The End of the Song, the Scattering of People

Under the deep night, the mountain forest was very dim. Today, large areas were quiet, and apart from the herbivores, it was difficult to encounter a beast.

Qin Ming sprinted all the way, stopping abruptly when he passed through a dense forest. He took off his armor, put down the Long-handled Black Gold Hammer, and dug out a set of shiny refined gold armor from the snow.

This was the relic of Wang Nianzhu, who was already dead but still wanted. Qin Ming quickly changed his clothes here, worried that the place he was going to might have bear cubs or calves. If they were highly intelligent and remembered his appearance, it would be terrible.

Everyone knew that Wang Nianzhu had killed the Blood Snake and wiped out Fu Entao, Feng Yi'an, and others from the Mountain Patrol Group. Now, taking advantage of the chaos to enter the alien's lair was a normal thing to do.

After Qin Ming hung Wang Nianzhu's long sword, as clear and bright as a pool of spring water, around his waist, he found a piece of cloth to cover his face. There was no other way, he was not strong enough yet, so he could only be cautious.

Afterward, he ran eight miles in one breath and arrived at a Stone Forest surrounded by forest. There were rocks everywhere, and some areas were almost piled up into stone mountains.

"It stinks!" Qin Ming couldn't stand it. The white giant bear lived here and was not very particular about hygiene. He had only just approached, and he could already smell the bear dung.

Deep in the Stone Forest was a Fire Spring, surrounded by Red Haze, sparkling with light, and similar in scale to the Fire Spring in Silver Vine Town, both reaching the second level.

Although the white giant bear had mutated many times and was very powerful, it was still not qualified to enter the depths of the mountains and could not occupy a more splendid Fire Spring.

But for the mountain people, this was already a treasure land.

But such a good place was ruined by the giant bear, with animal fur, bones, and other remains everywhere, and huge piles of bear dung, all left near the Fire Spring.

Obviously, its hibernation state was not sufficient, and it still often hunted in the mountains.

"It should be an old male bear, too solitary. Such a large territory is only inhabited by itself, wasting this treasure land." Qin Ming searched around, but it was so smelly here that there was almost nothing.

He was so angry that he had run so far, taking a great risk, but found nothing except the stench of bear dung.

Qin Ming really wanted to set a fire and burn this place clean!

Even if there were offspring of the old male bear here, he could vent his anger, and if not, he could chop off two bear paws to take back.

He wanted to say that this place was so poor that it was clean, but the truth was that it was unbearably filthy, and he was almost nauseated by the smell.

This was the first time Qin Ming had felt helpless after being defeated, especially depressed. He wanted to take revenge, but in the end, he gave up, pinching his nose, not wanting to stay here for another moment.

Just as he turned to leave, he suddenly saw a flash of scales in the Fire Spring, and he was immediately invigorated.

"This old dog bear actually knows how to raise fish?"

Qin Ming rushed to the Fire Spring and saw fish shadows in the pool, which was six or seven feet square.

However, he was soon staring blankly here, as they were all just fry.

"This stinky old bear is too shameful. The fish here probably won't grow big at all and will be caught and eaten by it in advance!"

In the end, he attacked the fry, not wanting any shorter than a finger, but taking all those close to the size of a palm. The largest two were seven inches long, totaling more than twenty.

This was originally a kind of spirit fish, blue and translucent, with some parts semi-transparent, and could grow to more than a meter long when mature, containing rich spirituality and vitality.

Unfortunately, with that impatient old male bear here, it was impossible to grow that big.

"Although they are still small, they have a certain spirituality and can be considered a great tonic."

Whenever Qin Ming entered the mountains, he would always bring a animal skin bag with him. The harsh living environment had cultivated this simple habit in him, which now came in handy.

This was also one of the reasons why Huang Jingjun curled his lips and secretly ridiculed him.

Qin Ming didn't look back and quickly rushed to Wild Bull Ridge, seven miles away from here. He was playing with the time difference, and his actions had to be fast.

Under the night sky, the mountains stretched endlessly, covered with vast forests.

Qin Ming was immediately stunned when he stumbled into the golden giant bull's territory.

Deep in the forest was a level two Fire Spring. The fiery red, glowing liquid wasn't collected in a pool but was used to irrigate a patch of messy Fire Fields.

The Fire Spring wasn't hot, far from reaching human body temperature, but it could block the bitter cold brought by the wind and snow. The Fire Fields were surprisingly lush and vibrant.

"Old Bull is still diligent!" Qin Ming praised.

The mountains were covered in white snow, and snowflakes were still falling from the sky, but this area displayed such a vibrant scene, truly attracting attention.

A green vine was laden with Fire Pears, twenty or thirty of which were already bright red, emitting an enticing fruity fragrance.

"This kind of fruit can replenish qi and blood." Qin Ming quickly picked them.

Afterward, he discovered a patch of low-lying plants, only about a foot tall, but each was covered with purple berries, with a sweet and sour taste.

