"Everyone, be careful while advancing. We are now in the territory of the reptilian beastmen."A short but astute warning came from Senior Qin.
The group as the cultivators heightened their guards as they held tight onto their weapons. Senior Qin's right hand was tightly gripping the grip of her sword, ready to unsheathe upon the slightest change in the environment. This new environment delivered a deep chill into the bones of the cultivators as the region has gotten colder since the previous few days. The Yin energy collected in these regions which were bordering the basin was much stronger, thus resulting in a chillier environment.
The group trod onward with cautious steps. The vanguard was now Senior Qin and Xuan, while Senior Gan and Liu Five guarded the flanks. The juniors were still protected at the core and the back to prevent any ambushes. The current formation has been very effective so far. Ideally, if there were extra seniors, they could guard the backlines. Millie herself was beside Liu Xun as she glanced around the area curiously, her blade was hanging loosely by her side as she followed along.
The surrounding area is a barren frosted wasteland filled with snow and ice. This area has been known to be the outer region where a certain native tribe of lizardmen reside. They mainly stay around the Yin Frost Basin since it was their spawning ground, where their young were raised. These lizardmen are large 2-metre tall scaled beings with razor-sharp teeth and sharp claws. The thick scaled hides varied in color, though they mainly revolved around deep blue, violet, obsidian, and maroon in color.
"Based on previously recorded encounters, these beastmen are largely territorial and really dislike intruders in their territory. Most human encounters usually end up in a conflict as these lizardmen also feast upon human flesh. Dying over here would be far from a peaceful death." Senior Qin warned the group in a grim tone as she scanned the surroundings, looking left and right in the vast and seemingly empty wasteland.
Many of the juniors gulped as they found it difficult to imagine the thought of being eaten alive by these carnivorous beasts. The seniors themselves were already resolved to this fact since they have trudged along the path of cultivation. The silver-haired girl did not show any reaction to Senior Qin's words as if it was a common fact.
"This is pretty unnerving."
Waner nervously muttered as her pale face looked warily around her surrounding like a scared rabbit. All these talks about being eaten alive must have bothered her too much as she vigilantly moved along with the group.
"H-heh, you scared?"
Fatty Langsheng boldly taunted her as he smirked in the young lady's direction. His slight stutter and stiff smile also showed that he was rather bothered about this. Ruoxue just gave a light sigh and shook her head as she observed the two who could still argue at such a moment.
A slight chill brushed past his skin as a light breeze blew by Liu Xun's side. The young man looked forth as he began to consider the likely options this point forth. Based on the changes in the nature of the beasts over this past week, there could be unexpected ambushes from these denizens by the lake. Normally, the strength of the group should be more than sufficient to handle this region which has enough strength to spare. Yet, these worrying signs kept unsettling the young man.
He looked at Millie by his side who was still rather carefree. It has surprised him that this young lady has been managing very well since she joined the group. She had never been as wary as the seniors, yet her guard could be said to be close to flawless as she has not received any injuries at all. The young lady noticed his gaze as she turned her head over and gave a slight smile. Ting-ling, the bell rang as she gracefully turned her head.
"What is wrong Brother Liu Xun, is this new area getting on your nerves? Though these lizardmen are known to be rather vicious and aggressive, they do not normally perform all-out assaults They will only attack without any worry for safety if you target their spawn or eggs. Otherwise, they are still pretty rational and would not openly provoke strong groups like ours."
She mentioned with a casual smile as she rationalized the situation based on her past experiences. Liu Xun looked at her as he listened to her words, heaving a sigh as the lady stated that the lizardmen's cautious behavior would benefit them. However, her brows frowned as she started to seriously consider the situation.
"Still, the Great Mother of Pines had already warned us of the dangers. Considering the anomalous behaviors of the beasts, we cannot exclude such a drastic scenario. To be honest, my instincts are telling me that something is very wrong."
Her words suddenly took a grim tone as she gave her opinion. The group stopped on the spot as they digested her words. Since this young lady has never been wrong in her predictions so far, they highly valued her opinion. Senior Gan began to tap onto his wooden spirit compass as he began to weigh each option. Senior Qin and the other seniors were also in deep thought as they considered the risks. Their expected assaults from these lizardmen would be around groups of ten to twenty which is the standard hunting group in these tribes.
"If these lizardmen go all-out, it would be hard to protect everyone."
Senior Xuan mentioned out as he crossed his arms. Senior Qin and Liu Five nodded in agreement as the lizardmen were the ones with the home advantage. Despite the current trip being relatively safe, injuries and death are still not out of the question so far. The ones in the greatest danger would definitely be the vulnerable juniors, especially the weakest one which is Liu Xun.
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"It will be troublesome if what this lass says is true. We would face fights that are much more extensive and dangerous compared to the previous beast wave. These lizardmen are known to be cunning and vicious. Their fights may use several tactics that exhaust us. I guess it is time to hand some of these out."
Senior Gan seriously pondered as he drew out several brown cloth pouches. He then flipped his sleeve as the pouches flew at everyone in the group. The rest of the cultivators graciously received their pouch.
The brown pouch flew into Liu Xun's palm as he loosened the seal and took a quick peek inside. Inside the pouch contained 5 yellowish gold round pills, similar to the ones he had concocted with Senior Gan several nights ago.
