The mountain wind was fierce, its howling like ghosts and monsters weeping. It snapped countless branches and swept up the snow from the forest floor, mixing it with the goose-feather snowfall descending from the night sky until heaven and earth were a boundless expanse of white.
Qin Ming walked alone through the wind and snow, arriving at the foot of the mountain where the Mountain Patrol Group had made camp.
He decided to use the bows and arrows he had seized. Though they were still "soft bows" in his eyes, a New Life Evolver's weapon was far superior to the Iron Bow he had used before.
The violent wind and snow kept lashing his face, forcing him to narrow his eyes. He changed out of his thicker winter clothes, donned armor, and pulled a thin outer garment over it.
He buried the bow, arrows, and bundle he had brought in a snow hollow, weighed them down with heavy stones, then carried the Mountain Patrol's four Iron Spears up the mountain.
Qin Ming approached soundlessly, gradually ascending the peak until he was only a few dozen meters from that level clearing.
If not for the fierce wind and heavy snow, that Golden Mastiff, as large as a tiger, would likely have caught the scent of a stranger long ago.
Even so, it seemed to sense something. Its ears, covered in golden markings, pricked up.
Fire Haze flowed within one of the larger wooden huts. Several figures appeared in silhouette at the window. In weather this bitterly cold, they were drinking and eating fragrant, steaming yak meat from a copper pot set over charcoal.
"The Fire Spring in the Blood Bamboo Forest is about to go out. This is the perfect time to deal with that kind of Spiritual Creature. We need to make arrangements in advance..."
The words drifted over on the wind. Qin Ming wanted very much to keep listening. Some of the Mountain Patrol Group had set their sights on a Spiritual Creature in the mountains for the sake of their Second New Life.
Unfortunately, he could not continue spying. The Golden Mastiff had already appeared outside its kennel and was staring in his direction, opening its mouth to roar.
He aimed at the window and drew his bow at the burliest figure. Iron arrows shot through the night like lightning, all whistling into the wooden hut.
Muffled groans sounded within, and every figure immediately dropped flat. Then the hut's windows and door were smashed open. Several figures rushed out behind tables and door panels, using trees and boulders as cover while searching sharply for the hidden attacker.
The Golden Mastiff barked wildly, full of imposing force. Its roar scattered the snowflakes before it. Its huge body erupted with astonishing power as it charged ferociously toward Qin Ming.
Qin Ming ignored the mutated Golden Mastiff for the moment. His iron arrows fell like a dense rain, all pouring toward one man—Fu Entao.
He did not care about the other Mountain Patrols. Only a Second New Life Evolver was dangerous. Injuring him would be far more meaningful than killing the others first.
Unfortunately, Fu Entao was struck by only one arrow, and the wound was light. The specially made armor on his body offered excellent protection; the iron arrow had penetrated only half an inch.
After that, Fu Entao swept out with his long saber, cutting apart most of the iron arrows. Using the trees as cover, he rapidly closed in.
Judging by the force behind the iron arrows his opponent had fired, he determined that this opponent had not undergone a Second New Life and was not someone difficult to handle.
It was not that Qin Ming lacked strength, but that the Mountain Patrol's hard bow could not withstand his thousand-jin force. In the end, he had actually pulled it apart.
The mutated mastiff, its body covered in gold and black markings, arrived before him. It leaped up and pounced at Qin Ming, white mist billowing from its blood-red maw. Its gleaming fangs were exceptionally sharp, and its roar shook the mountain forest.
Yet its massive body suddenly stiffened in midair, its roar cutting off abruptly. An Iron Spear flew in with terrifying speed, piercing through its skull and splashing several blossoms of blood. Its savage gaze dimmed in an instant.
There was no denying that it was a fairly powerful mutated creature, one capable of causing New Life Evolvers some trouble. Yet Qin Ming dispatched it with a simple spear throw—an instant kill!
With a thud, it crashed down five meters in front of Qin Ming.
In the distance, Feng Yi'an saw the Golden Mastiff's corpse hit the ground and cried out in anguish, "Jinzi!"
Anger rose in Qin Ming's heart. In the eyes of people like this, the lives of villagers beyond the mountains were not as valuable as a vicious dog. They had actually lost control over its death.
His right arm swung fiercely, hurling another Iron Spear. It cut against the wind and snow with a chilling shriek through the air, flying toward Feng Yi'an.
