Chapter 144: Self-Serving Sabotage, He Meng's Raging Fury |
"Don't bother with the Cloud Python. Shoot those two idiots dead first—don't let them lead the Frost Beasts over here!"
Whoosh...
An iron arrow suddenly shot through the air; Xia Chuan jerked his head to the side.
The arrow skimmed almost against his scalp.
He glanced back and saw the arrow had pierced a large tree behind them.
Cold sweat beaded on Xia Chuan's forehead; his heart raced with panic.
Luckily, right after he tossed the torch he had immediately turned east and ran toward Xia Hong's position.
Otherwise, that arrow would have gone straight through his body.
He Meng actually intended to kill them outright!
Their new targets were Luo Yuan and Xia Chuan, on the south and north sides respectively.
Whoosh... whoosh... whoosh...
In an instant, iron arrows rained toward the two of them like falling meteors.
These were arrows shot by over twenty Digging Realm fighters.
And the distance between the two sides was barely a hundred meters.
Just as the Great Xia camp prized archery, the Mirror Immortal camp's archers were also exceptionally skilled.
Xia Chuan and Luo Yuan instantly became embarrassed and miserable.
They weaved among the trees, dodging the arrows flying in from behind, but because Frost Beasts were chasing them from the rear they couldn't hide motionless behind the trees nor retreat—they could only keep running east.
That trapped their escape direction.
The Mirror Immortal archers evidently realized this as well; their predicted aim grew ever more precise and their hit rate terrifyingly high.
"Don't kill them—drive them east, make them lead the Frost Beasts away..."
While desperately dodging, Xia Chuan's face had been ashen, but upon hearing He Meng's order behind them he suddenly felt euphoric.
"This idiot—hahahaha!"
In just a short while he'd received several grazes from arrows. If the firing continued he'd and Luo Yuan could suffer far worse injuries—or even death.
He never expected He Meng to try to be clever now.
"Not killing them—forcing us to keep running east to attract the Frost Beasts, he thinks we and Xia Chuan brought the beasts over..."
On the south side, Luo Yuan, feeling the arrows whiz by behind him, no longer focused on protecting his vitals but instead kept limiting where he could flee; his expression immediately relaxed.
He lowered his head to look at his calf and his face darkened.
An iron arrow had pierced the outer flesh and was embedded there; blood seeped from the wound.
He had thrown a torch at the same time as Xia Chuan. The number of archers that shot toward him shouldn't have been more than toward Xia Chuan—he shouldn't have been hit.
The issue was that what was following him was a mid-tier Frost Wolf.
Low-level Frost Wolves are already more agile and faster than many other Frost Beasts.
Besides, the one he had attracted with the torch was a mid-tier Frost Wolf.
Being chased by a Frost Wolf left him utterly frantic; he had little capacity to guard against He Meng's archers. The arrow through his calf was flesh-deep for now; he could stifle the pain, but as time passed the tear in the wound widened and it began to slow him down.
"Awwooo..."
Luo Yuan realized He Meng's people were no longer intent on killing him. He just kept sprinting forward, and the Frost Wolf's howls grew ever closer; he could even smell the breath coming from its mouth.
Whoosh...
A sound exploded in his ear; a sudden sense of doom rose up his spine. Luo Yuan's pupils contracted; he realized another arrow was about to hit him and instinctively tried to dodge left.
Unfortunately, that iron arrow was terrifyingly fast.
Before he could fully move his body left, he already felt the sharp tip of the arrow at his right waist.
A dimness flashed through his eyes. From how arrows had pierced through trees, the archers among He Meng's crew must have stronger base power than most; the arrows they fired were devastating.
The arrow that pierced his calf was only flesh—no big deal.
But this one hit his waist.
To be pierced through by such force could be more than leaving a hole; it could damage internal organs and kill him...
Clang... clang... clang...
In the blink of an eye, metallic clashes rang out, followed by Xia Hong's tremendously reassuring voice.
"Take shelter behind me. Don't run—apply the Golden Injury Powder first!"
Xia Hong drew his Ceremonial Saber and, behind Luo Yuan, swung it with lightning speed, forming a blade curtain. The saber was long, so the blade curtain covered a wide area; the arrows shot by He Meng's group struck the blade curtain and fell to the ground.
Luo Yuan quickly pulled the arrow from his calf, smeared on Golden Injury Powder, and when he saw the Frost Wolf that had been chasing him now racing toward the torch—toward where He Meng and his men were—he broke into a broad smile.
Not only the Frost Wolf; the Snow Mane that had been behind Xia Chuan also charged madly toward where the Mirror Immortal camp's people were.
With two mid-tier Frost Beasts charging at once, He Meng's group naturally had no time to keep shooting arrows at them.
