We Cannot Accompany You

On a snowy night, the dense, pale trees formed the outline of Redwood Ridge.

The wind and solitude were the main melody of this jungle, and it had never changed.

Although there were nine camps surrounding it, with a total early population of three to four thousand, for a place as large as Redwood Ridge, this number was still far too small.

When the territories were first divided, even the mighty Rogue Camp only dared to operate within a one-kilometer radius of Redwood Ridge's outskirts. The other eight camps' activity range was even more limited to within five hundred meters of the periphery.

This standard wasn't set arbitrarily; it was discovered through the lives of the hunting team led by Luo Feng, the previous leader of Rogue Camp, as they explored.

The outermost five hundred meters of Redwood Ridge were basically only inhabited by low-level Frost Beasts. Further in, the number of mid-level Frost Beasts increased significantly. If one ventured even deeper, within a thousand meters, it was mostly mid-level Frost Beasts.

The logic was simple: the deeper into Redwood Ridge, the larger the trees grew. Frost Beasts were creatures that liked to perch on trees, so any Frost Beast capable of occupying those large trees inside was definitely no pushover.

Therefore, despite knowing that the depths of Redwood Ridge held inexhaustible resources, no camp, not even Rogue Camp, which had the sole hunting qualification, dared to cross that line for so many years.

Even low-level Frost Beasts possessed strength mostly above 8,000 jin, with stronger adult Frost Beasts exceeding 10,000 jin. For humans to confront low-level Frost Beasts head-on, they needed at least the cultivation of the Earth Excavation Realm.

Not to mention the mid-level or even high-level Frost Beasts.

This was one of humanity's predicaments.

Compared to them, Frost Beasts seemed to be the species favored by this world.

Luo Ming took over the leadership from his father, Luo Feng, fifteen years ago. Although he had led the hunting team out countless times, he had always adhered to the rules and never ventured beyond a thousand meters into Redwood Ridge.

So, when he crossed the thousand-meter boundary for the first time.

He couldn't help but feel a little excited.

On the surface, the difference between the inside and the outside didn't seem significant, but upon careful observation of the surrounding trees, many details revealed substantial differences.

On the outskirts, the main tree species were Zhu Shuang, followed by Jin Lin, and the least common were Ice Vast Trees. Here, Jin Lin was dominant, Zhu Shuang was secondary, and Ice Vast Trees were the least common. Besides these three, there were seven or eight other species that Luo Ming had never seen on the outskirts.

Secondly, there was the density of Frost Beasts. Luo Ming looked up and, with a quick glance, the experienced hunter immediately spotted at least three Frost Beasts perched on more than a dozen surrounding trees.

Moreover, judging by their physique, two of them were mid-level.

This made Luo Ming unconsciously lighten his steps, minimizing any noise.

Although Frost Beasts slept soundly at night and generally wouldn't wake up unless provoked, they were still mid-level Frost Beasts. If any accident occurred, it would still be dangerous.

Luo Ming turned his head and looked at Shi Qing, who was following him, his expression still somber. He immediately stopped and walked to his side, patting his shoulder.

"Shi Qing, don't worry. They're so close, and those two adults are watching. Your brother will be fine. Even if that Wood Puppet Grotesque really shows up, they have the Bone Whistle. If it blows, we'll rush over to help."

Shi Qing forced a smile at first, then his face showed hesitation. Just as he was about to speak.

Suddenly—

BEEP...

As if to confirm Luo Ming's words, just as Shi Qing was about to speak, a crisp Bone Whistle sound came from the left.

Both of their expressions changed drastically. Shi Qing reacted first, drawing the bow from his back and sprinting towards the left while nocking an iron arrow.

Luo Ming quickly followed him. In just a few breaths, they reached the location where the Bone Whistle had sounded.

But when they arrived, both of their expressions turned grim.

Not far away, Shi Dong was limping towards them, with two figures relentlessly pursuing him from behind.

The reason for their grim expressions wasn't that Shi Dong was being chased, but that the two figures chasing him were people they both recognized.

"Wang Rui, Sun Xinzhu, what's going on? Why are you killing Shi Dong?"

"They're not Wang Rui and Sun Xinzhu; they've been replaced. They suddenly attacked me."

