Chapter 635: Charge!!

Yang Chunxi’s heart was heavy. Looking at the sorrowful Frost Beauty beside her, it was obvious this was more of the Frost Beauty’s wishful thinking; she preferred to believe her people weren’t dead, but were living on in a different state.

Being a slave was better than being dead, after all. At least slaves could be rescued.

“MEOW~” The Snowball Cat suddenly cried out. Gao Lingwei immediately focused on the vision provided by the Snowball Cat. Then, she pressed a hand to her ear and, keeping her voice low, spoke to the others through her Invisible Headphones. “One hundred and fifty meters ahead, entrance to a natural cave!”

The team tensed up in an instant.

They waited for Gao Lingwei to give the order to engage, but after the team had crept forward another ten-odd meters, what she said was rather interesting: “The cave’s empty, but there are signs someone stayed here.”

After adjusting its angle, the Snowball Cat got a clear view of the cave’s interior. The layout of the natural cave wasn’t complex; you could even say it was all visible at a glance.

The cave wasn’t large inside. And were those beast hide rugs spread on the ground?

With Gao Lingwei on high alert, the group finally entered the cave. Rong Taotao also saw the “large bed” spread out on the floor.

‘Damn, talk about luxurious…’

There must have been over a dozen Snowflake Wolf Hides here. The skinning technique was exceptionally skillful; none of the wolves’ heads had been severed. Their skulls were still attached to their pelts, and they looked peaceful in death, arranged in a row facing the mouth of the cave.

Li Lie knelt, marveling at the skinner’s exquisite craftsmanship. “This must have been done by a person,” he said. “Or at least a Humanoid Soul Beast.”

“First of all, the skinner had to know how to use tools. Second, they had to be dexterous and highly experienced.”

This bed of Snowflake Wolf Hides was practically seamless, with no trace of stitching. It would be no exaggeration to call it a work of art.

Gao Lingwei stood guard at the entrance. “All signs point to Xiao Ziru and the Frost Beauty,” she said. “The question is whether they’ll be back.”

Kneeling on the ground, Rong Taotao pinched the fur. “They have to come back, don’t they? Would they really abandon a bedroll this nice? I think they must have gone out hunting.”

“Not necessarily.” Si Huan Nian stood beside Rong Taotao. “Let’s assume this was a stopping point for the Frost Beauty and Xiao Ziru. Given the nature of her species, she wouldn’t care about a few hides.”

“In the Land of Chaos beyond the Third Wall, everything is a resource to a Frost Beauty. If she wants something, she can have it anytime. Besides, she has Xiao Ziru with her.”

As she spoke, Si Huan Nian bent down and tapped Rong Taotao on the head. “Change your perspective. Imagine you’re the god of this region. There are no rules, no restrictions. Everything as far as the eye can see is yours.”

Rong Taotao: “…”

He remained kneeling, rubbing the Snowflake Wolf Hide with one hand and sighing softly. “That complicates things. The world is a vast place. Where are we supposed to find her…?”

Before Rong Taotao could finish, Gao Lingwei suddenly cut in, “Shh! We’ve got movement!”

Faintly, in the distant woods, Gao Lingwei seemed to spot some moving figures.

Gao Lingwei’s eyes shot wide open. Without a second thought, she pressed a hand to her ear and whispered urgently, “Put out the Luminous Lantern Paper Cage! Everyone out, find cover! Someone’s coming!”

Si Huan Nian was at a loss for words.

The cave was a small space, its interior completely visible from the outside. There was no place to hide inside, of course, so they had to find cover outside.

In an instant, the team moved out. In terms of sheer skill, they were truly impeccable. The soldiers vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye, as if they had never been there at all.

Rong Taotao lay sprawled in a snowdrift above the cave, not daring to even peek out. He heard Gao Lingwei’s faint voice through his Invisible Headphones: “It’s a group of Snow Corpses and Snow Ghosts.”

‘Snow Corpses and Snow Ghosts?’

The team couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. Creatures like Snow Corpses and Ghosts were common beyond the Third Wall, and since they were communal beings, it wasn’t strange for them to appear in groups.

“Hm?” Gao Lingwei’s voice came through the headphones again. “Wait, no! I see a Snow General Candle and a Frost Beauty! They’re on horseback, in the middle of the Snow Corpses and Ghosts, and they’re heading this way…”

She paused mid-sentence, then added urgently, “The Frost Beauty is with two other Beauties, and Xiao Ziru is there too!”

Everyone: !!!

‘The cave is far too small to house a group of Snow Corpses and Ghosts.’

In other words, this Corpse Demon Corps had to be a group of newly subjugated slaves of the Frost Beauty.

‘What is the Frost Beauty planning?’

‘Does she have connections to the Soul Beast Army? Is she recruiting on their behalf?’

Of course, that was just the worst-case speculation.

After all, the Frost Beauty species was known for controlling the hearts and souls of others. It was in their nature to take whatever they wanted by force and rule over all other beings.

If she had stumbled upon a feral Corpse Demon Corps while wandering around, it was entirely possible she’d decided to take it over on a whim.

Cheng Border: “How large is the Corpse Demon Corps? Are you sure it’s just that one force? No other units?”

“Around three hundred. I don’t see any other troops. A force this size probably isn’t part of the Soul Beast Army.”

Gao Lingwei observed carefully, afraid of missing any detail, but she still made a snap decision. “All units, attention! Ready the Bailing Vines! Aim for the cave entrance.”

“The Snow Corpses and Ghosts won’t be worthy of entering the cave. When the Frost Beauty and Xiao Ziru get close, have the Bailing Vines strike the space between them immediately. Completely sever their Spiritual Threads.”