Chapter 137: Difficult Hunt [Warm Sun Elder

The moment the torch ignited, the massive creature over a hundred meters away did not leap down from the tree—it stepped down along the trunk, snapping several branches beneath its weight.

Its vigilance was clearly extremely high; though lured by the torch, it did not approach immediately after descending, but instead circled halfway around the torch, scanning the surroundings.

A seven-meter-long behemoth paced back and forth beside them.

Even though everyone knew the distance was over a hundred meters, the fifteen men scattered among the trees surrounding the trench, as well as Xia Hong, who was closest to the trench, all felt a crushing pressure.

“Its body is so huge, yet its steps are so silent—its alertness and control over power are far beyond even a low-grade Snowmane!”

On the tree, Xia Hong’s gaze toward the Snowmane grew heavier.

Huff… huff…………

Here it comes!

Two-thirds of the torch’s burn time had passed; the Snowmane, now on the southern side, huffed twice, finally unable to resist the lure, and slowly approached.

Its massive body covered over two meters with each step.

The hundred-meter distance took less than a minute.

When it reached within three meters of the torch, it stopped again.

At that very moment, Xia Hong, perched above, saw the full form of this mid-grade Snowmane clearly.

Over seven meters long, three meters tall at the shoulder, its entire body was covered in thick, black-to-purple bristles; from its limbs and belly, powerful, knotted muscles could be seen beneath a layer of pitch-black, patterned, hardened skin.

Its head alone was nearly half a human’s size; its two crimson eyes, each the size of an adult fist, blazed with brutality and frenzy; its two lower fangs, jutting outward, stretched over two meters long, gleaming coldly like twin curved blades hung from its mouth.

The spines covering its back numbered over a hundred at a glance—each like a steel spear, coated in frost, sharply pointing skyward, chilling to behold.

Notably, unlike low-grade Snowmanes, though enormous, it perfectly controlled the force of each step, leaving few footprints in the snow.

“This isn’t a Snowmane—it’s a mountain!”

Seeing it from afar and up close were entirely different things.

For safety, Xia Hong hid twenty meters up the tree; from that height, looking down, he saw only the Snowmane’s back—and only now did he truly grasp how massive it was.

“It’s not moving forward—is it sensing someone nearby, or just being cautious?”

Watching the Snowmane stop just one or two meters from the trap, Xia Hong’s eyes flickered with urgency.

If this Snowmane didn’t step on it soon, the torch would burn out!

As his internal count neared fourteen minutes, Xia Hong could no longer wait.

Torches benefit cold beasts—lighting one to lure is the limit; lighting another isn’t baiting—it’s arming the enemy.

If the Snowmane won’t come, he’d make it come.

Xia Hong silently drew his iron-bow from his back, nocked an iron arrow, aimed at the Snowmane’s right eye, and took a deep breath.

In the Ice Abyss world, bows use iron frames, not wood—the main reason being no wood exists strong enough to withstand the power of Timber-Cutting or Earth-Digging cultivators.

Beyond that, iron bow frames differ greatly from wooden ones: when force is applied to bend the frame, iron frames produce an extremely faint sound.

With care, one can make them completely silent.

In the wild, silence is the greatest weapon.

Even cold beasts know ambush—how much more so must humans?

Xia Hong’s gaze grew deep; the bow was drawn to its limit. He released it gently.

Twang……… shhh………

As the bow bent inward, drawn slowly, it made no sound.

But when the string released and snapped back outward, the noise was loud.

Fortunately, by the time the bow frame snapped back and made its sound,

the iron arrow was already in flight.

The interval between the two was less than half a breath.

The Snowmane could not react in such a short time.

Impossible!

Pthssss………

After half a year of hunting and rigorous training at camp, Xia Hong’s archery, though still behind Zhao Long’s three brothers, was more than sufficient now—the Snowmane was less than twenty meters away, and he was shooting from above.

This shot left no doubt—it pierced straight through the Snowmane’s right eye.

Roar…………

Xia Hong had not yet rejoiced at his hit when the Snowmane’s furious roar shook his very soul.

Not just him—the trees within a two-li radius trembled.

Dozens of ice-laden branches shattered, their icicles tumbling down with sharp, brittle cracks, like countless mirrors shattering at once.

