Chapter One: Deep in the Dense Forest

  An hour later, the sky was about to be completely dark, and every inch of land in the forest in midsummer was scorched by the scorching sun as if it were melting.

  Ding Hao continued to venture deeper into the forest, legend has it that no hunter had ever been able to reach the end of this forest, legend has it that deep within the forest, gods and monsters lurked, even the most cunning and strong hunters were unable to truly conquer this forest.

  Ding Hao heard from the old villagers when he was very young that if you don't listen and behave badly, they will send you to the Black Wind Forest.

  The Black Wind Forest is exactly what the villagers call this forest, and everything that grows in this forest is bigger than anywhere else, animals are like this, plants are also like this.

  The towering tree has luxuriant branches and leaves, and the deep forest is even more gloomy all year round, with a depressing atmosphere, and even the insect sounds are much weaker than in other places!

  Ding Hao no longer believed in the words of the old men in the village after he grew up, nor did he think that there were any gods or monsters deep in the forest.

  But he believed that this forest indeed had some mysterious places, and was also convinced that one day he would be able to completely conquer it, which is also the dream of every mountain and river village hunter.

  But this forest didn't give any hunter a chance to fulfill their dream!

  It's like a lurking monster with its huge mouth wide open, constantly devouring one after another of the best hunters!

  Ding Hao was found by old hunter Zhang Cheng in the forest, Zhang Cheng originally hit a few rabbits and was ready to return to the village, on the way he found Ding Hao who was still an infant, in a simple bamboo basket Ding Hao did not cry or make trouble, staring at Zhang Cheng with his big black eyes.

  The bamboo basket was hastily woven, and the bamboo tips had not been polished at all. Zhang Cheng was afraid that the sharp bamboo tips would prick the baby, so he hesitated for a moment before holding the baby in his own arms. The baby was wrapped in a large red bellyband, with a green jade pendant hanging from its neck, on which were engraved the two characters "Ding Hao".

  Zhang Chengyuan thought that Ding Hao's parents were just in the next room, but had stepped out for a moment, so he held onto Ding Hao and waited there for his parents to come find him. But as night fell, not even a shadow of a person appeared.

  Then Zhang Cheng took Ding Hao back home. For the next few days, Zhang Cheng would hold Ding Hao and wait for his parents to come find him, but they never showed up. So Zhang Cheng adopted him, naming him Ding Hao after the jade pendant, and taught him hunting skills until he was thirteen years old, when Zhang Cheng was killed by a tiger in the forest!

  The children in the mountains mature early, and Ding Hao followed Zhang Cheng to hunt in the forest when he was very young. In hunting, Ding Hao showed amazing talent, cleverness, tenacity, bravery, calmness, and the qualities of a hunter that seemed to be innate. As for mastering hunting skills, he far surpassed his peers, and all the hunters in the village believed that Ding Hao would become the best hunter in Shanhe Village when he grew up.

  Two years ago, when Ding Hao carried a tiger back to the village on his back, he further proved this point. With a height of nearly 1.9 meters, every muscle in his body was filled with explosive power, and no one in the village could match him in terms of speed and strength.

  Thick eyebrows and big eyes, every corner of the square face is clear-cut, although only eighteen years old, but his whole body has already been filled with masculine beauty!

  Ding Hao had already forgotten how many times he had come here, this area was already very far from the village. If he didn't return to the village now, he wouldn't be able to make it back today. And if he continued on, it would no longer be a forest he was familiar with. That was precisely the place in the Black Wind Forest where legends abounded, and also the most dangerous and mysterious place.

  Many times before, he had stopped his exploratory footsteps here. On the one hand, he felt that he was not yet the best hunter in Shanhe Village and was not well-prepared. On the other hand, he still had lingering concerns in his heart, feeling that he had not fully repaid the kindness of the villagers who had raised him.

  But now these two points can no longer be the conditions that bind him. When one by one of the most dangerous tigers was hunted down by him, Ding Hao already felt that nothing could pose a threat to him. On the other hand, due to his tireless hunting, he exchanged the piled-up prey for enough silver coins for the villagers, and the villagers' lives have improved greatly in recent years, no longer worrying about their livelihoods.

  He checked the three-tube arrows on his back and the bow that had accompanied him for five years, then pulled out this newly bought top-grade hunting knife. Ding Hao finally shook off his melancholy and took the most crucial step of his life.

  It's been two hours since they left, and the sun in the sky has already turned into a crescent moon. With the moonlight, Ding Hao's vision was not greatly affected. The chirping of insects grew weaker and weaker, almost inaudible, and the silence was somewhat strange.

  Years of hunting experience made Ding Hao feel that something unusual was going to happen, and his footsteps gradually slowed down. Along the way, small and gentle animals became scarce, and what came into view were carnivores such as wild boars, lone wolves, and leopards. These animals that were not easily seen in everyday life kept appearing in his line of sight. Ding Hao deliberately hid himself and did not attract the attention of these animals along the way.

