Chapter 014: The Snake Valley

“Bike” in ancient languages means cunning, and the fox itself is a cunning creature. Given that such a cunning creature bears the name “cunning,” one can imagine what kind of being the Demon Fox Bike is.
They are cunning yet somewhat timid—perhaps it is precisely because of their cunning that they seem timid.
In military strategy, this might be called feigning weakness, though their method of doing so is rather unique.
Du Fan thought for a moment before saying, “Got it. Be careful. If we use Qiaqia’s calculations, these timid creatures might turn into the most ferocious and brave wolves.”
Du Fan’s calm words eased everyone’s worries slightly and relaxed their tense nerves. Yet Du Fan knew it was because these people lived on the edge of danger every day, which had strengthened their willpower. Perhaps that’s why the Northern Legion had such resolve—but the Northern Legion lacked their strength.
As for the other legions…
It’s better not to mention them. No matter how strong they are, they’re just a dozen people, not a true legion. After all, the two are different—one relies on collective strength, while the other emphasizes individual strength. They aren’t contradictory; sometimes, even the strongest individual is useless against a legion of ten thousand. Du Fan understood this well, so he didn’t feel any sense of gain or loss.
His own territory also needed an army.
With Du Fan’s warning, they indeed encountered the situation he described. Since they were prepared, they weren’t too surprised and handled it fairly well. Yet everyone couldn’t help but wonder what had changed in the swamp.
The “monsters” Du Fan mentioned weren’t just lies—they were indeed “monsters” sealed deep in the swamp. Thinking of those monsters, Du Fan unconsciously thought of the Dark Demon clan.
Although Du Fan claimed before the elders that he didn’t care about the Dark Demon clan, his Siluo Province still had those four people there. It certainly didn’t seem like there were only those four Dark Demons. The Dark Demon clan had almost become a thorn in Du Fan’s side.
And everything he saw in the swamp this time seemed normal, which made him even more worried. Though he knew worrying was unnecessary, humans are strange—they just can’t help but think. He wondered if the letter sent to Chenchen had arrived.
Du Fan counted the poisons he had obtained on this trip—they were enough to kill ten thousand people, far exceeding his desired amount. This was what satisfied him the most.

Further ahead, once they crossed the territory of the Magic Fox Bik, they would reach Snake Valley. But if everything went smoothly, it wouldn’t be interesting anymore. Du Fan and his group encountered trouble—not from the Magic Fox Bik, but from… They actually saw a pack of wolves! Not many, about twenty. This was indeed a plain, and the wolves’ greatest advantage lay in their explosive speed during sprints. But with mud and water everywhere, there was nowhere for them to use that speed—how could they survive? Without their greatest advantage, how could they possibly continue living here? Shouldn’t they have disappeared long ago, tens of thousands of years ago? Du Fan didn’t understand, and the others, who also had common sense, couldn’t understand either. But they didn’t have time to think further—they were facing a pack of wolves, a well-coordinated pack! As the saying goes, “It’s better to deal with a fierce tiger than a pack of wolves!” Are tigers scary? Wolves are even scarier!! Du Fan first took out the Holy Radiance Staff. Everyone immediately realized—Du Fan was indeed skilled in both magic and martial arts! When he took out the staff, he also brought out some scrolls, which allowed him to cast spells much faster than with magic alone. “When they charge over in a moment, I’ll launch an attack. You all prepare to fight at any time. These wolves… hehe, once they see blood, they go wild.” As soon as Du Fan finished speaking, the wolves moved. He first used a soil-based magic scroll to push them together from both sides. The pack became chaotic for a moment before quickly reorganizing. Du Fan watched them—this was within his expectations. The others were surprised to see Du Fan activating other magic scrolls while still controlling the effects of the previous one. But thinking of his peak level 9 strength, they felt relieved yet more eager for power—they could also reach that level! Du Fan knew what they were thinking; he deliberately showed off his skills in front of them. He targeted the position where the wolves would land, threw out the two prepared magic scrolls with a timing difference, followed by two wide-area spells to block their escape routes on both sides. He didn’t care if those spells would work, but he had to ensure everything was foolproof. When the wolves suffered the first attack, only about half of them were injured. But before they could move forward even for a second, the second attack arrived. They tried to retreat to either side, only to find magic spells everywhere—no place to land. The wolves let out mournful howls and charged forward again.

