Black Snake Through the Forest

At dawn, Feng Xu practiced boxing in the trees.

Today was for rest and repairs. Tomorrow, they would leave the Lin Tribe.

It was less stable standing on a tree than on the ground, and Feng Xu nearly lost his balance several times.

The Lin Tribe's treehouses were supported by thick branches, with many thinner branches woven together above them. A layer of dry grass was spread over the top, making the whole structure resemble a bird's nest.

The tribe members relied entirely on vines to climb up and down.

He wanted to improve things by building wooden houses in the trees and using ladders to climb up and down.

After he told Lin Sen about the idea, Lin Sen did not fully understand it, but still sent more than a dozen people to help.

Feng Xu arranged for two people to make ladders while the rest went to chop down trees nearby.

They gathered large amounts of tough wild grass and twisted it into thick rope. Then they chose sturdy timber, cut several thick round wooden boards, and shaped and polished their outer edges into pulleys.

They made nails from harder wood, fashioned evenly thick logs into a square platform, and tied ropes to its four corners.

They chose a thick branch to secure a pulley, then added more pulleys to create a pulley system that would save effort.

Once the ropes and platform were attached, it became a simple lifting device for transporting goods up and down.

Lin Sen's eyes lit up, and he assigned Feng Xu even more helpers.

He began looking forward to the new house Feng Xu had mentioned.

They first cleared away the obstructive branches and vines, found support points, and chiseled shallow grooves to prevent slipping.

After that, they built the frame, then nailed evenly thick pieces of wood onto it to form a large platform.

A circle of vines around the edge of the platform served as a railing to keep people from falling. Only one opening was left as an entrance and exit.

They used thicker vines to make the treehouse frame, then filled along the frame with thinner vines. The process was somewhat like weaving a vine basket.

Feng Xu left this simple work to the others and led people to cut grass, making several trips back and forth to carry it.

All the grass was stacked neatly and cut to a uniform size.

It was divided into bundles and tied onto the treehouse's roof frame to form the roof.

Feng Xu also had people bring clay to fill the gaps in the treehouse, preventing cold winds from seeping in during winter.

He chose an area on the platform, spread clay over it, and built a simple stove on top.

This way, they could cook with fire up in the trees.

The new treehouse was far safer, more comfortable, and more spacious than the old ones.

Feng Xi went up to try it as well and found it more comfortable than a cave. Excited, he asked Feng Xu whether houses like this could also be built in his own tribe.

Feng Xu said they could, though once their brickmaking skills matured, they could build even better brick houses.

He told Lin Sen about fire safety precautions and taught him how to deal with sudden fires.

He also guided them in building several more treehouses.

With the completion of the first lifting device, Feng Xu gained ten thousand Merit. The first treehouse earned him thirty thousand Merit.

For every treehouse built by others afterward, he would receive ten Merit Points.

That was another long-term source of Merit.

The entire Lin Tribe was busy building houses while Feng Xu cultivated inside one of the completed treehouses.

Although his Body Tempering had reached the Second Transformation, his actual cultivation level was still only at the First Transformation.

Previously, he had only begun refining his meridians. Now that he had reached the threshold for cultivating Spirit Sense, he still needed to steadily strengthen his foundation step by step.

This inside-out method of Body Tempering allowed cultivators to possess more enduring combat strength in the early stages.

By first laying a solid internal foundation, he would be able to endure more intense training during later external cultivation without damaging his roots.

Night fell, and Feng Xu roasted meat on the platform.

The aroma drifted through the Lin Tribe, drawing the sound of people swallowing.

Meat roasted high up dispersed its scent faster, and the smoke drifted upward, so beasts below would not follow the smell to find them.

But the scent also carried farther at higher elevations.

Ordinary ferocious beasts might struggle to notice it, but some powerful creatures could follow the smell here.

Halfway up a distant mountain, a pair of golden pupils suddenly opened. Beneath the moonlight, a long black shadow headed toward the Lin Tribe.

Feng Xu gave the roasted meat to the women and children they had traded for, then took out more meat and continued roasting it.

Everyone who tasted the roasted meat was excited. The children, ignoring the adults' scolding, happily jumped around atop the treehouses.

No one noticed that a huge black shadow had already arrived in silence.

"If only there were salt."

Although the creatures of the Primordial World all possessed spirituality and remained full of energy even without salt, seasoning food with salt would make it taste better.