Hssss…………

“So fast!”

A gale struck his face; Xia Hong’s pupils contracted instantly. Two words flashed in his mind—he had no time to react, and leapt straight down.

Crack…………

The Snowmane hadn’t charged—it simply rammed forward. The six- to seven-meter-thick tree where Xia Hong had hidden was severed clean in half and crashed down.

Roar…………

The Snowmane, its right eyeball still impaled by the arrow, roared skyward; its two long fangs were already upon him.

Xia Hong, just leaping from the tree, had not yet touched the ground.

Cold dread flashed in his pupils; mid-air, he spun, drew his blade, twisted his back, and swung his long ceremonial saber upward with all his might.

Screech…………

The ten-forged iron ceremonial saber clashed with the Snowmane’s fang, erupting a burst of sparks; the terrifying recoil sent Xia Hong flying six to seven meters into the air.

Bad news: this Snowmane’s strength is at least three times mine—probably more.

Good news: the iron arrow likely pierced its hide!

Mid-air, though stunned by the Snowmane’s power, Xia Hong saw the cut on its fang and the arrow buried over twenty centimeters into its eye—he instantly realized iron weapons could still wound it.

Shhh…………

As Xia Hong twisted mid-air to reduce his fall, before he even landed, the other fifteen men scattered around began firing arrows at the Snowmane.

Dozens of iron arrows struck from all directions, blending into the night sky—impossible to track, only the constant hissing heard.

Pthss… pthss…………

As Xia Hong expected, the fifteen Earth-Digging hunters’ iron arrows did pierce the Snowmane’s outer skin—but only so far.

Each arrow stuck only five to six centimeters deep—less than half the depth of Xia Hong’s shot.

Not only did it not hurt the Snowmane, it didn’t even grunt.

As Xia Hong landed, barely suppressing his churning blood, still mid-motion from his roll, the Snowmane’s charging windstorm slammed into his face.

“If I’d known it was this big, I’d have brought a great axe—damn it!”

Xia Hong instinctively raised his ceremonial saber to block, twisting his body sideways to dodge—but his speed couldn’t match the Snowmane’s.

Hssss…………

The fang thrust upward; Xia Hong was flung again, blade and body together—its left fang had already pierced his right chest several centimeters.

Had he not used his saber to momentarily block and retreated to absorb some of the impact, that fang would have impaled him clean through.

Xia Hong instinctively tried to twist away.

But the Snowmane moved faster—he sidestepped and slammed another brutal thrust toward the direction Xia Hong was turning.

This time, Xia Hong couldn’t retreat to absorb the force.

Behind him stood a tree over ten meters thick.

Boom………

Crack…………

Such a massive tree couldn’t withstand the Snowmane’s force for even three breaths—it snapped clean in half, and Xia Hong flew backward with it.

Thud……

The violent impact, combined with the fang still embedded in his chest, sent a gush of reversed blood surging to his throat; Xia Hong forcibly swallowed it down. As the metallic stench rose to his brain, his inner ferocity erupted fully.

“Lost one eye, and you still dare to be so arrogant!”

Ignoring the fang still piercing his chest, Xia Hong used the fallen tree’s roots to halt his backward flight, switched his grip on the saber to his left hand alone, lowered his right hand forward, and seized the iron arrow still lodged in the Snowmane’s right eye.

Then, gritting his teeth, he gathered his strength and yanked outward during the Snowmane’s momentary forward thrust.

Hssss…………

An iron arrow is seventy centimeters long; Xia Hong’s shot had driven a third of it in. Given the Snowmane’s massive skull, the arrow hadn’t just pierced the eye—it had gone clean through.

Xia Hong’s violent yank tore out the Snowmane’s fist-sized right eyeball; crimson blood exploded outward, drenching nearly his entire front.

The instant his skin turned red, searing heat flooded his mind; his exposed flesh reddened as if the skin had been scalded off.

The Snowmane reacted in sync.

The instant its eyeball was ripped out, the once-furious beast let out a piercing wail—its fangs visibly lost power for a split second.

Xia Hong paid no mind to the burning pain on his body; seizing the Snowmane’s moment of weakness, he kicked hard against its head and swiftly pulled away.

