After only walking a short distance, I heard several more faint sounds! They were coming from all directions! There had to be at least a dozen of them! I didn't have time to worry about anything else and immediately swept out a crescent arc to my left, lunging into the left side simultaneously!

My tactic was simple: since I couldn't defend against an encirclement from all sides at once, I might as well choose one direction to serve as a breach point! The left was the direction I selected. Regardless of whether a Demon Dragon Evil Eye appeared from that direction or not, if my crescent blade struck it, the Evil Eye coming from the left would definitely be hit, and by dodging to the left afterward, I would naturally evade that wave of attack.

Bang! The moment the crescent energy blade shot out, I had already flashed away with my Electric Steps! Behind me, there were only whooshes—several sounds so fast I couldn't even clearly make out their shapes before they had already burrowed back into the earth.

Hoo! Looking at the corpses of the dozen or so Demon Dragon Evil Eyes that my crescent blast had just obliterated, I breathed a slight sigh of relief! It seemed my tactic was correct.

For the time that followed, I engaged these ambush-loving creatures in another bout! Each time, I would attack the first direction I detected with a crescent, while simultaneously lunging toward that spot!

The result was that every time, not only did I successfully dodge their attacks, but I also managed to kill one of them, which greatly boosted my morale. It seemed the Demon Dragon Evil Eyes were not entirely without weaknesses!

As time went on, I became able to effortlessly evade the attacks of these Demon Dragon Evil Eyes. Furthermore, having adapted to their speed and attack patterns, I could immediately counter-attack while evading. In a single exchange, I could launch two attacks. This filled me with even greater joy.

However, the farther southeast I advanced, the more Demon Dragon Evil Eyes I encountered. Sometimes, fifty or sixty of them would attack me simultaneously. Initially, I was somewhat overwhelmed, but thanks to the formidable defensive capability of my Thunder Shield, I managed to withstand them.

After fighting continuously for over half a month, I gradually adapted to the ever-increasing number of Demon Dragon Evil Eyes attacking me. Eventually, even when over a hundred Demon Dragon Evil Eyes assaulted me, they couldn't land a single hit.

This forced me to marvel at how astonishing human adaptability truly is! Just over half a month ago, I was completely flustered by just two Demon Dragon Evil Eyes!

On the twenty-fifth day of entering the Demon Dragon Eastern Suburbs, I finally reached the easternmost edge of the area.

Before me stood a massive mountain gate! It towered between two steep cliffs, and on the huge plaque, five ancient, stylized characters were carved: "East Forest Sanctuary!"

I had finally broken through the Demon Dragon Eastern Suburbs. Thinking back on the journey, it had truly been fraught with peril!

Struggling to calm the excitement in my heart, I stepped through the gate leading to the East Forest Sanctuary!

The sky was still dim, and gray mist permeated the surroundings, seeming no different from the Demon Dragon Eastern Suburbs. However, upon sensing the air more closely, in addition to the stifling heat, there was a dampness! Looking carefully, there were large and small swamps and ponds scattered around. The ground was no longer completely dry scorched earth like a desert but was covered with a thin layer of grass turf. Thirty meters away, I could see a few small, twisted trees drooping listlessly, resembling malnourished, underdeveloped monstrosities.

I continued to listen carefully to the surroundings, not daring to let my guard down in the slightest. The Demon Dragon World was filled with lethal traps; the Ranger’s Handbook advised that a moment’s carelessness could cost one’s life.

The ambient sounds immediately became much clearer. From afar, I heard faint, rustling noises. Over the nearly month of training, I had grown accustomed to using sound to discern changes in the environment around me.

Even now, it felt somewhat unbelievable—countless sounds entered my ears! They were filtered, extracted, analyzed, and then assembled into the information I needed. From the sound, I could discern the speed and direction of moving objects, and more.

I thought this might be the legendary skill of discerning objects by sound alone. At this moment, I clearly heard waves of subtle rustling sounds coming from all around. Though very faint, I captured them clearly.

