Three sharp gunshots echoed through the dense woods—so rapid it was hard to believe the shooter had time to aim.
Soon after, a burly man in camouflage emerged from the trees, a Barrett sniper rifle slung over his shoulder.
He tossed three plump wild rabbits onto the ground and grinned. “Three hares for the lady’s dinner!”
“Eagle Eye, you’re a legend! Three shots, three kills—never misses!” Wen Fei punched the sniper’s shoulder in admiration.
Eagle Eye, a veteran of multiple high-stakes counterterrorism missions, was renowned across military districts for his flawless accuracy.
“Rabbits are nothing. I could drop a martial arts master just as easy,” he boasted.
“My home’s by the Songhua River, where the fields are endless with soybeans and sorghum!” sang “Cannon,” the heavy gunner, as he skinned and cleaned the hares. Wen Fei had already started a fire, and soon the meat was roasting over the flames.
Seasoned with pepper and salt, basted with fat, the aroma of the roasting hare soon filled the air.
“This rabbit’s got a nice chew to it, with a hint of wild herbs. Miss Guo, Elder Lan, try some!”
The group feasted, swapping stories of past glories, drinking and laughing without a care.
Guo Lili, ever the refined heiress, brewed coffee on a portable alcohol stove, sitting primly on a folding stool.
“These bastards really know how to live,” Li Zhenwei muttered, stomach growling. Their own rations had been ruined, leaving them starving.
After eating, Wen Fei’s crew tossed the last hare into the valley—just to spite Jiang Tian.
…
As night settled, the group prepared to rest.
Wen Fei’s team, seasoned in survival, lit a bonfire and set up individual tents—warm and comfortable. They took turns keeping watch, rifles ready in case wild boars or other beasts wandered too close.
“Zhenwei, Old Ghost, go rest in the car. It’s too cold out here,” Jiang Tian suddenly spoke, eyes still closed.
Their bedding had been soaked in urine, rendering it unusable. At this altitude, the biting wind and damp chill were unbearable.
“We can’t let you stay out here, Master Jiang! You take the car—we’ll keep watch!” Li Zhenwei and Ghost-Kick, who revered Jiang Tian, refused outright.
“It’s fine.”
Jiang Tian produced two pills and handed them over. “Take these. They’ll ward off the cold and hunger.”
The moment they swallowed the pills, warmth surged through their bodies, banishing all discomfort. Amazed, they finally relented and retreated to the car.
“That arrogant prick better freeze to death,” someone muttered.
At daybreak, Guo Lili stepped out of her tent and froze.
Jiang Tian sat cross-legged on a boulder, motionless as a statue, eyes closed against the howling wind.
“I never noticed… he’s actually quite handsome,” she thought, stepping closer. His sharp features, long lashes, and windswept hair gave him an almost ethereal aura.
“Need something, Miss Guo?” Jiang Tian’s eyes snapped open.
“Ah! I thought you were asleep!” She stumbled back, clutching her chest.
“Hmm.” He closed his eyes again.
Guo Lili stared. He sat out here all night… and didn’t freeze? Does he really have cultivation?
…
By noon, the path vanished, forcing them to abandon the vehicles and trek on foot into White Ape Valley.
The jungle was oppressive—thick vines, dripping trees, and a fog so dense visibility dropped to mere feet. The air reeked of rotting foliage.
Every step sank into spongy, waterlogged earth. Thorny bushes clawed at their clothes, slowing progress to a crawl.
Jiang Tian’s group, clad in pine-tar-coated garments, shrugged off the brambles. But Guo Lili’s expensive hiking gear fared poorly—ripped fabric, scratched skin, streaks of blood.
“Old Ghost, what kind of path is this? Look what it’s doing to Miss Guo!” Wen Fei snapped.
“Only path there is. Don’t like it? Turn back,” Ghost-Kick retorted, still bitter over their disrespect toward Jiang Tian.
“We paid you!” Cannon growled.
“Hmph. Allow me.”
Elder Lan produced two yellow paper cutouts—human figures wielding blades, inscribed with blood-red sigils.
“By the Ten Thousand Li Curse, power flows to the talisman!”
Chanting, he flicked his fingers. The paper dolls jerked to life, sprinting forward, their flimsy blades slashing through vines and thorns like razors.
The group gaped.
“Elder Lan… what kind of sorcery is this?!”
“Paper dolls clearing a path? That’s not scientifically possible!”
Guo Lili bowed deeply. “Elder Lan, you’re a true immortal! With your help, success is assured!”
“A mere parlor trick,” he demurred, then smirked at Jiang Tian’s group. “Try to keep up, trash.”
“Is he… at the Transcendent Realm?” Li Zhenwei whispered, cowed.
“No. Just Initiate-level,” Jiang Tian said. “He’s not channeling heaven and earth’s energy—just blood curses.”
“Blood curses?”
“A dark art. The paper dolls are linked to a living person’s essence. They move by draining that person’s life force… until it kills them.” Jiang Tian’s lip curled in disgust. “Cheap tricks.”
Li Zhenwei and Ghost-Kick exchanged stunned glances. Master Jiang understands arcane arts too?
…
By mid-afternoon, the temperature plummeted.
Despite the tropical climate and blazing sun, an unnatural chill seeped into their bones.
“White Ape Valley… just ahead,” Ghost-Kick muttered, trembling.
“We’re close! Push forward!” Guo Lili urged.
Over the next ridge, the valley sprawled below—a frozen wasteland in the heart of the jungle. Snow blanketed the ground, flakes drifting lazily through the air.
“Eagle Eye, Cannon—stay here with the sniper and rocket launcher for cover,” Wen Fei ordered. “Hurricane, set up the machine gun mid-range.”
“I’m going down there,” Guo Lili insisted.
Wen Fei sighed but nodded. “Zhao Yan, you’re with us. Elder Lan, watch our backs.”
He shot Jiang Tian’s group a sneer. “You three just… stay here. Useless.”
“You go ahead and be the cannon fodder,” Jiang Tian said mildly, gaze fixed on the valley’s coldest, darkest cave.
“Cannon fodder? You’re not even worth that!” Wen Fei spat before leading the team downhill.
“Master Jiang, we’re really not competing with them?” Li Zhenwei fumed.
“They won’t succeed,” Jiang Tian said simply.
At the cave mouth, Guo Lili drew a sleek pistol, hands steady despite her racing heart.
“If there’s a beast, this’ll lure it out,” Elder Lan said, lighting a bundle of withered herbs—Demonic Lure Grass, a treasure of the Five Poisons Sect.
“Idiot,” Jiang Tian muttered. “Why provoke it when you could sneak in?”
“Shut your mouth!” Cannon jabbed his pistol at Jiang Tian.
“Put that toy away. It’s coming,” Jiang Tian said calmly.
A low, thunderous growl shook the ground. Snow trembled, ice cracked—
Then the cave exploded.
Boulders the size of millstones hurtled through the air as a massive white shadow burst forth.
Guo Lili’s triumphant smirk died instantly.
Reflected in her terrified pupils was a creature towering over the trees—ten meters tall, and that was just half of it.
