Volume One: The Lord's World of Hell Level Chapter 92: Preparing for Battle

Chen Gu was silent for a moment and did not share this news with Kebas.

At this point, he ordered the carriage to continue south. He wanted to see the great rift with his own eyes, to determine whether it was impassable or affected by something else. After all, the Fire Spirit Ravens could fly. The fact that they had come to inform him meant they believed the rift would impact him. Most likely, something within the chasm would prevent his party from moving forward. Chen Gu felt he owed it to the diligent Fire Spirit Ravens to investigate personally.

Of course, he was still contemplating the situation before him. He had been targeted by the undead’s Type B legion. To break the deadlock, he needed more forces to counterattack. If he had ten thousand Fire Spirit Ravens at his command, a single sweep might annihilate the enemy legion. But now, he had fewer than thirty. And that was the result of constant collection and conversion along the way. To amass ten thousand, he would need to capture a raven nest, but that was not possible at the moment.

Chen Gu could only try to expand his forces by cultivating the Corpse-Eating Vines. After devouring a four-hundred-strong zombie squad, the Corpse-Eating Vines had grown considerably. Their levels had risen to between three and four, and some larger vines had even reached level five—the maximum for their kind. To level them further, he would need to synthesize the vines.

Previously, Chen Gu had synthesized a batch of +3 Corpse-Eating Vines. But seeing that they could be used without further enhancement, he had abandoned the opportunity to synthesize them further. Now, he saw a new possibility. If he could increase their combat power, their ability to devour and ambush underground would become a formidable force.

He was also planning to prepare an archer unit. Chen Gu understood that his current forces were lacking in every regard. Underground ambushes worked once or twice, but could not be relied upon every time.

The more often it was used, the more likely its weaknesses would be discovered. To defeat the undead, he needed direct combat, overwhelming them with force. Thus, ranged units were necessary. Even a couple of volleys during an undead charge would be useful.

But what kind of ranged troops to use? Chen Gu had studied the undead and their troop types at school. No matter how much the world of each lord varied, the basics remained unchanged. The three basic undead units all had ways to counter ranged attacks.

Skeletons naturally reduced piercing damage by half. Zombies had tough hides and thick blood; a couple of arrows would hardly affect their combat ability. Ghosts were immune to half of physical attacks. So, archers with bows and arrows would be ineffective against the undead. Catapults and magic were more suitable. A deluge of holy water, a wall of fire, or a chain of lightning spells would be ideal.

However, Chen Gu had not yet learned any weather-related magic. Moreover, the holy water he brought from the Sacred Lake was insufficient. He could not combine the holy water with fire elements. If he had more Holy Light Magma, could it become his main ranged force against the undead? A new idea flashed quickly through his mind.

Unfortunately, his mana was lacking. Synthesizing pets required only materials, not mana. But casting spells still consumed mana. Summoning Holy Light Magma was a level 2 spell, requiring at least three mana points each time. Even if he drained himself dry, he could not summon enough.

As he pondered these matters, the carriage slowed. Chen Gu leaned out and saw that they had arrived at the rift mentioned by the Fire Spirit Ravens.

Standing at the edge, he finally understood why the ravens had gone out of their way to warn him—the rift blocked the road ahead. It was ten thousand meters wide and seven or eight hundred meters deep.

Looking down from the edge, the bottom was filled with twisted plants, bearing sharp thorns and purple blossoms, clearly not the kind that grew merely by absorbing sunlight. Without even approaching, Chen Gu knew these were carnivorous plants. He wondered if the rift had been created by elven heroes working together.

“Fire Spirit Ravens, scout how long until the undead arrive. Send down a batch of Corpse-Eating Vines; you’re all mutated plants, so you might have a chance. Take this with you.” Chen Gu produced the Breath of the Elves and pressed the queen’s seal onto a piece of paper.

He had been using the elven queen’s seal along the journey. If the chasm ahead was also an elven creation, even if he could not ally with the mutated plants below, they would at least refrain from attacking him.

After dispatching the Fire Spirit Ravens and Corpse-Eating Vines, Chen Gu issued another command. “Vine Carriage, burrow underground. Don’t go anywhere yet—just see how deep you can go. If things go wrong, you’ll be our last line of defense.”

Once the Vine Carriage had burrowed alone underground, Chen Gu began to organize the Straw Killers and Bloodshadow Wolves. The Bloodshadow Wolves were sent to find suitable flesh nearby. If the mutated plants below could be controlled by elves, Chen Gu would need to offer them something good. If not, he would need ways to attract them.

Meanwhile, the Straw Killers searched for various materials. If Chen Gu wanted to synthesize pets in large numbers, he needed both sources for the pets and materials for synthesis. Having fought the undead extensively along the way, he now possessed plenty of bone-type materials, but hardly any proper synthesis ingredients.

Now, as he began to consider his legion, all kinds of synthesis materials had to be brought to the forefront.

After sending out his subordinates, Chen Gu himself did not idle. He began to lay spells like Black Hole and Poison Bee Grass along his route. After exhausting all his mana, he sat down to meditate and recover.

While Chen Gu was meditating, the undead forces also noticed that he had stopped moving. They were puzzled—wasn’t Chen Gu the best at running? Why had he stopped here? So they slowed as well, preparing to wait for their main legion to arrive.