Chapter 27: Explosive Advancement [Requesting Follow Reads!]

Binghe, Gu Yuanji, prehistoric civilization, Mo Ao Mountains, human nine towns, five Guiguai , Cold-Resisting-level experts…

Due to their limited strength, Luo Ming, Shi Qing, and others had spent decades living only in Hongmu Ridge, never venturing out and having no chance to communicate with the outside world.

Yang Ning’s words had undoubtedly opened their eyes wide.

But at the same time, they stirred up even greater fears.

The five Guiguai all instinctively evolve through killing.

Intermediate Craft Guiguai can even resist Cold-Resisting-level experts.

If that escaped Wood Puppet Guiguai truly evolved to the intermediate level, no human would survive around Hongmu Ridge—all of them would surely die.

Luo Ming’s expression shifted uncertainly; he stood frozen in place for a long while, then clenched his teeth and knelt directly before Yang Ning and Li Hu, pleading:

“My lords, with only these camps around Hongmu Ridge, we stand no chance against that Guiguai . We beg you, as fellow humans, to show mercy and help us. If you can slay that Guiguai , whatever you demand—anything we possess—we will give it without hesitation!”

Seeing this, Shi Qing realized Luo Ming was seeking survival for all the camps around Hongmu Ridge; he immediately knelt down with the four men behind him.

Hearing their plea, Yang and Li exchanged glances, both simultaneously smiling.

But quickly, they suppressed their smiles.

Then Yang Ning stepped forward and helped Luo Ming to his feet:

“To be honest, Luo leader, Li Hu and I are scouts of the Beishuo Garrison. We came out here under orders to map the terrain around Beishuo, and by chance ended up at Hongmu Ridge.

As fellow humans, our meeting is fate—we won’t ignore you.

But this Wood Puppet Guiguai , you’ve just seen—it’s not only powerful but extremely cunning. Without a flawless strategy, eliminating it is nearly impossible. So yes, we’ll help—but you must first agree to one condition!”

“If we can destroy that Guiguai , I’ll agree to any condition.”

“Good, Luo leader, you’re direct. Then I’ll say it plainly: for the next while, your Luoge Camp and all surrounding camps must obey our orders. What do you say?”

Luo Ming’s heart skipped, but his expression didn’t change; he answered swiftly:

“I can guarantee Luoge Camp, but the other camps…”

As he spoke, he turned to look at Shi Qing.

Shi Qing, having just heard Yang Ning’s demand, had already weighed the pros and cons; seeing Luo Ming look at him, he nodded immediately: “Dashi Camp has no problem. If we don’t destroy that Guiguai , none of us will survive.”

Luo Ming gave Shi Qing a grateful glance, then turned back to Yang Ning: “Besides our two camps, there are five others. I’ll visit each one personally—I’m sure they won’t refuse after I explain the stakes.”

“Luo leader, it should be four.”

Luo Ming froze, startled by Shi Qing’s words.

Originally, there had been nine camps around Hongmu Ridge. Recently, Tie Feng and Shen Ju’s camps were wiped out by the Wood Puppet Guiguai , leaving seven—minus their two, that should be five.

Shi Qing raised his hand and pointed toward the corpses on the ground nearby.

Luo Ming saw the corpses and immediately understood.

“It’s four. Daxia must have also fallen to that Guiguai !”

All of Daxia Camp’s lumber team members had been turned into puppets; even Xia Ding hadn’t escaped its grasp. It was nearly certain the camp had been destroyed.

Seeing their goal achieved, Yang and Li nodded and said: “Then time is short. Over the next few days, Luo leader, notify the other four camps to gather at Luoge Camp and obey our orders. First, organize all Timber-level cultivators into patrol squads. Ten days from now, begin searching the forest for that Guiguai ’s whereabouts.”

Luo Ming bowed in compliance and invited Yang and Li to return to Luoge Camp to rest.

Shi Qing, meanwhile, needed to return to his own camp to make arrangements; he confirmed a rendezvous at Hongmu Ridge in three days, then led his men away.

…………

Luo Ming and Shi Qing’s judgment that Daxia Camp had been destroyed was not baseless.

Small camps lack hunting ability; to survive, they need two things—crystal fruits and wood—neither can be missing.

More accurately, wood is even more vital than crystal fruits.

Without crystal fruits, you can endure hunger for several days.

But without wood, you won’t survive even the night, let alone the day.

Thus, the lumber team’s importance is obvious. Since Xia Ding and all his lumber team members were dead, the people of Daxia Camp, even if they hadn’t been killed by Guiguai , must have frozen to death long ago.

Of course, the two had overlooked one variable: Xia Hong.

Daxia Camp had not been destroyed—it was thriving even better.

In fact, describing its progress as “explosive advancement” was not an exaggeration.

“Leader, I’ve broken through too!”

On a night returning empty-handed, Xia Hong had been in low spirits.

But as soon as he returned inside the cave, he heard good news.

Xu Ning had broken through.

Among the original five who received Cold Beast meat, Xu Ning was the last to break through, after Xia Hong and Xia Chuan and Yuan Cheng.

Seeing Xu Ning’s excited expression, Xia Hong patted his shoulder and smiled: “Finally, I don’t have to see your gloomy face anymore. Good. Starting tomorrow, you can join me on outings!”

Yue Feng, Lin Kai, and the others behind Xia Hong burst into laughter.

Xu Ning, embarrassed by the laughter, blushed.

There was no help for it: among the five, Yue Feng broke through first, then Lin Kai, Qiu Peng, Lu Yang.

Watching his peers all go out with Xia Hong, returning each night with a felled tree and sometimes even game, and being unable to break through himself, he’d naturally grown anxious—so for several days straight, he’d worn a gloomy face, only training.

“Leader, I’m ashamed. Every day I eat the Cold Beast meat you risk your lives to bring back, yet I can’t help at all—and I still haven’t broken through to Timber-level. Isn’t that just a freeloader burden?”

“Thankfully, now I’ve broken through—I can finally help.”

Hearing this, Xia Hong’s brow furrowed slightly.

“Are you saying that everyone in the camp who hasn’t broken through to Timber-level, besides our eight lumber team members, are just freeloading burdens?”

Xu Ning froze at the question.

Xia Hong didn’t wait for his answer; he turned to look at Xia Chuan, Yuan Cheng, Yue Feng, and the others, asking: “Do you all think the same?”

Everyone sensed Xia Hong’s displeasure; they exchanged glances but said nothing, answering only with silence.

It wasn’t just them who thought this way.

It was how everyone in every camp thought.

Ordinary people who couldn’t break through to Timber-level couldn’t go out, couldn’t gather any resources, yet constantly consumed the crystal fruits and wood brought back by others—what else were they but burdens?

Even now, the Cold Beast meat they brought back was being shared with them.

Since Xia Hong successfully hunted with a small torch—then repeated the trick four more times, securing three Snowmane and one Frost Wolf, totaling nearly five thousand jin of Cold Beast flesh—

Xia Hong still hadn’t changed the camp’s meat distribution rule, sticking to the old 3-5-2 ratio. This had already stirred resentment among them.

Their silence was deafening.

Xia Hong understood what they were thinking.

He’d planned to resolve this issue these past few days; now was a perfect opportunity—he wouldn’t let it slip.

“Chuan, you told me a few days ago that it was time to change the meat distribution rule. Now tell me—how do you think it should be divided?”

Hearing this, Xia Chuan, Yuan Cheng, and the others realized Xia Hong might revise the meat distribution rule; their eyes instantly lit up.

(End of Chapter)