Chapter 134: A Difficult Hunt [3/10] |
When the torch ignited, the massive creature a hundred meters away didn't leap down from the tree, but rather broke several branches as it descended along the main trunk.
Its vigilance was clearly extremely high; although lured by the torch, after coming down from the great tree, it didn't approach immediately but first circled halfway around the torch's vicinity.
A massive creature over seven meters long, pacing back and forth nearby.
Even knowing they were separated by over a hundred meters, the fifteen people dispersed among the trees around the trench, along with Xia Hong who was closest to the trench, all felt a sense of pressure.
"Despite its enormous size, its footsteps are so quiet. Its alertness and control over strength are at least a full level higher than low-level Snow Manes!"
Xia Hong, positioned in the tree, watched the Snow Mane with increased gravity in his eyes.
Snort... Snort......
It's coming!
After the torch had burned for more than two-thirds of its duration, the Snow Mane that had circled to the southern side snorted twice and finally succumbed to temptation, slowly approaching.
The hundred-meter distance took less than a minute to cross.
Stopping about three meters from the torch, it paused again.
It was at this moment that Xia Hong in the tree could clearly see the full form of this intermediate Snow Mane.
Over seven meters in length, about three meters tall at the shoulder, covered in thick mane hair so black it appeared purple. From its lower limbs and abdominal area, one could see powerful, knotted muscles covered by a black, patterned, sturdy skin.
Its head alone was nearly half the size of a person, with two blood-red eyes the size of adult fists filled with brutality and frenzy; two tusks protruding from its lower lip were over two meters long, gleaming coldly like two curved blades hanging from its mouth.
The spines covering its back numbered over a hundred at first glance, each like a steel spear coated with frost, sharp points aimed upward in a terrifying manner.
Notably, unlike low-level Snow Manes, despite its enormous size, it could control its stepping force well while moving, leaving few footprints in the snow.
"This isn't a Snow Mane—it's practically a mountain!"
Seeing it from afar and up close were completely different experiences.
For safety, Xia Hong hid about twenty meters up in the tree. From this height, looking down placed him directly above the Snow Mane's back. Only now did he truly realize how massive this creature was.
"It's not moving forward. Has it detected people nearby, or is it just being cautious?"
Watching the Snow Mane stand still just one or two meters from the animal trap ahead, anxiety flashed in Xia Hong's eyes.
If the Snow Mane didn't step soon, the torch would burn out!
When his mental count approached fourteen minutes, Xia Hong could wait no longer.
Torches benefited Frost Beasts. Lighting one for lure was the limit; lighting another wouldn't be luring but supplying the enemy.
If the Snow Mane wouldn't advance, he needed to make it move.
Xia Hong silently took the iron-backed bow from his back, gently nocked an iron-tipped arrow, aimed at the Snow Mane's right eye below, and took a deep breath.
In the Ice Abyss world, bows used iron instead of wood frames primarily because no wood could withstand the power of Lumberjack Realm or even Digging Realm cultivators.
Additionally, cast iron bow frames differed significantly from wooden ones in that when the user applied force to draw the bow, iron frames produced extremely faint sounds.
With care, one could achieve complete silence.
In wilderness hunting, absolute silence was the greatest weapon.
Even Frost Beasts knew about ambushes, let alone humans.
Xia Hong's gaze deepened as he drew the bow to its limit, then gently released.
Thrum... Whizz...
As the bow bent inward from gradual pressure, it made no sound.
But when the bowstring released and the frame rapidly returned to position, the sound was loud.
Fortunately, by the time the bow frame reset and made noise.
The iron arrow had already flown.
The interval between them was less than half a breath.
For the Snow Mane to react in such short time.
Impossible!
Thud.........
After hunting for over half a year plus intensive training at camp, though Xia Hong's archery still lagged behind the three Zhao brothers, the Snow Mane was less than twenty meters away now, and he had the high ground.
This shot held no suspense—it directly blasted the Snow Mane's right eye.
ROAR.........
Xia Hong had no time to celebrate his successful strike before the Snow Mane's ensuing roar shook him to his core.
Not just him—trees within a two-li radius trembled.
Icicles formed on branches of dozens of large trees shattered and fell in showers, creating continuous crisp sounds like countless mirrors shattering simultaneously.
