Chapter 143: Vampire Bats

After a moment’s hesitation, Orlando spoke up.

It turned out that there was a large river in the Ladak Mountain Range that flowed into the Black Water Lake after winding around half of the Taildon Valley. The river formed a waterfall at the exit of the Black Water Lake several hundred steps wide, then moved onward to flow into the Donau River.

The Black Water Lake had clear waters and a wide variety of fish, the most dominant of which was the Black Water Fish. Swimming together in shoals, from far away, one would see that the water of the lake seemed to have turned black, and that was how the name of the Black Water Lake came about.

The flesh of the Black Water Fish was sweet and tender, and they were usually around the size of a water bottle. But they could grow much larger. It was rumored that someone had once seen giant Black Water Fish a dozen steps long.

The Black Water Fish did not have much offensive power, but they were very fast in the water. They usually relied on their speed to free themselves from encounters with their mortal enemies. Whenever the moon was at its fullest, the Black Water Fish would leap up the waterfall at the lake’s exit without regard, not caring if they were going to be crushed by the waterfall’s pressure. Legend had it that as long as they could leap up the waterfall and make their way past the white clouds above, they would turn into black dragons.

A long time ago, the tribes near the Black Water Lake would collect water and catch fish at the lake, but all of that changed when a colony of Vampire Bats arrived in the area many years ago. No one dared to fish at Black Water Lake, or even approach it, even if it was icy and snowy all around them and they were starving.

The Vampire Bats loved sucking blood, and were Magical Beasts of the lowest level. One or two of them were not scary, but they became increasingly terrifying if they arrived in groups of thousands. It was rumored that a hundred Vampire Bats could reduce a mammoth to a dried corpse in just an instant. If they appeared in groups of a thousand or more, even level six Magical Beasts like the Lightning Birds and Violent Earth Bears would have no choice but to avoid them.

“Do the Vampire Bats have no natural predators?” Yang Ling was a little confused about the whole situation.

Nature was fair, and every Magical Beast had its weakness. Those that had powerful abilities were usually rare and lacked numbers. Those that had numbers usually did not have sufficient offensive abilities. Furthermore, every creature had a natural nemesis, as almost all living creatures had their own natural predators.

“The Vampire Bats fear the Twin-legged Flying Dragon that can breathe fire. It could exterminate thousands of Vampire Bats just by releasing a single fireball.” Taking a breath, Orlando continued. “It is rumored that a group of Twin-legged Flying Dragons appear at the Black Water Lake during the hottest part of the summer. This is also the reason why the Vampire Bat population remains small.”

Yang Ling had set out ready to build his city near the Black Water Lake after killing off the Vampire Bats. But he could not help but hesitate after hearing that a group of Twin-legged Flying Dragons appeared every year.

According to the memories of his Magical Beasts, the Twin-legged Flying Dragon was a level eight Magical Beast. Even though their abilities were weaker than the Unicorn, it would still be a very tricky situation if dozens of them appeared at once!

After a moment’s deliberation, Yang Ling decided to make the trip there first, and he said as much to the group. Orlando led the way, while the Twin-headed Ogre, Heavenly Fox, and the rest followed closely behind.

Heavenly Fox Yuna was not confused about the potential danger, and she followed Yang Ling protectively. Other than the Magical Illusory Spell Formation and Petrifying Spell, her fire element spells had also reached the Great Spellcaster level. Even though she was unable to cast fire element curses, she had no problem casting several high level fire element spells in succession.

Yang Ling caught a whiff of the Heavenly Fox Yuna’s perfume, as she was following behind him so closely. He smiled ruefully and shook his head. He was still worrying about his having unintentionally tamed a female servant. Yuna was too beautiful, her every action naturally alluring. Her following him this closely was basically tempting him to commit the act!

Seeing Yuna’s perky breasts and slender tights, then looking at her fair, tender, shiny skin, Yang Ling could not help but steal a few more peeks. At the same time, Yuna seemed to have sensed something, and she blushed awkwardly as she put some distance between them!

The Black Water Lake was not far away. The group arrived on a tall mountain beside the lake about an hour later. They hid in a field of bushes and observed the area closely.

The Black Water Lake was fifty kilometers long and over twenty kilometers wide, with clear water. It rippled across the lake, reflecting the snow-capped mountains. Schools of fish swam joyfully in the lake, birds flew freely in the sky.

Surrounding the lake was a field of grass, wide and level. There was plenty of water to sustain a city. After the snow covering the ground melted, the place would be a natural pasture with a rich variety of plants.

There were sometimes wild beasts drinking water from the lake, some safe and at peace, while some became engrossed in battle. Under Orlando’s guidance, Yang Ling noticed traces of the Vampire Bats.

“No one truly knows how many Vampire Bats there are in this area. No one dares approach the Black Water Lake.” Orlando clenched his teeth, and remained silent for a moment. Then he continued. “It is rumored that the Vampire Bats are exceptionally sensitive to the scents of intelligent beings like humans and Beastmen. They love sucking their fresh blood the most. Our tribespeople would attract the Vampire Bats the instant they came close to the lake!”

Yang Ling finally understood why wild beasts moved through the area freely, but Beastmen didn’t dare approach the lake at all. If Beastmen and humans were the Vampire Bats’ preferred snacks, it was no wonder that none of the tribes would dare to fish there, even though the Black Water Lake was this vast and full of fish.

