Chapter 135: The Mirror Immortals Who Fear No Death [Triple Combination] |
Snow Mane knew how to play dead, and it was extremely convincing at it.
This wasn't anything particularly surprising.
But Xia Hong truly hadn't expected that the hundreds of spikes on its back could be launched as projectiles.
Thump... thump... thump...
The ground trembled continuously under the panicked fleeing steps of the Snow Mane. Behind it, amidst the swirling snowflakes, were the twelve figures of Xia Hong's team in close pursuit.
"It seems the spikes on its back were its ultimate move. Fortunately, we mainly used bows today—this was actually a fortunate coincidence!" Xia Hong thought during a brief pause in their rapid chase, glancing at the wound on his shoulder with a trace of relief in his eyes.
If not for their inadequate strength, he wouldn't have had the other fifteen members scatter and hide in the surrounding trees, using bows to hunt the Snow Mane.
Thinking about it conversely, if everyone had been stronger and unafraid of direct confrontation with the Snow Mane, adopting a close-quarters encirclement strategy with over a dozen people, the Snow Mane wouldn't have waited until the last moment to unleash that move.
Even though they had been so far away, and he had led everyone to jump down from the trees in advance, his shoulder had still been grazed by one of the spikes shot by the Snow Mane, leaving a wound the size of a palm.
If not for their inadequate strength, he wouldn't have had the other fifteen members scatter and hide in the surrounding trees, using bows to hunt the Snow Mane.
Thinking about it conversely, if everyone had been stronger and unafraid of direct confrontation with the Snow Mane, adopting a close-quarters encirclement strategy with over a dozen people, the Snow Mane wouldn't have waited until the last moment to unleash that move.
Xia Hong nodded upon hearing this, a look of approval flashing in his eyes. They were indeed all carrying only bows now, having exhausted their arrows during the chase.
Even though they had been so far away, and he had led everyone to jump down from the trees in advance, his shoulder had still been grazed by one of the spikes shot by the Snow Mane, leaving a wound the size of a palm.
Tap tap tap tap tap...
"Leader, it's slowing down!" As the sound of the Snow Mane's footsteps changed, Luo Yuan immediately called out a warning.
Xia Hong looked up and saw the fleeing Snow Mane beginning to stagger, no longer in its previous frantic sprinting state. A smile instantly spread across his face.
"Let's slow down too. Just keep it in sight from behind. Be cautious—don't get too close. Wait for Zhao Long's three to bring the arrows."
Although he was ninety percent sure the Snow Mane was at its last gasp, the previous scene had still shaken Xia Hong somewhat. Who knew if this creature might have other life-saving trump cards or ultimate moves?
Caution remained paramount!
Though Xia Hong thought this, watching the Snow Mane continue forward made him glance ahead with a trace of worry. The Snow Mane had been fleeing west, deeper into Redwood Ridge.
In just this short time, it had led them about three kilometers further in—and this three kilometers wasn't starting from the outer perimeter. Including the previous kilometer or so, their group of nine had now penetrated roughly four to five kilometers into Redwood Ridge.
"We can't go any deeper. Attracting other Frost Beasts would be disastrous!"
By now, not only Xia Hong but the others had also noticed that their surroundings had become completely unfamiliar. The variety of trees had increased significantly, and in the distance, they could vaguely make out the shapes of enormous creatures.
This area was noticeably quieter than the periphery. Aside from the noise caused by the Snow Mane's escape and their own pursuing footsteps, no other sounds could be heard.
Wherever they looked, there was only shadow and darkness.
They had never ventured this deep into Redwood Ridge before. If anything unexpected happened, the outcome would be hard to predict.
Xia Hong felt conflicted. Reason told him they shouldn't continue the pursuit, but his desire for the blood of an intermediate Frost Beast made him reluctant to abandon this severely wounded, dying Snow Mane.
"Leader, we're here!" Fortunately, Zhao Long and his two brothers caught up from behind at that moment.
Xia Hong looked up and saw the fleeing Snow Mane beginning to stagger, no longer in its previous frantic sprinting state. A smile instantly spread across his face.
