Almost immediately after entering, the three of them saw the massive figure coiled around the large tree in the center.
An ultra-long Teng Jiao, over thirty meters in length, as thick as a barrel, appeared approximately sixty centimeters in diameter.
Its body was covered in black scales about the size of a baby's fist, wrapped around most of the large tree, with its tail buried in the snow as if resting on the ground;
Most striking was its gigantic head, much broader than its body, lounging on a bifurcation of the tree.
On its forehead, two huge bulges seemed to be the nascent locations of budding horns.
Though the Teng Jiao's eyes were shut, its nostrils exhaled white mist with each breath, exuding an intense oppressive force.
The previous time, Bruce had only glanced at the Teng Jiao from a distance.
Now, watching up close, he felt the pressure of directly facing such a creature.
It's hard to imagine that this Teng Jiao, like the Snow Mane, Frost Wolf, and Demon Sheep, was still categorized as a low-tier Cold Beast.
Just how powerful would an intermediate Cold Beast be?
Of course, now wasn't the time for Bruce to marvel.
Bruce once more dropped to the ground to listen.
After a moment, a trace of joy appeared on his face.
"They stopped, those vile creatures really don't dare to come over!"
Earlier, the rodents had silently burrowed underground to ambush Aaron successfully because there were only two.
But this time, their numbers were significant, and to pursue him, they increased their digging speed, making it impossible to conceal their movement.
Therefore, Bruce could easily discern their movements each time he pressed his ear to the ground.
Although he heard clearly that about tens of meters away, the burrowing noise of the rodent group had ceased, Bruce didn't dare to be careless and led the other two to distance themselves as much as possible from the Teng Jiao, choosing to climb up a tree to hide.
"The damp cloth can only filter for half an hour; with less than that until dawn, we can only linger for a few minutes. Regardless of whether the rodent group has retreated or not, we must quickly find another spot. Otherwise, we'd freeze to death even if we aren't eaten by the Teng Jiao."
As time ticked by, Bruce estimated the time but continuously pressed his ear to the tree trunk, hoping to hear the retreat of the rodent group.
Sadly, he heard nothing.
But that was to be expected.
If the rodents decided to retreat, they would likely follow the same underground path they dug in on, providing little chance of audibly detecting them leaving.
"It's getting light, elder brother; if we don't go now, it'll be too late."
Charlie clearly sensed the dropping temperature and looked up at the increasingly transparent mist, realizing the night was ending, urgently reminded.
Bruce frowned deeply.
Regardless of the impending dawn, with such a big Cloud Mist Teng Jiao looming nearby, he wanted to withdraw too.
But whether the rodents had retreated was unknown.
What if they were lying in wait?
The Teng Jiao represented their lone lifeline, and leaving recklessly only to get surrounded by rodents meant they wouldn't receive a second chance.
"Retreat first, take a gamble!"
Bruce would prefer not to gamble if possible.
Because if the gamble failed and the rodents hadn't gone, he would immediately meet his end leaving the mist zone.
But regrettably, he had no choice.
For humans, the low temperature after dawn was lethal, but it empowered Cold Beasts, making them widely active and stronger during the day.
The imbalance meant death was the only outcome if the three stayed longer.
However, just as Bruce was about to lead the way down from the tree…
A sharp cracking sound of breaking wood met their ears,
Crack…
Bruce's face froze, his pupils contracted slightly, and he then moved to his previous spot, pressing his ear once more against the surface.
"Run quickly!"
As soon as he heard it, Bruce's expression changed dramatically.
With a low shout, he dragged Charlie and Aaron with force, leaping down from the tree together.
Whoosh…
The trunk of the large tree where they'd been perched suddenly splintered, releasing seven or eight silver flashes.
The sharp-fanged, fleet-footed figures weren't anyone but those long-tailed rodents.
Upon landing, before they could even let go, Bruce and the other two were instantly beset by two or three rodents each from either side.
The three formed a back-to-back defensive stance, lifting their knives to fend off attacks.
Despite holding off several strikes, they each sustained numerous wounds.
Even targeted primarily, Bruce received a three to four-inch scar across his face from the rodent's claws.
"Feigning immobility, while quietly sending a few to burrow over, these rodents possess intelligence this high, damned it!"
Bruce couldn't mind his own injuries; his face was severely solemn.
If not for the inadvertent noise exposed by the rodents at the last moment, the three of them would have been decapitated had they hesitated to jump down the tree half a second longer.
Eight rodents encircled them in a three-three-two formation, their eyes glinting with ferocity.
Their narrow, sinister muzzles bared sharp incisors, chattering as though communicating something.
"Elder brother, something's wrong!"
One wave hadn't subsided when another arose.
Bruce had yet to figure out how to escape the rodent encirclement when he heard Charlie's voice, low and fearful, from the left.
Uncertain, he turned to see Charlie gazing skyward, prompting him to instinctively look up too.
At a glance, his back turned ice-cold.
A massive head hovered in the air, dozens of meters above, staring down at him.
It was the Cloud Mist Teng Jiao from before.
Its forked tongue extended a good four or five meters from its mouth, and the mist exhaled from its nostrils was far denser than earlier.
