"Why are you standing there? Run!" Liang Jinyu shouted, gripping Han Xiaoyu's arm.
Just as they turned to flee, the anguished scream of Jiang Cheng echoed behind them.
With his scream fading, two distinct sounds followed in quick succession.
"Roar!"
"Whoosh!"
Liang Jinyu quickly looked back and, upon seeing Xu Que, immediately pulled Han Xiaoyu to hide behind a tree.
Han Xiaoyu was still puzzled by the situation, but as they concealed themselves, she finally understood who had come to their rescue.
The snow bears, initially intent on continuing their pursuit of Liang Jinyu and her group, pivoted as they heard their companion's agonized cry.
"Roar!"
"Roar!"
The snow bears released varied roars before charging toward Xu Que.
Xu Que swiftly retreated, his black sword flashing with deadly precision.
Each snow bear that charged was either cleaved in a single stroke or dealt a fatal blow.
His swordwork was so clean and efficient, it was as though he were slicing through tofu.
"Thud!"
"Thud!"
Within mere moments, the once-menacing snow bears had been reduced to half their number.
Seeing how easily Xu Que decimated the creatures, Liang Jinyu hurried out and quickly approached him.
When she was within twenty meters of him, the last snow bear collapsed with a heavy thud.
"Are you alright? Were you injured?" Liang Jinyu asked with concern.
"I'm fine, but what happened to these creatures?" Xu Que feigned anger, gesturing toward Jiang Cheng's dismembered body on the ground.
"They must have encountered these snow bears on their way to find you," Liang Jinyu responded, playing along.
She didn't mention that they had planned to kill Xu Que, as they both understood the situation. This little charade was for Han Xiaoyu's benefit.
"I told you to stay here!" Xu Que scolded Han Xiaoyu, his gaze sharp.
"I... I tried to stop them..." Han Xiaoyu stammered.
"Enough," Xu Que said, his voice tinged with feigned frustration. "This place is no longer safe. Let's clear the bodies and leave."
Han Xiaoyu held back her sobs. She wanted to confess that they had intended to kill Xu Que, but the words stuck in her throat.
Xu Que and Liang Jinyu could both see her distress, but they refrained from comforting her. After all, this little act was meant to show her that good intentions alone wouldn't suffice in this world.
"Did they all die?" Liang Jinyu asked in a low voice.
"Pretty much. But this place is definitely not safe anymore," Xu Que replied, cutting a piece of bear meat from the carcass.
"Where do we go next?" Liang Jinyu inquired again.
Xu Que surveyed the surroundings and glanced back at the direction from which they had arrived.
As soon as he looked, he sensed something was off.
"Move!" Xu Que suddenly commanded, rushing over to Han Xiaoyu, grabbing her arm, and hurling her backward.
"Whoosh!"
The moment Han Xiaoyu was thrown, an arrow shot down, striking the spot where she had just been standing.
As shadows approached, Liang Jinyu immediately understood the situation, helping Han Xiaoyu up and guiding her toward the bushes.
Xu Que didn't rush to retreat. Instead, he used his perception to gauge how many white ghosts were approaching.
The moment his senses expanded, a wave of horror washed over him—there were at least one hundred and eighty white ghosts, and the one riding a snow bear was especially menacing.
The chaotic energy radiating from them was overwhelming.
Xu Que took a deep breath, assessing Liang Jinyu and the others' escape route before swiftly tossing out two spirit crystals.
He would have to slowly wear down these enemies. If fortune favored him, after several skirmishes, he could potentially annihilate this ghostly army.
As the formation began to take shape, Xu Que decisively chose the Vermilion Bird.
With a silent cry from the Vermilion Bird, his vision sharpened, and he could almost sense that with a single sword strike, he could kill at least a dozen of the white ghosts.
"Increase the attack range?"
Xu Que didn't immediately check the changes brought by the Vermilion Bird's transformation, but from the surrounding environment of the formation, he could tell the effect was substantial.
"Whoosh!"
Just as Xu Que was watching the approaching white ghost army, the white ghost on the snow bear shot an arrow toward him.
Xu Que dodged with a swift turn of his head, but the air pressure left a faint white mark across his face.
"The boss is different... This attack range exceeds that of the other ghosts."
As the white ghost boss entered the formation, the chaotic aura clashed with the formation's energy.
The boss glanced around, sensing something unseen slowly invading its body. It halted the snow bear's advance.
"Nothing's detected?"
Xu Que tightened his grip on his black sword. Although he could draw it at will, he still felt his current strength didn't meet his expectations.
Just as the white ghost boss motioned for its subordinates to halt, Xu Que's Sky-Splitting Sword intent erupted.
"Wham!"
A massive sword light appeared, slashing toward the white ghost boss.
The white ghost boss's black pupils widened in shock as it jumped off the snow bear, retreating rapidly.
Although it moved quickly, its subordinates were not so fortunate.
"Boom!"
The massive sword intent exploded, obliterating trees and scattering the bodies of the white ghosts within a hundred meters of the formation.
Xu Que didn't even glance back, turning on his heels and leaving.
Although it hadn't gone exactly as planned, at least the strike had killed twenty-four white ghosts and a snow bear!
As the smoke from the explosion cleared, the white ghost boss let out an enraged roar.
...
Minutes later, Xu Que finally caught up with Liang Jinyu and the others.
Seeing them frozen in place, Xu Que quickly approached.
He was about to ask what had happened when his gaze landed on severed fingers and bloodstains on the snow.
"Be careful, these snow bears aren't weaker than those white ghosts."
"Where to next?" Liang Jinyu asked Xu Que.
"The white ghosts behind us are too many; I'll have to harass them in guerrilla tactics," Xu Que said, scanning the surroundings. He pointed toward an open area on the left slope. "Let's go there first."
As the group changed direction, the white ghost army followed, moving toward the open area on the slope.
Xu Que knew they had been locked onto, but he wasn't afraid. He already had a solid plan in place.
When they reached the open slope and surveyed the area, Xu Que pointed to a small hill. "Next, you'll head that way. Remember, do not enter the woods. If you're low on stamina, drink the energy potions without hesitation—your survival is the priority."
"Are you staying behind to ambush them?" Han Xiaoyu asked.
"Yes," Xu Que nodded, his eyes narrowing toward the distant black dots.
As Liang Jinyu and the others moved off, the white ghosts emerging from the forest began their march up the slope.
Seeing their formation, Xu Que smiled. He had predicted the white ghost boss would counter, but he hadn't expected the response to be a fan-shaped encirclement.
"Interesting. Let's see how you adapt next time!"
Xu Que tossed out two more spirit crystals and decisively selected the Vermilion Bird's transformation again.
In an instant, the eight-gate golden lock formation morphed into a giant fan.
Xu Que stood alone at the base of the fan, with the white ghosts arrayed on the spokes.
He slowly rose to his feet, facing the ghosts.
The white ghost boss, spotting Xu Que, immediately shouted, signaling for arrows to be loosed at the "damned prey."