Like a Lifetime Apart

Half an hour later, the two arrived at a valley.

The valley was shaped like an apple, hence its name: Salt Frost Tree Valley.

"Is that the Salt Frost Tree?"

Zhang Ping stared in surprise at the enormous white plant in the center of the valley.

The Salt Frost Tree stood nearly seventy meters tall, with a thick trunk covered in a crystalline layer of salt frost. Centered around the tree, the entire valley was carpeted in salt. At this moment, the snow-white salt had been stained crimson.

All around the valley, densely packed Mutated Beasts were locked in a massacre—mutated wolves, mutated dogs, mutated monkeys, and more. Zhang Ping alone recognized dozens of species, while many others were so bizarrely shaped that he could not even tell what animals they had originally been.

Through Wind Whisperer, he discovered that these Mutated Beasts were not even all of them.

Many Mutated Beasts with intelligence no weaker than humans were lurking around the valley, and several human Awakened were hiding nearby as well. Everyone was waiting for the right moment.

Zhang Ping looked toward the Salt Frost Tree's crown, where around twenty fruits hung.

"Sis Sisi, did you really snatch a fruit back then?" Zhang Ping asked doubtfully as he looked at the densely packed Mutated Beasts in the valley.

Liu Sishan said quietly, "I only said I fought over them. When did I ever say I got one?"

"..."

Zhang Ping thought back carefully. It seemed Liu Sishan really had never said she obtained a fruit.

"I'll go fight for the fruit you need. Your job is to kill that rabbit," Liu Sishan said.

Zhang Ping followed her gaze and saw the Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbit crouching in a corner of the valley, its red eyes fixed on the fruits atop the Salt Frost Tree.

One rabbit. Not a big problem.

Zhang Ping had not expected such a coincidence. The Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbit that had just fled had crossed paths with him again here.

But the next moment, he sensed that something was wrong. Another pair of ears emerged from behind the Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbit, followed by densely packed Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbits crawling out from behind the larger rabbit.

This was not one rabbit. It was a whole warren!

Zhang Ping looked at Liu Sishan in disbelief and asked, "Sis Sisi, don't tell me you knew all along?"

"Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbits naturally live around Salt Frost Trees, because Hydrochloric Acid Grass only grows where there are Salt Frost Trees, and Hydrochloric Acid Grass is the Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbit's food," Liu Sishan said.

Zhang Ping frowned. "I might have some confidence against one, but with that many rabbits, I feel like I'll be drowned in their spit."

"Don't worry. These rabbits reproduce too quickly, so whenever the Salt Frost Tree fruits ripen, they charge in to reduce their population," Liu Sishan said.

In truth, Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbits had no chance whatsoever of obtaining the fruit. Their actions were more like the mass suicide of lemmings Zhang Ping knew about.

[Alright, the timing's about right. Move!]

[Dog-Nose King is making his move. Let's go!]

[Roar! Roar roar!]

At that moment, Zhang Ping heard voices from all sides.

He looked into the distance and saw seven or eight Awakened rushing out from behind rocky cover. Rather than joining the battle, they skirted around it. With their abilities working together, they formed a Rainbow Staircase.

Under the moonlight, a female Awakened stepped onto the Rainbow Staircase and rushed toward the Salt Frost Tree's crown.

On the other side, several burly men threw the axes in their hands at once. A woman controlled thin threads connected to the axes, and when the axes landed on the Salt Frost Tree, the threads immediately transformed into thick hemp ropes. The men stepped onto the ropes and charged toward the tree.

"Roar!"

A group of White Giant Apes burst out from a crevice in the valley at that moment. The Mutated Beasts blocking their way were sent flying by their massive arms, then trampled and crushed.

At the same time, a White Giant Serpent roughly twenty meters long burrowed out from beneath the salt, opening its blood-filled maw to swallow large numbers of Mutated Beasts.

The Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbits charged as well.

The densely packed rabbits crashed into the battle, sending flesh and blood flying everywhere. At the same time, countless Mutated Beasts were struck by the Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbits' corrosive water and let out shrill wails.

Blood covered the ground. The battle was so fierce that a layer of blood mist even hung over the battlefield.

"Move!"

