Before dawn, when the sky was still gloomy and dark, Lu Chen and Atsu arrived at the outskirts of the Evil Python Valley.
In the dark, they couldn't see what the valley looked like. It was said that there were snakes and poisonous creatures everywhere, but the unique smell of snakes and insects in the wind indicated the danger ahead.
They were still in the open area outside the Evil Python Valley. If it was just the smell of ordinary snakes, it would probably be blown away by the wind. However, the smell was still so strong even though they were so far away. One could imagine how many snakes and poisonous creatures there were in the valley.
Atsu was restless beside Lu Chen. This was rare. Even when they were escaping, Lu Chen didn't see Atsu have this kind of reaction. He stood beside Atsu and gently hugged its neck. Then, Atsu quickly quieted down.
There was a cold wind in the dark night, but the man and the dog could still feel a trace of warmth between each other.
"The road ahead is a bit difficult and dangerous. If it were someone else, I would think of a way to let them go." Lu Chen said with a sigh, "But you are so stupid and so gullible. I really don't want to let you go."
Ah-Tu turned his head and glanced at him, his two eyes glowing with green light.
Lu Chen laughed and waved his hand. "Let's go …"
"Gu, gu, gu!" Before he finished speaking, he heard a strange sound beside him. It was Atsu's stomach growling. Lu Chen froze for a moment, then realized what was going on. After a day and a night of running for their lives, Ah-Tu wasn't a human cultivator. As a monster beast, and one that had just evolved, it was only natural that it would be hungry.
For a moment, Lu Chen suddenly felt a little warm on his cheeks and eyes at the same time. Because he had been too nervous for this day and night, or perhaps because he had long been used to letting Ah-Tu find food for himself when he was on Mount Kunlun, he had actually forgotten about this matter.
And Ah-Tu, who was supposed to be a mischievous fellow, actually followed him all the way to escape with all his might, never abandoning him, never complaining or regretting, not even a single word of complaint.
Lu Chen took a deep breath in the dark and smiled. He patted Atsu's head and said softly, "Let's go find something to eat."
…
It was not an easy task to look for food before the sun rose, especially considering that Ah-Tu was no longer the same as before. Normal meat was no longer attractive to him. At least when Lu Chen offered him some dry rations, Ah-Tu looked at it with disdain and almost snorted in disdain.
Well, a Holy Beast that had evolved naturally needed to eat higher quality food. Ordinary meat was not enough, so they could only look for monsters. The most obvious place to look for monsters was the Evil Python Valley. However, entering a valley full of poisonous creatures in the middle of the night was no different from seeking death.
Lu Chen didn't want to go, and the half-starved Atsu didn't want to go either. It looked like it was disgusted by the fishy smell.
Therefore, Lu Chen could only bring Ah-Tu to the mountain ridge next to the Evil Python Valley. He wanted to see if he could catch a few unlucky Demonic Beasts and feed them to this Saint Beast who was good at escaping. Then, when the sun rose, he would think of a way to pass through the Evil Python Valley and go straight to the Dragon River.
The Evil Python Valley was, in fact, a valley that had suddenly sunk in the middle of a majestic mountain range that stretched for tens of thousands of miles. Although the damp and gloomy environment had bred countless poisonous insects and monsters, in terms of terrain, the Evil Python Valley was actually one of the most convenient paths to the Dragon River.
Of course, if it was someone at the level of the Yuanying Stage, they would naturally not fear the high mountains and the strong wind that could disperse spiritual energy in the sky. They could directly fly over the top of the mountain.
Although Lu Chen had a strange Taoist technique like the Black Flame, which was very powerful in actual combat, he was not good at flying. Moreover, apart from himself, there was also a huge black wolf Atsu following him. It was even more impossible for him to fly over the mountain ridge.
Therefore, when he and Atsu walked up the nearest mountain ridge and looked at the mountains in front of them, they couldn't help but let out a sigh. But very soon, he suddenly turned around and looked back.
Behind him was the pitch-black night. Darkness was everywhere, but other than that, there seemed to be nothing and no movement.
However, just now, Lu Chen clearly felt that strange, cold gaze like that of a poisonous snake again.
He frowned, and after a while, he turned around expressionlessly and walked up with Atsu.
However, this night, they didn't seem to be very lucky. After searching for a while on the mountain ridge, they didn't encounter any unlucky monsters that ran out. On this night, it seemed that all the monsters were comfortably staying in their nests, unwilling to come out and become the supper of a certain holy beast.
Atsu was a little annoyed and irritated. Lu Chen also felt a little helpless. Just as he was wondering if he should continue to search deeper into the mountain ridge, Atsu suddenly raised its head and sniffed the air a few times. Then, it turned around and called out to Lu Chen. There was a hint of joy and excitement in its voice. Then, it ran in a certain direction.
