Upon seeing the giant python, Gu Heng wasn't actually flustered.

  There was o panic.

  It's just a snake!

  This was just an ordinary python, albeit a bit long and rge, with a head about half the size of his body. Maybe just the weight of its body could crush him, but Gu Heng was an experienced mortal physi who had been in the mountains and hunted before.

  Even Little Xi on his leg remained calm, pletely uned, still unabashedly pying with her cat paws, showing off her cws.

  If a cat isn't afraid of a snake, how could a grown man be?

  Although this snake did look like it could swallow him whole.

  Gu Heng smiled as he watched the giant python slowly slither over, its vertical pupils opening and closing slowly, flig its toh a "hiss," and Gu Heng noticed the snake's breath was quite strong, apanied by a heavy earthy smell.

  "Brother Snake, I've been walking all day, 't you let me find some peace?"

  Gu Heng's tone was calm, as if it were just an ordinary versation, "You're making it difficult for me..."

  "Hiss—"

  The python twisted, letting out a low hiss, its massive, menag head rising up, flig its tongue aggressively at Gu Heng. It had gained intelligend uood human speech, which was expected by Gu Heng. Everay cat he picked up could uand human nguage and read words, so it wasn't surprising that the wild beasts and poisonous creatures in these desote mountains had some intelligence.

  Of course, if the snake insisted oing him, Gu Heng wouldn't just sit and wait for death.

  In the System's "Gift" se, the Divine Movement Boots were the most useful, and the seost useful... ecifically for dealing with beasts!

  "e one inch closer, and you'll die."

  Su Jinxi zily lifted her gaze, fixing it on the restless giant python, sending a telepathic message that made the python's movements abruptly freeze.

  Because along with Su Jinxi's telepathic message came an overwhelming aura like a ndslide or tsunami, a fierce, violent, destructive force that made the pythoire body tremble, ultimately causing it to crouch down, c on the ground.

  In that instant, the python even doubted that if it dared to move forward even a fra, that aura would be enough to tear it apart!

  "Hiss."

  The python shook its head uneasily and quickly retreated, the rustling sound of its movement quickly fading into the forest, leaving only Gu Heng and Su Jinxi sitting there.

  "Meow!"

  Little Xi was very excited.

  Well, it seems this Brother Snake does ordinary people like him. It seems what he said earlier really resonated with the snake.

  Gu Hehe warmth of the fire, p whether to hunt some wild game to try the taste.

  "Little Xi, wasn't that snake just now quite strange?"

  Gu Heng stroked the silver kitten's head, talking to himself, but thehought, a shat uands human speech is strange, but isn't the little wild cat on his leg that uands human nguage and words alse?

  "Master also noticed something was off..."

  Meanwhile, Su Jinxi was looking in the dire the giant python had left, lost in thought.

  Yes, it was irange.

  Because she reized what kind of beast it was—a Bck-scaled Earth Python, a frade beast, equivalent to a cultivator who had just ehe Out-of-Body stage, not a particurly powerful beast. But just now, in her perception, the strength of this Bck-scaled Earth Python was already close to the Divided Spirit stage! It could even tend with a sixth-grade beast!

  This was extremely abnormal, because a frade beast shouldn't be this strong.

  Unless... there's something unusual about this pce!

  This Solitary Mountain, along with its surroundings covered in dense forest, had thin spiritual energy, sidered barren nd, yet the frade beast here was strong enough to fight a sixth-grade beast, there must be something wrong!

  "Could it be that Master had already discovered something was wrong here?"

  The more Su Jinxi thought about it, the more she felt this was the case. He was a mighty figure! If there was something wrong on this Solitary Mountain, he must have noticed it early on, otherwise why would he deviate from the main road, er the city, and insist on staying in this desote pce for the night?

  "You're ied tht?"

  Gu Heng tio stroke Little Xi's head, talking to himself.

  Oh no, he's so bored he's talking about suonsensical things with a cat. If he had known, he would have goo the city, where he could have had some night tea at the market.

  Just hoping this little wild cat that uands human speech doesn't think its owner has gone mad.

  "Hmm? So Master also noticed I'm very ied in the anomalies here?"

  Su Jinxi felt that nothing could be hidden from him.

  However, si was mentioned, why not... go iigate a bit, in case there's really something to gain?

  With this thought, Su Jinxi jumped off his leg, seeing that Gu Heng didn't react, which meaacitly allowed her to go see what was unusual in this Solitary Mountain!

  Therotted off quickly on her short legs, leaving Gu Heng with a furry back view.

  Gu Heng: "..."

  This little guy, going to relieve herself?

  Oh well, after all, this is a Solitary Mountain, and she uands human speech, she'll e ba her own ter, and if she doesn't, Gu Heng has a way to find her.

  He y bafortably, and in the dark gaps of the dense forest, new observers appeared.

  ...

  "Why is there a person here?"

  In the dense forest, several figures gathered in the shadows of the deep woods, avoiding the moonlight, their presence hidden.

  They had to be cautious, because they had suffered losses here before.

  They looked at one of the rare clearings in the deep forest, where a young man had lit a campfire and was sitting beside a green stone, looking at a map.

