Chapter 657: Temporary Camp

The person wasn't seriously injured, thanks to the protective plates on their leggings. Over the years, human visitors had been ambushed by planarians more than once or twice, leading to the development of a comprehensive set of countermeasures. All their equipment was specially made, with each component serving a unique purpose.

They continued to head southwest.

Fewer and fewer dead bodies lay along the road, indicating that the human visitors had successfully avoided the main thrust of the beast tide.

The direction indicated by the Bee Compass also diverged from the beast tide's path.

After walking for another half day, the injured person was able to get up and join the journey again. He Lingchuan finally rendezvoused with the Chiyan team behind a large boulder.

Only five members of his team were still alive, but this small camp hosted over twenty people. These individuals were all from other teams, scattered by the beast tide, and had set up a temporary camp here.

Approximately a quarter of the participants were injured, with varying degrees of severity. Although they were originally competitors, everyone in this camp temporarily united and helped each other.

Hot water had already been boiled; some were cooking, others were treating injuries, and some were out collecting rinsing beads. The Fù Realm's environment was harsh, with many unexpected dangers, so people didn't mind banding together temporarily.

This was an upwind location, so the smell of blood was quite strong. However, no one worried that the Danube Beasts would be attracted, as they disliked the scent of human creatures.

He Lingchuan learned that the original teams had been attacked at different times: some yesterday, some ten hours ago, and the Chiyan team three hours ago.

After an attack, experienced hunters would continue to follow the beast tide, but keep a significant distance. This was because there was a high chance of encountering other unfortunate individuals later, and the more people gathered, the safer it would be.

This was how the people in the camp had gathered.

Overall, the beast tide was moving from north to southwest. The further southwest it went, the larger it grew, as if an unknown force was herding the Danube Beasts in that direction.

Ordinarily, these Danube Beasts would be a source of wealth for hunters, like running chunks of floating stone. But once gathered, they became a rampaging torrent of beasts, unstoppable, with nothing daring to stand in their way.

He Lingchuan and his three companions entered their own tent, took out supplies from their storage rings to replenish their veteran teammates, and then sat down to rest quickly.

In the Fù Realm, recuperating strength was also an art; one had to know how to seize every moment.

There were no plants here, hence no firewood, so boiling water or cooking food relied solely on talismans.

Freshwater was extremely scarce on the plains. There was a small lake near the camp, but its color was greenish, and the water was poisonous.

All necessities for human survival here had to be self-provided.

Even buying water to drink or a few pieces of dried meat in the camp required exchanging floating stones.

Floating stones were the hard currency here.

He Lingchuan asked many people, and all said that such a beast tide outbreak was unprecedented, and the Danube Beasts were particularly agitated.

It was worth noting that the Danube Beasts of the Fù Realm originally held no animosity towards humans and demons, only curiosity. However, after centuries of hunting by Lingxu City, they now regarded human creatures as natural predators, mostly avoiding them. Yet, when in large numbers, they would actively seek to trample and retaliate against hunters.

Several other hunters had heard a strange, "kang, kang, kang" sound, like a clapper being struck, coming from afar during combat.

At that moment, several more outside hunters entered the camp. Some were injured, and others had purple stains on their clothes—Danube Beast blood.

One of them took out a floating stone to buy rinsing beads from the camp. Hearing He Lingchuan asking for information, he interjected, "Fourteen years ago, I witnessed a small beast tide, only about 200 beasts, far less terrifying than this group today. They must have been herded here."

His voice was low and somewhat hoarse.

He Lingchuan noticed his exquisite and distinctive mask. "Are you from the Ke family?" he asked.

The man smiled. "This year, for the Grass Sea Hunt, I'm just fighting for the Ke family."

"Have you participated in the Grass Sea Hunt many times?"

"Yes, I risk my life for others' money, just earning some hard-earned cash." He cupped his fist towards He Lingchuan. "Hu Bin, a hired hunter."

"He." He Lingchuan didn't give his full name, only glancing behind Hu Bin. "Why are you alone?"

The Grass Sea Hunt had a long history and its own established system. Many families and official factions forming teams would employ mercenaries due to their extensive experience; for many cultivators and demons, this was even a livelihood.

"The Danube Beasts are especially ferocious this year. We lost two members right after entering, and then four more returned to the Grass Sea to exchange supplies. The remaining people were scattered by the beast horde three hours ago. I rescued a comrade, but his injuries were too severe, and he didn't make it." Each participating team needed to allocate personnel and supplies rationally, and replenishment from the human world was crucial.

Hu Bin pointed northeast. "I followed the beast tide from over there."

He Lingchuan, still focused on his objective, asked, "Have you seen any prey frozen solid into ice blocks?"

"Ice blocks?" Hu Bin pondered. "Yes, yes, six or seven Danube Beasts were like that. Very peculiar."

"Peculiar?"

"If the culprit was human, their floating stones wouldn't have been left behind. If it was a Frost-Silver Beast, they wouldn't have been eaten," Hu Bin stated solemnly. "Moreover, Frost-Silver Beasts rarely freeze their prey entirely; it's too strenuous and inconvenient for eating."

