Spring Has Arrived

That Gray Fox truly never appeared again. Only the Black Giant Eagle and Brown Giant Eagle occasionally flew past on patrol through the northern and southern stretches of the valley.

Another five days passed. The weather continued to warm until a drizzling rain fell, and only then did Wang Wu crawl out and hide in the bushes.

By this point, he had gone more than forty days without food. Yet he had not starved to death. The only price was that his Growth Rate had fallen to 79%, while all his Basic Attributes had dropped by a full level.

Other than that, he felt no different. He could throw himself into battle at any moment or break into a sprint whenever he wished.

It made him click his tongue in wonder at this body of his.

It truly was extraordinary.

"Savage Ancient Bear? A Heaven Realm Great Cultivator shook the earth and mountains, overturning an entire mountain?"

Wang Wu pondered inwardly. Ever since transmigrating here, he had never seen any sign of a mountain being overturned. So either that Green Wolf had been lying, or the battlefield that day had not been nearby. His Ancient Giant Bear mother must have hidden him here.

That was the only explanation that made sense.

"So the Savage Ancient Bear bloodline is exceptionally precious even to these Great Demons. If I had not been cautious enough these past days, I would have fallen long ago."

"Also, are all the Sprites in this valley raised in captivity? Are they cultivated as food, or cultivated to become demon soldiers?"

"Both the Gray Fox and the Green Wolf can speak. Is that the difference between Sprites and Great Demons?"

"And the Sprites seem unable to communicate with those patrolling demons. Otherwise, there is no way they would not know I have been moving about in the valley."

As he thought, Wang Wu greedily drank the rainwater.

Now that spring had arrived, he had nothing to worry about.

The gentle spring rain fell for most of the day and still had not stopped by nightfall.

The valley was pitch-black, yet the Sprites were entirely unaffected. They bustled about joyfully as though celebrating a festival.

For Wang Wu, this was a festival too.

Last year, he had not dared wander around at night at all, afraid the Sprites in the valley would tear him apart alive and devour him.

But this year, he could crush any kind of Sprite.

That was also what had driven him to grit his teeth and remain dormant for more than a month. He knew that as long as he endured this period, the entire valley would eventually be his harvest.

So even when his Growth Rate fell from 91% to 79%, he had never wavered.

Now, the season of harvest had arrived.

"Pat pat!"

Several Gray Rat Knights were busily at work in the bushes. This was their territory, and they were happy to expand it. Since they had dug up three snake nests last winter, they would undoubtedly have far fewer natural enemies this year. Ah, what a beautiful life to look forward to!

"Smack! Smack! Smack!"

Heavy blows rang out. Wang Wu suddenly burst from his Level 5 Stealth state. With one leaping pounce, he killed all five Gray Rat Knights without missing a single one. To be safe, he even activated a trace of Ice Spirit Energy.

The effect was indeed excellent.

Three Gray Rat Knights were crushed apart on the spot, while the other two were frozen into lumps. A mere trace of Ice Spirit Energy had Ice Sealed an area three meters around.

What a waste!

Wang Wu cried out regretfully in his heart. Had he known, half a trace of Ice Spirit Energy would have been enough.

But filling his stomach was more important now. Five Gray Rats, each weighing two pounds—what a delicious feast.

A few minutes later, Wang Wu's Satiety was full. Contentedly, he curled back into the bushes and went dormant once more.

The mysterious disappearance of five Gray Rat Knights was nothing worth mentioning in this valley, much less something that would stir up any ripples.

After that spring rain, greenery began spreading wildly through the valley. Even the broad swathes of snow still covering the shaded sides of higher mountainsides could not stop it in the slightest.

In barely half a month, the valley had become lush and verdant. The dense bushes brought a tremendous sense of security. The Sprites called friends and relatives, helped the old and carried the young, and entire families came out to celebrate without end.

At the same time, this was the happiest period Wang Wu had experienced since transmigrating here.

