Chapter 22: The Harvest

Qin Ming reached a higher vantage point on a slope, close to where he had buried his gear. He hid behind a massive tree, its trunk so thick it would take several people to encircle it.

As expected, the group was heading straight for the Blood Bamboo Forest. There were eleven of them in total, moving with agile, wind-like speed. In the blink of an eye, they reached the entrance of the valley.

Taking advantage of the surging Earth Light, Qin Ming could clearly see their faces. They were all able-bodied young men clad in polished Patroller Armor and carrying cold, gleaming long sabers.

Their coordination was seamless. They moved in perfect unison, and upon reaching the valley entrance, even their defensive stances with their blades were nearly identical.

"Mountain Patrollers!" Qin Ming recognized their origin.

They were wearing the same official Patroller Armor as Feng Yi’an and Shao Chengfeng. The only difference was that these men came armed with sabers. This was likely a deliberate choice; long sabers were far better suited for dealing with snakes than the standard iron spears usually favored by the Mountain Patrol Team.

The Earth Light had already begun to fade. The group stopped at the dim valley entrance and removed bundles from their backs, revealing various jars and bottles. They began mixing something together.

Qin Ming thought to himself that they were clearly a group of experienced veterans. Perhaps they really could wipe out this nest of Blood Snakes.

Shortly after, another figure came sprinting through the dense forest, quickly appearing at the valley entrance. Everyone turned to look at him.

The newcomer was panting heavily. "Fu Entao, Feng Yi’an, and the others aren't at the outpost. It’s strange—the wooden houses on the mountain have all vanished."

Everyone present looked surprised.

"Weren't those guys about to make a move on the Blood Bamboo Forest? Where did they run off to? Don't tell me a Mountain Monster wiped them all out."

"Lately, nobles from Crimson Cloud City and some famous organizations have arrived. Some have already entered the mountains. Did Fu Entao and his lot kick a steel plate?"

The group's leader held great authority. As soon as he spoke, the others fell silent. "Don't worry about that for now. I was originally worried about sneaking into Fu Entao's territory to kill the Blood Snakes, fearing they’d fight us to the death if they caught us. Now that they're gone, it's one less thing to worry about."

"Even the heavens are helping us!" one Mountain Patroller remarked.

The leader, Liu Huaishan, was exceptionally sturdy, built like a brown bear. He said in a low voice, "I’ll say it one more time: if things look wrong, flee immediately. Every man for himself. Do not hesitate."

The others were here for their own Second Rebirth, but Liu Huaishan was here to secure the Rebirth of his eldest son. Otherwise, no one would gamble with their lives like this.

The group entered the valley silently before coming to a halt. According to their plan, Liu Huaishan, the strongest among them, moved forward alone.

As a practitioner of the Second Rebirth, he took on the responsibility himself. He walked alone, carrying various jars. From a distance, he ignited the substances inside some of the jars, which began emitting thick yellow smoke, and hurled them all toward the Fire Spring.

He also accurately threw several jars filled with medicinal powders and liquids, which landed squarely in the dim red glow of the spring.

The moment he finished, he retreated rapidly, putting a safe distance between himself and the spring.

Seeing this, the other members of the Mountain Patrol Team grew nervous and retreated as well, moving almost all the way back to the valley entrance.

Thick smoke billowed from the Fire Spring, followed by a great commotion. First, over a dozen small snakes, each a few feet long, rushed out, slithering around as if scouting the area.

Then, two large snakes over four meters long leaped out. Their entire bodies glowed a brilliant crimson. When the two large snakes brushed against each other, a metallic clang echoed as if swords were clashing. Their scales shone like burnished red gold.

They charged toward the valley entrance at extreme speed. During their charge, they actually lifted off the ground, resembling two blood-colored spears piercing through the air. The Blood Snakes were enraged, letting out terrifying hisses.

The Mountain Patrollers wanted to curse. Why were there two large ones? This was completely beyond their expectations.

Liu Huaishan shouted, "Go, quickly! The Snake Medicine and irritating smoke don't work on these types of Blood Snakes at all!"

In truth, he didn't even need to remind them. As veterans who spent their years in the mountains, the Mountain Patrollers knew when a task was impossible and fled decisively.

As a Second Rebirth expert, Liu Huaishan was the fastest. Although he started from the back, his powerful legs soon carried him past several others.

One large snake gave chase. Its body paused briefly on a large bluestone outside the valley entrance before it suddenly sprang forward, turning into a startling streak of crimson light as it flew through the air.

The momentum was terrifying, accompanied by the faint sound of wind and thunder.

Crack!

The Mountain Patroller at the very back was struck as if by a four-meter-long blood-colored spear. Both layers of his armor shattered as the snake's head, hard as refined iron, pierced through, sending shards of metal flying.

This patroller was a veteran and had come well-prepared; he had placed a thick iron plate over his back. It blocked the Blood Snake at the critical moment, or his body would have surely been impaled.

However, it didn't change his fate. The iron plate was slightly deformed by the impact, and the sheer force was too much for him to withstand. He collapsed into the snow.

The four-meter-long Blood Snake was as fast as lightning, instantly coiling around his body.

If it were any other kind of snake, even one much larger wouldn't be able to restrain a Reborn, but this Mountain Patroller was screaming in agony.

