Volume 4: People who challenge the light Chapter 37: The Difficult Journey
According to the planned route, we will cross the Thunder Frog Swamp and enter the Shiwan Mountains, and move forward along the passage between a large river and a mountain wall. Of course, after exiting the passage, we still have to pass through a section of jungle to reach the entrance of Dragon Valley. However, at least it is relatively safer in the passage. Without the dense jungle as cover, it is difficult for the monsters to hide their tracks and launch a surprise attack. We have enough time to respond to danger in time. Dragon Valley is close to the central area of Shiwan Mountains. Along the way, we have to pass through many dangerous areas, and medium and high-level monsters are rampant. Unless you are extremely lucky, the general dragon slayer team will lose at least a quarter of its members on the way to Dragon Valley due to various dangers. Of course, most of the sacrifices are melee professional players. It is their responsibility to divert the monsters and cover the main force transfer.
The route we chose is one that few "Dragon Slayers" dare to take. The key is that the Thunder Frog Swamp is difficult to cross. Although Thunder Frogs are only level 3 monsters, it is easy to deal with a hundred or eighty of them. If the main force is alarmed, thousands or tens of thousands of Thunder Frogs will jump over in a turbulent manner. Under the countless mini "thunderbolts", it is difficult for players to escape unscathed. The safest way is to equip the members of the "Dragon Slayer Team" with "Lightning Cloaks", a cloak made by fashion designers using a special insulating material mixed with thunder magic crystals. It can effectively reduce the damage caused by thunder magic. The lightning protection effect varies according to the insulating material and the level of magic crystals used. It is very valuable. Only a few wealthy teams can do it, and generally they will not be fully equipped. The focus is on protecting the magicians who serve as the main dragon slayers in the team. Bai Yunjian took this route that time. Of course, we don't have the ability to purchase so many "Lightning Cloaks", but there is a safer way to pass through the Thunder Frog Swamp to ensure that we will never be attacked by thunder frogs.
In fact, the reason why such a magical effect was created is thanks to me and Afeng. If we hadn't risked our lives to go deep into the Thunder Frog Swamp and catch a little golden frog as a birthday gift for Xue Wuxia as a pet, and that little golden frog happened to be the little prince among the thunder frogs, we would never have dared to choose to walk through the Thunder Frog Swamp. Xue Wuxia personally took the little golden frog to walk through the Thunder Frog Swamp several times for experiments. Wherever he passed, the frogs retreated, and no one dared to provoke him. Even when he encountered other golden frog kings, he only greeted the little golden frog enthusiastically and didn't bother Xue Wuxia who was following him.
A new day has begun. At the appointed time, the players who participated in the dragon-slaying operation have already gathered their strength and are ready to go. I have an important task and dare not neglect it. I immediately began to cast the "Summoning of the Undead" and summoned all my elite soldiers to take on the responsibility of reconnaissance and guarding. It's a pity that using the "Touch of Death" will consume the opponent's physical strength, and we have to hurry on the road and can't waste it in vain. Seeing so many magicians around me, I can't borrow their mental power, otherwise my work will be easier. At the beginning, because there was no loss in the battle of Yinfeng Valley, I generously returned the two pieces of jewelry that Skynet "mortgaged". Now this kind of equipment that increases the upper limit of mental power and recovery speed is very popular, and it is difficult to buy it even if you have money. Sometimes I really feel a little regretful when I think about it. Alas, I am not a saint, I also have selfish motives...
First, Taotao is summoned for transportation, then Hongxing walks in front to lead the way, while Bat King transforms into a bat to be responsible for reconnaissance. It is estimated that Bat Lady and Xiaobai can be summoned before entering the Ten Thousand Mountains. With them protecting them, they are too powerful. If they encounter an ordinary level seven monster, they will still be able to resist a few attacks.
After entering the Thunder Frog Swamp, the little golden frog jumped to the front of the team, looked around, and occasionally croaked at the frogs around. It looked so impressive. We passed through unimpeded all the way. Ordinary thunder frogs along the way avoided us from a distance and did not dare to approach us. Halfway through, we encountered a fat golden adult thunder frog blocking the way. The two frogs faced each other, croaking and singing a duet. Thousands of thunder frogs gathered around to act as spectators. The scene was spectacular. We didn't know what it meant, and we didn't dare to disturb them. We could only follow the host's will and let the little golden frog toss. After a long time of fussing, they finally gave way and let us pass. Moreover, the golden frog king seemed to be reluctant to leave. He walked away reluctantly, jumping twice and looking back. Seeing how enthusiastic they were to each other, I really didn't know why the two big golden frogs were fighting each other. Maybe the little golden frog took advantage of the minors, and the thunder frogs had a tradition of caring for and protecting children, so they were so polite to it?
