The killing blow
The chill in the air continued to shift slowly.
The cold of ordinary wind and snow is a stinging pain on the skin, biting, sharp, direct, and brutal—the most basic and common chill of this snowfield. Every gust of wind carries visible snowflakes, slamming hard against the body, the pain clear and undisguised. But the chill clinging to my body now is completely different: soft, lingering, and sticky, slowly seeping into my skin. It's not intense, but it penetrates very deeply, seeping into my bones little by little through the gaps in my muscles, carrying a lingering, stagnant, and chilling feeling.
The Azure Spirit Water-Pattern Necklace on her chest continued to generate heat.
There was no blinding light, no unusual phenomena, just a steady, continuous warmth that firmly resisted the ever-approaching chill, forming a faint yet clear boundary between hot and cold, tightly blocking the invading cold air from penetrating the skin and flesh, preventing it from infecting the internal organs.
As time went by, the chilling aura grew closer and stronger.
A chill crept in through the gaps in the cuffs and collar, creeping along the skin of the forearms and back. A fine tingling sensation burst forth from the pores, and goosebumps instantly covered the entire body. This was the most instinctive stress response of the flesh to evil spirits, requiring no conscious judgment or warning; it was purely the most primal fear and alertness of a living being towards a strange and sinister aura.
Having undergone a comprehensive physical enhancement through the Tiger Potion, Lu Heng's physical perception far surpassed that of ordinary people. His five senses, bodily instincts, and crisis prediction intuition had all undergone a transformation after the overall improvement of his Three-Dimensional Physique. Previously, he could only rely on his eyes and ears to observe and detect danger; now, every inch of his muscle and every inch of his skin had become a sensitive early warning organ. Any abnormal aura or hidden sense of oppression could be accurately detected by his bodily instincts, faster and more accurately than mental judgment.
Lu Heng's eyelids remained still, his posture unchanged, and his aura remained steady. He still appeared to be under the control of the illusion, lost in a daze.
He was aware of his disadvantages.
The opponent is invisible, silent, and traceless, remaining hidden in the surrounding environment throughout. They do not rely on visual hunting but on mental deception and sneak attacks. If you show even the slightest sign of alertness or the slightest flaw in your movements, the opponent will immediately sense the abnormality, retreat into hiding in the vast Snowfield Forest, making it extremely difficult to lure the enemy out and kill them.
He could only endure it, he could only pretend.
Continue to maintain the illusion of being distracted and caught off guard, conceal all sharpness and vigilance, give the opponent enough confidence to strike, and let this strange creature that relies on mental hunting completely let go of its worries and feel free to approach and launch a sneak attack.
Time passed slowly, and the chilling coldness spread wider and wider.
Initially enveloping the front, the snow demon slowly moved around the sides of the body, silently shifting to the back. The entire process was light and stealthy, without stirring up the slightest disturbance of the wind and snow, perfectly matching the characteristics of the Mirror Image Snow Demon's stealthy and ambush-like attacks.
The moment the chill touched his skin, Lu Heng's tense muscles suddenly sent out an extreme warning signal. His upgraded bodily instincts instantly pinpointed the location of danger, without needing any analysis or judgment from his brain; he was already completely certain in his heart.
We've arrived at our destination.
The creature had circled behind him, within arm's reach, entering a deadly close-quarters position. Without further probing or hesitation, its long-dormant power erupted instantly.
He suddenly twisted his waist, his spine snapped, and his entire body tensed and gathered strength. He swiftly turned around, his right hand gripping the hilt of the Bronze Hunting Blade tightly. All the power he had accumulated was poured into the blade, and the blade, with a crisp and sharp whistling sound, slashed fiercely at the empty snowfield behind him!
Snap!
A soft, crisp cracking sound suddenly rang out.
The blade didn't cleave through the air; it struck a solid, icy substance. The instant the invisible object was pierced by the blade, the chilling aura surrounding Lu Heng shattered abruptly, scattering like broken ice mist and vanishing completely in an instant. The surrounding air returned to its normal, crisp, and dry texture.
Almost simultaneously, the Wristband instantly lit up with a soft glow.
[Slay the Black Iron Tier monster: Mirror Image Snow Demon]
[Monster data unlocked]
[Name: Mirror Image Snow Demon]
[Rank: Black Iron]
[Description: Paranormal Entity lurking in the snow-covered forest, without a physical body, it relies on its mental power to distort its surrounding vision, creating mirrored illusions to confuse its prey. It excels at stealth and ambush, does not engage in direct combat, feeds on the scattered mental energy of its prey, and lies dormant in the snow year-round, making it extremely difficult to detect.]
After the cold mist completely dissipated, a white item card was found floating quietly on the snow. It was firmly placed on the flat snow and was not moved in the slightest by the howling wind. It remained quietly suspended in the white snow.
Lu Heng bent down and raised his hand. The moment his fingertips touched the cool card, the item's detailed information was immediately and clearly displayed in his mind.
