Chapter 596 - 275: The Mysterious Giant Bird and Cola’s Tagalong

Actually, when the first moo penetrated the wind wall, everyone almost thought it was a hallucination.

Until the giant white shadow shattered the snow curtain—a herd of Cold-Biting Ox formed a wedge formation and came treading through the snow, their long snowy fur forming ice armor, their solid bodies connected together like a slowly moving wall.

They stood steadfast in the blizzard, seemingly accustomed to the harsh weather conditions all too familiar to them.

The wind and snow could not hinder their advance, instead, they were blocked outside by the indestructible wall.

As the Cold-Biting Ox drew closer, the tall, thin boy who had yet to reveal his name exclaimed in surprise, "Aren’t these the damned... no, the unlucky Cold-Biting Ox from earlier?"

"What are they here for?"

No one answered his question; everyone watched quietly as the Cold-Biting Ox approached, the snowy figures coming into view, simultaneously keeping the storm outside.

"Moo~"

When the leader of the Cold-Biting Ox stopped, so did the rest of them, remaining silent.

The leader looked around but did not see Cola, so it gave Chen Yuan a puzzled look: "Moo?"

Chen Yuan smiled slightly, "It went ahead to find shelter from the storm, it will be back soon."

The leader of the Cold-Biting Ox nodded slightly, then lowered its head, its slender tail swaying from side to side.

"What are they trying to do?" The tall, thin boy asked, utterly puzzled.

As an experienced Forest Ranger, Chen Yuan recognized the intentions of the Cold-Biting Ox as soon as he saw them, a smile spreading across his face, "They’re here to thank us."

After a pause, Chen Yuan looked ahead at the snowy expanse, "Let’s go, keep moving."

"Hey, hey, hey, what’s happening here?" The tall, thin boy remained puzzled, but when he saw Chen Yuan and the others stepping out of the recessed rock wall, his body moved forward involuntarily to face the snowy torrent outside.

"Moo~"

Accompanied by a roar from the leader, the Cold-Biting Ox reformed into a wedge formation, sheltering everyone and the little ones among them.

Upon looking, the leader proudly led the way, facing the massive white torrent head-on, forging ahead against the fierce wind.

Yet, the blizzard could do nothing to it, split by its enormous horns and solid physique, sweeping outward on both sides.

While the rest of the Cold-Biting Ox withstood the pressure of the storm, they stood strong against the white torrent, forging a moving barrier with their bodies, snowflakes exploding into fine silver light upon their fur, progressing as if marching to the beat of the storm.

Cold-Biting Ox naturally dwell in icy snowfields and have long been accustomed to such climates.

With the Cold-Biting Ox protecting them, the impact on everyone was greatly reduced, the gales became breezes, snow turned into flurries, making it much easier to tread onward.

"So they came to help us."

Seeing this scene, the tall, thin boy finally understood, muttering, "These fellows are quite kind-hearted."

Chen Yuan chuckled softly, "Cold-Biting Ox as Pet Beasts are born like this, they have gentle temperaments and repay goodwill."

After a pause, he added, "Of course, there are some Cold-Biting Ox with not-so-ideal behavior."

Pet Beasts typically have pure dispositions; treat them well, and they will treat you well.

Chen Yuan and his team helped a stranded Cold-Biting Ox, so of course, these Cold-Biting Ox are not going to stand by when they are in trouble.

With the Cold-Biting Ox’s protection, most of the storm was kept at bay, and their pace gradually increased.

Yet, the furious storm showed no sign of ceasing, with howling winds and snow completely shrouding Pudaxue Mountain.

The tall, thin boy was right; today’s mountaineers were fortunate.

"If this storm continues, no one will succeed in reaching the summit today." Observing the scene ahead, Li Junyue spoke in a solemn tone.

"What’s the usual summit rate?" Jiang Wenning asked curiously.

Li Junyue had already researched the detailed information and replied without hesitation, "For Beastmasters, the summit rate is seventy percent."

"That high." Jiang Wenning expressed slight wonder.

Li Junyue remained indifferent, continuing, "But once you encounter the storm, the summit rate drops to zero."

After speaking, he murmured, puzzled, "According to previous patterns, this storm shouldn’t occur so soon."

Chen Yuan smiled slightly, "Nature’s unpredictability is beyond anyone’s grasp."

Li Junyue nodded in agreement, while bringing up another topic: "By the way, it’s said when this windstorm occurs, many Wind-type Spirit Plants are blown here."

"Spirit Plants like Wind Language Grass are very common."

"Therefore, some Beastmasters with Wind-type Pet Beasts come to Pudaxue Mountain specifically during a storm, not for climbing but for seeking Wind-type Spirit Plants."

Hearing this, Chen Yuan’s eyes lit up.

The storm, coupled with Wind-type Spirit Plants, could it be that Cola’s time for ascension has come early?

But he quickly regained composure, for having Wind-type Spirit Plants doesn’t necessarily mean there’ll be a Hurricane Core, an extremely rare level four Spirit Plant, unlikely to be found.

Nonetheless, a faint hope arose within Chen Yuan.

"Hey, don’t you guys know?" Said the tall, thin boy, furrowing his brow and questioning, "This storm has been appearing more frequently lately, supposedly due to the continuous progression of Spiritual Energy Revival, causing rarer and rarer natural phenomena to become more frequent."

"Maybe soon, Pudaxue Mountain will see storms every day."