Whoosh.........
"So fast!"
A fierce wind rushed at his face. Xia Hong's pupils constricted violently, two words flashing through his mind. With no time to react, he leaped down.
CRACK.........
The Snow Mane didn't even charge—just a simple collision snapped the six-to-seven-meter diameter tree he'd been hiding in at waist height, sending it crashing down.
ROAR.........
The Snow Mane with the arrow still embedded in its right eye roared at the sky, its two long sharp tusks arriving before Xia Hong in the next instant.
At this moment, Xia Hong had just jumped from the tree, his body not even landed yet.
Cold intent flashed in his pupils as he twisted mid-air to draw his saber, flipping backward while violently raising his long ceremonial saber.
Screech.........
The ten-fold forged iron ceremonial saber collided with the Snow Mane's tusks, sparking a large shower of sparks. The terrifying recoil force sent Xia Hong's body flying six to seven meters into the air.
Bad news: This Snow Mane's strength exceeds mine by at least three times.
Good news: Iron arrows should be able to pierce its defense!
Though shocked by the Snow Mane's terrifying power mid-air, looking back at the saber marks on its tusks and the twenty-plus centimeter arrow embedded in its eye, Xia Hong immediately realized iron weapons could still inflict damage.
Whizz.........
Xia Hong continuously adjusted his posture mid-air to reduce weightlessness. Before he even landed, the other fifteen dispersed archers began shooting at the Snow Mane from all directions.
Over a dozen arrows came from various angles, iron-tipped arrows blending completely with the night sky, making direction hard to distinguish, only continuous whizzing sounds audible.
Thud... Thud.........
As Xia Hong predicted, the iron arrows shot by the fifteen Digging Realm hunters did pierce the Snow Mane's hide, but only barely.
Those arrows clearly only penetrated five to six centimeters—less than half the depth of Xia Hong's earlier shot.
Not only unharmed, the Snow Mane didn't even grunt.
Xia Hong, having just landed and suppressed his surging blood energy, not even completing his turning motion, found the shockwave from the frenzied Snow Mane's charge already rushing at his face.
"If I'd known this Snow Mane was so huge, I would've brought the giant axe. Damn it!"
Xia Hong instinctively raised his ceremonial saber horizontally, body rapidly dodging sideways, but his speed couldn't match the Snow Mane's.
Scrape.........
Tusks thrust upward, Xia Hong was sent flying again, weapon and all. The Snow Mane's left tusk had even penetrated several centimeters into his right chest.
If not for using his ceremonial saber to block momentarily and actively retreating to dissipate some impact, that tusk would have pierced completely through his body.
Xia Hong instinctively tried to twist away.
But the Snow Mane moved faster, turning sideways toward his intended direction for another terrifying thrust.
This time, Xia Hong had no chance to dissipate force by retreating.
Because behind him stood a tree over ten meters in diameter.
Boom...
Crack.........
Such a thick tree couldn't withstand the Snow Mane's power for even three breaths, snapping at waist height. Xia Hong flew backward along with the tree.
Gulp...
The violent impact plus the Snow Mane's tusk still embedded in his chest caused reversed blood to surge up his throat. Xia Hong forced himself to swallow it down. As the metallic taste filled his mind, his own ferocity was completely ignited.
"Lost an eye and still so arrogant!"
No longer caring about the tusk piercing his chest, Xia Hong used the fallen tree's roots to stabilize his flying body. Switching his ceremonial saber from two hands to left hand only, he lowered his right hand forward and grabbed the iron arrow still embedded in the Snow Mane's right eye.
Then, gritting his teeth and gathering strength, he took advantage of the Snow Mane's forward thrust to violently pull outward!
Scrape.........
An iron arrow was only seventy centimeters total. Xia Hong's earlier shot had penetrated about one-third. Considering the Snow Mane's massive head, even if it didn't reach the brain, it certainly pierced through the entire eyeball.
Xia Hong's violent pull yanked out the Snow Mane's fist-sized right eyeball. Crimson blood instantly exploded, dyeing nearly his entire front red.
The moment his body was stained red, intense burning pain surged through his mind. Xia Hong's exposed skin turned red as if scalded.
