Chapter 020: The Submerged Valley

Ringtone struggled to stand up. Just as she was about to say something, she let out a pain-filled cry and almost fell again. Du Fan glanced at her and couldn’t help but laugh inwardly. Miss Ringtone must have sprained her foot when rolling down the passage earlier. But then again, it was already quite fortunate that she hadn’t broken her neck after such a fall.
Du Fan hesitated for a moment before walking over and lifting Ringtone up. At first, she resisted a bit, but Du Fan’s left hand had already grasped her shoulder and moved to her side. With the towering peaks so close by, Ringtone immediately stopped moving, her body stiffening as if frozen.
Du Fan said coldly, “Why move? Do you think I enjoy holding you? If it weren’t for worrying that you’d slow me down… I’ve touched women before in my life. Is it that rare?”
Ringtone responded with a sound but didn’t dare speak.
Du Fan casually cast a few auxiliary spells on himself before putting away his wand and guiding the small fireballs toward the cave.
A damp, putrid smell hit them, making their noses itch. Du Fan frowned as he walked for a while but noticed that the path seemed to be naturally formed, with no signs of human modification. Moreover, the path grew narrower and narrower. Considering the altar above, Du Fan even had an idea: Could that altar exist to seal something? And were those things hidden deep at the end of this path?
Thinking this way, Du Fan couldn’t help but feel uneasy. Ringtone was also secretly anxious. After taking a few more steps, Du Fan murmured, “The narrower the path, the better. Even if we encounter more Nether Wolves, at most they can attack from both sides— they won’t be able to surround us on three sides.”

Both of them were uneasy, walking in silence the whole way. Fortunately, though the cave was naturally formed, it wasn’t too difficult to navigate, and it didn’t seem dangerous either. After walking for an unknown distance, under the light of the small fireballs, Du Fan’s face remained pale. Although he claimed to be skilled in both magic and martial arts, his physical strength was limited without the use of combat energy. Plus, he had to divert some energy to control those small fireballs, so it was impossible not to feel tired. As he walked, Du Fan inwardly smiled bitterly. If things had gone as he thought, he would never have carried this woman. But the current situation was indeed strange—having such a capable woman by his side gave him some peace of mind. Though he was currently carrying her, who knew when he might use her as a scapegoat? There was nothing more fun in the world than that.

Rinne didn’t know much about Du Fan, so she naturally had no idea what he was thinking. But recalling how Du Fan had gone to such lengths for her, she felt somewhat moved, though she said nothing. Rinne had always hidden her true self behind a mask. Among the barbarians, she wasn’t unbearably ugly, but few had ever treated her so well. Even if there were a few who did, they were either spies from other tribes trying to use charm tactics or shameless people obsessed with power.

As a proud and noble lady, Rinne was determined to find someone sincere who wouldn’t be swayed by the outside world. How could she accept such a person? With a few spells, she could turn those people to ashes.

But Du Fan’s behavior now made her feel somewhat puzzled. Rinne sighed and suddenly said, “Young Master Du Fan… I’m just a burden. You might as well drop me off… That way, you can run faster, right?”

Du Fan rolled his eyes, thinking, What if there’s some conspiracy here? I really can’t bear to leave you behind! Only when I’m sure it’s safe will I even consider it!

Of course, he didn’t voice these thoughts aloud. With a faint smile, he glared at Rinne and said, “Do you really want to die? But don’t worry. As long as I’m here, I’ll never let you die.”

With that, he quickened his pace. Fortunately, he had already cast several supportive spells on himself. Though tired, he could still handle it.