With his wound stabilized, Luo Yuan laughed triumphantly:
"Hahaha—there they go. Those bastards probably won't know who did it."
"They already know. He Meng saw me—and my blade!"
Xia Hong sheathed his saber, looked past the Frost Wolf, and made eye contact with He Meng, who was a good one to two hundred meters away.
"Those damned mutts—how dare they ambush me!"
Under the tree, He Meng's face burned with fury; his hand that gripped the longbow trembled uncontrollably.
Earlier he hadn't clearly seen Xia Chuan and Luo Yuan's faces. Only from their clothes did he roughly judge they belonged to Great Xia, but he wasn't certain.
But when he saw the black cloak beside Luo Yuan and the thin long saber in Xia Hong's hand, he immediately understood:
He'd been set up.
"Leader! Those two beasts are almost here—if we don't pull back now it'll be too late!"
At his team's shouts, He Meng looked down at the two torches on the ground, then glanced at the dying Cloud Python and the already-dead Thunder Kui, gnashing his teeth with hatred:
"Forget those—scatter and run!"
If a Frost Wolf and a Snow Mane came alone at any other time, he wouldn't be afraid. During the hunting team's prime, if both came together he'd still try to handle them with his men.
But of all times, now?
The hunting team had fought three engagements in a row. Several had been lost, and most people were injured. Supplies and arrows were nearly exhausted.
Even with his confidence, He Meng dared not stay.
He led the way, first to run around to the north.
More than twenty others scattered north and south to escape; seven or eight were even carrying someone on their backs—unconscious or dead.
"Great Xia—Great Xia—I'll make you pay—agh..."
He Meng ran and roared, continually glancing back toward the east where Xia Hong stood, his eyes full of rage and hatred.
Tonight had been a chance to harvest four mid-tier Frost Beasts. Xia Hong and his group had ruined it all.
...
Not far away, watching He Meng's group split up and even leave the carcasses behind, the three of them—Xia Hong, Xia Chuan and Luo Yuan—smiled in unison.
"He really thinks those two beasts were heading for the Thunder Kui and Cloud Python."
"Hahaha—this torch really is our camp's one true artifact!"
At Xia Chuan and Luo Yuan's jibes, Xia Hong couldn't help but grin.
But when he saw He Meng and his men scattering and the Snow Mane and Frost Wolf having caught up to the torches, he immediately spoke to the two behind him:
"Go to the flanks. Use the same trick to lure the Snow Mane and Frost Wolf away."
"Yes, leader!"
Xia Chuan and Luo Yuan nodded and split—one headed south, the other north—moving around to the side of the Snow Mane and the Frost Wolf.
Because the two torches had landed so close to each other, the two Frost Beasts that had reached the torches were now almost face-to-face.
"Awwooo..."
"Howl..."
The Snow Mane and the Frost Wolf made their hostility clear. When they touched the torches they initially showed looks of satisfaction, but they quickly snapped awake, grabbed the torches in their mouths, lifted their heads to stare at each other, and let out low, menacing roars.
That sound carried a clear threat: these two were claiming ownership of the torches.
"Howl..."
But then a third sound rose up.
This third sound was very different—weak, feeble, and more bluster than bite.
It came from the gravely-injured Cloud Python.
Strangely, even as the Cloud Python warned the two Frost Beasts, its eyes also fixated on the torches clenched in their mouths, betraying a visible longing.
The Snow Mane and the Frost Wolf simultaneously turned their heads to stare at the Cloud Python and the dead Thunder Kui behind it, showing bloodthirsty desire.
Clearly, they realized the Cloud Python was in terrible shape.
The dead Thunder Kui behind it was also an attraction.
"The torches must be more tempting than that Cloud Python, right?"
Xia Hong, perched above on a nearby ice-crystal tree, glanced at the three Frost Beasts and then looked toward the sides with a trace of expectation.
As He Meng and his men fled, the snow forest fell silent. Beyond the low test-roars of the three Frost Beasts, there was no other sound.
Suddenly, about a hundred meters behind both the Snow Mane and the Frost Wolf, two small fires rose up.
When those little flames sprang to life, the two Frost Beasts seemed to notice and turned to look. Greed flashed in their pupils.
Even the dying Cloud Python couldn't help but glance over.
"Set."
Seeing the Frost Beasts' reaction, Xia Hong knew the plan had worked.
The small flank fires suddenly surged upward two to three meters, as if someone had shoved a pile of fuel on them—the flames flared bright and extremely conspicuous in the silent snow forest.
More importantly, the two fires quickly fled farther south and north.
The Frost Wolf and Snow Mane, which had already been tempted by a single torch, could no longer contain their greed. Each turned and bolted toward the larger fires behind them.
