You promised to wreak havoc on the dungeon, but instead you've got Dragon Slime!

“The reinforcement plan needs to be brought forward.” Viser frowned. “The battle lines are too spread out now. We need troops on every line: Phantom City, Rift Rock Fortress, Serpent Bone Valley, Wasteland Line… We can’t afford to maintain too many reserves.”

Ron hummed in agreement.

"First, adjust the production line of the Phantom City and expand the illusion units to the limit."

"Use illusions to fill the gaps when there's a shortage of manpower; we'll bring in bone soldiers when the real fighting starts."

Viser didn't ask any more questions, made a note of it, and turned to leave.

It's almost dawn.

The entrance to Snake Bone Valley is a bit damp; the mountain winds that swept through last night have blown dew into the cracks in the rocks.

Ron stood alone at the mouth of the valley, gazing at the distant wasteland.

That place will be the main battlefield for the next battle.

He was holding a briefing sent from the north in his hand.

—It's intelligence from the scouts who returned from the Ironbone Wasteland.

Over there, there were signs of troop movements. The number of troops was not large, but they were well-equipped and did not look like a random unit.

They are more like spies for the "Foreign Alliance".

Ron frowned.

Are these people really planning to surround him between Snake Bone Valley and Rift Rock Fortress and trap him like dumplings?

He snorted coldly, crumpled the briefing in his hand, and casually stuffed it into his pocket.

At this moment, a soldier in simple armor strode over and whispered in his ear, "Reporting, General. An unidentified squad just appeared outside the valley on the east side. They didn't enter the valley, but only stayed on the outskirts. There were about fifty of them."

"what to wear?"

"Their attire is from the northern region; they wear gray robes and outer garments, unlike our people."

Ron hesitated for a moment, then walked over there.

He had only taken two steps when Claudia caught up with him.

"Didn't we agree to leave? What are you still looking at?"

"I want to see who's so eager to step on my territory where I just finished killing a snake king."

On the rocky slope outside Snake Bone Valley.

Fifty people stood in neat rows, led by a masked man. The mask was plain black cloth with no decoration, but the short curved sword at his waist was instantly recognizable as the standard of the Rift Rock Tribe.

Ron took two steps forward, but the other person didn't move.

He didn't waste any words.

"I just cleaned up the poison king, and I haven't washed my hands yet."

"Have you come here to talk, or to try?"

The man chuckled softly, his voice hoarse: "We won't try, and we won't talk."

"We're just here to see if this dungeon lord who's fought his way to the depths of the outer realms is really as powerful as the rumors say."

Ron stared at him, without moving.

"Have you finished reading it?"

"I've finished reading." The man bowed his head and gave a slight bow. "Goodbye."

After saying that, he turned and left with his men.

The group walked very quickly, without the slightest hesitation.

Claudia frowned as he watched the group disappear at the end of the mountain path.

Whose people do you think they work for?

"The vanguard of the foreign alliance."

"They're gathering intelligence and passing on a message along the way."

Claudia asked, "What did you say?"

Ron said, "They're telling me—we acknowledge that you've come this far."

“But if you take another step forward, it won’t be a small town anymore.”

"They've met up with the entire Outer Realms."

Claudia's expression tightened: "What should we do then?"

Ron calmly replied, "Then let's touch."

"I don't intend to go around in circles."

"With the battle of Snake Bone Valley over, it's time to move towards the wasteland."

He turned and instructed Viser: "Let's go, next stop—Riprock Fortress."

With the death of the Serpent King, the entire valley seemed to have been wiped clean.

The mountain path, which was originally covered with poisonous fog, is now so wide that even insects can fly straight. The poisonous pits, swamps, and miasma vents at the bottom of the valley have all dried up, revealing patches of gray-black mud.

Ron stood at the valley entrance, watching the Snake Bone Clan carry out the last stone coffin from the hillside. It contained the oldest ancestral bones of their clan, with the bones of clansmen from seven generations or more inside.

The clan chief personally carried the stone coffin and knelt before Ron.

"Snake Bone Valley, from this day forward, belongs to you."

He wasn't shouting or begging; he was simply stating the facts.

Ron didn't kneel back, but simply nodded and instructed Viser: "Arrange for the garrison to seal the poison wells and fill in the poison pits."

"Don't change the terrain too much; keep it as it is."

Viser asked, "Aren't you afraid they'll turn against us?"

Ron said calmly, "If the Serpent Bone Clan wanted to cause trouble, they would have done so long ago. They didn't run away even when the Poison King was around. They're not crazy to have endured until now."

"You can't rely on restraint to deal with madmen; you have to give them an outlet."

"Let them move up here and build a new camp on the edge of that wasteland in Nanling, under the command of the Snake Bone Army."

Claudia frowned upon hearing this.

"You really intend to recruit them?"

"These people are very unruly and don't understand the rules."

Ron shook his head: "You're wrong. They know the rules, they just haven't encountered rules that are tougher than theirs."

"From now on, you will be in charge of their logistics and arrangements, providing them with food and drink, but don't let them interfere."

"I'll handle the fighting, you can say whatever you want, and don't worry about anything else."

Claudia thought for a moment and then said no more.

Chapter 162

three days later.

Snake Bone Valley was officially designated as the "base of the Underground City Alliance." Three bone pillars were erected on both sides of the main road, and a ditch was dug in the middle, filled with poisonous water to form a buffer zone.

This ditch isn't for keeping people out, it's for keeping wild animals out.

At night, hordes of beasts often cross that desolate outer land. These creatures don't enter cities, but they like to kill supply soldiers. The poison trenches can repel them, and can also be filled with a specially prepared guiding liquid to help them find their way at night.

Ron deployed two hundred basic troops to guard the valley entrance.

There aren't many soldiers, but they're enough.

The main force of the Serpentbone Clan was divided into two groups. One group was under the command of Claudia and was stationed in the logistics and valley. The other group was under the command of Veseel and followed him to Riftstone Fortress.

Ron himself didn't rush to make a move.

He stayed in the valley for two more days.

In the past two days, he did something—

Integrate antiviral templates.

He had used this thing in previous battles, but it was only for "emergency use" and he had to rely on "external synthesis" each time.

It's different now.

With Snake Bone Valley under his control and the totem in hand, he can openly incorporate the poison resistance system into the training process, adding it to every aspect from troop types and tactics to maps.

He personally oversaw the control panel, turning several poison pits into "training grounds," and then deployed a group of illusion soldiers to conduct tests.

After three days of testing, the results were very satisfactory.

"This kind of poison resistance is not built up by equipment, but by the earth vein training method."

Claudia took notes: "Terrain training?"

"Yes. Using poison gas thinner from Snake Bone Valley and mud from the valley, we make simulated clay. During training, soldiers are covered in it to perform tactical maneuvers under extreme conditions."

"After a month of training, one can increase their combat resistance to high-concentration toxic environments by 30%."

"Simple and direct, but effective."

"Are there any side effects?"

Ron took a bite of his dry rations and casually remarked, "Hair loss."

"There are also skin ulcers."

Claudia: "..."

"Don't worry, you won't die, you'll just look a bit ugly."

At dusk, people came to the valley entrance.

It was a scout from Rift Rock Fortress who brought an urgent message.

Ron opened the note and saw that it contained only one sentence:

"The other side has started mobilizing their troops; they'll definitely arrive within three days."