Chapter Ninety-Three: The Serpent Horde

Without pursuers, the devil forest was not nearly so devilish to He Tian and Chou.

There were dangers and hardships, of course. But to threaten their lives? That was impossible.

Still, He Tian did not dare be careless.

From the very fact that so many golden medicine insects existed here, he was certain the forest harbored other immense dangers as well.

Just like now.

He Tian had a persistent feeling that something was watching him. The sensation made his scalp crawl.

Yet after asking Chou and Divine Wind, neither of them felt anything of the sort.

That left He Tian deeply puzzled.

Chou’s inner force cultivation was far above his own. If someone were truly spying from the shadows, Chou could not possibly fail to notice.

And yet Chou felt nothing at all, while He Tian alone had the distinct impression of being watched.

The sensation was extraordinarily clear.

It forced He Tian to become even more careful.

Before they got out of this forest, he could not afford the slightest relaxation.

“Do you still feel it?” Chou asked, his expression grave.

“Chou, do you think I’d joke about this?” He Tian replied with a wry smile.

“Give me the little madman,” Chou said softly. “You need to stay alert. You’re carrying the golden medicine insects. I suspect that’s the reason. Since one golden medicine insect can appear in this forest, then a second, a third, and more are all possible.”

“Golden medicine insects?” He Tian blinked. He truly had not thought in that direction.

With Chou’s reminder, everything suddenly became clear.

Yes, if one golden medicine insect could appear, then so could a second and a third.

Even thirty-four of them—so why not more?

However, by the insects’ habits, they did not seem especially skilled at tracking enemies. And this sort of surveillance did not quite fit their nature either.

“Chou, I’ve got thirty-four golden medicine insects on me,” He Tian said, no longer intending to hide that good news.

Whether Chou or Divine Wind, both were brothers he could trust.

“Thirty-four?” Chou’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Even Divine Wind looked at He Tian in astonishment, as if he had just witnessed something impossible.

“Don’t stare at me like that,” He Tian said, briefly explaining what had happened.

“Boss! Boss! Golden medicine insects! So many of them! Boss, all my hopes for progress are riding on you!” Divine Wind said excitedly, gazing at He Tian with fervent anticipation.

“Did I say you wouldn’t get any? It’s just that now we’re still in danger… this isn’t the time to think about that,” He Tian said, shooting him a sidelong glance.

“Thirty-four golden medicine insects… maybe I really can use this to break through to the fifth level of inner force,” Chou murmured, tempted as well, stroking his chin in thought.

“Fifth… inner force fifth level?” Divine Wind looked at Chou in shock, unable to believe it.

“What, you don’t believe me?” Chou asked, flexing a fist with quiet menace.

“No… no!” Divine Wind hastily waved both hands and swallowed hard. He suddenly felt that he had truly overestimated himself before, daring to argue with a master at the very peak of the fourth level of inner force. If that man had so much as punched him lightly then… the thought sent a chill through him. Terrifying. Utterly terrifying.

“Chou… we should be considering the danger around us right now,” He Tian could not help but remind him.

“Give me the backpack,” Chou said, and then tossed the newly pinned Divine Wind onto the ground.

Divine Wind grimaced in pain, but he did not dare protest as he once would have.

A being on the verge of the fifth level of inner force—someone at that level was not a person like Divine Wind, who only had lower-tier strength, should provoke lightly.

Though Chou seemed to have a decent temper, who could say whether that was truly the case? Divine Wind had no desire to gamble with his life to test it.

“Try it and see whether that feeling remains when you no longer have the backpack. I’ll also see whether I still feel watched while carrying it. That way we can tell whether the enemy was drawn by the golden medicine insects,” Chou said, looking around with a stern expression.

In a forest fraught with danger at every turn, caution could never be excessive.

Once Chou took the backpack, He Tian immediately lost that feeling of being watched.

Chou then gave He Tian a solemn nod.

“So it really is connected to the golden medicine insects. But it shouldn’t be the insects themselves targeting us,” He Tian said in a low voice.

“That may not be certain. With so many golden medicine insects here, they should pose a huge threat to other golden medicine insects and keep them from acting rashly,” Chou replied, shaking his head.

He Tian frowned slightly. Chou had a point. In that case, they could not completely rule out the possibility that the golden medicine insects themselves had drawn the attack.