"Speed up and move forward! Stop it from running further!" Xia Hong's face lit up with pleasant surprise. This was why he had shown approval when Xia Chuan mentioned that Zhao Long's three had gone to retrieve arrows.
"Let's slow down too. Just keep it in sight from behind. Be cautious—don't get too close. Wait for Zhao Long's three to bring the arrows."
If not for Zhao Long's three thoughtful foresight, their only options now would be to either continue following the Snow Mane deeper in or risk their lives to stop it forcefully—both extremely dangerous approaches.
On one hand, most of the iron-tipped arrows were still embedded in the Snow Mane's body. On the other, given the time constraints, the three probably hadn't had time to search thoroughly. The arrows Zhao Long's three brought numbered only about sixty or seventy—not a huge amount.
But these sixty or seventy arrows were enough to deliver the final death sentence to the severely wounded Snow Mane.
Whoosh... whoosh... whoosh...
Before shooting, the twelve of them had already sped up and scattered to both sides of the Snow Mane.
Over sixty iron-tipped arrows shot forth continuously from the large trees on either side.
All aimed directly at the Snow Mane's head.
The staggering Snow Mane was thrown off balance by the relentless arrows from both sides. Its head, already riddled with arrows and severely injured, took so many more hits that its gait began to distort. Its massive body started twitching and pausing.
Finally, after stumbling forward for over twenty meters, the Snow Mane's life force began to rapidly fade. A sense of decay gradually emanated from its enormous form.
Thump...
At last, its limbs went limp and powerless.
Its massive body collapsed with a thunderous crash, creating a loud impact.
"It's finally dead!" Xia Hong, up in a tree, finally breathed a genuine sigh of relief.
Part of the Snow Mane's head had been literally shot off by the continuous barrage of arrows. Not just blood—even brain matter had spilled out considerably.
No matter how good it was at playing dead, it wouldn't work this time.
"Don't approach yet. I'll go check alone!" Although ninety percent sure, Xia Hong still adhered to the principle of caution, deciding to inspect it alone first.
"No need, Leader. I'll go check." But before he could move, Xia Chuan had already jumped forward to offer.
"Why should the Leader bother with this? I'll go."
"Let me do it."
...
Even the others scattered on both sides started vying for the task.
Everyone competing to go confirm the kill for him made Xia Hong's tense nerves relax considerably. A slight smile appeared on his face.
"Xia Chuan alone is enough. The rest of you wait with me." Though their behavior warmed his heart, proper habits still needed cultivation. Having so many charge forward together—if something really went wrong someday, regret would come too late.
Not only had the three arrived, but they also carried bundles of iron-tipped arrows in both hands.
"All clear! Come over! It's completely dead!"
"Speed up and move forward! Stop it from running further!" Xia Hong's face lit up with pleasant surprise. This was why he had shown approval when Xia Chuan mentioned that Zhao Long's three had gone to retrieve arrows.
Looking at the massive Snow Mane corpse on the ground, Xia Hong's eyes filled with joy, feeling the fatigue on his body instantly vanish. Even the injury on his shoulder seemed to hurt less.
The other ten arrived one after another as well.
"Tsk tsk, it's huge!"
If not for Zhao Long's three thoughtful foresight, their only options now would be to either continue following the Snow Mane deeper in or risk their lives to stop it forcefully—both extremely dangerous approaches.
"This size is almost two or three times that of a low-level Snow Mane."
On one hand, most of the iron-tipped arrows were still embedded in the Snow Mane's body. On the other, given the time constraints, the three probably hadn't had time to search thoroughly. The arrows Zhao Long's three brought numbered only about sixty or seventy—not a huge amount.
"Probably more. It's not just the length—its legs and torso are several sizes larger than the low-level ones too. The meat yield must be astounding."
"We'll know for sure when we bring it back."
"This is an intermediate Frost Beast. No one from the camps around Redwood Ridge has ever hunted one before, right? Leader, did we just make history today?"
...
Everyone gathered around the Snow Mane corpse, their words full of awe and excitement.
Before shooting, the twelve of them had already sped up and scattered to both sides of the Snow Mane.
