A Walk Through the Forest

Lu Heng planned to go back to his room to rest. The Forest Will entered his mind directly, without any fluctuations, only with a slight tremor.

[This harvest of the Geothermal Talisman and Frostmoon Talisman will be obtained without any cost.]

Lu Heng asked himself the reason.

The thought slowly unfolded, devoid of tone, simply conveying information: This is a fragment of a doomsday Plane, teeming with mental Aberrant and accompanied by bacterial life. The fact that special beings like Blood Taisui and Nightmare Eater could take shape proves that the fragment's original essence is abundant enough to offset the consumption required by the Frostmoon Talisman.

Lu Heng then asked whether World Fragment of this quality were common.

[Rare. Such environments are more common in complete Origin World. A single fragment capable of condensing such abundant primordial energy is an exception.]

Once that thought faded, there was no more external information in my mind.

Lu Heng stood there, silently reflecting on the conversation. A guess formed in his mind—could these survivors be soldiers, specializing in searching for and capturing scattered World Fragment to fill the Frost Forest?

Just like an ant colony going out to find prey, World Fragment are the prey, dragged back to this Survival World to nourish the anthill.

A chill settled in his heart, but Lu Heng didn't dwell on it too much.

Compared to his previous dull and monotonous days, his current life is quite good. When he was working, he would sometimes secretly hope that aliens would descend and break the unchanging reality. No alien invasion came, but his current situation is not much different from what he imagined back then.

Most importantly, he had the opportunity to build his own home.

In the past, as long as the profit was enough, there were many people who dared to take a gamble and act recklessly, but no one had the opportunity. Now, the opportunity is in front of him.

Lu Heng rested quietly in Moonview Valley for a period of time.

After resting enough, he planned to enter the Frost Forest and take a trip around. Several days had passed, and the power vacuum left by the death of the old lord should have been settled by now, and the selection of a new lord for the territory should have been completed.

Lu Heng set off into the Frost Forest.

Along the way, we encountered those old "neighbors"; the tribes hadn't changed, only their territory had quietly expanded outwards by a small area.

Continuing forward, an unfamiliar sphere of influence lay before them.

Lu Heng stopped and looked ahead.

There was a sweet, fishy smell in the air, like ripe fruit mixed with decaying leaves. He looked up and saw a dark mass surging among the treetops—a swarm of bees.

I remembered I still have some insect control products. Oh well, I'll look at some more.

He continued walking forward.

The river channel in the forest was much wider than when he last came, and the water had overflowed onto the mudflats on both banks. The wind blew from the river, carrying a damp, fishy smell.

Lu Heng raised his hand and summoned his Wristband, its light sweeping across the woods on the shore.

[Target: Frost-Ridged Scaled Serpent]

The beam of light deflected, casting its rays into the depths of the river.

[Target: The Marsh-Shaking Croaking Toad]

Among the trees on the riverbank, a giant snake coiled among the roots, its vertical pupils fixed motionless on the river surface. In the middle of the river, a giant frog was half-submerged, with only its eyes and back visible. Its throat sac swelled intermittently, and low-frequency vibrations rippled outwards along the surface of the water.

They stood facing each other across the river, one on one bank and the other on the other. Neither moved.

Lu Heng stopped some distance away and stood in the shadows of the trees to observe. Within this newly divided territory, apart from the swarm of bees from before, these two were vying for control of the river channel.

He released his spiritual energy, which slowly spread outwards.

The thought had barely formed when a slight thought stirred within him.

There was another one hidden in the silt of the nearby waters.

Lu Heng's eyes flickered slightly, but he remained silent. He moved lightly, leaping onto a thick tree trunk beside him to steady himself.

The Wristband flashed a faint light, and the identification was completed by aligning it with the outline in the silt.

[Target: Armored Crocodile Turtle]

Lu Heng leaned against the tree trunk, remaining motionless.

The Frost-Ridged Scaled Serpent on the opposite bank of the river moved first.

Its massive body slid out from between the tree roots, its scales rubbing against the ground with a soft rustling sound. Its vertical pupils locked onto the Marsh-Shaking Croaking Toad in the middle of the river, its forked tongue flicking as it tentatively extended forward a short distance.

The Marsh-Shaking Croaking Toad's throat sac suddenly swelled, and a low-frequency croak exploded, rippling the water's surface. It kicked with its hind legs, and its massive body burst through the water, hurtling straight to the opposite bank.

The snake sprang up, its mouth snapping open to bite the frog's head. The toad lashed out with its forelimbs, its webbed hands slamming into the snake's neck with a dull thud. Scales shattered, and blood splattered.

Lu Heng watched quietly.

The snake coiled around the frog's body, the scales rubbing against the skin with a sickening squeaking sound. The frog's throat sac was pierced by the snake's fangs, and foul-smelling bodily fluids gushed out. Its hind legs kicked wildly, each kick leaving deep, bone-revealing scratches on the snake's belly.

The two rolled around in a heap, tumbling from the shore into the shallow water, where mud and blood churned.

A moment later, the fighting stopped.

The Frost-Ridged Scaled Serpent, dragging its half-festering body, slowly retreated back into the woods on the shore, its tail leaving a trail of blood on the ground. The Marsh-Shaking Croaking Toad sank back into the water, only half of its head showing, dark liquid constantly seeping from the ruptured opening in its throat pouch, its breathing heavy and labored.

Both sides suffer losses.

No one had the strength to move anymore.

Lu Heng's gaze never left the water.

Just as the snake and frog retreated and their guard relaxed slightly—

The silt exploded.

A giant shadow covered in moss and mud burst out of the water, its carapace stained with decaying leaves and river mud, its four claws like hooks, and its wide-open mouth snapping straight at the nearest Marsh-Shaking Croaking Toad.

Armored Crocodile Turtle.

It remained hidden in the mud, waiting until both sides were exhausted from their fight before making its move.

Before the toad could even utter a croak, the alligator snapping turtle's sharp teeth had already pierced its nape. The frog's body convulsed violently a few times before its limbs went limp.

Upon seeing this, the Frost-Ridged Scaled Serpent instinctively tried to retreat. But the Alligator Snapping Turtle had already changed direction, its powerful claws gripping the riverbank, its shell smashing through the mud and water as it charged towards the snake's body.

The snake was severely injured and moved slowly. It was then bitten by the tail by the alligator snapping turtle and dragged into the water.

The water churned for a moment, then the blood spread.

Everything returned to calm.

Lu Heng stood on the tree, watching the Armored Crocodile Turtle drag its two prey slowly sinking back into the depths of the mud.

He ignored it. Casualties occurred in the forest every day; it was a normal occurrence he had long been accustomed to.

He turned to leave and continued strolling along the riverbank.

They hadn't gone far when they heard a strange movement coming from the water behind them.

Lu Heng stopped in his tracks.

The Armored Crocodile Turtle emerged from the mud, no longer dragging its prey, but slowly swimming towards him. Its four claws parted the water, washing away the moss on its shell and revealing the dark patterns beneath.

Lu Heng released his spiritual power, carefully sensing the other party's condition.

Its aura was restless, and the flow of energy within its body was chaotic—this creature was at a critical juncture in its advancement and needed a large amount of energy to replenish itself. Two prey were not enough, so it set its sights on a closer and stronger energy source.

Lu Heng stood still, without moving.

He watched as the giant, moss-covered shadow broke through the water's surface, its four claws gripping the riverbank, its vertical pupils fixed on him, the patterns on its carapace gleaming faintly in the dark light.

The alligator snapping turtle opened its massive jaws, let out a low growl, and charged towards Lu Heng with all four claws.

Lu Heng's eyes turned cold.