Chapter 5: Fierce Battle
The mountains loomed high and the forest grew thick, blocking out the sky and sun.
Following closely behind the crow spirit (Yā Guǐ), Zhang Yuan stepped into a region he had never set foot in before.
The vegetation here was especially dense—not only were there no paths to walk on, there weren't even any animal trails to follow.
The massive tree canopies blocked the sunlight, casting the woods into an eerie and unpredictable gloom.
Even an experienced hunter could easily lose their way in such an environment and never find a way out again!
So Zhang Yuan had no choice but to place his trust in the crow spirit that was leading him.
From time to time, the crow spirit would stop, waiting for Zhang Yuan to catch up before flying onward again.
In this way, it led him out of the maze-like forest.
Suddenly, the view opened up!
A small valley appeared before Zhang Yuan's eyes, and he saw a waterfall cascading down from a mountaintop.
The scenery was beautiful.
But what truly drew Zhang Yuan's attention was a group of wild boars foraging in the valley!
There were a total of seven boars—two large adult boars and the rest were piglets.
A complete and tidy family unit.
"Caw caw!"
The crow spirit perched on a tree branch let out two soft calls.
However, Zhang Yuan was in a bit of a dilemma.
The crow spirit's cooperative attitude was excellent—it had indeed helped him locate prey.
The problem was, this group of wild boars was far too much for Zhang Yuan to handle alone!
There's a saying among folk: "Boar first, bear second, tiger third." This doesn't refer to combat power rankings, but to the level of threat these animals pose to humans.
An adult wild boar can weigh three to four hundred jin (150–200 kg), with a large head, thick neck, strong limbs, and tough, thick hide. Its explosive strength is tremendous.
Once enraged, such a beast could charge and kill even powerful opponents or pierce through them with its sharp tusks. Its body, hardened by years of rolling on the ground and rubbing against trees, serves as natural armor, making it terrifying in both offense and defense.
Zhang Yuan had never hunted wild boars before.
But he knew very well that his bow and arrow couldn't penetrate the defense of a large wild boar.
With the power of the Divine Nest Symbiosis—specifically the black giant ant—he might stand a chance against one.
But there were two adult wild boars here!
After some hesitation, he shook his head at the crow spirit on the tree branch.
Brother, I really can't do this!
The crow spirit tilted its head and shot him a disdainful look.
The next moment, it suddenly spread its wings and dove forward, transforming into a cloud of black mist as it swooped toward the boar herd several dozen steps away.
The group of wild boars, which had been foraging peacefully, immediately fell into chaos.
Frightened piglets scattered, squealing, while the mother boar scrambled about trying to protect them.
The fierce male boar bared its tusks and charged straight at the black mist.
An opportunity!
Zhang Yuan instantly realized that this was the perfect chance created by the crow spirit. Without hesitation, he drew his machete and dashed forward like an arrow, aiming directly at the male boar.
At the same time, Zhang Yuan activated the power of the Divine Nest Symbiosis—the black giant ant!
His blood and energy surged, and his arm holding the machete suddenly swelled with muscle, nearly bursting his sleeve.
At this moment, the male boar was completely unaware of the approaching death.
Its attention was fixed on the black mist as it charged, growling in an attempt to scare off the strange enemy.
Its strategy worked—the black mist suddenly dispersed.
But just as the mist vanished, a flash of cold steel cut through the air and struck its head like lightning!
This slash contained all of Zhang Yuan's strength.
The boar, caught off guard, had no time to dodge. By the time it sensed danger, the blade had already descended.
Squelch!
The machete, empowered with four to five hundred jin of force, sliced viciously into the boar's face, cutting through its soft snout and breaking the tough bones within.
Massive damage!
Squeal!
The severely wounded male boar let out a blood-curdling scream, leaping three feet into the air. Its eyes bulged with bloodlust and pain.
It tried to retaliate instinctively, but Zhang Yuan had already dodged to its right and delivered a second strike.
This time, the blade hit its right eye!
Despite its thick skin and natural armor, the boar's vulnerable face was no match.
After being hit in another weak spot, blood gushed violently from the wound.
Then came a third slash, and a fourth…
Each strike targeted a vital area!
No matter how fierce the male boar was, with its massive head chopped into what resembled pork slices, it struggled only briefly before collapsing to the ground in agony.
But Zhang Yuan didn't celebrate just yet.
Still gripping his bloody machete, he turned toward the mother boar.
To his relief, the mother boar had already fled into the forest with the piglets.
Zhang Yuan exhaled deeply.
His blood and energy could sustain his boosted strength for a few more minutes, but he wasn't confident about defeating the mother boar unscathed—his victory earlier involved some luck.
The enemy fleeing was the best outcome.
Only then did Zhang Yuan realize that his machete-wielding hand was trembling slightly.
It wasn't from fear, but because his body hadn't fully adapted to this explosive strength. The pressure from fighting the wild boar had triggered this uncontrollable reaction.
But it was only a minor issue.
Taking several deep breaths to calm himself, Zhang Yuan severed the connection with the Divine Nest Symbiosis.
The strength granted by the black giant ant vanished.
At that moment, the black mist swiftly gathered and reformed into a crow in front of him.
The crow spirit landed on the wounded boar's head, tilted its head at Zhang Yuan, then pecked out one of the boar's eyes and swallowed it.
"Thanks!" Zhang Yuan said sincerely. "Great teamwork."
Without the crow spirit's help, even if he had found the boars, he wouldn't have been able to take them down.
The crow spirit had played a vital role in this battle!
Next came dividing the spoils.
Just like with the deer the day before, Zhang Yuan used his machete to cut open the boar's belly and removed the colorful internal organs, piling them beside the carcass.
These were the crow spirit's share.
In fact, the most valuable part of a wild boar was its stomach.
Its gut—specifically the stomach pouch—was a medicinal delicacy. Slightly warm in nature and sweet in taste, it could treat stomach ailments and strengthen the digestive system.
A well-preserved wild boar stomach could fetch one or two taels of silver at a herbal shop in the county town!
By comparison, the gamey and tough wild boar meat wasn't worth much.
But Zhang Yuan had no regrets.
After cleaning out the innards, he spent considerable effort splitting the boar in half.
The adult male boar weighed around 300–400 jin. After gutting, it still weighed 200–300 jin (100–150 kg).
Zhang Yuan couldn't carry it all alone.
Half of the meat he preserved using dried grass powder.
As for the other half…
Zhang Yuan glanced at the crow spirit, who was gorging itself on the pig entrails and comple
tely ignoring him.
So he reached out with his left hand and gently pressed it onto the meat.
An ancient incantation surfaced in his mind.
Sacrifice!
(End of Chapter)