Shhh… shhh… shhh…………

Such a golden opportunity—how could Xia Chuan, Luo Yuan, and the other fifteen miss it?

Earlier, while Xia Hong was locked in close combat with the Snowmane, they’d fired only at its cheeks, neck, or legs to avoid hitting him—but now that he’d retreated, they had no such restraint.

Three to four waves, totaling fifty to sixty iron arrows, streaked toward the Snowmane’s eyes, mouth, nostrils, and ears—all openings connected to its skull.

These weren’t ordinary iron arrows!

Fifteen Earth-Digging cultivators, wielding ten-thousand-pound iron-bows, firing specially forged arrows.

Combined with the group’s expert archery and flawless coordination.

Puff… puff…

The first arrow pierced the left ear hole of Snowmane, still trembling as it hadn’t settled yet—when another arrow immediately followed, like a pile driver, driving the first arrow deeper still;

The right eye, just torn out by Xia Hong along with the eyeball, became the primary target: of fifty to sixty arrows, at least a quarter were aimed squarely at that spot.

Compared to Snowmane’s seven-to-eight-meter-long, massive frame, these seventy-centimeter iron arrows seemed insignificant.

Yet the force they carried and the destruction they wrought far exceeded imagination.

Especially when fifteen men deliberately targeted Snowmane’s most painful spots, their destructive power became terrifying.

Roar… roar…

From the moment Xia Hong pulled out the iron arrow from its right eye, Snowmane’s roars and screams never ceased.

At first, it could still dodge or evade the incoming arrows.

But as the fifteen men kept shifting positions, the angles of the arrows grew increasingly erratic, the targets multiplied, and the attack range expanded.

Snowmane found it harder to dodge.

In just over ten breaths, thirty to forty iron arrows were embedded in Snowmane’s face; blood flowing from them had stained its entire face red, even half its tusks dyed crimson by splattered blood, making it look even more monstrous.

“Roar…”

Far away, Xia Hong had just applied Golden Wound Powder to his chest and was about to lift his head—when Snowmane opened its bloody maw and let out a deafening roar; an overwhelming sense of danger surged into his heart.

He immediately abandoned raising his head, dared not even look, and flattened himself to the ground—just as a white ice spike over ten meters long shot past his scalp.

Hss…

The white ice spike pierced straight through a large tree behind him; as Snowmane slammed its head downward, the spike sliced vertically downward, splitting the tree cleanly in two, which collapsed outward on either side.

“Its tongue is longer, more flexible, and sharper than that of a low-grade Snowmane!”

Lying on the ground, Xia Hong knew without seeing—it was Snowmane’s tongue. Realizing it was slicing toward him, he dared not roll over, instead rolled sideways along the ground.

Splash…

When the tongue struck the ground, not only was the snow torn away, but an entire deep trench was carved into the earth—and as Snowmane turned its head, the trench kept advancing straight toward Xia Hong, who had rolled aside.

That tongue was like a blade thrust from Snowmane’s mouth.

But this blade was too long, too fast, and extended and retracted at will.

More importantly…

Clang…

In the night, three or four iron arrows shot from the shadows and struck the tongue—yet, surprisingly, all of them, despite their tremendous force, bounced off without exception.

The tongue of a mid-grade Snowmane was no longer a weak point!

Xia Hong, still dodging the tongue, saw the arrows rebound and his face flashed with shock.

He had first successfully hunted low-grade Snowmane by targeting its tongue.

Now that Snowmane had evolved to mid-grade, even this sole weakness had vanished—was there still any chance of killing it?

Hss…

The sharp, straight tongue slashed through another large tree beside him.

Cold sweat beaded on Xia Hong’s forehead; he already felt regret.

Snowmane’s face still bristled with dozens of arrows; its left eye hadn’t been blinded yet, but five or six arrows surrounded it, and due to continuous attacks from Xia Chuan and others, it dared not even open it fully—blood still dripped steadily from the arrows.

Under these conditions, the hunt should have been nearly over.

But in reality, Snowmane showed no sign of weakening; its movements grew faster, its ferocity mounting.

After several failed strikes from the tongue, all evaded by Xia Hong,

Snowmane seemed enraged, shifted its hooves, and charged straight at him.

Whoosh…

As Snowmane’s massive body moved slightly, a gale erupted—snow wasn’t the only thing swept away; even nearby trees began to sway violently.