The sources of the sounds were everywhere! Such swift noises suggested their volume wouldn't be large, but their mode of movement was clearly different from the Demon Dragon Evil Eyes. Carefully, I sensed over a dozen of these things nearby. Evidently, they were hiding in the grass, ponds, and swamps, peering at me intently. Although I couldn't see them at all, I could feel waves of faint, almost imperceptible killing intent, like venomous snakes coiled and ready to strike their prey.

Swish! Whoosh whoosh! Faint noises instantly erupted from behind me!

Behind! Two objects were rapidly rushing toward me, their speed even faster than the Demon Dragon Evil Eyes! I reacted instantly!

Two streams of Dragon Shadow Lightning shot out toward the sources of the sound!

Splat, splat! There were two crisp sounds. Looking in the direction of the noise, two plumes of green blood mist burst in mid-air! I hadn't even managed to discern what those things were.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!

Another rush of sound tearing through the air rang out, this time from all directions. I quickly urged my Thunder Shield to its maximum strength, then unleashed three massive, sweeping crescent energy blades consecutively, each aimed at one of three surrounding areas!

This was a maneuver I had comprehended through countless confrontations with the Demon Dragon Evil Eyes over the past month—the optimal technique for dealing with group attacks! I called it the Moon Embrace Blade Technique. The inspiration for this move came from the grand game, Legend of Mir, where the Warrior possessed a Moon Embrace Blade Technique that attacked 360 degrees around them.

Although I couldn't unleash such monstrous energy blade attacks, with the help of Thunder Dou Qi, my control over the energy reached an astonishing height. While it wasn't quite effortless, after conscious training, unleashing three crescent blades toward three different directions simultaneously was no longer difficult.

The three crescent blades swept out simultaneously in three directions, causing the dense crescent energy to scatter outward in a massive circle, able to block attacks coming from any direction.

And this technique was highly effective against small, fragile Demon Dragon Evil Eyes. Although I hadn't seen what attacked me just now, I was certain their size was similar to the Evil Eyes, meaning their defense wouldn't be very strong.

My analysis proved entirely correct.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Sounds of bodies bursting erupted around me, like overinflated balloons popping. Countless green viscera instantly spread out, forming clots of green blood mist around me.

However, a few managed to slip through and weren't instantly annihilated, clearly because they were farther away. But even so, being brushed by the edges of the crescent energy wounded them severely, rendering them immobile! They were now listlessly twitching on the ground, seemingly trying to crawl away.

Only then did I have a chance to see what these attackers were. They resembled exceptionally large frogs, but what was truly chilling was that these frogs had no heads—looking like square blocks of flesh, covered in uneven flesh spurs, poison glands, and nodules, making one sick to the stomach. Where the head should have been, there was an opening lined with sharp teeth in an inwardly curved arc, as if anything placed inside would be instantly chewed into pulp; the sight was enough to make one’s scalp tingle.

Beneath the 'flesh block' were four legs, bent tightly into an 'M' shape, seemingly ready to unleash astonishing leaping power at any moment. In reality, this was true; compared to the Demon Dragon Evil Eyes, these headless frogs were noticeably faster. Even with prior preparation, I was hit head-on. Honestly, for someone who prided himself on speed, this was hard to accept. If the opponent had possessed similar strength, I believed I would already be a cold corpse.

This was the Demon Dragon Blood Frog, exactly as described in the Ranger’s Handbook. Legend had it that the Demon Dragon Blood Frogs were the frogfolk army from the ancient Orc legions who, upon being executed by beheading after defeat, had their corpses refined by Dark Magic into the Blood Frogs among the Demon Dragon military breeds, eventually evolving into their current form.

The Demon Dragon Blood Frog surpassed the Demon Dragon Evil Eye by a significant margin in speed, strength, and even toxicity. Their combat style was similar to the Evil Eyes but more seasoned; one absolutely could not let down their guard.

I inwardly heightened my vigilance!

