Blessed Land

The shrubbery was indeed quiet, and there truly was another world within it.

There were not many weeds, and they had clearly been deliberately cleared away. Only along the edges of the shrubs did thick weeds grow.

Even the lower branches and leaves of the shrubs had been cleared out, creating a space roughly twenty centimeters high. At a glance, one might have thought they had entered a highway in the Gray Rat Kingdom.

Perhaps this was the effort the Gray Rats had made to rule this region.

In such an environment, even the Black Snake Sentinels would find it difficult to launch a sneak attack.

But everything had its pros and cons. At this moment, once Wang Wu charged into the shrubs, there was nothing to hinder him at all.

If the Gray Rats were Heavy Cavalry, then he could probably count as a heavily armored tank.

Before long, after Wang Wu rushed dozens of meters in, a babbling stream appeared before him. To someone as thirsty and hungry as he was, it was like an angel's smile.

After vigilantly scanning his surroundings, Wang Wu jumped into the stream and drank like an ox.

The stream was not large, and there were no dangerous creatures within it. Dense shrubs also shielded it from threats in the sky. This place was fucking perfect—a Blessed Land.

He drank his fill in one breath, quenching his thirst, and unexpectedly gained 50 points of fullness.

It seemed food and water sources were both included.

Not daring to linger, Wang Wu continued searching for those Red Berries. His time was limited.

Searching downstream along the creek, he soon heard a series of threatening squeaks. Ha, he had found them.

The stream took a sharp bend here, forming a rather large alluvial plain. Well, a broad meadow like a hidden paradise lay concealed within the shrubs, roughly half the size of a football field.

All kinds of wildflowers bloomed here, along with Red Berries. That was right—they did not grow on bushes, but on plants resembling strawberries, hanging in clusters like strings of red gemstones.

Some were green, some pale yellow, clearly not yet ripe.

There was a huge patch of them, and it clearly bore traces of deliberate cultivation.

Four Gray Rat farmers were actually guarding the place.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak!"

The four creatures let out strange cries, stomping their feet and baring their teeth, seemingly trying to provoke Wang Wu and lure him away.

But Wang Wu paid them no attention. He rushed over and began frantically picking the ripe Red Berries.

As for those four Gray Rats, heh, there were only four of them. He was not afraid at all. Yesterday, it had taken at least fifteen Gray Rats charging him in turns to overturn him.

The four Gray Rats clearly knew that too. Other than squeaking helplessly, they could do nothing.

After all, who could have imagined that this shameless bear would come steal berries at a time like this?

"Good stuff!"

After eating just one Red Berry, Wang Wu was so excited that tears nearly welled up in his eyes.

One berry gave him 10 points of fullness. And the Red Berry was truly sweet, as though it held the cool dew of dawn within it. It was like eating chilled watermelon; a single word like refreshing could not possibly describe it.

Of course, Wang Wu kept track of the time. He could not let those Gray Rats surround him and wrap him up like dumplings.

After wolfing down dozens of Red Berries in one go, his fullness reached 300 points, the limit of how much food he could consume.

He then picked another five as snacks and did not greedily take more, turning and running at once.

By the time he left the shrubbery, the sunlight on the cliff had already entered its silver phase and was about to end. All the little demons were wholly focused on absorbing the Golden Particles drifting through the sunlight. The sight was both shocking and mysterious.

Wang Wu took only one look before immediately turning around and running toward the Black Snake Clan's territory. Today, he could no longer lie low beneath the Spider Clan's tree, because he had caused a huge disaster. The Gray Rats would not let him go.

So, when weighing the two evils, he chose the lesser. Better return to my rock crevice.

He had actually wanted to go back yesterday as well, but he had not had the chance.

Running all the way at full speed, he finally slipped back into that familiar rock crevice before Silver Three Minutes ended. The moment he lay down inside, after remaining still for three seconds, he successfully entered Level 2 Passive Stealth.

He planned to spend the entire coming day this way.

As for whether Level 2 Passive Stealth could block the Black Snake Sentinels' senses, he did not know.

But today, he had gathered 300 points of fullness, and he had indeed been considering causing trouble in Black Snake territory.

This rock crevice prevented the Black Snake Sentinels from attacking him as a group.

So long as it was one-on-one, with fullness in hand and his Level 1 Self-Healing talent, fighting for more than a dozen exchanges would not be a problem.

As for whether the leader of the Black Snake Clan would intervene, Wang Wu could only gamble. After all, it was a giant snake thicker than a water bucket, while the widest upper section of this rock crevice was only twenty centimeters across.

In short, it was worth gambling on.

However, not long after he entered Level 2 Passive Stealth, a fierce gale suddenly swept through the sky, followed by a piercing eagle cry.

Even though Wang Wu was hiding deep within the rock crevice, he felt such uncontrollable terror that he nearly pissed and shit himself.

His heart raced, his body trembled, and he did not even have the strength to flee. All four little paws had gone limp.

Almost at the same time, several striking blood-red messages appeared.

Your Level 2 Passive Stealth has been broken. You have been discovered by a more powerful existence.

You have been locked onto!

Because you possess no value, the target has abandoned its lock-on!

...

Right afterward, Wang Wu struggled to raise his head. Through the rock crevice, he saw an enormous shadow flying overhead. Its gigantic claws, as huge as ship anchors, were clutching a black giant snake at least thirty meters long and as thick as a water bucket as it soared into the air.

The black giant snake twisted and struggled madly, but it was all in vain.

When the gale dispersed, the massive shadow had vanished without a trace, yet the valley looked as though it had suffered a catastrophe.

The thin old tree where the spider family lived had actually had many branches snapped off by the violent wind. The Gray Rats' shrub kingdom had also been flattened across a wide area. Who knew how many little demons had been killed or injured in this wave?

Wang Wu was still shaken to the core, lingering fear filling his heart.

If he had been fighting the Mantis Swordsmen and competing with the Gray Rats as he had yesterday, or even if he had merely intended to hide beneath that old tree and lie low, then even if he had not died, he would have been skinned alive.

He had no idea what level that black Giant Eagle was—perhaps a Great Demon, perhaps a Medium Demon—but with only one rise and fall, it had captured the leader of the Black Snake Clan alive. That combat power filled this bear with despair.

Even now, Wang Wu felt his body still limp and his heart pounding wildly. A primal terror continued circling deep in his heart.

But after all, he possessed a human soul. Though terrified beyond measure, he realized this was an excellent opportunity.

So, even as his body trembled and the shadow of fear still hung over him, he forced himself to crawl out of the rock crevice. One look outside and—good heavens—seven or eight Mantis Swordsmen corpses lay nearby, along with a Gray Rat Knight that had clearly been knocked unconscious.

An opportunity once lost would never return!

Gritting his teeth, Wang Wu scrambled out in a tumble. He first gathered up the Mantis Swordsmen corpses, then pounced like a tiger and smashed the unconscious Gray Rat to death, bringing them all back into the rock crevice.

He had originally wanted to continue going out to scavenge for food, but then he heard a sudden explosive boom from above the cliff. Great masses of flame scattered like fireworks, along with several severed Black Snake corpses.

Peeking out, Wang Wu's eyes widened. The Flame Scorpion King had taken advantage of the Black Snake Clan's leader being taken out and directly led its underlings in to attack.

It spat out one fireball after another, blasting away above with fierce momentum.

Can't afford to provoke that, can't afford to provoke that!

Wang Wu immediately shrank back inside.