Every day, he could gather 500 points of Satiety, and every day he gained somewhere between 0.8% and 0.9% Growth Rate.

The only thing that needed careful handling was his waste. He had to go to the creek and send it all downstream to warm the fish and shrimp. Every time, he also thoroughly washed his entire body, whether it helped or not.

However, he never saw that Gray Fox again.

In fact, he never saw that Green Wolf again either.

Even the two Giant Eagles appeared only rarely.

"It feels like there are many Sprites here, but not many mid-level demons."

Whenever Wang Wu had eaten and drunk his fill but did not feel sleepy, he would study the situation in these woods, along with the information he had gathered about this Cultivation World.

Based on what he knew so far, there were four Great Demons in this region. One of them was the Great King mentioned by the Green Wolf, who was most likely atop the mountain in the southwestern forest and was known as the South Mountain Great King.

This Great King's territory extended three hundred li in every direction, a vast area indeed.

Wang Wu did not know whether this Great King had other chiefs beneath him. So far, there were two known chiefs. One was the Green Wolf, who called himself a Commander. The other was the Black Bear.

The demons under them were called captains.

Below the captains were the Patrolling Demon Soldiers.

Thus, the Giant Eagles, godlike beings whom the Sprites could neither overcome nor resist, were merely mid-level demons.

Then there was the North Mountain Great King. Going about two kilometers north along this valley would bring one to the foot of North Mountain.

As for where the other two Great Demons were, that was unknown.

"But thirty li west of the southern forest lies a Great Lake. There is probably a river north of the lake, and the creek in this valley may very well flow there."

"Fifty li east lies Black Mountain, but that mountain does not look particularly tall. The Great Snow Mountain directly to the east, on the other hand, is terrifying."

Wang Wu could not help recalling the roars he had heard last winter. They had definitely come from several hundred li away, yet the commotion had been enormous.

He even suspected there was a true great demon fiend atop that Great Snow Mountain. The reason the four Great Demons nearby got along so well was because they all served that true great demon fiend.

Also, in this Cultivation World, Human Race cultivators seemed extremely formidable. A rumor from Cloud Cauldron City, ten thousand li away, that they were expanding their territory by three thousand li had been enough to frighten a cunning fox demon into fleeing in panic.

Furthermore, according to the Gray Fox, the forest region where they currently lived was called the Western Wilderness from the Human Race's perspective.

Following that logic, there were most likely a Northern Wasteland, Southern Wilderness, and Eastern Wilderness as well?

This Cultivation World was quite vast.

He wondered what the Human Race cultivators' cultivation system was like. Did they also absorb Golden Particles every day and transform them into Spiritual Qi?

Was that faintly visible great net in the heavens above created by Human Race cultivators?

Just how powerful was a Heaven Realm Great Cultivator, to be able to venture alone ten thousand li into the Western Wilderness and slay an adult Ancient Giant Bear?

Wang Wu thought of many things and accumulated many questions in his heart.

But he also knew these matters were far too vague and distant.

He still had to focus on the present.

Now, after more than half a month of recuperation, he ate whenever he was full of sleep and slept whenever he was full of food. His ordinary Growth Rate had accumulated to 97.5%, and he was visibly close to entering the next growth stage.

He had also stopped basking in the sun, absorbing Golden Particles, and transforming them into Spiritual Qi.

But that did not mean he had no income.

By hunting Sprites every night, he had accumulated eighty-six points of Spiritual Qi. Including what he had previously saved, the total had reached one hundred points.

He was in no hurry to spend this Spiritual Qi on upgrades. Instead, he waited until he reached the next growth stage before using it to improve himself.

He knew very well what he needed most right now.

"Rustle, rustle!"

In the darkness, a Great Serpent slithered by in search of prey. Wang Wu pounced out fiercely, killed it with one swipe of his claw, and immediately fled far away.

His specialty was moving soundlessly and invisibly, leaving no trace. Not a single Sprite knew he existed, because every Sprite that had seen him was dead.

He was a ghost, a ghost wandering through this valley.