Chapter 399: Escape from Death, Shock, Appearance, and the Ultimate Battle Body

The moment the high-grade golden-spotted tiger appeared, not only did Lord Lord Jiang Lord Lord Jiang Lord Jiang Jiang Shouping's expression turn desperate, but Xiao Heng, Liu Liu Yuan Bai, and the rest of the Does Da Xia team under their command all looked much the same.

Their strength was certainly decent, but they weren't so arrogant as to believe they could handle a high-grade golden-spotted tiger with at least fifteen manes of power.

"Aren't the hunting records of Ba Shang Town saying there are basically no high-grade cold beasts within forty kilometers? How did a high-grade golden-spotted tiger show up here?"

"Hundreds of high-grade squads came through recently and only killed seven high-grade cold beasts total—our luck is just too terrible."

"We're definitely dead now—let's split up and run!"

"That's the only option—if we split up, maybe a few of us will survive."

……………

"All of you, shut up!"

Liu Liu Yuan Bai's authority within the team was clearly far higher than Xiao Heng's.

Hearing the murmurs behind him—and even wild suggestions being thrown out—he immediately turned and barked at them to fall silent, then turned back to Xiao Heng, his face dark, and continued: "Xiao Heng, we cannot split up. Golden-spotted tigers are naturally fast—splitting up will only get us killed faster. Before I came here, I already sent someone to notify Ji Hong. Hold on a little longer—there might still be a chance to survive!"

Having learned from Xiao Jing that there were over thirty mid-grade golden-spotted tigers, Liu Liu Yuan Bai would never have recklessly led his team here—he had another survey team nearby, led by Ji Hong, and he'd already dispatched a member to seek his aid before coming.

"Ji Hong? Good—then let's hold out together for a while!"

Hearing Ji Hong's name, Xiao Heng's expression brightened slightly, and he immediately nodded, then turned to Lord Lord Jiang Lord Lord Jiang Lord Jiang Jiang Shouping beside him: "Captain Lord Lord Jiang, we must hold on for now—hold out until reinforcements arrive, and we might still live!"

Lord Lord Jiang Lord Lord Jiang Lord Jiang Jiang Shouping was already in complete disarray; hearing Xiao Heng's words, he could only nod in agreement.

"Roar…………"

As they discussed, the high-grade golden-spotted tiger drew closer and closer; when it was only twenty to thirty meters away, it let out another thunderous roar.

The tiger's roar shook the snow-laden forest—surrounding trees trembled violently, and the accumulated snow on the ground was blasted outward; the group's morale shattered again. Not only could they not resist—they could barely even grip their weapons tightly.

"How can we hold? We're done!"

Xiao Heng's expression darkened instantly—the high-grade golden-spotted tiger's power far exceeded his expectations. This was only its roar; if the tiger truly launched itself at them, their strength wouldn't last a moment.

As the high-grade golden-spotted tiger roared, its entire body swelled violently, its length surging from one meter to over thirty meters. Its thick limbs resembled four colossal pillars supporting the sky; its massive body crouched low as it growled, its blood-red pupils fixed unblinkingly on them, its long, sharp white fangs trembling slightly—as if it would pounce upon them in the next second.

"High-grade golden-spotted tigers derive their strength from the number of golden spots on their fur—this one's coat is nearly entirely golden. Its power must be…"

Lord Lord Jiang Lord Lord Jiang Lord Jiang Jiang Shouping's voice of despair rose again, but this time, before he could finish, the high-grade golden-spotted tiger's actions interrupted him.

More precisely, it was the entire tiger pack's reaction that cut him off.

The thirty-meter-long high-grade golden-spotted tiger suddenly widened its blood-red eyes; its eager hunting posture froze, then it whirled sharply to look toward the north.

Not just it—the remaining twenty-odd golden-spotted tigers all did the same. They all seemed to sense something in the north, their eyes suddenly filled with intense greed and longing.

"Fire—there's fire to the north."

"What is that?"

"It's fire—the tiger pack seems drawn to the fire?"

"Maybe it's not the fire—could there be something by the fire?"

………………

Lord Lord Jiang Lord Lord Jiang Lord Jiang Jiang Shouping, Xia Hou Hou Hou Qingqing, and the rest of Lord Lord Jiang Xia quickly spotted the fire source over a hundred meters to the north, and all let out low exclamations, their expressions a mix of joy and shock.

Of course, they weren't the only ones who noticed the fire—Xiao Heng, Liu Liu Yuan Bai, Luo An, and the rest of Does Da Xia had seen it too, but they clearly knew what the fire was, and their eyes held only delight.

"Roar…"

"Bibibibibibi…………"

The high-grade golden-spotted tiger let out a low roar and instantly transformed into a streak of golden wind, racing toward the fire source. The other twenty-odd golden-spotted tigers swiftly followed behind it, dashing southward.

