Li Xiang’s gaze fell upon a tree that stood over thirty meters tall.

Its main trunk had a diameter of sixty to seventy centimeters, meaning it must have been growing for at least three to four hundred years.

Golden Rattan Wood, the most renowned of the "Four Great Woods" of the Huaxia Land, was a household name. Its grain was a brilliant gold, and when polished, it shone with the luster of silk. It was resistant to warping and cracking, and its incredible durability against rot allowed it to remain preserved even after being buried underground for millennia. Furthermore, it possessed a unique, elegant fragrance that could repel mosquitoes and other insects within a hundred-pace radius, giving it natural pest-control properties.

’Damn, there’s no way for me to kill this thing.’ Li Xiang grimaced. To kill a tree, you had to rip it out, roots and all. Eradicating a Golden Rattan Wood this massive would cause way too much of a commotion.

’Besides, this is a massive Potential Spirit Tree. When the Apocalypse comes and Extraordinary Particles appear, it’ll mutate. If I come back to chop it down then, the wood I get will likely be far superior and more durable. I might even be able to craft Extraordinary Weapons with it. Cutting it down now would be a colossal waste.’

So, Li Xiang decided to spare it. ’Of course, I have to mark its location so I can find it again later.’

Li Xiang figured that the tree itself, once mutated, would be far more valuable than any Achievement Points or rewards he’d get for the trouble of killing this future "Tree Demon."

He recalled that after the Apocalypse, the many valleys in this region would become a natural "graveyard" for a flock of special demonic birds: the Black Fire Profound Crows. The bodies of these creatures were wreathed in flame, their wingspans measured over ten meters, and as they soared through the sky, they looked like a cluster of "miniature suns." Li Xiang even suspected that these were the very things the ancient archer Hou Yi had shot down from the sky.

Whenever a member of their flock was on the verge of death, whether from old age or grievous injury, it would fly alone to this region. There, it would choose a satisfactory valley and quietly await its end.

After their death, their flesh would rot away, decomposed by special microorganisms or devoured by other Exotic Beasts. The remaining skeletons, a deep crimson color, were known as "Sun Bones." They emitted a steady heat and light that never faded for a century, allowing nearby plants to undergo photosynthesis.

Many creatures were able to survive, and even thrive, around the graveyard of the Black Fire Profound Crows.

One whale falls, myriad life is born.

The Black Fire Profound Crows were the "great whales" of this endless, frozen darkness.

In the Apocalypse, countless strange Demon Beasts and demonic birds appeared. Their habitats and burial grounds were like oases in the desert, bringing a sliver of life to an otherwise dark, cold, and desperate world.

However, these Demon Beasts and demonic birds were also exceptionally vicious, with a particular fondness for eating humans. ’Perhaps it’s because Earth Humans have lived such pampered lives? All that delicate skin and tender flesh must make for a better mouthfeel...’

The Golden Rattan Wood tree was massive, with many thick branches near its crown. Li Xiang didn’t let it off completely. He climbed up, selected a branch as thick as a rice bowl, and hacked it off with his High-Density Blade.

He stripped off the smaller twigs and leaves, chopped off the thinner end, and tossed the remaining four-meter-long section directly into his system inventory.

This type of Golden Rattan Wood had a beautiful grain, but it was a bit too soft. It wasn’t suitable for a spear shaft, but it was perfect for making things like furniture, hairpins, large drums, or bracelets.

Still not satisfied after cutting down one branch, he chopped down several more, cutting each into a four-meter length before stuffing them into his inventory.

Li Xiang thought about his Three-pronged Steel Fork. It originally had a Birch Fork Handle, but he had lent it to Uncle Jiang while hunting wild boars, and it had snapped when used to prop up a large rock. ’I can’t have come all the way to this Primeval Forest for nothing,’ he mused. ’If there’s Golden Rattan Wood here, there must be other hardwoods too.’

Sichuan Province was, after all, rich in timber resources.

So, Li Xiang began to search again, wandering about and keeping his eyes peeled.

Sure enough, he soon found a suitable tree: a Fir, another one of the Four Great Woods.

The system didn’t give him any notification, which meant it was an ordinary Mortal Item. But that didn’t matter. There weren’t any Mutated Creatures on Earth yet anyway.

Firs come in white and red varieties, both of which grow very slowly. This one appeared to be a Red Fir. Its trunk was twenty to thirty centimeters in diameter. While not as precious as the Golden Rattan Wood, it must have been growing for many years, making it quite a rare find.

This type of wood had a straight grain, was dense and hard, yet also highly resilient. It could withstand immense pressure and weight, which was why it was widely used for heavy structures like bridges and ships. It was also excellent for furniture and support beams.

Red Fir Wood had a reddish-yellow hue and a fine texture. With use, its color would deepen to a rich crimson, and it wouldn’t warp as it dried.

Another advantage was that it required almost no processing; it could be used right after being cut.

Li Xiang glanced up. The tree’s canopy was dense with leaves, and it was the middle of the night. He figured that would be enough to obscure the view of any satellite overhead. With that, he brandished his High-Density Blade and began to cut it down.

Even though the Red Fir Wood had been growing for many years, making it incredibly hard with a trunk twenty to thirty centimeters thick, it couldn’t withstand three strikes from Li Xiang’s High-Density Blade before it slowly toppled over.

Next, he trimmed off the useless smaller branches and cut the thickest part of the trunk into sections 3.5 to 4 meters long, storing them in his system inventory.

Li Xiang worked until the sky began to grow light, around five in the morning. He had long since caught his quota of one hundred wild boars—108, to be exact. ’This might impact the ecology of the Primeval Forest,’ he thought, ’but with the Apocalypse on its way, does that really matter?’

’Besides, the wild boar population is already out of control. Even the government wants to cull them.’

Among the 108 wild boars, 18 were adult males weighing between 385 and 660 pounds, and 43 were adult females weighing between 165 and 242 pounds. The rest were all piglets.