Chapter 21: Blood Bamboo Forest

In the faint light of the Shallow Night, great mountains stood tall. Groves of larch, hazel, and birch trees clustered together; though the species differed, most had shed their leaves, leaving only bare branches to shoulder the weight of the white snow.

Qin Ming trekked through the snow, crossing several mountains before nearing the Blood Bamboo Forest.

He had never set foot in this area before; it could no longer be considered the outer periphery of the mountains.

Along the way, he had encountered numerous mountain beasts, and the cries of strange birds had been constant. However, upon reaching this place, every sound except for the whistling cold wind seemed to vanish.

Qin Ming realized how dangerous the Blood Bamboo Forest was. The various creatures of the mountains circumvented this area, rarely appearing here.

And this was during the bitter cold of winter. Once the Fire Spring entered its active period and all things were revived—when the Blood Snakes emerged to hunt—the surroundings would likely be even more deathly silent.

"The scenery is actually quite beautiful," Qin Ming remarked, standing outside a valley and looking in.

The Blood Bamboo Forest filled the valley. Though the sky was dim, the groves of bamboo remained clearly visible, standing tall against the wind and snow. They were a vibrant fiery red, capped with white snow—a breathtaking sight.

The valley was filled entirely with Blood Bamboo. It was stunning; every part of the plant, from the stalks to the leaves, glowed with a crimson translucence, looking like red coral growing into a dense forest amidst the snow.

"This really is a good place," Qin Ming marveled.

Normally, no one dared to come here for the view. The Blood Snakes' ferocious reputation made even the Mountain Patrollers extremely wary.

No light from a Fire Spring steamed within the valley; it seemed to have truly gone out.

However, Qin Ming did not take a single step into the valley. He believed there were likely still "embers" beneath the permafrost; the Fire Spring here had not necessarily vanished completely.

He circled the area, observing the nearby terrain. He climbed a high slope to look down from above and, as expected, found an extremely faint "red glow" in the very center of the valley.

After a moment of thought, Qin Ming turned and left this silent place. He returned to an area where strange birds and mountain beasts were more common and caught a rabbit in the snow.

"Sorry about this," he said, clutching the fat snow rabbit. He returned to the vicinity of the Blood Bamboo Forest, stood on the high slope, and threw the rabbit with all his might toward the "red glow" in the center of the valley.

With a thud, the large rabbit slammed into the thick snow, sending a large spray of white flying. It landed not far from the embers of the Fire Spring.

Almost simultaneously, a red line shot out, streaking across the snow. It rushed toward the rabbit with astonishing speed and pierced into its body in an instant.

Qin Ming’s mental focus reached its peak as ripples of crushed gold surfaced on his skin. His eyes were fixed intently on the center of the valley not far away.

Without a doubt, that was a Blood Snake. It was only about three feet long, but just as the rumors said, its body was as hard as refined iron. it could leap through the air for short bursts, piercing through targets like an iron arrow.

"They really are troublesome creatures. And that's a relatively small one. If a giant snake several meters long appears, it’ll be hard to deal with," Qin Ming muttered, frowning.

Most importantly, even in such a cold season, the Blood Snakes remained active. They could move through the ice and snow for short periods, which was very problematic.

Then, he saw several more red lines emerge from the "red glow." All were only a few feet long. This time, they didn't shoot out like iron arrows but crawled along the snow toward the rabbit. Their hard heads pierced into the rabbit's body.

These spiritual snakes could not be judged by common logic. They were not as afraid of the freezing world as one might imagine and would not freeze stiff in a short amount of time.

"Am I giving you guys a winter supplement? An unexpected extra meal?" Qin Ming watched the Blood Bamboo Forest. The snakes were clearly sucking the snow rabbit's warm blood.

These snakes were named for blood, which was also related to their feeding method; they did not swallow their prey whole like ordinary snakes.

They fed very quickly, perhaps because they didn't want to stay in the snow for long. Soon, they slithered back toward the nearly extinguished Fire Spring.

"Hmm?" Qin Ming noticed that two of them did not return to the nest immediately. Instead, they slithered rapidly through the Blood Bamboo Forest as if searching for something.

At the same time, he noticed a larger snake head appear within the "red glow," its bright red tongue flickering constantly as if sensing its surroundings.

"A bit troublesome." Qin Ming could see that these lethal spiritual creatures were powerful and highly alert, far harder to deal with than other Mutated Creatures.

He wondered if he could fight poison with poison by feeding them toxic blood, but seeing that the large snake wasn't eating at all and the small snakes had one individual "test" the food first, he felt that method might not be feasible.

