Chapter 137

The moment the torch ignited, that massive creature a hundred meters away did not leap down from the tree, but instead snapped several branches and walked down along the main trunk of the large tree.

Its vigilance was clearly extremely high. Although it was lured by the torch, after getting down from the tree, it did not walk over immediately, but instead circled the torch for half a lap.

A massive creature over seven meters long was walking back and forth nearby.

Even knowing they were separated by over a hundred meters, the fifteen people scattered in the trees around the trench, as well as Xia Hong who was closest to the trench, felt a sense of oppression in their hearts.

"It's clearly so large, yet its movements are so quiet. Its level of vigilance and control over its strength are more than a grade higher than the low-level Snow Manes!"

Xia Hong, in the tree, had a look of growing solemnity in his eyes as he stared at the Snow Mane.

Pant... pant...

It's coming!

Two-thirds of the torch's burning time had passed when the Snow Mane, having circled to the south side, snorted twice and finally could not resist the temptation, slowly leaning toward this side.

Its massive build allowed it to cover over two meters in a single step.

The distance of over a hundred meters took less than a minute.

Walking to within less than three meters of the torch, it stopped again.

It was at this moment that the full appearance of this intermediate Snow Mane was seen clearly by Xia Hong in the tree.

With a body length of over seven meters and a shoulder height of about three meters, it was covered in a layer of thick, purple-black mane. From its lower limbs and abdomen, one could see that its powerful, knotted muscles were covered by a layer of pitch-black, patterned, solid skin.

Its head alone was almost half the size of a person. Its two crimson eyes, the size of adult fists, were filled with brutality and mania. The two tusks protruding from its lower lip were over two meters long, gleaming with cold light, looking exactly like two scimitars hanging from its mouth.

The barbs covering its back numbered over a hundred at a rough glance, each one like a steel spear, covered in a layer of frost, pointing sharply and pointedly toward the sky, looking incredibly sinister.

It is worth mentioning that, unlike low-level Snow Manes, although its build was huge, it could control its stepping force very well while walking, leaving few footprints on the snow.

"This isn't a Snow Mane; it's clearly a mountain!"

Looking from afar and looking up close were two completely different things.

For the sake of safety, Xia Hong was hiding in a position over twenty meters high in the tree. From such a high position, looking down, he saw the Snow Mane's back. Only at this moment did he truly realize how large this Snow Mane was.

"It's not moving forward. Has it sensed someone nearby, or is it just being cautious?"

Watching the Snow Mane stand still when it was only a meter or two away from the trap in front, a look of urgency appeared in Xia Hong's eyes.

If this Snow Mane doesn't step on it, the torch's burning time will be up soon!

When the time he mentally calculated reached nearly fourteen minutes, Xia Hong could no longer hold back.

Torches are beneficial to cold beasts; lighting one to lure them is the limit. Lighting another one wouldn't be luring them; it would be aiding the enemy.

If the Snow Mane won't step on it, he has to find a way to make it do so.

Xia Hong silently took the iron-frame bow from his back, gently nocked an iron arrow, aimed at the Snow Mane's right eye below, and took a deep breath.

In the Frozen Abyss World, the reason bow frames are made of iron rather than wood is that they cannot find wood capable of withstanding the strength of the Woodcutting Realm, let alone the Earth-Digging Realm.

Besides that, there is another major difference between cast-iron bow frames and wooden ones: when the user applies force to deform the bow frame, the sound made by the cast-iron frame is extremely subtle.

If one is careful enough, it can be made completely silent.

In wilderness hunting, silence is the greatest weapon.

Even cold beasts know how to ambush; it goes without saying for humans.

Xia Hong's gaze was profound; the bow frame had been pulled to its limit, and he released it lightly.

Beng... xiu...

When the bow frame bent inward, because he applied force slowly, it was silent.

But when the bowstring was released and it snapped back outward, the sound was very loud.

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

the iron arrow had already flown out.

The interval between the two was not even half a breath.

That Snow Mane wanted to react in such a short time?

Impossible!

Pushii...

After hunting for over half a year and practicing hard in the camp, although Xia Hong's archery still had a gap compared to the three Zhao brothers, the Snow Mane was less than twenty meters away from him at this moment, and he was in a superior position looking down.

