Blood Bamboo Forest

In the faint night, mountain after mountain stood tall. Larches, hazel trees, birches, and other trees grew in swathes. Though the species differed, most had shed their leaves, leaving only bare branches bearing the snow.

Qin Empire Ming trudged through the snow. After crossing several mountains, he neared the Blood Bamboo Forest.

He had never set foot in this region before. It was no longer considered the outer reaches of the mountains.

Large numbers of mountain beasts appeared along the way, and the cries of strange birds rang out continuously. Yet once he arrived here, apart from the howling cold wind, every other sound vanished.

Qin Empire Ming realized the Blood Bamboo Forest was dangerous. All manner of creatures in the mountains detoured around it and rarely appeared here.

This was still the bitterly cold, snow-covered winter. When the Fire Spring's active period arrived, all things revived, and the Blood Snakes began emerging to hunt, the area would likely become even quieter.

"The scenery is quite beautiful." Qin Empire Ming stood outside a valley and looked within.

The Blood Bamboo Forest lay in the valley. Though the sky was dark, he could still see the groves of bamboo standing firm amid the wind and snow, blazing red beneath a covering of white snow—beautiful beyond measure.

The valley was filled with Blood Bamboo. It was beautiful; from stalk to leaf, the plant gleamed crimson, like red coral growing into a dense forest amid the snow.

"This truly is a fine place." Qin Empire Ming marveled.

Normally, no one dared come here to admire the scenery. The Blood Snakes' fierce reputation had spread far and wide, making even Mountain Patrols deeply wary.

No light from the Fire Spring rose in the valley. It seemed to have truly gone out.

However, Qin Empire Ming did not take a single step into the valley. He believed there were still "embers" beneath the frozen soil; the Fire Spring here might not have been completely extinguished.

He circled the area and observed the surrounding terrain. Climbing a high slope, he looked down from above and indeed spotted an exceedingly faint blush of "red" at the center of the valley.

After thinking it over, Qin Empire Ming turned and left the silent place. He went to an area with more strange birds and mountain beasts, where he caught a rabbit in the snow.

"Sorry about this." Carrying the plump snow rabbit, he returned near the Blood Bamboo Forest. Standing atop the high slope, he hurled it with all his strength toward the patch of "red" at the valley's center.

With a bang, the large rabbit slammed into the thick snow, sending up a spray of snowflakes. It landed not far from the Fire Spring's embers.

Almost at the same instant, a red streak shot out, skimming across the snow and charging toward the rabbit at a startling speed before piercing its body in an instant.

Qin Empire Ming focused completely. Fragmented golden ripples surfaced across his body, and his eyes fixed tightly on the central area of the valley not far away.

Without question, it was a Blood Snake, only a little over three feet long. Just as rumored, its body was as tough as refined iron. It could briefly leap through the air and pierce targets like an iron arrow.

"As expected, it's a troublesome creature. This is still a relatively small snake. If a giant snake several meters long appears, it'll be hard to deal with." Qin Empire Ming frowned.

Most importantly, even in such freezing weather, the Blood Snakes remained active and could move through the ice and snow for short periods. That made things extremely difficult.

Then he saw several more red streaks emerge from that "red blush," all only a few feet long. This time, rather than shooting over like iron arrows, they crawled across the snow toward the rabbit, their hard heads stabbing into its body.

Such spiritually endowed snakes could not be judged by ordinary standards. They were not as fearful of ice and snow as imagined and would not freeze stiff in a short time.

"Am I giving you winter nourishment? An unexpected extra meal?" Qin Empire Ming watched the Blood Bamboo Forest. Those Blood Snakes were clearly sucking the snow rabbit's warm blood.

These snakes were named for blood, and that was also related to how they ate. Unlike ordinary snakes, they did not swallow their prey whole.

They fed very quickly, perhaps because they were unwilling to remain in the snow for long. Soon, they slithered back toward the nearly extinguished Fire Spring.

"Hm?" Qin Empire Ming noticed that two of them did not immediately return to their nest. Instead, they rapidly crawled through the Blood Bamboo Forest, as though searching for something.

At the same time, he noticed a larger snake head emerge from the "red blush," its bright crimson tongue flicking continuously as if sensing something.

"A bit troublesome." Qin Empire Ming could tell that these deadly spiritual creatures were powerful and extremely alert, far harder to deal with than other mutated creatures.

He considered fighting poison with poison and sending them poisonous Blood Food. But the large snake showed no sign of feeding, while even the smaller snakes had one snake taste the food first. He felt that method was not very feasible.

