Chapter 62

A pale blue hexagram magic array appeared amidst the incantations.

He Boqiang felt a warmth like sunlight fill his body. Although his wounds did not heal quickly, the pain was significantly reduced, and the bleeding had stopped. His body, which had been on the verge of exhaustion, now felt full of energy.

In the pitch-black wilderness, the pillar of light descending from the sky was particularly prominent.

The three demons would likely use this light as a beacon and return soon, so he could not stay here for long.

At this moment, He Boqiang's strength had not only been fully restored but also significantly enhanced in terms of physical condition.

He felt an endless supply of energy, even thinking he could carry the heavy demon corpse, which weighed several hundred pounds.

After careful consideration, He Boqiang resisted the urge to peel the demon's skin.

When the Great Mage taught him the ritual of sacrifice, he repeatedly warned him to be cautious when using the Eye of Truth, to pay attention to the surrounding safety, and not to easily attempt the magic pattern implantation, especially when the strength of the magic skin and the host's body were vastly different or when their natural attributes were incompatible, which could easily lead to death by explosion.

Attempting the magic pattern implantation without preparation was akin to courting death.

He Boqiang felt he wasn't ready for that. He slightly identified the direction, determined his path, and once again entered the grassland.

...

Running out of the grassland, over two mountain ridges, and across a stream, he ran until dawn, and upon realizing the three demons had not caught up, he finally stopped on a hillside. During his journey through the valley and stream, he didn't forget to fill a water flask, and now he drank half of it in one breath.

Despite being in the 'Divine Blessed Body' magic state, his body was extremely exhausted after a night of running.

A woodpecker was tapping on a tree trunk 'tap-tap-tap' at the treetop. He Boqiang looked up at the tall spruce, whose crown spread like a large umbrella, but he couldn't see where the woodpecker was hiding, even though he could hear the sound.

He Boqiang stood under the tree, examining the spruce for a while, planned his climbing route, and then attempted to climb it bare-handed.

The spruce was very thick, and near the ground, it took four or five people holding hands to encircle it. The bark was covered with mottled cracks. He used his hands to grip the gaps in the bark, and his body clung to the tree like a gecko, his feet pushing rhythmically from below, gradually climbing to the treetop.

Although he had no experience climbing trees, He Boqiang's grip strength was strong, and he didn't find it too difficult.

After passing several horizontal branches, He Boqiang hung from a tree fork, took a deep breath, wiped the sweat from his face, and climbed to the treetop in one go.

A black-feathered, red-winged woodpecker fluttered out from the deep treetop and landed on a neighboring tree.

He Boqiang found a sturdy tree fork at the treetop, pulled out his Roman sword from his waist, and cut some soft branches to build a nest-like bed between the tree forks. He lay on it to test its strength, found it solid enough, but not very comfortable, so he added more small branches, eventually finishing the treetop bed.

He took out a pack of military rations from his bag. Unable to start a fire to cook porridge, he poured the rations directly into his mouth. The dry rations weren't too bad, but they required water to swallow. The grains were roasted and seasoned with salt, meat powder, and butter.

After eating some rations, his stomach no longer felt burning. He Boqiang lay on the wooden bed at the treetop, using his belt as a safety rope to prevent falling off in his sleep.

From his vantage point at the treetop, the view was wide. The spruce was on a hillside, and while he could see the valley, he couldn't see the other side of the hill.

The valley floor was covered with dense forests, and a mountain stream flowed from east to west into a river valley. He Boqiang had filled his water flask at the stream.

Seeing no sign of the demons, He Boqiang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

With the 'Divine Blessed Body' magic effect, even if he had some injuries, he didn't feel any pain.

He Boqiang checked his arm wound, which had reopened while climbing the tree, bleeding profusely.

Feeling no pain, he hadn't paid much attention, but now, seeing the dark, bloody hole, he was concerned about dying from blood loss. He quickly tore a strip from his undershirt and bandaged the wound again.

He then lay on the makeshift wooden bed, exhausted, and fell asleep.

...

A drop of water landed on He Boqiang's face.

Then another drop.

The continuous raindrops woke him from his sleep.

He opened his eyes to see green leaves and a gray, rainy sky. Struggling to sit up, he was almost pulled off the bed by the safety rope around his waist.

"Damn it!"

Being high up and suddenly waking from a deep sleep, He Boqiang broke out in a cold sweat.

He cautiously looked down through the dense branches, feeling increasingly that sleeping at the treetop was extremely dangerous.

The rain grew heavier, and the dense leaves on the treetop couldn't block much of the rain. He Boqiang held his backpack over his head like a bird, huddling to avoid the sudden rain.

The tree trunk was wet and slippery, making it impossible to climb down.

Looking at the gray, rain-soaked forest, He Boqiang realized he was completely lost in the mountains, unsure which direction to take to find the river valley or even the native village.

Since regretting was useless, He Boqiang thought about how to survive in the forest.

The swordsman Bajiale had once told He Boqiang that the depths of the Gandauer Mountains were home to some high-level monsters more terrifying than demons. If possible, one should avoid that area.

He Boqiang felt he might have already entered the Gandauer Mountains.

As the rain gradually subsided, He Boqiang, drenched like a wet chicken, slid down the tree.

The forest floor was filled with water, and the rainwater formed streams flowing down the hill.

Soaked to the bone, He Boqiang planned to start a fire in the forest to dry his wet clothes and avoid getting sick.