The Snow Mane reacted simultaneously.
The instant its eyeball was brutally ripped out, the previously frenzied Snow Mane immediately emitted a mournful cry, its tusks clearly weakening momentarily.
Xia Hong had no time to care about the burning pain. Taking advantage of the Snow Mane's momentary weakness, he kicked hard against its head with both legs, then rapidly extracted himself to escape.
Whizz... Whizz... Whizz.........
Such a heaven-sent opportunity—how could Xia Chuan, Luo Yuan, and the other fifteen miss it?
Earlier, with Xia Hong engaged closely with the Snow Mane, worried about friendly fire, they could only shoot at its cheeks, neck, or even lower limbs. Now with Xia Hong clear, they had no reservations.
Three to four waves totaling fifty to sixty iron arrows continuously targeted the Snow Mane's eyes, mouth, nostrils, ears—all openings connected to the cranial cavity.
These weren't ordinary iron arrows!
Fifteen Digging Realm cultivators, ten-thousand-jin iron-backed bows, specially made iron arrows.
Combined with their exquisite archery skills and superb coordination.
Thud... Thud.........
One arrow shot into the Snow Mane's left ear canal, still trembling before settling; immediately another arrow followed, hammering the previous one deeper like pile driving;
The right eye Xia Hong had ripped out along with the eyeball became their primary target—over a quarter of the fifty-sixty arrows aimed there.
Compared to the Snow Mane's seven-to-eight meter massive frame, these mere seventy-centimeter iron arrows seemed insignificant.
But their carried power and destructive force far exceeded imagination.
Especially with the fifteen specifically targeting the Snow Mane's vulnerable spots, the damage was terrifying.
ROAR........ ROAR........
From the moment Xia Hong pulled the arrow from its right eye, the Snow Mane's roars and screams never ceased.
Initially, it could still dodge the incoming arrows.
But as the fifteen constantly changed positions, arrow angles became increasingly tricky, targets multiplied, and coverage expanded.
Dodging became difficult for the Snow Mane.
Within just over ten breaths, thirty to forty iron arrows studded the Snow Mane's face. Blood flowing along the arrows nearly dyed its entire face red, even half its tusks splattered crimson, making it appear more ferocious.
"ROAR........"
Xia Hong in the distance had used this time to apply Golden Wound Powder to his chest. Just as he was about to look up, as the Snow Mane opened its bloody maw and roared, immense sense of crisis suddenly surged in his heart.
He abandoned the looking-up motion entirely, not even daring to glance, pressing his body flat against the ground as a ten-plus meter long white ice spike flew past mere centimeters above his scalp.
Scrape.........
The white ice spike pierced straight through a large tree behind him. As the Snow Mane violently lowered its head, the ice spike sliced downward, actually splitting the tree down the middle, causing it to collapse in two halves.
"Its tongue is longer, more flexible, and sharper than low-level Snow Manes!"
Xia Hong, flat on the ground, knew without looking that it was the Snow Mane's long tongue. Realizing the tongue was slicing toward him, he didn't even attempt to turn over, directly rolling sideways along the ground.
Rustle.........
As the long tongue hit ground, not just the surface snow but the entire earth was gouged into a deep trench. As the Snow Mane turned its head, the trench continued directly toward Xia Hong rolling aside.
That long tongue was like a sharp sword spat from the Snow Mane's mouth.
Except this sword was too long, too fast, and retractable at will.
More importantly...
Clang...
In the night, three-four iron arrows shot from darkness directly hit the long tongue. Surprisingly, these arrows carrying tremendous force all bounced off upon impact.
The intermediate Snow Mane's tongue was no longer a weak point!
Xia Hong, still dodging the Snow Mane's long tongue, saw the arrows deflect, alarm flashing across his face.
His earliest successful Snow Mane hunts relied on attacking its tongue.
After evolving to intermediate, this sole weakness had actually disappeared. Could they still succeed in hunting it?
Scrape.........
The sharp, straight long tongue sliced through another nearby tree.
Cold sweat beaded on Xia Hong's forehead—regret began to set in.
Dozens of arrows still studded the Snow Mane's face. Though its left eye wasn't blinded yet, five-six arrows surrounded it. With Xia Chuan and others continuously attacking, it barely dared open that eye now. Blood from the iron arrows continued dripping.
