"Why are Fang Bao and Xu Wei taking so long? It's already been two hours."
Inside Green Tooth Valley, Gu Hong, Yin Ruguang, and their group were resting.
About twenty people were gathered around two campfires. Most were asleep, but Gu Hong and Yin Ruguang were frowning deeply.
"Gu Hong, is your medicinal powder really effective?"
Yin Ruguang was already beginning to doubt the powder's efficacy.
"Impossible. This was commissioned by our Little Mountain Gang from Bai Lu County City..."
He stopped mid-sentence, only saying: "The results have been seen. They probably got delayed on the road. After all, this place isn't deep in the Wild Mountain, so there might not be many Savage Beasts..."
"Roar!"
A ferocious roar instantly sounded. The trees shook violently, and a Vicious Vine Beast suddenly leaped down from one side of the valley wall, crashing with a boom right next to the campfire.
In an instant, two unguarded guards were crushed to death on the spot.
"Scatter quickly!"
Yin Ruguang immediately told everyone to scatter. He charged forward at once, his curved saber already drawn.
The Vicious Vine Beast's eyes were bloodshot. It swung its spike-covered arms, instantly shooting out several dark black barbs toward Yin Ruguang.
"You brute! How dare you!"
Yin Ruguang's saber light was like a curtain, encircling the black barbs and slicing them all in two, stopping every single one.
A First-tier Late-stage Vicious Vine Beast—how could it appear here?
He cursed inwardly. This thing had the strength equivalent to the Blood Shifting and Nourishing Vitality realms. Apart from him, only Gu Hong and a few others could possibly fight it.
He had no choice but to stride forward, moving his body to unleash saber lights, hoping to quickly deal with the Vicious Vine Beast.
However, things went contrary to his wishes.
High-pitched and low-pitched roars sounded throughout Green Tooth Valley. Savage Beast noises came from the cliffsides, the front passage, and the rear.
Striped Tier-one Great Tigers, ferocious Bronze Fox Apes, Claw Alligator Wolves with scaled backs...
The Savage Beasts arrived, seeing the people of the Seven Sabers Martial Hall and the Little Mountain Gang, and charged at them, intent on tearing them all to shreds.
The campfire was smashed by the Vicious Vine Beast, and the light instantly dimmed. The Savage Beasts closed in.
In the faint, uncertain light, Gu Hong and the others had no choice but to bite the bullet and fight the beasts.
Roars echoed ceaselessly, and figures fighting back and forth intertwined.
It was unclear whether Li Jinshan and his group had used too much powder or if the terrain made them more concentrated.
The valley quickly became permeated with the smell of blood.
"Hmph, serves them right."
With all this commotion, even without seeing the miserable state of Yin Ruguang and his men, Li Jinshan knew they were certainly losing people.
He took only a couple of extra glances, then swiftly turned and burrowed back into the forest, immediately heading back to Wawanshan as agreed upon by the four of them.
In the valley, Yin Ruguang's curved saber had now severed the Vicious Vine Beast's sternum.
Blood gushed from the open wound. The Vicious Vine Beast's death was only a matter of time.
However, the closer it got, the more cautious Yin Ruguang became.
A cornered beast still fights, let alone a beast on the brink of death.
Gu Hong and his companions were also fighting Savage Beasts relentlessly, and unlucky guards were dying one after another.
"Damn it! Why are there so many Savage Beasts?"
Someone was still cursing. Gu Hong repelled the Bronze Fox Ape in front of him with a punch.
"Brother Yin, I fear those Golden Ape Martial Hall bastards are behind this. Let's get out of here first and guard against ambushes!"
Gu Hong shouted the advice to Yin Ruguang. Yin Ruguang, who had just chopped off the Vicious Vine Beast's head, immediately nodded.
"Everyone mounts up! I will cover the retreat!"
Everyone immediately searched for their horses. Yin Ruguang's face was cold, filled with murderous intent, as he charged into the mass of Savage Beasts.