Qi Burst Pills.
Liu Xun thought as he considered the other 3 pills of the same kind he had obtained previously. Senior Gan had already previously handed out such pills, which was a great help during the journey. The constant attacks by demonic beasts wore down the cultivators as they expended their qi reserves. These qi burst pills had helped to maintain the qi reserves of the group, resulting in lesser periods of rest that allowed the group to travel this far.
Now that Liu Xun had 8 of such pills, he felt rather reassured if he had to fight long fights. These pills do not regain physical stamina and injuries though, thus any damage received can still be fatal. He gripped the pouch tightly as he began to consider his safety. He did not feel safe at all, considering how many times his life was under threat in this journey. The group by now had already proceeded with advancing forward as Liu Xun followed behind Senior Xuan's large back.
System, perform 1 premium spin.
He thought out silently as he used one of his 2 remaining talismans. It would be good for him to pull an extra backup since he had reserve talismans and credits. Active power is definitely more useful than reserve storage.
[Affirmative host, performing spin...please be patient.]
The familiar colorful wheel hung in front of him. Liu Xun slowly inspected the rewards that overflowed the board as he considered his prospective reward.
A good weapon or cultivation art would be good. No, I should not get too greedy. Any decent draw would be beneficial.
He thought to himself, as he slowly diverted his attention to the group. Everyone was still advancing while looking out for any danger.
--
"Everyone, watch out."
Millie's voice suddenly echoed out warily from his side. Her blade was drawn upon from its sheath. The group instantly went into full alert as they noticed the young lady had already switched to an offensive stance.
Liu Xun noticed the change in the mood as the group had stopped moving. The mood has turned tense and Liu Xun could tell something has gone really wrong. The surroundings were still just plain white and filled with silence, but all the cultivators were vigilant as their hands were on their weapons.
The surrounding visibility is rather poor since the thick Yin Qi formed a distant fog that veils the large distance. The group had bare visibility of about 20-30 meters ahead. As cultivators, the seniors are largely reliant on their qi sense to detect enemies from a large distance rather than relying on their own eyes. Time passed slowly as the group stood still, there were not any changes. The surroundings still remained quiet and still.
Feeling slightly doubtful, Senior Qin cautiously whispered out in a soft tone. "Lady Millie, how many are approaching?"
She had already assumed that this mysterious silver-haired lady had used her own methods to detect the enemies without a doubt. The rest of the group scanned around with wary eyes. Yet, their attention was concentrated on the young lady who had a very solemn look.
"Hundreds of them. It is the whole brood."
She said out in a very grim tone. The expressions of all the cultivators instantly sank as the mood dropped by several degrees. The worst has actually happened. Despite the group not being able to detect anything as of yet, they could hardly doubt her words. If what Millie said was true, the following battle would be long and bloody. Suddenly, Senior Qin's expression sank as her eyes narrowed.
"Draw your weapons."
Senior Qin commanded as she flashed her silvery-white Senernity Yin Sword out, pointing it towards the distant emptiness. The rest of the group followed their instructions as they begin to arm themselves. Gauntlets, saber, whip, sword, ax...everyone held their weapons in an offensive stance while awaiting the approaching threat.
Thud. Thud.
From the distant surroundings which were covered by a blanket of white, countless yellow eyes gleamed. They numbered in the hundreds as soft footsteps could be heard approaching from the distance, superimposing above each other and creating a loud stampede. Hissssssss, the sounds of tongues hissing came from every direction. The lizardmen had covered their entire front as a large army of them approached from the distant fog, never-ending shadows in sight.
"Oooh boy, this is troubling."
Senior Gan sighed out as he observed troves and further troves of large shadows approach from the distance. He slowly flicked his wrist as two small mirrors flew out and circled around him.
"Many...enemies."
Senior Xuan's rough voice roared out with anticipation as he lowers the casket by his back and loosened the samadhi beads wrapped on his left arm. The beads radiated with purplish-black ominous qi as they expanded at the sight of the incoming violence and aggression.
"Hmph. How troublesome."
Liu Five muttered as he glared at the approaching enemies. Dozens of small knives flew out from his sleeve and surrounded his body. From the distance, one could see a thin metal wire that connects each knife as they floated around the man, pointing towards the front. On the middle-aged man's left hand lies a jet-black saber.
"Uuuu...so many man-eating beasts."
Waner's troubled soft voice muttered with uncertainty. Crack. The whip in her hand snapped out.
"Well, we live and die as cultivators. This is but a single fight."
Langsheng responded to her as he faced forward with shaking wrists wrapped in brass knuckles. Slight trepidation yet excitement could be felt from his words.
"Well, Brother Liu Xun and Sister Millie. It looks like we would have to watch each others' backs."
Ruoxue's gentle words echoed out as the two silently nodded at her words. An elegant silver sword was seen from her Millie herself had already drawn her saber as she quietly waited by Liu Xun's side. Liu Xun himself already had his ax wielded on his hands, but his mind was wandered in another direction.
This isn't good. System, can I defer this spin?
[Apologies host, this function cannot be delayed. You can hide the wheel while spinning if you want to.]
What a bad time to activate the wheel. Alright, spin it.
The young man thought to himself as he observed the big legion of reptilian beastmen approach. An inevitable encounter was about to begin.