Astral Cockroach

Banbu sped through the jungle at the foot of the mountain.

“Aooo… Wooooo…”

A large bear hiding deep in the jungle saw Banbu and howled a call.

Banbu followed the sound and went straight to the bear.

“Banbu, this is bad!” The bear seemed very nervous and somewhat incoherent, “Boa constrictors, particularly large boa constrictors… Boa constrictor warriors! They want to attack your territory and snatch your God-given Seed!”

“Bear… don’t panic…” Banbu had an even bigger headache and asked, “How many boa constrictor warriors are there? What is their strength?”

“Three,” the bear said, “They invited me to snatch your territory with them…”

Banbu’s mind raced, and he was secretly delighted. He asked, “You agreed?”

The bear lowered its head and mumbled, “They are too huge, I can’t beat any of them, and I can’t outrun them, so I had to agree…”

Black bears are relatively small among bears. In the jungle food chain, they are not at the top of the pyramid. The bear, as a black bear warrior, is less than two meters long.

Banbu had seen four overlord-level beasts in the jungle: the boa constrictor, the bridge crocodile, the Gouju Mountain python, and the brindle tiger.

Among them, the boa constrictor was the most powerful.

Ordinary boa constrictors commonly exceed 10 meters in length after adulthood, and strong individuals can reach 12 meters if food is plentiful. These powerful beasts can easily evolve naturally into Force creatures, which are boa constrictor warriors.

In the Red Ant Tribe, only advanced warriors in their seventh instar can contend with boa constrictor warriors. In a one-on-one fight, they are not necessarily a match.

Banbu guessed that the boa constrictor warriors could reach 14 to 15 meters in length. It was normal for the bear to be terrified when facing three of them at once. The bear wasn't stupid; it knew to concede when it couldn't win. Otherwise, it would already be in the belly of a boa constrictor warrior.

Banbu asked, “Bear, where are they hiding?”

The bear stretched out its paw and pointed to the southeast of Lizhu Peak, saying, “They should be in the swamp over there. They can dive and swim along the river to break into my territory, and then leave along the river. They might also be hiding in the Jin River.”

Banbu asked, “What are they doing here?”

The bear said, “They discovered Lizhu Peak long ago and often run over to lurk nearby, secretly spying on the development of the Lizhu Peak Life Seed.”

“Very good!” Banbu was a little annoyed and asked, “Bear, did they see clearly?”

The bear said, “The boa constrictor's tongue is particularly powerful and sensitive to various smells. They smelled the fragrance of the God-given Seed fruit. They said it will ripen in the next few days.”

Banbu asked, “Why did they invite you to join?”

The bear said, “They don’t have legs or bear paws. Even if they succeed in the robbery, they can only eat their fill and run. They can’t eat too many Force foods at once. They discovered that my snakeskin pocket can hold a lot of things, so they forced me to join… Banbu, they plan to snatch all the ripe fruit in your territory…”

Banbu asked, “They can’t determine the exact day when the emerald bamboo God-given Seed’s bamboo fruit will ripen, so they come over every day, get close to Lizhu Peak, and secretly check, right?”

“Yes, they come over every day these past two days,” the bear said, “Their snake tongues are particularly sensitive to smells. They can smell you and the other advanced warrior on Lizhu Peak, but you can’t detect their presence. They are very cunning and only approach Lizhu Peak in the second half of the night, when you are sleeping, so it’s even less likely that you will notice.”

Banbu pondered slightly and said, “The emerald bamboo God-given Seed grows on the southeast side of the mountain. Every time they come to spy, they do so on the south side of the mountain, right?”

The bear said, “That’s right, it’s not far from the pond you dug. The wind blows down from the mountain, and the fragrance of the God-given Seed follows it.”

“Very good! Excellent!” Banbu said, “Bear, tomorrow late at night, when you come over with them, deliberately lure them, get as close as possible to the pond.”