A striped great tiger lunged at him. Yin Ruguang immediately thought of that irritating person from today and struck with his saber.
The striped great tiger instantly fell dead. The remaining Savage Beasts were numerous, but under Yin Ruguang's dense saber light, none could approach.
Unlike the Golden Ape Martial Hall, which brought large supplies into the mountain, the Seven Sabers Martial Hall and the Little Mountain Gang had traveled light, each man on a single mount, so their retreat was convenient.
Gu Hong led the charge, riding a black-scaled horse straight onto the front path and into the trees.
"Golden Ape Martial Hall!"
His eyes were filled with hatred. To be humiliated in the daytime and then suffer this kind of attack—this debt, Gu Hong swore, would be repaid in the future!
"Swoosh!"
Several pale white bone nails suddenly shot out from the dirt.
The bone nails came without warning, instantly sinking into the Scaled Horse's belly.
The horse cried out in pain and immediately collapsed, heavily throwing Gu Hong to the ground.
By the time Gu Hong reacted, his body had lost its balance.
He barely managed to adjust in mid-air, landing awkwardly, but managing not to seriously injure himself.
The Pale Bone Venomous Centipede bolted out violently. Its ghastly white color, in the eerie night, instilled terror in anyone who saw it.
This is bad!
Gu Hong caught a glimpse of the terrifying white figure in his peripheral vision and immediately panicked.
He braced his arm and quickly slapped out with his palm, hoping to smack the thing away and buy himself some time to react.
But how could that move hit the Pale Bone Venomous Centipede, which had been ambushing here for half the night?
The Pale Bone Venomous Centipede leaned its body, dodging the attack.
It coiled its long body and began climbing up Gu Hong's arm.
The Pale Bone Venomous Centipede's articulated legs were sharp and icy cold. Just the touch on Gu Hong's skin sent a chill down his spine.
Crack!
The sharp mouthparts bit down, severing the bone along with the flesh.
"Ah!"
Gu Hong's scream immediately echoed through the forest.
"Quick! Save Young Master Gu!"
The Pale Bone Venomous Centipede was about to attack again, but disciples and guards from the Seven Sabers Martial Hall and the Little Mountain Gang immediately charged forward.
Even Yin Ruguang's face changed drastically. He ignored the savage beasts and rushed straight toward the scene.
"Swish!"
A flash of saber light arrived, intercepting the Pale Bone Venomous Centipede's attack. Its hard carapace was sliced open by the saber light, and its body fell to the ground.
Shasha shasha...
The Pale Bone Venomous Centipede instantly slipped into the shrubs, quickly dodging and then disappearing from sight.
Yin Ruguang rushed over, slicing open Gu Hong's sleeve with his saber. He saw the bite mark: the flesh was mangled, bone fragments were protruding, and the surrounding area was a blackened mess.
He frowned: 'What a vicious Savage Beast poison!'
"Brother Gu, my apologies."
Yin Ruguang raised his hand, and the saber fell swiftly. Gu Hong's arm was severed at the root.
Others immediately rushed forward to staunch the bleeding, shoving life-saving pills into his mouth to secure his life.
The Pale Bone Venomous Centipede tunneled continuously, finally reaching the forest about two li outside the valley.
"What a sharp saber! The Pale Bone Venomous Centipede is still far inferior to the Nourishing Vitality Realm... but soon."
To exchange a blow and force a retreat was enough. As long as the Pale Bone Venomous Centipede continued to get stronger, reaching the Growth or Maturity stages again, overcoming the Nourishing Vitality Realm would only be a matter of time.
Su Yan looked at the vicious saber wound on the Pale Bone Venomous Centipede's body, took out a Poison Dragon Pill, and fed it to the bug.
As it consumed the pill, the medicinal power converted into energy, stabilizing the centipede's injury. Only then did he put it into the Bug World Space.
Su Yan hurried away, moving even faster than when he arrived.
He finally met up with Li Jinshan and the others at Wawanshan. As the sky began to lighten, the team was already prepared and headed straight into the depths of the Wild Mountain.