Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 194 - 187 On the Way

Chapter 194: Chapter 187 On the Way

By nightfall, the snowflakes fluttered while the hail gradually lessened. The number of bugs had clearly diminished. The dark clouds in the sky also dispersed significantly.

Those supported by the formation were fine, merely having spent a lot of Spirit Jade, but Hu Nan and his subordinates breathed a sigh of relief on their side.

The trio was pale as well, obviously having exhausted a great deal of their energy.

With the hail becoming less severe, they were finally able to rest thoroughly.

After more than another hour passed, night fell completely. The last few bugs exploded into pulp under the concerted efforts of everyone and were completely eradicated.

The scene was a mess, the white snow everywhere littered with the corpses and shells of bugs, as well as clothing and remains of the injured and dead. But of these, only fragments remained, most having been corroded away by the pulp.

The white snow was like a canvas splattered with various shades of yellow and red paint, in utter disarray.

"We should not delay; let’s set off on our journey immediately," Hua Lin conveyed through a whisper. "Meeting up with the other groups as soon as possible will be much safer."

"Since we have been attacked, the other teams must have also faced obstructions. Such a degree of obstruction isn’t too challenging, which clearly shows the enemy’s goal isn’t to harm us, but to wear us down," Xiao Yi spoke calmly. "In that case, resting a bit more will allow us to recuperate and recharge."

"There’s also the possibility they’re stalling for time," Hu Nan said. "It’s crucial we proceed quickly, as the Bug Master has always been known for commanding a vast number of puppets. Engaging in a war of attrition with him is no different than attacking his strengths with our weaknesses."

"I agree with Brother Xiao’s proposal that we should rest more. What good can an exhausted troop do even if we hurry over?" another suppressor from the inner territories interjected.

"Brother Ku’s words are very true. If we rush ahead prematurely without sufficient combat strength and engage rashly, not only will we fail to encircle the Bug Master, but we might even become a burden to the other teams," another voice expressed agreement.

"A bunch of cowards," a young man behind Hu Nan couldn’t help but mutter sarcastically under his breath.

"If we were cowards, would we have come here personally? Brother Hu, if you can’t control what your men say, perhaps I should take over," the provoked suppressor immediately retorted with embarrassed anger.

Hu Nan’s smile was one that did not reach his eyes.

"There’s no need for your concern. The boy is young and sometimes can’t help but speak some harsh truth. Please excuse him, please do excuse him," he said with clasped hands.

"Harsh truth? Well, aren’t you bold, Hu Nan. You really think my Wanxi Sect fears you?"

At once, bickering broke out between the two sides, and a bout of verbal jousting ensued, with both parties harboring disdain for each other.

The people from the inner territories looked down on the poverty-stricken borderlands, while the borderlanders disapproved of the inner lands, believing them to only indulge in luxuries, all bark and no bite.

Hua Lin was also troubled on the sidelines, as he wasn’t adept at handling interpersonal matters to begin with, and now faced with the cacophony, he involuntarily glanced toward the only side that wasn’t causing an uproar, Lin Xin’s side.

"Villa Master Lin, what’s your take?"

His question drew the attention of the others, who turned to look in that direction. The earlier demonstration had revealed the foundation and wealth of Spirit Heart Villa, and with Lin Xin being a true Formation Talisman genius, no one wanted to antagonize such a master, as they couldn’t be certain when they might need his assistance.

Lin Xin emerged from the Ice House, holding a freshly warmed goblet of Spirit Dew Wine in his hand.

"I think we should continue to move forward. The enemy’s purpose in delaying time is twofold: they are either trying to escape, or they are preparing to pose a bigger trouble later on. Either way, it is worse than staying put to rest. Furthermore, joining with the main force earlier will allow us to understand more about the situation in other areas and prevent possible unexpected changes."

Hearing Lin Xin take their side, those from the borderlands started to feel a slight fondness for him. Adding to that the earlier gesture of inviting them into the formation, their impression of him had improved even more.

However, discontent could be seen on the faces of those from the inner lands, though several suppressors subdued it, noting their subordinates were mostly disciplined in appearance but far less well-trained than those from the borderlands.

"Since Villa Master Lin also agrees to proceed, let’s compromise. We’ll continue our journey tomorrow morning," Hua Lin decided, seeing that those from the inner territories were mainly hesitant to move too quickly, showing some signs of fearing battle.

With no further objections, everyone packed up, and they quickly set off early the next day, with no one wishing to stay at the battle site covered in bug pulp.

The Snow Mountains stretched on, the cold wind growing stronger, with no more hail but the snowflakes becoming ever denser, almost to the point of blinding one’s sight.

The group pressed on, moving forward through the blizzard and strong winds.

After traveling for several days, the snowflakes gradually lessened, and the wind died down. The surroundings slowly revealed melting snow and ice, and exposed black soil, with green plants starting to push through from underneath.

In the distance, they spotted a vast expanse of dark gray forest, with an exceptionally large black tree at its center.

From hundreds of miles away, the Black Wind Tree stood out conspicuously amid the forest, towering over the rest by more than double in height. Its enormous canopy spread like a huge umbrella, casting a shadow over the surrounding forest. Countless flocks of birds were faintly visible, fluttering around the treetop like ants.

"That is the Black Wind Tree where the Bug Master resides. Inside it is as big as an average city, and the Bug Master we seek to encircle and suppress is hidden within one of the large fruits in the Black Wind Giant Tree," Hua Lin briefly paused, then explained through a whisper.