Its fiery red vertical pupils bore no emotion, only sheer ferocity and brutality.
When did this Teng Jiao wake?
With such a large body, how did it crawl from that central tree to here without making a sound?
Bruce wiped the blood from his face, already cooled to the core.
Initially hoping natural hostilities would entice the rodents to fight the Teng Jiao, with expectations of being the fisherman reaping a reward.
Now, far from a windfall, they were trapped by both the Teng Jiao and the rodents.
"This is the result of being too clever for your own good."
Bruce was filled with regret, almost wishing to slap himself.
"Run!"
In such a predicament, there was no other choice left.
Though the Cloud Mist Teng Jiao looked terrifying, it was still a low-level Cold Beast; the individual power of the Rodents wasn't strong either, and though seven or eight was a considerable number, without an ambush, they were not much of a threat to the three of them.
The key was, if they didn't run now, half an hour would pass.
Bruce clearly felt his head starting to feel dizzy, and the temperature was dropping faster and faster, indicating that dawn was not far off.
As soon as he gave the order, the three of them simultaneously raised their swords and charged in the direction where there were only two Rodents.
The six Rodents on the other two sides reacted quickly, rushing over to try and block the three from escaping, but before they could move, the Teng Jiao above them moved first.
Whoosh…
A huge tail descended from the sky, smashing towards the three.
Bruce didn't need to look up; just the sound of the wind from the descending tail made him realize how terrifying the Teng Jiao's strength was.
He directly abandoned the two Rodents in front of him and dodged sideways before the tail fell, holding his sword firmly.
Boom…
The giant tail of the Teng Jiao struck the ground, sending snow flying ten meters high.
Although Charlie and Aaron dodged to the sides at the last moment, they were still sent flying over ten meters by the sweeping strike that followed.
Splutter…
Though they quickly got up after landing, both spat blood, clearly having their organs injured by the terrifying force of the Teng Jiao.
Unlike the two, Bruce not only dodged the impact of the Teng Jiao's giant tail, but his sword even cut into the tail of the Teng Jiao.
Taking advantage of the Teng Jiao's final sweep, he withdrew his sword.
A deep cut over a meter long appeared on the Teng Jiao's tail.
"The strength exceeds mine, should be over twenty-five thousand kilos, but its defense is average. Iron weapons can injure it!"
Bruce took a deep breath, a hint of delight on his face.
When the Teng Jiao's giant tail descended earlier, he hadn't attacked proactively but held his sword horizontally in the air.
The wound on the Teng Jiao's tail was caused by its own inability to stop its strength, and the final sweeping strike was obviously a reflex from being wounded by the sword and feeling the pain.
"Leader, the Rodents' movements have slowed!"
"Indeed, they're no longer as agile as before."
Meanwhile, from the other side, good news came from Charlie and Aaron.
The reason they were hit by the Teng Jiao's sweep earlier was that they blocked the two incoming Rodents for Bruce.
Both Rodents were now marked with cuts inflicted by their swords.
With the usual speed of Rodents, the two of them shouldn't have managed to injure them.
Bruce turned to look at the cuts on the Rodents, then glanced around at the other eight Rodents.
He noticed that their crimson pupils showed a clear dazedness, and their movements were indeed much slower than before, and he realized instantly.
"The poisonous mist from the Teng Jiao affects the Rodents more than it does humans!"
Whoosh…
Just as he finished speaking, the sound of the wind came again.
Bruce hurriedly led the other two quickly southward, toward the place where the Rodent group had chased them earlier and finally stopped.
"Properties counteracting each other; these two types of Cold Beasts are indeed natural enemies. Fortunately, neither of them is particularly strong on their own. As long as we can deal with the Rodent group, escaping safely is not an issue."
Seeing the toxic mist restrain the Rodents, Bruce immediately made a decision.
The Teng Jiao, though powerful, was of limited threat to them.
Escaping wasn't an issue; the Rodent group was currently their biggest obstacle to survival.
The large group of Rodents underground, whether they retreated or not, if they brought the Teng Jiao over, it was the safest bet.
If they could instigate a fight between the two sides, that would be ideal.
Even if they couldn't, if they could scare away the Rodent group, they could survive.
The Teng Jiao, enraged by the earlier blow, was clearly very hateful towards Bruce.
Seeing the three of them escape, it didn't hesitate to circle around from the trees to chase after them.
Of course, during the process, it didn't forget to swoop down and swallow the eight nearly-unconscious Rodents on the ground.
Whoosh… Whoosh… Whoosh… Whoosh…
The trees of Redwood Ridge were unusually thick and tall, and the Teng Jiao didn't need to land but instead leveraged the trees to chase after the three, closing the distance quickly in just a short time.
"The underground is moving; it worked.
The Rodent group is retreating!"
As they fled, passing near the area where the Rodent group had stopped earlier, Bruce could feel the movement indicating the Rodents were retreating underground.
Though he dared not stop, a smile gradually appeared on his face.
"Throw the torch!"
On Bruce's command, Charlie immediately understood.
While running, he ignited a torch and threw it forcefully in the direction the Rodent group was fleeing.