Marking Territory

The remaining Mutant Giant Antlered Deer and Fang Boar huddled together, their hard hooves digging through the hardened snow, preparing for one last breakout.

The Gray-Fang Wolf Pack and the Wild Dog Pack roamed around repeatedly, their rough howls rising and falling. The sounds were not just low growls of intimidation and hunting, but also taut throat sounds, echoing repeatedly in the dense forest. To Lu Heng's ears, they sounded like primal, wild insults and scare tactics, full of deep-seated hostility between the groups.

The Dark-Spotted Leopard and Black-Eyed Bear that had been lying in wait on the outskirts pressed forward, blocking all exits. The entire forest instantly transformed into a massive arena of flesh and blood. Sharp teeth tore through flesh, antlers slammed together, and heavy breathing, screams, and the muffled thuds of bones breaking mingled together, causing the tree trunks to tremble slightly.

The chaotic battle ended quickly, with an extremely tragic outcome.

The herd of Tusked Wild Boar barely managed to break through the encirclement; most lay dead in pools of blood on the snow. Only two or three heavily wounded individuals managed to break through a gap and disappear into the depths of the dense forest. The Red-Eyed Mutant Giant Antlered Deer also failed to protect its herd; only a few of the strongest adults broke through the defenses and fled into the depths of the forest. One exceptionally large Variant Mutant Giant Antlered Deer couldn't keep up with the pack and collapsed heavily in the center of the battle, never to rise again. All the remaining survivors were annihilated.

The noise gradually subsided, and the woodland fell into an eerie silence.

The ferocious beasts slowly gathered and began to devour the corpses scattered on the ground. The deep chewing sounds and the crisp cracking of bones echoed through the forest. Dark red blood seeped into the hard snow, spreading dark stains on the pure white background, and a heavy, fishy smell permeated the air with the cold wind.

Lu Heng squatted on the thick, ancient tree branch, his fingertips gripping the rough bark, his breathing extremely soft.

He surveyed the entire valley, his gaze slowly sweeping over the Black-Eyed Bear, the Wolf King, and the leader of the Dark-Spotted Leopard —these were the high-ranking ferocious beasts of the core area. Most of the main predators of the Frost Forest were gathered here. Of course, there must be other, more hidden, yet unseen, creatures, but for now, this valley was the power center of the entire core forest area.

The scene before my eyes was one of utter devastation, the heavy stench of blood pressing down on the forest.

He watched the wild beasts feeding below in silence, and his resolve gradually solidified.

With the parasitic hidden dangers in his body completely eradicated and the Geothermal Talisman remaining in his body, his physique has stabilized at the Black Iron Tier. He is no longer a weakling who has just entered the forest and is struggling to survive.

These apex predators in the core area are among the most ferocious creatures in the entire Frost Forest. As I explore deeper into the forest, hunt for food, and traverse its depths, I am destined to encounter them frequently.

Wild beasts judge strength by their scent and life or death by their territory.

Every chance encounter will most likely result in a fight to the death.

Lu Heng exhaled a cool breath of white air, his eyes calm and composed.

Rather than passively encountering and fighting to the death every time in the future, it's better to take advantage of this excellent opportunity to proactively show themselves, reveal their strength, leave their mark, and formally "greet" the top groups in the entire core forest area.

Let them remember their existence, remember their territory.

This move is extremely risky. If the intimidating aura is insufficient, it will instantly attract all the leader-level ferocious beasts to surround it, trapping it in a deadly predicament.

But the returns are equally huge.

As long as these apex predators acknowledge his existence and recognize that the cave area as his exclusive territory, most unnecessary battles can be avoided if they encounter each other in the forest in the future. Even if there are still dangers, it can save him from countless life-threatening battles.

Weighing the pros and cons, the survivors' rationality outweighed their caution.

Do.

Lu Heng took a deep breath, suppressing the slight tremor of vigilance in his heart, loosened his fingers that were gripping the bark, and leaned forward slightly.

With both feet firmly planted on the protruding branches, he moved slowly and steadily down the ancient tree, which was more than ten meters high.

Snow clung to the soles of his shoes, and the slight sound of footsteps echoed jarringly in the deathly silence of the woodland, filled with the sounds of bones cracking and chewing.