Under such circumstances, success should be near.
But actually, the Snow Mane's vitality showed no signs of diminishing—its movements accelerated while ferocity kept increasing.
After several tongue attacks missed Xia Hong.
The Snow Mane seemed annoyed, shifted its hooves, and charged directly at him.
Whoosh.........
The Snow Mane's massive frame barely moved, yet gale-force winds rose from the ground. Not just snow—even nearby trees began swaying.
Xia Hong facing directly experienced truly terrifying wind force.
His physique counted as burly among humans, but compared to this Snow Mane, only "tiny" described it. The gale carrying frost and snow arrived—before he could move, his body was already blown off balance.
"Can't dodge!"
These three words flashed through his mind. In that lightning instant, Xia Hong abandoned dodging, pointing his ceremonial saber straight forward like a spear, body leaning right, tip aimed at the Snow Mane's blinded right eye. Both hands exerted force as he rapidly retreated several steps.
BOOM.........
The Snow Mane struck true. Xia Hong's body flew like a cannonball thirty-forty meters, its impact force smashing through two ten-plus meter diameter trees along the path.
BANG.........
The remaining force was absorbed by the ground. Xia Hong embedded over a meter deep, exploding snow along the way completely burying him.
"Big brother!"
"Leader..."
"Leader!"
Whizz... Whizz... Whizz.........
Under the night sky, over a dozen exclamations sounded—naturally from Xia Chuan and the other fifteen hidden in surrounding trees.
They shouted while trying to confirm Xia Hong's condition, simultaneously accelerating arrow shots to drive back the Snow Mane approaching him.
"I'm fine, keep attacking! It's doomed!"
Xia Hong's slightly weak voice came from under the snow. Fifteen anxiously waiting hearts immediately settled.
ROAR........
The Snow Mane's following piercing scream made them understand what Xia Hong meant by "doomed."
The Snow Mane's right face actually had a knife handle visible.
Just the hilt—no blade visible.
Stably embedded in its right face.
"During that impact just now, the leader's ceremonial saber stabbed in?"
"I remember the leader's ceremonial saber totals 1.7 meters, blade 1.5 meters."
"No wonder it screams so terribly—the leader's saber must have reached its brain."
"Truly doomed. This Snow Mane won't last long."
………………
But things clearly weren't as simple as they said.
Xia Hong, having turned over and gotten up, hadn't created distance when the Snow Mane's long tongue cut through snow mist, flying directly at him.
"Vitality this tenacious!"
Xia Hong continuously fled south. Seeing the Snow Mane's movements showed no signs of weakening, his heart sank to the depths.
Whizz........
Now, with his ceremonial saber embedded in the Snow Mane's head, Xia Hong used his iron-backed bow. But pursued relentlessly, he couldn't maintain accuracy, only hoping to disrupt the Snow Mane's tongue with arrows.
"Getting farther from the trench—the animal trap useless! This diverges way beyond our planned hunt!"
The Snow Mane kept chasing him south, clearly intending to escape the fifteen's shooting range.
Though Xia Chuan and others pursued closely behind, their speed couldn't match even Xia Hong's, let alone the Snow Mane's—they simply couldn't catch up.
Whizz........
Xia Hong turned to shoot another arrow, then swiftly turned back to escape. Spotting a ten-plus meter thick tree ahead, he gritted his teeth, determination flashing across his face.
Scrape........
The moment Xia Hong reached that tree's base, he sharply turned his head, dodging the long tongue while pushing against the trunk, suddenly changing direction westward.
The frenzied Snow Mane followed his turn, sharply turning its head. That straight long tongue swept horizontally like a flying sword.
Slice........
Xia Hong moved rapidly, leaping past two trees after turning. The Snow Mane's long tongue sliced through both trees, still pursuing relentlessly.
Suddenly, Xia Hong who had turned west changed direction again.
This time, northward.
"Spread out, stop chasing! I'll lure it back toward the trench!"
Xia Hong's shout made the intent clear to Xia Chuan, Luo Yuan, and the fifteen who had just arrived behind. They all rapidly withdrew and dispersed.
