Chapter 428 - Unlucky Encounter (1/2)
”Remember to stick close. I will not be waiting for any stragglers!” Old Qiao yelled.
”Yes, yes, you have said that more than once already,” someone answered.
”What's that tone? Are you complaining?” Old Qiao narrowed her eyes at the man, and the latter immediately turned silent.
The group had left Whitewind Town a day ago, and were now deep into the Shimmering Plains.
Old Qiao led the way while the rest of the group trailed behind her.
Out of the hundreds in the group, majority were people who were tagging along for safe passage. There were only around thirty who were Old Qiao's true subordinates, people who had been following her for ages.
These people were positioned at the front of the pack, walking alongside Old Qiao as they advanced..
As Old Qiao had said, the group would be continuing on without waiting for stragglers, and it was up to the others to keep up. Of course, due to their wariness of the dangers of the region, they were not moving at a fast pace either, so any decently trained martial artist would be more than capable of following their pace.
Just like that, the huge group trudged forward step by step in an arrowhead formation.
Old Qiao's men was directly followed by the groups with a higher cultivation level, with the average cultivation level gradually declining the further back it went.
This was not something planned by Old Qiao, but a result of the law called survival of the fittest. After all, the nearer they were to Old Qiao's men, the safer it should be. The stronger groups naturally would not willingly relinquish such advantageous positions to others.
Positioned near to the end of the group, Lu Tianzi and Nanlan Qianxue looked around curiously, taking in the unfamiliar scenery before them.
From its name, the Shimmering Plains sounded like a beautiful place, and it was pretty much true.
Constant heavy snowfall created a white painting that stretched into the far horizon. Tall snow dunes created texture to the terrain, while frozen lakes acted as decoration.
It was a grand sight, one of such purity that it cleansed the eye.
Unfortunately, this beautiful scene was accompanied with danger at every turn, and that was not even considering the harsh winds that slapped the faces of every traveller.
”Look out!” someone in the group suddenly shouted.
A huge snow dune to their left started to rise, large amounts of snow being shaken off as a giant serpent emerged from beneath. It was as white as snow, with light blue dots on every piece of scale.
Screech-!
The giant serpent cried out as it appeared, creating high frequency sound waves that propagated towards the group.
”Shit! Guard your eardrums!” Old Qiao yelled.
This was no longer their first encounter with beasts in the Shimmering Plains, so everyone had been on their toes. They instantly reacted to the warning by Old Qiao and channelled their Origin force to protect their ears.
Lu Tianzi immediately pulled Nanlan Qianxue close, well aware that her relatively low cultivation level meant that she was that much more vulnerable. With that, he guarded not only himself, but also Nanlan Qianxue with his Origin Force.
Yet even with such quick reactions, not everyone escaped unscathed.
”Argh!”
”My ears!”
Cries of agony sounded out as some bled from the ears. The sound wave from the giant serpent had been strong enough to overcome the Origin Force protection layer of many of the weaker martial artists.
”What the hell is that?!” one of the men asked as he stepped up beside Old Qiao.
”Pure Snow Serpent King, one of the strongest beasts that can be found in the Shimmering Plains!” Old Qiao answered with a frown on her face. ”Our luck really went to shit this time!”
”Pure Snow Serpent King?!”
Those who heard her words could not help but exclaim in horror.
The Pure Snow Serpent King was a beast notorious as a tyrant of the Shimmering Plains.
It was said that there were not many of them in this huge region, and they spent most of their time hibernating underground. However, they would rise from their slumber when someone wandered into close proximity, turning into the fearsome predator that few would be able to escape from.
An adult Pure Snow Serpent King was almost unmatched within the Origin Core realm, possessing strength equal to that of a Ninth Cycle Origin Core realm martial artist!
To have roused a Pure Snow Serpent King from its hibernation, they were truly unlucky!
”Battle Formations!” Old Qiao shouted.
The thirty or so of Old Qiao's men reacted instantly, moving quickly as they got into position like seasoned warriors.
Seeing how decisively they moved, the rest of the group could not help but feel slightly assured.
”Left flank, attack!”
Ten of these warriors dashed to the right of the Pure Snow Serpent King and unleashed their attacks on the huge beast without hesitation.
Everyone watched as various attacks shot towards the Pure Snow Serpent King, only to be dodged by a hair's width.
Standing at the back of the group along with Nanlan Qianxue, Lu Tianzi narrowed his eyes as he carefully observed the Pure Snow Serpent King's movements.
The huge body of the giant serpent definitely did not result in a loss of agility. In fact, it was much faster than many smaller beasts that he had encountered before.
”Left flank, retreat! Right flank, attack!”
The earlier attackers hurriedly backed off just before the Pure Snow Serpent King swept its tail over, while another ten warriors ran out to the left of the giant serpent and attacked.
This time, a few attacks managed to hit the Pure Snow Serpent King. Even though these attacks barely managed to damage its tough scales, it was enough to cause the giant serpent to cry out in rage.
Screech-!
It was another sound attack, but this time everyone was more prepared for it. Only a few still screamed in agony as their defences proved to be lacking against the powerful beast.
Whoosh-!
At this moment, a dark arrow cut through the air and directly struck the Pure Snow Serpent King. It pierced straight through the tough scales of the giant serpent and planted itself in its body.