Night fell, and darkness enveloped the Valley.
But the Valley became lively; the chirping of insects, unheard throughout the day, began to rise and fall.
The calls of nocturnal birds echoed in the distance.
Beneath the bushes, rustling sounds were everywhere. Though unseen, it was clear that large numbers of Grey Rats were active.
Occasionally, these Grey Rats would squeak excitedly, full of joy—yes, joy!
In mid-air, nocturnal, bat-like creatures flew by, and in the grass, there was the rustling sound of various insects gnawing on leaves.
Occasionally, from the cliffs in the distance, a few shrill squeaks would emanate. It seemed the Grey Rats were clashing with Black Snake, as Wang Wu soon heard a widespread thudding sound, which was the Grey Rats Heavy Cavalry gathering for a charge.
The scene was invisible, but the sounds of battle and slaughter persisted, and there was more than one battlefield.
The combatants were not only the Grey Rats and Black Snake tribes; there were also Flame Scorpions that had crawled down from the first small mountain. They were also sworn enemies of the Grey Rats, but at the same time, they seemed to be fighting another tribe.
In the night, an occasional flash of fire meant a Flame Scorpion had used its ultimate move. They could actually spit out small fireballs the size of a fingernail, which was quite adorable.
In short, the Valley at night was truly bustling. Wang Wu, immersed in it, felt a strange sense of displacement, like the heroes of Causeway Bay gathering for a righteous cause, or Honam bleeding in the streets.
But precisely because of this, his initial thought of taking advantage of the chaos immediately died down. Even though he was famished, and his stamina had dropped to only 70 points, he resolutely remained still.
The Level 2 Stealth Bloodline talent was truly amazing; it required no consumption, only stillness to take effect.
And around Wang Wu, many terrifying Green Worm Vagabonds and Moth Rangers passed by more than once.
For instance, behind him, on a seemingly withered and weak tree, less than ten meters tall with a small canopy and a twisted trunk, there were actually over a dozen large spiders hidden.
During the day, there was no trace of them.
Only after dusk, when the fiery red Little birds had collected its protection fees, the Grey Rats had delivered their tributes, and not a speck of light remained in the sky, when the Valley entered a chaotic twilight, did they silently crawl down.
Big and small, like a spider family.
The largest was as big as a washbasin, and the smallest was the size of a fist.
Due to the dim light, their exact appearance couldn't be seen, but their actions could be inferred: they were weaving webs and setting traps.
Using the tree as support, the largest Great Master spider first pulled out several central lines, and then the other spiders frantically spun silk to weave, using these as a base.
In a short while, a large circular web, capable of covering the entire tree and extending twenty meters in radius, was formed.
Then, led by the Great Master spider, a group of smaller spiders retreated to the tree canopy, quietly waiting for prey to arrive.
Wang Wu secretly called himself lucky; he was right inside this spider web, but when he came this morning, he hadn't found any trace of a spider web.
Fortunately, since these spiders were best at using stillness to control movement, as long as he remained still, they could coexist peacefully.
The Grey Rats, Flame Scorpions, and Black Snake Sentries, clearly knew the situation here and didn't blunder into it. However, the novice Mantis Swordsmen, Moth Ninjas, and Dung Beetle Masters were prone to falling prey.
It was only mid-night, yet hundreds of prey had arrived, making Wang Wu drool with envy.
"Squeak squeak squeak!"
A sudden cry arose. It was an inexperienced Grey Rat that had accidentally bumped into the spider web. Although even a young Grey Rat was actually larger than an Earth rat, it couldn't break free once stuck to this spider web.
Instantly, a dozen black shadows dropped from the tree. No one knew how they did it, but in a blink of an eye, the Grey Rat was motionless.
But just as Wang Wu thought the spider tribe would enjoy this feast, he heard a series of thudding charging sounds. A dozen Grey Rats Heavy Cavalry rushed over, stopping outside the spider web, squeaking as if negotiating.
There was no movement from the spider side.
A moment later, a Grey Rats Heavy Cavalry appeared, holding a small red berry in its claws.
Almost instantly, the spider tribe reacted. A dead Grey Rat was thrown out of the spider web, while the Grey Rats left the red berry. The exchange of hostages was successful.
Wang Wu was dumbfounded!
As expected of the Immortal Realm, even these unrefined little creatures could play such games.
This also served as a reminder for him: do not underestimate creatures just because they are small; the waters here are very deep.
Thus, he continued to endure hunger until dawn. Wang Wu was tired, hungry, and extremely sleepy, but he still dared not move.
Rustling sounds began again, as the spiders on the tree descended, actually beginning to retrieve their webs. Even the broken silk stuck to the grass blades was carefully collected. If they weren't spiders, Wang Wu would have truly thought they were industrious and frugal common folk.
Alas, it's truly a case of 'patrolling the mountain by day, spinning silk by night,' with Little spider managing the household based on this. I wonder if there's a Fourth Sister among them?
While Wang Wu was in a Divided Soul, the spider family had completely retrieved the spider web and thoroughly hidden themselves deep within the tree canopy.
However, considering the height of this tree, this spider family should also be able to enjoy the Golden One Minute and Silver Three Minutes when the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi is emitted at sunrise.
And at this time, the Valley was also exceptionally noisy. One could vaguely see clusters of gray shadows gathering at the edge of the bushes—these were Grey Rats preparing to snatch Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, as well as various insect Demons. This was a daily feast, and also a turning point in their lives.
It was like thousands of soldiers crossing a single-plank bridge.
Wang Wu watched quietly, pondering in his heart.
As time slowly passed, as the sky turned a fish-belly white, as dawn arrived, as the first ray of sunlight fell, like the bell signaling the start of an exam, the entire world, the entire Valley, erupted.
He hadn't witnessed such a magnificent sight yesterday.
The fiery red Little Goblin flew above the tree canopy, yet dared not fly higher.
The Grey Rats Heavy Cavalry began to run towards the foot of the mountain, followed by ordinary rats, and then by a large number of insect Demons.
A mighty torrent, like a tide.
But at this time, the sun had only just reached the highest point of the cliff, currently in the Purple-Gold Three Minutes stage.
"Now! Go!"
When the Grey Rats tribe rushed past, Wang Wu also leaped out of his day-and-night long stealth. His legs were soft, and his stamina was even below 50 points.
But as expected, no one paid him any mind. He stood there like a reef; a few Mantis even used him as a stepping stone to show off their movement techniques.
However, Wang Wu did not head directly to the bottom of the cliff to contend for Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. Instead, he changed direction and plunged into the bushes.
His target was the red berries.
Is Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi not important?
No, it's very important, and at this time in the early morning, the golden particles in the sunlight can definitely be seized by him. Level 1 Spiritual Essence has this advantage.
But then what?
He was destined to be ganged up on again, just like yesterday. If it were just a group of Mantis, Dung Beetle, or Moth, it would be one thing, but Wang Wu deeply suspected that the Grey Rats would launch a siege and hunt him down today. With his current weakness in all aspects, this would be too passive.
Rather than that, it would be better to take advantage of all the Little demon's going to snatch Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and enter the bushes to grab those red berries instead.