Two consecutive turns essentially completed a full reversal.
"ROAR........"
The first turn didn't elicit much reaction from the Snow Mane.
But this second turn, practically brushing against the Snow Mane's flank to run back.
Xia Hong's taunting behavior further enraged the already frenzied Snow Mane.
It twisted to look at Xia Hong, crimson pupils constricting violently. The extended long tongue twisted and curved mid-air like a white serpent, instantly attacking the turning Xia Hong.
Xia Hong on the Snow Mane's flank turned back to see the softened, twisting long tongue, unsurprised.
Low-level Snow Manes' tongues could bend—intermediate ones even more so.
He lowered his head and crouched, dodging the tongue, then rose drawing his bow, firing another arrow at the Snow Mane's not-yet-retracted tongue before immediately rising to continue fleeing north.
The entire sequence flowed smoothly without interruption.
Scrape........
The arrow grazed the Snow Mane's long tongue, but this time didn't produce a clanging sound—instead a clear flesh-cutting sound.
Fleeing Xia Hong paused momentarily. Though not daring to stop moving, he seized a gap to glance back sharply.
The Snow Mane's tongue actually showed an arrow mark.
So that's it!
No wonder it only attacked straight with its tongue earlier, persistently chasing me in one direction.
The intermediate Snow Mane's tongue is most vulnerable when bending and softening.
"Watch for when its tongue bends and softens! Keep shooting—it works!"
Getting this information, Xia Hong alerted the others, immediately changing strategy. No longer fleeing straight, he weaved left and right among forest trees.
Sure enough, the enraged Snow Mane had lost rationality. After knocking down several trees without catching up, it immediately softened its long tongue, twisting and tracking.
Thud.........
The others, heeding Xia Hong's warning, seized the moment the Snow Mane's tongue softened. Over ten iron arrows instantly pierced its tongue root.
ROAR........
The pained Snow Mane screamed continuously, but its drive to chase Xia Hong forward didn't diminish at all. It just no longer dared soften its tongue, keeping it rigid like before, wildly slashing at Xia Hong ahead.
Tree after tree along the path were severed by the long tongue; ground snow was thrown flying everywhere by the Snow Mane's terrifying momentum.
The area where Xia Hong fought it was almost completely covered in snow mist, no clean ground visible.
Snap.........
"Screech…………"
First came the sound of violent metal collision.
Then the Snow Mane plunged face-first into the snow.
Xia Hong fleeing ahead heard this, joy bursting in his eyes.
He hesitated only momentarily before stopping his escape, quickly turning back.
Leaping into where the Snow Mane had fallen.
"It fell into the pit! Pull the south animal trap rope tight! Everyone pull hard—don't let it rise!"
Xia Hong's shout made Xia Chuan and others react immediately. They put down their iron-backed bows, all rushing to the pit's south side, quickly finding the ropes on ground.
Turns out, the Snow Mane chasing northward had been unknowingly lured by Xia Hong to the natural trench's location. Not only did it step on the southern animal trap, but it also plunged headfirst into the pit.
"ROAR... ROAR…………"
The panic in its cries was evident as its body flipped upside down.
Fortunately, such a heaven-sent opportunity wouldn't be missed by Xia Hong or the others.
Xia Hong, first to jump into the pit, landed directly on the Snow Mane's head, grabbing the hilt of the ceremonial saber embedded in its right face, violently pulling it out.
Thud.........
As the saber extracted, crimson blood gushed out. Xia Hong, being the closest, was drenched.
Intense burning pain assaulted his mind. Xia Hong ignored it completely because the pained Snow Mane on ground had begun frantically turning and struggling.
With sharp weapons, wounds could hold for a while if left undisturbed. But once extracted, what collapsed wasn't just the wound—willpower too.
This ground Snow Mane was now in that state.
That ceremonial saber had penetrated 1.5 meters into its right face, already extremely painful. It barely suppressed through ferocity and willpower.
But Xia Hong's violent extraction multiplied the pain several times over.
Moreover, Xia Hong didn't just pull it out.
While the Snow Mane's initial struggles weren't too violent, he reverse-gripped the ceremonial saber with both hands, frantically thrusting dozens of times into its eyes, nostrils, mouth, even ear canals.