  Hmm?

  What's going on?

  In this area, there was a very strange Bck-scaled Earth Python roaming around! Just two ho, they were almost killed by that Earth Python, fleeing down the mountain in embarrassment, only daring to return after su, hoping to find a way to avoid that pytho.

  "That damn snake has strength close to the Divided Spirit stage, how this guy... just a mortal, sit so calmly on 'Burial Mountain'?"

  Someone in the group muttered.

  They were rogue cultivators, with some cultivation of their own. All five of them were at the Out-of-Body stage, but this lineup was a bit overfident in trying to find the possibly mythical "Emperor's Tomb" on Burial Mountain.

  The leader had actually learned from a Heaven's Inquiry Master that there was a treasure in this mountain, possibly eveomb or cave of a supreme being!

  And they wa!

  But fet about the treasure, they couldn't even deal with the Bck-scaled Earth Python wandering oskirts, and had to wait for the deep night to see if they could sneak past.

  But now, instead of the sho, there was a mortal with a campfire on the clearing.

  "Why not just kill him! So the news of treasure here doesn't get out, otherwise, the five of us won't eveo lick the soup bowl, let alo meat!"

  "No way! Are you out of your mind! We barely sense any true energy fluctuations from him, he's either a mortal or strohan us, but how likely is it for a mortal to e to Burial Mountain in the middle of the night?"

  The leader's words made everyone fall silent.

  Ihe vilges, towns, and cities surrounding Burial Mountain were rife with rumors about this pce, saying that people who came here to chop woather herbs ended up haunted by vengeful spirits or eaten by gias. In short, ohe rumors spread, mortals certainly wouldn't have the ce to e here.

  It's not impossible that some thrill-seekers or skeptics might e here.

  If this young man wasn't a mortal, then he was a cultivator strohan the five of them, but how much stronger?

  "Damn, someone else must have learned about the treasure on Burial Mountain!"

  Someone said viciously.

  "He's alone now, I suggest we use strategy, take him out first."

  "What do you all think?"

  They exged gnces in the darkness, agreeing on this approach. That young mortal, or cultivator, had to be eliminated!

  For no other reason than because he was in Burial Mountain, and any outsider uo them in this mountain had to be killed on sight.

  If not, when they found the treasure, wouldn't it be taken by someone else?

  But if they wao kill, they had to use strategy.

  ...

  Gu Heng was engrossed in looking at the other side of the map, but at this moment, the rustling sound came from the forest again.

  He rolled his eyes.

  Could that snake have e back?

  So Gu Heng put down the map, took out a golden dis the System Backpack, pced it in his pocket, and then coldly called out into the pitch-bck forest, "Stop hiding, I know you're there!"

  His voice was loud, waking the silent forest.

  However, the response wasn't from the giant python, but a staggering, dirty, and old-fashioned middle-aged man who stumbled out. His eyes were bloodshot, a sword hung at his waist, but his face was full of vigind fear, clearly having experienced some trauma.

  "Young brother, young brother! Don't worry, I wasn't hiding on purpose."

  The middle-aged man raised his hands immediately upon seeing Gu Heng, finally showing a look of relief, and hurriedly expio Gu Heng.

  "Who are you?"

  Gu Heng frowned.

  In this desote mountain, there were other people?

  "My name is Wang Qi, I'm a hunter from Wellhead Vilge nearby. I came into the mountain intending to hunt something to eat, but I uedly ran into a giant python. The other hunters with me lost their lives, and I was scared out of my wits, too afraid to go down the mountain."

  Wang Qi said frantically, looking at Gu Heng's unfamiliar and handsome face, recalling the terrifying strength of the Bck-scaled Earth Python, his face showed even more tension and fear.

  "Oh? You also entered that python?" Gu Heng asked, puzzled.

  "Yes." Wang Qi smiled bitterly.

  Gu Heng was taken aback, then uood.

  Oh, so the python did him because it was already full!

  Seeing Wang Qi's appearance, Gu Heng couldn't help but feel sympathy. Hunters like Wang Qi had no choice but to go into the mountains to make a living. When Wang Qi mentiohat the hunters from his vilge were eaten by the snake, he was scared, but not too surprised, as he was used to it.

  In this world, it's not easy for mortals to live peacefully.

  Even he had to move to another pce because of the impending turmoil in Greenwood City.

  As, shared hardships, shared hardships.

  "Sigh, life really isn't easy. e on, Brother Wang, this pce is warmer. Do you have any disfort?"

  Gu Heng poked the firewood pile, signaling Wang Qi to sit down and warm up.

  "Oh, thank you, young brother, you're so kied! But speaking of which, that s me with its tail, and now my chest and abdomen still hurt."

  Wang Qi hurriedly waved his hand to dee, but then sat down directly, making Gu Heng want to ugh. He said no, but his body was ho.

  "If that's the case, take this."

  Injured internally by a python? No problem, he was the top mortal physi!

  Even without a Medie Hall, he repared to avoid the embarrassment of having no medie if he o treat someone on the road.

  He took out a pill from the System Backpad ha to Wang Qi.

  But when Wang Qi saw the pill, he was stunned.

  kant2025