Exposed

The night wind swept across the frozen ground of the woodland, stirring up the fine, dry snow.

Lu Heng lay crouching behind the fallen tree, his body low to the ground, intending to use the shadows of the trees to quietly slip out of the forest.

A low growl came from deep within the forest before I could hear it; it was rough, urgent, and carried the restlessness of a search.

The newly learned Green Demon language instantly connected with the semantics, straightforward and simple.

There are signs here, come quick.

His gaze unconsciously fell to the spot where he had just been hiding.

The grass stems were pressed into neat, flattened marks, completely different from the scattered shapes left by natural wind. A clear half-shoe print was embedded in the mud, its depth and lightness uniform, a mark left by prolonged stillness and pressure. The Withered Branch branch beside him was brand new, the woody surface clean and white, as if it had just been broken off.

Looking at the numerous flaws on the ground, Lu Heng knew the reason.

The stealth, disguise, and tracking knowledge he had just obtained from opening the box was merely theoretical experience poured into his mind out of thin air; he had never practiced it in practice and was far from proficient.

He tried to use the rudimentary techniques he had learned to lower his body and conceal his outline, which seemed to work, but was actually full of flaws. Green Demon who was truly skilled at searching the woodlands could spot the anomaly at a glance.

It wasn't that they did a good job of concealing their actions; it was that they lacked the skills and forcibly applied unfamiliar techniques, leaving behind a bunch of traceable clues and directly causing them to be exposed.

There's no need to keep hiding it.

The evidence is already there, and the other side has locked onto the area. Continuing to hide will only lead to endless stalemates and create more trouble.

Lu Heng's fingertips twitched slightly, his Wristband flashed, and he sheathed the Insect Armor Sword, gripping the Goblin Battleaxe tightly in his palm. The cold, hard hilt fit snugly against his hand, its solid weight settling firmly.

He actively activated the dormant Blood Taisui within his body.

Fine red Mycelium quietly emerged from the gaps in the hem and cuffs of the clothes, spreading silently along the surface of the frozen soil, and quietly covering the large area of woodland in front of them, following the cracks in the mud, the roots of the grass, and the gaps in the Withered Branch. There was no light, no strange phenomena, only silent rooting in the ground, laying down an invisible binding net.

Once prepared, Lu Heng abandoned the plan to retreat, lowered his center of gravity, and headed towards the source of the sound, actively cutting into the woodland.

The intertwined branches of the bushes offered only a meager concealment. He stopped in the shadows, quietly waiting for the enemy to approach.

The sounds from the woods grew closer.

The dense stomping sounds piled up in layers, countless feet grinding against the frozen earth and withered Withered Branch, the crisp, cracking sounds continuous. Bone armor pieces clattered against each other, producing a monotonous, hard friction sound. Low growls rose and fell, drawing ever closer, as hordes of Green Demon rapidly approached the area.

A few seconds later, the first figure stepped out from between the trees.

The Bronze Green Demon bowed, its gaze fixed on the marks on the ground, its steps slowing as it cautiously probed forward. A bone blade was held horizontally in front of it, its limbs tense, poised to pounce at any moment.

Lu Heng didn't wait any longer and approached from the side and behind.

Without any probing or warning, the battle axe swept out directly.

The force was applied to the very end, and the dull thud of bones breaking was short and crisp. The Bronze Green Demon's head snapped to the side, and its body crashed straight down onto the frozen ground, instantly losing all life.

The thud as the fish landed completely alerted all the enemy forces approaching from behind.

The shadows among the trees were fully revealed, and the outline of the entire cluster was clearly laid out.

The twenty-four Bronze Green Demon naturally split into three loosely organized groups. They lacked the orderly formations of human armies; their lines were chaotic, their positions arbitrary, revealing the primal instincts of a wild beast pack. However, individuals within the same group maintained a fixed distance from each other, subconsciously looking out for each other, covering gaps, and blocking flanks—a simple, tacit understanding unique to monsters. Though not precise, it was sufficient for encirclement and killing in the woods.

Forty-two Black Iron Green Demon followed behind, completely disorganized. They huddled together, pushing and shoving each other, running around in all directions without any sense of cooperation, relying solely on their ferocity to haphazardly surround and block.

One is refined, the other is mixed; the distinction between the two is particularly clear.

Lu Heng strode out of the shadows and charged directly into the center of the enemy ranks.

The superficial Blood Qi Rune on the body surface quietly activated, and pale red power adhered to the axe, steadily supporting the weapon's tearing properties. The Greedy Wolf Power within the body circulated in sync, establishing a complete blood and qi absorption cycle.