"ROAR………… ROAR………… ROAR…………"
These dozens of stabs turned Xia Hong into a blood-soaked man instantly.
The Snow Mane erupted with even greater commotion than before.
The fifteen outside had grabbed the animal trap rope.
Worried about rope breakage, Xia Chuan added his white thread reinforcement.
Yet even so, the fifteen pulling couldn't hold for three breaths.
The Snow Mane's body twisted completely within the trench, crushing the animal trap on its right leg into deformation. Then like a mad demon, it extended its straight tongue, beginning to indiscriminately slash around.
Swoosh... Swoosh………… Whoosh………… Whoosh…………
The long tongue swept like a sharp sword, sword wind howling continuously.
The fifteen on the south side constantly changed positions while dodging, never loosening their grip on the ropes.
Xia Hong on the pit edge also adjusted position, but being closest, he ended up in the Snow Mane's blind spot.
Unless the Snow Mane softened its tongue, it couldn't attack him.
"Last desperate struggle! Throw me a rope section! Zhao Long, you three go back to trees for supplemental shots! Others with me—don't let it rise!"
Xia Chuan from the south threw a rope section. Xia Hong single-handedly held his saber, other hand catching the rope, looping it around the struggling Snow Mane's neck.
During the looping, the out-of-control Snow Mane's pupils suddenly flashed strangely. Its straight long tongue instantly softened, wrapping toward Xia Hong.
Thud.........
However, the moment the Snow Mane softened its tongue.
A swift blade gleam sliced directly from mid-air.
Almost without suspense, the Snow Mane's long tongue was severed.
"Been waiting for this move! Thought you could resist!"
Xia Hong now single-handedly held his saber, completely blood-red, laughing like a fierce ghost.
The rope he'd gripped tightly was already discarded.
That rope was just bait to lure the Snow Mane's attack. Being closest, how could he not guard against its long tongue?
"ROAR…………"
Losing its tongue, the Snow Mane roared madly, struggles intensifying.
The twelve on the south side including Xia Chuan couldn't hold it. Ropes continuously slipped from hands, but knowing this was the critical moment, they immediately retrieved them each time—every second of restriction counted.
Whizz………… Whizz... Whizz...
Zhao Long's trio in the trees seized moments when the Snow Mane opened its mouth, continuously drawing and shooting. Several iron arrows pierced through its lips and tongue straight to the throat.
"Almost there! Hook ropes to trees! Everyone, withdraw immediately!"
At Xia Hong's command, Xia Chuan and others pulling ropes immediately scattered, each holding a rope section.
Zhao Long's trio in the trees also stopped shooting, leaping down to take rope sections from Xia Chuan, then circling around several nearby trees.
"Ready?"
"Ready."
"Ready, leader!"
"My side too."
"Ready."
………………
"Scatter!"
Only after confirming all responses did Xia Hong give the order.
Meanwhile, the Snow Mane on ground had already risen, panting heavily.
Never mind its eyes—the Snow Mane's entire face had no intact flesh left.
Its head was almost completely dyed crimson. Even its mood could only be discerned through heavy, suppressed panting.
"ROAR…………"
The Snow Mane roared furiously, limbs pushing against ground, charging violently toward where Xia Hong's voice last came from.
Snap…………
However, its charge didn't succeed as before.
To be precise, it couldn't charge out at all.
Countless ropes mixed with white threads entangled not just its body but also interconnected with over a dozen surrounding trees.
Its movement simultaneously pulled those dozen-plus large trees.
Trees in this inner area often exceeded ten meters diameter.
These dozen-plus large trees carefully selected by Xia Hong and others, once pulled.
Caused almost all nearby trees to move.
With the Snow Mane's strength, snapping one tree was effortless.
Two consecutive trees posed no problem; five blocking might require some effort; ten together would need to gather strength.
Over a dozen—some pressure.
Several dozen, even a hundred trees.
Then forget one Snow Mane—even three more like it.
Couldn't snap them all at once.
This Snow Mane now faced exactly that problem.
Crack…………
The Snow Mane strained until its limbs straightened taut, yet only the outermost trees began breaking; when it strained until its body turned red, only three to four outermost trees had collapsed.