Feng Yi'an, his face covered in a thick beard, was a Mountain Patrol with hopes of achieving Second New Life. His reactions were sharp. His sturdy body shifted sideways at high speed, and he swung his long saber in a display of force, slashing at the Iron Spear flying toward him.
Amid a piercing metallic crash and a burst of sparks, Feng Yi'an felt his entire arm go numb. His right hand trembled around the saber hilt, nearly letting it slip free.
His heart filled with shock. What tremendous force was that? The Iron Spear grazed past his body and shot into a wooden hut, shattering the thick door panel on the spot.
At that moment, Fu Entao, nearly two meters tall, stomped through the snow, kicking up great waves of powder beneath his feet. He was astonishingly fast and was already less than ten meters from Qin Ming.
What awaited him was a special Iron Spear from the Mountain Patrol Group, like a venomous dragon-snake soaring through the night as it shot toward him.
As a Second New Life Evolver, Fu Entao's senses were extraordinarily keen. He clearly caught the Iron Spear's flight path.
Unwilling to waste even a fraction of strength, he merely shifted his towering body slightly and calmly evaded it. His feet did not pause in the slightest as he charged at his opponent on a gale.
He avoided the Iron Spear glinting with cold light, but behind him, another Mountain Patrol was charging forward as well, more than ten meters behind him—and happened to become the second target.
Qin Ming had done this deliberately. If Fu Entao blocked it, so be it. If he dodged, then the thrown Iron Spear would rush toward the man following behind him.
The Mountain Patrol behind him failed to evade it. The distance was simply too short, and Fu Entao had blocked his view moments earlier.
"Ah..." He let out a shrill scream as the thrown Iron Spear pierced his chest. Even the armor on his body could not stop it; it burst apart in an instant, shattered plates flying.
But that obstruction changed the Iron Spear's trajectory.
After shifting slightly from its original path, the Iron Spear struck with a thud, pinning the Mountain Patrol to a tree as thick as a water barrel. Blood streamed down the spear shaft, staining the snow red.
He struggled in unbearable agony, clearly beyond saving.
Feng Yi'an and Shao Chengfeng, behind him, felt chills run down their spines. It was as if they themselves had been nailed to that tree, and both involuntarily backed away several steps.
Fu Entao knew what had happened behind him. His expression turned cold and stern. A distance of ten meters was reached in a single bound.
His curly black hair was blown back by the cold wind, his beast-hide cloak snapping loudly. The long saber in the hands of the two-meter-tall man was specially made, broader and sharper. He cleaved downward as if he meant to split a mountain, incomparably fierce and valiant!
Qin Ming was still as a boulder in repose, but once he moved, he was like thunder unleashed—swift and violent. With a slight sidestep, he avoided the terrifying blade. Then, with the last Iron Spear clenched in his left hand, he smashed it against the saber from the side, knocking its trajectory aside.
Fu Entao's heart jolted. He realized this was not someone he could handle as easily as taking something from his palm. Qin Ming had likely undergone a Second Limit Breakthrough.
He pressed down hard on his saber, intending to knock aside the Iron Spear and continue his forceful slash at the man before him. Yet he encountered powerful resistance.
Qin Ming used the Iron Spear in his left hand to press against the saber's surface, scraping out showers of sparks and keeping the long saber outside his body. Then he lunged straight in, swinging the Firewood Chopping Knife in his right hand at his opponent's wide-open chest.
Fu Entao's pupils contracted. The heavy saber in his right hand had actually failed to press the Iron Spear back. For the first time, he found himself in a difficult position, facing a formidable opponent.
On his left arm, he wore a Blackgold Bracer engraved with Mountain Monster patterns. He swiftly raised it to block the Firewood Chopping Knife, clear as a pool of spring water, producing a shrill metallic crash.
Fu Entao used the opportunity to retreat rapidly, like wind and thunder, stirring up every snowflake on the ground and escaping the slightly disadvantaged position from their first clash.
He shook his slightly numb left arm and looked down. Cracks had appeared in the bracer, which had nearly been split open. It was not because his opponent's blade was too sharp, but because the overwhelming force had shaken it apart.
Having misjudged the force of the iron arrows, he had originally intended to instantly kill this man who had fired hidden arrows at him. Instead, he had been thwarted from the outset and began carefully sizing up the figure opposite him.