This arrow had no suspense; it directly shot and exploded the Snow Mane's right eye.

Hou...

Xia Hong, having succeeded in one strike, didn't even have time to be happy before he was shaken to the core by the Snow Mane's subsequent roar.

Not only him, but the trees within a radius of two miles were all trembling.

The icicles formed on the branches of dozens of large trees all fell to the ground with a rustling sound, emitting a series of crisp noises, like countless mirrors falling and shattering at the same time.

Hu...

"So fast!"

A gale rushed toward his face. Xia Hong's pupils contracted sharply, and two words popped into his mind. Without any time to react, he leaped down.

Kacha...

The Snow Mane didn't even charge; it was just a simple ramming motion. The large tree with a diameter of six or seven meters where he had been hiding was directly snapped in half and collapsed with a boom.

Hou...

The Snow Mane, with the arrow still stuck in its right eyeball, roared toward the sky, and its two sharp, long tusks arrived in front of him the next moment.

And at this moment, Xia Hong had just jumped down from the tree, his body not even having touched the ground.

A chill appeared in his pupils. He turned in mid-air, drew his blade, flipped his body, and fiercely raised the long ceremonial blade in his hand.

Ceng...

The ten-forged iron ceremonial blade collided with the Snow Mane's tusks, creating a large burst of sparks. The terrifying counter-shock force directly sent Xia Hong's body flying six or seven meters high into the sky.

Bad news: the strength of this Snow Mane is at least three times mine, if not more.

Good news: the iron arrow should be able to break its defense!

Xia Hong, in mid-air, although shocked by the Snow Mane's terrifying strength, looked back at the blade mark on the Snow Mane's tusk and the arrow inserted twenty centimeters into its eyeball, immediately realizing that iron weapons could still cause it some damage.

Xiu...

Xia Hong kept leaping in mid-air to reduce the feeling of weightlessness. Before he even landed, the other fifteen people scattered around also began shooting arrows at the Snow Mane one after another.

Over a dozen arrows attacked from all directions. The iron arrows blended completely into the night sky, making it difficult to distinguish their direction; one could only hear the constant whistling sounds.

Pushii... pushii...

Just as Xia Hong expected, the iron arrows shot by the fifteen Earth-Digging Realm hunters did indeed break the Snow Mane's outer skin, but that was as far as it went.

Those arrows clearly only inserted five or six centimeters, not even half of Xia Hong's previous arrow.

Let alone injuring it, the Snow Mane didn't even grunt.

And Xia Hong, who had landed, had just suppressed the surging blood in his body. Before he could even finish his flipping motion, the air wave brought by the violent Snow Mane's charge had already rushed toward his face.

"If I had known this Snow Mane was so large, I would have brought the great axe. Terrible!"

Xia Hong subconsciously raised his ceremonial blade to block, his body dodging rapidly to the side, but his speed was simply no match for the Snow Mane.

Chi...

With the tusks thrusting upward, Xia Hong was once again sent flying, blade and all. The Snow Mane's left tusk had even inserted a few centimeters into his right chest.

If he hadn't used the ceremonial blade in his hand to block temporarily and retreated actively to dissipate part of the Snow Mane's impact, this tusk would likely have pierced his body through.

Xia Hong subconsciously wanted to pull away and turn.

But the Snow Mane's movements were faster than his, and it directly turned its side toward the direction he was trying to turn, delivering another terrifying, fierce thrust.

This time, Xia Hong had no chance to dissipate the force and retreat.

Because behind him was a large tree with a diameter of over ten meters.

Peng...

Ka...

Such a thick large tree, under the Snow Mane's strength, couldn't even withstand three breaths before being snapped in half. Xia Hong also flew backward along with the large tree.

Gulp...

With the violent impact and the Snow Mane's tusk still stuck in his chest, a mouthful of blood surged up his throat. Xia Hong forcibly swallowed it down. As the bloody scent surged into his brain, the ferocity in his heart was completely ignited.

"You lost an eye, yet you dare to be so arrogant!"