Huff... Huff…………
The Snow Mane stopped exerting force, panted twice, surveyed the surrounding ropes, and finally showed fear in its crimson pupils.
Realizing its movement was restricted, even escape became a distant hope.
The Snow Mane finally, belatedly, began to fear.
It extended its long tongue, rapidly cutting the ropes entangling itself.
"Wishful thinking! Its movement is already restricted! Archers, focus fire!"
After planning so long for success, how could Xia Hong give it chance?
The sixteen dispersed among over a dozen trees around the Snow Mane, drew bows and fired arrows in rapid succession, almost no gaps between shots.
Countless ropes plus surrounding trees' force reduced the Snow Mane's mobility to less than ten percent. Facing these iron arrows, it couldn't even escape, only maximally turning its head to dodge.
Thud………… Thud…………
Constant defense must fail, especially with mobility restricted.
Soon, the Snow Mane's head sported over a hundred additional iron arrows.
Fortunately, Xia Hong had equipped the hunting team with fifty arrows each. Otherwise, before the Snow Mane died, arrows would have been exhausted.
Huff……… Huff……… Huff…………
As the Snow Mane's movements slowed, arrow accuracy improved.
Under Xia Hong's leadership, the hunting team grew increasingly cautious. However slow the Snow Mane moved, they showed no carelessness, just mercilessly continued shooting.
BANG…………
After everyone shot almost over a dozen rounds continuously, the Snow Mane's breath weakened to extremes. Finally unable to endure, its massive body collapsed directly into the pit.
Despite struggling so long, it never escaped that natural trench.
By now, everyone should have stopped.
Yet even so, without needing Xia Hong's order.
No one stopped.
They kept shooting at the Snow Mane in the trench until the first person emptied his arrow quiver, only then halting.
Then the second, third, fourth…………
Until all had emptied their arrows, still no one approached.
All fifteen looked toward the blood-soaked Xia Hong ahead.
"Don't rush. Wait first."
Though mentally relieved, Xia Hong still hesitated looking at the pit over ten meters away, not letting anyone approach.
He had experienced Snow Mane cunning firsthand.
Low-level Frost Beasts, limited by strength, couldn't outsmart him no matter how cunning.
But this one was an intermediate Frost Beast.
"Chuan, test it!"
Xia Chuan nodded at the words, gently pulling with white thread to drag over a broken tree from nearby.
Others stepped back, letting Xia Chuan alone slowly drag the tree to the pit's edge.
Xia Chuan cleverly didn't drag it outright but slowed the pace, tugging intermittently to mimic human movement sounds.
Being positioned high above, everyone could watch the pit's Snow Mane clearly.
Naturally, no one dared lose focus now, all staring intently.
Sure enough, the moment the tree reached the pit edge.
The Snow Mane's eyes snapped open!
Like a final resurgence, it suddenly flipped over, aiming its back spikes toward the tree at the pit edge, then rapidly shook its body.
Whizz………… Whizz………… Whizz…………
"Dodge! Quick, get to ground!"
The moment the Snow Mane revealed its back, Xia Hong already guessed.
He shoved Luo Yuan beside him, then shouted to everyone while jumping down from the tree.
The other fourteen, including Xia Chuan controlling the tree, quickly followed him down.
The hundred-plus white frost spikes like steel spears on the Snow Mane's back actually detached from its body, shooting in all directions like javelins.
A hundred-plus frost spikes sliced through the night sky, emitting chilling gleams, beautiful like pear blossom rain yet infinitely deadly.
Wherever they passed, trees collapsed, ground tore open.
Even the air seemed sliced into countless fragments.
"ROAR………"
BANG BANG BANG…………
After the furious roar came panicked, hurried footsteps.
"It's trying to escape! Chase it!"
Xia Hong hiding in ground snow suddenly rose up, seeing the empty trench and the Snow Mane's figure not far away, his expression darkened.
"After all this effort, letting you escape? Unacceptable!"
"Leader, Zhu Shun and Zou Yuankai are injured."
"Qiu Peng, Ying Xuan—stay and care for them! Others with me—chase, quickly!"
Even while speaking, Xia Hong was already chasing.
Everyone knew the urgency. Without discussion, the two named stayed while the others immediately followed.