Surrounded for the Kill
When the flock of birds swarmed towards him, Lu Heng did not move.
The first eagle had already swooped down to the top of the Bone Demon's head, its claws outstretched and its beak pointed at the Puppet of Insect Queen' puppet's head.
Lu Heng looked up.
Instantaneous release of mental power.
An invisible thorn shot out from between the eyebrows and pierced precisely into the eagle's brain.
The eagle's movements suddenly froze. It flapped its wings twice but failed to get them up, then plummeted straight down, crashing to the ground. Its limbs twitched, and it made a hoarse, leaking sound in its throat, unable to stand up.
The remaining birds were all stunned.
They originally thought Lu Heng was an easy target, that he was too weak to handle the Black-Eyed Bear, the Ghost Tiger, or the Alpha Wolf, so how could they possibly harm him? The Bone Demon was the corpse of the Insect Queen, a great tonic; swallowing it would allow them to advance in rank. This human in front of them didn't seem that strong either; they would tear him apart first, then divide the Insect Queen.
The first one to go up has already crashed.
The flock of birds instinctively retreated, trying to create distance and regroup.
Having taken two steps back, the lead Bronze raven's eyes suddenly narrowed.
It saw it.
The surrounding grass, tree trunks, and branches of the forest canopy were covered with fine white threads.
Thinner than a hair, it spreads close to the ground, wraps around tree roots, climbs up the trunk, and weaves a thin net above the canopy, completely covering the open area.
They were arguing and fighting, their attention was entirely on the Bone Demon, and they didn't notice when these threads surrounded them.
Now I see it.
The entire battlefield, from the ground to the sky, was Mycelium.
The raven let out a short, sharp cry.
It wasn't the previous gurgling sound; it was panic.
They've hit a brick wall.
They're not easy prey; we've already laid a net for them to fall into.
The flock of birds was in complete disarray.
Eagles, falcons, ravens—all the birds simultaneously swooped down on the Mycelium barrier, pecking, tearing, and slamming their wings, charging outwards like madmen.
A hole was pecked open in the Mycelium, and an eagle peeked out. The next second, the torn Mycelium wriggled and wrapped around it like a living thing, instantly sealing the hole, even denser than before.
The more you tear, the denser it becomes.
The Blood Tai Sui absorbed the lotus seeds of the Pure Water Lotus, upgraded itself, became extremely resilient, so flexible that it could not be torn apart, and regenerated at a speed that was too fast for the naked eye to keep up with.
The flock of birds crashed into each other, their heads bleeding and feathers falling to the ground, Mycelium remained completely still.
Lu Heng stood at the top of the slope, watching coldly.
"Let you pick on the weak."
His voice wasn't loud, but it could be heard throughout the entire open area.
He unleashed his full mental power.
There was no open flame, no explosion; it was an invisible high temperature that emanated from the Mycelium network, like an invisible fire, enveloping the entire enclosed area.
The temperature is rising little by little.
The birds' downy feathers were the first to be affected.
The fine down on the surface began to curl and heat up, its color changing from grayish-white to burnt yellow, and it slowly hardened. A hawk shook its head, trying to shake off the heat, but the more it shook, the hotter it became, and its down began to smoke, falling off in strands.
Then there's the skin.
The burning sensation seeped into the gaps in the feathers, layer by layer, like being slowly fried on an iron plate. The birds flapped even more violently, their wings whirring, but the Mycelium remained motionless, the heat unable to dissipate, accumulating and becoming increasingly scalding.
The tips of an eagle's wings began to char, its feathers curling into a black, hard shell that crumbled at the slightest touch. It screamed in pain and crashed into the Mycelium web, causing it to tremble but not break; instead, the web tightened its grip.
The raven stood on the broken log, motionless.
It was Bronze Tier, more resilient than an ordinary eagle, but it could still feel the heat. It looked down at its claws; the tips were already turning red, and the flesh was taut from the heat.
It looked up at Lu Heng.
Lu Heng stood at the top of the slope, expressionless, his eyes fixed on it.
The raven understood.
Unable to break through the Mycelium, unable to withstand the high temperature, the only way to survive was to kill Lu Heng.
When he died, his spiritual energy dissipated, and the Mycelium naturally broke.
The raven let out a cawing cry.
It wasn't the previous gurgling sound; it was a desperate cry. It spread its wings, took off from the broken log, and flew straight at Lu Heng.
The remaining eagles, falcons, and all the birds that could still move followed it and charged.
They've gone mad.
Regardless of the consequences.
full speed.
It hurtled straight at Lu Heng's main body.
Lu Heng looked at the flock of birds rushing towards him, but did not retreat.
He twitched the corner of his mouth slightly.
"I'm not afraid of you."
Raise your hand.
He took a step forward, the tip of his sword pointing diagonally at the ground, his gaze sweeping over the raven charging at the front.
The Insect Armor Sword lay horizontally before him, its blade heavy and its edge cold. The raven's beak struck the sword with a crisp sound, sending sparks flying.
The raven was jolted back half a step, flapping its wings twice before regaining its balance. It looked down at its beak, where a small cut had broken at the tip, and blood was seeping out.
It looked up at Lu Heng, its eyes filled with disbelief.
Bronze Tier, head-on collision with the sword, and was actually knocked back.
Lu Heng didn't give it time to react.
The sword was thrust forward.
The raven suddenly turned to the side, the blade grazing its wing root and shaving off a feather. The feather drifted down, only to be scorched and blackened by the high temperature emanating from the Mycelium in mid-air, before falling to the ground and crumbling into ash.
