lcionline Chapter 416: Night Raid in the Snow
Chapter 416: Night Raid in the Snow
The scorching sun gradually sets in the west, dyeing the snow-capped peaks of the holy mountain golden red.
Hu Qing and his group walked on the thick snow and struggled forward on the steep ridge.
They had been climbing for a whole day and had only walked less than one-tenth of the distance.
"At this rate, it will take at least ten days to reach the summit."
Gu Yang wiped the sweat from his forehead, and the white breath he exhaled condensed into frost in the air.
Hu Qing looked up at the towering mountain peak and squinted his eyes: "At least the weather is good."
Indeed, the journey was surprisingly smooth.
There was not a cloud in the blue sky, and the dazzling sunlight shone on the snow, reflecting a dazzling light.
There was no sudden snowstorm, no strange hail—
It was as if the mountain had suddenly put away all its malice.
As the afterglow of the setting sun gradually faded, they settled in a naturally formed ice crack.
Hu Qing skillfully lit a bonfire, while Gu Yang took out the remaining bear meat and roasted it over the fire.
The grease dripped into the fire, making a sizzling sound, and the aroma quickly dispelled the chill.
"We'll take turns keeping watch tonight." Hu Qing poked the fire with a branch. "Xiao Zi and I will watch the first half of the night, and the second half will be yours."
Gu Yang nodded in understanding, the lesson from last time was still fresh in his mind - it was too dangerous for only one person to keep watch in a place like the Holy Mountain.
Although nothing happened at the time, it did serve as a reminder to them.
He finished his portion of barbecue in a few bites, wiped his hands with the snow, wrapped his cloak tightly around him, and leaned against the ice wall.
"Then I'll go to sleep first. Call me in the middle of the night."
Night soon enveloped the entire snow-capped mountain.
The temperature dropped suddenly, and the white air exhaled froze almost instantly.
Fortunately, they had taken ice dew flowers in advance, and the medicinal power circulating in their bodies resisted the biting cold.
With the warmth of the campfire, it wasn't that hard to endure.
The night was dark, and the only sound in the cracks of the ice was the occasional crackling of the campfire.
Gu Yang sat cross-legged, with faint fluctuations of spiritual energy lingering around him, and his breathing was long and steady.
The rat man was lying in the corner with his arms and legs spread out, snoring loudly, with a suspicious trace of saliva hanging from the corner of his mouth.
Xiao Zi moved away in disgust, his purple tail slapping the ground impatiently, trying to stay as far away from the noisy guy as possible.
Hu Qing leaned against the ice wall, his fingertips gently stroking the "Jiuxiao Jinghong Sword" in his arms.
The moonlight refracted through the ice wall, casting mottled light and shadows on the pages.
He has already mastered the first move "Pointing the Star" to perfection, and can send and receive sword power at will.
Now, his eyes were focused on the diagram of the second move, "Dividing the Sea".
"The Sea-Splitting Style emphasizes the use of a single sword to slice through the waves..."
Hu Qing silently recited the incantation in his mind, and his left hand unconsciously formed the fingers of a sword, slowly drawing a mysterious trajectory in the air.
Although there was no physical sword in his hand, the spiritual power still condensed into a faint halo at his fingertips.
"Snapped!"
A subtle spiritual power suddenly hit the tip of Xiao Zi's nose.
The little dragon who was dozing off suddenly woke up and made an unhappy "wooo".
Hu Qing didn't even raise his head, but said calmly: "Keep watch, it's not time for you to sleep yet."
Xiao Zi shook his tail in grievance and had to force himself to be cheerful.
It was bored and scratching the snow with its claws, ice chips flying everywhere, and suddenly the tip of its tail began to draw cleverly on the ground -
It turned out to be a crooked portrait of a rat man, with an exaggerated snot bubble drawn on his nose.
The night wind blew through the cracks in the ice, making a whimpering sound.
Hu Qing suddenly stopped and looked into the darkness in the distance thoughtfully.
For some reason, he always felt that there was an undercurrent beneath the tranquility tonight.
His fingers unconsciously touched his waist - the place where the sword should be was empty.
"It seems I have to find a suitable weapon as soon as possible..." He muttered to himself, his eyes returning to the sword manual.
This time, the spiritual power gathered at his fingertips was more condensed, and the trajectory it passed through the air faintly brought up a slight sound of breaking through the air.
The coldness grew stronger in the second half of the night. Thick dark clouds swallowed up the moonlight, and the entire snowfield fell into darkness.
Only the bonfire in the center of the camp was still burning tenaciously, with sparks crackling from time to time, drawing fleeting traces of light in the darkness.
