Mountains and giant beasts, cabins in the woods

A tree climber was unable to dodge in time and barely managed to block the grappling hook with his sword, but was injured on the arm and fell down.

"Thump thump thump!" Several flying darts, carrying great force, shot into the tree hole, smashing down countless wood chips.

Liu Xingmo narrowly avoided the attack, and after a brief preparation, he launched another hook claw.

This time the enemy was closer, and five bright silver, sharp hooks, like demonic claws, shot straight for his head.

The man was so frightened that he disregarded everything and kicked the tree bark so hard that he bounced off and fell to the ground.

Solve two, three more to go!

Liu Xingmo wrapped the iron chain tightly around his arms, gripping the hook claw in his right hand, ready to launch a thunderous strike at any moment.

At the same time, three figures disappeared into the tree hole.

Liu Xingmo used the combined power of his cultivation and the spiritual medicine to attack the ten people directly.

The Black Tortoise transforms from hard to soft!

"Clang! Ring! Clang! Clang!"

In just a few seconds, they had exchanged several blows. The iron chains binding their arms clashed fiercely with the sharp sword and dagger, sparks flying everywhere.

The violent tremors made my arms numb, but thankfully the resilience granted by the Tortoise Shell Technique helped me resist the erosion from the internal energy and sword energy.

At the same time, Liu Xingmo uttered a strange incantation with practiced ease—the Weakness Spell!

The attacker who was closest instantly froze.

Liu Xingmo shifted his stance, using the person who had been hit to block in front of him and impede the other person's attack.

Then he gripped the grappling hook and slashed fiercely at the third person.

"Crack!" The longsword made of refined steel broke in two, and several cuts appeared on the wielder's clothes, with blood splattering out.

Liu Xingmo followed up with a kick, striking the man squarely in the chest. With a grating crack of bones breaking, the man was unable to rise again.

At that moment, another longsword struck!

Liu Xingmo moved like a snake, twisting his spine strangely, narrowly avoiding the attack, and then slashed out with his claw.

In an instant, another one was taken down.

Liu Xingmo didn't have time to catch his breath. He turned his gaze to the person who was about to break free from the weakness spell and lashed out with an iron chain.

The iron ring, accelerated to its limit by the wave-like motion, emitted a piercing explosion as it struck the terrified, trembling man, knocking him to the ground, spitting blood.

Just as Liu Xingmo was about to catch his breath, he heard the sound of sharp weapons striking tree bark increasing, indicating that there were probably more enemies approaching.

He gave a wry smile and pulled out his secret weapon from his storage bag: a detonator.

Let the tree hole become a trap to bury the enemy!

As for himself, relying on his agile flying guillotine, he should be able to escape by climbing and leaping between tree branches like an ape.

With a determined heart, Liu Xingmo struck a match and lit the fuse.

Just then, "Bang!" An explosion and flames rang out in the distance.

Immediately afterwards, the dense sounds of climbing trees gradually subsided.

The enemy has retreated?

Liu Xingmo quickly extinguished the detonator, peeked outside, then swung out his grappling hook and climbed up the treetop.

The enemy seems to have really retreated, because the gray wolves are rapidly approaching.

A large, colorful snake coiled around the tree trunk and quickly climbed upwards: "Young master, are you alright?"

"It'll do. I can handle this kind of situation." Liu Xingmo gripped the iron chain and slowly slid down.

After confirming that the other was unharmed, the person and the snake returned to the ground.

"I've captured the enemy leader." The giant snake flicked its tail, throwing a gaunt old woman to the ground.

Liu Xingmo's eyes narrowed.

This aura belongs to a master cultivator, possessing third-tier strength!

Fortunately, he was an alchemist and not very good at direct combat, so he was taken down by a snake and a wolf working together.

The gray wolf that was chasing them was limping, as if it had been injured.

Liu Xingmo's anger surged, and he threw out the blood-dripping dart, his five-fingered claws gripping the old woman's neck tightly.

He shouted angrily, "Speak! Who are you?!"

"Cough cough cough!" The old lady coughed violently, her neck was scratched, and she spat out several mouthfuls of blood. She managed to say, "I am a visiting lecturer at the Central Academy of Da Yin."

"And then what!?" The grappling hook continued to exert force.

"Cough! This old woman...I am, after all, a third-tier alchemist. I'm willing to be your slave, at your beck and call. Cough cough! Please, release...my student..."

"Don't play the victim! You attacked me!"

"Young man, it's a misunderstanding!" The old woman on the ground looked pained. "It was that wolf that kept chasing my student, and then there was this snake... I thought it was a wild animal attack, but I didn't expect it to be a master of the Blood Path."

Liu Xingmo fell silent.

Wild animals that have gained sentience often possess a certain level of sophistication. For example, the wild boar I saw earlier was adorned with a beautiful seashell necklace around its neck.

The gray wolf on their side, carrying a vine cage, does not necessarily mean it belongs to humans.

Liu Xingmo channeled another surge of blood energy into the Blood Droplet, increasing its control: "You bastard from the Yin Kingdom! You've plotted against our Black Dragon Stronghold. Do you think I'd trust you?"

"Black Dragon Stronghold...it really is that Black Dragon Stronghold." The old woman muttered softly, then raised her voice, "We are innocent victims, we have nothing to do with the imperial court. I want to see your leader!"

At this moment, countless figures emerged from the darkness. They were dressed in tattered clothes and wrapped in bandages of various sizes.

"Please, don't hurt the teacher!"

"It was a misunderstanding! We thought it was a wild animal attack! I apologize!"

"Big brother, I'm just a poor student who got into university, and I can even cook! I'm such a good person, big brother!"

……

Liu Xingmo turned his head and met the gaze of the large snake sitting cross-legged.

He put away the guillotine: "Stop making noise, be quiet!"

He remained vigilant: "Black Dragon Stronghold is in the central Xing'an Mountains. Don't tell me you got lost! Tell me the truth, or I'll feed you to the wolves!"

The gray wolf, who was squatting to the side, immediately stuck out its tongue and drooled, its lips turned outwards, revealing its teeth and gums, and it hummed a low snort in its throat.

Everyone shut up.

The battered old woman struggled to her feet, took out a few pills from the small porcelain bottle, and swallowed them.

Her condition gradually improved: "We took an airship... to the outskirts of the Xing'an Mountains to collect herbs, but we encountered a storm and were blown off course."

"Hmph!" Liu Xingmo said coldly, "It wouldn't have drifted this far."

"The situation is rather complicated. We accidentally stumbled into the battlefield between the Ankylosaurus and the wild boar. The Ankylosaurus's servants, the eagles of the grasslands, discovered us and began to hunt us down. We had no choice but to take refuge in the clouds in our airship, which was then caught in the storm and eventually crashed in this valley."

After finishing her story, the elderly woman with gray hair and a wrinkled face looked at the young man in front of her with sincere and eager eyes.

A large group of ragged people gathered around, looking on pitifully, some even swallowing nervously.

Liu Xingmo gently flicked the grappling hook of the Blood Droplet, analyzing the group's words.

It sounds flawless.

Liu Xingmo went through the whole story, then frowned deeply: "That's not right! It's one thing for you to attack this gray wolf, but when you saw me, why didn't you explain things to me directly? Instead, you attacked me without saying a word!"