Hunting

Time passed second by second, and the thunderbolts in the sky grew more urgent, as if the Abyss's rainy season was about to arrive.

Er Dongsheng still lay quietly in the dense grass, utterly motionless. Over the past three years, he had performed this action more times than he could count. Perhaps he had not been so skilled at first, making many mistakes, but now Er Dongsheng could be called the predator king of this small stretch of forest. Though he was still just a little short of Level 1, he remained the fiercest existence in this nearby patch of woodland. He had fought his way there through blood and fire.

He had faced death countless times, and the scars crisscrossing his body bore witness to it. Aside from the knowledge in his memories, after three years, he could be said to have become a thoroughbred Abyss Demon—perhaps even a more terrifying existence than ordinary Abyss Demons.

A rustling sound came from all around. Then, clumps of densely tangled grass were pushed aside, and several Abyssal Species resembling Earth's ancient Velociraptors crawled out.

These monsters were over three meters long, about half a meter tall at the hip, and likely weighed more than a hundred jin. Their skulls were quite elongated, their snouts tilted upward, and rows of sharp teeth protruded from their mouths. Though they looked ferocious, Er Dongsheng, who had dealt with them for years, understood that they were all bark and no bite. These creatures resembling Earth's Velociraptors could not be considered Abyss Demons. They were merely Abyssal Species. With their low intelligence, chaotic thoughts, and nothing but primitive animality, more importantly, they had yet to receive the Abyss's recognition. Perhaps they could only be considered Abyssal Creatures, not even qualifying as Abyssal Species. Becoming Abyss Demons was even further beyond their reach.

All existences in the Abyss were divided into three categories: Abyssal Creatures, Abyssal Species, and Abyss Demons.

This was not divided according to strength. It was not impossible for some Abyssal Creatures to be even stronger than certain Abyss Demons. The standard for classification was whether a creature possessed intelligence, possessed inheritance, and had received the Abyss's recognition.

Those with intelligence and inheritance, capable of cultivating and advancing continuously, were Abyssal Species. Only those acknowledged by the Abyss were Abyss Demons.

As for how one gained the Abyss's recognition, first, one had to be an Abyssal Species. Second, one's ability to wield Abyssal Power had to reach Level 1—in other words, one had to evolve to Level 1.

So, Er Dongsheng was currently only an Abyssal Species as well, and who knew how he was supposed to evolve to Level 1.

He did not act because of those Velociraptor-like creatures. Er Dongsheng continued waiting.

A total of three Velociraptors emerged from the grass. After warily scanning their surroundings and finding nothing unusual, they turned back and swayed their tails toward whatever was behind them, then cautiously continued toward the burning tree. Behind them, several slightly smaller Velociraptors crawled out from the grass.

Er Dongsheng lay there without making a sound. Seeing the additional Velociraptors emerge, a troubled expression appeared on his face.

Too many.

"One, two, three... seven." There were seven in total. The ones that had emerged first were likely male Velociraptors. Three male Velociraptors—even Er Dongsheng did not dare meet their edge head-on. He might be able to handle one or two, but three? He would definitely be injured.

"Still, these females are excellent hunting targets." Licking his dry lips, Er Dongsheng lightly moved his slightly stiff body. He was just about to rise and sprint over when—

Suddenly—

With a whoosh, the male Velociraptor at the very front abruptly flew into the air in a bizarre manner, then crashed heavily back down. For a moment, it was dizzy and disoriented, but it did not forget the danger. Howling, it gathered all its companions around itself.

"What's going on?" Er Dongsheng lay back down again, staring intently ahead without leaking the slightest trace of presence.

"What? It's actually an Abyssal Species!" At once, he pressed his body even closer to the ground.

A gigantic creature, roughly ten meters long and about one meter in diameter, slithered down from a large tree not far from Er Dongsheng.