The wind force hitting Xia Hong directly was utterly terrifying.

Though his build was already robust among humans, beside Snowmane he was merely tiny—the gale, carrying frost and snow, knocked him off balance before he even moved.

“Can’t dodge!”

Those three words flashed through his mind—in an instant, Xia Hong abandoned evasion, gripped his ceremonial blade straight ahead, turned it into a spear, leaned his body right, aimed the tip at Snowmane’s blinded right eye, and with both hands thrusting, he stepped backward sharply.

Boom…

Snowmane struck true; Xia Hong’s body flew like a cannonball, hurled thirty to forty meters—its momentum smashed straight through two trees over ten meters in diameter along the way.

Crash…

The remaining force was absorbed by the ground; Xia Hong was driven over a meter deep into the earth, and the exploding snow buried him completely.

“Big brother!”

“Leader…”

“Leader!”

Whoosh… whoosh… whoosh…

In the night, over a dozen cries erupted—coming from Xia Chuan and the other fifteen men hidden among the surrounding trees.

They shouted to confirm Xia Hong’s condition while frantically accelerating their arrow fire, trying to drive back Snowmane as it kept advancing toward him.

“I’m fine—keep attacking! It’s dead!”

From beneath the snow, Xia Hong’s weakened voice reached them; their hearts instantly settled.

Roar…

The following piercing scream from Snowmane made them understand exactly what Xia Hong meant by “it’s dead.”

On Snowmane’s right cheek, there was a hilt.

Just the hilt—no trace of the blade.

It stood firmly embedded in its right face.

“Was it from that impact? The leader’s ceremonial blade drove straight in?”

“I remember, the leader’s ceremonial blade is one point seven meters long, with a one-point-five-meter blade.”

“No wonder it’s screaming so badly—the blade must’ve pierced its brain.”

“Definitely dead. This Snowmane won’t last long.”

………………

But clearly, things weren’t as simple as they seemed.

Xia Hong had barely risen to his feet when Snowmane’s tongue slashed through the snow mist, hurtling straight at him.

“Its vitality is this tenacious?!”

As Xia Hong fled southward and saw Snowmane showed no sign of fatigue, his heart sank to the bottom.

Whoosh…

The ceremonial blade was now buried in Snowmane’s head, and Xia Hong had drawn his iron-bow—but under relentless pursuit, he couldn’t maintain accuracy; he could only fire to disrupt the tongue.

“We’re getting farther from the trench—none of the animal traps have worked! This is nothing like the planned hunt!”

Snowmane kept chasing him southward, clearly trying to escape the shooting range of Xia Chuan and the fifteen others.

Though Xia Chuan and the others chased behind, their speed couldn’t match Xia Hong’s, let alone Snowmane’s—they simply couldn’t catch up.

Whoosh…

Xia Hong turned and shot another arrow, then spun around and fled again; seeing a massive tree over ten meters thick ahead, he gritted his teeth, face hardening with resolve.

Hss…

As Xia Hong reached the tree, he sharply turned his head to dodge the tongue, shoved the trunk with one hand, and pivoted his body sharply westward.

The furious Snowmane followed his turn, jerking its head sideways—its straight tongue, like a sword across the sky, slashed horizontally toward him.

Chik… Xia Hong moved swiftly, leaping over two trees in succession; Snowmane’s tongue severed both trees in turn, still chasing him relentlessly.

Suddenly, Xia Hong, who had just turned west, turned again.

This time, northward.

“Spread out! Don’t follow—I’ll lure it back to the trench!”

Xia Hong shouted; Xia Chuan, Luo Yuan, and the other fifteen men who had just arrived instantly understood, and swiftly retreated and scattered.

The two consecutive turns were in fact a complete about-face.

“Roar…”

On the first turn, Snowmane’s reaction was mild.

But this second turn—nearly brushing Snowmane’s flank—it reversed direction and charged straight back.

Xia Hong’s mocking maneuver enraged Snowmane further, already in a frenzy.

=9+ Shu _ Ba

It twisted its body to face Xia Hong, its crimson pupils contracting sharply; its extended tongue writhed and curled midair like a white serpent, instantly lashing toward the turning Xia Hong.