Yet, to my surprise, the Moon Embrace Blade Technique was incredibly sharp and swift against the Demon Dragon Evil Eyes, almost as if it were specifically designed to counter these insidious creatures.

Even swift and cunning Demon Dragon creatures like the Demon Dragon Evil Eye and the Demon Dragon Blood Frog could not escape the wide-area sweeping attack of the Moon Embrace Blade Technique, which filled me with confidence.

I subconsciously sped up my pace. Along the way, I often encountered ambushes from Demon Dragon Blood Frogs lurking in the shadows, but they were quickly eliminated in their nascent stage by my Moon Embrace Blade Technique—not a single Blood Frog managed to launch an attack.

Gradually, the surrounding Demon Dragon Blood Frogs increased in number, and the Moon Embrace Blade Technique acted like a massive reaper’s scythe, constantly sweeping out. The area around me seemed enveloped by a silver-white halo, continuously expanding outwards, but with every expansion, countless bursts of exploding green blood orbs followed.

Thus, I strolled through the East Forest Sanctuary as if taking a leisurely walk. When tired, I would sit down to meditate and rest. I dared not sleep here. This meditation was actually a method taught to me by Ji Du before my departure, intended to allow for the fullest rest while keeping consciousness clear—its primary purpose was to counter dangers arising from fatigue in the Demon Dragon World.

Normally, meditating for four hours would restore sufficient physical strength and spirit. After mastering Sound Perception and the Moon Embrace Blade Technique, even in pitch darkness, I no longer needed to worry about sneak attacks from Demon Dragon Evil Eyes, as I no longer relied solely on sight to observe changes. Moreover, once the Moon Embrace Blade Technique was unleashed, it was a full-directional attack; any Blood Frog attacking from any angle would be instantly annihilated.

In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed since entering the East Forest Sanctuary. In these four days, the number of Demon Dragon Blood Frogs I killed was uncountable. Because the fragile defense of the Blood Frogs meant that being swept by the energy blade resulted in instant body explosion, I was essentially killing them in one strike—seeing one meant killing one.

Unexpectedly, these creatures, which most people found terrifyingly insidious, could be dealt with so easily. In reality, as long as I could sense their location and attack preemptively, the Blood Frogs' speed advantage posed no threat, considering I myself excelled in speed.

According to my itinerary, I should now be deep within the Demon Dragon Eastern Suburbs. The surroundings were no longer flat open ground, swamps, or grassy fields; winding, undulating small slopes began to appear.

In the open spaces between these slopes, there were still some relatively large pools of water and swamps!

This must be the hinterland of the East Forest Sanctuary.

The air was permeated with strands of sickly green mist, resembling water vapor, which mixed with the gray fog, making the surroundings even more indistinct. The maximum visible range was about thirty meters, and even that was blurry and unclear. Beyond thirty meters, nothing could be seen at all.

The Ranger’s Handbook recorded this mist as 'Demonic Fog' and claimed it was poisonous. But to me, this so-called Demonic Fog was likely just miasma—a natural phenomenon unique to swamps and damp areas.

Without a specialized anti-toxin filtration helmet, inhaling a breath would be fatal. Fortunately, my Black Iron Helmet possessed anti-toxic gas functionality, so I didn't need to worry at all.

Upon entering the interior, I subconsciously raised my vigilance! Rumor had it that this was the lair of the Demon Dragon Blood Frogs! Many rangers who challenged the Crimson Moon Peak in the past had failed at this hurdle!

Various distinct sounds reached my ears. Beneath the water, in the bushes, in the trees, behind the slopes, and under the surface layer of the ground—there were rustling footsteps everywhere!

This number! Something was wrong; there were too many! A shock went through my heart!

I instinctively retreated rapidly toward the path I came from, but simultaneously, countless sharp shrieks erupted around me! It felt like when heavy rain suddenly hits a calm water surface, creating countless ripples.

Frighteningly fast-moving objects were everywhere. Although I couldn't see them, the familiar vibrations and sharp shrieks allowed me to easily judge that the Demon Dragon Blood Frogs attacking me numbered at least several hundred, perhaps even more!