A series of urgent bone whistles erupted from the east, nearly simultaneous with the tiger's roar. Hearing the whistle, Liu Liu Yuan Bai's face instantly lit up with joy.

"It's Ji Hong's team!"

"It must be them—don't waste time, run!"

Xiao Heng reacted just as swiftly—he shouted a warning to the group, then led the way himself, sprinting eastward; the others hurried after him.

Having barely escaped death, no one dared waste a second—they sprinted east for three or four miles before daring to stop, once the firelight vanished from sight.

"High-grade golden-spotted tigers? You two have balls of steel!"

Just as the fifty-plus survivors were about to rest beneath a tree, a group of people arrived from the east. Their leader was around twenty-four or twenty-five, broad-shouldered, with an air of arrogance in his brow. He strode up to the panting group and teased Xiao Heng and Liu Liu Yuan Bai: "You two."

Liu Liu Yuan Bai's team could only smirk; they turned to look at Xiao Heng, whose expression, along with Luo An's and the others', mirrored theirs—eyes shifting toward Lord Lord Jiang Xia's group.

Lord Lord Jiang Lord Lord Jiang Lord Jiang Jiang Shouping was still lost in the euphoria of survival; seeing everyone's gaze fixed on him, he stepped forward to Xiao Heng, bowing with deep gratitude: "Brother Xiao…"

He'd barely uttered "Brother Xiao" when his expression froze. Then he realized something—he carefully studied Liu Liu Yuan Bai and the newly arrived Ji Hong, his face going slack with shock, then slowly turned to the other Does Da Xia members clad in golden armor, his pupils trembling violently.

"How is this possible… so young!"

Earlier, the situation had been too dire, and since all of Does Da Xia's members wore golden armor and helmets, Lord Lord Jiang Lord Lord Jiang Lord Jiang Jiang Shouping had never clearly seen Xiao Heng, Liu Liu Yuan Bai, or the others' faces.

Now that the danger had passed and his mind relaxed, he took a closer look—and realized Xiao Heng, Liu Liu Yuan Bai, and Ji Hong were all barely in their twenties. Ji Hong, the oldest among them, looked no more than twenty-four or twenty-five.

It wasn't just the three of them—the others behind them looked even younger. Luo An, Liu Peng, Lu Dong—all clearly only sixteen or seventeen, nothing more than a group of half-grown boys.

Lord Lord Jiang Lord Lord Jiang Lord Jiang Jiang Shouping himself was forty-three. At his age, he could easily have fathered this entire group. He'd called Xiao Heng "Brother" earlier because he hadn't seen his face—but now that he saw Xiao Heng's true age, he could no longer utter that title.

He wasn't the only one who noticed—the entire Lord Lord Jiang Xia group had realized it too. Xiao Heng and the others looked absurdly young; their faces were filled with astonishment.

"Captain Lord Lord Jiang, just call me Xiao Heng."

Xiao Heng saw his confusion and smiled warmly.

It wasn't just Xiao Heng who noticed Lord Lord Jiang Xia's shifting expressions—Liu Liu Yuan Bai, Ji Hong, and the others had seen it too. They understood the reason perfectly, and each wore a hint of pride on their faces.

"Xiao Heng, young sir, and all you Does Da Xia talents—thank you for saving our lives tonight. Lord Lord Jiang will repay you in full, one day!"

Lord Lord Jiang Lord Lord Jiang Lord Jiang Jiang Shouping was now struggling to speak, clearly overwhelmed.

He counted clearly: Does Da Xia had fifty-nine people. The oldest among them was Ji Hong right before him; the rest were mostly around twenty, some barely sixteen or seventeen.

And crucially—their cultivation levels!

"Captain Lord Lord Jiang, you're too formal. When friends are in trouble, how could we turn away? Our two towns are now as close as family—speaking of repayment is too distant. If you ever encounter Does Da Xia members in trouble in the snow forest, just lend a hand."

Xiao Heng had initiated this rescue, so naturally he responded to Lord Lord Jiang Lord Lord Jiang Lord Jiang Jiang Shouping. His polished words deepened Lord Lord Jiang Lord Lord Jiang Lord Jiang Jiang Shouping's gratitude even further.

"May I ask who these two talents are…?"

"Does Da Xia, Liu Liu Yuan Bai. Pleased to meet you, Captain Lord Lord Jiang."

"Does Da Xia, Ji Hong!"

Lord Lord Jiang Lord Lord Jiang Lord Jiang Jiang Shouping paused, thinking for a moment, then ventured cautiously: "Forgive my boldness, young Xiao Heng—are you perhaps the son of Commander Xiao Xiao Kangcheng of He Yin? And you, young Liu Liu Yuan Bai—your surname matches Liu Liu Yuan Cheng, the Director of Does Da Xia's Garrison Department. Are you perhaps from the same family?"

If they were all from influential backgrounds, their extraordinary talent would be understandable.

