Huo Qixiao stood up and observed his surroundings. Every direction looked the same. He ran a hand through his hair in annoyance, then chose a direction to walk.
However, before he could take more than a few steps, he suddenly heard shouting from the dense forest, which immediately made Huo Qixiao’s legs go weak!
"Roar~" It was the roar of a tiger! The sound was deep and earth-shattering, making the ground tremble.
Huo Qixiao, in an instant, pondered his chances of winning if he fought the tiger head-on.
But he quickly dismissed the idea. In his current state, if he encountered a fierce tiger, he would only be destined to be its meal.
Huo Qixiao had been soaking in seawater all day, and his head was still somewhat groggy, but now he was completely awake.
At this moment, escaping was the most important thing!
Dragging his weak legs, trembling all over, he was about to run in the opposite direction of the sound. However, before he could get far, he was suddenly startled to a halt again.
Because he heard a chilling sound from not far in the direction he was running.
"Awooo~"
"Awooo~"
"Awooo, awooo~"
It was wolves! And a pack of wolves at that! No, he couldn't even handle one tiger, let alone a larger wolf pack. It seemed this path was also impassable; otherwise, he would surely be torn to shreds.
With danger on both sides, Huo Qixiao's heart pounded, feeling as though it would leap out of his throat.
But Huo Qixiao quickly calmed himself down. He had endured so much torment and adventure during this time and had gritted his teeth through it all.
Therefore, even though his current situation was dire, he was still unwilling to give up, clinging to any chance of survival.
Without hesitating for long, Huo Qixiao ran towards the left and right sides of the dense forest. But danger awaited him at the front of his chosen path.
Huo Qixiao was almost driven to depression. He seriously suspected he had stepped in dog mess earlier today! Otherwise, how could his luck be so ridiculously bad?
It was one thing to be inexplicably thrown into this dense forest, but now he had wolves in front and a tiger behind. To his left, in the distance, was a leopard with black spots on a yellow background, and to his right, a tall and sturdy brown bear. The black bear's paw, spread open, looked larger than Huo Qixiao's head.
Don't ask how Huo Qixiao could see so clearly. He was depressed at the moment, wondering why his vision had suddenly improved so dramatically.
He could see all the fierce beasts in the distance clearly. But the clearer he saw, the deeper the chill in his heart became…
If Huo Qixiao had been trying to comfort himself earlier, believing his luck was about to turn, thinking he had encountered something as peculiar as rebirth, he no longer held such thoughts. Just look at his current tragic predicament!
Surrounded by danger, enemies on all sides, ambushed from every direction – it couldn't be worse than this. Where was there even half a path to survival…
It seemed his life was forfeit today!
Huo Qixiao's face turned ashen. He couldn't move in any direction and could only tremble as he retreated towards the center.
Suddenly, Huo Qixiao felt extremely dizzy! In a moment, everything before his eyes blurred, and the surrounding scenery began to spin automatically.
Soon, the dangers from all directions slowly closed in on Huo Qixiao. Although they were different species and had different eye colors, their eyes now all gleamed with the same cold, eerie light.
And Huo Qixiao, standing in the middle, was now a piece of fat meat waiting to be devoured.
Seeing this long-awaited delicious meal, they only wished to carry him back to their dens, then slowly tear him apart, chew him carefully, and finally swallow him into their bellies…
These beasts couldn't remember how long they had been in this forest. Although their bodies were stronger than ordinary beasts outside, they had only been able to eat vegetarian food.
Since appearing here, they had not eaten meat. There was no normal hunting, nor any meat for them to eat.
This was why, the moment the beasts saw Huo Qixiao, their mouths began to drool with foul-smelling saliva.
But there was only one piece of fat meat. With many wolves and little meat, the beasts' attention was focused on their competitors.
The law of the jungle, survival of the fittest, was an eternal truth everywhere. However, their internal conflict inadvertently created an opportunity for Huo Qixiao.
Perhaps the surrounding aura of danger was too intense, and even the air carried an indescribable sense of oppression. Seeing them confronting each other, Huo Qixiao instinctively used both hands and feet to prepare to climb the nearby towering trees.
He had carefully observed the variety of trees here. Some were shorter with many branches, while others were smooth and straight.
Huo Qixiao pondered for a moment and finally chose a smooth, straight tree located more towards the middle. The shorter trees, he reasoned, might be easily jumped onto by the beasts.
As for the other smooth, straight trees, the distance between them was too dense, allowing for easy jumping back and forth. If the beasts were clever enough, they could use them as leverage to jump up.
After considering them all, the tree in the middle, which was neither too close nor too far, seemed the most secure.
Having chosen his target, Huo Qixiao began to climb with all his might. However, after climbing a few steps, he realized something was wrong. This tree, whatever its species, had a very slippery bark. He soon slipped down, unable to get a grip.
Finally, after climbing for a long time, Huo Qixiao was covered in sweat, his hands ached, and he was exhausted. He had climbed up and down without getting very high, but instead, he had attracted the attention of the confronting beasts.
His movements were not insignificant, and naturally, they drew the attention of the beasts. However, in the eyes of these beasts, Huo Qixiao was merely a piece of moving marbled meat. They had no concern that he could escape under the heavy encirclement of so many predators.
Moreover, they were engaged in a silent standoff. If they lost, not only would they miss out on the delicious meal, but they might also lose their lives. Thus, they couldn't spare any attention for that piece of moving marbled meat.
In an instant, Huo Qixiao seemed to understand the disdain in their eyes. He turned his head and looked at the straight tree in front of him. This was an opportunity!
Huo Qixiao quickly unbuckled his belt, swiftly wrapped it around the trunk, and then used his feet to push upwards with all his might while his hands also exerted force to climb.
With a tool, it was indeed much easier than using bare hands. The cloth created friction against the bark, and with the combined force of his feet, he quickly ascended a distance up the tree.