"Exotic Beast deer?" Qin Meng's eyes burned as he stared at the stag. Then he sensed something was wrong. There was something off about the way it walked.
The stag had a torn wound on its rump. Though it had scabbed over, it still hampered the animal's movements. Yet its presence remained more imposing than that of the other stags.
"Was it driven out from deeper in the mountains, or did it flee?" Qin Meng judged at once. A herd of this size had never been seen in decades.
This confirmed the rumors that predators were growing more numerous deep in the mountains.
The herd's panic and wounds meant danger, but they also meant opportunity.
The bucks at the edge of the herd were worth a fortune for their antlers and penises.
The injured lead stag in particular was an excellent target.
Qin Meng took down his Hunting Bow, nocked an arrow, and crept down the gentle slope along the flank like a ghost.
Twenty zhang, eighteen... The herd was highly alert, and the lame lead stag kept raising its head to look around.
Qin Meng stopped behind a boulder fifteen zhang away. At that range, he was confident he'd hit his mark.
He held his breath and focused, drawing the bow until it was round as the full moon. The arrowhead pointed at the lead stag's neck.
"Twong!"
The bowstring twanged, and the arrow shot out like a black streak!
Almost the instant the string sounded, the giant stag sprang forward, guided by a beast's instinct. It tried to dodge, but it was too late.
"Thwack!"
The arrow missed its intended target, the throat, and sank deep into a healthy foreleg instead. The lead stag let out a pained bellow, its enormous body stumbling.
The herd exploded into motion, scattering in every direction.
Qin Meng's eyes were sharp as an eagle's, and his movements didn't falter for a moment. He drew, nocked, and released—whoosh!
The second arrow struck the neck of another sturdy buck trying to shield the herd as it fled.
The third and fourth arrows followed, splitting the air. Two more bucks were hit, falling to the ground and thrashing as they cried out.
As he drew his fifth arrow at top speed and pulled the Hunting Bow back to a full moon once more, the ordinary wooden bow couldn't withstand his surging strength. With a sharp crack, the bow snapped in two.
"Damn." Qin Meng spat under his breath and tossed the bow aside. Like a hunting leopard, he burst from his hiding place and charged the lead stag, which had fallen behind because of its injury.
The stag glared at him with blood-red eyes, furious. It lowered its vicious antlers and charged. Though its speed had slowed considerably, the wind still howled around it.
Qin Meng darted to the side, narrowly avoiding the charge.
After rushing past, the stag didn't flee. It kicked off the ground, wheeled around in an instant, and charged again.
In that split second—
The instant the antlers dipped, Qin Meng slammed into the stag. He grabbed its antlers and grappled with it, stumbling backward as he used his astonishing strength to tip its entire body off balance.
The long blade in his other hand flashed coldly, stabbing with precision through the neck and into the heart.
The lead stag gave a mournful cry and crashed to the ground. Scalding blood poured from its wound.
There was no stench of blood. Instead, a delicate fragrance filled the air.
At the same time, Qin Meng's palm, gripping the blade, suddenly grew hot. A flash of red light ran along its length.
The long blade seemed to come alive, trembling faintly as it frantically drew the stag's vital blood and energy.
[Life Source +12%]
[Bloodline Talent of the Blood-Scaled Deer stripped: Wild Instinct]
[This is an auxiliary talent with high compatibility. Automatic fusion initiated.]
A mysterious instinct flowed into his awareness, sharpening his senses. He could now vaguely sense subtle changes in his surroundings, especially hostility or danger aimed at him.
He had no time to savor the sensation. The fragrance of the stag's blood made Qin Meng act without hesitation. He bent down over the wound and gulped down the warm blood.
The scorching blood poured into his stomach and turned into a warm current that spread through his limbs and bones.
Only after he'd burped with a full belly did he quickly use his waterskin to collect the rest of the blood.
Next, he dragged back an injured buck that was trying to flee, then dispatched two more bucks that were near death. Warm energy surged into his body.
[Life Source +7%]
[Life Source +6%]
Just then, a wave of unease welled up in him, pointing toward Eagle Beak Peak.
Qin Meng suddenly remembered the auxiliary talent that had fused automatically: Wild Instinct.
He didn't dare waste time and immediately got to work. He cut down several branches and bound them together with vines and the rope he carried, making a simple drag sled.
Then he tied the deer securely to the sled.
Qin Meng gave the sled a trial pull. It was easy to handle and didn't slow him down at all.
Just as he was about to leave, his unease turned into a heart-pounding warning.
Almost at the same instant—
"Awooo!"