Shi Dong's voice was filled with shock and anger. As he ran, he awkwardly drew his bow and shot arrows backward at the two figures behind him, but with his injured leg and chaotic mind, his aim was far from accurate.

WHOOSH... WHOOSH...

Fortunately, Shi Qing had already reacted by then.

Wang Rui and Sun Xinzhu had blank expressions, clearly not themselves. Shi Qing confirmed that both of them were indeed problematic. He shot two arrows, one to the left and one to the right, to prevent them from getting closer to Shi Dong.

After Shi Qing fired the two arrows, Shi Dong was successfully rescued and reached Luo Ming and him.

Shi Dong was covered in sweat. He lifted his pant leg, revealing a seven to eight-inch wound that was bleeding profusely. He casually grabbed a handful of snow from the ground and packed it onto the wound before looking up at the two and speaking.

"Just now in the forest, they said they needed to relieve themselves. In less than fifteen minutes, they were replaced by that Grotesque. They cut my leg."

Luo Ming and Shi Qing exchanged glances, their faces filled with solemnity.

"Huzi, over here."

"Where do you think you're going, beast!"

Just as the two were about to speak, Yang Ning and Li Hu's furious shouts suddenly erupted not far away. The two, along with Shi Dong, turned their heads to look.

Two to three hundred meters away, Yang Ning and Li Hu, wielding swords and sabers, had already charged to the base of a large tree about six to seven meters thick.

Li Hu's brows furrowed. After exchanging a glance with Yang Ning, he tightened his grip on his saber, took a deep breath, and his arm muscles bulged. He raised the saber behind his back, facing the tree in front of him, and suddenly slashed horizontally.

He couldn't possibly... be trying to chop down that tree, could he?

How could he possibly cut it down with a single strike?

Luo Ming's mind flashed with this question, and he immediately had an answer.

"Impossible!"

Li Hu's Goose Feather Saber was at most less than two meters long.

But that tree, its diameter alone was six to seven meters.

Crack... Bang...

However, from a distance of two to three hundred meters, the crisp sound of wood breaking still reached them.

A tree with a diameter of six to seven meters, cut down with a single strike.

After the large tree fell to the ground, a figure in black indeed jumped out from the canopy. It was the Wood Puppet Grotesque that had appeared before.

Yang Ning and Li Hu quickly surrounded the Wood Puppet Grotesque from left and right, engaging it in battle.

Meanwhile, Luo Ming was still shocked by Li Hu's previous strike, unable to snap out of it for a long time.

"How could he possibly do that?"

Li Hu and Yang Ning's strength was indeed greater than his, but both of them had said they were only in the Earth Excavation Realm.

As fellow cultivators of the Earth Excavation Realm, could the gap be this vast?

"Leader Luo, we've arrived."

Luo Ming, still in a state of shock, was awakened by someone calling out to him.

Turning his head, he saw that besides Shi Qing and Shi Dong, there were four more groups of people.

Wang Rui and Sun Xinzhu, over there, had lost control as the Wood Puppet Grotesque was being surrounded and attacked. They fell directly to the ground, becoming corpses.

Among the four groups, there were four leaders. Two of them, upon seeing the corpses of Wang Rui and Sun Xinzhu, had their faces turn extremely grim.

"Four died on my side, plus these two, that's another six dead."

"This is the fourth wave. If this continues, all the Lumbering Realm combat power from our various camps will die here!"

"Leader Luo, if we still can't kill that Wood Puppet Grotesque this time, we beg to be excused from further participation. Your Rogue Camp is vast and prosperous, with plenty of Lumbering Realm combat power; losing a few is inconsequential. Our small camps cannot afford such losses."

All four spoke up. Even Shi Qing couldn't help but chime in from the side:

"Leader Luo, we really can't go on like this. Those two adults are very capable, we know that, but we can't keep sending our brothers out as bait like this. If we fail to kill that Grotesque this time, please excuse my Big Stone Camp from further participation!"

Hearing the five people's complaints, a trace of guilt flashed across Luo Ming's face, and his heart began to waver.

Brothers, the momentum is undiminished, thank you. I'm still begging for more. I guarantee a massive explosion after the new book period, giving you all a satisfying read. I just ask that I don't falter during this time. Whether you're saving the book or reading it, please take a few seconds to click. I am immensely grateful!!!