No longer caring that his chest was still pierced by the tusk, Xia Hong used the roots of the collapsed tree to forcibly stabilize his body. He switched the ceremonial blade from two hands to a single-handed grip with his left, lowered his right hand forward, and grabbed the iron arrow still stuck in the Snow Mane's right eye.

Then, gritting his teeth and gathering his strength, he took advantage of the gap while the Snow Mane was still thrusting forward and pulled it out fiercely!

Chi...

An iron arrow is seventy centimeters long in total. Xia Hong's previous arrow had shot in a full third of the way. Considering the Snow Mane's massive head, even if this arrow hadn't reached the brain, it had certainly pierced the entire eyeball.

Xia Hong's fierce tug directly pulled out the Snow Mane's fist-sized right eyeball. Crimson blood exploded instantly, almost dyeing his entire front red.

The moment his body was dyed red, a violent burning sensation surged into his brain. The skin exposed on Xia Hong's body turned red directly, looking as if a layer of skin had been scalded off.

And reacting in sync with him was the Snow Mane.

The moment the eyeball was forcibly pulled out, the previously violent Snow Mane let out a wail, and its tusks clearly showed a moment of exhaustion.

Xia Hong had no time to worry about the burning pain on his body. Taking advantage of the Snow Mane's moment of exhaustion, he kicked its head fiercely with both legs and then quickly pulled away to escape.

Sou... sou... sou...

How could Xia Chuan, Luo Yuan, and the other fifteen people miss such a god-given opportunity?

Just now, Xia Hong and the Snow Mane were entangled head-on, and for fear of accidental injury, everyone could only shoot arrows at the Snow Mane's cheeks, neck, or even its lower limbs. Now that Xia Hong had withdrawn, everyone naturally had no more scruples.

One after another, three or four waves, totaling fifty or sixty iron arrows, continuously sped toward the Snow Mane's eyes, mouth, nostrils, ears, and other seven orifices connected to the inside of its skull.

These were no ordinary iron arrows!

Fifteen Earth-Digging Realm cultivators, ten-thousand-jin iron-frame bows, and specially made iron arrows.

Combined with everyone's superb archery and exquisite coordination.

Pushii... pushii...

The first arrow shot into the Snow Mane's left ear canal; before it was even firmly stuck and while it was still trembling, another arrow immediately followed, like pile driving, nailing the previous arrow further in.

The right eye, which had just been pulled out along with the eyeball by Xia Hong, was the target of everyone's focus. Of the fifty or sixty arrows, at least a quarter were shot toward that position.

Compared to the Snow Mane's seven or eight-meter-long, massive build, these seventy-centimeter iron arrows looked insignificant, of course.

But the strength they carried and the destructiveness they possessed far exceeded imagination.

Especially with fifteen people specifically picking the Snow Mane's painful spots to attack, the destructive power was even more terrifying.

Hou... hou...

From the moment Xia Hong pulled the iron arrow out of its right eye, the Snow Mane's roars and screams never stopped.

At first, it could still dodge the incoming iron arrows.

But as the fifteen people constantly changed positions, the angles of the iron arrows became increasingly tricky, and the targets of their attacks became more numerous, with the range also growing larger.

It became difficult for the Snow Mane to dodge anymore.

After only ten breaths, the Snow Mane's face was stuck with thirty or forty iron arrows. The blood flowing along the iron arrows had almost dyed its entire face red, and even half of its tusks were stained crimson by the splashing blood, making it look even more ferocious.

"Hou..."

Xia Hong, in the distance, had already applied the golden sore powder to his chest during this time. Just as he was about to lift his head, accompanied by the Snow Mane opening its bloody mouth and letting out a wild roar, a great sense of crisis suddenly surged into his heart.

He directly gave up on lifting his head, not even daring to look, and pressed his body to the ground. A white ice cone over ten meters long flew past, almost grazing his scalp.

Chi...

The white ice cone directly pierced through a large tree behind him. As the Snow Mane fiercely lowered its head, the ice cone also cut straight downward, and the large tree was actually sliced in half, splitting into two and collapsing in opposite directions.

"Its tongue is longer, more flexible, and sharper than a low-level Snow Mane's!"

