Chapter 1018

The pot was soon placed over the campfire, and Mrs. Marx cooked the vegetables Xia De brought and sprinkled them with salt. The firelight was brighter than when Xia De arrived, and the improvement in mental state could be effectively fed back through the flames.

The vigorous firelight could illuminate the faces of everyone huddled in this small shelter, but considering that there was a terrifying snowy mountain evil spirit here, the four faces illuminated by the light seemed to be somewhat hideous.

"Can't you leave here directly?"

"You really don't know?"

Miss Chloe sipped hot tea from a cup, and her attitude toward Xia De had clearly improved a lot:

"Only by climbing to the highest peak of the Bai Yin Mountains is it possible to leave this strange area. There is no concept of time here, space is extremely chaotic, and countless ancient evil things live here."

She paused:

"The black tea is very tasteful."

When the color returned to her face, the charm belonging to a Witch was almost immediately revealed. The reddish-gold eyes stared at Xia De, and that familiar sizing-up look reminded Xia De of many people.

"Besides ancient evil things, there are countless things in this snowy mountain that mortals cannot imagine. Demons, relics, and even the snowy mountain spirits from legends that help the lost, which will mimic the appearance of humans to lend a helping hand to survivors."

As she spoke, she looked at Xia De. Xia De, who was still reaching out to warm himself by the fire, looked left and right, confirming that there were no "magical little spirits" around him. The "snowy mountain spirits" she spoke of were not elf races like Miss Ouwennode, but a strange creature similar to "spirits and monsters":

"I am a human."

Xia De emphasized.

"Yes."

Miss Chloe nodded:

"No matter what the purpose is, the three of us must climb to the highest peak of the Bai Yin Mountains. Sir, if you are really here to provide us with help, then use your wisdom to find out who among us has been possessed by the evil spirit of the snowy mountain."

The evil spirit demons originating from the Third Era are very good at hiding, and even Xia De couldn't easily find them, but fortunately, he had other ways:

"Try this."

He took out three small glass bottles, which contained No. 4 holy water made by Priest Ao Gu Si, which was very close to No. 3 holy water:

"Drink it; if you are possessed by a demon, there should be a reaction."

He handed the glass bottles to the three, and Miss Chloe shook the bottle:

"Holy water?"

Xia De didn't expect that in the early Fifth Era, Witches had already heard of holy water.

"Indeed a good idea."

The Witch drank the liquid first, and it looked like there was no reaction at all. Mrs. Marx, who was cooking vegetable soup, also drank the holy water, and there was no reaction either. Although the timid man didn't speak, he also knew that if he didn't do this, he would definitely be thrown out directly. But after he drank the liquid, he also remained normal.

The strong wind howled between the mountains, the snow fell heavier and heavier, and the four people in the firelight sized up the others in this small space. The shadows of the four were reflected on the canvas and branches, which made the shadows look incomparably terrifying.

In the jumping firelight, Xia De also drank the holy water to prove he was fine. He regretted that 【Night Watcher】 and 【Demon Hunting Seal】 could not be brought here; even if the demon were good at hiding, it would have nowhere to hide in front of these two relics.

"Lady, do you have any good ideas?"

Xia De, who felt the cold rising again, asked Miss Chloe again. The young Witch shook her head slightly:

"If I had a good idea, we would have solved the problem before you appeared."

After finishing, she hesitated for a moment:

"However, since you just mentioned that deity of winter, perhaps we can rely on the power of that great one to identify the demon."

"You want to hold a god-summoning ritual?"

Xia De asked in a low voice, and Miss Chloe shook her head immediately:

"Do you think too highly of me? Although I am a believer of that deity, I am only at the eleventh tier, and look, do I have any decent ritual materials around me?"

She wriggled forward to get closer to the campfire. Xia De didn't know how long this Witch had survived in this snowy mountain; her hair was messy, her lips were slightly pale, and that miserable look was something Xia De had never seen on other Witches.

"You seem to be thinking about something very rude."

The Witch looked at the vegetable soup that was emitting fragrance:

"We cannot hold a god-summoning ritual, but we can call for the deity's gaze. This Bai Yin Mountain range is very special. In this environment, only a few great ones will respond to the calls of mortals. And the deity of winter, the 'Winter Maiden,' is the deity most easily attracted by us at the moment."

She instructed Mrs. Marx to serve her a bowl of hot soup:

"The ritual requires a large amount of spirit. I cannot hold the ritual, but fortunately, there is you. Under the gaze of that deity, the demon will have nowhere to hide."

"How exactly should the ritual be held?"

Xia De asked immediately. The howling wind suddenly became louder at this moment, and the terrifying "woo-woo" sound made all four people subconsciously tighten their bodies. The wind blowing in from the drafty gap of the "shelter" made the campfire sway, and in the trembling firelight, the expressions of the four faces were all different.

"Crystal snow as a sacrifice."

The Witch said softly, her golden eyes looking at the others in this small space:

"Fervent blood as a guide."

