Chapter 165: Once and for all, victory

The iron-smelting furnace was a building in the system, and it could always be lit or extinguished according to Xia Hong's wishes.

Luo Yuan, Zhao Long, and the people who joined Great Xia later might not be clear about this.

But Xia Chuan, Yuan Cheng, Yue Feng, and the first batch of people in Great Xia all knew.

The initial version of the iron-smelting furnace was a small campfire.

The first time they dealt with the wooden puppet strange in the cave, Xia Hong summoned the campfire out of thin air in front of them.

"Big brother didn't appear earlier, could it be for now!"

Although Xia Chuan had some guesses in his heart, seeing the terrifying injuries on Xia Hong's body, he immediately knew that it wasn't entirely so.

Xia Hong had clearly been fighting with this white-clothed person for a long time.

No, it wasn't any white-clothed person.

It was Gao Yu.

Or rather, it should be He Yuanhun!

As the furnace flames rose, everyone in Great Xia, including Xia Chuan, also saw the appearance of the white-clothed person beside the furnace.

That white-clothed person was none other than Gao Yu, who had briefly stayed in the valley for a few days on the 25th of last month.

At this moment, Gao Yu's appearance hadn't changed, but there wasn't a trace of his previous composure and gentleness on his face, only ferocity and tyranny.

A black aura lingered around his body, combined with those silver-white pupils and the seven or eight long, thin knife cuts on the sides of his two eyes, his temperament was evil to the extreme.

The suppressive effect of the fire furnace on the group of Mirror Immortal camp strange monsters was very obvious.

The two hundred or so Earth-Digging Realm cultivators on the periphery reacted most violently, flowing silver-white liquid from the corners of their eyes while wailing; the four medium-level cold beasts didn't wail, just showed expressions of pain; then it was He Gang and He Meng who had broken through to the cold-resistant level. Compared to the two, He Gang, who had weaker strength, reacted more.

And the white-clothed person, that is, He Yuanhun, only had his expression twisted, and the pain on his face was far less than the others, staring fixedly at Xia Hong on the ground, his eyes full of resentment.

The stronger the strength, the less the impact.

"The eyes are their fatal points, use Fire-Condensing Oil!"

The fire furnace ignited, and the Mirror Immortal group of strange monsters showed such painful reactions. Xia Chuan naturally took advantage of the situation and made a move quickly.

He gave an order to prompt the others, leaped violently toward He Yuanhun on the third floor, and didn't forget to pull out the ceremonial sword along the way.

Xia Chuan also reacted immediately. The knife cuts around He Yuanhun's eyes should have been caused by Xia Hong when he fought him earlier.

"Everyone take bows and hold swords, use Fire-Condensing Oil, attack their eyes!"

Not to mention the group of Earth-Digging Realm cultivators, even the five hundred Woodcutting Realm cultivators in the camp, and some half-grown children, upon hearing Xia Chuan's order, all started to act immediately.

Xia Chuan, Luo Yuan, and the group of Earth-Digging Realm cultivators originally didn't leave their swords and bows, and immediately drew their bows and nocked arrows, shooting at the two hundred or so Earth-Digging Realm cultivators of the Mirror Immortal camp who were still immersed in pain.

The target, of course, was their eyes.

Whoosh... whoosh... whoosh...

Zhao Long, who had the best archery, was the first to hit someone's eyes.

That person's eyes had already flowed a large piece of silver-white liquid. After being hit by the arrow coated with Fire-Condensing Oil, the pupils instantly emitted a thick smoke, followed by flames suddenly igniting from inside the skull, and he instantly let out a scream even more painful and intense than before.

"Ah..."

The flames expanded violently. Before and after, in less than five breaths, that person's body was burned to nothing, turning into black smoke and dissipating in front of everyone's eyes.

Seeing this person swallowed by the flames brought out by the Fire-Condensing Oil, Xia Chuan, Luo Yuan, and the group of people from the Great Xia camp were instantly full of excitement.

As long as there was a way to deal with it, it was not a problem.

"Run, run quickly!"

But at this moment, He Meng and He Gang on the third floor actually rushed toward them, and shouted loudly, signaling the people on the periphery to escape.

Although controlled, they hadn't completely lost their sanity, and their combat power hadn't been completely lost.

Xia Chuan only glanced at He Meng and He Gang, and after drawing this conclusion, immediately spoke to the others: "Don't worry about them, continue to shoot and kill these strange monsters!"

Bang...

He Meng and He Gang, who were rushing toward Xia Chuan and the others, were hit and flew away by a huge pitch-black sharp horn before they could even approach.

"Roar..."

Blocking their path was an intermediate-level Lei Kui transformed from a wooden dummy.

As the iron-smelting furnace was relit, the five wooden dummies naturally recovered as well.