Lord Lord Jiang Lord Lord Jiang Lord Jiang Jiang Shouping didn't notice that after his question, the Does Da Xia group had guessed his thoughts—and their expressions turned distinctly odd.

"Xiao Xiao Kangcheng is indeed my father!"

As Xiao Heng answered, Liu Liu Yuan Bai quickly shook his head: "I share the surname Liu Liu Yuan with Director Liu Liu Yuan, but we're not from the same family. Captain Lord Lord Jiang is mistaken."

Ji Hong's gaze casually swept over Luo An and the others, a faint smile appearing in his eyes. Lord Lord Jiang Lord Lord Jiang Lord Jiang Jiang Shouping clearly assumed Xiao Heng and Liu Liu Yuan Bai were high-ranking Does Da Xia scions—unaware that Luo An, Liu Peng, Lu Dong, Hong Ye, and others had backgrounds just as powerful.

"So you're from a distinguished family—no wonder. Lord Lord Jiang will personally visit your home one day with Hou Hou Qingqing and the others to thank you properly."

Hearing only Xiao Heng had a background, Lord Lord Jiang Lord Lord Jiang Lord Jiang Jiang Shouping paused, still wanting to probe further about Luo An's origins—but now wasn't the right moment.

"The golden-spotted tigers are still close by—the danger isn't over. We must return to He Yin immediately to alert the high-grade hunting squads. I see you're all injured—Captain Lord Lord Jiang, you should take your people back to Bai Song Camp as soon as possible!"

Lord Lord Jiang Xia had eighteen members; half were wounded. The youth on Xia Hou Hou Hou Qingqing's back was unconscious—clearly unfit to remain in the snow forest.

Lord Lord Jiang Lord Lord Jiang Lord Jiang Jiang Shouping understood perfectly. He nodded to Xiao Heng and the others: "Then Lord Lord Jiang takes his leave. Thank you once again, young sirs!"

"Thank you all!"

Xia Hou Hou Hou Qingqing and the rest of Lord Lord Jiang Xia bowed deeply in unison. Had it not been for Xiao Heng and the others, they would have died here tonight—their gratitude was sincere.

After bowing, Lord Lord Jiang Lord Lord Jiang Lord Jiang Jiang Shouping immediately led his group westward, toward the outer edge of the snow forest, and withdrew swiftly.

"Uncle Ping, what level was that Ji Hong? Did you see clearly?"

The eighteen walked in silence for three or four kilometers westward, only when safety was confirmed did Xia Hou Hou Hou Qingqing, still carrying her brother, finally voice her confusion to Lord Lord Jiang Lord Lord Jiang Lord Jiang Jiang Shouping.

Her base strength was already 110,000 jin; she'd been able to gauge most of the Does Da Xia group's strength during the fight.

She'd seen Xiao Heng fight—he was just over 90,000 jin. Liu Liu Yuan Bai hadn't fought, but from his physique, she could tell he was above 100,000 jin—close to her own. The others all had base strengths above 50,000 jin, all in the phase of reshaping their skin membranes.

Only Ji Hong—she couldn't read him.

"150,000—just barely short of 150,000. That Ji Hong must be deliberately holding back, trying to achieve a supreme battle body!"

Lord Lord Jiang Lord Lord Jiang Lord Jiang Jiang Shouping had held his breath for a long time; now he finally spoke.

Hearing this, Lord Lord Jiang Xia's pupils all widened in shock.

Including Xia Hou Hou Hou Qingqing.

"Supreme battle body…"

At the words, Xia Hou Hou Hou Qingqing's pupils trembled violently.

Though her base strength had surpassed 110,000 jin, she knew herself—it had reached its absolute limit. A supreme battle body was out of the question.

Lord Lord Jiang Lord Lord Jiang Lord Jiang Jiang Shouping spoke in a low tone: "Ji Hong isn't even the most astonishing. Didn't any of you notice the ages of those Does Da Xia people?"

This question instantly opened the floodgates. The team members began speaking, voices filled with astonishment:

"I noticed—they're mostly around twenty!"

"Even less—some of them, I'd guess, are no older than sixteen."

"I noticed too. Many are younger than Hou Hou Qingqing."

"Are all Does Da Xia's young people this gifted?"

"Backgrounds could explain it—but Captain Lord Lord Jiang asked: only Xiao Heng has a background. If Liu Liu Yuan Bai were related to Director Liu Liu Yuan, he wouldn't hide it. And Ji Hong? There's no Ji in Does Da Xia's high ranks—he probably has no background at all."

"Impossible! Are all Does Da Xia youths this talented?"

"Not likely—if they were, it'd be unbelievable."

"I observed them all—their expressions carried varying degrees of arrogance. Most likely have some background, but we couldn't ask in the heat of the moment."

"We've stumbled upon some kind of Does Da Xia prodigy squad."