The wind that kept howling across the snowy mountains made her voice even deeper.

"Flawless ice as an altar."

The campfire that was continuing to heat the vegetable soup suddenly became dim, and the light around it weakened rapidly. Before the darkness truly descended, Xia De heard the last sentence:

"A mortal's wish is the most sincere call."

【Be careful.】

The whispers in his ears and the danger perceived by his instinct prompted Xia De to subconsciously twist his body. Something like a bullet carried huge kinetic energy and grazed Xia De's cheek. And just as Xia De lit the silver light on his fingertips, the firelight relit, and the three people besides Xia De all fell down.

The Witch clutched her chest, half-squinting her eyes and leaning against the large rock; the bowl of soup was knocked to the ground, and a scarlet bloodstain spilled from the corner of her mouth. Mrs. Marx, who had been cooking the vegetable soup, lay directly on the ground, eyes closed, life or death unknown. The timid man was clutching his eyes and moaning in a low voice, blood flowing from under his hands along his cheeks toward his chin.

This at least showed he wasn't mute.

Everyone was injured, and only Xia De was unscathed. He turned to look for the trace of the bullet-like object that had just pierced the rag behind him, but unexpectedly found that the piece of linen was intact.

The relit campfire illuminated the four people with different expressions, and four strange black shadows swayed in the wind and snow.

"I think, Miss Chloe, you shouldn't suspect me, right?"

Xia De said softly in the wind, and Miss Chloe shook her head slightly, then coughed loudly. Blood fell onto the shallow snow layer on the ground, blooming like red plum blossoms:

"It wants us to distrust each other. Although this method is effective, it is too low-level; I won't be fooled."

"Then I will go prepare the ritual."

As he spoke, he was about to act, but Miss Chloe shook her head miserably:

"Where would I know the ritual to summon a god? I am only a shallow believer, not a priest of the deity. The Zha La Si Society requires that formal members who have passed the assessment period must not be clergy. I just wanted to let it make a move so that it would reveal its flaws. It's a pity, it was really too fast; I didn't discover anything."

"I didn't discover anything either."

Xia De immediately expressed "honestly":

"Yes, it was really too fast."

While a chuckle came to his ears, silver moonlight drew across his fingertips.

The brilliant moonlight slashed toward Mrs. Marx lying on the ground, but a second before the moonlight hit the target, rolling black smoke flew out from the facial features of the middle-aged woman, blocking Xia De's casual strike like a round shield.

Miss Chloe moved toward Xia De almost immediately, and the timid young man curled into a ball, as if hoping he could turn into an ant.

Mrs. Marx, who sat up straight, opened her eyes, and scarlet light flickered in her pupils. The power of the snowy mountain evil spirit influenced everything around it, and the warm fire-red flames turned toward black.

The strong wind finally overturned the "shelter" behind the large rock at this moment. As the branches and cloth were swept by the strong wind toward the thick, dark sky, the mortals were completely exposed to the snowy mountains of this blizzard.

In just a few seconds, the ground that was still relatively dry was completely covered by snow, and the temperature and sense of security in the small shelter were all gone.

"Moonlight Greatsword!"

The black mist drifting out from the middle-aged woman's facial features turned into wriggling tentacles and swept toward the three normal people. Xia De's hand grabbed the silver-white greatsword in the wind and snow, and in Miss Chloe's slightly shocked eyes, he slashed open the dense group of tentacles made of black mist:

"Why didn't the snowy mountain freeze your spirit? And why is your spellcasting speed so fast?"

At this time, the black mist, which seemed to be the demon's main body, completely left Mrs. Marx's body, spun around, and then pounced toward Xia De's face. He rolled in the snow to avoid the black mist, and while getting up, his left hand slashed out moonlight:

"Bai Yin Moon Slash."

Above the vast snowy mountains, the silver moonlight disappeared into the wind and snow, and the black mist was forced to bypass Xia De, who was climbing up from the snow.

It didn't attack the Witch, nor did it care about the timid man. It circled above Xia De's head, and both Xia De and Miss Chloe could hear the wild laughter coming faintly in the wind.

"Miss Chloe, don't get close, I have a way to deal with it!"

Xia De said loudly, climbing up from the snow and standing straight.

His soul connected with the elements, the elements absorbed the spirituality, and the spirituality influenced reality. The steam whistle sounded, the bell rang, and a thick steam mist that could melt a large layer of snow behind him appeared.

The shadow of the huge life ring kept approaching from the depths of the steam mist until the life ring radiating four-colored spirit light appeared behind Xia De. The huge brass ring rotated slowly, even bringing temperature to the wind.

Like sunlight, the spirit light shone in all directions, and the slightly glowing snow surface reflected the light, actually making Xia De stand in the light. Even though the crude shelter had been destroyed, looking at the scene before her, the short Witch felt an inexplicable sense of security for some reason. The power frozen in her body seemed to be melting in this light, and the arrival of this strange man made the snowy mountain even stranger.