Lu Chen was stunned. At this moment, they were on the mountain ridge. Because they were at a place where there was wind, the stench from the Evil Python Valley could no longer be smelled. But at this moment, Atsu seemed to have suddenly discovered something?
Lu Chen didn't hesitate any longer because Ah-Tu's running speed wasn't considered slow. Moreover, they were in the middle of the night in the Bedlam Land, where danger lurked everywhere. Lu Chen decided to keep up.
After following Atsu for about half an hour, the sky had already begun to brighten. A trace of morning light appeared on the horizon in the distance, sprinkling over this chaotic land.
It was under this morning light that when Lu Chen and Atsu ran to an open area halfway up the mountain ridge, they suddenly stopped in their tracks.
This was because in front of them, in what should have been a primitive, barbaric, and uninhabited mountain ridge, there was suddenly a tribe that was obviously inhabited by humans.
It was in a hidden col, leaning against a towering stone wall. There were a few large caves cut into the stone wall. Apart from that, there were many very crude houses built with wood and stones outside the caves.
The morning light swept across this somewhat desolate and primitive tribe. Everything was quiet, there was no smoke, and no one was moving. It seemed that everyone there was still in a deep sleep.
Lu Chen's pupils constricted as he stared at the tribe. His gaze moved from the caves to the crude but tall houses, and finally landed on the center of the tribe, on a pile of triangular stones that had been piled up during the chaos.
There was a black piece of wood as thick as an arm stuck into the stone pile. There were some very strange patterns carved on it.
Even though they were separated by such a distance, Lu Chen could still see it clearly. He felt that it was a little familiar. But for a moment, he couldn't remember where he had seen these totem-like things before.
Totem, totem … He frowned and thought hard. He didn't know why, but he had a hunch that this thing seemed to be very important, and he must remember it. And at this moment, suddenly, Atsu beside him growled in a low voice, but it showed a trace of excitement and joy.
Lu Chen turned his head and looked at Atsu. He saw that Atsu's mouth was half open, as if he was about to drool, and his pair of dog eyes were staring at a certain place in the tribe without blinking.
Lu Chen immediately followed Atsu's gaze and saw that outside a few wooden houses, there was a thick rope between two big trees, and on the rope, there were seven or eight things that looked like cured meat hanging upside down. This stupid dog probably couldn't resist looking at the food.
However, for Atsu to be so excited, it must be the meat of monsters. Thinking about it, this tribe must be quite strong, to be able to catch monsters, and there seemed to be quite a number of them. As he thought about it, Lu Chen suddenly felt that the things on the rope were a little familiar. To be exact, it was very similar to something he had heard of before.
It was a monster that should have been on Rat Hill Mountain, the savage and bloodthirsty Cloud Rats!
From afar, looking at the row of Cloud Rats that should have been flaunting their prowess and causing headaches, but were now killed, skinned, and hung upside down like cured meat, Lu Chen couldn't help but feel an indescribable sense of strangeness.
Thinking back to the unusually peaceful journey through Rat Hill Mountain, Lu Chen couldn't help but feel his heart skip a beat. Could it be that this tribe hunted rats for a living, and managed to catch almost all of the Cloud Rats on Rat Hill Mountain?
Beside him, Atsu couldn't help but rub its head against Lu Chen's body, a questioning look in its eyes.
Lu Chen hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Alright, go on then. If there's anything wrong, run back here as soon as possible."
Atsu let out a cheer, then ran down the mountain towards the tribe. Lu Chen didn't follow, but stared at Atsu's figure, watching as it slowly approached the mysterious tribe.
There was no one in the tribe, and there were no barriers in the surroundings, such as fences or wooden palisades, so Atsu easily slipped through.
However, as it neared the tribe, Atsu clearly became more cautious, constantly looking around furtively. Then, it slowly approached the hanging meat with light footsteps. After a moment, it suddenly leapt up and bit down on a Cloud Rat. With a forceful tug, it immediately pulled the thing down.
Atsu turned and ran, but the commotion had already alerted some of the people in the tribe. A moment later, someone ran out from the nearest house, angrily cursing at Atsu. He even threw out a stone spear. With a 'tut', the stone spear pierced the spot where Atsu had just run, buzzing and vibrating non-stop.
In the distance, Lu Chen's body suddenly trembled. Looking at the person cursing angrily in the morning light, his face was ferocious, his mouth was filled with fangs, and his forehead was painted with many strange patterns. In an instant, Lu Chen came to a realization.
This was a barbarian!
This tribe was a barbarian tribe!
As for the totem pattern that gave him a familiar feeling, he had indeed seen it with his own eyes. It was the same totem pattern that he saw on the face of the Fire Shaman ten years ago in the Battle of the Desolate Valley!
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