Qin Ming arrived at a higher slope, not far from the place where he had buried his weapons and armor, and hid behind a massive tree so large that it would take several people to encircle it.
As expected, that group was heading straight for the Blood Bamboo Forest. There were eleven of them in total, all agile and swift, moving like the wind, and they reached the valley's entrance in the blink of an eye.
Taking advantage of the rising earthglow, Qin Ming was able to see their faces clearly. All of them were young and strong, clad in shining armor and wielding long blades that gleamed coldly.
They moved with remarkable coordination. Even as they advanced at high speed, their formation remained tight and uniform. Once they reached the valley entrance, even the way they held their blades in a defensive stance was nearly identical.
"Patrolmen!" Qin Ming immediately understood who they were.
Their standardized armor matched exactly what Feng Yian, Shao Chengfeng, and the others wore. The only difference was that this group had come armed with blades instead of spears.
This was likely intentional, as long blades were better suited for dealing with snakes, certainly more effective than the standard iron spears typically issued to patrol units.
As the earthglow faded, the group took off their packs near the dimly lit valley entrance, revealing a variety of jars and vials, and began preparing mixtures of some sort.
Qin Ming muttered to himself, knowing that they were a group of seasoned veterans. Perhaps they truly could wipe out this nest of blood snakes. Soon after, another figure came running through the dense forest and appeared before the valley. Everyone turned to look at him.
Panting heavily, the newcomer said, "Fu Entao, Feng Yian, and the others aren't at the base. What's more, something's strange. Several of the wooden cabins on the mountain have disappeared."
At this, everyone's expression changed slightly.
"Weren't they about to make a move on the Blood Bamboo Forest? Where the hell did they go? Don't tell me a mountain beast wiped them all out."
"Recently, nobles from Chixia City and some famous organizations have entered the mountains. Could it be that Fu Entao and the others messed with the wrong people?"
The team leader of the group held considerable authority. As soon as he spoke, everyone quieted down. He said, "Let's not worry about that for now. I was concerned that raiding Fu Entao's territory to hunt the blood snakes might provoke them into a deadly fight with us. Since they're gone, one less threat to worry about, so much the better."
"Even the heavens are helping us!" one of the patrolmen said.
The team leader, Liu Huaishan, was powerfully built like a brown bear. He spoke in a low voice, "Let me stress this again. If something doesn't feel right, scatter immediately and flee for your lives. Don't hesitate for even a second."
The others were here in pursuit of their rebirths, but Liu Huaishan was here for the sake of his eldest son's rebirth. Otherwise, he wouldn't risk his life like this.
The group silently entered the valley, stopping at their designated spots. As previously planned, the strongest among them—Liu Huaishan—proceeded alone.
He was a second rebirther and carried various jars and vials. From a distance, he lit the contents of several jars, releasing thick yellow smoke, and hurled them toward the fire spring.
Other containers held medicinal powders and liquids, which he threw with precision into the dim "crimson glow" of the spring.
The moment he completed these actions, he swiftly retreated to a safe distance. The rest of the patrolmen, still tense, also began to fall back until they were nearly at the valley entrance.
Thick smoke billowed from the fire spring, accompanied by loud noises. First, over a dozen small snakes, a few feet long, shot out, darting around as if scouting the surroundings.
Then, two massive snakes over four meters long leapt forth, their bodies glowing a brilliant crimson. As they brushed against each other, a metallic clanging sound rang out like blades colliding. Their scales glinted as though forged from red gold.
They sped toward the valley entrance with terrifying speed, even lifting off the ground at times, like two blood-colored spears ripping through the air, hissing furiously. The snakes were enraged.
The patrolmen cursed under their breath. Two giant snakes? This was far beyond their expectations.
Liu Huaishan shouted, "Fall back! The snake repellent and smoke stimulants are useless against these blood snakes!"
In truth, he didn't even need to say it. The experienced patrolmen, seasoned in mountain dangers, knew this battle couldn't be won and retreated without hesitation.
As a second rebirther, Liu Huaishan was the fastest among them. Though he was at the rearmost, he quickly overtook several others when his strong legs moved.
One of the giant snakes chased them, pausing briefly on a large stone outside the valley entrance before launching itself like a scarlet missile, its momentum accompanied by the roar of wind and thunder.
CRACK!
The rearmost patrolman was struck as if by a four-meter-long blood-red spear. His double-layered armor shattered, pierced through by the snake's rock-hard head, the plates exploding outward.