Xia Hong, positioned at Snowmane’s flank, turned his head and saw the tongue soften and twist—his expression showed no surprise.

A low-grade Snowmane’s tongue could already bend; a mid-grade one was even more capable.

He bent low, dodged the tongue, rose, drew his bow, and shot another arrow at Snowmane’s still-extended tongue—then immediately stood and fled northward again.

The entire sequence flowed seamlessly, flawless.

Hss…

The arrow sliced through Snowmane’s tongue—not with a clang, but with a clear, wet sound of flesh being cut.

Xia Hong, still fleeing, froze for a moment—his feet didn’t stop, but he seized the chance to glance back sharply.

On Xue Zong’s tongue, a true arrow wound appeared.

So that’s how it is!

I knew it—when it attacked with its tongue, it always moved in a straight line, relentlessly driving me in just one direction.

The mid-level Xue Zong’s tongue is most vulnerable when it bends and softens.

“Watch for the moment its tongue bends and softens—keep shooting, it’ll work!”

Upon receiving this information, Xia Hong alerted the others and immediately changed tactics, no longer fleeing straight ahead but weaving between trees in the forest.

True enough, the enraged Xue Zong had lost its reason; after smashing through several large trees without catching up, it immediately softened its long tongue and began winding after them.

Pfft…………

The others, seizing the brief moment when Xue Zong’s tongue softened, fired over a dozen iron arrows that pierced straight through the tongue’s base.

Roar…………

Though the wounded Xue Zong howled in agony, its drive to chase Xia Hong never wavered—it simply refused to soften its tongue again, keeping it rigid as before, wildly slashing at Xia Hong ahead.

Large trees along its path were severed by its tongue; snow on the ground was kicked up in swirling clouds by the Xue Zong’s terrifying momentum.

The ground where Xia Hong had fought it was now almost entirely covered in snow mist, not a single patch of clean earth left.

Crack…………

“Hssss…………”

A sharp sound of iron colliding rang out first.

Then, with a thud, Xue Zong collapsed into the snow.

Xia Hong, hearing the sound ahead, his eyes flared with triumph.

He hesitated only a moment, then stopped fleeing and swiftly turned back.

He leapt into the exact spot where Xue Zong had fallen.

“It’s fallen into the pit—tighten the rope on the southern trap, everyone pull hard, don’t let it rise!”

Xia Hong shouted; Xia Chuan and the others reacted at once, dropping their iron-bow crossbows and rushing to the southern edge of the pit, quickly finding the rope.

Earlier, while chasing northward, Xue Zong had unknowingly been lured by Xia Hong into the position of the natural trench—stepping on the southern trap and then plunging headfirst into the pit.

“Roar…… roar…………”

From its cries, its panic was clear—it had rolled over completely.

But such a divine opportunity, whether from Xia Hong or the others, would not be missed.

Xia Hong, the first to leap into the pit, stepped directly onto Xue Zong’s head, gripped the hilt of the ceremonial knife embedded in its right cheek, and yanked it out with all his strength.

Pfft…………

As the knife was pulled free, bright red blood gushed out, drenching Xia Hong in a spray.

A searing pain surged into his mind, but he paid it no mind—the wounded Xue Zong on the ground was already thrashing wildly.

Any sharp blade inserted into the body, if left undisturbed, can keep the wound contained for a while; but once pulled out, the rupture isn’t just physical—the will breaks too.

This Xue Zong on the ground was exactly in that state.

The ceremonial knife had pierced one and a half meters into its right cheek—already agony beyond endurance, barely held back by its ferocity and willpower;

But when Xia Hong yanked it out with such force, the pain multiplied many times over.

And Xia Hong didn’t just pull it out.

While Xue Zong’s initial thrashing was still limited, he gripped the knife with both hands and drove it wildly—dozens of times—into its eyes, nostrils, mouth, even its ear canals.

“Roar………… roar………… roar…………”

After those dozens of strikes, Xia Hong was instantly drenched in blood.

And Xue Zong erupted with even greater violence.

The fifteen people outside had seized the rope tied to the trap.

Worried the rope might snap, Xia Chuan had added white thread to reinforce it.

Even so, the fifteen men holding the rope couldn’t hold for three breaths.

