Chapter 60: Chapter 60: Fool, Get on with It Above the valley, at the point where two mountains intersect, a shadow suddenly descended. Behind the shadow, two more figures followed. The two figures, one holding a sword, the other a saber, encircled the shadow from the left and right, falling from above, finally landing on the ground. The first thing that caught everyone’s eye was a disheveled old man with white hair. The old man was also dressed in beast skin, his clothes stained and seemingly long-neglected. He held a small knife in his left hand, a ball of white thread in his right, and a pair of blood-red pupils glared angrily at those present, appearing rather disheveled. Following the elder down were the two figures, Yang Ning and Li Hu, who had not shown up until now, both looking solemn and slightly injured. "Father... you..." From among the people in the valley, the first to speak was Luo Ming. But his tone was full of disbelief. Because the elder who fell from above the valley was his father, Luo Feng. He had just called out "father" when he realized something, and his disbelief quickly turned to anger and grief. "Ah... my creation, completed after killing so many people, you’ve destroyed it, destroyed it! I will kill you, kill you all!" The old man turned to the crowd, his voice filled with venomous rage, clearly infuriated to the extreme by those who had destroyed the giant wooden puppet. "Leader Luo, this Wood Puppet Monster is no simple creature; even with the two of us working together, we’re not sure we can defeat it. You five need to help!" Yang Ning also spoke, but the gravity in his voice sent a shiver through Luo Ming’s heart. Since he began interacting with Yang Ning half a month ago, it was the first time he’d heard such a solemn tone. Xia Hong, who had been observing the three, looked up at the top of the valley, realizing the intersecting point of the two mountains was a good one to two thousand meters above the ground. A flash of realization crossed his mind. Initially, he thought Yang Ning and Li Hu had either left or were hiding, waiting to emerge as the "oriole" after they defeated the Wood Puppet Monster to reap the benefits. It now seemed he had wronged them. While they were dealing with the Wood Puppet Monster in the valley, the two must’ve been fighting it from above, and at such a height, it was normal not to notice any disturbance. With this thought, Xia Hong’s expression became more somber. It meant that the Wood Puppet Monster had been controlling the enormous giant wooden puppet below while simultaneously fighting Yang Ning and Li Hu up above. Judging by the injuries on Yang Ning and Li Hu, the Wood Puppet Monster hadn’t been at a disadvantage. Moreover, Yang Ning took the initiative to ask for assistance from the five individuals in the Earth-digging Realm. The strength of this Wood Puppet Monster was likely beyond imagination! "Leader Xia, is there really no Solidified Fire Oil left?" Xia Hong turned to meet Luo Ming’s hopeful gaze. With a difficult expression, he shook his head and replied, "No, I only have two pieces left." Upon hearing this, Luo Ming’s expression fell. Xia Hong could discern the Wood Puppet Monster’s strength from the injuries on Yang Ning and Li Hu, and so could he. The Solidified Fire Oil was the ultimate weapon against deceitful monsters. Without it, they’d be in deep trouble today! "Enough of the chatter, just attack. This Wood Puppet Monster hasn’t reached the intermediate level yet. All seven of us attacking together, it must die!" Standing beside Yang Ning, Li Hu couldn’t hold back any longer. This time, he didn’t put on airs like before. Having just fought the Wood Puppet Monster on the mountain, he knew he couldn’t handle it with just Yang Ning, thus counting on Luo Ming, the four others, and Xia Hong. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖 He let out an angry shout, raised his Yanling Saber, and charged at the Wood Puppet Monster. Although arrogant, Li Hu was truly strong. Rushing forward at an incredible speed, he reached the left side of the Wood Puppet Monster in an instant. His saber slashed horizontally at its head, the powerful force creating a fierce wind that howled through the surroundings, capable of killing any ordinary person in a flash. Unfortunately, he faced the Wood Puppet Monster. The Wood Puppet Monster didn’t dodge his attack, simply shook its right hand slightly. Countless transparent white threads instantly flew from its hand, rapidly spreading along its left side, weaving into a transparent white net in moments. Clang... Just a thin net of white threads, so thin it seemed penetrable by hand, yet it blocked Li Hu’s immensely powerful saber strike. And it didn’t stop there. The net dispersed, splintering into countless strands, the tips suddenly pointing outwards like sharp needles, fiercely stabbing towards Li Hu. Whoosh... whoosh... whoosh... whoosh... A myriad of needles flew out. Given it was nighttime, the valley air was warmer than outside; the white threads moved so quickly they drew silver arcs in the air, sealing off all space around Li Hu’s body like a torrential rain of blossoms. He wanted to dodge, but couldn’t! Li Hu, daring to strike first, was confident in his abilities. "Leader Luo, stop hesitating, attack now!" Yang Ning, who had been inactive on the right side, shouted to Luo Ming before suddenly charging at the Wood Puppet Monster with his sword. As Yang Ning moved, the Wood Puppet Monster’s expression became visibly grave. With a slight movement of its fingers, more than half of the white threads originally aimed at Li Hu turned towards the right, speeding towards Yang Ning. Hiss... hiss... hiss... The white threads that could withstand Li Hu’s Yanling Saber were all sliced apart under Yang Ning’s sword, sparking in the process. Xia Hong’s expression instantly froze, and after recovering, his gaze fixed on the silver Longsword in Yang Ning’s hand. "The material of that Longsword must be similar to the Solidified Fire Oil you gave me, Leader Xia. Let’s join in; with these two, handling the Wood Puppet Monster shouldn’t be a big problem!" Noticing Xia Hong’s gaze, Luo Ming explained before immediately raising his saber, moving forward with Shang Ping and the other three behind him, joining Yang Li and the others in besieging the Wood Puppet Monster. Only then did Xia Hong realize why Luo Ming wasn’t intrigued when he first saw Solidified Fire Oil; it was because of Yang Ning’s sword. But soon, Xia Hong shook his head. It might be a similar substance, but the suppressive effect of Yang Ning’s sword on deceitful monsters was definitely not as strong as his own Solidified Fire Oil. Yang Ning’s silver Longsword could indeed cut through those white threads, but the sparks that flew afterward clearly felt different to Xia Hong than the flame ignited by Solidified Fire Oil upon contact with a deceitful monster. Xia Hong dispelled his thoughts, gripping his large saber tightly, ready to charge forward. "Fools, come help already! If we don’t get rid of this Wood Puppet Monster, we’ll all die!" This unexpected angry shout caused Xia Hong to furrow his brows. The intended forward movement stopped immediately. Xia Hong looked up at Li Hu, a hint of harshness flickering in his eyes. He didn’t think Li Hu missed his intention to move forward. Clearly, the other party did it on purpose. It seemed Li Hu still held a grudge over what happened at Redwood Ridge, seizing the opportunity to embarrass him. Luo Ming, of course, heard Li Hu as well, inwardly cursing him as an idiot. He glanced towards Xia Hong during a brief pause, loudly advising: "Leader Xia, now is not the time for a battle of egos. Working together to eliminate the Wood Puppet Monster is the most important thing!" Xia Hong gripped his large saber, suppressing the anger slightly, and charged forward. It wasn’t that he was patient, but rather that Luo Ming’s words held merit. Eliminating the Wood Puppet Monster was indeed the most crucial task.