinned beasts pecking at the ground with their sharp beaks.

【Black-skinned Beast】

[Virus Species - Bird-like - Dark Theme]

[Childhood Stage II]

[Skills: Dark Peck, Group Hunt]

[Description: A black, penguin-like baby Digimon that lives in groups on the cliffs of the Yomotsu region. They feed on death data found in ores and have a strong sense of territory, attacking intruders en masse.]

"Whoa!" The woman stumbled and almost fell, but Cheng Yuan quickly grabbed her waist and continued running forward.

The little beast nimbly weaved around their feet, occasionally turning back to shove away these young pursuers.

"Are you also a beast tamer who accidentally wandered into the Underworld?" The woman asked breathlessly after finally shaking off the black-skinned beast. Cheng Yuan looked around warily: "You could say that."

"Hmm? What do you mean by 'also considered'?" A hint of doubt flickered in the woman's bright eyes as she asked with some skepticism.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Yuan smiled slightly, and was about to use some words to vaguely respond when suddenly several clusters of flickering firelight appeared in the distance.

The firelight, accompanied by chaotic footsteps and the low growls of Digimon, drifted towards this direction, its movements accompanied by beastly roars, clearly indicating that a Digimon was following them.

Four tall, ragged men came into view.

Each of them was accompanied by a Digimon, exuding a dangerous aura in the darkness.

Cheng Yuan's pupils constricted slightly—Raincoat Beast, Pumpkin Beast, BlackGarurumon, Doberman Beast, and one more...

Cute Beast?

This bizarre combination instantly put Cheng Yuan on edge.

Especially the adorable beast that seemed out of place in its surroundings, curiously gazing at the little dog beast with its innocent, wide eyes.

"Thank goodness, Guan Yan, you're alright!" The adorable beast suddenly rushed out from the group, pounced at the woman's feet, and hugged her leg. "We've been looking for you for ages!"

It turns out this woman's name is Guan Yan.

Cheng Yuan noticed that her tense body relaxed slightly, but the wariness in her eyes had not completely disappeared.

Through their conversation, Cheng Yuan learned that Guan Yan had left the team without permission while collecting energy crystals, and as a result, she was targeted by the Black Bardora Beast and almost became food for the chicks.

Cheng Yuan was surprised after reading it, and was secretly wondering about the origins of these people...

"Hurry up!" the lean man in the lead hissed.

The group acted swiftly, using specially made leather straps to bind the baby Digimon in the nest, while frantically scavenging the energy crystals that emitted a ghostly blue light, stuffing them all into leather bags.

Cheng Yuan stared in disbelief. Guan Yan explained softly, "These are our food sources... The meat of baby Digimon is the most tender, and mineral crystals can replenish the Digimon's energy."

"Something's wrong! Retreat! The two big birds are back!" The man on lookout, riding a BlackGarurumon, suddenly turned around and shouted at the group.

Immediately, those people with Pinamon's claws tied to their hands stuffed the Pinamon into leather bags, filled the bags with all the mineral crystals, tossed them onto the backs of the Digimon, and ran off in another direction, leaving behind two flickering torches.

The man riding BlackGarurumon said, "You guys run too, I'll distract them," and then he also ran wildly in another direction.

"I...I feel a little weak in the legs..." Guan Yan stood there, her face pale.

Cheng Yuan clenched his fists, hoisted the woman onto his back, and ran in the direction he had come from, with Mengmeng Beast and Xiaogou Beast close behind.

A deafening roar came from behind, and two black Bardora beasts with wingspans of over thirty meters landed heavily in the nest.

They let out angry shrieks after discovering that their cubs had been stolen.

Just then, BlackGarurumon breathed out blue flames, successfully attracting their attention.

"This way!" Guan Yan pointed the way in Cheng Yuan's ear. They eventually hid in the mine where Cheng Yuan had first woken up, catching their breath in the faint blue light emanating from the cave walls.

"You can... put me down now." Guan Yan's voice was barely audible, and her cheeks flushed.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Yuan released his grip without a word, and the woman landed lightly on the ground.

