Chapter 007: Changing Fate

Ringtone was stunned, her face filled with disbelief as she said, “Teacher…”
She struggled to stand up and walked toward Gannon, but it seemed the spell she had used earlier had weakened her greatly. She staggered, barely able to stay upright.
Gannon watched her indifferently, as if she had nothing to do with him. Suddenly, as if recalling something, he sighed lightly and said, “Judging from Young Master Du Fan’s attitude, he probably doesn’t want to take you with him. In your current state, I also have no desire to send you away. Instead of leaving you here to become food for those low-level monsters, it’s better for me to send you on your way…”
As he spoke, Gannon raised his hand. Without any visible movement, a glow appeared in his palm. Moments later, that light took on a tangible form and was held in his hand.
With a slight wave of his hand, the light in his palm was swung toward Ringtone’s throat…
Du Fan had been standing aside, watching to see what trick this master and disciple were up to. But when he saw Gannon take action, he immediately realized that Gannon truly intended to kill Ringtone… Although her death wouldn’t matter much, after she died, he would have to stay with this High Priest Gannon, who even killed his own student—life would likely be difficult for him. It was better to save her; he could deal with things as they came.
With that thought, Du Fan stepped forward and stood in front of Ringtone.
Gannon seemed to have expected Du Fan to do this. He looked up at Du Fan and said, “Young Master Du Fan… What do you mean by this?”
Du Fan snorted and replied, “Although this woman tricked me into coming here, I’ve avenged myself. But since she risked her life to save me, I can’t ignore that kindness. Though I’m not a good person, I still understand the importance of gratitude.”
Gannon acted as if he had heard the greatest joke in the world. He looked up at Du Fan, seemingly able to see through his thoughts, but he still nodded slightly and said, “Very well… Since you want to save her, go ahead. I think my message was clear enough—my student’s life depends on your decision.”

Du Fan couldn’t help but feel a chill run down his spine. This guy was truly heartless… He seemed different from the first time Du Fan had met him. If Gannon had been like a wooden puppet back then, he now had a semblance of humanity. Yet even this so-called humanity made Du Fan feel afraid. Add to that the groups of Abyssal Wolves that Du Fan and Ringo couldn’t deal with no matter how hard they tried, and in his eyes, they were nothing but ants. This only showed how unfathomable the strength of High Priest Gannon was.

The fact that he appeared here now almost certainly meant that everything about Du Fan coming here was part of his plan. Ringo, who obeyed him blindly, must also be in the dark. This so-called test of fate was clearly just a joke to deceive children.

As for what he actually intended to do, Du Fan would probably never know unless he spoke up.

Although he didn’t understand what Gannon wanted, as long as his own life was safe, the best course was to deceive him for now.

Ringo, on the other hand, seemed completely stunned. She stared at her teacher, her eyes motionless. Du Fan glanced at her and sighed inwardly. Being betrayed by someone he trusted most must feel awful.

Gannon gently dispersed the light in his hand, turned, and walked in a certain direction, saying casually, “Young Master Du Fan, please follow me.”

After saying that, he glanced back at Ringo on the ground, either intentionally or not.

Du Fan frowned slightly. He noticed that as Gannon left, the Abyssal Wolves around them seemed to stir again. He smiled bitterly. Gannon must have anticipated that under these circumstances, Du Fan had no choice but to follow him. No wonder he acted so indifferent.

Feeling frustrated, Du Fan bent down and picked up Ringo from the ground, intending to follow Gannon. But unexpectedly, he couldn’t lift her.

Looking down, he saw Ringo’s confused expression. She stared blankly in the direction Gannon had gone, muttering, “It’s not like this… It’s not like this… It’s not like this… He’s not my teacher… He’s not my teacher…”

Du Fan sighed. At this moment, he didn’t know whether to sneer in frustration or smile bitterly to pity Ringo. But thinking of how she had schemed to lure him into this Submerged Valley only to end up like this, his feelings were truly complicated.

With a slight smile, Du Fan said softly, “Don’t you want to know who he really is? What brings him here? Once we figure that out, it will be clear whether he’s your teacher or not. Can’t you tell?”
Ringtone shuddered as her body went weak. Du Fan picked her up immediately, marveling inwardly at how kind he was—had it been anyone else, this woman would have been left unattended.
Seeing that Gannon had walked far ahead, with those fanged Nether Wolves about to pounce, Du Fan didn’t dare delay. He quickened his pace and closely followed behind Gannon.
As Gannon walked slowly through the valley, Du Fan had long lost track of their direction. Yet Gannon seemed to have eyes on his thighs; despite the occasional light mist, he moved freely as if there were no obstacles anywhere.
After walking for a while, the mist around them seemed to disperse. Du Fan glanced around and couldn’t help frowning—this place was even darker than before they encountered the Nether Wolves. The sky was pitch black, as if covered in layers of clouds. Without occasional glimmers of light, it was hard to believe it wasn’t completely pitch dark.
The submerged river that had been in the valley was nowhere to be seen. Everything was dark, though the range was no more than five meters. At night, it must be completely pitch black.
Frowning, Du Fan couldn’t help saying, “Weren’t we supposed to get out?”
But as soon as he said that, he cursed himself for being stupid. If they were going to leave, why would Gannon go to such lengths to trick him into coming here?
Yet Gannon, who had been walking ahead, suddenly stopped. He turned and gave Du Fan a deep look, as if hearing some joke. A smile appeared on his handsome face: “Young Master Du Fan… When did I say we were going to leave?”
Du Fan said softly, “Then… what exactly do you want?”
Gannon acted as if he hadn’t heard. He glanced at the darkness ahead and suddenly said in a low voice, “Young Master Du Fan… When you first arrived in this tribe, weren’t you very interested in the depths of the submerged river? And that abyss in the Great God Temple—surely you’re not completely devoid of curiosity, right? If so, how about you accompany me to explore the depths of this Submerged Valley?”

Du Fan’s expression changed as he said in a grave tone, “If we’re going, that’s fine, but there’s one thing I want to clarify. High Priest Ganon, with your strength, if you wanted me to come here… you could have just captured me and brought me here directly. How could I possibly resist? So why did you let Ringo trick me into coming down?”
“Trick?” Ganon shook his head. “I think Young Master Du Fan, you’ve misunderstood… I didn’t ask her to trick you into coming down… I just asked her to… guide you down.”
“Guide?” Du Fan sneered. “At a time like this, High Priest Ganon, are you still playing word games?”
“This isn’t a word game,” Ganon said calmly. “It’s simply guidance. My order to Ringo was to never tell you to come down at any point, but to let you be guided here on your own… So, the reason you’re here is that no one forced you—it was purely your own curiosity that led to this outcome… If I’m not mistaken, Ringo has already explained to you the theory about those pieces, right? In terms of pieces… you are the piece that can change fate, and you’re not influenced by other pieces… What you do still leaves the future unseen. That’s the greatest meaning of your presence here.”
Du Fan frowned. “What do you mean?”
Ganon shook his head. “You don’t need to understand it now. Just know that you’re here purely out of your own will, with no involvement from others.”
Du Fan snorted. “That’s contradictory. If it had nothing to do with others, I wouldn’t have followed you in here either.”
Ganon smiled faintly. “Lord Du Fan, don’t forget. Although I said ‘come with me’ to you… it wasn’t an order, but a request… And it was your own choice… Of course, under those circumstances, you wouldn’t have had any other choice, but it was still your own decision… In this case, you, as the piece that can change fate, can still change fate… That’s the only reason you’re here.”