They hadn't realized it before, but now up close, they could truly visually appreciate the massive scale of the Snow Mane they had hunted.
"Alright, enough looking. Five of you go with Xia Chuan to pull all the arrows from its head. The other five go cut trees to make some long poles. We'll use them to carry it back later!" The ten's exclamations of praise lasted only a moment before Xia Hong's order split them into two groups to start working.
"You can't handle its blood yet. Be careful when pulling the arrows—don't let it touch your skin." Actually, Xia Hong didn't even need to remind them. Xia Chuan, who had first come to confirm the Snow Mane's death, was already carefully extracting arrows. Seeing his cautious movements, the others immediately followed suit, not daring to let the blood flowing from the Snow Mane's body touch their skin.
Hiss...
Xia Hong sucked in a sharp breath, touched his stinging cheek, then looked down at his chest and arms, which were already mangled and bloody. He immediately guessed his face was probably similarly disfigured now.
He hadn't reminded everyone for no reason. Earlier, at the trap site, when he had been frantically stabbing the Snow Mane's seven orifices with his Ceremonial Saber, blood had splattered all over him.
An intense burning sensation had immediately surged through him, but the battle had been too intense then. His attention was fully on the Snow Mane, so he hadn't paid it any mind.
Now that he had relaxed, the pain immediately became severe.
"If I hadn't pushed my basic strength to the thirty-thousand-jin limit during that final period, forget hunting this Snow Mane—just the blood it splashed would have been enough to take half my life!" Back when his basic strength was only twenty-thousand-something jin, the Rat King's blood temperature could directly burn through his skin. Only with the help of solar cold light could he eliminate the burns and fully recover.
Now, at the thirty-thousand-jin limit, although this blood still scalded him until his skin split and flesh tore, it didn't damage his internal bones or muscles. Moreover, the pain was somewhat lighter than before.
Though his skin was torn and flesh exposed, making him look miserable, and the pain was intense, Xia Hong clearly felt that he could withstand it. Furthermore, during the process of endurance, his skin membrane and basic strength were noticeably improving.
At last, its limbs went limp and powerless.
Sigh...
"Hurry up with the cleanup. We can't stay here long." Taking a deep breath, Xia Hong endured the severe pain and urged everyone to speed up before climbing a tree himself to observe their surroundings.
They were already four to five kilometers deep into Redwood Ridge. Here, the trees were not only generally thicker than those on the periphery but also noticeably more diverse in species.
Three to four kilometers to the north was a vast misty area, visually estimated to be five to six hundred meters wide. Far to the south, they could see an exceptionally large towering giant tree with an exaggerated diameter. Dozens of enormous figures, each comparable in size to the recently deceased Snow Mane, were perched on that giant tree.
The northern misty area was likely Cloud Python territory, but the mist areas created by low-level Cloud Pythons were only about fifty meters in diameter. This five to six hundred meters—was it intermediate or advanced level?
And what about that giant tree to the south? A Snow Mane herd? Or a Frost Wolf pack? Judging by their sizes, it was highly likely to be dozens of intermediate Frost Beasts gathered together. That would mean there must be an advanced Frost Beast leader among them...
Xia Hong withdrew his gaze, his mind shaken, but he also felt somewhat fortunate. This Snow Mane's escape had probably also avoided other Frost Beasts' territories.
This showed that Frost Beasts also had a strict hierarchy. Even when severely wounded to that state, its instincts drove it to avoid entering other Frost Beasts' territories.
"All cleaned up, Leader." Hearing Xia Chuan's call from below, Xia Hong leaped down directly.
The arrow quivers on everyone's backs were full again. The Snow Mane prey had been tied with ropes to two long poles, with two people at each end ready to carry it.
"Alright, let's head back quickly!" At Xia Hong's order, he took the lead heading east toward the outer area.
"No need, Leader. I'll go check." But before he could move, Xia Chuan had already offered first.
They hadn't been hunting for just a day or two. The formation for the return trip had long become routine. Without Xia Hong saying a word, everyone knew their roles.
The unfamiliar environment, combined with the occasional unknown Frost Beast's panting and howling from all around, made Xia Hong lead the group almost at a run as they headed out.