"Everyone—kill the Cloud Python. Its skin should be poisonous—don't get too close!"
At the moment the Snow Mane and Frost Wolf ran off, Xia Hong rushed forward and nocked an arrow, also calling to Zhao Long and the other hunters hidden among the trees to shoot down the Cloud Python.
Whoosh... whoosh... whoosh...
Zhao Long and the others had been waiting for this order. They'd thought they might have to attack Mirror Immortal camp; they'd been waiting for Xia Hong's command.
Having hunted with Xia Hong so many times, they were in perfect sync and had observed his plans long enough to understand his intentions clearly.
At Xia Hong's command, everyone pulled back their bows and drew—no hesitation.
Fifteen Digging Realm fighters, fifteen ten-stone iron-backed bows.
Knowing time was limited, they increased their rate of fire to near the limit.
Whoosh... whoosh... whoosh... whoosh... whoosh... whoosh...
Fifteen arrows at a time—within fewer than thirty breaths—they released a dozen volleys, nearly two hundred arrows in total.
The Cloud Python was already gravely wounded and trapped in the Thunder Kui marsh. Escape was impossible; dodging capacity minimal. It stood as an open, living target above the swamp!
Over two hundred arrows blanketed the Cloud Python's head.
After this near-bombardment of iron arrows, not only its eyes but even its facial features were unrecognizable.
Its entire skull looked like a hedgehog of arrows.
"Howl..."
At that point the Cloud Python's roar was extremely faint.
Zhao Long and the others suddenly stopped firing.
Thinking they had a chance to breathe, the Cloud Python tensed, twisting its body and trying to free itself from the swamp.
With the iron arrow assault over and survival instinct spurring an extreme burst of strength, it actually managed to pull its body free.
Crack...
But just as it sought to flee, Xia Hong—who had been hiding above on an ice-crystal tree—seized the moment.
Eyes wide, he raised his two-handed Giant Axe and leaped down. Using his falling momentum, he swung the axe from behind forward in a wide arc, aiming at the swollen bump on the Cloud Python's forehead—and brought it down hard.
Scrape...
The axe strike sent the many arrows embedded in the Cloud Python's head flying.
Metal clashed and sparks flew.
Whoosh...
Even the arrows knocked free pierced through the nearby ice-crystal tree.
The force of Xia Hong's swing was immense beyond imagination.
Boom... crack...
The axe cleaved through flesh and bone; the bump on the Cloud Python's forehead shattered, and underlying skull bones were crushed in an instant. The bones in the Cloud Python's brain proved as brittle as tofu before the gigantic force—unable to resist at all.
The Giant Axe cut fully through two to three meters.
A massive Cloud Python skull was split clean down the middle.
If Xia Hong hadn't eased his final force, the creature's entire upper torso would likely have been sheared into two halves.
"Sss—"
"Leader, that power!"
"How many kilograms of force was that?"
...
Xia Hong had no time for praise. To avoid touching the poisonous skin, he didn't even pull the axe out—he jumped down and urgently ordered:
"Quick—finish it. Bring the Thunder Kui and Cloud Python back. The Cloud Python's skin is poisonous—don't touch it!"
They'd processed carcasses before and knew time was short. They immediately followed orders, chopped down a slender tree, and fashioned a crude stretcher to bind both beasts together.
While they made the stretcher, Xia Chuan and Luo Yuan—the ones who had lured the beasts—returned from the east.
Xia Chuan arrived first, looking anxious as he walked over to Xia Hong, still shaken:
"If I didn't see wrong, when I dropped the torch a magic goat and two Frost Wolves nearby were also disturbed. The Snow Mane must have noticed and didn't chase me—it grabbed the torch and ran."
Luo Yuan, who returned shortly after, spoke with a similar expression:
"Before I started running east, there was a lot of commotion on the west side—some deeper Frost Beast was alarmed and set off five torches at once. The flame power was unexpectedly huge!"
Xia Hong nodded. The small torch was system-issued gear, and he'd already experimented many times with lower-grade Frost Beasts.
No one else knew them as well as he did.
Torches attract Frost Beasts because the beasts can use the fire's light to treat wounds and recover, increasing their strength.
So the brighter the light, the stronger the attraction. That's why he had told Xia Chuan and Luo Yuan to light five torches at once, causing the flame spike.
Thinking a moment, Xia Hong turned to the group and warned soberly:
"Remember—use torches cautiously."
"Yes, leader!"
At Xia Hong's grave tone, everyone nodded and took the warning to heart.
"Alright, let's head back."
Xia Hong ordered and took point. The other seventeen hoisted the stretcher and followed quickly eastward.
Although the two beasts together were heavy, seventeen Digging Realm fighters lifting them was nothing.