"So many Purple Sun Fruits, eating a few when exhausted can quickly restore energy. This old bull has planted all good things!" Qin Ming's goodwill towards the golden giant bull greatly increased.

This messy Fire Field, though not particularly well-maintained, benefited from the high spirituality of the level two Fire Spring, allowing all the plants to grow well.

Unfortunately, Old Bull had a large family and a big business. It led a group of wild bulls to live in these mountains, leaving no spiritual substances for New Life. It seemed they had all been eaten by its bull offspring.

Qin Ming was disappointed. He had risked entering the lair of a multi-mutated creature, naturally hoping to gain something, hoping for a Third New Life.

"Old Bear, Bull, can't count on them here. It seems Old Man Liu is still reliable. I'll go into the mountains with him later!"

There were many melons and fruits in the Fire Field, all with a bit of spirituality, which could be considered a great supplement for ordinary people. Some of them were already ripe. In this icy and snowy world, seeing such delicious fruits, he temporarily shook off his disappointment, and his eyes gradually lit up.

Whether it was bright red fruit or golden melon, he picked all the ripe ones, filling both of his animal skin bags.

"Did any bull calves stay behind?" Qin Ming looked towards the depths of Wild Bull Ridge.

"Hmm?" Suddenly, his pupils contracted. He didn't see any bull calves, but there was a donkey calf.

It looked a lot like Old Weasel's mount, but it probably wasn't, because this was just a little donkey, and it was also stealing melons!

In the Fire Field in the distance, with a thud, the melon in the donkey calf's mouth fell to the ground. It was also startled, frightened by the sudden appearance of the armored bipedal beast.

"Donkey calf, you must not shout!" Qin Ming turned and ran.

This little donkey wasn't much of a threat, but it had a strong backer. If it started braying here, who knew what kind of monster it would attract?

Qin Ming believed that it must be a descendant of Old Weasel's mount. Otherwise, how would a donkey calf dare to come here to steal melons? Qin Ming sprinted away, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

In the messy Fire Field, the donkey calf was also dumbfounded. It was about to buck and run away, but the bipedal beast had escaped before it could.

Feeling guilty, it didn't dare to bray, wandering around like a street hooligan, eating and drinking its fill, then let out a satisfied burp, flicked its tail, and ran away in a puff of smoke.

A long time later, a large white bull emerged from the depths of Wild Bull Ridge, a creature that had mutated three times. Old Bull had a large family and a big business, so it naturally had to leave a bull to guard the house.

The big white bull had discovered the donkey calf when it appeared, but not only did it not drive it away, it even hid itself, because it knew the little donkey's background and didn't want to disturb it.

"No need for that little fellow to notice anything. Later, let Senior Donkey know that we have been taking good care of its descendants with good food and drink." The big white bull said in bull language, even in these mountains, being born as a bull, one had to be worldly-wise.

"I... moo, did a group of donkeys come?!" The big white bull was completely stunned after approaching the Fire Field! Qin Ming ran six miles in one breath, and after finding no movement behind him, he breathed a sigh of relief. Then he continued on his way to retrieve his armor and Long-handled Black Gold Hammer.

He also brought the piece of Mutton Fat Jade Iron he had hidden in the mountain. Now all the dangerous experts had gone to the Great Rift Valley, and the outside was empty.

"Little Qin, you're finally back safe and sound. If something had happened, we would have felt guilty for the rest of our lives!" Xu Yueping, Yang Yongqing, and the others had been waiting at the village entrance.

"I'm fine, it was a close call, and I even brought back some mountain goods along the way." Qin Ming briefly recounted the events of the Great Rift Valley.

Xu Yueping was shocked. The large-scale, organized reverse hunting by the Others left him speechless and stunned.

Yang Yongqing also felt shaken and fearful. Not to mention them, even the noble elites of Red Haze City would have been skinned alive there.

When they learned that all the mountain people had returned safely, they were speechless again, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. They could only sigh at the unpredictability of life, that the people most likely to be in trouble were the ones who had all escaped.

"Uncle, it's so good you're back safe. We were all worried to death!" Wen Rui rubbed his small hands, his breath forming white mist. He stood in the snowy ground at his doorstep and jumped up with joy when he saw Qin Ming return.

He had run out more than a dozen times in the past half-day. Each time he saw that the Qin Ming's courtyard gate was still locked, he would feel very disappointed, fearing that his uncle was in trouble.

Because he had already learned from Lu Ze and Liang Wanqing that his uncle had been taken away by the people from Golden Chicken Ridge to do something very dangerous.

Although Lu Ze had suffered serious injuries, his constitution was very good, and he was now able to go out. He walked out supported by Liang Wanqing.

A quarter of an hour later, Qin Ming arrived at their small courtyard carrying a large bag of red and yellow fruits.

When going into the mountains on weekdays, they could occasionally find some wild fruits left over from autumn under the snow, but they were definitely not this fresh.