Feng Xu shook his head with a bitter smile and inadvertently caught sight of the shadow beneath the moonlight.

He did not see it clearly at first, only feeling an inexplicable sense of dread.

When he saw it clearly the second time, his whole body went cold.

It was a huge black snake!

The moment his gaze met the black snake's, the Snake Demon suddenly attacked.

It was a giant snake four zhang in diameter. In a single bite, it swallowed three scattered treehouses along with the people inside.

Lin Sen reacted first, grabbing Feng Xu and leaping to another large tree, narrowly escaping disaster.

"Feng Xi!"

Hearing the shout, Feng Xi immediately rushed over. As he ran, he transformed into a six-zhang giant and rammed the Snake Demon aside just as it tried to continue eating people.

The others came to their senses and activated their Bloodline Power one after another.

Feng Xi blocked the Snake Demon head-on while more than twenty other giants attacked different parts of its body.

Outnumbered, the Snake Demon was struggling to hold on. It fiercely flung off the people clinging to it and fled into the distance.

This time, it was no longer moving in stealth. Wherever the Snake Demon passed, rustling sounds followed.

Watching the Snake Demon disappear, everyone let out a breath of relief.

Feng Xu looked at the devastated Lin Tribe, then thought of those who had been swallowed. His heart filled with regret.

"It's all my fault. Roasting the meat drew the Snake Demon here. I got them killed."

He repeatedly pounded the ground, his hoarse voice echoing through the Lin Tribe.

"This isn't your fault. The Great Wilderness has always been like this."

Lin Sen gripped Feng Xu's arm without the slightest hint of blame.

"What kind of creature was that demon?"

Feng Xu asked.

"I don't know. Judging by the direction it came from, it should be from the neighboring mountain."

"I'm going to find its cave."

A fierce look appeared on Feng Xu's face as he rose to leave.

"They're already dead. Going after it won't help. You'll only put yourself in danger."

Feng Xi blocked his path.

"It came once today, and it can come again next time. If we don't find where the Snake Demon lives, the Lin Tribe will never know peace. At the very least, we need to know its location before we can come up with a plan."

Feng Xu's gaze was firm, and all his earlier fear had vanished.

"Fine. I'll go with you."

Feng Xi stepped aside.

"I'm coming too." Lin Sen stepped forward. "This concerns our Lin Tribe. I have to be involved."

The three set off together while the others stayed behind to repair the tribe.

The forest was silent. Wherever the Snake Demon had passed, all beasts had retreated. The three followed the trail of crushed shrubs and encountered no beast attacks along the way.

Two days later, a sharp cry sounded in the distance.

"It's the Eagle King. It seems to be fighting a powerful enemy."

Lin Sen was familiar with that cry.

"The Eagle King? Is it strong?" Feng Xu asked.

"It is the ruler of this mountain. It occasionally flies over our tribe."

Since it ruled this place, any powerful enemy that could trouble it certainly would not be weak.

It was very likely the Snake Demon they were looking for.

"Let's go take a look."

The three lightened their footsteps and emerged from the dense forest.

Before them stood a sheer cliff.

A Giant Eagle with a wingspan of over fifty zhang was fighting a black snake more than a hundred zhang long.

The Giant Eagle circled through the air, swooping down from time to time to leave two claw marks across the black snake's back.

Enduring the pain, the black snake moved toward the eagle's nest, where three bird eggs lay quietly.

As the black snake drew closer, the Giant Eagle grew more frantic. Its attacks became more frequent, but their power weakened considerably.

The snake's head stretched into the eagle's nest, its jaws opening to swallow the eggs.

"How dare you, vile beast!"

The Giant Eagle spoke in human language and dove down at high speed once more.

The Snake Demon suddenly turned, bit down on half of one wing, and coiled around the Giant Eagle.

"Attack together!"

Feng Xu rushed forward first, but the two behind him were even faster. They transformed into giants and rammed the Snake Demon to the ground.

Feng Xu lifted two thousand-jin boulders and smashed them down onto the snake's body.

The other two picked up boulders as well, one striking the snake's head and the other its vital point.

Pain forced the Snake Demon to loosen its bite, and it flung the two aside.

After Feng Xi landed, he continued chasing it and smashing it with a boulder.

Lin Sen, however, was thrown toward the edge of the cliff. Dizzy and disoriented, he rolled toward the nearby precipice.