"Where is our rendezvous with the other groups?"

The middle-aged man in the trio finally spoke up. It was the first time he initiated conversation during the journey. His voice was hoarse, as if his throat had been injured.

"Right over there."

Hua Lin took out a Message Talisman, raised his hand and launched it into the air; it instantly exploded high in the sky, transforming into an invisible ripple.

After waiting for several breaths, everyone saw several transparent fluctuations bursting out from the remaining directions of the giant tree and twisted in the sky before exploding high above.

"A lot of people have arrived. Only five streams?" Hua Lin said in a deep voice.

"We’ll know when we go and take a look."

"There will be more trouble ahead, everyone be careful," Hua Lin raised his voice.

All were on high alert, slowly advancing in the predetermined direction they had set earlier.

As they slowly entered the forest, they were surrounded by gigantic trees with roots crisscrossing, some even forming arches tall enough for people to walk under.

Some black monkeys with rooster combs on their heads leaped and bounced around in the nearby woods, constantly emitting ear-piercing screeches to intimidate the group.

In some areas of the forest, iridescent spiders and scorpions could occasionally be seen sneaking into the shadows among the shrubs and fallen leaves, while giant pythons slowly peeked their heads out from between the tree branches, their black bodies and green eyes fixed intently on the passing crowd below.

The entire forest was also filled with a faint musty smell.

Lin Xin, leading the people from the Manor, walked in the middle, with the border Suppressors ahead and the rest of the Territory’s forces behind, with Hua Lin flying at the forefront.

He, Lin Luo, Ouyang Fei, and others were all dressed in white, each carrying at least two swords on their backs, ready to face any trouble that might arise.

After not walking far, a mournful wolf howl could faintly be heard ahead.

Woo....!

The howl was lonely and sorrowful, drifting from afar as if it were the crying of ghosts, sending chills down one’s spine.

"Ghost wolves!" Hua Lin shouted sharply, "Everyone on defense!"

No sooner had his voice fallen than everyone reacted, each forming an array and preparing to fend off any threats with all their might.

Just as the lights of the formations had gathered, they saw pitch-black wolves rushing out from all directions in the woods. Each wolf was as tall as a man, with huge bodies. Most strikingly, their necks were adorned with scattered green eyes, some with two or three, others with four or five, blinking occasionally, appearing bizarre and mysterious.

No sooner had these ghost wolves appeared than they dashed forward at breakneck speed, turning into wisps of black smoke as they pounced ferociously towards the group.

In their wake, one could vaguely see among the countless trees, a giant black wolf over twenty meters tall slowly approaching through the mist, its body towering far above the smaller black wolves, as if it could trample the surrounding wolves without a second thought.

More ghost wolves kept rushing out from around it, like a protective guard, in an endless stream.

The giant wolf exhaled greyish-white smoke from its nostrils repeatedly, its green eyes like searchlights, enveloping the distant group from afar, and a vast and heavy pressure started to emerge in the air.

"The Ghost Wolf King..." Hua Lin’s face turned grave, "I’ll lure it away, you all form your defenses and protect yourselves!"

Without waiting for a response from the others, he leaped into the air, stepping on his flying sword, and shot towards the giant wolf king. In the blink of an eye, he turned into a streak of light and vanished into the distance.

Lin Xin stood within the Fire Spirit Formation, calmly watching the ghost wolves rushing in from all sides. Such a scene was not much for him.

Puff!

The first ghost wolf finally made contact with the monks’ formation.

Hiss!

Strangely, the formation’s ripples shook violently upon impact from the tremendous force, sending out large waves of ripples.

The expressions of the monks within the formation changed drastically, and they quickly added a piece of Spirit Jade.

Then came the second, third, fourth, a large pack of ghost wolves kept emerging from the woods, pouncing towards them. The light of the formations started to sway lightly, as if they were gradually faltering.

"Ghost wolves need Resentment Talismans to be deterred, ordinary formations aren’t very effective," Lin Xin, well-read, recognized the creature. "Their attacks are fast and razor-sharp, exceptionally adept at breaking through defensive formations. It would be wise for everyone to retaliate sooner rather than later," he warned telepathically.

In fact, there was no need for his reminder, as the impact of the ghost wolves was already causing the pallor of the Territorial team to fade. Their formation was depleting at a rate ten times faster than when fending off the insects, with an increasing trend. Some experts drew out their swords to release Sunlight Needles; dots of white light hit the bodies of the ghost wolves but had little effect.

Someone threw out a Resentment Talisman, and immediately a ghost wolf let out a mournful howl, forcefully retreating, emitting white smoke from its body, apparently suffering heavy injuries.

"Resentment Talismans are effective! Many thanks to Manor Master Lin for the reminder!" Discovering the enemy’s weakness, the Territorial team was overjoyed, quickly pulling out a stack of Resentment Talismans.

Large packs of ghost wolves collided with the flying Resentment Talismans, some getting hit by several and thrown back to the ground, dissipating into wisps of black smoke.

The more robust and fierce ones, however, continued their inertia regardless of the talisman papers, crashing heavily against the formation barriers.

The light walls of the formations kept shaking, alarming the monks within, who remained on full alert. At the center, the Suppressors constantly replaced the Spirit Jade on their Array Plates, as the Spirit Jade was consumed like running water.(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at Qidian (qidian.com), your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)