Qin Empire Ming noticed that after the two small snakes, each three or four feet long, swiftly circled the Blood Bamboo Forest once, they visibly slowed. Having finished patrolling their territory, they slipped into the "red blush" of their habitat.

"The freezing weather still affects them greatly. That's good news." He walked down the slope and headed back the way he had come.

He intended to transport all kinds of weapons here. Once he ventured deep into the Blood Bamboo Forest, he would have to wear three or four layers of the Mountain Patrol Group's armor. He had no desire to be ambushed by Blood Snakes. If a refined-iron snake head pierced his skin, even a New Life Evolver would surely die.

Before long, he dug up and transported the iron spears, armor, and other equipment, hiding them near the Blood Bamboo Forest.

"To deal with Blood Snakes, Fu Entao's sharp saber is actually more useful than the Long-handled Black Gold Hammer."

When using heavy weapons against larger mutants, their killing power was indeed formidable; one hammer blow could burst open a head. But against slender snakes, they were truly less useful than a long saber.

Qin Empire Ming pondered when the Fire Spring in the Blood Bamboo Forest would be completely extinguished. The longer it lasted, the weaker the Blood Snakes would become. Yet he did not have much time either, because the final negotiation between the upper ranks and the top mutants in the mountains would conclude within the next few days.

"I alerted them today and put them on guard. I'll come again tomorrow." Qin Empire Ming withdrew. Though time was somewhat pressing, one day would make no difference.

"I should be able to handle this nest of Blood Snakes, right?" he pondered on the road. Feng Yi'an, Shao Chengfeng, and the others had wanted to make a move on the Blood Bamboo Forest, but he had wiped them all out.

He absolutely could not let down his guard. He had to be cautious and careful.

On his way back, he spotted three large birds of prey running through the forest at incredible speed, people actually riding on their backs as they crossed through the dense woods ahead of him.

"People from Golden Chicken Ridge?" Qin Empire Ming hid behind a large tree and guessed their identities upon seeing this.

They were three mutated ground chickens, each more than a person tall and extremely robust. They could carry riders swiftly through the mountains and forests. Only Golden Chicken Ridge could raise such creatures in this region.

Qin Empire Ming had heard of Golden Chicken Ridge. There was a Fire Spring there close to Level Two. A band of great bandits had originally lived there, but they had eventually been recruited.

That was because the mutated ground chickens they raised were highly practical. Even Mountain Patrols sometimes needed to hire their Golden Riders to scout the conditions in the mountains.

"Golden Chicken Ridge is far from here. Why have people from there come over?" He watched the three ground chickens depart. One rider wore fine armor and did not seem local; his clothing was completely different from that of the other two from Golden Chicken Ridge.

"From Red Haze City?" Qin Empire Ming noticed that the style of the man's black armor differed from that of the Cao Family, Wei Family, and Mu Family. He was likely from another great lineage.

Seeing that they were not heading toward the Blood Bamboo Forest, Qin Empire Ming continued home.

Just as he dragged a piece of prey toward the edge of the mountains, he saw four unusual New Life Evolvers.

Though two of them wore no armor, their attire was clearly extraordinary. Black robes woven with metal threads covered their entire bodies, concealing even their faces.

Qin Empire Ming was startled. The Mountain Sweeping Operation had not even begun, yet the mountains were already growing lively. What group were these people from?

The other two New Life Evolvers appeared to be locals, both just over thirty. One of them smiled and greeted him. "Little brother, do you know of an Earth Fissure nearby that emits Silver Light?"

Qin Empire Ming realized they were searching for special Nodes. The two Black Robed Figures most likely came from Red Haze City as well.

"Go that way. Walk straight for three miles and you'll reach it!" Qin Empire Ming pointed out the direction. It was no secret place; many people already knew of it.

"Little brother, guide us there. We'll give you a piece of Night Silver afterward," the man who had asked for directions said with a smile.

Qin Empire Ming took two steps back. "I'm afraid of that place. The Earth Fissure is dangerous, and I need to hurry home. I haven't caught any prey for many days; my mother is nearly starving."

"Let's go." One of the black-robed men spoke. His voice sounded quite young.

Hearing that, Qin Empire Ming prepared to leave as well.

However, the black-robed man's next sentence made him freeze.

"Get rid of him. It's not suitable for too many people to know we've appeared here." With one airy sentence, the black-robed man directly decided the fate of a "young hunter."

Qin Empire Ming was astonished. What sort of demons and monsters were these? A single word from them decided whether someone lived or died. They were far too indifferent to an ordinary person's life.

He had met Cao Long, Wei Zhirou, Mu Qing, and the others. They had all come from Red Haze City, and those people had been mild-tempered. Whether or not they were merely maintaining the courtesy and politeness expected of nobles, they were at least acceptable on the surface and did not disgust others.