As the Blood Snake coiled and constricted with immense force, its red-gold scales clanged together. The armor on the patroller's body exploded instantly, followed by the sound of numerous bones snapping. The snake bit his face, and the flesh there dissolved instantly.

The Mountain Patroller died in a heartbeat!

In that brief moment, the terrifying nature of the Blood Snake was fully revealed: a body as hard as iron, staggering strength, the ability to fly through the air like an iron arrow, and an incurable venom. Every trait was lethal.

The other large snake had also leaped out of the valley and plunged into the dense forest. A second Mountain Patroller was caught, let out a piercing scream, and fell.

The snake at the valley entrance abandoned the corpse and charged into the woods to continue the hunt!

Just as a fourth Mountain Patroller was about to be coiled, Liu Huaishan appeared abruptly. Gripping a sharp long saber with both hands, he slashed down fiercely at the snake's body.

This was the full-strength strike of a Second Rebirth expert. A brilliant blade-light flashed, shattering some of the red-gold scales. The terrifying strike cut a wound into the snake, though it wasn't very deep, and dark red blood began to flow.

This was frightening in its own right. Any other creature of the second mutation, or even a human of the Second Rebirth, would have been sliced in half by such a ferocious blow.

Liu Huaishan swung his blade repeatedly, but unfortunately, he couldn't land his hits on the same spot. The Blood Snake evaded him, and he only managed to leave more shallow wounds on other parts of its body.

Stung by the pain, the Blood Snake immediately released the patroller—who was clearly not going to survive—and lunged madly at Liu Huaishan.

At the same time, its hissing drew the other large snake from nearby, and that crimson figure came charging over at high speed.

Liu Huaishan sighed inwardly. Abandoning the wounded snake, he bolted into the forest without looking back. He had failed to kill a single snake even after seizing the best possible opportunity, leaving him no choice but to retreat decisively.

The two large snakes were relentless, chasing after him together. However, the wounded snake grew slower and slower. Once its body was cut open, it could no longer withstand the freezing environment of the snow.

It stopped, hissed a few times, and eventually slithered back toward the valley the way it had come.

Qin Ming was clad in four layers of armor, his face now covered by a black mask that left only his eyes exposed. He stood on the slope near the valley entrance, waiting quietly.

Several iron spears were thrust into the snow before him, along with a long saber. He carried a long-handled Darkgold Hammer on his back.

A moment later, he heard movement and saw the four-meter-long Blood Snake returning. It was wounded, with patches of scales missing in three places.

Though it still glowed with a faint crimson light, it was clearly lethargic, its speed significantly slower than before.

As it neared the valley, Qin Ming pulled an iron spear from the ground. Taking a deep breath, he threw it at the Blood Snake with explosive power.

He then immediately pulled a second spear from the snow...

The Blood Snake was completely enraged. Several iron spears flew at it with terrifying speed. Two of them shattered its scales again, tearing wounds into its body that were even more severe than the previous saber cuts.

It climbed a twenty-meter-tall tree and then lunged down with incredible force, like a brilliant crimson streak cutting through the night. It dove with the intent to impale the flesh of its target.

Qin Ming had originally intended to draw his saber, but he suddenly changed his mind. He gripped the long-handled Darkgold Hammer instead and swung it with a violent roar, meeting the snake's head head-on.

The Blood Snake shot forward like a rainbow piercing the sun, but instead of hitting flesh, it collided with the heavy Darkgold Hammer.

With a loud clang, a piercing sound of metal hitting metal echoed through the air, accompanied by a shower of sparks. The four-meter-long Blood Snake was instantly knocked to the ground. Its once rigid, spear-like body curled up, thrashing violently in the snow.

Had it been a smaller snake, Qin Ming wouldn't have used the hammer; they were too slippery and difficult to hit. But with a large snake launching itself directly at him with such immense force, he couldn't have asked for a better target.

The large Blood Snake was gravely injured. Its head had been caved in, and its skull was fractured, yet it didn't die immediately.

Qin Ming instantly grabbed the long saber from the snow. Kicking off the ground and sending snow flying, he rushed forward and delivered a series of powerful slashes with all his might.

Amidst the sounds of clashing metal, the crimson scales fell away, and the snake's head was finally severed!

"This is the 'Nourishment' that will allow me to reach the Second Rebirth quickly." Qin Ming felt a surge of excitement. He had finally harvested a spiritual creature.

Hiss! Hiss!

Several smaller Blood Snakes near the valley entrance, ranging from three to seven feet in length, all began slithering toward him. Some even took flight, shooting toward him like iron arrows.

Qin Ming swung his sharp saber repeatedly. With him striking at full strength, he cut them down one by one until six more snake corpses lay on the ground.

He took out a beast-hide bag and began collecting his spoils.

Suddenly, Qin Ming felt a surge of alarm. He shifted his body rapidly to the side just as an iron arrow whistled past at a terrifying speed, burying itself deep into the spot where he had just been standing.

Two more iron arrows grazed his armor, throwing off sparks before thudding into a nearby tree, sinking deep into the wood.

Qin Ming stood with his saber in hand, staring at the figures not far away.

"I suppose people really are different," he said. "We both waited here, but while I was here to intercept snakes, you were here to intercept people."