The feeding actions of all the ferocious beasts below suddenly stopped.

The sounds of gnawing and gnawing ceased instantly, and the entire valley fell into utter silence.

One by one, blood-stained beast heads rose up, dozens of pairs of fierce, murky pupils fixed on the slowly landing human.

The Black-Eyed Bear's massive body tensed slightly, its limbs pressed heavily against the snow, its muscles bulging with thick lines, and warm, fishy-white mist emanating from its mouth and nose; the Grayfang Wolf King's ears were pressed down, a very low hum rumbling from its throat, its fangs slightly exposed, poised to strike; the Dark-Spotted Leopard in the shadows lowered its body, its back arched, a cold glint flashing in its eyes, lying in wait to attack.

All the ferocious beasts sensed the intruders' presence immediately.

Not weak.

This body is far from being a weak and feeble creature. It possesses a powerful, steady, and extremely oppressive force, placing it on the same level as these leader-level ferocious beasts, or even subtly surpassing them in terms of inherent strength.

In the eyes of all the wild beasts in the forest, astonishment and wariness surged.

They had never seen a human dare to venture alone into the heart of the battle where beasts ate their prey, nor had they ever seen a human with such a powerful aura.

Ignoring the fierce gazes locking onto him from all directions, Lu Heng remained calm and walked steadily through the corpses and blood-stained snow, heading straight for the center of the arena.

There lies the slain, Variant Mutant Giant Antlered Deer.

With a massive and imposing body, fur stained with dark red blood, and bloodshot pupils now completely dull, its body still warm, it was the best-looking and most valuable prey on the entire battlefield.

Under the watchful eyes of all the ferocious beasts, he bent down slightly and gripped the cold, hard antlers with one hand.

His forearm muscles were firmly taut, and with a crisp, clean exertion, he dragged the heavy deer carcass up and held it steadily beside him.

Throughout the entire process, without provocation, shouting, or displaying aggression, they simply and calmly took away the finest spoils from this hunting ground.

The low growls of the surrounding beasts intensified, but not a single ferocious beast dared to pounce rashly.

They could clearly sense that the fighting power of this "upright creature" was enough to rival that of forest overlords like the Black-Eyed Bear and the Grayfang Wolf King. A rash attack might not yield any advantage and could instead cause unnecessary serious injury.

The deterrent effect has already taken shape.

Lu Heng, dragging the heavy carcass of the exotic deer, stood up slowly with his upright posture.

Under the gaze of all the ferocious beasts, he slowly raised his free left hand, straightened his arm, and pointed precisely to the direction deep in the distant mountains and forests.

That was the location of the Double-Layer Stone Cave Shelter.

There were no shouts, no flamboyant movements, just a simple, resolute, and clear gesture.

A signal that all beasts can understand.

That direction, that area, is my territory.

The entire woodland remained deathly silent.

Countless pairs of beast eyes were fixed on him, on the distance he pointed to, on the heavy deer carcass beside him, and on his calm and undefeated aura.

After a few seconds of silence.

The first to show unusual behavior was the largest Black-Eyed Bear.

The fierce glint in its eyes slowly faded, its tense limbs gradually relaxed, its massive body lowered slightly, and it buried its head again to gnaw on the beast's flesh at its feet.

Immediately afterwards, the Grayfang Wolf King, the Dark-Spotted Leopard, and all the wild dogs and remaining predatory beasts around them all withdrew their locked gazes.

There was no submission, no intimacy.

There was only a detached acquiescence.

They continued to gnaw on the corpses beneath their feet, the sounds of bones cracking and chewing slowly rising again, as if the confrontation had never happened.

But Lu Heng knew.

They remembered.

I remembered his scent, his combat strength level, and the territory he designated.

The core beasts of this Frost Forest tacitly acknowledged the presence of a solitary powerhouse of equal caliber within the forest, and accepted that this part of the forest belonged to the human before them.

The wind and snow swept through the forest, fluttering his clothes and scattering a trace of blood in the woods.

Lu Heng's fingers tightened slightly as he gripped the deer antlers, a sense of relief washing over him.

This risky move was successful.