Gu Yang slowly exhaled a breath of foul air, and the golden light circulating around his body gradually absorbed into his body.
He opened his eyes and kicked the still snoring Rat Man with a light, not heavy kick: "Stop sleeping, it's time for a shift change."
"Squeak!" The rat man jumped up with a start, rubbing his buttocks sleepily.
He took over the task of keeping watch in a daze, huddled by the campfire with his knees hugged, his head nodding, obviously not fully awake yet.
Xiao Zi was as if pardoned. She happily turned around on the ground and dug a perfect arc-shaped pit with her claws.
It curled up comfortably, with its tail covering its nose, and in the blink of an eye, it began to purr softly.
Hu Qing put the jade slip of "Jiuxiao Jinghong Sword" back into the storage ring, and the ice-blue ring surface flashed a faint light in the firelight.
He was about to sit down in the corner to meditate when his nose suddenly twitched.
A strange fragrance wafted in the air.
The fragrance was so clear and distinct, like cedar mixed with morning dew, with a hint of the lingering aroma of incense. Hu Qing's pupils widened slightly. This scent was clearly...
"Ah--"
Gu Yang suddenly yawned loudly, his eyelids drooping uncontrollably. "Strange, why am I so sleepy all of a sudden..."
The rat man had already fallen to the side, his clothes soaked with saliva.
Even Xiao Zi, who was always alert, had his snoring become long and steady, and it was obvious that he had fallen into a deep sleep.
Gu Yang's hairs suddenly stood on end. The moment the cold fragrance entered his nose, he immediately recognized this familiar breath.
It's exactly the same smell as the giant footprints found before!
He bit the tip of his tongue without hesitation. The sharp pain and the strong smell of blood exploded in his mouth, and his chaotic consciousness suddenly became clearer.
"Enemy attack!"
Gu Yang’s roar was like a thunderclap. Hu Qing suddenly opened his eyes wide, and the spiritual power in his body surged instantly.
Xiao Zi woke up from his sleep, all his purple scales exploded, and a low roar came from his throat.
The rat man was so frightened that he jumped up, his claws tightly grabbing the hair on his chest, his heart almost jumping out of his throat.
Several people stood back to back in a defensive formation, their eyes scanning the surroundings like lightning.
However, there was nothing around the camp except for the slowly falling snow. Only the crackling of the burning campfire was particularly piercing in the dead silence.
Gu Yang stared at a certain spot on the snowfield, his nostrils twitching slightly.
He winked at Hu Qing and pointed his finger obscurely to the northeast.
That strange fragrance was clearly coming from that direction!
Hu Qing understood and made seals with his hands in front of his chest.
In an instant, hundreds of sharp sword energies burst out from his body, sweeping out like a blizzard.
Wherever the sword energy passed, the snow was cut away layer by layer, revealing the dark permafrost underneath.
The sharp sword force advanced like a whirlwind, but when it touched an inconspicuous snow hill——
"clang!"
The sound of metal clashing suddenly rang out, and dazzling sparks burst out from the surface of the snow hill!
Under the horrified gaze of the crowd, the seemingly ordinary snow hill slowly rose up.
The snow slid down, revealing a huge body underneath - a giant creature that was four meters tall stood upright, its entire body covered with long silver-white hair.
When it stood fully upright, the moonlight just penetrated the clouds, illuminating its amber vertical pupils, which glowed with a captivating cold light in the night.
Hu Qing's spiritual consciousness spread out like a tide, and the moment it touched the snow monster, his tense shoulders relaxed slightly.
"Late Nascent Soul stage..." He lowered his voice and said, "Don't act rashly. Let's see what they are going to do."
Before he finished speaking, there was a strange vibration from the ground.
I saw three huge snow hills rising on the snow field behind the snow monster.
The snow slid down, reflecting a cold blue light under the moon.
With the sound of ice crackling, three equally huge figures emerged from the snow - they were three more snow monsters!
Four snow monsters in the late Yuanying stage were arranged in a fan shape, their silvery-white hair swaying slightly in the night breeze, and their heavy breathing condensed into white frost in the air.
The most creepy thing is that the way these snow monsters stand is not like that of wild beasts at all. Instead, they stand upright like humans, with their front limbs hanging naturally, and their brown eyes flashing with a light that is almost intelligent.
The rat man was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground, his teeth chattering: "Four... four late Nascent Soul stage..."
Hu Qing and Gu Yang had strange expressions on their faces. How dare four late Nascent Soul cultivators launch a night attack?