"Wow, this time it's not mountain persimmons, it's my favorite red berries. Uncle, you're amazing!" Wen Rui's little face was flushed as he ate and shouted happily.

Two-year-old Wen Hui hugged Qin Ming's neck and kissed him with a smack, expressing his joy inarticulately.

In the iron cage, the mutated squirrel with fiery red fur jumped up and down, almost crying from greed, staring eagerly and chirping non-stop.

"Give me a bow, and I'll give you a little red fruit to eat." Qin Ming said with a smile.

As a result, the squirrel actually stood in the cage and bowed to him repeatedly. Each time it bowed, it would make a sound, as if it were counting.

"You've really become a spirit?" Qin Ming's heart skipped a beat.

The delayed return of those who had entered the mountain naturally caused concern from all sides. The various families left a small number of people in Silver Vine Town and other places, realizing that something had happened.

After Qin Ming returned, he asked Xu Yueping to send a message to Silver Vine Town. In fact, after the old hunters from other villages recovered, they also went to report the news.

Soon, some raptors were released into the night sky, and the people left behind by each family began to seek help from Red Haze City, informing them of the great risks that had emerged here.

That night, experts from Red Haze City set out on the road. Saving people was like putting out a fire, and such matters could not be delayed. A moment's delay could mean the death of many people.

The Others in the mountains did not want to kill them all, fearing that it would attract bloody revenge from Red Haze City. In the deep night, they began to retreat. Before the experts from Red Haze City could arrive, the crisis resolved itself.

Each family suffered losses, some more and some less.

Cao Long, Mu Qing, Wei Zhirou, and the others were in the inner part of the Great Rift Valley, and even so, they suffered casualties.

Some families lost 20-30% of their members, while others lost as much as 40-50%, such as the Huang family. Of course, the most miserable were Golden Chicken Ridge and the Three-Eyed Sect, who were almost wiped out at the entrance.

In the end, only a few old men from these two families, covered in blood, supported each other as they escaped.

The leaders of the bandits from Golden Chicken Ridge were so angry when they heard the details that they almost rushed over to kill them, cursing the group as useless, not even as good as a group of mountain people.

The core figures of the Three-Eyed Sect in this area were also dumbfounded when they heard the news, almost vomiting blood.

The next day, Qin Ming, Old Man Liu, and others went to see them off, because Cao Long, Mu Qing, Wei Zhirou, and the others were leaving. From the appearance of the special Nodes to the battle for mysterious resources, this Mountain Sweeping Operation was coming to an end, and the curtain was about to close.

"Qin Ming, you should leave this place as soon as possible. It's too remote. You should go to a giant city, go there to communicate and learn more. It's a place of abundant resources and outstanding people..."

"Yes, the world far away is colorful and brilliant, and the magnificent cities are extremely prosperous. You can see all kinds of creatures, and even gods transformed into humans appear, far beyond your imagination."

"Five hundred years ago, although Black White Mountain was famous in the world, it is not anymore..."

Before parting, they all advised Qin Ming to leave this place as soon as possible.

During this time, Qin Ming also saw Nie Rui, Shen Jiayun and others, who enthusiastically came over to say hello.

Finally, these people went away.

That night, Qin Ming came to see Old Man Liu with a bag of fruits.

"Fire Pears, Purple Sun Fruits, Silver White Melons, where did you go to get these, the lair of some powerful mutated creature? Monsters that have mutated less than four times won't actively manage Fire Fields, you're really something!" Old Man Liu's eyelids twitched in shock.

"Let me think, that old bear is definitely not capable, lazy and brutal, and filthy. That Mountain Lord, although exceptionally powerful, rarely eats vegetarian food. That old yellow ox is the most diligent, you wouldn't have gone there, would you?!" Old Man Liu was quite surprised.

Qin Ming had to admire that this old man knew the various areas in the mountains like the back of his hand, he was too familiar with them.

It was precisely because of this that he came here.

Qin Ming said, "Old Man, I was miserably bullied by that bear and that yellow ox, and I was almost killed by them in the Great Rift Valley. When are we going to the place you mentioned to find spiritual substances?"

Old Man Liu glanced at him and said, "You can be fine even after being persecuted by multiple mutated creatures? You must have taken advantage of a loophole, raided their lairs, and are acting innocent after getting the benefits."

Afterwards, he realized that Qin Ming's strength must have greatly improved, otherwise why would he be in such a hurry to find spiritual substances? Eager for a Second New Life.

"You've had a Second New Life?" he asked in a low voice.

"Yes, I've been having fevers recently, it should be completed soon, what about you?" Qin Ming asked.

"Give me two more days, and it should be soon." Old Man Liu said as he closed the door, then added, "Be careful, don't publicize the matter of our Second New Life."

"Okay!" Qin Ming nodded.

The two smiled at each other.

Two days later, Qin Ming and Old Man Liu got together, studied for a long time, and prepared to enter the mountain!