Chapter 1120: Standoff on the Shores of Python Lake

The northern front on Hill Sixty was held by a wolf team made up of eight adult wolves and thirteen adolescent ones.

Beyond them, a gang of seven honey badgers stood behind the wolves, glaring at everyone and waiting for scraps. All around, in the trees, on stones, even in crevices, countless vultures, snake eagles, mongooses, yellow weasels, hedgehogs, and unfamiliar little creatures crowded in.

For scavengers and snake hunters, a battle between wolves and snakes was a feast not to be missed.

The first round of this carnage had already ended. The second hadn’t started yet. Every creature watched the endless lake, tense and hungry, waiting for the pythons to launch their next attack.

“Awooo! Ooo! Awooo!”

Lame Wolf, standing ahead of Flathead, spotted Xia Qing arriving so late. She broke the suffocating silence with a furious howl in Xia Qing’s direction.

Little Wolf and Little Wolf’s little sister saw Xia Jingwei coming up and both raised their not-yet-sturdy front paws, pointing toward the nearby river flowing into the lake.

That inlet river was formed from streams rolling down from Hill Sixty and Hill Fifty-Nine to the south. It was over two meters deep, and the python, Devastation Snake, and other snakes all used it as their path into Hill Sixty.

That river was exactly why the wolves had set their defense here. But instead of just sitting back, four wolves were up on the hillside by the riverbank, digging at boulders, trying to block the river’s flow with stones.

Eager to find the Alpha and Er, Xia Qing took in the scene. She pulled a folding crowbar from her backpack, extended it, twisted it tight, then scrambled up the slope, prying loose several almost-round boulders with a practiced hand.

The moment the stones lost their support, they thundered downhill, crashing into the river below and sending up huge splashes. Birds took off in a flash, and the hedgehogs, lizards, and other freeloaders scattered in panic.

Two yellow weasels hidden among the smaller animals didn’t run though. They cowered behind a rock, poking their heads out to stare at Xia Qing up on the hill.

The ruckus reached the far side of the hill, sending Crippled Wolf bounding over in a few leaps to check, then a few more to return to the main battlefield.

About ten minutes later, the stones Xia Qing and the wolves knocked down clogged up the normally sluggish river. Water rushed through gaps in the rocks, tumbling into Python Lake below in a series of small waterfalls.

Any smaller snakes in the lake wanting to reach Hill Sixty now had a leap of faith ahead—a literal dragon’s gate challenge.

Lame Wolf and Little Wolf both leapt into action, landing squarely on the largest rocks in the river, poised and bristling with intent as they stared out at the endless lake.

Xia Qing stowed her crowbar in her backpack, spun, and dashed toward where Crippled Wolf had earlier peeked over. The main force of the pack was over there, which meant that was where the real action was.

She rounded a mountain peak, and the main battlefield burst into view. Xia Qing’s pupils shrank and she instinctively held her breath.

She had seen this sight before.

Last November, the Northern Wolf Pack brought down a top-grade, hardness-evolved Green Lantern Python and delivered it to Hill Forty-Nine for Xia Qing to make python skin suits for them. That day, Yang Jin had sent her two post-battle photos of the wolves after their hunt.

That epic fight took place right here, in this broad-shouldered valley with an even wider river feeding into the lake. The same fallen trees and scattered stones, the wolf and bear pack leaders positioned just as they were today.

But this year, the fight came two months early. The Alpha was decked out in protective gear, and the handsome Huge Wolf beside him had medical tape along his flank.

And the corpses strewn around the riverside—bears, wolves, snakes—were not the ones from last year.

Spotting that neither Er nor Lame Wolf and her group were among the fallen, Xia Qing felt a weight lift. She quickly checked the wolves’ formation.

Crippled Wolf had the high ground, overseeing everything. Lame Wolf was in the left offense, Er on the same wing, and Black Wolf guarding the right.

As Xia Qing moved forward to join Er, the Alpha in front—his left ear missing a chunk—twitched and he turned his gaze straight at her.

In that split second, Xia Qing, Section Four of the Northern Wolf Pack, understood the Alpha’s intention.

She shifted course, joining the ranks of the first tier. Standing on the Alpha’s left, she faced off with the Alpha and Handsome Huge Wolf, giving the full glare to the two giant bears across from them, every ability she had at the ready.

Four hundred meters off, atop Hill Sixty-One, the biggest bear leader threw Xia Qing a glance, then looked back at its kin.

Watching that move made a cold chill run down Xia Qing’s spine.

Sure enough, Cub—two sizes smaller—hauled Monkey up from behind a rock, climbed out, and stood tall beside the right of the giant bear. Those dangerous bear eyes locked onto Xia Qing’s face behind her protective mask.

Wait a second—

They were about to roar again?!

Xia Qing’s eyes flicked to Goofball, perched by Cub’s massive head. She’d heard Cub roar back on Hill Fifty, and even then the sound was earth-shattering. If they both blasted her now, she wouldn’t stand a chance. Her voice alone couldn’t beat both of them at once.

So what then? Surrender?

No. Xia Qing ripped off her protective mask, drew her black long blade, and glared right back at Cub, full of wild fury in her eyes. She couldn’t lose her edge now—not when the Wolf Pack’s Section Four was watching her!

Why ditch the protective mask?

Because Xia Qing and Crippled Wolf had already talked this over: to the mutated beasts of the Evolved Forest, a human wearing a mask was a sign of cowardice.

And even though mist curled thickly through the valley, the air toxin detector still flashed green, showing the air was clear and safe. So off came the mask.

Alright then, bring it on—let’s fight, let’s compete! Whoever chickens out is the loser!

Monkey clung tighter to the cub’s neck, terrified by Xia Qing’s stance. The giant bear in the center didn’t move, but its comrade—the same one Xia Qing had beaten last time—showed its fangs. Xia Qing sucked in a deep breath, ready for anything.

Right as battle was about to explode, the Alpha and the bear leader both turned in unison, eyes fixed on Python Lake by the southern valley.

Pythons incoming? Xia Qing whipped around too.

Mist billowed over the endless surface of the lake. One by one, great ripples fanned out as massive pythons, red Devastation Snakes twined around them, slowly broke the surface.

One python. Two pythons. Three pythons…

One meter. Two meters. Three meters…

Beyond the giant pythons, line after line of snow-white, mid-sized snakes poked up on the shore, slithering out. Each had fiery red Devastation Snakes coiled around them. The sight was shockingly vivid.

“Awoo—ooo—”

“Roooaaar—”

Both Wolf Pack and Bear Pack let loose a roar—but this time, it wasn’t aimed at each other. They howled at the snakes crawling ashore. To Xia Qing’s surprise, there was… excitement in their voices?

It was bizarre—wolves and bears getting fired up by snakes invading their territory from the lake.

And things that strange always hid the biggest dangers.

Xia Qing’s instincts screamed at her to be careful. She shot a glance at the green-lit toxin detector strapped to her arm.

Still green. The air, at least, was safe for humans.

Xia Qing, ever cautious, reached for the protective mask at her waist. As she lifted it, her heart suddenly raced and a surge of familiar irritation slammed into her mind!