The beasts, who had initially paid little attention to Huo Qixiao's actions, became alert when they saw he might actually escape.
They let out low growls, as if conferring. Soon, they ceased their silent standoff and gathered beneath the tree where Huo Qixiao was struggling to climb.
Huo Qixiao continued to exert himself. While his current position allowed him to exert force, maintaining it for a long time was difficult and very tiring.
Just as Huo Qixiao was about to rest, feeling exhausted, he suddenly had a premonition and looked down the tree.
His fear then skyrocketed!
Huo Qixiao clutched the tree tightly, trembling uncontrollably. If he slipped, he would be a tasty morsel in their mouths in an instant.
A wave of frustration washed over him, and a murderous intent flickered in his eyes. These beasts had just been hostile towards each other, so how could they suddenly come to an agreement and all surround the base of this tree?
However, as Huo Qixiao felt fear creep in, the leopard suddenly leaped upwards! But it misjudged the height and distance on its first attempt, leaving only a few deep claw marks on the tree before slowly sliding down.
Huo Qixiao looked down at his thigh, noticing the distinct claw marks, and his heart pounded even faster!
So close, just a hair's breadth away! If his leg had been a little slower to move, those claw marks would be on his legs right now. Judging by the depth of the marks, if they had truly landed on his legs, it would have been more than just breaking the skin!
No! This height was still not enough. If they tried again multiple times, or if they took turns jumping, he would surely be caught!
Huo Qixiao readjusted his posture and position, tightened the belt around his waist, and lowered the legs that were gripping the tree, preparing to climb higher.
But just as he made his move, the same leopard that had failed once before leaped up again, this time with more force. If successful, it could grab Huo Qixiao around the waist.
Huo Qixiao had already started to climb again, which meant his legs naturally needed to shift down a bit before applying force. It was at this moment that the leopard below leaped.
It was precisely because of Huo Qixiao's sudden movement of lowering and then raising his legs that the leaping leopard was momentarily distracted. As it jumped into mid-air, it instinctively dodged, causing its landing point to be even lower than the first time.
Although the height was insufficient, this time the leopard's sharp claws did indeed tear into Huo Qixiao's left leg, quickly leaving several bloody gashes that were glaringly conspicuous.
"Ah~!"
The sudden stinging pain on his leg made Huo Qixiao cry out uncontrollably. Cold sweat quickly beaded on his forehead, and his lips and legs trembled from the pain.
Huo Qixiao gritted his teeth, forcefully moving his hands upwards, and then using his right foot to push off the tree with strength. Fortunately, after climbing a considerable distance, he had become more adept.
The intense survival instinct within Huo Qixiao was now ignited by the immense danger. Even with one injured leg, he was climbing faster than he had at the beginning.
As he climbed upwards, the beasts below continued to leap. Fortunately, Huo Qixiao had now climbed a significant distance higher.
The tigers, wolves, leopards, bears, and other beasts below could only leap and howl in frustration, staring at the plump "pork belly" above, unable to reach it.
Just as Huo Qixiao thought he might finally get a break, the wolves below actually started climbing the tree!
Moreover, because the wolves' limbs were equipped with sharp claws that could dig firmly into the tree trunk, their climbing speed was noticeably faster than Huo Qixiao's.
Huo Qixiao clearly froze for a moment upon seeing this, his climbing motion coming to a halt. He watched as the wolf gripped the tree trunk with its claws, released them, leaped upwards, and then, upon descending, firmly grasped the trunk again with its claws.
In such a short period, the wolf had already climbed a considerable distance. Huo Qixiao's pupils constricted in shock. He never expected the wolves here to be so capable, to be able to climb trees, and at such a rapid pace.
Seeing the distance between him and the wolf closing, Huo Qixiao couldn't afford to be stunned any longer. He quickly continued to use his belt for support, pushing himself to climb upwards with all his might.
Huo Qixiao felt utterly foolish. From the moment he realized he was in this strange place, he knew it was not ordinary, yet he still tried to think conventionally, clearly forgetting that everything here had long surpassed his understanding.
From the initial inescapable mist formation, to the sudden disappearance of various things, to things inexplicably shifting locations. Then, the encounter with the enchanted giant eagle and the multi-legged monster, followed by the monstrous fish in the sea, and now this perilous dense forest!
None of these could be explained with normal reasoning.
As the distance between them continued to shrink, the wolf leaped upwards forcefully. Its objective was to shorten the distance as much as possible. In reality, at this distance, it could indeed precisely bite at Huo Qixiao's dangling legs.
Although Huo Qixiao had lost to Huo Qiyuan, he possessed martial arts skills himself. The moment the wolf leaped, he reacted swiftly, kicking it on the side of its open mouth.
The wolf was in mid-air with no solid objects to leverage. It had planned to bite Huo Qixiao's leg and still have time to firmly grip the tree. Who knew it would be so hasty and arrogant, never expecting to be kicked.
The wolf attempted to extend its claws to grip the tree trunk, but as Huo Qixiao's kick had pushed it slightly away from the trunk, its claws could not get a firm hold. After leaving shallow scratch marks on the trunk, it spectacularly fell, headfirst, as if doing a somersault.
With a "plop," the wolf crashed heavily onto the ground, its head slamming into a sharp rock nearby. Half of its head caved in, and the ear that was struck was mangled.
The wolf's body contorted, and it tried several times to stand, but failed each time.
Finally, it collapsed limply onto the ground, its tongue lolling out from its open mouth. Soon, dark red frothy blood began to well up in the wolf's throat. Its body twitched uncontrollably; it was clearly severely injured.