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Lu Heng pushed open the door and walked out of the Shelter.

The snow outside is falling even harder.

The forest was blanketed in white snow, completely covering the trees, paths, terrain, and gullies that were once clearly visible. As far as the eye could see, there was only a vast expanse of white, and the entire forest was eerily quiet.

It was so cold that all living things in the mountains huddled up, hiding themselves completely, and not a sound could be heard.

Lu Heng, carrying the knife, walked steadily down the path.

In this kind of blizzard, things are most likely to go wrong. The snow covers the terrain and also the traces of monsters. You don't know if there's an empty pit under the snow or a beast lying in wait. As he walked, he actively swung his knife to clear away the snow-covered branches blocking his way, constantly scanning left and right, behind trees, and into snowdrifts, keeping his nerves on edge the whole time, watching for any unusual movement.

After a long journey, we arrived at the Geothermal Valley without incident.

The valley remained unchanged, with Geothermal continuously radiating warmth, creating a completely different world from the frigid conditions outside.

He slowly circled the valley twice, carefully scanning it.

No monsters spawned, and there were no new items.

He had initially intended to casually look for supplies, but after looking around, he immediately came to his senses.

Ordinary herbs, broken ores, and low-grade animal materials are no longer of any use to him.

It won't improve your strength, nor will it get you anything useful; picking it up will just take up inventory space.

There's no need to waste time.

Lu Heng simply found a warm spot by a rock and squatted down, waiting quietly.

Focus on waiting for the Geothermal Talisman storage to fully recover.

A little bit of warm energy seeped into my chest, slowly and steadily filling the empty energy storage tank.

Lu Heng only got up after the battery was fully charged and he could use it reliably twice.

He stood at the mouth of the valley, facing the cold wind, and began to seriously consider where to go next.

Now, there are only three places left where he can truly become stronger and have high-level opportunities.

The first is the center of Frost Forest, which contains Bronze Tier monsters and is sure to have high-level resources. However, the forest is currently blocked by a blizzard, the snow is too thick, the trees are dense, and there are too many places to hide and ambush. It would be too risky to venture in rashly.

The second is the vast, grassy plain next to the Meteorite Crater. That place itself is eerie; it looks docile, but it is actually extremely dangerous. However, the plain has no cover, and visibility is poor in heavy snow. If something happens, there is nowhere to hide, making the risk too unstable.

The third is deep in the swamp.

He weighed the pros and cons carefully.

The recent sharp drop in temperature has completely altered the environment of the entire swamp.

The mud, deep swamps, and soft puddles that used to be so deep that you would sink with every step are now frozen solid, covered with a layer of solid ice.

The treacherous soft swamps have largely disappeared, and the roads have become easier and more stable.

Moreover, a Bronze Tier Swamp Giant Snake is clearly hidden deep within the swamp.

With clearly defined high-level monsters, there are clearly defined opportunities for advancement.

The returns are stable, and the risks are actually lower than usual.

There's no other choice; the best solution at this stage is to go deeper into the swamp.

Having decided on his direction, Lu Heng no longer hesitated and turned to head straight for the outer edge of the swamp.

They hurried along, and when they stepped into the swamp, the scene before them was completely different from before.

The swamp used to be a place full of black mud, stagnant water, and rotten ponds, with every step leaving a hole, and the dampness was so oppressive that it felt like you were being crushed.

Now that the temperature has dropped and the ground has frozen, large areas of muddy ground have hardened, potholes have been flattened by the freezing, and puddles have frozen into thin ice. As far as the eye can see, it is a hard swamp that is half ice and half mud.

As soon as he entered the outer area, he saw something.

A flock of Cold Crow gathered on the frozen mud not far away.

There were quite a few of them, a dense, dark mass clustered together.

Their claws are sharp and hard, and they are vigorously scratching at the frozen mud, their movements skilled and purposeful.

They broke up and turned over the hard, frozen ground, pulling out a Swamp Lizard was stiff, cold, and moving slowly.

A flock of Cold Crow immediately swarmed around, pecking and tearing at it.

In just a few seconds, the lizard was pinned down and unable to move.

Lu Heng's approach made quite a commotion.

But the flock of Cold Crow were not afraid at all.

They didn't flee, they didn't scatter.

While continuing to gnaw on their prey, they all turned their heads, their dark eyes fixed on him, and let out a rough, piercing howl, carrying a clear warning and confrontational tone.

Lu Heng raised his hand, Wristband glowed faintly as he scanned and identified the crows.

The entries pop up quickly.

The vast majority of common Cold Crow: No grade.

Only a few of the leader individuals, which were noticeably larger, more robust, and had darker plumage, were marked as: Black Iron Tier.

Lu Heng looked at them and understood perfectly well.

Crows are among the more intelligent species of birds. These Cold Crow live in flocks, confront each other, compete for food, and divide the work of hunting, making them far more ferocious and agile than ordinary wild crows.

But he had absolutely no desire to take action.

They're all birds, small in size and with little meat, so killing them would be a waste of energy and yield no profit.

Moreover, flying creatures are the most troublesome. Once a battle begins, they swarm around and ambush, making it impossible to kill them all. They also easily disturb all living things in the area, resulting in more harm than good.

Lu Heng ignored them and continued walking along the frozen mud path into the swamp without stopping.

As he walked, he gradually noticed a very obvious change.

Birds roamed the perimeter of the swamp; Cold Crow, small waterfowl, and wild sparrows huddled on the frozen ground, digging in the mud for frozen frogs, insects, and young snakes. The further one moved into the middle of the swamp, the fewer birds one could see along the roadside.

The once continuous chirping of birds gradually thinned out, and the bare branches of the roadside trees became empty. Occasionally, one or two birds could be glimpsed hurriedly flapping their wings and flying away, none of them willing to follow into the depths.

Lu Heng slowed his pace, his gaze sweeping over the frozen ground on both sides.

The outer soil was riddled with tiny holes left by birds digging, but further in, the ground was clean, with almost no new scratches. Although faint insect chirps could be heard occasionally from the cracks in the soil, suggesting there was plenty of food, the birds deliberately avoided this area.

He looked down at the marks on the ground and saw several wide and thick drag marks next to a cracked patch of frozen mud. The marks were very deep and were not the scale marks unique to the Swamp Giant Snake. Following the direction of the marks, they led straight into the deeper Inner Region the swamp.

Lu Heng's heart sank.

The cold wave froze the surface soil of the swamp, which did make the outer paths much easier to walk on, and birds took advantage of the temperature drop to forage for food in the outer areas. However, birds' instincts are far more acute than humans', and they all huddled together on the outer and middle edges, refusing to step into the depths of the swamp.

It seems that besides the Bronze Tier Swamp Giant Snake they already knew about, there was something else hidden deep within this frozen swamp. It was that unknown aura that kept all the birds from getting any closer.

He had initially thought that the drop in temperature would reduce the danger of the swamp, but now he realized that the seemingly safe frozen ground ahead concealed hidden dangers that he was unaware of.

A sense of unease gradually arose in Lu Heng's heart.

These birds have always had keen eyesight. Once he gets into a fight with an unknown ferocious beast deep in the swamp, and the battle is over, when he is exhausted and wounded, the flock of Cold Crow on the periphery will likely gather around him, drawn by the commotion. These crows are quick-witted and adept at ambushing and stealing spoils. When a flock of birds swoops down to peck at his wounds and snatch his prize, the situation will become extremely difficult.