Within minutes, they had covered over two li east. Another li or two, and they would reach the familiar outer area, not far from exiting Redwood Ridge.
Xia Hong glanced back and breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Even the others scattered on both sides started vying for the task.
"Me too. It's too dark inside. Even though I couldn't see a single Frost Beast, it felt oppressive from all directions. The Frost Beasts inside probably all have their own territories. We were lucky to follow that Snow Mane in. If we had barged in randomly, we probably would've been dead in minutes."
Luo Yuan and Xia Chuan couldn't help speaking up. During those few minutes coming out from the depths, both had remained tense, constantly feeling like something was watching them from the shadows.
Although the others didn't speak, their expressions showed that those few minutes hadn't been easy for them either.
"No talking. Keep moving. We'll be out soon!" Xia Hong cut off their discussion and led everyone to pick up the pace.
Whoosh...
Before they had gone two hundred meters, suddenly, a swift arrow cut through the air. It flew horizontally from left to right about ten meters in front of Xia Hong, embedding itself in a large tree on the right.
Crack... thump...
Xia Hong's expression tightened slightly. Before he could react, successive sounds of trees breaking and collapsing came from the left.
"People?"
"Be careful."
"It's from the north."
"That tree—it fell."
...
The other ten arrived one after another as well.
Xia Hong had already turned to look left, toward the northern part of Redwood Ridge, his brow slightly furrowed.
North, about a hundred meters away.
After the large tree Xia Chuan mentioned fell, an enormous creature nearly eight to nine meters long tumbled down from it with a loud crash.
Arrow-like rain poured down frantically on the massive creature.
Simultaneously, a figure holding a giant broadsword leaped down from the nearest tree, landing directly on the enormous creature's head.
"Outsiders have trespassed to hunt!"
"It's that group from last time, right?"
"Probably those Mirror Immortal Camp people."
"Only them. Besides them, there are no other camps."
"Didn't even say hello, just came in directly. Hmph!"
...
It was obvious that a group was hunting an intermediate Frost Beast, just like they had been earlier. Xia Chuan and the others understood immediately.
Everyone spoke up, their tones carrying anger. After falling silent, they all looked toward Xia Hong, who hadn't said a word yet.
"Let's go take a look!" Xia Hong naturally understood what everyone was thinking. His expression was also somewhat gloomy. Not seeing any Mirror Immortal Camp people earlier in the outer area, he had thought they hadn't crossed the boundary.
They hadn't realized it before, but now up close, they could truly visually appreciate the massive scale of the Snow Mane they had hunted.
Xia Hong had long considered Redwood Ridge as Great Xia's territory. The resources within were undoubtedly Great Xia's exclusive domain.
This direct boundary-crossing by Mirror Immortal Camp clearly showed they completely disregarded Great Xia Camp.
"Leave the prey here. Xia Chuan and Luo Yuan, come with me. The other nine, find good positions. I want to see just how arrogant this Mirror Immortal Camp can be!" Choosing to hunt at night; using bows for hunting, just like they had; plus, the person with the broadsword mainly used dodging and evasive tactics when fighting that enormous creature—just these three points allowed Xia Hong to roughly judge that their personnel configuration and strongest combat power were probably similar to theirs.
"You can't handle its blood yet. Be careful when pulling the arrows—don't let it touch your skin." Actually, Xia Hong didn't even need to remind them. Xia Chuan, who had first come to confirm the Snow Mane's death, was already carefully extracting arrows. Seeing his cautious movements, the others immediately followed suit, not daring to let the blood flowing from the Snow Mane's body touch their skin.
Since the Warmth Realm expert wasn't present, the opponent's strength was similar to theirs, and they were currently entangled with a Frost Beast—this was too good an opportunity to miss to go teach Mirror Immortal Camp a lesson.
Zhao Long led the other eight to scatter and immediately climbed large trees. From the shadows, they aimed their longbows at the already exposed positions of the Mirror Immortal Camp members. Clearly, they all understood Xia Hong's intention.
Xia Hong sucked in a sharp breath, touched his stinging cheek, then looked down at his chest and arms, which were already mangled and bloody. He immediately guessed his face was probably similarly disfigured now.