The other four wooden dummies had already engaged four intermediate-level cold beasts respectively.

A trace of mania appeared on He Meng's face as he watched his own men below breaking apart, and he wanted to charge down to help.

But the Lei Kui transformed from the wooden dummy gave him no chance at all; not only did it block him, but it also held back He Gang as well.

Although both had broken through to the Cold-Resisting Realm, they were still a bit outmatched when facing an intermediate-level Lei Kui that specialized in defense.

The key was that, due to the suppression from the furnace's firelight, they could not exert their full strength, but the Lei Kui transformed from the wooden dummy was different; not only was its defensive power stronger than a real Lei Kui, but it could even ignore pain.

With one side weakening while the other grew stronger, no matter how anxious the two were, they had no way out.

They could only strike at the Lei Kui while watching their own men below being continuously shot down by Xia Chuan and his group.

"Luo Yuan and the hunting team, come down with me! Everyone else, keep shooting arrows; don't let a single one escape. Kill!"

Seeing that the two hundred-plus people from the Mirror Immortal camp had already begun to scatter and flee toward the west side of the valley entrance, a ruthless look appeared on Xia Chuan's face. He drew his great blade, shouted orders to the others, and then jumped down, taking the lead.

The sixteen members of the hunting team also followed behind him, all jumping down.

The remaining forty-plus Earth-Digging Realm cultivators continued to use arrows to shoot down those who had already run far away.

…………

Meanwhile, the other one, Gao Yu, had long since been forced to the south side of the valley by Xia Hong.

As the ceremonial blade slashed horizontally toward his pupils, He Yuanhun dodged sideways, narrowly avoiding the blade's edge. Seeing the black grease smeared on the ceremonial blade, a flash of terror crossed his pupils, and his heart was filled with dread.

"He guessed it was me long ago. He didn't appear for so long just to find me. The furnace could have been extinguished earlier; he deliberately didn't extinguish it to confuse me, making me think this furnace must be lit by someone!"

Bang…………

He Yuanhun's expression was both shocked and fearful. After dodging the long blade, his chest was struck by a punch from the relentlessly pursuing Xia Hong.

That terrifying force caused his chest to collapse instantly, and he was once again smashed into the southern mountain wall like a cannonball.

One must know that this place was not far from the southern iron ore cave, and the stones within the nearby mountain body were far harder than those in other places.

Yet even so, this punch from Xia Hong still drove him seven or eight meters deep into the mountain.

Pfft…………

Spitting out a mouthful of blood, He Yuanhun looked up at the steadily approaching Xia Hong. In his eyes, besides ferocity and anger, there was even more intense terror.

Everything tonight had originally been according to his plan.

Controlling four intermediate-level cold beasts to launch this cold beast tide of four tribes, attacking the Great Xia camp to force them to extinguish the iron-smelting furnace's fire.

He knew very well that a cold beast tide of this scale alone would likely not be able to wipe out Great Xia.

But forcing the opponent to extinguish the fire was not difficult. As long as this step was achieved, he could easily crush Great Xia with his two hundred-plus subordinates.

Everything had gone smoothly. Even until half an hour ago, when he was hiding above the valley observing the situation below and was discovered by Xia Hong, he still felt that victory was within his grasp.

It wasn't until the moment Xia Hong revealed strength even greater than his own that he began to vaguely sense something was wrong, but by that time, the fire had been extinguished.

The moment the fire went out, he truly felt that he had won for sure.

Who would have known that Xia Hong would give him such an unexpected surprise.

The fire in that furnace didn't need anyone to light it at all; Xia Hong could control it at will.

"I was just about to break through to the Cold-Resisting Realm when someone came to the camp to teach me, telling me about the battle body. How could there be such a coincidence in this world?

You went to such lengths to create a cold beast tide of this scale just to make me extinguish the fire; you can be considered to have racked your brains, but it's a pity…………"

Xia Hong spoke lightly, but in reality, it was only half an hour ago, when he noticed the large-scale invasion by the people from the Mirror Immortal camp, that he thoroughly confirmed He Yuanhun was Gao Yu.

Before the cold beast tide arrived, Xia Hong had already successfully broken through and awakened.

He chose to hide behind the scenes and not show himself, just to be able to finish it once and for all, to lure out the strange entity behind the Mirror Immortal camp and eradicate it in one fell swoop.

At first, he hadn't connected these events with Gao Yu.

But half an hour ago, while searching for the strange entity around the valley, he discovered signs of a large-scale invasion by the Mirror Immortal camp's personnel.

With this, many things could be understood all at once.

This cold beast tide must have been created by that strange entity from the Mirror Immortal camp.

But according to normal logic, how could a mere Great Xia camp withstand a cold beast tide with a scale exceeding five hundred?