Xia Hong, lying on the ground, knew without looking that it was the Snow Mane's long tongue. Realizing the long tongue was sweeping toward him, he didn't even dare to flip over, rolling directly toward the flank on the ground.

Rustle...

As the long tongue landed, let alone the snow on the ground, the entire ground was carved with a deep gully, and as the Snow Mane turned its head, it was still pressing straight toward Xia Hong, who had rolled to the side.

That long tongue was like a sharp sword spat out from the Snow Mane's mouth.

It was just that this sword was too long, too fast, and could extend and retract at will.

More importantly...

Keng...

In the night, three or four iron arrows shot straight from the shadows into the long tongue. Unexpectedly, these iron arrows, carrying immense force, were all deflected after hitting the long tongue.

The intermediate Snow Mane's tongue was no longer a weak point!

Xia Hong, who was still constantly dodging the Snow Mane's long tongue, saw the iron arrows being deflected, and a look of horror flashed across his face.

The first time he successfully hunted a low-level Snow Mane, he relied on attacking its tongue.

After the Snow Mane evolved to the intermediate level, this only weak point, the tongue, had actually disappeared. In that case, was there still a possibility of a successful hunt?

Chi...

The sharp, straight long tongue once again sliced through a large tree beside him.

Cold sweat beaded on Xia Hong's forehead, and he already felt some regret in his heart.

The Snow Mane's face was still stuck with dozens of arrows. Although its left eye hadn't been blinded yet, five or six arrows were already stuck around it. Because Xia Chuan and the others were still attacking constantly, it didn't even dare to open its eyes, and the blood on the iron arrows continued to drip down.

Under such circumstances, one would say that a successful hunt was not far off.

But in reality, the Snow Mane's vitality showed no signs of fading; instead, its movements were getting faster, and its ferocity was constantly rising.

As the long tongue's several attacks were all dodged by Xia Hong,

the Snow Mane seemed somewhat annoyed, moved its hooves, and actually charged fiercely toward him.

Hu...

As the Snow Mane's massive build moved slightly, a gale rose from the ground. Let alone the snow, even the large trees on the side began to sway.

Xia Hong, who was facing it directly, felt a wind force that was terrifying to the extreme.

His physique was already considered quite burly among humans, but compared to this Snow Mane, it could only be described as tiny. The gale swept the frost and snow toward him; before he could even move, his body was already being blown off balance.

"Can't dodge it!"

These three words flashed through his mind. In a flash of lightning, Xia Hong directly gave up dodging, pointed his ceremonial blade straight forward, changed the blade into a spear, tilted his body to the right, aimed the tip at the Snow Mane's already blinded right eye, exerted force with both hands, and then retreated fiercely for a few steps.

Hong...

The Snow Mane hit its target squarely. Xia Hong's body was like a cannonball, sent flying thirty or forty meters away. The impact force carried by its body smashed through two large trees with diameters of over ten meters along the way.

Peng...

The remaining force was all absorbed by the ground. Xia Hong was smashed over a meter deep into the ground, and the snow that exploded along the way directly buried him.

"Big brother!"

"Leader..."

"Leader!"

Sou... sou... sou...

Under the night sky, over a dozen exclamations suddenly rang out. These exclamations naturally came from Xia Chuan and the other fifteen people hiding in the surrounding trees.

While calling out to confirm Xia Hong's condition, they accelerated their archery frantically, trying to force back the Snow Mane that was continuously approaching Xia Hong.

"I'm fine, continue the attack, it's a goner!"

From under the snow, Xia Hong's slightly weak voice came, and the fifteen hanging hearts immediately settled.

Hou...

The Snow Mane's subsequent shrill scream also made them understand what Xia Hong meant when he said it was a goner.

On the Snow Mane's right face, there was actually a blade handle.

A pure blade handle, not a bit of the blade body could be seen.

It was stuck firmly on its right face just like that.

"Was it that impact just now? Did the leader's ceremonial blade insert directly?"

"I remember the leader's ceremonial blade is 1.7 meters long in total, with a 1.5-meter blade body."

"No wonder it's screaming so miserably; the leader's blade must have inserted into its brain."

"It's definitely a goner; this Snow Mane shouldn't be able to last much longer."

But things were clearly not as simple as everyone said.

