Translated by XephiZ

Edited by Aelryinth

"Mo Fan, are these Mountain Men the same species as the Hillmen we saw on Mount Kunyu?" Zhao Manyan asked.

Earthworm Gully was a heavily broken-up river valley around thirty meters wide. Certain parts of the gully were deeper and wider. It was like two cliffs facing one another.

The current was rapid, and the width of the river varied at certain points. Its meandering shape resembled an earthworm from above.

Earthworm Gully was the usual spot where the Mountain Men got their water. The Mountain Men were used to living in places with low temperatures, so the Aorus Sacred Institute had used Earthworm Gully as a boundary. It did not allow students below a certain Hunter level to cross Earthworm Gully.

Even though students were not allowed to cross the Earthworm Gully on their own, most students of the Aorus Sacred Institute really did not dare set foot beyond the Earthworm Gully. Everyone at the Aorus Sacred Institute was well aware of how savage the Mountain Men were. Not only did they have a strong lust for blood, they enjoyed torturing humans too!

There was even an unofficial reminder spreading around in the Aorus Sacred Institute. If someone happened to fall into the hands of the Mountain Men, they should try their best to kill themselves. Otherwise, they would regret staying alive!

Mo Fan and Zhao Manyan had witnessed the savagery of the Hillmen, but apparently the Mountain Men in the Andes Mountains were real devils when compared to the Hillmen of Mount Kunyu!

"I'm not too sure, either, but we shouldn't lower our guard against them," Mo Fan replied.

"Actually, I find them very disgusting. If you let me choose, I would rather fight the mountain beasts!" Zhao Manyan muttered.

The Hillmen on Mount Kunyu brutally gutted and beheaded Hunters, after severing their limbs. They seemed to understand how to torture humans since their body structure was similar.

The two of them were not afraid of the Mountain Men if they were on their own, but they had to look after fifty students. Not every student was capable of defending themselves. Many of them were just nerds!

Not every Mage in the school was a fighter. A third of the students that enrolled in the Aorus Sacred Institute might have outstanding cultivation and could build a tower in minutes, but they would hesitate when trying to kill a Servant-level creature.

On the other hand, the Mountain Men might be dangerous, but they were also valuable for researchers.

Their physical structure was similar to humans, but the Research Union was baffled by their explosiveness, strength, and fighting capabilities, which were comparable to other demon creatures.

The Aorus Sacred Institute would buy an intact corpse of a Mountain Man for five hundred gold, but it was difficult to subdue or kill a Mountain Man without damaging their bodies due to their savagery, not to mention the Mountain Men normally stayed in huge groups!

"Lecturers, are we really going to cross Earthworm Gully?" Miyamoto Shin spoke up.

"There's no end to learning. We should give these students a chance to learn things outside of the textbooks," Mo Fan answered loftily.

"Alright, but the Mountain Men of the Andes Mountains are scarier than anyone can imagine!" Miyamoto Shin shook his head.

Mo Fan and Mu Bai were leading the way, while the rest of the security guards, including Miyamoto Shin, stayed on both sides of the group. The students were walking in two orderly lines. They had long heard about the infamous Mountain Men, and none of them dared to stray from the path on their own.

"Mu Bai, didn't you tell us you wanted to check out one of the plantations on the Andes Mountains?" Mo Fan asked to the side.

"I've filtered out eighty percent of the plantations based on my investigations, but that's the most I can do before taking a look at the rest of them. We will have to check out each plantation to know for sure. The school has a simple plantation in the Mountain Men's territory, and it doesn't even have any guards. The school simply lets the plants grow in the wild. I want to see if the Frenzy Poppies are planted there," Mu Bai responded quietly.

"The whole school is spreading rumors about how scary the Mountain Men are. They might be cruel and savage, but there's also the possibility that the people of the Black Vatican are exaggerating it to prevent students from going to their plantation," Mo Fan noted.

"I think so too," Mu Bai nodded.

"The Black Vatican won't see through our disguises while we are with the students. Good job on planning this excursion. We can make money and investigate the plantation at the same time!" Mo Fan patted Mu Bai on the shoulder.

As expected of a virgin, who could concentrate better and focus on the task on hand. No wonder many schools and parents did not want their students to enter a relationship at a young age...

------

The noises of the insects lessened after they crossed the gully. Everyone subconsciously lowered their voices when they felt the strange and quiet atmosphere.

The shrubs and low canopy were replaced by towering trees centuries old. The canopy was not thick, however, and the group could still see the sky through the branches.

The wind blew by occasionally. The trees swayed gently when the wind was a little stronger. It was like the audience of a concert, swinging their heads rhythmically to the music.

If Earthworm Gully was not treated as an obvious boundary, those who set foot beyond it might feel relaxed because of the soothing environment!

"Are we really on the other side of the Earthworm Gully?"

"I bet my friends will admire me greatly when we get back to the school!"

"It's fine if we don't encounter the Mountain Men, we can just enjoy a casual walk."

The students spoke softly, while Mo Fan and Mu Bai kept going forward fearlessly. The plantation they were after was not far away.

"Take the lead, I'll handle it," Mu Bai said when he suddenly noticed something.

"I'll go," Mo Fan volunteered.

"It's trying to conceal its presence. Your Aura is too strong, it might run away. It has been following us for some time. It's most likely waiting for an opening to make its move. I'll deal with it first, so it won't cause us any trouble," Mu Bai said.

"Is your ability to identify demon creatures from observing their feces that impressive? Are you a dung beetle?" Mo Fan blurted out in astonishment.

Mo Fan had noticed an unusual presence at times, but it was gone whenever he tried to track it with his Shadow Element.

"I brought some insects with me that can keep an eye on the vicinity for us, like the moths of Fanxue Mountain!" Mu Bai opened his palm and revealed a few flying insects.

"Oh, so they are dung beetles?" Mo Fan asked brightly.

Mu Bai's face darkened. He said in a serious tone, "They drink dew!"

"Speaking of which, I've detected an Aura that you didn't have before the incident where you almost died. I believe it's related to Dark Magic. Your bugs have it too..." Mo Fan prodded him.

Even though Mu Bai had the Poison Element, it was still different from Dark Magic!

Mu Bai had a strong Presence of Darkness now, something that Mo Fan had only sensed from the Elder of the Shadow Tribe!