Because of the interruption by the Seven Sabers Martial Hall and the Little Mountain Gang, Li Jinshan naturally could not continue resting.
The team quickly packed up and set off. The bodies of the two tigers had been roughly processed and loaded onto the carts.
Li Jinshan credited both tigers to Su Yan, so before even reaching their destination, one hundred taels of silver had been added to Su Yan's account.
Naturally, some people in the group were envious, but Li Shun and his companions felt even more resentment.
If Su Yan hadn't interfered, they wouldn't have become a laughingstock.
However, even so, they had to swallow their anger. It was their own incompetence, unable to subdue even one tiger.
Li Jinshan led the team without further rest, climbing hills and crossing mountains, traversing muddy roads, and finally arriving at Wawanshan as night fell.
Wawanshan was a gentle, flat area halfway up the mountain, where shrubs and weeds had been cleared.
Tall trees had been felled, their branches trimmed, and several wooden cabins had been built there.
Above the halfway point, there were only scattered trees. Below, just a few hundred meters away, was the mountain stream.
The location was open, and crossing it meant entering the deep mountain territory, which is why most teams chose to rest here.
"We will rest here tonight. Start the campfires, and secure the horses and goods."
Li Jinshan scanned the entire Wawanshan area. Apart from this clearing, everything beyond was dense shrubs and vines, and the gloomy forest, coupled with the strange noises of evening birds, made people feel uneasy.
"Gao Zheng, assign men to clear the area within a hundred meters of the surrounding forest and spread the medicinal powder."
"Yes, Senior Disciple."
Though Li Jinshan appeared at first glance to be an honest, somewhat clumsy man, on closer contact, he proved to be a composed and meticulous individual.
They had clashed with the Seven Sabers Martial Hall and the Little Mountain Gang today, and the relationships between the factions were already poor.
If they weren't careful tonight, any unexpected accident could result in heavy losses.
Su Yan was also in the clearing team, carrying his weapon and striding into the shrubs.
"Swoosh!"
He was quick and nimble. A wild rabbit, startled and fleeing its burrow, was shot through by an arrow before it could fully emerge.
"Senior Brother Su, what great archery!"
"He's better than a hunter."
With several consecutive shots, Su Yan bagged two wild rabbits and three wild pheasants, and a large area in front of him was cleared of any other beasts.
His consistently accurate archery, combined with the earlier boldness of using the tiger to shoot at the men, led the Outer-Sect disciples, and even some Inner-Sect disciples, to respectfully call him "Senior Brother."
"This area is cleaned up. Take the rabbits and pheasants back to be cooked and shared with everyone."
Su Yan put away his bow and instructed the people in his team to bring the game back.
Upon hearing Su Yan's order, the few men immediately gathered the wild rabbits and sent them to the campfire.
As everyone left, Su Yan turned around. His eyes flickered, and in an imperceptible motion, the Pale Bone Venomous Centipede was released and quietly submerged into the shrubs.
After its evolution, the Pale Bone Venomous Centipede was slightly larger but also much faster and more formidable. Once in the shrubs, it was like a flood dragon entering the sea.
With a few rustling sounds, it vanished into the forest, heading for the deeper areas.
The direction it was headed was precisely Green Tooth Valley.
'Time to collect some interest first.'
A cold glint flashed in Su Yan's eyes. Even if he couldn't kill experts in the Blood Shifting or Nourishing Vitality realms, the Pale Bone Venomous Centipede's advantage in the forest could certainly cause them small troubles and lead to a few deaths. That wouldn't be difficult at all.
The mountain night was gradually descending. The pitch-black forest looked like a man-eating monster. Accompanied by the chilling chirps of insects, the cries of birds, and the low growls of various unknown beasts, the forest made people feel uneasy.
In this environment, humans felt trapped, small, and liable to be swallowed by the darkness at any moment.
The reason the Yun Ling Wild Mountain was so difficult to develop was not just a lack of manpower, but also that this kind of environment was fundamentally unsuitable for long-term human habitation.
The guards were divided into groups. After eating, they prepared to begin their night watch according to Li Jinshan's arrangements.
Su Yan was not assigned to the night watch and entered the wooden cabin early to rest.
The temperature dropped rapidly in the mountains, especially in the exposed clearing of Wawanshan, where the trees had been cut down.
The mountain wind whistled through, causing the distant trees to creak like ghostly wails.
Although Su Yan was lying down, he was not resting. Instead, he was sensing the movements of the Pale Bone Venomous Centipede.
One evolution hadn't given the Pale Bone Venomous Centipede full intelligence, but it was certainly smarter than the Shadow Water Centipede was.
