Chapter 634: Charge!!

A typical Snow Burning Army unit would be extremely cautious when on a mission during a blizzard.

Yet for the Cyan Mountain Army, their speed was astonishing, and they hadn’t paused for even a moment.

They advanced like an unstoppable force, a perfect demonstration of anticipating the enemy’s moves. Before their foes could even react, Gao Lingwei, aided by her Snowball Cat, would command her soldiers to launch a preemptive strike.

At this pace, the squad had been running through the dense forest for less than an hour when they noticed something was wrong!

‘The deeper we go into this Snow Forest, the fewer Soul Beasts we see. Why is that?’

‘Where have all the Soul Beasts that are supposed to be hunting in this forest gone?’

As they pondered this, they heard the Frost Beauty’s shout, “It’s… it’s just ahead! That’s where we were ambushed.”

The Frost Beauty spoke suddenly, her voice filled with emotion and even a slight tremble.

The others couldn’t see it yet, but Gao Lingwei had already spotted the chaotic patch of the Snow Forest.

In the vast, swirling snow, most signs of the fight had been concealed by Shuangxue, but the area was littered with toppled trees. It was clear a bitter battle had been fought here.

As her Snow Night Shock galloped forward, the Frost Beauty said, “They… they died here. They died right here…”

Her trembling tone was heart-wrenching.

As the group entered this part of the Snow Forest with its broken trees, the Frost Beauty leaped off her horse and frantically searched for any trace of her people, for any remains that might have been left behind.

With a tight frown, Gao Lingwei rode up beside the Frost Beauty and indicated a direction. “Front right.”

The Frost Beauty paused for a second before rushing forward and to the right. There, beneath a huge, toppled tree, she spotted a frozen right foot.

The Frost Beauty immediately fell to her knees, clawing at the thick snow with her bare hands. She grabbed the corpse’s ankle and dragged it out.

“Oh, my kinsman…” the Frost Beauty murmured, her dull gray eyes becoming moist.

At these temperatures and buried under the snow, the body of the Frost Beauty clansman was frozen solid, showing no signs of decay.

This was clearly a male Frost Beauty. His eyes were wide and his face was contorted, making it look as though he’d been scared to death rather than killed, as if he had witnessed something horrifying right before he died.

And yet, a massive hole had been torn in his chest. This, clearly, was the fatal wound—a truly ghastly sight.

“Something’s off,” Han Yang said from his guard position up ahead. “It’s been a full day since the Frost Beauties met their end. This body shouldn’t still be here.”

Han Yang was right. This was beyond the Third Wall, a place where Snow Realm Soul Beasts ran rampant. A corpse was a feast for any Soul Beast. It was impossible for it to have remained here; it should have been eaten clean.

Xu Yiyu said, “When a powerful creature appears in an area and triggers intense Soul Power fluctuations, other Soul Beasts will steer clear. They don’t want to become prey, so they wouldn’t dare disturb it.”

Not far away, Yi Xin also found a body in the snow and called out, “There’s one here, too.”

As he spoke, Xie Zhi and Xie Ru each found a body as well.

Yang Chunxi said, “But if the bodies are still completely intact after a full day…”

The team members exchanged a look, a shared sense of alarm rising within them.

That’s right. If not a single Soul Beast had dared to set foot here for a full day, it meant the powerful Hunter was likely still around!

Compared to human Soul Martial Artists, beast-type Soul Beasts have far more acute senses. They would immediately flee from the aura exuded by a powerful Hunter, not daring to come anywhere near!

After all, it was a matter of life and death. Self-preservation is an instinct in all living creatures.

Gao Lingwei’s mind was clear and her thoughts were focused. She issued a command, “Maintain formation. Advance to the front right. We’ll follow the mountain. Keep an eye out for natural caves. A powerful creature isn’t going to sleep out in the open Snow Forest. A natural cave would be an ideal resting spot.”

Everyone nodded. Cheng Border and Han Yang, however, exchanged a glance. They had already reached the same conclusion, and the fact that their young commander’s thinking mirrored their own was a pleasant surprise.

‘It seems that even though Gao Lingwei hasn’t graduated, she’s already quite experienced.’

Xu Yiyu suddenly spoke up, “The Frost Beauty mentioned earlier that she had six companions, but we’ve only found four bodies.”

Gao Lingwei looked to Yang Chunxi. “Chunxi, console the Frost Beauty and find out what happened. Team, move out. We can’t linger here. The longer we delay, the higher the chance we get discovered.”

Gao Lingwei would much rather seize the initiative than be discovered.

At the side, Yang Chunxi gently but firmly helped the kneeling, weeping Frost Beauty to her feet. Speaking in Beast Language, she softly consoled her while asking about what had happened.

The squad moved quickly toward the rocky mountainside, searching for any potential natural caves.

Rong Taotao also summoned his Mengmeng Xiao, letting it perch on his shoulder to help with the search for a cave.

A moment later, Yang Chunxi spoke up. “According to the Frost Beauty, the other two missing members of her clan have likely surrendered. They are following Frost Beauty and have become her slaves.”

In her mission-focused mindset, Gao Lingwei’s voice was cold. “Is that her deduction, or just wishful thinking?”