That strange entity had no need to bring people over at all; it only needed to wait for the cold beasts to slaughter everyone in Great Xia.

Yet it still brought people over.

The reason was simple: because that strange entity knew that this cold beast tide alone could not wipe out Great Xia, or rather, its purpose in creating this cold beast tide was not to wipe out Great Xia at all.

The strange entity from the Mirror Immortal camp was certain that the cold beast tide could not wipe out Great Xia!

This in itself was a huge suspicious point.

Before Xia Hong had broken through to the Cold-Resisting Realm, Great Xia's true reliance was actually those five wooden dummies, but this matter was extremely secret, and not everyone within the Great Xia camp was aware of it. How did that strange entity from the Mirror Immortal camp know?

Combining this with the fact that the cold beast tide was deliberately timed just before nightfall, it was clear that it was to prepare for subsequently bringing the people from the Mirror Immortal camp over.

Looking only at surface strength, the Mirror Immortal camp was far stronger than Great Xia by several times.

Yet the opponent dared not openly invade at night, and knowing that the cold beast tide could not wipe out Great Xia, they still went to such lengths; besides using the cold beast tide to force them to extinguish the fire, what other reason could there be?

In other words, the strange entity from the Mirror Immortal camp was not only wary of the iron-smelting furnace's fire, but it also knew about the wooden dummies and was also clear about the furnace's strong attraction to cold beasts.

And during this period, the only one who had come to Great Xia, had contact with the iron-smelting furnace, and might have known about the wooden dummies, was that Gao Yu who claimed to be from the Shenwu Village east of Twin Dragon Mountain.

As for the Mirror Immortal camp, the only one who hadn't shown his face so far was that great leader He Yuanhun; the strange entity that could resurrect people like He Meng and He Gang was most likely him.

Since that was the case, then Gao Yu, or rather He Yuanhun, was the strange entity behind the Mirror Immortal camp.

After confirming this point, Xia Hong still didn't rush to come out.

His target had always been the strange entity.

With the marking stone, Xia Hong could perceive through the system whenever an external life form intervened within a one-kilometer radius of the valley.

Half an hour ago, upon noticing the two hundred-plus people from the Mirror Immortal camp entering, he had already been spying from the shadows.

=9+Book_Bar

It was a pity that upon discovering these two hundred and seventy-one people were all in the Earth-Digging Realm, Xia Hong immediately realized that the strange entity was still hiding in the shadows and had not appeared.

Coincidentally at this time, Shi Ping extinguished the iron-smelting furnace's fire, and the low-level cold beasts were all attracted by the large fire outside the west side of the valley and ran out.

Only those four intermediate-level cold beasts remained unmoved.

Moreover, He Meng and He Gang also appeared at this time.

These two events made Xia Hong thoroughly certain that the strange entity must be in the vicinity of the valley.

He must have seen everything inside the valley very clearly, so as soon as the furnace fire was extinguished, he immediately notified He Gang and He Meng to bring people into the valley.

And those four intermediate-level cold beasts not only could withstand the furnace fire for so long earlier, but they could also violate common sense and not be attracted by the torches outside the valley.

In other words, the four intermediate-level cold beasts had been controlled from beginning to end.

But after confirming it was in the vicinity of the valley, Xia Hong was still at a loss.

The marking stone could clearly perceive any external life form within a one-kilometer radius of the settlement; since people like He Gang and He Meng could be detected, then this strange entity naturally could be too.

The settlement was in the valley, and a one-kilometer radius was nothing more than that small area on the outskirts of Red Wood Ridge. Xia Hong had searched almost two or three times, but had found nothing.

At his most anxious moment, he was even prepared to reveal himself directly.

He had always been paying attention to the casualties of the camp.

Everything Xia Chuan did, he saw in his eyes; the fact that the rest of the camp worked together to reach this point also far exceeded his expectations.

If too many casualties were caused just to find that strange entity, it would not be worth the loss.

Just when he was about to give up, he instinctively looked up at the top of the valley, the part where the north and south mountains intersected.

Only then did he suddenly realize that he had missed the most critical location.

The one-kilometer radius detected by the marking stone included the sky and the underground, but the intersection of the two mountains at the top of the valley was over two thousand meters high.

Sure enough, after Xia Hong quietly crept up, he discovered Gao Yu in white clothes with silver light glowing in his eyes.

The sneak attack was successful, but he also paid the price.

The wound on his left cheek, the cracks on his left arm, and the dozen or so blood holes in his chest were exchanged for knowing that the strange entity's fatal weakness was its eyes.

Or rather, the strange entity's ability was closely related to its eyes.

………………

Xia Hong's daze lasted only for an instant; Gao Yu, who had been kicked into the mountain by him, was buried by the dust and smoke shaken from the mountain.