  The insect sounds had completely stopped, and the silence was a bit eerie. Ding Hao's footsteps slowed down even more, and the rustling sound of his feet stepping on the thick layer of rotting leaves was unusually piercing in the silent forest.

  Suddenly a running sound arose in his ears, growing louder and closer from afar.

  It's a tiger! Ding Hao's eyes narrowed, and a cold glint flashed by. Years of experience allowed him to quickly judge that it was the sound of a tiger running, but what was strange was that he only heard the sound of the tiger running, yet didn't hear any other animal sounds. Normally, if it were a tiger hunting, based on the direction of the running sound, he shouldn't be able to miss the sound of the prey running for its life. Ding Hao had absolute confidence in this!

  If it wasn't hunting, what could make the tiger run with all its might? Ding Hao was a bit puzzled. Just as he was wondering, another sound appeared in his ear, a rubbing sound between skin and soil, a snake? It didn't seem like it, the friction of a python wasn't that big, what was it? Ding Hao couldn't judge, but this sound made him get another astonishing judgment - the tiger was running away with all its might! It was escaping from the animal behind!

  Ding Hao didn't know what in the forest could make a tiger so afraid, as the sound kept getting closer, Ding Hao judged that the tiger was doomed to escape, and it actually ran faster than the tiger!

  At this time, Ding Hao began to consider his own safety, and the animal that could make tigers run for their lives was not something he could easily deal with.

  Subconsciously, his eyes flashed and found a tallest tree, and he climbed up like a wild gibbon. Only then did he let out a breath of relief, as apart from flying creatures, other animals basically posed no threat to him.

  Standing on the tree, with the moonlight, Ding Hao's field of vision became even wider. Came, accompanied by the appearance of this giant beast, a whirlwind rolled up on the ground, its colorful fur fluttering like a phantom.

  The tiger is about three meters long, and its tail is also one meter long. Judging from its weight of over 300 kilograms, it's a male adult tiger. However, at this moment, it went crazy and started running wildly - not to hunt for food, but just to escape for survival! Now Ding Hao became even more curious about what kind of animal was chasing after it?

  Closer, behind it was a larger whirlwind, with dust and leaves mixed in the whirlwind, unclear.

  In a breath's interval, the tiger whizzed past the tree where Ding Hao was hiding, and at this time Ding Hao finally saw clearly what animal was chasing it!

  He took a deep breath of cold air, and at this moment he began to feel fortunate that he had climbed the tree so decisively! Suddenly, a strange creature appeared in his field of vision. It was like a python but not a python, like a snake but not a snake. Its head had two horns and its back had two long wings. The dark purple eyeballs were as big as fists, and its body was about eight meters long, with a thickness similar to that of a barrel. Its entire body was covered in thick scales, and the open mouth revealed several rows of conical teeth. Just by looking at their hardness, Ding Hao didn't dare doubt for a moment that it possessed extremely powerful killing ability.

  The monster was still several feet away, but the stench from its mouth had already wafted over, and Ding Hao felt a slight suffocation in his chest just from catching a whiff of it. He immediately held his breath, feeling fortunate that he hadn't been closer, and couldn't believe how toxic the smell from its mouth was.

  The monster, of course, did not know that there was another prey on the big tree above its head, and it whizzed past Ding Hao's face, but as it moved, a whirlwind formed, and the withered branches and mud brought up by the whirlwind briefly blurred Ding Hao's vision.

  At this time, a mournful tiger's roar announced the end of the chase. At this time, Ding Hao looked in the direction of the sound again and found that the old tiger had silently fallen to the ground. Just looking at the unnatural twist of the tiger's body, Ding Hao could confirm that the living tiger was absolutely impossible to get up.

  At this time, Ding Hao had already begun to consider whether he needed to get closer to observe, but this idea was immediately vetoed. He thought of the consequences of being discovered by that monster, and just looking at its appearance, he knew that the monster was ferocious and bloodthirsty. Looking at its thick scales, Ding Hao began to doubt whether his bow and arrow could even cause damage to it, and its massive body like a small mountain made Ding Hao have no confidence in his own strength, let alone its powerful venom!

  Ding Hao quickly came to the conclusion that this thing was absolutely not something he could handle, and staying put was currently the wisest course of action.

  For a moment, Ding Hao hesitated and looked at the monster again, only to find that one-third of the tiger had already been swallowed. The speed at which the monster was swallowing made Ding Hao wonder if it hadn't chewed its food before gulping it down. However, the next action of biting off the tiger's neck dispelled his doubts, and he no longer dared question the sharpness of its teeth!

  The skill of a cup of tea, the tiger has been eaten clean, leaving only tattered and fragmented tiger skin and bones scattered all over the ground!

  The monster seemed unsated, its dark purple eyes darting back and forth as if searching for the next prey.

  Without any warning, a sharp and shrill bird cry suddenly rang out beside Ding Hao's ear, the monster's dark purple eyes flashed, and it began to flee back towards the road in a desperate manner!

  There's actually something that can scare it too! Ding Hao suddenly froze!