“Okay.” The bear was forced by the boa constrictors and had been frightened out of its wits these past two days. It instinctively agreed to Banbu’s instructions, then reacted and asked, “Banbu, are you planning to ask the tribe’s warriors to deal with those boa constrictor warriors?”

Banbu said, “Yes. Ambush them in the pond in advance, and cover up the scent.”

The bear worried, “The boa constrictors are too big, they are very fast, I can’t outrun them.”

Banbu said, “In front of a Mountain Lord-level warrior, physical advantages like size, strength, and speed are no longer advantages.”

The bear was still uneasy and said, “Banbu, I’ve been observing them, their scales are particularly thick, they look very sturdy.”

Banbu still shook his antennae and said, “Three boa constrictor warriors are nothing to worry about.”

The bear no longer retorted.

Banbu continued to instruct, “Bear, I will tell Iron Saber Mountain Lord about your existence. If it insists on killing you…”

Banbu paused, adjusted his words, and continued, “If a battle breaks out, and Iron Saber Mountain Lord intends to kill you as well, I will remain silent. Be smart, don’t hesitate, run away immediately. You don’t need me to teach you how to evade pursuit, right?”

The bear silently lowered its head, looking somewhat dejected.

Banbu continued, “Bear, if Iron Saber Mountain Lord is willing to accept you and allow you to live in my territory, when the battle breaks out, I will call you to help, and you will join me in the fight.”

The bear raised its head, its eyes lit up, and asked, “Banbu, if Iron Saber Mountain Lord is willing to accept me, can I live with you and Big Head on Lizhu Peak in the future, together?”

Banbu said, “Yes, in the future, you can live on Lizhu Peak openly, without having to hide anymore.”

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…

Blood thorns are plants deliberately cultivated by insect tribes, specifically for defending against beasts invading their territory. They do have their merits. In just under a year, they have generally grown to a height of about 1 meter. Banbu was too busy and didn’t weed or fertilize them. He didn’t even water them during the dry season, yet they killed various weeds themselves, growing lush and thriving.

According to this growth trend, in another year or two, they might really form a defensive barrier that can resist beast warriors like bears and clouded leopards.

They haven’t grown up yet, and haven’t formed an effective defense.

Even if they did grow up, they probably couldn’t stop beast warriors like boa constrictors and Gouju Mountain pythons, whose outer skins have evolved into scales, and whose bodies are slender and powerful.

This time, with the bear as an inside agent, discovering them in advance and being prepared, we can get through it, but what about next time?

In the Jinping Mountains, the number of boa constrictors is relatively small, but Gouju Mountain pythons are almost rampant, and there are definitely many python warriors hidden.

We can’t only consider the development of the territory, we should also consider the safety of the territory.

To protect the territory, we must first have strong combat power ourselves.

Returning to the mountain, Banbu began to practice the common cockroach tribe fighting style taught by Mayu.

It’s very simple, with only two modes and four moves.

Cockroaches crawl on the ground at great speed, so the first attack mode is to use the speed advantage to charge on the ground.

Charge straight forward, and when clashing with the opponent, flap your wings and suddenly jump into the air.

The cockroach’s two hind legs are the most developed. During the jump, retract the hind legs, and as you pass the opponent, suddenly kick out, using the sharp toe tips to pierce four bloody holes in the opponent.

The other move is to straighten the hind legs during the jump, using the inertia of the forward charge to scratch four bloody marks on the opponent.

Cockroaches have the ability to fly, so the second attack mode is a dive attack from the air.

The attack moves are similar to a ground charge, either gliding past with straightened hind legs, leaving lacerations on the opponent, or retracting the hind legs and kicking, leaving puncture wounds.

Banbu’s forelimbs are developed, somewhat similar to a mantis. Based on his own situation, he modified the mantis fist he learned in his previous life to form a simple set of combat skills.

Practicing attacking now is like sharpening a spear before a battle, but still, he has to sharpen it. Too long a period of comfortable life has almost worn away his fighting will.