Chapter 184: The Third Layer of the Forest
"Gideon, leave me behind and run," Jenny whispered.
"They didn't eat me before—maybe they won't this time either. I can hold them off for you."
Any man who heard a woman say something like that would feel compelled to act.
Gideon was no exception.
"Don't talk. Hold on tight," he said in a low voice.
He flung out three bottles of twenty-year consecrated water.
Relying on their formidable bodies, the mountain people actually reached out and caught the glass bottles.
Crack.
With three sharp sounds, the bottles shattered, and the holy water streamed through their fingers.
A sizzling hiss filled the air.
The mountain people looked down.
They felt no pain, but the disintegrating flesh of their hands warned them clearly—this substance was dangerous.
The affected creatures tried to shake the holy water off, yet the sanctified power clung to them like swarming ants, gnawing away at their bodies bit by bit—until nothing remained, not even bones.
Their companions' expressions turned grim, each retreating several steps.
But the reanimated corpses of the mountain people knew no fear.
When one body was destroyed, the others surged forward again.
By then, Gideon had already bought himself enough time.
A faint glow enveloped his body, and his figure vanished in an instant.
When he reappeared, he was already near the altar.
Gideon leaned close and whispered something to Jenny. She nodded, half-understanding.
---
On the other side, seeing the humans flee toward the altar—while the undead charged ahead as the vanguard—the mountain people shrieked and rushed forward.
In the next moment, pale blue energy drifted up from the altar.
One by one, countless spirits emerged.
They stared venomously at the two humans, advancing step by step.
"Oh no! Gideon, look—our escape route is gone!" Jenny suddenly cried out.
Gideon turned sharply and involuntarily staggered back several steps.
But the spirits moved faster. In the blink of an eye, they swallowed the two whole.
"Ahhh!"
"No!"
Outside the altar, the mountain people heard only a few cries—growing weaker, until they vanished completely.
One sharp-beaked mountain person let out a low growl, and the undead froze in place.
It gestured for its companions to approach the altar.
Living humans were the finest delicacy—and what was more, the sharp-beak had spotted a human female.
It was breeding season; such a "tool" could not be wasted.
As several mountain people neared the altar, the undead surged toward them.
They immediately drew the whips hanging at their sides and lashed the spirits fiercely.
The undead parted, opening a path, and the mountain people disappeared into the crowd of spectral figures.
The sharp-beak waited a long time without seeing them return, then stepped forward itself.
After threatening the spirits as usual, it entered the altar.
What it found was its companions lying on the ground, surrounded by undead that were greedily tearing at their souls.
The sharp-beak roared and tried to strike back—only to feel its own power being rapidly drained away.
It howled, attempting to flee the altar, but the spirits lunged at it again.
Soon, the sharp-beak experienced something it had never known before—pain.
Pain that came from the very depths of the soul, beyond the reach of any corrupt power.
Until the moment of death, it never understood why these undead would aid those two humans.
---
Meanwhile, on the far side of the altar, Gideon and Jenny were already long gone.
"Hah! We were amazing!"
Jenny pumped her fist. "Gideon, how was my acting just now?"
"I think you'd make a great actress," Gideon replied.
"Thank you!" Jenny's cheeks flushed faintly—she was clearly in a good mood.
Using the cover of the undead, Gideon had set up an isolation array on the altar, allowing the spirits to exact their own revenge.
On the road ahead, they encountered several more groups of mountain people.
With the spirits' help, they passed through unscathed.
Before long, they arrived at the mouth of a vast cave.
This was deep within the forest, far from the nearest road.
Compared to the forest's edge, flowers and plants were plentiful here.
Beds woven from leaves lay scattered on the ground, meticulously cleaned.
At the cave entrance stood a row of wooden racks.
The goods displayed were neatly arranged—but on closer inspection, they turned out to be parts taken from human bodies.
The entire scene was deeply unsettling.
"Have these mountain people really evolved a higher form of civilization?"
Gideon pondered silently.
Not long after, a figure appeared from within the forest.
From its clothing, it was clearly a mountain man—but in appearance, it looked strikingly close to a human.
It carried a live rabbit in its hands and soon entered the cave.
Not long after, it emerged again, still holding the rabbit. Judging from its expression, it seemed somewhat downcast.
As Gideon pondered this, he saw the creature's skin begin to ripple.
Several slender tentacles suddenly burst forth from its body.
Through the Spiritual Sight, Gideon observed that the ends of these tentacles were lined with dense, tooth-like mouths.
In the next instant, all of them latched onto the live rabbit.
The animal struggled desperately, but under the mountain man's grip, escape was impossible.
"Gurgle—"
Something was siphoned through the tentacles into the creature's body, while the rabbit rapidly shriveled.
In moments, only a strip of skin remained.
Jenny's face went pale.
She tugged at Gideon's sleeve and whispered,
"If you hadn't come… would I have ended up like that too?"