Damn it! I was trapped in a pincer attack, and I was deeply alarmed, but regretting it now was useless.

The Moon Embrace Blade Technique was unleashed instantly!

Boom! Boom! Bang! Bang! Sounds of bodies exploding erupted around me. Everywhere within sight in the mist were shattered limbs and flying blood mist, and even more were the gray shapes darting in among them!

There were just too many; I couldn't wait to unleash a second wave of crescent blades!

Bang bang bang!!

I had already taken countless hits from all directions!

Thankfully, my Thunder Shield canceled out many of the attacks! But even so, my entire body ached as if I were being smashed by a group of men wielding sledgehammers.

This time I was in deep trouble; even if I didn't die, I'd lose a layer of skin! Thinking this, I quickly pushed my Thunder Body Protection to its limit, bracing myself fiercely to prevent them from breaching my defense.

Whoosh whoosh! Countless sharp gusts of air howled towards me. I knew this was the sound of air being violently displaced by their incredible speed. I never expected the Demon Dragon Blood Frogs to abandon their usual hit-and-run tactics and launch a massive, frenzied, suicidal assault.

Damn these little bastards! Although anxious, I forced myself to remain as calm as possible. At this point, the Moon Embrace Blade Technique was no longer very effective.

I formulated an action plan immediately! If I can’t resist, I can run! The Gale Ring activated instantly, and I charged toward the bloody path previously cleared by the crescent blades.

Bang bang bang! Almost as I sprang away, the spot where I had been standing was instantly covered by the dense figures of countless Demon Dragon Evil Eyes and Demon Dragon Blood Frogs. Perhaps due to sheer numbers, they even collided with each other, and several were blown apart by their own kind!

Hmph, such a frantic assault! Terror washed over me. I pushed my speed to its absolute limit.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

Ahead, many more desperate Demon Dragon Blood Frogs were slamming toward me, though their density was much lower than in other directions.

At this point, avoiding their dense attacks was impossible. I grit my teeth, pushed my Thunder Body Protection to its maximum state, and charged straight into the direction they were coming from.

Bang! Bang! Bang! ........ Countless violent roars echoed. It felt like being brutally beaten like a punching bag by several berserk boxers. My entire body felt like it was about to burst, the pain almost making me faint.

“***, Savage Charge!” I kicked off hard with both legs, ruthlessly shoving aside every Demon Dragon Blood Frog and Demon Dragon Evil Eye blocking my path. In the blink of an eye, I broke out of the encirclement, but behind me came even denser whistling sounds. Even without looking back, I knew it was another round of even more ferocious and concentrated attacks launched by swarms of Demon Dragon Blood Frogs.

You guys are vicious, I’ve learned my lesson! I couldn't worry about anything else; after breaking through the encirclement, I took off running. I believed this was the fastest I had ever run in my life.

Behind me, muffled booming sounds continued, and quite a few Demon Dragon Blood Frogs actually leaped over my head and slammed into the ground in front of me, making me feel like a soldier weaving through crossfire during the War of Resistance against Japan.

I didn't know how long I ran until I could no longer sense any unusual fluctuations around me before I finally stopped.

My War God Armor, Black Iron Helmet, belt, boots, and gloves were already coated in sticky mucus, emitting faint blue smoke. Although I had managed to escape death just now, the Thunder Body Protection had been broken by them. Those highly toxic slimes had also splattered onto my armor when they hit me.

Thankfully, the quality of this set of armor was superior and hadn't corroded away instantly, but it was only a matter of time. I quickly stripped off the armor, gloves, and helmet. I rummaged through my spatial pack for spare defensive gear.

***, what a massive loss! Getting mobbed like that cost me an entire set of defensive gear. That set of equipment had cost a fortune! Although my heart ached, I had to reluctantly discard the gear smeared with poison.

It seemed I had been careless. Knowing these Demon Dragon creatures were cunning, I still fell into their ambush.