Seeing that Gao Yu had not made a move for a long time, Xia Hong's expression grew slightly solemn, and he approached the mountain slowly while holding the ceremonial blade, just as he was about to walk into the dust and smoke.

Whoosh…………

A wisp of silver mirror light suddenly broke through the smoke and sped toward his face.

Xia Hong's expression was startled; he suddenly leaped backward and hurriedly raised his blade to block.

Ding……

The mirror light struck the ceremonial blade, emitting only a 'ding' sound.

But the next second, the ceremonial blade forged from iron ore appeared with cracks just like a shattered mirror, and it was continuously expanding and spreading.

Crack…… crack…… crack……

Three breaths later, the ceremonial blade that had fought alongside Xia Hong for a long time actually shattered with a boom, turning into debris and falling directly to the ground.

Xia Hong discarded the handle in his hand, turned his head to look at his left arm with its cracks, his expression solemn, yet carrying a trace of relief.

"The same move, a second time, won't work anymore……"

The reason he was hit the first time on the mountaintop was, after all, because he didn't understand it.

This strange entity's strength, after all, was still inferior to his.

"Big Brother, catch the blade!"

Just as Xia Hong lost his ceremonial blade, Xia Chuan by the wooden house noticed it.

With a loud shout, he threw a long blade toward him.

Xia Hong raised his hand to catch it, looked at the slender silver-white ceremonial blade in his hand, and noticing the hundred-forged patterns on the side of the blade, a look of joy suddenly appeared in his pupils.

"Leader, I have more here!"

Mu Dong also threw two things over.

Xia Hong reached out to catch them as well; it was an iron-framed bow and a quiver of iron arrows.

On the side of that iron-framed bow, there were also hundred-forged patterns, and the bowstring was transparent mixed with a touch of white. Xia Hong saw at a glance that the transparent part was intermediate-level Teng Jiao tendon, and the white part was individual thin threads; if he remembered correctly, it was obtained from the time they killed He Meng.

Even the quiver of iron arrows each had hundred-forged patterns on them!

Xia Chuan had actually led people to forge three hundred-forged weapons for him.

It was just that the tension of this bowstring……

"Big Brother, that bowstring is made of Teng Jiao tendon mixed with white silk; it can withstand a tension of one hundred thousand jin."

Hearing Xia Chuan's words, Xia Hong had no more hesitation; he directly drew the bow, nocked an arrow, and shot it at Gao Yu, who had just run out of the dust and smoke.

"Ah…………"

Gao Yu, who was speeding toward the west side of the valley to flee, was hit in the right eye by the arrow and immediately let out a miserable scream.

The tyrannical force sent his body flying more than ten meters to the left.

That wasn't all; the key was that his right eye erupted in flames.

"You've come out; if you want to run again, it won't be that simple!"

The moment Xia Hong touched the iron arrow, he knew that the arrowhead had been pre-smeared with fire-condensing oil.

After a cold laugh, he drew his blade and charged straight toward Gao Yu.

"Leader, you run first, we'll hold him off!"

It was a pity that before he could charge in front of Gao Yu.

He Gang and He Meng, who had just tried to attack the Lei Kui to save people, had already abandoned the Lei Kui, directly changed direction, and blocked in front of Xia Hong.

"Brothers, we can't let anything happen to the leader. As long as the leader doesn't die and the Mirror Immortal is still here, none of us will die!"

Not just He Gang and He Meng; it was unknown who shouted loudly, but the Earth-Digging Realm cultivators from the Mirror Immortal camp who were being chased by Xia Chuan and the others also gave up fleeing and rushed to Gao Yu's side.

"Protect the leader, brothers."

"As long as the leader doesn't die and the Mirror Immortal isn't destroyed, swear to protect the leader to the death."

"Mirror Immortal people, do not fear death."

"As long as the leader is here, we will live forever."

"Fight Great Xia to the end, kill!"

…………

Even many Earth-Digging Realm cultivators who had already escaped the valley turned back at this time.

Watching the surging crowd of Earth-Digging Realm cultivators rushing toward him in high spirits, still shouting loudly about protecting the leader, there was not a trace of emotion on Xia Hong's face, nor was there the admiration he had shown before.

In his eyes, there was only coldness and thick killing intent!

"Stubborn and unyielding; from the moment I came out of seclusion, the Mirror Immortal camp has no need to exist anymore!"

Xia Hong took a slight breath, raised the new ceremonial blade he had just obtained, and turned his head to wave lightly at Xia Chuan and the others who were rushing toward him.

"I alone am enough!"

Noticing that Gao Yu on the other side had already fled toward the west side of the valley, a dark light flashed in Xia Hong's eyes, and he ignored it.

(End of chapter)