Qin Ming looked at the Firewood Chopping Knife. Its edge was damaged, with an obvious notch. Though it had been forged from refined iron, it was certainly inferior to the Mountain Patrol Group's weapons and armor.
He knew clearly that his strength surpassed his opponent's, but he was slightly lacking in speed. Second New Life emphasized flexibility and speed. He needed to engage in close combat while his opponent mistakenly believed him to be a New Life Evolver of the same level, limiting his opponent's advantage of fleeing far away in a single strike.
"Who are you, and why are you targeting us?" Fu Entao asked. Earlier, seeing how young-faced Qin Ming was, he had assumed he was an impulsive hot-blooded youth and intended to cripple him before forcing out his background.
Before his opponent's formidable strength, he calmed down and regarded him as an equal, even feeling considerable wariness. The other man was simply too young. Could he be a noble scion from Red Haze City? But his clothes did not look the part.
Qin Ming did not answer. His Iron Spear pointed forward in his left hand, his Firewood Chopping Knife raised slightly in his right, as he advanced one step at a time. He was calm and composed; though he looked young, he carried an imposing presence.
Fu Entao frowned, growing even more suspicious of his identity.
As Qin Ming emerged from the dim forest and drew near the Fire Spring area, Feng Yi'an and Shao Chengfeng recognized him.
They had thought the figure looked familiar earlier. Now, illuminated by the Fire Haze, his face came clearly into view, and they were utterly stunned.
"You're Qin Ming from Double Tree Village?!" Feng Yi'an could not believe it. He had seen this youth several times. Had he not only undergone New Life not long ago?
Qin Ming did not answer. He pressed steadily toward his opponent, then suddenly accelerated. His spear thrust out like an ice serpent on the snowfields transforming into a dragon, tearing through the wind and snow with a terrifying shriek. The falling snow exploded apart, and the snow piled on the ground burst with it.
"Surround him. Don't let him escape. I want him captured alive!" Fu Entao shouted swiftly as he drew his saber.
His gaze flashed like cold lightning, and he appeared utterly confident. Mainly, he feared Feng Yi'an and Shao Chengfeng would lose their nerve, so he was bolstering their confidence.
"Let's surround and kill him together. End this quickly," shouted a thickset Mountain Patrol. He raised his saber and slowly approached. He did not intend to charge in recklessly, but to create psychological pressure for Qin Ming from nearby.
Seeing this, Feng Yi'an and Shao Chengfeng moved up to encircle him as well, holding key positions and preparing to launch surprise attacks at any moment, invisibly affecting the battle.
The clash between the two men in the field was terrifying. The Iron Spear, trailing afterimages, roamed through the air like a dragon-snake, while the flashing saber light was like startled lightning on a rainy night, swiftly expanding the battlefield.
Feng Yi'an and Shao Chengfeng's expressions changed sharply. That youth named Qin Ming was actually this overbearing. Could the group leader truly suppress him?
Qin Ming and Fu Entao fought their way from near the Fire Spring back into the dense forest. The three outside had no choice but to follow, cautiously maintaining the encirclement.
The two swept through the forest in a single charge. Trees that had been completely intact suddenly began crackling, great numbers of branches falling onto the snow. Even thick trees crashed down with thunderous booms.
Suddenly, in the dark forest, a silver-white figure swooped down from a great tree, seeking to ambush Qin Ming.
Qin Ming was exchanging attacks with Fu Entao, his back to that direction. The Snow Ape raised by the Mountain Patrol Group attacked without warning, pouncing down from above. It was difficult to guard against.
It was a mutated creature whose sharp claws could tear apart fierce beasts alive. At this moment, it was incomparably vicious and violent, clawing at Qin Ming's neck with ferocious speed.
Qin Ming had long known there was a Snow Ape here. After climbing the mountain, he had secretly located it and had remained wary of every potential threat around him.
Wind seemed to rise beneath his feet as he moved with extraordinary agility, evading the Snow Ape's pounce. At the same time, he slashed backward into the air. With a puff, the Firewood Chopping Knife cut the savage Snow Ape in two at the waist!
Ape blood splattered everywhere. It howled mournfully as its two halves fell onto the snow one after another, soon dying completely and falling still.
Thanks to Chen Sheng Xiao Mo, Zui Danchun, Meng Yeye, Zuiyan Duanfeng, Chongxian, and Shijia Suo. Many thanks for the alliance leader support!
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