Xue Zong twisted its body in the trench, crushing the trap on its right leg into a deformed mass, then, like a mad beast, extended its rigid tongue and began slashing wildly in all directions.

Swish…… swish………… whoosh………… whoosh…………

Its tongue slashed like a blade, whistling with each strike.

The fifteen men on the south side kept shifting positions to dodge, yet their grip on the rope never loosened.

Xia Hong on the pit’s edge also adjusted his stance, but because he was closest, he became trapped in Xue Zong’s blind spot.

Unless it softened its tongue, Xue Zong simply couldn’t reach him.

“It’s spent—throw me a length of rope. Zhao Long, you three, return to the trees and resume shooting. Everyone else, stay with me—don’t let it rise!”

Xia Chuan on the south side tossed a length of rope; Xia Hong gripped the knife in one hand, caught the rope with the other, and looped it around Xue Zong’s thrashing neck.

In the moment he looped the rope, Xue Zong’s pupils suddenly flashed with strange light—its rigid tongue instantly softened and coiled toward Xia Hong.

Pfft…………

Yet, at the very instant Xue Zong softened its tongue,

a swift blade-flash slashed down from above.

Without the slightest doubt, Xue Zong’s long tongue was severed clean.

“I was waiting for that—thought you’d hold back!”

Xia Hong, now holding the knife in one hand, drenched in blood, grinned like a demon.

The rope he’d gripped so tightly had long since been discarded.

That rope was merely bait to draw out Xue Zong’s tongue—he, being closest, would never have left himself unguarded against its strike.

“Roar…………”

With its tongue cut, Xue Zong roared uncontrollably, thrashing even more violently.

The twelve men on the south side couldn’t hold it at all—the ropes kept slipping from their hands, but they knew this was the critical moment; no matter how many times it slipped, they immediately grabbed it again, holding it for even a single second.

Swoosh………… swoosh…… swoosh……

Zhao Long and the other three on the trees, seizing the moment when Xue Zong opened its mouth, kept drawing and firing—dozens of iron arrows pierced its lips and tongue, driving straight into its throat.

“Enough—tie the ropes to the trees, everyone, retreat immediately!”

Xia Hong gave the order; Xia Chuan and the others instantly scattered, each still gripping a length of rope.

Zhao Long and the three on the trees also stopped shooting, leapt down, took a length of rope from Xia Chuan, then circled around several nearby large trees.

“Ready?”

“Ready.”

“Ready, leader!”

“I’m ready too.”

“Ready.”

………………

“Scatter!”

After confirming everyone responded, Xia Hong gave the order.

Meanwhile, the Xue Zong on the ground had gasped its way to its feet.

Its entire face, not just its eyes, was now devoid of any intact flesh.

Its skull was nearly dyed crimson; its emotions could only be discerned by its heavy, stifled breathing.

“Roar…………”

With furious rage, Xue Zong kicked off the ground and charged straight toward Xia Hong—the last source of sound.

Crack…………

But its charge no longer had its former effect.

Precisely speaking—it never even moved forward.

Dozens of ropes, interwoven with white thread, entangled its body and were also anchored to over a dozen surrounding large trees.

The moment it moved, it pulled on all those trees at once.

The trees in the inner ring had trunks measuring over ten meters in diameter.

When Xia Hong’s group pulled on these dozen or so trees they’d carefully chosen,

nearly all the surrounding large trees shifted as well.

With Xue Zong’s strength, snapping one tree was easy.

Two? No problem. Five in front? Might be tough. Ten? It would need to gather force.

Fifteen? That would be a strain.

Dozens—even hundreds.

Even if three more Xue Zong like this appeared,

none could snap them all in one go.

This Xue Zong now faced precisely that problem.

Crack……

Xue Zong strained until its limbs were fully extended, yet only the outermost trees began to crack; when it strained until its body flushed red, only three or four outer trees toppled.

Huh…… huh…………

Xue Zong ceased straining, gasped twice, surveyed the ropes around it—and for the first time, a flicker of fear appeared in its crimson pupils.

It realized its movement was bound—escape had become impossible.

Xue Zong finally, belatedly, began to fear.

It extended its long tongue and swiftly cut through the ropes, wrapping itself around them.

“Dreaming too big! Its movement is already restricted—shoot arrows now!”