This Black Robed Figure before him was simply too "decisive in slaughter." Without the slightest emotional fluctuation, he ordered the two local New Life Evolvers guiding them to kill someone.

"Big brothers, we're all locals. You can't do this," Qin Empire Ming said.

One of them smiled. "Sorry, brother. We were ordered to accompany the two honored guests into the mountains, so we must obey all their commands."

"You are..." Qin Empire Ming asked.

"We're from the Three-Eyed Sect." The two locals pressed forward together.

The next moment, Qin Empire Ming was like an agile leopard. He left an afterimage where he stood and charged forward at extreme speed, the short sword in his left hand slicing open both men's throats in an instant.

The two men from the Three-Eyed Sect were stunned, terrified, and unable to believe it. They had thought they had encountered an ordinary hunter, because Qin Empire Ming's prey was not large—merely a rock goat. Yet their throats had been slit for no reason. He had been too fast.

When the two Black Robed Figures saw Qin Empire Ming charge at them and noticed the Long-handled Black Gold Hammer he took from his back was exceptionally heavy, their expressions changed at once.

The Black Gold Hammer in Qin Empire Ming's right hand smashed toward one man's head, while the short sword in his left stabbed toward the other Black Robed Figure.

Since they had already decided to kill him to ensure no one learned of their movements, there was no use Say More. He could only do his utmost to kill them in return.

In an instant, the clash of metal weapons erupted between the three, piercingly harsh.

After only a brief exchange, Qin Empire Ming sounded them out. One was a Second New Life Evolver, while the other was no cause for concern, his body having undergone New Life only once.

He launched an all-out assault on the Second New Life Evolver. Only that person posed a threat.

Before this, he might have had to battle the man fiercely for some time. But after studying the Sword Manual today, he had benefited enormously. Though it was not quite an enlightenment poured straight into his mind, his combat skills had improved by a great margin.

Clang!

After several collisions, the long saber in the powerful Black Robed Figure's hand was knocked high into the air by the Black Gold Hammer, and his entire arm went numb.

At the same time, his pupils contracted. The Long-handled Black Gold Hammer was like a bolt of lightning, swung with effortless weight by his opponent and smashing toward his chest at a speed he could not hope to match.

It was already too late for him to dodge. His chest caved in under the blow, and he coughed up mouthful after mouthful of blood. He clearly would not survive.

"Competing in saber techniques with me?" Qin Empire Ming gripped the Long-handled Black Gold Hammer and used a saber stance. Without even looking at him, he turned and advanced on the other Black Robed Figure.

The other man was horrified. He had only just been knocked back, yet his companion had died moments later. It had happened far too fast. How could a youth who looked like a hunter be so terrifying?

He knew he was certainly no match, so he turned and rushed into the dense forest, hoping to flee.

"Throwing Blade Stance!" Qin Empire Ming uttered those words. With a boom, the Long-handled Black Gold Hammer flew out, and the head of the black-robed man not far away burst like a rotten watermelon.

Qin Empire Ming did not hesitate in the slightest. He swiftly cleaned up the battlefield, wiped the blood from the Long-handled Black Gold Hammer with snow, and dragged his prey home.

However, he was somewhat uneasy now. So many people were entering the mountains, from all kinds of backgrounds. He could not stay away from the Blood Bamboo Forest for too long.

After eating, he quietly returned to the mountains.

"With every day that passes, the Fire Spring grows much dimmer. That benefits me, but I must also watch out for outsiders coming to fight over the Spiritual Objects." Qin Empire Ming muttered. For now, he could only stand guard here.

He did not leave until late at night, because no one would choose to act at such an hour. The pitch-black night did not affect snakes much, but it would restrict New Life Evolvers.

The next day, he entered the mountains early and found that the "red blush" at the valley's center had indeed dimmed considerably.

With this discovery, he decided to wait a little longer and act no later than before Shallow Night ended today.

An hour later, the entire mountain region suddenly turned resplendent. Endless Earth Light rose up, and rain of light filled the sky, illuminating the nearby area.

Earth Light surged upward and rosy radiance flowed. Even Qin Empire Ming was entranced by this strange sight; it truly was beautiful.

Especially here, where fiery red bamboo groves contrasted with snow as white as jade, it was fresh and breathtaking, creating a splendid scene utterly unlike the ordinary.

"Hm?" It was then that Qin Empire Ming made a discovery. A group of people was approaching in the distance.

He did not grow impatient. Instead, he calmly retreated into the shadows. This was fine too—if this group had come for the Spiritual Objects of the Blood Bamboo Forest, he would let them test the waters first.