After tidying up his clothes a bit, he also looked around.

Guan Yan straightened her disheveled clothes and pointed deeper into the mine: "That leads to our gathering place."

Seeing this, Cheng Yuan said nothing. The blue crystals in the mine emitted a faint light, and the two of them moved forward by the light, traveling through the winding mine tunnels.

After walking for a full half hour, the little dog's data had recovered considerably, and it was able to use Holy Light Bullets normally.

Guided by the light of the holy light orbs, they quickened their pace. When they reached the end, a dark place in front of them suddenly revealed an exit that was flashing with blue light. It was only one meter in diameter and could only allow one person to squeeze through.

Upon seeing this, the two were greatly encouraged and hurried over.

In the blink of an eye, the two emerged from the exit, but as soon as Cheng Yuan showed his face, a flash of white light appeared, and seven or eight ferocious virus-type Digimon surrounded him and the puppymon, while a cold voice rang in their ears.

"Who are you? Where are Wang Zheng and the others? Are you some new guys from Huangquan who just came in from outside?" The voice was a little hoarse, but it made Cheng Yuan's heart skip a beat.

At this moment, a dozen or so young men and women and their Digimon surrounded him. All of these Digimon were grotesque-looking Virus species. The tamers wore strange clothes that seemed to be made from the fur and feathers of the Digimon. They stared at Cheng Yuan with different expressions.

“I suppose I must be the new guy you’re talking about? You still have the same accent, so you must be from Dongguo. But do outsiders often come here?” Cheng Yuan gestured for the little dog beast not to make any rash moves.

“Even if you didn’t say it, I could guess that only people who have mistakenly entered the Underworld from the real world would dress like this. Including this woman, who has caused a lot of trouble not long after arriving.” He pointed to the woman and continued, “But you are lucky to have met us. After all, most people who have just entered the Underworld have not yet figured out what the Underworld is all about before they have become food for virus-type Digimon.”

The middle-aged man's expression softened slightly upon hearing Cheng Yuan's words, but his voice remained icy.

He then waved his hand, and the male and female Digimon all withdrew their claws.

Cheng Yuan looked at these Digimon, and they were all ferocious virus species, each with a fierce and strange appearance.

The sacred aura emanating from the little dog beast was like a firefly in the night, drawing their attention.

At the same time, Cheng Yuan glanced around and realized that he was in front of a rocky mountain. He had been in a mine in the belly of the rocky mountain. In the distance, he saw a desert covered with black sand, which seemed to stretch endlessly.

Looking up at the sky again, he was even more startled.

All that could be seen in the sky was a dark, oppressive mass, formed entirely of inky black fragments of death data, with no end in sight.

Within the dark clouds, several streaks of deep blue lightning leaped and bounced incessantly, occasionally casting a ghostly glow across the land.

Before Cheng Yuan could finish reading, the lean man opposite him frowned and asked:

"Where are Wang Zheng and the others? Weren't they supposed to be leading this woman to find the exit? This woman keeps insisting she knows the exit to the Underworld!?" His voice was filled with suppressed anger. "Some of our men have been trapped here for almost ten years and have never seen any exit!"

Cheng Yuan's heart skipped a beat: "You are... pioneers?"

The man's facial muscles twitched, and he said with a bitter smile, "Some people used to be. Now... we're just scavengers in the underworld."

He rolled up his tattered sleeve, revealing the faded emblem of the Beast Tamer's Guild on his arm—a symbol that once represented glory, but now a mark that trapped him in this deadly place.

Chapter 129 Dark Data Tide

Cheng Yuan looked at these ragged but still instinctively fighting beast tamers and felt a deep sense of respect.

They were like a group of forgotten warriors, holding onto their last shred of dignity in this land of death.

“I saw a few other people,” Cheng Yuan replied quickly. “They were being chased by Digimon and ran in another direction.”