After walking for another half hour, Du Fan saw a faint light appearing ahead. Overjoyed, he couldn’t help but quicken his pace. As he got closer, the light grew brighter, and a gentle breeze carrying the scent of flowers and plants blew in. Du Fan sped up even more. In no time, he reached the entrance of a cave. This entrance indeed led into the mountain’s interior. Outside, the view was suddenly open—surrounded by towering mountains. The sky was gray, with a faint mist hanging in the air. It seemed to be a valley-like place, surrounded by cliffs on all sides. A river in the valley divided it into two parts. One side was the end of the valley, appearing dark and unknown in depth, while the other side seemed to be the exit, though it was completely occupied by the river. After thinking for a moment, Du Fan realized the valley must be gourd-shaped—narrow at the exit and widening as one approached the bottom. Such wonders of nature were truly astonishing. Anyway, he had finally escaped that damned mountain interior. Seeing the moonlight and breathing fresh air, a smile appeared on Du Fan’s face. He laughed a few times and said, “Miss Ringtone, it seems we’re both lucky to have managed to get out of that dire situation… Haha, take a look—what kind of place is this… We’d better head back to your tribe quickly!” Ringtone in his arms nodded. She glanced around for a moment before her expression changed suddenly. “That’s not right… not right…” Du Fan asked puzzledly, “What’s not right?” Ringtone replied, “Given our pace, even after walking for so long, it’s impossible we’ve left the basin where our tribe is located. I’m extremely familiar with the area around the tribe, and there’s no such valley here—unless… unless… unless…” “Unless what?” “Lord Du Fan, do you remember what I told you when you first arrived at our tribe?” Ringtone asked with a troubled expression. Du Fan thought for a moment before exclaiming in shock, “You mean the Submerged River?”

“Yes, it’s the River of Submersion.” Ringo’s face had lost all color. “Look… in this valley, there are no birds in the sky, no beasts on the ground, and no trees along the path… I’ve lived in the tribe for so long, but I’ve never seen such a strange place. But if this is indeed the valley where the River of Submersion lies, then nothing is strange anymore…”
Du Fan was stunned for a moment before saying, “Even if… even if this river in front of us is the River of Submersion, what does that matter?”
Ringo smiled bitterly. “Lord Du Fan, you’re not one of our Kara people, so naturally you don’t know our legends… According to our legends, the River of Submersion is not only the last line of defense bestowed upon us by the Great God but also the only path leading to the Gate of the Abyss. Only those who survive crossing the River of Submersion are qualified to go to the Gate of the Abyss!”
“The Gate of the Abyss!?” Du Fan roared. “What is the Gate of the Abyss? Damn it… I just want to leave this place. What do you talk about a Gate of the Abyss?”
“Young Master Du Fan,” Ringo said with a bitter smile, “please don’t be like this… It’s better if we stay calm. Look… the entrance to that valley is indeed the River of Submersion, which means it’s impossible for us to pass through there. Let’s think of other ways.”
“What other ways could there be?” Du Fan couldn’t help but say. “We can only go back the way we came! Damn it, if I had known we’d end up in such a place, I would have saved my strength to fight those three magical beasts!”
With that, Du Fan angrily headed back toward the cave they came from, feeling a ominous premonition—that he might have unknowingly fallen into some kind of trap.
It seemed Ringo suddenly remembered something. Her expression changed abruptly, and with a grim smile, she said, “Young Master Du Fan, I’m afraid we can’t get out! If I’m not mistaken, according to the legend, there is indeed a passage inside the Great God’s Palace that leads to the Gate of the Abyss. But once anyone uses that passage, it disappears forever…”
“What did you say!”
“I have no need to lie to you. The legends of the Great God are always true… From ancient times to the present, all of the Great God’s prophecies have come true!” Ringo said in a low voice, her face filled with fear.
Du Fan’s expression turned extremely ugly. He had no interest in any Gate of the Abyss or ancient barbarian myths—they meant nothing to him at all.

But just as they reached the entrance of the cave, a loud noise suddenly rang out. Du Fan stared in shock at what lay before him and exclaimed, “The cave has collapsed! How is that possible?”
Reine glanced over, fear showing in her eyes. She struggled to get free from Du Fan’s embrace, hopped over to the edge of the cave, took a few looks, and suddenly collapsed to the ground, limp.
Du Fan’s expression changed rapidly. Finally, he gritted his teeth and walked over to Reine. He grabbed her hair with one hand and slowly lifted her head. With a faint smile, his face twisted into a terrifying expression. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Woman… if you don’t explain to me exactly what’s going on, then… I’m sorry… I’ll have to be ruthless with you!”
Book 11: The Gate of the Abyss