The next second, the crimson Mycelium lying dormant on the ground suddenly tightened.

The red threads throughout the forest instantly taut, tightly binding the feet and limbs of all the Green Demon.

The Black Iron Green Demon had weak resistance and was instantly immobilized by the Mycelium. Its crowded and chaotic body suddenly stopped, its limbs struggling and twisting, but it could not take a single step. It was completely imprisoned, and panicked roars rose and fell.

The Bronze Green Demon are more resistant and won't be directly pinned down; they can still swing their blades and make minor repositioning. However, their previously simple support rhythm is completely disrupted, their movement becomes sluggish, their positioning breaks down, and the remaining team coordination is utterly shattered.

With the Global Region bound, all enemy mobility advantages were completely neutralized.

Holding a battle axe, Lu Heng advanced steadily, his Bone-Patterned War Boots nimbly traversing the rocky, frozen ground.

He raised his axe to block the bone blade that came slashing towards him. The shockwave from the collision of metal and bone traveled through the axe handle to his arm, his wrist bearing the pressure steadily without swaying. Using the recoil, he leaned in sideways, pressing the axe blade down to strike a vital spot on his body.

Each swing was clean and decisive, without any unnecessary movements.

Before the body even hit the ground, the Greedy Wolf Power had already taken effect. Strands of fine blood and energy were separated from the corpse, flowing into the body through the air, continuously replenishing the body's energy consumption, keeping it full and warm throughout the process.

Lu Heng specifically targeted and eliminated the leader of each of the three Bronze- level groups.

These monsters rely entirely on instinct to lead and maintain their coordination; destroy the core, and the remaining individuals will simply fall into complete chaos.

With each swing of the battle axe, the three leading Bronze Green Demon fell to the ground one after another.

Having lost their instinctive command, the Bronze Green Demon were reduced to scattered, individual attacks. The tacit understanding between pairs vanished, and they fought alone, wildly swinging their blades and attacking in disarray. There was no orderly formation, no coordinated offense or defense, only mindless, ferocious slashing and clawing like wild beasts.

Even so, their individual combat strength still far surpasses that of Black Iron Green Demon, but they no longer pose a threat of encirclement and killing.

The tide of battle has turned completely.

Amidst the chaotic sounds of battle, some of the surviving Bronze Green Demon, realizing their disadvantage, abandoned the fight and turned to flee into the depths of the Frost Forest to break through.

Ignoring the Black Iron soldiers scurrying around and lunging about, Lu Heng focused all his attention on the target fleeing deeper into the territory.

He cut off all escape routes by moving laterally, and through the dim light and shadow of the forest, intercepted and killed the Bronze Green Demon who were trying to escape one by one.

As darkness fell, visibility in the forest grew increasingly poor. Lu Heng no longer relied solely on sight; instead, he used his hearing to detect the subtle sounds of trembling Withered Branch, feet scraping the ground, and bodies moving. He repeatedly scanned the bushes, ditch, and fallen logs, leaving no room for any creatures to hide or feign death.

The fighting continued relentlessly, the crushing defeat showing no sign of stopping.

The scattered screams, struggles, and fleeing sounds gradually faded away completely.

The last body crashed to the ground, and the entire forest fell into deathly silence.

The night wind whistled through the treetops, swept across the frozen earth, and carried away the heavy atmosphere of battle.

The next second, the corpses scattered on the ground were simultaneously enveloped in a faint grayish-white halo.

Twenty-four Bronze Green Demon and forty-two Black Iron Green Demon, along with their entire bodies, broken bones, shattered armor, and scattered bloodstains on the ground, all simultaneously became ethereal.

Without residue or fragments, it gradually fades and dissolves, eventually disappearing completely from the entire forest.

The ground was clean, with only faint traces of frozen soil being trampled, crushed, and entangled by Mycelium.

In the very center of the open space, a Victorious Chest slowly materialized.

The size of the chest is exactly the same as the treasure chest obtained from killing the squad during the day, but the surface texture is much finer and more intricate, with a tight and regular pattern, and the texture is far superior to the previous loot.

The sheer number of different species significantly raised the quality level of the post-war settlement.

Lu Heng stood still, breathing steadily.

The arm muscles felt sore and swollen from continuous exertion, and the body's energy and blood remained warm and stable.

He surveyed the cleared woodland, confirming that there were no survivors, no hiding places, and no unusual activity.

The battlefield has been completely cleared.

A treasure chest with fine patterns floated silently in the center of the open space.