The subtle connection between them had also grown tighter.
The Pale Bone Venomous Centipede traveled through the forest. When it encountered a black bear, a single Pale Bone Venomous Centipede Nail pierced the bear, instantly poisoning and killing it on the spot.
It traveled onward, now having caught the scent of Yin Ruguang and his group, and pursued them.
'A little more time is needed.'
Su Yan sensed its movements, his heart perfectly calm, like that of a hunter.
It was only halfway through the night; this wasn't the time when people were most fatigued.
Even if the Pale Bone Venomous Centipede arrived, Su Yan would wait until the third or even fifth watch of the night before acting.
Both he and the Pale Bone Venomous Centipede were experienced in this.
As he waited, resting with his eyes closed, a sudden roar instantly shattered the peace of Wawanshan.
"Everyone wake up!"
"Boom!"
Li Jinshan's furious shout had just arrived when a massive crash and rumble sounded.
A wooden cabin near the forest edge was smashed by a huge rock. The two inner-sect disciples inside didn't have time to escape and were crushed to death.
Su Yan rolled over and rushed out of the wooden cabin.
The moonlight was cold. In its light, a terrifying beast leaped down, roaring furiously, its massive arms pounding the ground like drums.
"A Rock-Tiger Fiend!"
The Rock-Tiger Fiend was five meters tall, its entire body a mix of earthen yellow and black stripes. Its arms were as thick and muscular as a tiger's, and its face was ferocious and hideous. It was entirely hairless, instead covered in an armor-like, rocky carapace.
Su Yan's eyesight was like an eagle's; in a single glance, he recognized its identity, and a sinking feeling arose in his heart.
'A Rock-Tiger Fiend, it has at least the strength of a First-tier Mid-stage Savage Beast. This one is probably First-tier Late-stage.'
Its powerful aura intimidated everyone; for a moment, no one dared to step forward.
The Rock-Tiger Fiend grabbed a guard who was too slow to dodge.
The guard was only at Skin Refining Small Completion; how could he withstand such an attack?
In a single blow, his flesh was torn, his bones were broken, and he lost his life.
Only then did Su Yan notice that the Rock-Tiger Fiend's arms were longer than a feline's, ending in four powerful claws.
"How dare you!"
Li Jinshan charged forward. The Rock-Tiger Fiend's arms slashed out.
Li Jinshan neither dodged nor retreated. He stood firm like a pine tree, stepping forward. His arms turned white like jade discs, and he held them up to block the heavy attack.
He exhaled a stream of white air, his muscles and bones bulging. In an instant, his posture changed, his aura suddenly becoming that of a ferocious old ape from the mountains.
"Get up!"
With a grab and a forceful throw, the thousands-of-pounds Rock-Tiger Fiend was actually lifted into the air.
Li Jinshan leaped up, using his elbow as a weapon. The vital energy and blood (Qi and Blood) surging around him formed a long, rainbow-like stream. The condensed Nourishing Vitality coalesced like an iron hammer, slamming heavily onto the Rock-Tiger Fiend's hard carapace.
A booming sound echoed, and the ground shook. Who knows how many of the Rock-Tiger Fiend's bones were broken?
The Rock-Tiger Fiend struggled to its feet and relentlessly wrestled with Li Jinshan. It was like a heavenly thunder igniting an earthly fire, moving mountains and shaking the sun and moon. Every move was heavy and forceful, filling observers with fear and awe.
"Awoooo!"
Just then, a wolf howl sounded. Eerie eyes lit up in the forest, moving one after another like scattered fireflies, charging out of the shrubs to attack the camp.
"It's the Gray Spike Wolves! Form a defensive line!"
The Gray Spike Wolves were entirely gray, slightly larger than ordinary forest wolves, with sharp spikes hidden beneath the long fur on both sides of their necks.
They attacked in a pack, with twenty or thirty beasts surging in at once.
Gao Zheng had already led men to meet the attack. They had to hold the line.
Seeing the situation, Su Yan turned away as if to retrieve his bow, but instead, with a flick of his hand, he tossed the Velvet Fire Scorpion into the shrubs.
'Search.'
He gave it only one command: find anything suspicious.
The Rock-Tiger Fiend and the Gray Spike Wolves are both predatory animals. Their simultaneous appearance—if that wasn't a problem, Gao Zheng could change his name.
He grasped his refined steel longbow. He saw Gao Zheng charge forward, blocking a massive Gray Spike Wolf, and shouted: "Junior Brother Su, help me! Pick off the Savage Beasts trying to bypass the defensive line!"