Xia Hong, who had flipped himself up, hadn't even opened up any distance when the Snow Mane's long tongue broke through the snow mist and flew straight toward him.

"Its vitality is actually this tenacious!"

Xia Hong, who was constantly fleeing south, saw that the Snow Mane's movements still showed no signs of wilting, and his heart sank to the bottom.

Sou...

At this time, the ceremonial blade was already inserted into the Snow Mane's head, and Xia Hong also used the iron-frame bow in his hand. But in the state of being relentlessly pursued by the Snow Mane, he couldn't maintain his accuracy at all, only seeking to interfere with the Snow Mane's tongue by shooting arrows.

"We're getting further and further away from the trench, and the animal traps haven't played any role at all. This is already getting further and further away from the expected hunting process!"

The Snow Mane kept chasing him south, clearly also harboring the thought of getting out of the shooting range of Xia Chuan and the other fifteen people.

Although Xia Chuan and the others were also in hot pursuit from behind, their speed was not even as good as Xia Hong's, let alone the Snow Mane's. They simply couldn't catch up.

Sou...

Xia Hong turned his head again to shoot an arrow, then quickly turned around and continued to flee. Estimating that a large tree over ten meters thick appeared directly in front of him, he gritted his teeth, a look of determination appearing on his face.

Chi...

As soon as Xia Hong reached the bottom of that large tree, he tilted his head fiercely, dodging the long tongue while reaching out to push the trunk, his body turning toward the west side.

The violent Snow Mane also turned its head fiercely along with him. That straight long tongue, like a long sword across the sky, slashed toward him horizontally.

Cha... Xia Hong's speed was extremely fast. After turning, he leaped over two large trees in succession, and the Snow Mane's long tongue also slashed through these two large trees in succession, still pursuing him relentlessly.

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

But this time, it was toward the north.

"Scatter, don't chase! I'll lead it back to the trench!"

Xia Hong shouted loudly. Xia Chuan, Luo Yuan, and the other fifteen people who had just arrived in the rear immediately understood his meaning and all quickly retreated and scattered.

Two consecutive turns were actually one complete U-turn.

"Hou..."

During the first turn, the Snow Mane's reaction wasn't very big.

But this second turn was almost grazing the Snow Mane's flank, running back again.

This behavior of Xia Hong, similar to teasing, made the Snow Mane, which was already in a state of rage, even more manic.

=9+Shu_ba

It twisted its body to look at Xia Hong, its crimson pupils contracting sharply. The long tongue extending outward twisted and writhed in mid-air, like a long white snake, instantly attacking Xia Hong, who was turning around.

Xia Hong, who was on the Snow Mane's flank, looked back and saw the Snow Mane's softened, writhing long tongue, but there was no look of surprise on his face.

A low-level Snow Mane's tongue could turn, let alone an intermediate one.

He lowered his head and stooped to dodge the long tongue, stood up, drew his bow, nocked an arrow, shot another arrow at the long tongue that the Snow Mane hadn't retracted yet, and after shooting, immediately stood up and continued to flee north.

The whole set of actions was done in one go, smooth and flowing.

Chi...

The arrow grazed the Snow Mane's long tongue. This time, it didn't make a "ceng" sound, but a very clear sound of slicing through flesh and blood.

Xia Hong, who was fleeing, was stunned. Although he didn't dare to stop his feet, he seized the gap and looked back fiercely.

On the Snow Mane's tongue, there really was an arrow mark.

So that's it!

I was wondering why it always attacked straight and kept chasing me in one direction when it used its tongue.

An intermediate Snow Mane's tongue is at its most vulnerable when it turns and softens.

"Watch for the timing when its tongue turns and softens. Keep shooting, it's useful!"

Receiving this information, Xia Hong prompted the others and immediately changed his strategy, no longer fleeing straight, but using the trees in the forest to weave left and right as he fled.

Sure enough, the enraged Snow Mane had lost its reason. After crashing into several large trees along the way and still failing to catch up, it immediately softened its long tongue and began writhing in pursuit.

Pushii...

The others, having received Xia Hong's prompt, seized the gap when the Snow Mane's long tongue softened, and over a dozen iron arrows instantly pierced the root of the tongue.