Four water spheres appeared beside Liu Sishan as she spoke.

As soon as she finished speaking, she leaped down, and a path of ice formed beneath her feet. Zhang Ping immediately jumped down from above as well, then reached out to grab hold of a rock and rapidly approached the largest Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbit.

That largest Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbit was clearly not the rabbit he had fought earlier.

As Zhang Ping drew closer, he immediately activated Appraisal Technique.

[Appraisal successful]

[Mutated Beast: Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbit Leader]

[Race: Mutated Rabbit]

[Potential: ????]

[Lifespan: 35]

[Rank: Intermediate Mutated Beast]

[Level: 10]

[Talents]

[Corrosive Water Bullet: Can fire highly corrosive water from sweat glands hidden in its ears]

[Water-Storing Fur: Its fur can store liquids and release the stored liquid when necessary]

[Powerful Hind Legs: Its hind legs possess terrifying strength]

[Rapid Reproduction: Reproduces offspring faster than normal creatures]

After reading its attributes, Zhang Ping actually felt as though he could not beat a rabbit.

But he was already here.

Backing down at the last moment would be far too embarrassing.

The Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbit Leader was larger than an ordinary rabbit. Now, it was the only one left standing alone in place. Zhang Ping landed not far from it, immediately picked up a rock covered in salt frost, and charged forward to smash it at the Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbit Leader.

The next moment, the previously motionless Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbit Leader suddenly sprang up. Its powerful hind legs kicked out violently, and the rock in Zhang Ping's arms instantly exploded.

He was sent flying backward and crashed heavily onto the ground.

After landing, the Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbit Leader flicked its ears, shooting a large amount of corrosive water at Zhang Ping on the ground. His head buzzed and both arms were numb from the impact, but he did not dare lie still after falling. Instead, he rolled away first.

It was entirely an instinctive reaction.

Mainly because he did not believe the Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbit Leader would let him lie on the ground and rest.

Sure enough, after rolling twice, he heard sizzling from where he had been. It was the sound of something being corroded.

Using both hands and feet, he quickly climbed up from the ground, circled behind a rock, and gasped for breath while looking at his arms.

They hurt.

They hurt terribly.

He strongly suspected that both his arms were fractured. And it was not just the insides of his arms that hurt—his chest felt tight as well. He tried taking deep breaths, but only felt increasingly uncomfortable, along with an itchy sensation.

In the end, he could not help coughing twice and spat out a mouthful of bloody clots.

He had suffered internal injuries.

Zhang Ping's heart sank, but this was not the time to think about it. He slapped his own cheeks, then cautiously poked his head out to observe.

The Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbit Leader had not pursued him. Instead, it had returned to its original spot and stood motionless, its eyes watching the Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbit horde still fighting in the distance.

"Too terrifying."

Zhang Ping let out a breath of relief and simply sat down to rest.

He had to admit it.

This time, he had been careless.

Although the Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbit Leader was very strong, it was not as powerful as the Heavenly Fox that had attacked him earlier.

Even a lion used its full strength when hunting a rabbit.

First, his attitude had not been serious enough. He had probably thought of himself as the hunter and the Corrosive Water Bullet Rabbit Leader as prey, so he had subconsciously underestimated it.

This was truly a lesson he would never forget.

Zhang Ping sighed inwardly.

He looked into the distance. Liu Sishan had already charged into the encirclement, leaving a trail of ice crystals wherever she passed.

Liu Sishan was extremely strong. Against attacks from all kinds of Mutated Beasts, two water spheres were always responsible for defending her. The two spheres changed unpredictably and could rapidly switch between boiling water, pure water, and ice. The smoothness of those transformations alone was enough to prove that defense was likely Liu Sishan's greatest specialty.

On the other side, the female Awakened running along the Rainbow Staircase had already neared the tree crown. But just then, a giant eagle swooped down from the sky, and she immediately became entangled in battle with it.

Across the entire valley, at least several hundred Mutated Beasts had died so far. The air was thick with the stench of blood.

Zhang Ping could not help sighing. Was a single Salt Frost Fruit really worth this?

Suddenly, he heard a phoenix-like cry.