As they approached, the three clearly saw the true form of the enormous creature.
He hadn't reminded everyone for no reason. Earlier, at the trap site, when he had been frantically stabbing the Snow Mane's seven orifices with his Ceremonial Saber, blood had splattered all over him.
The most terrifying part was its back, which bore sixteen pairs of golden eyes as large as lanterns.
Five pairs had already been shot by iron-tipped arrows, blood gushing out continuously.
The other eleven pairs periodically emitted blinding golden light. These beams shot like sharp arrows toward the broadsword-wielder and the other archers hiding in the surrounding trees.
The Golden-Eyed Demon Goat's size was too massive. Its frantic sprint made the ground tremble continuously. Its charging power surpassed even that of the earlier Snow Mane. Forget the surrounding large trees—in just this short time, over a dozen trees nearby had been smashed and knocked down. Within nearly a hundred meters radius, not a single intact tree remained.
While clearly seeing the Golden-Eyed Demon Goat, Xia Hong's three also got a clear look at the person fighting it.
Too far to see the face clearly, but they could tell he was burly, dressed in black, holding a giant broadsword about 1.5 meters long and over 20 centimeters wide.
The broadsword's appearance alone was extremely exaggerated, let alone its sharpness. An average person probably couldn't even lift it.
But in that person's hands, it seemed weightless.
Swinging, blocking, chopping, withdrawing—all fluidly executed.
More impressively, he could use the broadsword's momentum to adjust his body, constantly maneuvering around the demon goat in circles. Occasionally, he even managed to leave deep wounds on the demon goat with his sword.
Iron-tipped arrows continuously shot from the surrounding trees toward the demon goat, all aiming at the golden eyes on its back. One person's arrows were extremely precise, always shooting accurately just as the golden goat tried to unleash light to suppress the black-clad person, preventing it from using its light beams.
"Just looks ugly. It should recover quickly, right..." Fortunately, it was night, and because they were too deep in, he didn't dare let anyone light a fire. Others could only see that he was covered in blood. If they saw his current terrifying appearance of torn skin and exposed flesh, they might mistakenly think he was a ghost.
The demon goat seized an opportunity, lowering its head for a charge. The black-clad person was caught off guard, forced to raise his broadsword to block. Unsurprisingly, both he and his sword were sent flying into the air.
Seizing this moment, the golden eyes on the demon goat's back opened simultaneously. Ignoring the iron-tipped arrows shooting from all directions, it directly unleashed eleven beams of golden light at the black-clad person mid-air.
Squelch... squelch...
"Roar............"
They were already four to five kilometers deep into Redwood Ridge. Here, the trees were not only generally thicker than those on the periphery but also noticeably more diverse in species.
But Xia Hong's gaze remained fixed on the black-clad person. Noticing one beam of light had passed through his abdomen, his brow slightly raised.
Three to four kilometers to the north was a vast misty area, visually estimated to be five to six hundred meters wide. Far to the south, they could see an exceptionally large towering giant tree with an exaggerated diameter. Dozens of enormous figures, each comparable in size to the recently deceased Snow Mane, were perched on that giant tree.
"It hit. The black-clad person should be injured, and not lightly." Xia Hong only raised his brow slightly, but Xia Chuan and Luo Yuan beside him showed no such restraint. Their faces directly revealed joy as they spoke to Xia Hong.
"Don't speak yet. They're skilled. This demon goat is definitely dead!" Although the demon goat had successfully injured the black-clad person, all eleven golden eyes on its back had been shot out in that volley of arrows.
"Roar... roar... roar..."
With all sixteen golden eyes on its back blinded, the demon goat's final ferocity seemed to be ignited. It leaped violently, throwing its head back with continuous roars.
The black-clad person in the distance had just landed and was tearing cloth to bind his abdominal wound when the demon goat charged fiercely toward him.
Xia Hong withdrew his gaze, his mind shaken, but he also felt somewhat fortunate. This Snow Mane's escape had probably also avoided other Frost Beasts' territories.
"Brothers, can't let this beast hurt the boss!"