Hou...

The Snow Mane, in pain, wailed endlessly, but its drive to chase Xia Hong forward didn't slacken at all. It just didn't dare to soften its tongue again this time, instead keeping it taut, just like before, frantically slashing at Xia Hong in front.

Large trees along the way were slashed in half by the long tongue; the snow on the ground was sent flying into the sky by the Snow Mane's terrifying impact force.

The places where Xia Hong had fought it were almost all covered in snow mist, and there wasn't a single clean patch of ground left.

Ka...

"Chi..."

A sound of violent collision between iron blocks rang out first.

Then the Snow Mane fell into the snow with a thud.

Xia Hong, who was fleeing in front, heard the sound, and a burst of joy erupted in his eyes.

He hesitated for only a moment before stopping his flight and quickly turning back.

He leaped into the position where the Snow Mane had just fallen.

"It fell into the trap! Tighten the rope of the animal trap on the south side. Everyone, pull hard, don't let it get up!"

Xia Hong shouted. Xia Chuan and the others reacted, immediately putting down their iron-frame bows, and all rushed to the south side of the trap, quickly finding the rope on the ground.

It turned out that the Snow Mane, which had been chasing north all the way, had unknowingly been led by Xia Hong to the location of the previous natural trench. Not only did it step on the animal trap on the south side, but its body also took a nosedive into the trap.

"Hou... hou..."

With its body turned upside down, the Snow Mane's panic could be heard from its cries.

It's a pity that such a god-given opportunity would not be missed by Xia Hong or anyone else.

Xia Hong, the first to jump into the trap, stepped directly onto the Snow Mane's head, grabbed the handle of the ceremonial blade stuck in its right face, and pulled it out fiercely.

Pushii...

As the ceremonial blade was pulled out, crimson blood splashed out violently. Xia Hong, who bore the brunt, was naturally splashed all over.

A strong burning sensation surged into his brain, but Xia Hong had no intention of worrying about it, because the Snow Mane on the ground, in pain, had already begun to flip and struggle frantically.

Any sharp weapon, once inserted into the body, as long as it doesn't move, the wound can hold on for a while; but once it is pulled out, what collapses is not just the wound, but also the will.

The Snow Mane on the ground was in this state right now.

That ceremonial blade had been inserted 1.5 meters into its right face, which was already excruciatingly painful. Relying on its ferocity and will, it had finally managed to forcibly suppress it;

but being pulled out so fiercely by Xia Hong, the pain instantly multiplied several times over.

Moreover, Xia Hong didn't just pull it out.

Taking advantage of the fact that the Snow Mane's initial struggle wasn't too great, he gripped the ceremonial blade with both hands and frantically stabbed it dozens of times into its eyes, nostrils, mouth, and even its ear canals.

"Hou... hou... hou..."

After these dozens of stabs, Xia Hong instantly became a bloody person.

And the Snow Mane erupted with even greater movements than before.

The fifteen people on the periphery had already grabbed the rope on that animal trap.

Worried that the rope would break, Xia Chuan added white thread to it.

But even so, the fifteen people pulling the rope didn't last more than three breaths.

The Snow Mane's body twisted directly in the trench, crushing the animal trap on its right leg out of shape, and then, as if possessed, extended its straight, long tongue and began slashing indiscriminately at its surroundings.

Hua... hua... hu... hu...

The long tongue slashed like a sharp sword, the blade whistling endlessly.

The fifteen people on the south side constantly changed their positions. While dodging, the ropes in their hands didn't loosen in the slightest.

Xia Hong, who was on the trap, was also adjusting his position, but because he was the closest, he was actually stuck in the Snow Mane's blind spot.

Unless the Snow Mane softened its tongue, it couldn't attack him at all.

"It's at the end of its rope. Throw a section of the rope to me. Zhao Long, you three continue to go to the trees to supplement your shooting. The rest of you, continue with me; don't let it get up."

Xia Chuan on the south side threw over a section of rope. Xia Hong gripped the blade with one hand, took the rope with the other, and looped it around the neck of the struggling Snow Mane.

During the gap of looping the rope, the out-of-control Snow Mane's pupils suddenly flashed with a strange light, and its straight long tongue instantly softened and coiled toward Xia Hong.