A wolf howl, savage and piercing, came from the old forest behind Eagle Beak Peak. It echoed across the mountains, raising goosebumps.
More howls rang out one after another.
Though they were still far away, danger was already spreading through the forest wind.
Qin Meng's expression tightened. He hauled the heavy sled and strode quickly toward the mountains' outskirts.
He no longer tried to conceal his movements. With his strength greatly increased, even dragging more than a thousand jin, he moved faster than he had on the way in.
The howls grew more and more piercing, but the wolves couldn't catch up in such a short time.
Only when he reached the outermost part of Luming Mountain did the howling behind him gradually fade. Qin Meng finally slowed a little, though his gaze remained wary.
"This haul is enough. But the mountains... they really are getting more and more dangerous."
He looked at the valuable game on the sled, then toward the deep mountains. His longing to cultivate and grow stronger became all the more urgent.
At that moment, he thought of Elder Wang, an old hunter who was one of the five veterans in the fort. They said he'd retired from the Border Army, so he was bound to know a lot.
Now that he'd brought in such a big haul, it was the perfect chance to pay him a visit and ask for advice.
He had to get stronger faster to face the dangers of these mountains and the borderlands—and the scum down the mountain, who were even more vile than wild beasts.
Qin Meng headed toward the mountains' outskirts. The mountain trails were rough, but after awakening his innate talent, his strength and stamina had greatly increased. He could drag heavy loads at a run.
He came across a mountain stream along the way and took the chance to wash the layer of grime off himself.
As soon as he reached the outer forest, Qin Meng came upon a startling sight:
A python as thick as an adult's arm was coiled tightly around a snow-white little fox. The fox was no bigger than a palm, and it whimpered under the pressure. When it saw him, it raised its head and let out a baby-like whine.
Qin Meng hadn't wanted to get involved, but the little fox's eyes were extraordinarily bright. It gazed at him so pitifully that he suddenly thought of Shen Qiuyue, alone at home. When he'd woken up that day, she'd had the same look in her eyes.
Moved by the thought, he set down the sled, drew his Ghost-Head Blade, and charged.
His blade whistled through the air, cleaving straight at the snake's head!
Just as the blade was about to hit the viper, an intense sense of danger pricked his heart like a needle—Wild Instinct's warning.
Qin Meng didn't hesitate. He leaped sharply to the side.
Almost at the same instant, the "viper" erupted with a foul, murky aura of demonic baleful intent. As it released the white fox, its body swelled violently in the wind!
Its yellow-brown scales clattered. In the blink of an eye, it became a giant python nearly three zhang long, its eyes blood-red. Its thick body twisted, and it lunged at the spot where Qin Meng had been standing, carried on a gust of stinking wind!
A Rock Spirit Python! It was even bigger than the one he'd killed a few days earlier!
This Exotic Beast had also gained sentience, absorbing baleful intent and becoming a Demonic Beast.
The demonic python missed its attack and whipped its head around. It opened its bloody maw and spat two streams of venom, then lunged at Qin Meng again, its fangs glinting with a ghostly light.
Qin Meng's gaze turned cold. He dodged the venom and pressed forward instead of retreating. Blood-red light coiled around the Ghost-Head Blade as it cut a cold arc into the python's neck, seven cun below the head.
The blade bit into the flesh by three cun, but its edge caught on the python's tough scales and bones.
Wounded, the Rock Spirit Python went berserk. Its tail swept at him like an iron whip, snapping every plant in its path.
Qin Meng decisively abandoned his blade and retreated, avoiding the sweeping blow. Before he'd even regained his footing, he instinctively used Black Dragon Emerges from Cave, one of the Black Dragon Eighteen Hands.
He pushed off the ground with his toes and charged forward again. The instant the python's tail drew back, he had already darted to its side and wrapped both arms around its body like iron pincers.
"Up!" Qin Meng roared, unleashing every ounce of strength in his body!
He actually swung the bucket-thick demonic python halfway around, then slammed it onto the ground!
A thunderous crash sent dust flying. The python's demonic baleful intent scattered from the impact.
[Comprehended Black Dragon Eighteen Hands, a top-grade Mystic-rank Martial Skill]
[Black Dragon Eighteen Hands—Beginner (12/100)]
[Special Effect: Killing Intent Suppression]
[Special State: Grappling (Initial Manifestation)]
Several lines of golden text appeared out of nowhere, but Qin Meng had no time to spare a thought for them.
He snatched up the Ghost-Head Blade lying nearby, rushed forward, and aimed for the wound he'd made earlier—
"Thwack!"
The blade plunged in at an angle.
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