Qin Ming noticed that after the two smaller snakes finished a quick circuit of the Blood Bamboo Forest, their speed slowed down significantly. They ended their patrol of the territory and vanished back into the "red glow" of their habitat.

"The freezing weather still has a significant impact on them. That's good news." He walked down the slope and retraced his steps.

He planned to transport his various weapons over. Once he entered the Blood Bamboo Forest, he would definitely need to wear three or four layers of Patroller Armor. He didn't want to be ambushed by a Blood Snake; once that iron-like head pierced the skin, even a Reborn would be doomed.

It didn't take long for him to dig up the iron spears and armor and transport them near the Blood Bamboo Forest, where he hid them.

"To deal with Blood Snakes, Fu Entao's sharp long saber is actually more useful than the long-handled Darkgold hammer."

Heavy weapons were indeed powerful when attacking large anomalies—one swing could crush a head—but for hitting slender snakes, they weren't as effective as a long saber.

Qin Ming wondered exactly when the Fire Spring in the Blood Bamboo Forest would fully extinguish. The longer it took, the weaker the Blood Snakes would become, but he didn't have much time left. The final negotiation between the high-level officials and the top-tier anomalies of the mountains would be completed within the next few days.

"I've startled the snakes today and made them alert. I'll come back tomorrow." Qin Ming retreated. Although time was tight, one day wouldn't make a difference.

"I should be able to handle this nest of Blood Snakes, right?" he mused on the way. Feng Yi'an, Shao Chengfeng, and the others had designs on the Blood Bamboo Forest, and he had wiped out that entire group.

He absolutely could not be careless; he had to be cautious.

On the way back, he spotted three large birds of prey running through the forest at extreme speed. They were actually carrying people on their backs as they crossed through the dense woods ahead of him.

"People from Golden Chicken Ridge?" Qin Ming hid behind a large tree, guessing their identity upon seeing the sight.

Those were three mutated Ground-runners, each over a man's height and very strong. They could carry people and run quickly through the mountain forests; only Golden Chicken Ridge could breed such creatures in this region.

Qin Ming had heard of Golden Chicken Ridge. It possessed a near-Grade 2 Fire Spring and was originally inhabited by a band of great bandits, though they were eventually brought under official control.

Because the mutated Ground-runners they bred were so practical, Mountain Patrollers sometimes needed to hire their Gold Knights to scout the conditions deep within the mountains.

"Golden Chicken Ridge is very far from here. Why have they come?" He watched the three Ground-runners recede. One of the riders wore high-quality armor and didn't look like a local; his attire was completely different from the other two from Golden Chicken Ridge.

"From Crimson Cloud City?" Qin Ming noticed the man's black Patroller Armor style was different from those of the Cao, Wei, and Mu families. He was likely from another major family.

Seeing that they weren't headed toward the Blood Bamboo Forest, Qin Ming continued his journey home.

Just as he was dragging a carcass out of the mountains, he spotted four more unusual Reborns.

Two of them wore no armor, but their clothing was clearly extraordinary. They were covered from head to toe in black robes woven with metallic threads, even their faces hidden.

Qin Ming was surprised and suspicious. The Mountain Sweeping Operation hadn't even started yet, but the mountains were already getting lively. Who were these people?

The other two Reborns were likely locals in their early thirties. One of them called out with a smile, "Little brother, do you know if there's a fissure nearby that emits silver light?"

Qin Ming realized they were looking for special nodes. It seemed the two black-robed individuals also likely hailed from Crimson Cloud City.

"Go that way. Walk straight for three miles and you'll find it!" Qin Ming pointed them in a direction. That wasn't a secret location; many people already knew about it.

"Why don't you lead the way for us, little brother? We'll give you a Night Silver coin when we're done," the man who asked for directions said with a smile.

Qin Ming took two steps back and said, "I'm afraid of that place. The fissure is dangerous. Besides, I have to get back. I haven't caught any game for days, and my old mother is nearly starving to death."

"Let's go," one of the black-robed men spoke. His voice sounded quite young.

Hearing this, Qin Ming prepared to leave.

However, the black-robed man's next sentence made him freeze.

"Eliminate him. Since we have appeared here, it is best if not too many people know." The black-robed man’s words were light, casually deciding the fate of a "young hunter."

Qin Ming was stunned. Where did these monsters come from? To decide a person's life or death with a single sentence—they were far too indifferent to the lives of ordinary people.