Pushii...

However, just at the moment the Snow Mane softened its tongue,

a fast blade light slashed directly from mid-air.

With almost no suspense, the Snow Mane's long tongue was directly severed.

"I was just waiting for this move of yours; I thought you could hold back!"

Xia Hong, holding the blade with one hand and covered in blood, laughed like a fierce ghost.

He had long since thrown aside the rope he had been gripping tightly.

That rope was just bait to lure the Snow Mane into attacking. Being the closest, how could he not guard against the Snow Mane's long tongue?

"Hou..."

With its tongue severed, the Snow Mane roared wildly, and its struggle became even more violent.

Xia Chuan and the other twelve people on the south side simply couldn't pull it; the rope kept slipping from their hands. Fortunately, everyone knew that the critical moment had arrived, so no matter how many times it slipped, they immediately picked it up again, limiting it for one second at a time.

Sou... sou... sou...

Zhao Long and the other two in the trees, taking advantage of the gap while the Snow Mane opened its mouth, continuously drew their bows and shot arrows, one after another, piercing the Snow Mane's lips and tongue and reaching its throat.

"That's enough. Hook the ropes to the trees. Everyone, get away immediately!"

At Xia Hong's order, Xia Chuan and the others, who were pulling the ropes, immediately scattered in different directions, but each person held a section of rope in their hands.

Zhao Long and the other two in the trees also stopped shooting. After leaping down, they took a section of rope from Xia Chuan's hand and then circled around several nearby large trees.

"Is it ready?"

"Ready."

"Ready, leader!"

"I'm ready here too."

"Ready."

"Scatter!"

Confirming that everyone had answered, Xia Hong gave the order.

At this time, the Snow Mane on the ground had also stood up, panting.

Let alone its eyes, there wasn't a single piece of good flesh left on the Snow Mane's entire face.

Its head was almost dyed the color of blood, and even its emotions could only be distinguished by its heavy, suppressed panting.

"Hou..."

The Snow Mane roared in anger, kicked the ground with its four limbs, and charged fiercely toward the position of Xia Hong, who had made the last sound.

Ka...

However, its charge did not work as it had before.

To be precise, it didn't charge out at all.

Countless ropes mixed with white thread were not only entangled on its body but also hooked and connected horizontally and vertically to over a dozen large trees in the surroundings.

As soon as it moved, it pulled those dozen or so large trees simultaneously.

The trees in this inner perimeter were easily over ten meters in diameter.

Once the dozen or so large trees carefully selected by Xia Hong and the others were pulled,

almost all the large trees in the surrounding area moved along with them.

With the Snow Mane's strength, snapping one large tree was naturally easy.

Two trees in a row wouldn't be a big problem; five trees blocking the way might be a bit strenuous; if ten trees were together, it would probably need to gather its strength.

A dozen or so, that would be a bit of pressure.

Dozens, or even hundreds of trees.

Then let alone one Snow Mane, even if three more of these came,

it would be impossible to snap them in one breath.

This Snow Mane was facing this problem right now.

Kacha...

The Snow Mane exerted so much force that its four limbs were already taut, but the outermost trees had only just begun to break; by the time it exerted enough force to make its body turn red, only three or four of the outermost trees had collapsed.

Hu... hu...

The Snow Mane stopped exerting force and panted twice. Looking around at the ropes, a trace of fear finally appeared in its crimson pupils.

Realizing that its movements were restricted and even escaping had become a luxury,

the Snow Mane finally, belatedly, began to feel afraid.

It extended its long tongue and began to quickly cut the ropes entangled around it.

"Thinking quite beautifully! Its movements are already restricted; hurry up and attack with bows and arrows!"

Xia Hong, who had planned for so long and finally succeeded, how could he give it a chance?

Sixteen people scattered in the dozen or so large trees around the Snow Mane, drawing bows and nocking arrows, shooting frantically, with almost no gaps in between.

The countless ropes and the strength of the surrounding trees meant that the Snow Mane's mobility was less than one-tenth of what it had been. Facing these iron arrows, it couldn't even escape, and could only dodge by tilting its head to the maximum extent.