They marched briskly and soon left Redwood Ridge, returning to the valley.
When the camp saw a mid-tier Cloud Python and Thunder Kui for the first time, a clamorous shout rose—almost everyone crowded around to view the ferocious trophies.
"Leader brought back two new Frost Beasts?"
"Weren't the ones brought back earlier all Snow Manes?"
"And all mid-tier!"
"That's a Thunder Kui—that's huge. How many kilos of meat could that be?"
"The Cloud Python's skin is poisonous! Don't touch it!"
"The hunting team's gotten really strong."
...
On the second floor of a wooden hut's main hall, Yuan Cheng looked down at the trophies and laughed triumphantly when he heard the noise downstairs.
Everyone else laughed heartily as well.
"Hahaha—the Mirror Immortal camp worked for us for free tonight!"
"Arrogant lot—this'll teach them a lesson."
"They crossed our border and hunted recklessly after the leader warned them. Serves them right!"
"If you come hunt in our Redwood Ridge, you should be working for us."
"Next time we meet them, we'll do the same thing again."
...
Hearing the crowd's delighted laughter, Xia Hong relaxed slightly.
Actions that harm others for personal gain normally went against his values.
But context mattered.
Since the Mirror Immortal camp ignored his warnings and brazenly crossed into Great Xia territory to hunt, he couldn't be blamed for retaliating.
"Leader—starting now, let's hunt the north every three days. If we catch them once, make them come back empty-handed. Keep it up until they dare not set foot in Redwood Ridge."
When Yuan Cheng proposed this, everyone nodded in approval.
Xia Hong looked tempted but pondered a moment before shaking his head and saying gravely: "Don't rush. He Meng must be furious now. Let's watch how Mirror Immortal camp reacts when they return. We'll keep hunting normally and occasionally head north to check."
At the word "Mirror Immortal camp," the group calmed.
Indeed, He Meng alone wasn't the main worry—the Mirror Immortal camp itself was. Their number of Digging Realm fighters far exceeded Great Xia's, and they had two Warmth Realm stalwarts like fixed anchors. From any perspective, it would be unwise for Great Xia to pick a full-blown fight with Mirror Immortal now.
Even knowing the Mirror Immortal camp had invaded their territory, Great Xia could only endure.
Just tonight, given Xia Hong's final move in decapitating the Cloud Python, they could have struck down He Meng's group outright.
Xia Hong chose not to because Great Xia lacked the strength to risk fully angering Mirror Immortal. If one of their Warmth Realm fighters intervened, the outcome would be unpredictable.
"Let's leave it for now. Don't provoke them totally, but don't let them trespass with impunity—go north sometimes and check."
And "check" wasn't just a phrase. If opportunities like tonight came—getting trophies without direct conflict—they wouldn't let them slip.
The hunting team exchanged knowing smiles.
"Self-serving sabotage sure feels good. It's easier than throwing ourselves at those Frost Beasts," someone said.
Xia Hong's eyes flickered. If he weren't worried about offending Mirror Immortal too badly and drawing the two Warmth Realm fighters' ire, he'd like to mess with He Meng more often.
Freeloading felt great.
But improving strength came first.
"Drain the blood—bring it to my room."
"Yes, leader."
Xia Hong turned and instructed Xia Chuan, then went upstairs.
They still had blood from three Snow Manes left from before. With the Cloud Python, Thunder Kui, and the magic goat they just took, that made six beasts—at least three to four hundred jin of blood.
At fifty jin per point, this would net them seven to eight progress points. Their base strength could increase by tens of thousands of jin.
"More importantly, we learned Cloud Python hunting method. I've seen Yuwen Tao hunt magic goats before. Magic goats and Cloud Pythons can be hunted from now on too—hunting efficiency will go up. My skin membrane progress will speed up..."
...
Inside Redwood Ridge, He Meng and his scattered men returned one by one to the spot where they'd been hunting the Cloud Python.
Seeing the empty ground and the large pool of blood near the swamp, their faces went ashen.
The ground was so clean—clearly not Frost Beasts eating one another. That meant Great Xia had taken those two beasts.
"Those bastards—not only ambushed me, they took the Thunder Kui and Cloud Python!"
He Meng's chest heaved with rage as he stared at the south side of Redwood Ridge, weighing his options.
"Leader—bad news!"
A shout came from the east. All heads turned.
The man who approached was furious; he said to He Meng:
"Leader—the magic goat's blood has been completely drained!"
He Meng's face first froze, then molten fury surged into his eyes. He yanked his waist-belt blade from its sheath.
"Everyone—go south and find them. Find Great Xia's camp. If I don't slaughter those bastards, I won't be He Meng!"
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