The others were already prepared, but Du Fan suddenly appeared before them. Drawing out Frostfall Sword, he strode forward with elegant steps, as if strolling leisurely. It seemed slow, yet he moved at incredible speed. Sword raised, sword lowered—sword raised, sword lowered again. In the blink of an eye, seven wolves lay dead at Du Fan’s sword’s feet, yet not a drop of blood touched him.

The others were stunned. The wolves that had escaped rushed at them. As they knew, a pack of wolves turned even more frenzied when they saw blood, each one acting as if under the influence of some drug, their blood-red eyes fixed on those ahead. They knew Du Fan was not to be trifled with, so they decided to target the easier targets.

Those wolves were deliberately released by Du Fan—just level-seven wolves. If he had wanted to kill them all, it would have been a trivial task, but he wanted them to experience the strength of a wolf pack and realize the gap between them and him. Du Fan believed that although they might struggle against the pack, it wouldn’t be too difficult for them, so he let them fight. At that moment, his gaze was fixed on the wolves’ corpses.

Before long, the others eliminated the remaining wolves—just five more. It wasn’t a challenge for them. They also knew Du Fan intended for them to test their skills. Although he wasn’t looking at them, they felt he was aware of their performance. Just as Du Fan had expected, after fighting against the unknown wolf pack, they gained a deeper understanding of his strength.

Du Fan stared at the wolves’ corpses. Having grown up accustomed to seeing corpses, he didn’t find anything disgusting—after all, it was just wolves instead of humans. What was the difference?

Walwei was relieved they hadn’t brought Lena. If they had, she would only have been a burden.

Du Fan looked at the wolves’ corpses, or rather, he focused on their claws. As a ninth-level mage, it wasn’t hard for him to see that these wolf claws naturally possessed the ability to emit earth magic!

The world was trulywonderful. If those claws couldn’t naturally emit magic, how could they sprint? It was the earth magic, combined with their bodies acting as containers for that magic, that allowed them to create a layer of soil beneath their feet as they ran, paving a path forward.

A path forward?

When Du Fan thought of this, he was momentarily stunned. Was it… possible? To send them deep into the swamp? As for Du Fan right now, he had no desire to go at all. But just a few days ago, he had laid out all those theories to that group of people. If he ignored such an obvious path now, what would they think of him? Du Fan could feel the pairs of eyes watching him from behind. With a sigh of resignation, he turned around and said, “I’ve already promised Walwei that I’ll help him find the Fire Fruit, so I won’t go explore the depths of the swamp for now. But I’m sure there’s something there. However, you guys shouldn’t think about going in yet. You won’t know more than I do about what’s inside, so it’s better if you stay put. The dangers in there are beyond your imagination—even I might die there right now.” As he spoke, Du Fan walked over from the wolf toward them. “I promise you, I’ll come back, and I’ll bring you with me. Is that acceptable? Well, in three months, I’ll be back here. I can tell you that I have to fight against those bandit groups within two months. If you’re willing to help me, do so; if not, I won’t force you. In three months, just wait for me at that small inn. If you want to take the risk on your own, I won’t stop you either.” With that, Du Fan headed in the direction of Snake Valley. Snake Valley was said to be in the swamp, but it could also be considered on its edge—specifically, it was like a piece of mountain cut off from the eastern side of the swamp, with the swamp “placed” below the mountain, somewhat as Du Fan had described. Snake Valley was located in a small pass to the south of that cliff-like mountain. It wasn’t deep, only about a hundred meters deep. That was their target. As Du Fan walked toward Snake Valley, the others looked at the sudden and eerie path ahead and instinctively stepped back. Although they also thought Du Fan should have backed down as well, he had promised to return. Shouldn’t they trust him? So, they followed Du Fan to Snake Valley first. As for Du Fan saying they could wait for him outside the swamp for three months, who would stay behind while he fought? Wouldn’t that be the same as telling Du Fan, “I’m not loyal; come and deal with me quickly”?

They’ve been wandering outside for so long; they surely understand that true friendship is tested in adversity. If they run away, how can they expect Du Fan to treat them well? In unknown dangers, when Du Fan might even save their lives, who knows—he might even push them forward. They certainly won’t anger Du Fan over this. Moreover, although Du Fan needs strong people, he hasn’t been recruiting extensively, which shows he has some confidence in his own strength. Their joining would only add more value, right? This way, they can still win Du Fan’s favor—only fools would avoid fighting! Besides, Du Fan probably knows more than just this place; otherwise, why would he so generously tell them about it? Maybe they can even bring their closest friends along. Du Fan definitely wouldn’t have expected such an outcome. Snake Valley is in sight…