Noticing his voice growing hoarser, He Lingchuan handed him a waterskin. "Have you seen Frost-Silver Beasts hunt?"

"That was also fourteen years ago," Hu Bin said, pointing due north. "See that tall mountain? That year, I saw Frost-Silver Beasts at its base. They came down the mountain and hunted by spraying a burst of frost, freezing their prey until it couldn't move or resist. Then they could feast, without needing to freeze it entirely."

He Lingchuan grasped the key point. "Don't Frost-Silver Beasts live on high, perilous peaks? Why would they come down the mountain?"

"Who knows?" Hu Bin chuckled. "Perhaps some monsters just don't play by the rules."

He Lingchuan squatted down and drew a footprint in the sand. "Is this a Frost-Silver Beast's footprint?"

Hu Bin examined it carefully and shook his head. "No, it doesn't look like it."

He casually drew a footprint himself. "Frost-Silver Beasts have four toes that touch the ground. The paw print you drew has three toes, and the paw pad is exceptionally large."

He asked He Lingchuan, "Are you sure this thing emits ice?"

He Lingchuan shook his head. "I haven't seen it myself, but this type of footprint is found next to every Danube Beast or human frozen solid."

"Interesting," Hu Bin said, comparing with his hand. "The footprint you drew has wide-set claws, which appear slender, and it habitually stands on its hind legs. Hmm, it might be a Megaclaw Beast. It's also a scavenger and would linger around fallen prey."

"Not impossible," He Lingchuan murmured, glancing north. The perilous peak pierced the sky, its height immeasurable to him.

The Frost-Silver Beasts living at the mountain's summit were mysterious; he couldn't get any useful information about them in Lingxu City. Originally, the only way to obtain a Frost Pellet was to climb the high mountain himself. But now, he thought there was another viable method.

That was to follow the beast tide and find the monster that emitted ice. Could it be a mutated Frost-Silver Beast? Fu Shanyue had reminded him that new species occasionally appeared in the Fù Realm.

This should be much simpler than climbing high mountains, enduring severe cold, and searching for Frost-Silver Beasts. Otherwise, in those vast mountains, who knew which hidden corner a Frost-Silver Beast might be lurking in?

Hu Bin added, "The Frost-Silver Beasts I saw that year even fought each other in the stone forest."

"Oh?" He Lingchuan wondered, "How many Frost-Silver Beasts were there in total?"

"Five of them, varying in size, looked somewhat like wolves from the human world but far more ferocious," Hu Bin recalled. "It seemed the two largest were dueling, while the others watched from the sidelines, agitated."

"Dueling on flat ground?"

"Yes."

He Lingchuan mused, "This kind of duel is usually for leadership."

Wolf packs behaved this way. Although this was the Fù Realm and Frost-Silver Beasts were not wolves, biological instincts often converged.

Hu Bin also said, "I suspect their original leader met with an accident, which is why a new one needed to be chosen."

He Lingchuan nodded. "I see what you mean. What happened next?"

"One died and one was injured. The victor led the pack away, leaving the dead one on the ground," Hu Bin said with a wry smile. "I was just about to go scavenge, but then the Palace Guard team rushed out. I could only watch them take the spoils. Turns out they had been observing from the shadows the whole time."

"The Palace Guard team also participating?"

"For fairness, they only hunt and don't compete, but no one dares to snatch anything from them."

Suddenly, someone in the camp came over and asked, "Old Hu, is your Ke family team going to continue or withdraw later?"

Would it even be meaningful for the Ke family to continue competing with only Hu Bin left?

Hu Bin scratched his head. "I'm not sure. It depends on whether the Ke family sends more people in."

"What about you? You can't survive alone in the Fù Realm." The person kindly invited, "How about joining us?"

People weren't made of iron, and after high-intensity combat, rest was especially needed. In the Fù Realm, even the air was toxic, requiring a rinsing bead every fifteen minutes, which would certainly disrupt normal breathing and sleep patterns.

Fighting alone in the Fù Realm was almost synonymous with seeking death. In the wild and rugged lands, unity and cooperation were paramount.

Hu Bin thought for a moment, said "Alright," and then took off his mask.

The Ke family mask was too flashy, so he casually switched to an owl mask.

The man laughed. "Just by seeing that mask, I knew it was you."

During the mask change, He Lingchuan also saw his face: in his early thirties, with long eyes and a large nose, an unremarkable appearance.

However, his demeanor was extraordinary, and his movements were sharp. He Lingchuan could tell at a glance that he was a military man, no stranger to taking lives.

The person who had successfully invited Hu Bin then asked He Lingchuan, "What about you? Do you have a team?"

"From Chiyan."

"Oh. We're following the beast tide. Want to come with us?"

He Lingchuan nodded with little hesitation. "Alright. How should I address you?"

There was strength in numbers, and with such a massive beast horde, his group of nine could not possibly fight them all.

"My surname is Zhou," the man chuckled. "You can just call me Old Zhou. Our team represents the Golden Horn family."

He Lingchuan glanced at Hu Bin and quietly asked Old Zhou, "Is Old Hu quite famous in this line of work?"