“Chou, give me your sleeping powder. Take Little Madman and go first,” He Tian said after a moment of thought.

“No. If someone has to stay behind, it should be me,” Chou replied firmly.

“Stop wasting words. I admit your inner force level is higher than mine, but in terms of survival experience and skills in the forest, you can’t compare with me,” He Tian said seriously. “Hurry up and go. Make sure Little Madman stays safe.”

“Be careful. Take Little Madman out of the forest, and I’ll come back to meet you,” Chou said.

“Boss, take care. I didn’t expect I’d end up being a burden,” Divine Wind said with a solemn face.

“To hell with that. You look this serious, and I’m not used to it,” He Tian said with a laugh and a curse. “Believe me, nothing will happen.”

Chou left with Divine Wind.

He Tian tightened his grip on the sniper rifle and scanned the surrounding woods warily.

The sensation of being watched remained, but he could not determine where it was coming from.

Whether it was truly the golden medicine insects, he could not know.

Nothing was more terrifying than the unknown.

Even with his nerve and strength, He Tian still harbored caution.

If he could figure out what was watching him, perhaps this feeling would vanish.

He Tian advanced with great care.

His mind was fully focused.

He understood clearly that since the other side was after the golden medicine insects, there was no chance they would simply abandon the attack.

Before he left this stretch of forest, the enemy would certainly make a move.

So He Tian only needed to remain on guard and respond to whatever came.

At the same time, he searched desperately through his memory for everything related to golden medicine insects.

They burrowed underground, moved swiftly, could not fly, fed on blood, and once full, habitually stopped burrowing.

Beyond that were some fragments about how the insects were used.

But none of that helped him much in escaping the present danger.

Step by step.

Step by step.

He Tian moved with utmost care and utmost caution.

Suddenly, a rustling hiss rose all around him.

He Tian’s spirit jolted.

No matter what the danger was, as long as it was no longer unknown, he would feel a little more at ease.

But then his pupils contracted.

All around him were snakes of every size and color.

Pythons. Vipers.

He Tian was horrified, staring in disbelief at so many serpents.

Even with his formidable strength and exceptional marksmanship, such a mass of snakes could still cost him his life.

Especially with so many venomous ones among them, his heart went cold.

If he were bitten by them, surviving would be difficult indeed.

These snakes were all being controlled.

He Tian was absolutely certain of it.

Otherwise, it would have been impossible for so many different species to gather so tightly together. It defied all logic.

Who was directing them no longer mattered.

What mattered was how to face them.

He Tian only froze for an instant before bolting.

Though snakes surrounded him on all sides, he could still see clearly that they occupied only a range of several dozen meters.

If he did not run now, once they truly closed in, it might be too late even to escape.

He did not head in the original direction.

In the distance ahead, he could clearly see that the snakes were most concentrated there.

He chose the left side.

There were fewer snakes there.

He had considered the possibility of a trap, but escaping the serpents was his first priority now. Everything else could wait.

Otherwise, he would truly be buried in their jaws.

He leaped into the air, lightly touching down on a thick tree trunk nearby before launching himself forward like a bird.

At once, the dense mass of snakes halted, their scarlet tongues flickering as they aimed themselves toward him.

But He Tian had risen beyond their reach. They could only watch helplessly as he sped away.

They did not give up. One after another, they turned and pursued him.

Their slithering speed was astonishingly fast.

They were deeply familiar with the forest.

Yet the tangled terrain of the woods greatly hampered He Tian’s speed.

So even after breaking through the encirclement, he had managed to put only less than twenty meters between himself and the snakes.

A moment’s hesitation could still let them catch up.

But by then, that was no longer He Tian’s chief concern.

As long as he kept running, and kept running like this, he was confident that no snake could catch him.

So most of his attention was now fixed on the mysterious presence controlling them from behind the scenes.

Countless dangerous encounters had taught He Tian that when such an enemy finally revealed itself, that moment was usually close at hand.

And now, he was increasingly convinced that the golden medicine insects were the likelier possibility.

To the snakes, the insects were like natural enemies. Driving them into such a siege was far too easy, far too simple.

As he ran, He Tian kept thinking about how he would face them if the golden medicine insects appeared.