After planning for so long, how could Xia Hong give it any chance?

Sixteen men scattered atop a dozen large trees surrounding Xue Zong, drawing bows and loosing arrows in a relentless barrage, with almost no pause.

The combined force of countless ropes and surrounding trees had reduced Xue Zong’s mobility to less than one-tenth; faced with these iron arrows, it could not even escape, only twisting its head to the utmost to dodge.

Puff… … … puff… … …

Constant defense must eventually fail, especially when mobility is already crippled.

Soon, Xue Zong’s head was pierced by hundreds more iron arrows.

Fortunately, Xia Hong had equipped the hunting team with fifty iron arrows each; otherwise, by the time Xue Zong died, they would have run out of arrows entirely.

Huh… … … huh… … … huh… … …

As Xue Zong’s movements grew slower, the accuracy of the iron arrows increased.

Under Xia Hong’s lead, every member of the hunting team grew more cautious than the last; no matter how slow Xue Zong moved, none dared slacken—they kept shooting without mercy.

Boom… … …

After a continuous barrage of nearly fifteen volleys, Xue Zong’s breath dwindled to the faintest whisper, finally collapsing into the pit.

After struggling for so long, it had never once escaped that natural trench.

Logically, at this point, everyone should have stopped.

Yet even so, no command from Xia Hong was needed.

Everyone still did not stop.

They kept shooting arrows into the trench at Xue Zong until the first man emptied his quiver and finally ceased.

Then came the second, the third, the fourth… … …

Even after everyone emptied their arrows, no one stepped forward.

Fifteen pairs of eyes turned toward the front, where Xia Hong, now drenched in blood, stood.

“Don’t rush—wait a moment.”

Though Xia Hong sighed inwardly with relief, he still hesitated, staring at the pit from over ten meters away, and did not order the others forward.

He had experienced Xue Zong’s cunning firsthand.

Low-rank cold beasts, limited by their strength, could never outwit him;

But this one was a mid-rank cold beast.

“Chuan, try it!”

Hearing this, Xia Chuan nodded, tugged the white thread lightly, and pulled over a fallen giant tree from the side.

The others stepped back a few paces, letting Xia Chuan alone slowly drag the tree to the edge of the pit.

Xia Chuan was clever—he didn’t yank it violently, but moved it slowly, one tug at a time, mimicking the sound of a human moving.

Since they were positioned above, every eye could fixate on Xue Zong in the pit.

At this moment, no one dared look away—they all stared intently.

As expected, the instant the tree reached the pit’s edge,

Xue Zong’s eyes snapped open!

As if experiencing a final surge of life, it violently rolled over, presenting its spiked back toward the tree, then rapidly shook its body.

Shiiii… … … shiiii… … … shiiii… … …

“Dodge! Get down—get to the ground!”

The moment Xue Zong revealed its back, Xia Hong had already guessed its move.

He shoved Luo Yuan aside and roared to the others, then leapt down from the tree.

The other fourteen, including Xia Chuan who controlled the tree, quickly followed suit.

The hundreds of white, spear-like cold spines on Xue Zong’s back tore free from its body, becoming countless javelins that shot outward in all directions.

Hundreds of cold spines sliced through the night air, gleaming with chilling radiance—beautiful as a snowstorm of pear blossoms, yet brimming with lethal intent.

Wherever they flew, trees toppled, the ground split open.

Even the air seemed severed into countless fragments.

“Roar… … …”

Boom boom boom… … …

After the furious roar came a flurry of frantic footsteps.

“It’s trying to escape—chase it now!”

Xia Hong, crouched in the snow, leapt up at once, seeing the empty trench and Xue Zong’s figure in the distance—his expression darkened instantly.

“After all this effort, if we let it run, what’s the point?”

“Leader, Zhu Shun and Zou Yuankai are wounded.”

“Qiu Peng and Ying Xuan stay to tend to them—the rest, follow me, move!”

As Xia Hong spoke, he was already sprinting forward.

Everyone understood the urgency—no words needed. The two named men stayed behind; the rest immediately followed.

ps: This is a five-chapter merge, counted as 3000 words per chapter. Today I’ve made up one chapter for Nuan Yang the Great, still owe seven—hard to catch up…

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(End of Chapter)