Chapter 24: Wood Puppet Abomination

Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely

The voice sounded like heavenly music to Shi Qing and his companions who were desperately fleeing.

As the voice reached their ears, a dazzling sword light also entered their vision.

Though the sword light was dozens of meters away, it arrived in an instant, demonstrating its incredible speed.

The sword light tore through the air with a sharp screech, proving its keen edge.

Both the hearing and seeing happened in just a moment.

Like a silver ribbon, the sword light arrived abruptly - also in just an instant.

The sword was simply too fast. Before Shi Qing and the others could clearly see it, two of the thirteen pursuers had already lost their heads to the sword light.

Though it was night, this was the outer area of Redwood Ridge where trees weren't as dense as the inner layers. Combined with the white light reflected by the snow on the ground, Shi Qing's group's vision wasn't severely affected.

When the sword light stopped, the person behind it naturally became visible to Shi Qing's group.

At first glance, including leader Shi Qing himself, everyone's initial reaction was a sense of inferiority.

It was a young man who appeared barely over twenty, wearing a brown fur coat with a smooth white fur neck protector - clearly made from a Frost Beast's tail - and shiny black fur boots.

Shi Qing and his companions' feelings of inferiority weren't unfounded.

The five of them only wore tattered fur skirts full of holes.

Yet even such fur skirts could only be worn by fewer than fifty of Boulder Camp's three hundred residents.

The vast majority wore dried leaf clothing - garments pieced together from large collected leaves that had been dried in the sun.

Of course, this wasn't unique to Boulder Camp.

Around Redwood Ridge, apart from Rogge Camp which was slightly better off, all other camps faced similar circumstances.

A complete fur hide was itself proof of strength.

Even Rogge Camp couldn't guarantee preserving prey's fur perfectly during hunts, let alone these smaller camps.

Thus, the young man's complete outfit alone was enough to make them feel ashamed.

Not to mention the gleaming silver longsword in his hand that had instantly eliminated two Abominations.

As Shi Qing's group stood in shock, the young man moved again.

His sword danced like lightning, its cold edge slicing through darkness to leave seven or eight afterimages in the air. With melon-chopping ease, he beheaded the remaining ten Abominations behind Xia Ding.

Recalling their own pathetic fleeing from these same creatures, then seeing the young man casually slaughtering them, the stark contrast deepened their inferiority complex.

After beheading the ten, the young man didn't immediately attack Xia Ding. Calmly watching him, he slowly said, "These things you've made..."

Whoosh...

Before he could finish, that familiar sound suddenly rang out again.

Shi Qing's expression changed drastically as he hurriedly shouted a warning:

"Sir, be careful!"

But his warning proved unnecessary.

Before he spoke, the young man had already turned to look behind him. His ears twitched slightly as he swiftly locked onto the treetop of a large tree in the dense forest to the left.

"In the tree! Li Hu, Luo Ming, attack together!"

At his shout, two figures came rushing from the right, charging toward the tree he'd identified.

Simultaneously, the young man abandoned Xia Ding, kicking off the ground to charge at the tree.

The three moved so fast that before Shi Qing could clearly see, the young man had already cleaved the tree in half.

The upper portion collapsed with a thunderous crash.

This scene froze the expressions on all five faces.

Especially when they saw the golden interior revealed by the severed tree.

Their pupils contracted violently as they collectively gulped.

"Cutting through the hardest Golden Frost Tree with one sword?"

For lumber, they only selected Crimson Frost Trees.

Not that Golden Frost Trees couldn't be cut - they could do it too.

But it would take them at least ten continuous hours of chopping to fell one.

Yet what had they just witnessed? A single sword strike felling a Golden Frost Tree?

Their gazes toward the young man instantly filled with reverence.

As the severed Golden Frost Tree collapsed, a black shadow leapt ghostlike from its crown, fleeing toward Redwood Ridge's inner layers.

But the young man and his two companions reacted swiftly.

The three quickly positioned themselves to surround the black figure.

"Trying to run? We finally encountered a primary Craftsman Abomination - can't let you escape so easily."

"Don't let your guard down. This is a Wood Puppet Abomination. Those people I just killed were likely its creations from wood and corpses. It might still have tricks - stay alert."

Shi Qing quickly understood upon hearing their exchange and observing the motionless Xia Ding since the black figure's appearance.

"Craftsman Abomination" and "Wood Puppet Abomination" must refer to that black figure.

Clearly, Xia Ding and the lumberjack team members were all under its control.

Moreover, one name the young man called - Luo Ming - was someone Shi Qing knew.

Luo Ming, current leader of Rogge Camp and son of former leader Luo Feng.

Looking closer, Shi Qing recognized the lanky, squint-eyed middle-aged man holding a spear on the far right as the Luo Ming he'd met before.

On the left was Li Hu - burly, similarly well-dressed as the young man, wielding a gleaming Yanling saber, glaring fiercely at the black figure.

Now Shi Qing could clearly see the so-called Wood Puppet Abomination.

Superficially, it appeared as a stooped, decayed old man in black robes.

Its left hand held a three-inch knife while its right gripped a coil of white thread. Its crimson pupils burned with malice, its face twisted in bloodthirsty hunger toward its three besiegers.

"Ahhhh!"

The Wood Puppet Abomination suddenly howled, its right hand flinging out dozens of transparent threads that vanished into the night.

The three encircling it began frantically dodging left and right.

Now Shi Qing understood - these invisible threads must have killed his companions earlier, but they'd been too weak to see them.

The three capable fighters continuously evaded midair.

But they weren't just dodging.

Within moments, the young swordsman seemed to find an opening. Twisting his waist, he launched himself at the Abomination, his sword sparking as it clashed with the threads.

His sword could sever those invisible threads.

Seeing this, the Wood Puppet Abomination's face darkened, its gaze fixed hatefully on the silver sword as if realizing something.

Luo Ming and Li Hu's weapons clearly couldn't match the young man's sword. Still dodging, they slowly advanced toward the Abomination.

By the time the young man swung at the creature, they remained meters away.

Yet even without their assistance, the young man's strength seemed absurdly formidable.

His horizontal sword slash unleashed razor-sharp light that nearly grazed the Wood Puppet Abomination. Though it retreated swiftly, the storm-like swordplay pursued relentlessly.

The young man's attacks came like tidal waves, quickly driving the Abomination against a tree.

Meanwhile, Li Hu and Luo Ming finally broke through the thread barrage to flank the young man.

Seizing the moment, the trio sealed all escape routes - high, middle and low.

Sword slicing high, spear thrusting mid-level, saber chopping low.

Facing this three-pronged assault, the Wood Puppet Abomination had nowhere left to flee.