An Abyss Snake, a Lesser Abyssal Species. It possessed roughly the ordinary intelligence of a seven- or eight-year-old child. Though its intelligence was nothing impressive, its strength was beyond question.

The enormous Abyss Snake slowly slithered to a spot not far from the Velociraptor pack. However, blue blood dripped steadily from its tail, drawing a long blue line across the ground. It seemed it had been injured by that male Velociraptor during its ambush just now.

This was a male Abyss Snake. As for what species of snake it was, Er Dongsheng had no idea.

Most snakes in the Abyss were, at the very least, Abyssal Species. They could be said to occupy a relatively high position in the Abyss's food chain. Whether among Abyssal Species or Abyss Demons, they were fairly formidable existences. At the very least, if Er Dongsheng fought this Abyss Snake one-on-one right now, even if he won, it would be a pyrrhic victory.

The most terrifying thing about Abyss Snakes was not their attack power, but...

Thud!

"This is what makes Abyss Snakes so monstrous! Their entire bodies are poisonous. Though the poison on their skin is very weak, poison is still poison! If you get injured by it, things become troublesome!" Watching the Velociraptor that had already collapsed unconscious on the ground, Er Dongsheng swallowed hard.

The Abyss Snake raised its head high, its pair of cold emerald eyes fixed fiercely on the Velociraptor pack ahead.

Seeing the male Velociraptor fall, the other Velociraptors angrily let out shrill cries at the Abyss Snake, like babies wailing. The remaining two male Velociraptors even snorted hot breath from their nostrils as they charged toward the Abyss Snake.

"Tsk, tsk. That's the downside of having no intelligence—or low intelligence. When one ambush fails, they force it head-on. The others retaliate without even knowing the depth of the water."

"Fight, fight. Today, I'll play the fisherman too!" Staring closely at the monsters locked in battle, Er Dongsheng began calculating in his heart.

Such a good opportunity was rare. This was the first time he had encountered one in three years, though many times he had been the one others profited from as fishermen.

At this moment, all the Velociraptors joined in encircling and attacking the Abyss Snake. One female Velociraptor even ignored the poison on the Abyss Snake's body and viciously bit down on it.

"Awooo!" The Abyss Snake went mad with pain, its tail lashing out fiercely.

Bang!

The female Velociraptor, weighing over a hundred jin, was sent flying without the slightest pause. It slammed into a tree before falling to the ground. It clearly would not survive.

Er Dongsheng swallowed hard again. His dry lips did not affect his thoughts in the slightest. He carefully observed the Abyss Snake's movements while mentally summarizing them. This was a habit he had cultivated over the past three years: whenever he encountered a new Abyssal Species, he had to observe and summarize it carefully.

If he wanted to be the fisherman, he needed both patience and skill.

"Its tail is agile, and its entire body carries weak poison. But as long as I don't get bitten head-on, this poison should be unable to do anything to me..."

Several more minutes passed, and the battle neared its end. At this point, the two wounded male Velociraptors roared as they slowly withdrew from the battlefield alongside the remaining two female Velociraptors. They wailed a few times at the several Velociraptors lying motionless on the ground before slowly vanishing into the dense grass.

The Abyss Snake remained upright, staring intently at the disappearing Velociraptor pack.

Only after a long while did the heavily wounded Abyss Snake finally relax completely. Yet it did not immediately enjoy its spoils, instead continuing to stay quietly on guard.

At that moment, Er Dongsheng, hidden in the grass, moved. He quietly crawled out and circled around from the side, reaching beneath a large tree not far from the Abyss Snake. The trunk was extremely thick, four or five meters in diameter, more than enough to conceal Er Dongsheng's body. From the side facing away from the Abyss Snake, he climbed up lightly and silently.

By then, the Abyss Snake had completely relaxed. Opening its blood-filled maw, it began devouring a slightly smaller female Velociraptor.

Er Dongsheng had already quietly climbed directly above the Abyss Snake.

"Now!"