High-Level Confrontation

Xu Yueping opened his mouth, "Little Qin, want to go take a look?"

"Did Cao Long, Wei Zhirou, and Mu Qing go?" Qin Ming asked. Although he was curious about the top-level anomalies in the mountains, if he weighed the options, for the sake of prudence, he would naturally focus on safety.

Xu Yueping said, "They have already passed our village entrance and rushed over. They got permission from the higher-ups, saying that as long as they don't get too close, it's fine."

"Then what are we waiting for, let's go!" Old Man Liu immediately perked up and took the lead in expressing his stance.

Qin Ming didn't object either. Since Cao Long, Wei Zhirou, and the others had gone, there was no need to worry too much.

A moment later, the group set off and soon arrived outside the mountain. Many New Life individuals had already appeared in this area, with figures looming, all looking forward and eager to see the Red Haze City's higher-ups appear.

Qin Ming stared at the donkey, remaining silent. It was similar to the one he had hunted in the mountains a few days ago. Could it be one of its descendants?

A pure white weasel sat cross-legged on the donkey's back, like an enlightened monk, silent and still. It was too calm, and its eyes, which could see through the affairs of the world, were incredibly deep.

Qin Ming visualized Stillness, concealing his vitality, and used "Blending Light with Dust" to naturally blend into the crowd.

"Here they come!" Someone whispered. Under the night, a figure appeared at the end of the snow-covered earth, getting closer and closer, gradually becoming clearer.

"This should be one of our Red Haze City's higher-ups, right?" Even the nobles couldn't remain calm, discussing in low voices, all looking into the distance.

Soon, this area became silent again, because it was still an anomaly.

It approached unhurriedly with elegant cat steps, arriving in front of the mountain forest.

It turned out to be a tabby cat, with a body about three feet long and weighing dozens of pounds. It didn't walk on all fours, but walked upright.

Qin Ming was a little speechless. The higher-ups of the anomalies didn't seem that rare. He could usually see these creatures.

Especially since tabby cats and weasels were natural enemies, would they fight in the mountains?

Many people had this idea, but they didn't dare to speak, nervously maintaining silence.

"I thought the top-level anomalies were similar to creatures like the Moon Worm..." Old Man Liu mumbled indistinctly.

He had guarded the mountain for decades and heard too many legends, including terrifying Mountain Masters and Famous Birds that had stood for two hundred years, each more mysterious than the last, but none of them had appeared.

"They won't... start fighting among themselves, will they?" Someone noticed something unusual.

Because the elegant tabby cat walking with cat steps and the old weasel on the donkey's back were at odds with each other, looking like they were about to fight.

On the snow, the big tabby cat stood still, carrying a Crimson Longsword on its back, similar to its upright height. The sword had already automatically popped out of its sheath by half a foot, and for a time, crimson light shone in all directions, like the legendary sunset appearing, dyeing the nearby snow red.

The snow-white weasel was no longer calm either. It jumped off the donkey's back, patted the old donkey, and told it to go to a distance to wait.

The snow-white old weasel itself stood there, with a pair of upper limbs that were no different from human arms. One "hand" was behind its back, and the other "hand" in front of it was wrapped around a string of prayer beads.

It was snow-white, looked up at the sky, leisurely and detached, slowly twisting the beads, flowing out a faint white mist, resisting the opposite crimson glow.

Everyone was a little confused. Were these two creatures really not on the same side? They were confronting each other!

"One of them should be human, but the path they took is different, and their form has gradually become less human." Someone whispered.

Those present were quite uneasy when they heard this. Those paths were far away from them.

And right now, they couldn't even tell which one was human and which one was a high-level creature from the mountains.

There were many people on the scene, including a large number of Mountain Patrol, who had rushed over after hearing the news. Although they guarded the endless mountains, they were only on the periphery and could not see the top-level anomalies at all. Today, they had also come to broaden their horizons.

Many New Life individuals also came to Red Haze City, young and old alike. Some were from noble families, others from powerful organizations, creating a vast, dark mass as far as the eye could see.

New Life individuals from nearby villages and towns, those with enough courage, also came to observe.

Meanwhile, a large number of creatures also appeared in the dense forest opposite, even more than on this side. They were all strange races, particularly intimidating in the dim woodland, some as red as fire, others shrouded in purple mist, and they made a cacophony of noise, much louder than the discussions outside.

"Be cautious, they might be planning something!" Cao Long said, his three-meter-tall body clad in gleaming armor, as he gripped a sharp Great Spear in his hand.

"Aren't we supposed to have a final negotiation? Are they really going to fight?" Someone asked, looking puzzled.

Mu Qing, whose entire body was covered in a black cloak, said, "We won't provoke them, but if those aliens dare to cross the line, just fight. The higher-ups will take responsibility."

At the same time, experts from other organizations, major clans, and the Mountain Patrol of Red Haze City were also communicating telepathically, ready to fight if the situation turned sour.

"It's been a long time since I've seen such a large formation. Is it about to start? I remember the last large-scale mountain sweep was thirty years ago," Old Man Liu said, slightly excited, gripping his thick-backed broadsword tightly in his right hand.

He and Qin Ming and the others arrived relatively late, standing in the back, which should be relatively safe.

However, Qin Ming didn't dare to be careless. Since the people on his side had a consensus and made such statements, he was also prepared, holding the Long-handled Black Gold Hammer in his hand.

As a tall and sturdy figure appeared, all the commotion was suppressed. Both the aliens in the mountains and forests and the New Life individuals in the snow fell silent.

No one saw how he appeared; he stood abruptly at the tense scene.

He was about ten meters tall, his figure was truly too massive. He wore ancient armor and held a black spear in one hand, carrying an invisible, powerful aura that deterred the aliens in the mountains and valleys, and made the New Life individuals in the snow break out in goosebumps.

