Chapter 35: Final Victory, Sudden Turn

「Ah…………」

Xu Ning’s piercing scream echoed through the cave.

Xia Hong and the others turned quickly—and their spines turned cold.

His axe never came down.

Not only did it not come down, his right eye seemed plucked out by some unseen force, leaving only a hollow socket, blood streaming profusely across his face—horrifying to behold.

「Hold him off, I’ll go save him!」

Though his heart trembled, Xia Hong acted instantly—he ordered the others, gritted his teeth, seized the cold beast’s mane, and leapt onto its back.

Without hesitation, he lifted Xu Ning and hurled him downward; Xia Chuan and the others rushed forward to catch him.

「Chief, don’t look at the eye on its back—I closed my left eye and was fine, but something inside seemed to leap out and pluck out my eyeball.」

Though he’d lost his right eye, Xu Ning remained conscious.

Before descending, he shouted out a warning.

Xia Hong took a deep breath, shifted his body along the direction of the beast’s thrashing, refusing to look down—only extending his hand to feel along its back.

Soon, he found the spot where the golden eye lay.

「Spread out and pin its limbs—just for an instant, quickly!」

Hearing this, Xia Chuan and the others who had carried Xu Ning to the rear glanced at the beast; though their blood ran cold, they immediately dropped their stone axes and charged forward barehanded.

Stone axes couldn’t pierce the beast’s defense—they were useless, and holding them only hindered their strength.

Lin Kai and Qiu Peng rushed to the beast’s rear and gripped its right hind leg together.

Yue Feng and Lu Yang gripped its left hind leg.

Yuan Cheng and Xia Chuan moved to the front, one on each side, gripping the two forelegs.

Roar…………

This division was reasonable, but against the beast’s strength, the six men clearly weren’t enough.

The beast thrashed wildly, dragging the six across the ground like a runaway beast; the cave was small, barely tens of meters long, and Xia Chuan, Yuan Cheng, and the others were slammed into walls multiple times.

All six spat blood—either crushed under the beast’s feet or injured by the impact against the walls.

Yet not one let go; they clung to the beast’s limbs, teeth clenched, all to give Xia Hong that single instant.

Xia Hong hadn’t moved—not because he didn’t want to, but because the beast’s turmoil was too terrifying.

Compared to the six below gripping its limbs, the beast clearly sensed Xia Hong on its back as the greater threat—so every time it slammed into a wall, it deliberately used its back and tail.

Xia Hong was struck multiple times too, but his left hand never released the mane, keeping him from falling, while his right hand remained fixed on the spot where he’d felt the eye.

「Don’t let go—hold on a little longer, it’s almost out of strength.」

Xia Hong shouted to the others, his face twisting into a grimace.

「I don’t believe this damned beast has endless strength!」

Seven of them held firm against the beast for over half a minute—no matter how many times they were trampled or slammed, not one released their grip.

Finally, after another collision with the wall, the beast suddenly paused.

Huh…………

It was breathing.

Now.

Xia Hong’s pupils contracted—he retracted his right hand, drew from his waist a short dagger no more than five inches long, and plunged it straight into the eye spot he’d memorized from his earlier touch.

Plop

「Let go—get back!」

Knowing he’d struck true, Xia Hong shouted for Xia Chuan and the others to retreat.

The six men clinging desperately to the beast’s limbs instantly released their grip and scrambled backward.

Roar…………

As the beast let out a horrific, agonized scream, a warm flow enveloped Xia Hong’s hand; beneath him, the beast began thrashing even more violently.

Now, Xia Hong was no longer afraid—he sat atop the beast’s back, staring at its golden eye.

The dagger had driven in too hard—not only the blade, but his entire hand had sunk inside.

That warm flow was the sensation of his palm submerged in blood after the eye was pierced.

With the golden eye on its back pierced, the beast wasn’t merely in pain—Xia Hong, riding atop it, felt it most directly.

At first, when the eye was pierced, the beast erupted with even greater force than before—but as time passed, its movements grew distorted, slowed, and its strength dwindled steadily.

Even so, Xia Hong dared not slacken—he remained mounted, gripping its mane tightly.

Until finally, the golden eye on its back ceased bleeding, its limbs stumbled, then collapsed with a thunderous crash.

Only then did Xia Hong truly exhale.

He could feel, through direct contact, that the beast’s life had been utterly extinguished.

As he released his grip, a crushing wave of exhaustion surged through him.

「Dead?」

「Really dead?」

「Dead—come here, all of you!」

Xia Hong’s answer shattered the tension in Xia Chuan, Yuan Cheng, and the others.

Realizing it was finally over, every face broke into smiles.

「Hahahaha, we kept avoiding it all this time—never thought it’d come right to us.」

「That was close—if not for the chief, we might not have made it.」

「I was holding its hind leg—I thought I’d be crushed dozens of times. If I hadn’t seen you all holding on, I might’ve given up.」

「Hahahaha, same here.」

Combat binds hearts most tightly—especially a battle of life and death.

Though everyone bore wounds, some severe, their gazes toward one another now carried something new.

Listening to the others’ relief-filled banter, Xia Hong felt his own spirit lighten.

But one man was still critically wounded—he didn’t know how Xu Ning was faring.

「Where’s Xu Ning? How is Xu Ning?」

At the question, everyone turned quickly toward the back of the cave.

「Chief, I’m fine—first, seal the cave entrance. Many adults’ faces are already blue with frost, and some children are barely holding on.」

Though he’d lost his right eye, Xu Ning remained fully conscious—and even as he answered Xia Hong, he reminded them to seal the cave mouth.

Xia Hong turned to look at the crowd and saw that every adult and child had faces turned blue with cold—he rose immediately and led others to seal the entrance and light a fire.

The battle had lasted less than ten minutes total.

Yet in those ten minutes, the ordinary people in camp had already reached their limit.

In truth, not only them—the moment Xia Hong stepped out of the fight, he too felt the cold surge through him.

Daylight really was this terrifying.

Xia Hong ordered the most injured, including Xia Chuan, to rest first, while he led others to move supplies and seal the cave entrance. Xu Ning lay on the ground, so those who came to help were all other adults in camp.

「Chief, you’re injured—rest first. We’ll handle this.」

As Xia Hong carried wood, he heard someone’s concern, turned, and smiled faintly: 「I’m fine—barely hurt. Hurry—seal the entrance, then light the fire. We can’t keep freezing.」

Hearing this, everyone’s faces softened with emotion.

「Chief, this is our job—leave it to us, don’t worry!」

The middle-aged man who had urged Xia Hong to rest stepped forward two paces, his expression moved, reaching to help carry the wood.

Xia Hong’s eyes flickered—he accepted without refusal, instantly handing over the wood.

But as the man stepped directly before Xia Hong—

Sudden transformation.

He suddenly thrust his right fist toward Xia Hong’s skull with violent force.

This sudden act sent everyone into panic.

(End of Chapter)