Full-Time Magister: Dark Lord

At this point, we've already walked for so long, what's the use of whining and complaining?

Didn't you see that Li Dexin was walking with his head covered?

As time went by, what started as dry skin from the wind gradually turned into cracked skin. Without taking any preventative measures, the entire layer of skin would be completely torn open. Before entering the Qinling Mountains, we didn't know what this biting wind was like; now, experiencing it firsthand, it was even more terrifying...

...

445. The Annoying Mountain-Patrolling Feathered Demons

Zhao Manyan, by supporting the tortoise shell, significantly reduced the burden on everyone.

It is only at times like these that his true value is fully realized.

Ling Fei looked at Zhao Manyan and asked, "How long can you hold out?"

"With this kind of power, I can last for five hours," Zhao Manyan replied casually when he saw that the goddess he was currently longing for had spoken.

After listening, Ling Fei nodded, and then looked at their advisor.

The short staff officer then inquired of Zhang Xiaohou, "Young General Zhang..."

"Boom!"

Just then, a fiery fist shot straight into the sky. Even though it was night, when this fiery fist was unleashed, they still saw the patrolling winged demons plummeting from the heavens...

"this..."

"These patrolling winged demons probably want to find our dwelling place while we're hiding from the wind, and then cause trouble," Cao Le said.

"Damn... are these birds really that disgusting?" Mo Fan cursed as well.

"How did you find out?" the short staff officer asked, puzzled.

"Nothing that can track me has been created yet."

"No, isn't this mountain-patrolling feathered demon afraid of the wind?" Mu Nujiao asked doubtfully.

Such a powerful wind, even the Earth Dragon couldn't withstand it, so why are these weak Feathered Demons unharmed?

"This is the special benefit that nature gives to different races," Cao Le said with a shrug.

The strongest force in the magical world is neither demons nor humans, but rather the unseen and intangible nature itself...

The group fell silent for a moment, feeling that it was somewhat outrageous, yet they couldn't quite refute it.

As time went by, even Li Dexin's Earth Dragon suffered from adverse treatment. Its body was covered with golden-brown scales, whose defensive power was almost the same as that of a monarch-level skin. Surprisingly, the dragon's scales were now showing obvious signs of cracking, and some areas that were not covered by scales were covered with fine cracks.

Due to its large size and the larger area it was scraped, the Earth Dragon was in great distress, and the small-scale defensive barriers set up by the mages were unable to cover it.

In the end, Li Dexin had no choice but to put his precious treasure back into the contract space.

That's why the others couldn't refute what Cao Le had said earlier; nature is indeed irresistible.

No matter what level a person is, in a place like this where the wind blows everywhere, if there is no refuge, then death is the only option left.

"General Zhang, isn't it more inappropriate for us to wander around like this?" Staff Officer Xu finally voiced his opinion.

"At most one kilometer!" Zhang Xiaohou said again.

Seeing that Zhang Xiaohou had said that, the short staff officer had no choice but to patiently persist once again.

After traveling another kilometer, even Zhao Manyan's magical energy was almost depleted. At this point, not only was the short strategist anxious, but everyone else was just as worried.

They came to the foot of a mountain wall, which was majestic and looked like a mountain that had been split in two by a sword. The steep side was almost vertical, and many large ancient pines grew on it. Their thick trunks formed a small world of leaves in this area that was constantly touching the night, and many creatures lived in it.

On the mountainside near the ground, there is an ancient tree with a shape completely different from other plants. Its trunk leans towards the night sky and splits into two large branches in the middle!

"It's a tree curtain!"

Seeing hope, the short staff officer became excited.

"General Zhang is indeed a Qinling expert. We're saved! That's wonderful!" the short staff officer continued to praise.

Mo Fan also offered a word of praise.

There's a saying that goes, "Everyone has their own unique qualities."

Zhang Xiaohou may not be the strongest among those who came from Bocheng, but his reconnaissance and wilderness survival skills are definitely several times better than theirs.

Of course, it's also because he spends a lot of time in the wild... it's not something he was born with.

Upon arriving here, Zhao Manyan was so tired that he immediately sat down.

Along the way, he was naturally the one who consumed the most magical energy.

"Let's rest quickly. This wind will probably weaken during the day, then we can move faster," Zhang Xiaohou said.

This time, no one had much of an opinion.

The area under the curtain tree was exceptionally clean. Because sunlight and wind rarely penetrated, a patch of incredibly soft, light red moss grew there. This moss was as comfortable as a mat; lying directly on it wouldn't pick up any dust or sand from below...

Cao Le and his group weren't in a hurry, but the Forbidden Army soldiers were a different story. They needed to rest and recuperate because they had a very important mission to complete.

"Waaaaah~~~"

"Waaaaah~~~"

The wind was still blowing fiercely outside, and its power clearly increased in the latter half of the night. The people hiding under the curtains were quite comfortable, as no matter how much they struggled, the strong wind could not harm them in the slightest.

As for the patrolling winged demons who had caused trouble earlier, Cao Le had already dealt with them on the way here...

at night...

Just as everyone was resting comfortably, Cao Le suddenly opened his eyes.

Mu Nujiao and Apas, who were beside him, also woke up immediately.

"Wake up, all of you. These birds are here again." With that, Cao Le went outside.