The remaining birds all swarmed forward.
A hawk swooped down from the side, its claws reaching for Lu Heng's shoulder; two eagles circled around from behind, their beaks aimed at the back of his neck; and several smaller birds circled around the Bone Demon, trying to snatch a piece of flesh from the Puppet Insect Queen Puppet in the chaos.
Lu Heng didn't turn around.
He raised his foot and kicked the eagle that was lunging at him head-on in the chest.
The eagle's breastbone thudded as if struck by a hammer, sending it flying backward and crashing into the Mycelium network. The Mycelium trembled, then coiled around it, enveloping it. The eagle struggled inside, the tighter the grip, until it became still after a few moments.
Just as the two eagles behind him pounced on the back of his neck, Lu Heng swung his sword in a backhand strike.
As the blade swept across, one eagle's wing was severed in half. It cried out in pain and fell, landing on the Mycelium web, where it was instantly entangled. The intense heat caused its feathers to smoke. Another eagle, startled, dodged to the side, flapping its wings too rapidly and crashing into a nearby tree trunk, falling dizzily.
Lu Heng took a step forward.
The Bone Demon moved behind him.
A slap landed on a little bird that was trying to steal meat. The bird didn't even have time to chirp before it was flattened and stuck to the Bone Demon's claw. The Bone Demon shook its claw, tossing the bird's carcass onto the Mycelium web, where the Mycelium immediately wrapped around it and began to decompose.
The raven watched this scene and let out a loud screech.
It knew it wouldn't be able to leave today.
But it was unwilling to give up.
Its Bronze Tier dignity wouldn't allow it to simply wait to die. It spread its wings, gathered all its strength into its beak, and the tip of its beak gleamed with a faint Bronze luster, before charging towards Lu Heng once more.
This time, it was aimed at Lu Heng's eyes.
Lu Heng watched it charge at him but didn't dodge.
He waited until the raven was right in front of him, then suddenly turned to the side.
The raven's beak grazed his cheek, but missed. Lu Heng's left hand shot out and grabbed the raven's neck.
He grabbed the raven by the neck, its wings flapping frantically, its claws scratching at his arm, leaving several white marks on his sleeve, but without breaking the skin.
Lu Heng raised his sword with his right hand.
The tip of the Insect Armor Sword was aimed at the raven's head.
The raven's eyes were wide open, the glint of the sword tip reflected in its pupils.
"Don't pick the soft ones in your next life."
Lu Heng said.
The sword fell downwards.
The raven's head was pierced by the sword tip; its body stiffened for a moment, its wings drooped, and it remained motionless.
The remaining birds were all dumbfounded.
The lead Bronze raven is dead.
They looked at the raven carcass Lu Heng was carrying, then at the Mycelium surrounding the bodies of their companions, and their wings began to tremble.
An eagle wanted to escape.
It rushed toward the Mycelium, trying to break through and fly away. As soon as it reached the edge of the net, the Mycelium immediately wrapped around it, encasing its wings. The high temperature baked its feathers, causing them to curl. It screamed in pain and struggled harder and harder until it was wrapped into a cocoon.
The other birds dared not move.
They huddled together in the middle of the open space, wings folded, heads bowed, not daring to look at Lu Heng.
Lu Heng threw the raven's corpse at the Bone Demon's feet.
The Bone Demon glanced down and instinctively began to devour its prey.
Lu Heng ignored it.
He looked up at the remaining birds.
"Who else?"
No one answered.
A hawk slowly retreated, trying to move towards the Mycelium.
Lu Heng raised his sword slightly.
The eagle froze instantly, too afraid to move.
Lu Heng sheathed his sword and turned to walk towards the top of the slope.
The Bone Demon followed behind him, its insect armor scraping against the ground, making a soft rustling sound.
Reaching the top of the slope, Lu Heng stopped and looked back at the open space.
"Blood Taisui".
A thought struck him.
The Mycelium begins to tighten.
The carcasses of birds trapped inside were pulled towards the center, while the living birds were entangled by the Mycelium and dragged towards the center. They tried to cry out and struggle, but the Mycelium was too tight, and the high temperature scorched them until they had no strength left, only able to let out weak moans.
In no time, the entire open area was clean.
All that remained were a few charred feathers on the ground and a faint smell of burning in the air.
Black-Eyed Bear emerged from behind the broken tree, glanced at the scorch marks on the ground, then at Lu Heng, letting out a low growl as if in greeting. Ghost Tiger also emerged from the bushes, flicked its tail, and didn't approach. The Wolf Pack spread out further, the Alpha Wolf glancing up at Lu Heng, its ears twitching, before leading the Wolf Pack deeper into the forest.
They knew that no one would dare to come to this open area again.
Lu Heng ignored them.
After collecting the Energy Core generated by these things on the ground, he turned and walked towards the direction of Moonview Valley.
The Bone Demon followed behind, its insect armor scraping against the ground, making a soft rustling sound.
When he reached the mouth of the valley, Lu Heng stopped and looked down at his sleeve. It wasn't torn, but it was stained with a little bird blood.
He frowned.
I need to wash up when I get back.
He stepped into the valley.
The Bone Demon followed behind, and as they entered the valley, it glanced back at the open area before turning back and following Lu Heng into the valley.
The Mycelium slowly retracted, shrinking back to Lu Heng's feet, disappearing into the sole of his boot.
On the open ground, only a few charred feathers remained, scattered by the wind.