"The damned beast's eyes are blind! Why fear it now?"
"Charge!"
...
Several angry shouts came from the surrounding trees. Over twenty people swarmed down from the trees, then charged toward the demon goat.
These twenty-plus people carried bows on their backs—clearly, they were the archers from earlier. Each held a large knife. Their furious shouts accompanied by their charging posture exuded a fearless, fierce demeanor.
Of course, though they were fast,
the demon goat was faster.
The black-clad person they called "boss" clearly didn't pin his hopes on these twenty-plus people. After binding his wound, he raised his broadsword and dodged sideways.
This intermediate demon goat had six sharp horns, each two to three meters long. When charging straight forward, its horizontal attack range was alarmingly large.
The black-clad person was quick, but compared to the demon goat, human size was inherently disadvantaged. Moreover, his speed wasn't superior.
Squelch...
Just as Xia Hong expected, the black-clad person's left shoulder was directly impaled by one of the demon goat's horns. But what happened next completely surprised Xia Hong.
Despite his left shoulder being impaled, the black-clad person didn't hesitate at all. Gripping his broadsword with both hands, he suddenly sank down, moving past the demon goat's horns toward its neck.
Squelch...
"This strength... surpasses mine..." Watching the descending broadsword sink over half a meter into the demon goat's neck, Xia Hong's pupils sharply contracted, his mind slightly chilled.
He had just experienced the bones and skin of an intermediate Frost Beast. To pierce through the neck at such close range, the instantaneous explosive strength required was conservatively estimated at least forty-thousand jin.
Even using his Long Fist techniques, he could only explode with up to thirty-six-thousand jin at most.
This black-clad person's basic strength definitely exceeded his own.
The broadsword in its neck caused excruciating pain, making the demon goat's body instantly stagger.
It tried to stabilize itself with its limbs, but the twenty-plus people who had descended from the trees didn't give it that chance.
These twenty were well-organized. Ten charged directly at its head. The remaining ten-plus split into five groups, attacking its limbs and tail.
The demon goat's size was too massive. The twenty-plus people had only managed a few chops before its casually kicking limbs knocked them away.
Bone fractures, vomiting blood, broken hands, broken feet, knives sent flying, people thrown back over ten meters, even severe injuries leading to unconsciousness—whether they lived or died was unknown.
These were the inevitable outcomes for those twenty-plus people.
But what shocked Xia Hong's three was that aside from those unconscious or severely injured (their fate unknown), everyone else who could move without exception picked up their knives and charged back again.
They seemed completely unafraid of death.
After repeated hacking by the twenty-plus people, combined with the leader's continuous broadsword strikes damaging the demon goat's head, after a hundred breaths, the demon goat's limbs finally began to tremble. Its body lost strength, starting to sway unsteadily.
"Almost there, brothers! Hold on a bit longer! This demon goat is about to fall!"
"Worth it—I chopped it over a dozen times. My blade's rolled."
"Doesn't matter. We can sharpen it back home. Iron means nothing."
"Boss, how are you holding up?"
Seeing the demon goat teetering on the edge, those still swinging their knives excitedly shouted and conversed. Finally, one person, with slight concern, asked about the black-clad person.
"I'm fine. Everyone, fall back first. This demon goat has no strength left to escape..." After watching from the sidelines for so long, Xia Hong, Xia Chuan, and Luo Yuan heard the black-clad person speak for the first time. All three were momentarily stunned, not even noticing that the black-clad person had paused mid-sentence.
This black-clad person's voice was actually very young.
No, excessively young.
Judging by the voice, it seemed similar to Xia Chuan's—only sixteen or seventeen years old.
"First, let's welcome our friends from Great Xia together!" The three on the tree, somewhat stunned, heard the black-clad person's following words and their expressions changed slightly.
They had been discovered.
Since discovered, the three no longer hid. They jumped down from the tree directly.
Xia Hong looked down, leading the other two forward slowly. He stopped only when about ten meters away from the other party.
"You, sir, have brought so many people to trespass into Great Xia's territory, hunting here privately without permission. This term 'friends'—I, Xia Hong, dare not accept it!"