He had met Cao Long, Wei Zhirou, Mu Qing, and the others from Crimson Cloud City. Those people were quite peaceful; whether they were merely maintaining the etiquette and politeness expected of nobles, at least they were decent on the surface and didn't provoke resentment.

This black-robed man, however, was far too "decisive in killing." Without a ripple of emotion, he ordered the two local Reborns guiding them to commit murder.

"Big brothers, we're all locals. You can't do this," Qin Ming said.

One of them laughed. "Sorry, brother, but we are under orders to accompany these two honored guests into the mountains. We must obey their every command."

"You are..." Qin Ming asked.

"We are from the Three-Eye Cult." The two locals closed in together.

In the next instant, Qin Ming became like an agile cheetah. Leaving an afterimage where he stood, he lunged forward with extreme speed. The short sword in his left hand slit both of their throats in a flash.

The two men from the Three-Eye Cult were stunned, terrified, and incredulous. They thought they had encountered an ordinary hunter because the game Qin Ming carried was small—nothing but a rock sheep. In the end, their throats were inexplicably cut; the opponent was too fast.

When the two black-robed men saw Qin Ming rushing toward them and realized the long-handled Darkgold hammer he drew from his back was exceptionally heavy, their expressions instantly changed.

Qin Ming swung the Darkgold hammer in his right hand toward one man's head while thrusting the short sword in his left hand toward the other black-robed man.

Since the other party had already decided to kill him to ensure their tracks remained hidden, words were useless. He could only do his best to kill them in return.

In an instant, the sound of metal clashing erupted between the three of them, exceptionally piercing.

With just a brief exchange, Qin Ming gauged their depth. One was a Second Rebirth expert, while the other was of little concern, having only undergone Rebirth once.

He focused his full power on attacking the Second Rebirth expert; only this person was a threat.

If it had been before, he might have had to fight a fierce battle for a while. But after reading the Saber Manual today, the benefit to him was immense. It wasn't quite a divine revelation, but it had significantly improved his combat techniques.

Clang!

After several collisions, the long saber held by the powerful black-robed man was knocked high into the air by the Darkgold hammer. His arm went numb.

At the same time, his pupils contracted because the long-handled Darkgold hammer was being swung like a bolt of lightning. The youth swung it with practiced ease, striking his chest at a speed he couldn't hope to match.

It was too late to dodge. His chest caved in, and he coughed up a large amount of blood, clearly not going to survive.

"You want to duel sabers with me?" Qin Ming gripped the long-handled Darkgold hammer. He was using saber techniques. Without even glancing at the dying man, he turned and pressed toward the other black-robed man.

The other man was shocked. He had just been shaken back, and his companion was dead in moments. It was simply too fast. How could a boy who looked like a hunter be so terrifying?

Knowing he was no match, he turned and bolted into the dense forest, trying to escape.

"Saber-Throwing Form!" Qin Ming spat out those words. With a boom, the long-handled Darkgold hammer flew out. Not far away, the black-robed man's head shattered like a rotten watermelon.

Qin Ming did not hesitate. He quickly cleaned the battlefield, used snow to wipe the blood from the Darkgold hammer, and dragged his game back toward home.

However, he felt uneasy. With so many people entering the mountains now, from all walks of life, he couldn't leave the Blood Bamboo Forest for too long.

After eating, he quietly returned to the mountains.

"With every day that passes, the Fire Spring will dim significantly, which is to my advantage. But I must also watch out for outsiders coming to fight for the spiritual matter," Qin Ming muttered to himself. For now, he could only stand guard here.

He didn't leave until Deep Night approached. No one would choose to strike at such a time; total darkness didn't affect snakes much, but it would limit a Reborn.

The next day, he entered the mountains early and found that the "red glow" in the center of the valley had indeed dimmed considerably.

With this discovery, he decided to wait a little longer. He would strike at the end of this Shallow Night at the latest.

An hour later, the entire mountain landscape suddenly became radiant. Endless "Earth Light" steamed upward, and a rain of light filled the sky, illuminating the nearby area.

As the Earth Light surged and the colorful mists flowed, the spectacle left Qin Ming entranced. It was truly beautiful.

In this place particularly, the fiery red bamboo groves and the pure white snow complemented each other, creating a fresh, stunning, and extraordinarily magnificent scene.

"Hmm?" It was at this moment that Qin Ming made a discovery. A group of people was approaching from the distance.

He didn't panic. Instead, he calmly retreated into the shadows. This was fine; if this group was coming for the treasures of the Blood Bamboo Forest, he would let them scout the path first.