120: Chapter 120 Anti-Ambush
Lin Fan and the other two walked west for about an hour. The fern thickets gradually thinned out, replaced by vast stretches of grayish-brown wasteland.
The ground was cracked and barren, with not a blade of grass in sight, and the air was filled with the scent of dry dust.
In the distance, a range of low hills rolled on, and nestled between them was a long, narrow valley—Hemiao Valley.
Ye Qing unfolded the map and pointed to the valley.
"Hemiao Valley, the habitat of the Green-Winged Locust. It is the breeding season now, so there should be quite a few of them."
Ye Wushuang crouched down, picked up a withered blade of grass from the ground, and twirled it in his hand.
"What level are the Green-Winged Locusts?"
Lin Fan thought for a moment.
"Adults are generally around level 20 and are quite weak; only the queen can reach level 45 or higher. However, Green-Winged Locusts are gregarious. A single nest has at least a hundred, and sometimes thousands. If you provoke one, you provoke the whole swarm."
Ye Wushuang nodded thoughtfully.
Estimating that the time was about right, Lin Fan took out his communicator from his pocket and, imitating Liu Ming's tone, sent a message to Zhou Yuan.
"Young Master Zhou, Lin Fan and his group just provoked a level 50 Golden Sword Lion King. The three of them have depleted much of their Qi and are all injured. They are currently hiding in Hemiao Valley to recover. The opportunity is too good to miss; come quickly and wipe them out in one go."
After sending it, he tucked the communicator back into his pocket and smiled at Ye Qing and Ye Wushuang.
"The bait has been set; now we just have to see if the fish will bite."
Ye Qing leaned against a dead tree.
"With that brain of his, Zhou Yuan will definitely bite."
The communicator vibrated shortly after. Zhou Yuan replied.
"Specific location?"
Lin Fan thought for a moment and made up another message.
"You will see us as soon as you enter from the valley entrance."
Zhou Yuan replied instantly.
"Received. Stand by; we will be there soon."
Lin Fan put away the communicator, stood up, and brushed the dirt off his knees.
"Let's go; we need to make some preparations."
The three of them walked into Hemiao Valley.
The cracked ground at the bottom of the valley was scattered with withered grass and gravel. On both sides were steep earthen slopes, with a few sparse shrubs growing on them.
Lin Fan chose a flat area and stomped on the ground. The soil was soft, perfect for digging a pit.
"Right here. Dig a big one that can fit Zhou Yuan and his entire gang."
Ye Wushuang lifted his right leg expressionlessly, activated Armorization with Thunder Charge, and used Thunder Flash to stomp on the ground.
Silver-purple lightning exploded, blasting a half-meter-deep pit into the ground.
Lin Fan looked at it and shook his head.
"Not big enough. Keep digging."
Ye Wushuang kicked a few more times. The pit grew larger and deeper until it reached a diameter of five meters and a depth of five meters.
Lin Fan jumped down to test it; the bottom of the pit was spacious enough.
"That will do."
Afterward, he took out a few small porcelain bottles, placed them at the bottom of the pit, and secured them with gravel.
Ye Qing crouched by the edge of the pit and activated Shadow Entanglement with her Shadow Moss in her left hand.
Countless dark green threads surged from her palm, weaving into a giant web over the mouth of the pit.
The threads were as thin as hair and almost invisible to the naked eye, but they were extremely tough.
Lin Fan tested it by stomping on it a few times; the web didn't budge.
"Not bad."
Lin Fan brought over a bundle of dried grass from the side and spread it evenly over the web.
The color of the dried grass was similar to the surrounding ground; if one didn't look closely, they wouldn't be able to tell there was a pit underneath.
Lin Fan then brought over a large tree trunk from nearby—it was taller than a person and thicker than a human body.
He stood the trunk upright on the dried grass, stepped back a few paces, and examined it.
"Too fake. It doesn't look like a person."
He raised his right hand, and Tongtong turned into a pale golden light that merged into his left eye.
The golden crystal in his left eye lit up, and he activated his illusion technique: Single-Target Illusion.
In Lin Fan's field of vision, the tree trunk slowly deformed and elongated, growing limbs and a head until it finally turned into the likeness of Liu Ming.
Ye Qing took a look and widened her eyes in surprise. "It really looks like him..."
Ye Wushuang also nodded.
Lin Fan dispelled the illusion, and the tree trunk returned to its original state.
The three of them hid behind an earthen slope outside the valley entrance, concealing themselves.
Lin Fan crouched on the top of the slope, the golden crystal in his left eye glowing faintly, ready to cast his illusion at any moment.
Ye Qing leaned next to him, the tentacles of the Rift Jellyfish on her right leg swaying gently.
Ye Wushuang stood at the very back, his Ice Crystal Wings half-unfurled, also ready to strike at any moment.
After waiting for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, rustling footsteps came from the valley entrance.
Lin Fan peered out. Zhou Yuan was leading Zhao Tianyu, Lin Xueer, Sun Hao, Chen Yu, and several other teammates—a total of fifteen people—walking along the valley floor.
Zhou Yuan walked at the very front, gripping the communicator in his hand and glancing down at the screen from time to time.
"They are here."
Lin Fan lowered his voice, and the golden crystal in his left eye lit up, activating the illusion.
The tree trunk at the bottom of the valley began to deform and elongate, growing limbs and a head until it turned into the likeness of Liu Ming.
The phantom of Liu Ming stood on the dried grass and waved at Zhou Yuan.
Zhou Yuan saw it, and the corners of his mouth curled up.
"Liu Ming is over there! Go!"
He quickened his pace and ran toward the phantom.
Zhao Tianyu and the others ran fast, their eyes fixed on the phantom Liu Ming; no one noticed the ground beneath their feet.
Zhou Yuan, who was running at the front, stepped on the dried grass. The grass collapsed, the web snapped, and he fell into the pit.
The others followed closely behind, stepped into thin air, and also fell in.
Lin Xueer reacted quickly, instantly activating Armorization. Six mechanical legs suddenly extended from her back, bracing her against the fall.
Ye Qing's right leg tentacles swayed; she used Spatial Jump to appear in front of her and kicked her squarely in the chest.
Lin Xueer let out a scream and tumbled into the pit.
Sun Hao and Chen Yu tried to brake, but the people behind them pushed them forward, and both of them fell into the pit as well.
One by one, people fell into the pit, leaving only two who turned around to run.
But Ye Qing used Spatial Jump twice in succession and kicked both of them down.
The pit immediately erupted into chaos.
Zhou Yuan struggled to stand up, his body covered in mud and bits of grass.
Zhao Tianyu was pressed on top of him, Lin Xueer had fallen beside him, and Sun Hao and Chen Yu were piled up in a heap.
The others were also in a wretched state, some cursing and swearing, trying to activate Armorization to climb out.
At this moment, Lin Fan was already standing at the edge of the pit, and the golden crystal in his left eye lit up—Dream Realm Domain!
Pale golden light surged from his left eye, enveloping the entire opening of the pit.
Caught off guard, these people had absolutely no defense. Their eyes immediately glazed over, their bodies stiffened in place, and they were pulled into a deep dream.
The sound of porcelain bottles shattering came from the bottom of the pit.
A sweet fragrance surged from the bottom of the pit, so cloying that it was sickening.
Lin Fan withdrew his Dream Realm Domain and turned to run. "Retreat!"
The three of them hid back behind the earthen slope.
A buzzing sound came from the depths of the valley, growing louder and denser, like the thundering of ten thousand horses.
Lin Fan peered out. A dense swarm of Green-Winged Locusts surged out from the valley floor like a gray-green tide, rushing toward the pit.