After successfully crossing the Thunder Frog Swamp, the next step is to enter the entrance of the Ten Thousand Mountains. On one side is a river dozens of meters wide, and on the other side is a steep cliff. In the middle is an alley that is a few meters wide at its narrowest and hundreds of meters wide at its widest. Occasionally, you can see a few short shrubs. It is said that the monsters that appear in the alley usually emerge from the river or caves on the mountain wall. No powerful types above level seven have been found, and their speed is not very fast. As long as you are vigilant and careful, there will not be too much danger.
Although it sounds easy, we must not take it lightly when we are actually walking. We don't have too many melee professional guards. Once we are attacked, it is difficult to avoid losses. The monsters living in the river may appear at any time. They are the most difficult to guard against and must be paid special attention to. Fortunately, there are no long-range attack types among them, and the limited number of lethality is not very strong. Try to stay away from the river, and you will be relatively safe. However, in this case, you must be careful of the attacks from the monsters in the caves on the mountain wall. Although the caves are not too dense, they are of different sizes and depths. Some are hidden in places slightly higher above us that we cannot see. Maybe a monster will suddenly jump out of it at any time. To pass this alley safely, on the one hand, it depends on the team's vigilance and strength, and on the other hand, it depends on luck.
It's a pity that our luck this time was not very good, at least it was more dangerous than the time Bai Yunjian experienced. Maybe it was because we crossed the Thunder Frog Swamp too smoothly. As soon as we entered the alley, we were targeted by more than a dozen level 5 magical beasts, Iron-mouthed Giant-tailed Crocodiles. However, they neither went ashore to attack us, nor did they give up. They followed us all the way in the river, which made us nervous. We did not dare to relax our vigilance against them at all. We followed them for more than an hour before trying to approach the shore. Naturally, we attacked them fiercely. Finally, they swam back to the center of the river in shame. We followed them for a while before turning around and leaving.
There was also the harassment of the fourth-level magic beasts, the water toads. They were everywhere in the river, spitting out poisonous saliva. The toxicity was not strong, and a few hits would not endanger life, but it would be a bit troublesome if they were hit too many times. They also followed us all the time, and stayed in the water and refused to go ashore. When they felt danger, they immediately dived underwater. Melee professions such as Red Star and Dark Knight could only stay on the shore and stare blankly. Bows and arrows and fire and wind magic were not a big threat to them. Thunder and ice magic could restrain them, but there were too few magicians of these two systems, and there were too many water toads. We had an important task on our shoulders, and it was impossible for us to entangle with them too much. We could only admit that we were unlucky and passively avoided the spray of poisonous saliva. We only fought back a few times to disperse them when they were too arrogant.
The most dangerous thing was that we were attacked by a level 6 iron-scaled rock python. It was not too big among pythons, about four or five meters long and as thick as a bowl. It liked to entangle its prey and strangle it to death. Although its attack method was simple, that is, entanglement of the body and sweeping of the tail, it had strong defense ability. Its skin color was very similar to that of rocks. It hung motionlessly on the stone wall and was difficult to detect. Bai Yunjian did not mention its existence in the aisle. We were caught off guard and attacked by it. Originally, it chose Xue Wuxia, who was at the end of the team. If a magician was entangled by an iron-scaled rock python, it would be absolutely dangerous and there would be no time to rescue her. Fortunately, Afeng, who was accompanying her, noticed it in time at the critical moment and knocked her aside. It was only swept by her and was not entangled. Everyone worked together and drove it away after a fierce fight. Seven or eight team members were injured. It made us suffer from stone pillar phobia again. When we found a long-shaped protrusion on the mountain wall, we became suspicious. We had to find out every time before we dared to pass.
Under this series of troubles, we were exhausted. Although some were injured, no one was killed. However, the little time saved by successfully crossing the Thunder Frog Swamp was not only wasted here, but also a lot of extra time was spent. The progress was much slower than that time in Baiyunjian. They only had twice as many people as us. Could it be that those monsters were bullies who only bullied the weak and feared the strong, and came out to cause trouble when they saw that we were outnumbered? However, in comparison, it was more cost-effective to take this route. After all, we did not encounter any powerful monsters. It was safe. As long as there were no casualties, we would have a better chance of winning against the dragon.