Pushii... pushii...

Constant defense leads to mistakes, not to mention that its mobility was already restricted.

Soon, the Snow Mane's head was stuck with another hundred iron arrows.

Fortunately, Xia Hong had equipped the hunting team members with fifty iron arrows each; otherwise, at this rate of usage, they would have run out of arrows before the Snow Mane died.

Hu... hu... hu...

As the Snow Mane's movements became slower and slower, the hit rate of the iron arrows became higher and higher.

Under Xia Hong's leadership, the hunting team members were more cautious than the next. No matter how slowly the Snow Mane moved, they didn't have the slightest carelessness, just ruthlessly continuing to shoot arrows.

Peng...

After everyone shot in succession, almost ten rounds, the Snow Mane's breath was weak to the extreme, and it finally couldn't hold on, its massive body collapsing directly into the trap.

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

One would say that at this point, everyone should stop.

However, even so, and without needing Xia Hong's order,

everyone still didn't stop.

They continued to shoot arrows at the Snow Mane in the trench until the first person emptied the arrow quiver on their back, and only then did they stop.

Then came the second, the third, the fourth...

Until everyone had emptied the arrows in their hands, and still, no one stepped forward.

Fifteen pairs of eyes were cast toward Xia Hong, who had become a bloody person at the front.

"Don't be in a hurry, wait a moment."

Although Xia Hong felt relieved in his heart, looking at the trap from over ten meters away, there was still some hesitation in his eyes, and he didn't let everyone step forward.

He had learned the Snow Mane's cunning nature.

Low-level cold beasts, due to their strength limitations, were useless no matter how cunning they were in front of him;

but the one in front of him was an intermediate cold beast.

"Chuan, try it!"

Xia Chuan nodded upon hearing this, pulled the white thread lightly, and dragged over a broken large tree from the side.

The others took a few steps back, letting Xia Chuan alone slowly drag the large tree to the edge of the trap.

Xia Chuan was very smart; he didn't drag it over with big, sweeping movements, but slowed down, pulling it bit by bit to create movements that sounded like those made by a person.

Because they were in a superior position, everyone's gaze could just happen to be fixed on the Snow Mane in the trap.

At this moment, naturally, no one dared to let their minds wander; everyone was staring at it fixedly.

Sure enough, the moment the large tree reached the edge of the trap,

the Snow Mane's eyes opened suddenly!

As if in a flash of returning light, it flipped over fiercely, aimed the spikes on its back at the large tree on the edge of the trap, and then shook its body rapidly.

Xiu... xiu... xiu...

"Dodge, hurry up and dodge, get to the ground!"

The moment the Snow Mane revealed its back, Xia Hong had already guessed it.

He pushed Luo Yuan beside him, shouted at the crowd, and jumped off the large tree directly.

The other fourteen people, including Xia Chuan who was controlling the large tree, also jumped off the large tree just like him.

The over a hundred white cold spikes on the Snow Mane's back, which were like steel spears, actually detached from its body, shooting toward all directions like javelins.

Over a hundred cold spikes cut through the night sky, bringing out cold light, beautiful like a pear blossom rain, yet filled with infinite murderous intent.

Wherever they passed, large trees collapsed and the ground was broken open.

Even the air seemed to have been cut into countless pieces.

"Hou..."

Peng peng peng...

After the roar of rage came a burst of chaotic and hurried footsteps.

"It wants to run, hurry up and chase!"

Xia Hong, hiding in the snow on the ground, stood up fiercely. Seeing the empty trench and the Snow Mane's figure not far away, his expression turned gloomy.

"After all this effort, if I let you run, that would be terrible!"

"Leader, Zhu Shun and Zou Yuankai are injured."

"Qiu Peng, Ying Xuan, stay behind to take care of them. The rest of you, follow me and chase, hurry!"

As Xia Hong spoke, he had already chased out.

Everyone knew the situation was urgent and didn't need to communicate. The two named people stayed behind, and the rest immediately followed.

PS: A five-in-one big chapter, counted as a 3000-word chapter. Today counts as making up one chapter for the big boss Nuanyang, still owing seven chapters. It's so difficult to pay them back...

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(End of chapter)