Fortunately, his invisible aura quickly dissipated, otherwise it would have suffocated everyone.

The man's features were very three-dimensional, with distinct edges and corners, looking like he was in his forties. With such a tall figure, people naturally associated him with the path of the Giant Spirit God.

"This should be a big figure from our Red Haze City, but why haven't I seen him before?" Someone wondered.

Even Cao Long, Wei Zhirou, and other direct descendants of noble families were talking and asking, because they had never seen him either.

In any case, this was a very pure human, not an alien.

The man holding the black spear, Wei Mo, had his black hair raised, his face full of fortitude. He stood beside the snow-white old weasel, facing the tabby cat carrying a Crimson Longsword in the snow.

With his arrival, the Crimson Longsword, which automatically unsheathed and dyed the vicinity red like the evening glow, made bursts of light sounds, as if warning of the power and danger of the person who came.

An old Mountain Patrol member said, "This makes the situation clear. The ten-meter-tall, burly man is an expert invited by our Red Haze City, then the weasel... uh, Senior Huang must also be one of us, because he chose a different path and changed into an alternative true form."

People couldn't help but nod, obviously the tabby cat carrying the Crimson Longsword came from deep in the mountains.

The ten-meter-tall giant and the one-foot-tall pure white weasel twisting prayer beads stood together. This contrast was too great, and many people wanted to discuss it, but they didn't dare to speak and could only close their mouths.

"Wei Mo, Brother Wei, we haven't seen each other for twenty years. Walking in the deep mountains and great swamps, appearing near the forbidden areas for cultivation, how have you been?" A peaceful voice sounded, and it was very sudden. No one saw clearly, and another figure appeared in the snow.

This was still a human man, looking like he was in his early forties, dressed in white, very refined and handsome, and blended into the snow as soon as he stood there.

Ling Xu stood beside the tabby cat carrying the sword, looking at the ten-meter-tall human man opposite.

This time, many people in the snow were completely confused, dumbfounded, and really couldn't understand which side was the high-level and allies of Red Haze City.

The giant, Wei Mo, nodded, and the dark red-gold armor on his body suddenly made a clanging sound. He said, "Indeed, twenty years have passed, and Ling Xu, you also show signs of aging."

People didn't understand why Wei Mo said that the man in white showed signs of aging, wasn't he in his prime? It seemed that people at this level had different judgment criteria.

At the same time, some people from Red Haze City exclaimed in surprise.

"Ling Xu... he is the City Lord!"

Qin Ming, Old Man Liu, and the others were also stunned several times, but now they finally understood which side was the higher life form from the mountains and which side was the high-level figure from Red Haze City.

In such a short period, many people's perceptions had taken several turns.

The middle-aged man in white, Ling Xu, nodded and said, "Who can escape old age? No one can resist the passage of time, not even the most mysterious small group of top-level beings."

Then, he looked at Wei Mo and said, "You chose to delve into the night mist, wander outside the boundless forbidden land, and never return, is that right?"

"Yes!" Wei Mo only had one word.

"Understandable." Ling Xu nodded.

Many people had solemn expressions. A few older people had heard of Wei Mo's name and knew how powerful he was back then. In the past, his body was much taller than it is now. Was this the change of opening a higher level?

"Why is he standing on the side of the alien creatures in the depths of the mountains?" A young man from Red Haze City couldn't help but lower his voice and ask the elder beside him.

The old man whispered, "If you can't find the way and lose hope, you will walk into the vast and boundless night. Therefore, among the deep mountains and great marshes, in the vast and boundless darkness, some higher life forms, some mysterious alien creatures, are not necessarily monsters. They used to be people!"

After hearing this, Qin Ming was also in a daze.

"Let's sit down and talk." The City Lord of Red Haze City, Ling Xu, said, making a gesture of invitation.

The four beings, in four very different forms, sat in the snow and began their final negotiation.

However, people found that they could not hear their voices.

That was a high-level secret talk, and they were obviously not allowed to listen. Being able to watch quietly from a distance was considered an opportunity for them to see the world.

It could be seen that the scene was not peaceful. Red haze was rising there, white mist was flowing, and the clothes, armor, and fur of the four beings were shaking violently, with very terrifying force fields between them.

It could even be seen that the big tabby cat directly drew its sword, and the crimson light shone everywhere, too dazzling, like a round of red sun rising from the ground.

And the pure white old weasel seemed to be very angry, unable to maintain its previous calmness, twisting a string of beads in one hand and slapping the snow on the ground with the other to express its dissatisfaction.

Instantly, everyone was horrified, because they felt an earthquake, and a large amount of snow on the ground was shaken into the air.

Many people clearly saw that it just slapped lightly, not really intending to attack.

However, this did intensify the tense situation in the field.

Even, due to the various alien creatures in the dense forest roaring along, several other terrifying higher life forms in the mountains emerged.

Some stood on the mountains and watched indifferently, while others flapped their wings and came to the high altitude to look down.

One of the insects was the most special, because it was too bright, illuminating several nearby mountain peaks, and it came to the edge of the mountain.

"Moon Worm!" Many people exclaimed.

However, in contrast to the outside of the mountain, powerful beings also appeared in the night. A cyan big bird flowed with brilliant light, carrying a figure in fluttering feather clothes. The person stared at the Moon Worm in the high altitude, with an extremely ethereal and transcendent temperament, instantly resisting the terrifying aura expanded by the Moon Worm.

Qin Ming looked at the figure on the cyan big bird and felt a pain in his head, not because of this person, but because of the wide feather clothes, like a lightning bolt falling directly into his heart, splitting open the dusty subconscious, allowing him to instantly see some pictures and know the bloody past of that year when he was fourteen years old.