He looked toward the source of the sound and immediately saw a small bird completely wreathed in flames flying rapidly toward the Salt Frost Tree.

Firebird!

Zhang Ping immediately stood up. He had really wanted equipment made from Firebird feathers, so he could replenish his stamina at any time.

The Firebird was incredibly fast, but just as it approached the Salt Frost Tree, the White Giant Serpent suddenly raised its head and sprayed a cloud of white mist upward. It was frost mist of an extremely low temperature.

The Firebird plunged into the frost mist, and the flames around its body immediately dimmed. It let out a mournful cry and rapidly fell from the sky. A White Ape happened to be below it, and with a slap of its thick palm, it sent the Firebird flying. Only after quite a while did it roll to the edge of the battlefield.

Zhang Ping stared fixedly at the Firebird's Corpse, his heart pounding uncontrollably.

How many feathers could be taken from an entire Firebird?

He stood up and examined the area around the Firebird.

The most dangerous thing was a Mutated Wolf that seemed to possess Intermediate Awakened strength.

He was wearing the Assassination Ring. As long as he did not attack first, he should not alert it.

No big problem!

Zhang Ping made his decision at once and carefully approached the Firebird.

The closer he got to the battlefield, the more he could feel its terrifying aura. The entire battlefield was like a meat grinder, and even from dozens of meters away, he could feel astonishing heat.

It was heat generated by colliding vitality and blood.

Closer.

Only twenty meters remained between him and the Firebird's Corpse.

Zhang Ping crawled forward, vigilant against every possible hidden danger.

Thud!

A heavy crash rang out.

The ground immediately shook.

An enormous pig's head fell before Zhang Ping, its eyes still shining with savage ferocity.

The pig's head weighed at least fifty kilograms. If it had hit him, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Zhang Ping swallowed and immediately went around the pig's head. But then he sensed something was off and quietly retreated several steps.

He crouched beside the pig's head, pressed both hands against its mouth, and pried it open with force. A black bead rolled out of the pig's mouth and landed right by his feet.

What was this?

He picked up the black bead and used Appraisal, only to receive failure after failure.

This was not the time for Appraisal. He put the bead away and carefully continued toward the Firebird's Corpse. But before he had gone far, a bolt of lightning swept across the battlefield, instantly plowing a deep trench into the ground.

Worst of all, the lightning grazed the Firebird's Corpse. Only half of it remained, and most of its feathers had been scorched.

Zhang Ping hurried two steps forward, picked up the Firebird's Corpse, turned, and ran.

The way back was just as dangerous.

Beams of light, lightning, and flames would occasionally shoot over from the battlefield. Zhang Ping was clearly at the very edge, yet it felt as if he were crossing straight through the battlefield.

Especially when he was about to leave the battlefield, a small stone skimmed past his back, instantly leaving a bloody gash.

After returning behind the rocky cover.

He leaned against the rock and gasped for breath.

This trip had taken only a few minutes, yet it felt as though a lifetime had passed.

Nothing tempered a person more than the boundary between life and death.

Once Zhang Ping relaxed, he immediately felt a burning pain in his back.

There was a wound on his back, and the rock behind him was covered in a layer of salt frost. Salt had gotten into the wound, and the pain was easy to imagine.

The problem was that he only had a pair of pants left on him, and both hands were covered in salt. Even if he wanted to treat the wound, he had no tools, so he could only grit his teeth and endure it.

He placed the Firebird's Corpse on a stone. The Firebird had originally been about the size of a pigeon, but lightning had blown away its lower half. Now, there were not many relatively intact feathers left.

He did not know whether they could still be used.

After briefly inspecting the Firebird's condition, Zhang Ping sighed.

More than half of the Firebird's feathers had been burned by lightning, but that was not all. He also found that the other intact feathers were coated in a layer of white frost. The frost clung to the feathers as if it had fused with them, and he did not know whether it would ruin the Firebird feathers' original effects.

He then took out the black bead again.

Appraisal!

Appraisal failed!

Appraisal!

Appraisal failed ×666!

After a string of failures, Zhang Ping went numb.

This was definitely the hardest thing he had ever used Appraisal on, but it also stirred a hint of anticipation in him. Could this be some kind of treasure?