After finally walking out of the alley, the next thing we faced was a vast jungle called "Yanlong Forest", which just protected the entrance of Dragon Valley and formed the last barrier to enter Dragon Valley. No matter where you choose to enter the Shiwan Mountains, "Yanlong Forest" is a must-go place. Of course, this jungle is not so easy to pass through. There are all kinds of medium and high-level monsters lurking in it, which is much more dangerous than the alley. It is said that there are also level 9 monsters in it. Many "dragon slayers" were wiped out in this "Yanlong Forest" and could not even see the entrance of Dragon Valley. Even those with strong strength and good luck usually lose one-fifth of their manpower here.
We naturally dared not be careless in the face of the "Dragon Cover Forest", so we stopped to rest and recover our strength. Previously, in the narrow alley, we were faced with rivers and caves on the mountain walls. Red Star and the Dark Knights had little use for their skills and could not effectively prevent them. Seeing everyone in danger, I felt very uncomfortable. After all, I was responsible for the protection work. Fortunately, there were no casualties. Now we have changed to the "Dragon Cover Forest", where there are many more ferocious high-level monsters. Once attacked, it is difficult to escape. Therefore, we must discover all dangers in advance and be prepared for prevention and response. Reconnaissance and protection work must not be neglected.
In the sky above, Xiaobai and his little brothers were scattered around our "Dragon Slayer Team" as the center, on guard. Bat Man and Bat Lady transformed into bats and constantly patrolled at low altitude, while Red Star and more than 20 Dark Knights were surrounding us to defend against possible dangers at any time.
Each of us put on a "leaf suit", which is a kind of clothing made by fashion designers specifically for hiding in the jungle. It is made of pieces of green fabrics similar to plant leaves. If you wear it and stay still, it looks like a small shrub. If you don't get close and observe carefully, you can't see any flaws. Once you find the traces of monsters in advance, you can avoid them in time to avoid unnecessary battles. It can also emit a plant-like scent to cover up our popularity, and it has a good hiding effect against those monsters with a keen sense of smell. The materials required for the "leaf suit" are simple, and it can be said to be inexpensive, economical and practical. Since it was invented, it has greatly reduced the risk of players appearing in the jungle. Any player who enters the jungle must have one, and it has become a must-have for every "dragon slayer team".
I was solely responsible for the protection of the "Dragon Slayer Team". My previous performance was not very competent due to the limitations of terrain and other factors, but now I couldn't make any mistakes. I was highly focused, and all the undead creatures scattered around were like cameras, feeding back everything they saw to my mind. I moved forward carefully, constantly switching the screen and monitoring the movements around me. Although the undead creatures accepted my orders and would automatically warn when they found abnormalities, their wisdom was not comparable to that of the players after all, so it was inevitable that they would be negligent. As their master, I had a heavy responsibility on my shoulders and had to work harder.
The "Dragon Forest" is indeed a dangerous place. Any monster that appears here is a level six monster, which can at least withstand the full-force siege of three Dark Knights. Fortunately, Red Star and the Dark Knights are also monsters. Unless they encounter extremely ferocious and bloodthirsty monsters, they generally won't actively attack each other. We can act more boldly, which is much more convenient and safer than players. This is one of the main reasons why Xue Wuxia and the others dared to let me be responsible for the protection of the "Dragon Slayer Team".
Bloodthirsty bears, purple lightning leopards... Level 6 and 7 monsters that had caused us trouble appeared one after another. Even the Level 8 ground tiger appeared in front of us. It stopped for a moment five or six meters away from the small bushes where several team members were camouflaged, looking around. I was so scared that I broke out in a cold sweat. If it showed its power, anyone who encountered it would be dead, and it would only sacrifice in vain. More than 20 dark knights might not be able to deal with it. Fortunately, the ground tiger continued its glorious tradition of not being nosy. It curiously looked at the dozens of "bush" that looked similar around it, and looked at the red star and dark knights wandering nearby. It even did not let go of the bat man and bat woman circling in the sky. In the end, it yawned a few times, shook its tail a few times, and slowly disappeared into the depths of the jungle.
