Starting from the pharmacy, he grew into a martial saint among men.

They used fire as bait to lure the monster out with the light.

By retreating into the shadows, they will gain the upper hand.

Xiao Cui nodded, fumbled for the dry firewood in the ravine, and soon lit it with a tinderbox.

A tiny flame rose slowly, dispelling the surrounding darkness and illuminating the trees around it.

The two quickly added some dry firewood, then quietly retreated, hiding in the shadows in the distance, holding their breath and observing the situation.

The flames crackled and danced, standing out starkly against the backdrop of the forest.

Before long, a hissing sound could be heard slowly coming from the dense forest.

The sound was like the chilling hiss of a giant snake, carrying a coldness that sent shivers down one's spine.

Then, a huge black shadow slowly emerged from behind the tree.

It was a huge snake, its body as thick as a large water vat, its blue scales appearing extremely cold in the firelight.

A fleshy crown protruded slightly on its head, and a pair of vertical pupils glowed green, coldly locking onto the direction of the fire.

It slid closer, faintly radiating the immense pressure of the peak of the Transformation Realm, already having one foot in the Condensation Realm.

The snake flicked its tongue wildly, circling and coiling around the fire, searching for the scent of living people.

Suddenly, his vertical pupils fixed on the dark spot where Chu Hong and the other man were hiding.

When Xiao Cui met its gaze, her heart tightened instantly, and she instinctively wanted to cry out in alarm.

Fortunately, Chu Hong reacted quickly, covering his mouth and nose and crouching down.

The giant snake seemed to have noticed the commotion, but for some reason did not move forward.

Instead, they lingered by the fire, lazily lying in wait for its light.

However, the snake's head would occasionally sweep over the place where the two were hiding.

Chu Hong's gaze was deep and serious.

He knew that the giant snake had definitely discovered him and was probably just playing with him.

Perhaps it will take action once it gets impatient.

He also sensed the snake's power and knew that it was extremely strong in battle.

If it were to be fought head-on, although I could fight it, I would inevitably be injured as a result. At the same time, the noise of the battle would attract monsters from all directions.

It will be even more dangerous then.

That is why, as long as the giant snake does not move, he dares not make any rash moves.

Chu Hong was secretly plotting how to escape danger, but he didn't expect the turning point to come so quickly.

At this moment, in the distant mountains and forests.

The pursuing team was eventually forced to stop because of the darkness.

It wasn't that they were unwilling, but that it was late at night, making it difficult to find any trace of Chu Hong and his companion.

They had no choice but to rest there.

But when Chu Hong lit the fire, it delighted the pursuing troops who were resting.

Upon seeing this scene, Old Wang unusually showed a look of doubt:

"First of all, we cannot determine whether that place is Chu Hong's."

"Secondly, it's highly unusual for a fire to be lit so late at night; perhaps something has happened there."

Someone spoke up:

"Perhaps they're hungry and planning to get some hot food? Didn't Chu Hongwu have a precedent for this during his military examinations?"

Old Wang pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said:

"That was the martial arts curriculum, which is different from the current situation."

"And even if he wanted to eat hot food, it would be impossible for him to do it at this time; he's not that stupid."

Someone else in the group spoke up, a lewd glint in their eyes, rubbing their hands together:

"In my opinion, it must be that Chu Hong has lost his bestial instincts and wants to have sex with Xiao Cui. It's cold here at night, so they're making a fire to keep warm."

"Old Wang, if we arrest them, could we... have some fun with Xiao Cui?"

The man spoke with a look of anticipation.

It seemed like I had already thought through the process a million times in my mind.

"Stop with your filthy thoughts!" Old Wang glared and rebuked. "Do you really think we're here to play house? They know better than we do what important business they're here for."

"Even if we were to do that, it would be impossible in this mountain forest, much less at this time."

"Given the current situation, something is definitely amiss. We must not act rashly."

He is now a completely different person from the one in the evening.

Because the light from that fire was so unusual, he felt a great sense of unease.

After being reprimanded, the man secretly pursed his lips and said nothing more.

Previously, it was Old Wang who was being pursued, but now it's Old Wang who's filled with fear and anxiety; he's said everything anyway.

At this moment, Old Li, who had remained silent until now, spoke up to smooth things over:

"Please don't mind, everyone. Old Wang is doing this for your own good."

"The firelight over there is really too unusual, but discussing it like this won't get us anywhere."

"Old Wang, I think we two old men should go and investigate first. If what they say is true, then we'll take the opportunity to deal with them."

"If anything unusual happens, the two of us working together can get out unscathed."

Upon hearing this, Old Wang felt that the plan was indeed prudent.

Both of them were at the Transformation Realm, so once they made a move, taking down Chu Hong would be a piece of cake.

These people in the team really couldn't be of much help at this point.

After a brief discussion, he agreed to the plan, and the two quickly slipped into the darkness and headed straight for the firelight.

Not long after, as Chu Hong was deep in thought, he suddenly heard a faint sound coming from the distant woods.

The sound was not loud, and it was deliberately controlled.

But in the quiet night, it seemed exceptionally clear.

Chu Hong's heart skipped a beat.

The giant snake suddenly turned its head, its vertical pupils staring intently in the direction from which the sound came.

The snake flicked its tongue, sensing the scent of a living person.

It lay prone on the ground, its body twisting, and silently crept towards the dense forest.

Seeing this, Chu Hong felt relieved.

Xiao Cui patted her chest with lingering fear and whispered, "Young Master Chu, that giant snake shouldn't be coming back, right?"

She had seen experts at the Transformation Realm before, but the giant snake's posture was stronger than any Transformation Realm expert she had ever seen.

So strong that it only takes one bite to devour her completely.

Chu Hong shook his head, his gaze grave:

"Not necessarily. It has already spotted us. This place is not safe. We must leave immediately."

The two of them had been hiding and leaving in a hurry, so they didn't take the wooden box they were carrying into the mountains with them.

Now is the perfect time to carry it on my back and leave.

Xiao Cui also knew that this was the perfect opportunity. The two quickly returned to the campfire. Xiao Cui took the bag, and Chu Hong carried the wooden box.

The two divided the work and quickly evacuated under the cover of the trees.

Just as the two had walked a short distance, they heard a terrified scream behind them:

"Run! Giant snake!"

Chu Hong was suddenly startled, not expecting that there would be other martial artists in this desolate wilderness.

Almost instantly, Chu Hong understood.

Who else could be Gu Jin's enemy, tracking him down in the dead of night?

"Let's go!" Chu Hong whispered.

Regardless of the extent of the entanglement between the other party and the giant snake, now is not the time for him to confront them head-on.

The most important thing is to leave quickly and complete Gu Jin's request.

Using the giant snake as cover, the two quickly ran away.

He left behind the cacophony of screams, clashes of weapons, and other sounds that followed him.

They stopped walking only when they could no longer hear the sound behind them.

We found another place to rest.

Traveling at breakneck speed in the dead of night, even the most agile person behind them would find it difficult to track them down.