"What Digimon?" The lean man tensed up immediately upon hearing this, his rough fingers unconsciously stroking the faded, old-fashioned Digivice. This battered device had clearly been with him for many years, its surface covered with the marks of battle.

"If I'm not mistaken, it should be Black Bardoramon."

"Black Bardora Beast? That's good." The lean man's tense shoulders relaxed slightly. "The mines in that area are rugged; they can handle it using the terrain. But just to be safe—Dali! Take a few men to the nearby mine to provide backup!"

A burly man nearly two meters tall immediately stepped forward, leading three tamers and their Digimon away in a hurry.

Cheng Yuan noticed that their Digimon all exhibited varying degrees of mutation—their fur was an unhealthy purplish-black, and their eyes were bloodshot, yet they still maintained a well-trained fighting posture.

"You two are both people who have recently entered the underworld by mistake, but this time, I don't know whether to say you're unlucky or lucky, you've run into the once-every-five-years tide of death data." The lean man turned to Cheng Yuan and Guan Yan, his voice hoarse.

"Death data tide?" Cheng Yuan keenly caught this keyword.

“During the tides, spatial rifts are easier to tear open, so more people accidentally wander in than usual.” The man tapped Cheng Yuan with his Digivice. “But encountering the Yellow Spring Rift is like falling into the gates of hell. Staying in the fog of death for too long will assimilate life forms into dark data, not to mention those ferocious virus-type Digimon.”

Upon hearing this, Cheng Yuan's heart sank slightly, and he asked, "Senior Uncle, if I may be so bold as to ask, what exactly is this 'Yellow Springs Region'? Judging from your tone, it seems to be extremely dangerous here."

"Danger, this place is more than just dangerous. No matter how high-ranking or influential you are in the real world, once you arrive in the Underworld, you will have to fend for yourself. Moreover, if you are not a tamer and do not have a contracted Digimon to assist you, you will only have one path: wait to die."

"This place is filled with pure darkness and negative energy. It is the graveyard and prison of the Digital World. Perhaps in some seemingly ordinary place, an unimaginably powerful Digimon is sealed. This is the real dark area. Whether it is a pioneering team, a guard team, or a Digimon hunter, whether it is a tamer or a Digimon, they will gradually be assimilated by the darkness here."

Cheng Yuan noticed that the man's eyes had turned an abnormal dark red, as if they had been eroded by a polluted data stream, not only digitized but also contaminated by darkness.

"Angel Digimon that fall here will become Fallen Angels, Holy Beasts, or Demon Beasts, losing their true nature."

The man suddenly lowered his voice, "Do you know why we're called 'scavengers'? Because here, even hope has to be found by rummaging through the garbage."

Cheng Yuan frowned. This was the real Dark Zone? Then what was the Dark Zone guarded by the real world?

Just as he was about to ask, the lean man waved his hand impatiently and said, "These are critical times. I don't have time to explain anything to you. The Dark Tide is coming soon, and all the wild Virus-type Digimon are hunting for food. Guard this cave entrance closely. As soon as Wang Zheng and the others return, block it up immediately!" He ordered the people around him.

"Yes, Commander!"

The leader? Cheng Yuan was secretly surprised. In the Beast Tamer Association's hierarchy, a leader was at least a powerful individual capable of commanding Ultimate-level Digimon. This scrawny, wiry man before him had actually been someone of that caliber?

Even someone like Xu Xin is just a team leader.

Then the lean man turned and left, and the others followed without saying a word, without acknowledging Cheng Yuan or the woman.

In their eyes, a newbie with a growth-stage Digimon and a liar who claimed to know the exit were nothing more than two burdens who needed to share the food.

It's important to know that in the Underworld region, many wild Digimon are far more ferocious than ordinary Digimon, and they have a long history and a huge amount of data. They are much stronger than these Digimon that came from the outside and gradually became half-dark and half-virus types.

This ecological domain, which is severely incompatible with the digital core, would cause Digimon to be severely suppressed, like being subjected to nuclear radiation, gradually mutating and weakening.