This patrolman was a veteran and had been well-prepared. A thick iron plate on his back received the blow, or else he would've been skewered on the spot.
But fate didn't change. Though the iron plate absorbed the strike, the impact knocked him off his feet into the snow.
The blood snake, lightning-fast, instantly coiled around him. If it had been an ordinary snake, even larger ones couldn't restrain a rebirther. But the patrolman screamed in agony.
The blood snake constricted violently, its red-gold scales clanging as his armor shattered instantly. His bones cracked in multiple places, and after a single bite to the face, the flesh there melted away.
The patrolman died instantly!
In those brief seconds, the blood snake's terror was fully displayed. Its body was as hard as steel, its power monstrous, its venom incurable, and its mid-air lunges were like iron arrows. All of it was deadly.
The second giant snake had also left the valley and entered the forest. Another patrolman screamed in anguish as he was caught.
Not far from the valley entrance, the first blood snake left the corpse behind and slithered into the forest to continue the hunt.
When the fourth patrolman was caught by a blood snake, Liu Huaishan reappeared, gripping his long blade with both hands and slashing fiercely at the snake's body. This was a full-force strike from a second rebirther. The blade cut through the red-gold scales, leaving a deep wound that oozed bright red blood.
It was a terrifying blow. Had it landed on any other second-mutated beast or second rebirther, the target would've been cleaved in half.
Liu Huaishan followed up with more strikes, but unfortunately couldn't hit the same spot again. The blood snake dodged, suffering more injuries but not fatal ones.
Roaring in pain, the blood snake released the patrolman, who was clearly beyond saving, and charged Liu Huaishan. At the same time, its hissing cry summoned the other blood snake, which came racing through the forest.
Liu Huaishan sighed and abandoned the wounded snake. Without looking back, he fled into the woods. Even when given the best chance, he hadn't been able to kill one of the snakes and was forced to give up.
The two snakes chased relentlessly, but the injured one began to slow. The wounds on its body were not suited to the icy terrain. It stopped, hissed a few times, then turned and slithered back toward the valley.
Qin Ming now stood quietly on a slope near the valley entrance, wrapped in four layers of armor and with his face covered by a black scarf, only his eyes exposed.
In the snow before him stood several iron spears and a long blade. The long-handled black-steel warhammer rested on his back. Moments later, he heard something and saw the wounded blood snake return. Its scales were missing in three spots.
Though it still glowed faintly red, its vitality was weakened, and it moved much more slowly. As it neared the valley, Qin Ming picked up a spear, took a deep breath, and hurled it at the snake. Then he quickly grabbed another spear from the snow.
The blood snake was enraged. Several spears shot toward it at terrifying speed, two of them shattering its scales and inflicting deeper wounds than before. It climbed a towering tree over twenty meters tall, then launched itself like a blazing crimson comet, slicing through the night sky in a deadly dive, aiming to skewer its prey.
Qin Ming had planned to draw his blade, but at the last moment, changed his mind. Gripping the long-handled black-steel hammer, he swung it upward toward the incoming snake.
The blood snake flew like a crimson rainbow, but instead of striking flesh, it collided with the heavy warhammer.
CLANG! A piercing metallic crash rang out in midair, sparks flying. The four-meter snake dropped to the ground, its once-straight body now twisted and thrashing violently in the snow.
If it had been a smaller snake, Qin Ming wouldn't have used the hammer as it's too slippery to hit effectively. But this one had launched itself, providing the perfect opening.
The blood snake was gravely wounded. Its skull caved in, and bones cracked, but it wasn't dead yet.
Qin Ming drew the long blade stuck in the snow and charged forward, stomping down the snowpack. He unleashed a barrage of strikes with full force. With metallic clashing sounds, red scales flew, and the serpent's head was cleanly severed!
"This will be the resource I need for my second rebirth," Qin Ming thought, excitement rising at having slain a spiritual creature.
Hiss, hiss!
Several smaller blood snakes, ranging from three to seven feet long, began slithering toward him from near the valley, some launching themselves like iron arrows.
Qin Ming swung his blade with full force, slicing them down one by one, and six more snake corpses littered the snow. He took out a beast-hide pouch and began collecting his spoils.
Suddenly, Qin Ming felt a warning in his heart. He swiftly sidestepped just as an iron arrow whizzed past, vanishing into the spot where he had just stood. Two more arrows barely scraped his armor, sparking on impact, before burying deep into a nearby tree.
Qin Ming stood firm, blade in hand, and looked toward the group not far away. "As expected, people are different. I've been here killing snakes while you've come here to kill humans."