Clearly, he underestimated these miscellaneous birds.

Even though he had dealt with all the miscellaneous birds along the way, he didn't expect that the other party would still follow him!

"What? These ignorant fools, are they impossible to kill completely?" Li Dexin was also annoyed upon hearing this.

The calls of those other birds are still so clear to me...

"Boom~~~"

While he was complaining, Cao Le had already dealt with all the patrolling winged demons outside.

When Cao Le returned, he was surrounded by a silver halo.

Clearly, this time it will be quite troublesome to resolve.

"Monkey, let's change routes. I think if these bastards can find us like this, then abandoning this tree curtain won't do any good. We have no choice but to take another route." Cao Le knew he had taken the blame for Li Dexin's actions.

But he couldn't stand having a bunch of scoundrels making noise all the time.

“The mountain road is impassable. Those patrolling winged demons are completely locked in a life-or-death struggle with us. There is still one path we can take, namely the Luling Rift Valley.” Although somewhat helpless, Zhang Xiaohou had no choice but to offer a new suggestion.

Staff Officer Xu immediately took out the blueprints and examined them. A troubled look appeared on his face as he said, "The Luling Ridge is winding and circuitous; it will take at least three days to reach Baiba Mountain. We are worried about that military commander's son..."

"Being entangled by the Feathered Demon, you won't arrive even in four days, let alone three. Of course, you can also blame me for causing trouble by interfering," Cao Le said, turning to look at the other party.

"Even if you don't make a move, I will."

Li Dexin wasn't actually helping Cao Le in any way; he was just telling the truth.

He truly couldn't stand the annoying bird calls. However, Cao Le was faster, denying him the chance.

"Okay, let's change our route and go through the Luling Rift Valley."

Zhang Xiaohou hesitated for a moment before adding, "However, Brother Le..."

"I won't act rashly anymore." Having experienced firsthand how annoying these bastards are, Cao Le can at least hold out for now, even if he doesn't want to.

...

446. Crossing mountains and valleys

The Luling Rift Valley is very long, and it is damp and shady. Most of the winged demons like to live on special trees or in their nests on cliffs. The higher the status of the winged demon, the more they like to live closer to the sky, so as to show their strength and status.

Places like Luling Rift Valley can provide a temporary escape from the harassment of those patrolling mountain demons. After all, there are other demons that don't like sunlight living in the rift valley. If any winged demon dares to fly into the rift valley, it will often be preyed upon by those demons.

Furthermore, once inside the rift valley, the power of the wind was significantly reduced. However, considering the limited time and the fact that the Forbidden Army dared not waste any time on their mission, their primary task was to travel quickly along the rift valley.

The rift valley is located in a relatively low-lying area, and in some sections, it is even formed by the convergence of mountain streams and underground springs. Thus, this long, turbulent stream can be seen lying beneath the rift valley like a white, ethereal dragon...

Everyone present was a high-level mage, and some were even super-level mages, so this journey wasn't a major problem for them.

As for Lingling, with Mu Nujiao and Yu Shishi looking after her, she also doesn't feel much pressure.

Although Mo Fan wanted to take care of Lingling, the little girl wasn't a child anymore. How could he let that scoundrel Mo Fan take care of her?

In this situation, without the lowly and disgusting little demons like the patrolling mountain demons, and with General Zhang Xiaohou, a young general skilled in reconnaissance, leading the way, everything went smoothly.

If he encounters a large number of them, he will try to lure them away; if it's unavoidable, he can easily deal with them...

Dealing with the Yinshan monsters in the rift valley was effortless for Zhang Xiaohou. They traveled about four or five kilometers without being hindered by a single demon blocking their path.

"Luckily we were with General Zhang, otherwise, even if we had rashly reached our destination, we would probably have lost our fighting capacity..." the short staff officer praised.

Although Li Dexin had some conflicts with Zhang Xiaohou before, he could see that the other party was indeed capable.

Being capable doesn't just refer to having great strength, but rather to knowing how to avoid demons.

Demons can never be completely eradicated. Even someone like Cao Le might not live as comfortably as Zhang Xiaohou in a demon-inhabited area, since a person's abilities are limited.

But little did Li Dexin know that what Cao Le feared least was war with other tribes, after all, he was never alone.

His summoned army and undead army are not to be trifled with, are they?

Before they knew it, the group had walked quite a distance.

After passing through the Luling Ridge, the mountains suddenly rise higher, each one so majestic and imposing. They are connected together, obscuring everything on the vast land, making one feel even smaller and more lost.

"Once we cross these several large Hengshan Mountains, we'll reach the Baiba Mountain range," Zhang Xiaohou said to the group behind him, looking ahead.

The short staff officer was also excited upon hearing this, and even more relieved that they hadn't parted ways with Zhang Xiaohou and his group.

“There’s a very clear hierarchy in the Qinling Mountains: generally, the higher the altitude, the higher the level of demons that appear. At the altitude we’re at now, it’s impossible for them to only be patrolling lesser demons. Powerful winged demons also roam this high altitude range. Winged demons are very united and vengeful creatures. From now on, any action they take must be approved by me.” Zhang Xiaohou said very seriously to everyone while crossing the mountain.

Although he was speaking to the crowd, his gaze was fixed on Cao Le.