"Should we go with them?" The beautiful woman who was with Cheng Yuan asked uneasily as she watched the group leave while Cheng Yuan stood there, head down, lost in thought.

Her Digimon was only in its Rookie stage, and it was a Fairy-type Digimon like Momomon with little combat power. With Wang Zheng, who supported her, not around, she was completely lost and regarded Cheng Yuan, who had also come from outside and remained calm and composed throughout, as someone she could rely on.

"Go, of course we'll go. Let's go to their gathering place first. Maybe we can find a solution there." He also wanted to help Gatomon recover its strength and study the Dark Seed, as he felt it would be very useful there.

The woman felt relieved and hurriedly followed behind Cheng Yuan.

"By the way, I still don't know your name? You look younger than me," the woman asked as she walked.

"My name is Qilin. During the battle, I was accidentally sucked into this dimensional portal," Cheng Yuan replied.

"My name is Guan Yan, and I'm a researcher in digital world archaeology. I was sucked into this place in a digital space ruin. I went into the ruin with my mentor, and I don't know if they were sucked in too." At this moment, she mentioned her mentor, and there was a hint of worry on her face.

"You entered the Underworld through a dimensional portal discovered in the ruins? Is it possible to find this portal and teleport back?"

“Wang Zheng and I thought the same thing, but we lost our way and couldn’t find our way back. Wang Zheng and the others were helping me find my way back, searching for resources and searching at the same time.”

Guan Yan felt that Cheng Yuan was on her side, unlike the people in the settlement who were overwhelmed by despair and had given up looking for a way out. Guan Yan became very curious about Cheng Yuan.

The other party is a few years younger than me. What kind of fierce battles could he have gone through that would cause a dimensional rift to break open? The Digimon he brought with him was just a cute Digimon that looked like a pet dog, and its cuteness was comparable to my own Moemon.

He wanted to ask Cheng Yuan, but then he felt that he wasn't that familiar with Cheng Yuan, so after hesitating for a while, he ultimately didn't speak.

Just as Guan Yan was feeling anxious and uncertain, the two of them caught up with the back of the line ahead.

These pioneers, who once traversed the wilderness, moved with far greater agility than ordinary people. In such a treacherous place, one could be thin, but one had to be capable; without good physical fitness, one could not survive.

Cheng Yuan noticed that each of them had a water bag and a food bag sewn from digital beast skin hanging from their waist, clearly indicating that they had adapted to the survival rules here.

The dark data tide mentioned by the lean man helped Cheng Yuan clarify his thoughts. Perhaps the dark tide from the Yellow Springs region came during the competition, thinning the spatial firewall. It just so happened that the sports center in the real world broke through the weak spatial firewall under the effect of the "End of Light and Darkness," which opened the spatial rift. And it just so happened that the people from both worlds gathered together, which led to that scene.

Perhaps when the dark tide recedes, the firewall will automatically repair itself and the cracks will close.

Although that was the exit to the real world, it has been teleported to an unknown location by the Death Beast's spatial power.

As Cheng Yuan was pondering, the lean man in front of him suddenly stopped and turned his head sharply to look to the side. The other men and women also stopped and looked over.

In the distance, in the black sand desert, several flickering fires are approaching.

"It's Wang Zheng and his group!" a young man shouted, and the others stirred in excitement.

The lean man nodded, a look of satisfaction on his face, but his smile immediately froze—a piercing roar came from behind the torch, and the light from the explosion of the skill illuminated the night sky.

The lean man threw down his torch and shouted, "Everyone, hurry over and help! They're being chased by Dark Digimon!" His expression changed drastically, and he roared as he raised the Digivice at his waist. From the murky data light, a Cyclops Beast roared and charged out.

This once majestic dragon-human type Digimon has been severely mutated, its scales peeling off to reveal the purplish-black rotting flesh beneath, but the fighting spirit in its single eye remains undiminished.

[Mutant One-Eyed Dragon-Beast]

[Virus Type - Dragon-Human Type - Dark Theme]

[Mature stage (variant)]