[Item: Camouflage Disguise Orb]
[Function: Anchors itself to a fixed area, continuously generating camouflage to obscure vision, conceal the presence of living beings, and mask sounds of activity.]
The moment Lu Heng saw the effect of the prop, his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, instantly settled down completely.
The Lighting Fixture module at the entrance of his dwelling had always been unused, lacking a suitable replacement component, which was the biggest flaw in his Shelter. This Disguise Pearl, with its size and function perfectly matching the module slot, was the perfect replacement part, perfectly suited to the layout of his hut.
Previously, he had been deeply worried about the high risk of his residence being exposed. For days, he had been frequently traveling between the Trial Grounds and the Shelter. His fixed daily route, the frequent fighting noises, and the lingering blood and life force would all remain in this dense forest, making it easy for wandering beasts and other surviving survivors to pinpoint his location, thus posing a great and deadly threat.
This item now perfectly fills the Shelter's biggest defensive weakness.
Once the installation and replacement are completed, the entrance and exit of the cabin will be permanently concealed by camouflage, completely hiding from external views, the presence of living beings, and activity. In this trial area fraught with danger and peril, this camouflage barrier is undoubtedly a reliable life-saving trump card, capable of avoiding unknown dangers lurking in the shadows to the greatest extent possible.
Without the slightest delay, Lu Heng carefully put the card into his backpack, swept his fingertips across the surrounding snow and wind, and carefully sensed the fluctuations of the surrounding aura. After confirming that there was no residual yin energy in the surrounding woods, that all traces of the Mirror Image Snow Demon had been cleared, and that there were no more strange movements in the surroundings, he finally set off and slowly returned to the Shelter.
During the Seven-Day Trial, he faithfully and punctually traveled between the Trial Grounds and his hut every day, following the same route. The duration of his stays in the trial, the sounds of his fights, and the traces of his running through the snow were repeated day after day, making his routine extremely regular and particularly conspicuous in the silent Snowfield Forest.
At first, he thought that the predator territories in this area were scattered and each guarded its own territory. Fortunately, no apex predator occupied his route, so he traveled safely every day without being ambushed.
But after slaying the Mirror Image Snow Demon today and having his physical senses completely clear, halfway back, an extremely subtle and profound sense of being watched suddenly clung to his back, locking onto his figure and refusing to leave.
This feeling was completely different; it was nothing like the chilling, piercing, and spirit-corroding malevolent aura of the Mirror Image Snow Demon from before.
This is a pure, heavy sense of oppression unique to high-level flesh-and-blood predators, carrying the domineering intimidation of wild beasts occupying their territory and locking onto their prey—deep, oppressive, and extremely deadly.
The opponent remained silent, neither approaching nor unleashing any direct killing intent. It did not disturb the wind and snow, nor sway the branches. It simply hovered steadily in the blind spot of the deep, dense forest behind it, neither too close nor too far, neither too fast nor too slow, maintaining a precise lock-on posture and patiently lying in wait.
The enhanced sixth sense of his body, amplified by the drug, triggered a frantic warning. His muscles trembled uncontrollably, not out of fear, but out of the Danger Sense of a high-level predator. Lu Heng paused slightly, his back muscles tensing to their limit, every nerve in his body standing on end, an extreme alertness sweeping over him.
He instantly realized what was happening.
It wasn't because he was able to hide his whereabouts or had exceptional luck.
From the moment he stepped into this area and began his first round of trials, the top predators lurking in the forest were completely drawn to him by the sounds of his daily battles, the presence of a stranger frequently traversing the territory, and the lingering aura of bloodlust. They had long since set their sights on this active outsider who was constantly moving within their territory.
The fact that the opponent did not immediately launch a surprise attack was not due to a lack of strength or fear of taking action, but rather because they possessed extremely high intelligence and unparalleled patience.
For the past few days, the hunter in the shadows has been secretly following, observing, and patiently assessing the situation, gradually figuring out his fixed movement patterns, fighting style, energy expenditure rhythm, and reaction habits to danger. He remained in a state of dormancy and observation, waiting to choose the safest, most accurate, and most lethal opportunity to strike and kill him in one fell swoop.
The entire deep, dense forest was eerily quiet.
The soft rustling of wind and snow through the Withered Branch continued as usual, and the sound of falling snow was clearly audible, but it couldn't suppress the silent, ever-present sense of being locked on from behind. The oppressive atmosphere enveloped the body layer by layer, sending chills down one's spine.
Lu Heng forcibly suppressed the instinctive vigilance and tension surging within him, without looking back or making any unusual movements.
He knew perfectly well what was going on.
In the face of this extremely patient apex predator, if you show the slightest sign of awareness, panic, or vigilance, the hunter, which has been lying in wait for a long time, will immediately end its long period of forbearance and launch a deadly attack without hesitation.