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A cold wind picked up, and Yang Ling felt its refreshing properties. He decided to build a city in this area, after taking in the vast lake and the blue sky and white clouds above his head.

There was ample rainwater, as well as fields of grass. The land was wide open, the conditions ideal. It was also only a few miles from the Taildon Valley and the merchant route. It would be the best choice to build a city here, as long as they came up with a way to deal with the detestable Vampire Bats.

According to Orlando’s explanation, the best way to deal with the hordes of Vampire Bats was fire, by burning them to ash. But even if he gathered all of the forces he could muster, there were only a few fire element Spellcasters. Their efforts would be far from enough. Rather than exterminate the Vampires, he might instead lose a few of his Spellcasters.

Should I use the blinding lights of the Evil Eyes, or should I send in the Horned Bee Beasts and Gargoyles to attack?

Yang Ling was hesitant and remained undecided. Occupying the Black Water Lake was a must, but it would not be worth it if he had to lose many of his forces to kill off the enemy. Even though the Unicorn was powerful, Yang Ling only had one. It might be hard for the Unicorn to fend off the hordes of Vampire Bats alone.

Yang Ling had an idea, after watching the fish in the lake jump out of the water from time to time. He linked the idea of a fishing net to the spider webs his spider army could create. All this while, the spider army had obtained victory by relying purely on their massive numbers and fatal poison, and Yang Ling had nearly forgotten about their ability to weave webs.

Spinning a large web in the forest and attracting the Vampire Bats using bait might allow him to kill them off without any bloodshed on Yang Ling’s side. This would allow him to occupy the resource-rich Black Water Lake quickly and with minimal pain!

Without hesitation, Yang Ling sprang into action. He summoned his spider army and instructed them to weave a strong, tight web in the forest.

Facing off against the hordes of Vampire Bats, having many men would not be helpful. The other party might even realize that there was an ambush waiting for them. After setting up the trap in the forest over the following two days, Yang Ling left behind only the Twin-headed Ogre, the Heavenly Fox Yuna, and ten Dogmen that had followed Orlando. This way, they could also retreat quickly if something went wrong, and prevent an all out battle against the Vampire Bats.

In order to enhance the bait’s attractiveness, the Twin-headed Ogre Braska captured two Twin-headed Deers alive under Yang Ling’s order. As long as he spilled their fresh blood near the spiderweb trap, Yang Ling believed that he would be able to attract many Vampire Bats in no time at all.

After the preparations were complete, the group made their way to the side of the Black Water Lake under the hazy moonlight. The dimmer the moonlight, the more advantageous the ambush would be. It was going to be hard for the bats to detect the spider webs.

The Twin-headed Ogre slit the throats of the two Twin-headed Deer. The metallic stench of blood immediately filled the air. Soon after, the party began to hear the excited screeching of the Vampire Bats spread toward them in the darkness.

After a chorus of strange screeches, a few dozen Vampire Bats suddenly appeared out of the darkness. Their ears were pointed to the front, all their fingers except the thumb were elongated, with a flying membrane stretched from their forearm to the side of their bodies, then stretched even further down to their heels. Their wings were about half a meter long. They had well-developed chest muscles and sharp teeth. They looked disgusting and ferocious!

As the Vampire Bats dashed toward the waiting ambush, the Heavenly Fox Yuna shot out a string of fireballs without Yang Ling giving the order. The dozen Vampire Bats leading the charge were burnt into ashes instantly.

The remaining bats smartly opted to circle them and not attack right away, putting their efforts into screeching instead. Soon, responses came from the darkness as more bats swarmed toward them. Their numbers increased from dozens to a few hundred, then to a few thousand. Amongst them, there was even a giant bat that had red fur and a wingspan that stretched to about a meter long.

“Retreat, retreat quickly!”

Yang Ling gave the order to escape the embattlement and was the first to charge toward the forest where the trap was set in. He was satisfied that his plan was going accordingly. Behind him, the group followed, nervous.

After letting out a blood-curdling screech, the giant bat led the smaller bats in pursuit. Just when they were about to catch up to the group, the Heavenly Fox Yuna who had fallen behind suddenly turned around and let fly a sky full of fireballs.

Caught off guard, the bats screeched as they burned, and nearly a hundred fell to the ground writhing. Even the speedy giant bat had a patch of fur burned off in its carelessness.

Summoning his Unicorn and mounting, Yang Ling carried the Heavenly Fox Yuna, who he placed in front of him. The Dogmen were fast, and he knew he did not have to worry about the Twin-headed Ogre. The Heavenly Fox Yuna’s constitution was the only one he worried about.

“Master, let me down!” she cried. Yang Ling held her tightly, and leaning on his muscular chest, feeling his powerful heartbeats, Yuna felt her heart throb.

Yuna felt awkward, but Yang Ling could not care less in such dangerous circumstances. He hugged her tightly. He was completely oblivious to the fact that the body in his embrace was becoming warmer and warmer after she shifted several times in discomfort.

Just like that, the Dogmen and Twin-headed Ogre were charging ahead, while Yang Ling and Yuna riding the Unicorn covered the back, with the Vampire Bats hot in pursuit behind them. The group made their way closer to the spider web trap in the forest.