"I'll take you out of here," Gideon replied firmly.
"Thank you. I won't hold you back," Jenny said, wiping the corners of her eyes.
Uncertain of the enemy numbers inside the cave, Gideon did not act rashly.
Instead, he took Jenny with him to survey the surroundings.
The cave lay halfway up the mountainside, and most of the mountain men lived nearby.
Dense forest surrounded the area. Apart from the teams delivering food, few mountain men ventured here.
Yet from Gideon's perspective, numerous energy-based warning lines crisscrossed the area.
Touching one would likely expose them instantly.
Fortunately, with the Holy Eye, Gideon avoided every trap.
However, this also meant that setting up formations near the cave would be difficult.
Luckily, fortune favored him.
On the western side of the mountainside cave stood a ritual altar—one whose wraiths had already been waiting for him.
Night soon fell.
A monocular telescope extended from the treetops, trained on the cave entrance.
Visibility was poor, but Gideon still managed to discern what lay within.
The cave appeared to be a breeding ground.
Numerous spherical sacs hung from the ceiling, each with a faintly visible embryo suspended inside.
Below, specialized mountain men tended to them.
Deeper inside, Gideon's brows lifted sharply.
At the very end of the cave sat a colossal figure.
It was completely naked, its skin covered in pustules.
In form, it resembled the second-layer mountain men—but around it stood many normally sized ones, all behaving with extreme reverence.
"Could this be the ancestral mountain man?" Gideon mused.
The smaller mountain men periodically brought it food.
Some were even tasked solely with maintaining the ancestor's cleanliness.
"It seems immobile… and of exceptionally high status."
An idea immediately formed in Gideon's mind.
An enemy like this was the perfect hostage.
Just as he was planning a kidnapping, the next scene left him utterly stunned.
A line of smaller mountain men, completely naked, approached the ancestral one.
Each carried some sort of animal organ and stuffed it into their mouths.
Moments later, their skin flushed, their emotions growing feverish.
Then, the tentacled mouths burst forth from their bodies and latched onto the ancestor's skin.
From Gideon's viewpoint, a stream of power flowed from the smaller bodies into the ancestral one.
A pale blue glow lit up the ancestor's abdomen, revealing a small silhouette within.
"That looks like an embryo… which means these mountain men are—"
Gideon felt his worldview shatter.
If he remembered correctly, these creatures reproduced within their own kind.
Which meant they were all descendants of the ancestral mountain man.
And yet now they were doing this.
At that moment, Gideon deeply regretted accepting this mission.
The psychological impact of what he was witnessing rivaled direct exposure to a demon god.
It might take him a lifetime to forget this scene.
Yet it also revealed a way to deal with the mountain men.
Late that night, the smaller mountain men left the cave, exhausted.
The ancestral mountain man also fell into slumber.
Gideon leapt down from the tree and silently crept to the cave's edge.
After setting up some backup holy artifacts at the entrance, he slipped deep inside.
There was no stench of blood within—only a faint, clean fragrance.
Gideon soon reached the ancestral mountain man. At close range, the creature appeared even more massive.
He wasted no time, quickly locating the area where the mountain men were being "cultivated."
Taking out several holy artifacts from his pack, he arranged them carefully.
Then he withdrew without delay.
Soon, the second night arrived.
The smaller mountain men once again lined up inside the cave.
Their tentacles reconnected to the ancestral body.
The ancestor's abdomen glowed once more.
Compared to the day before, the embryo inside appeared noticeably larger.
But then—something went wrong.
After the first small mountain man finished, no blue light emanated from the ancestor's abdomen.
This meant the embryo had not been "nourished" by the bloodline.
The small mountain man was immediately stopped and shoved back toward the ancestor.
It let out a low growl, clearly displeased.
Yet for the future of the mountain man race, it could only drain itself again.
Moments later, it looked utterly exhausted.
Still, the embryo showed no reaction.
The small mountain man pleaded desperately.
The overseers assumed the ancestor was undergoing some unusual change—something that had happened before.
Thus, they allowed the first one to leave.
But the following mountain men experienced the same result.
Each gave up purer blood than ever before—far exceeding past offerings.
Yet the embryo remained unmoved, like a bottomless abyss.
At this point, the ancestral mountain man stirred.
The attendants immediately bowed.
They understood—the ancestor was dissatisfied.
From then on, they no longer allowed any small mountain men to leave.
They were forced again and again, and when necessary, even the attendants themselves stepped in.
This continued for two full days.
By the third day, not a single healthy mountain man remained near the cave.
Their bodies had withered, and all food in the third layer had long been consumed.
Yet night after night, they still dragged themselves to the depths of the cave, offering up what little strength they had left.
Meanwhile, on the cliff outside the cave—
Using a reverse formation, Gideon converted the evil energy inside into holy power and fed it into the altar's array.
"These creatures really have this much stamina?" he muttered.