Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 467 A terrifying cold wave, life hanging by a thread, a ruthless person and a gift, rapid progress.
Seven days ago, my daytime feeling was correct!
Su Xing'er, who fled in panic towards the cave, still had lingering fear in her eyes.

On the third day of the Lunar New Year, at Cai Shiyan's suggestion, she headed west and noticed that the temperature was getting lower and lower. However, she only thought it was due to the climate in the Blood Miasma Plain and did not think much of it.

However, as they arrived at the western side of the trial area, which borders the Chencang trial area, along with many other teams, things started to go wrong.

Just as Cai Shiyan guessed, the cold beasts did indeed gather on the west side this year, and initially they did reap a great harvest.

However, the number of trial teams in this area is also increasing. They have encountered not only teams from Caiqiu, but also many teams from Chencang.

The density of teams is becoming increasingly abnormal, as if all the teams from the two warlords participating in the trial have gathered in this area.

This undoubtedly raised her alarm, and with the temperature dropping further, she couldn't help but express her concerns to Cai Shiqin yesterday and suggested that they leave the area immediately.

Cai Shiqin, one of the younger sisters, took the idea to heart, but when she shared it with Cai Shiyan and the others, she was immediately rejected.

Su Xing'er considered taking Cai Shiqin with her and leaving, but ultimately, influenced by greed, she chose to stay with the group.

In seven days, all three of her brothers gave her their Blood Jade Beads. With these Blood Jade Beads, her strength increased from 17 to 20. As long as she completed the trial step by step, and she could clearly sense that this increase in strength did not come from cultivation, that is to say, it was all from her physical foundation. In other words, her battle aptitude was continuously rising.

When she broke through, her basic strength was 3 manes. Normally, she would have 24 manes by the time she reached the peak of the Cold Resistance level. But now she can clearly feel that she is getting further and further away from the peak of the Cold Resistance level.

An improvement in aptitude means a higher potential in the future. These masters had taught them countless times, so Su Xing'er naturally knew what this meant.

The allure of the Blood Jade Bead was too great for her!
So even though she knew things weren't going well, she still chose to take the gamble and didn't leave, but continued to follow the group.

But this moment of greed has led to such consequences!

During the daytime, a terrifying cold wave suddenly descended. Su Xing'er could see clearly that the ground, trees, rocks, mountains, and even the snowflakes in the air were frozen in an instant. Except for the cold beasts, everything in this area was frozen by the cold wave in an instant.

Humans are no exception!

The moment the cold wave hit, everyone in the group quickly took out various treasures to keep warm. The four siblings were instantly at a loss, but fortunately, Cai Shiqin took out a treasure called the Fire Cover and covered all four of them as well.

But the others weren't so lucky. Of their team of 43, 31 were frozen solid on the spot, leaving only 12 survivors.

The four siblings, along with Cai Qifeng and Cai Yuwan, a total of six people, survived only thanks to Cai Shiqin's Fire Cover; the remaining five were Cai Shiyan, Cai Zizheng, and three other members of the Cai family.

Those who can withstand the first wave of cold have nothing to do with strength; it all depends on whether they have a treasure like the Fire Shield. Cai Zizheng and the other three survived because, like them, they relied on the four Yang Fire Pills that Cai Shiyan provided.

Three-quarters of the entire squad died instantly, and the remaining 12 people were thrown into chaos and were completely dumbfounded. But before they could react, the Fire Shield and Cai Shiyan's Yang Fire Pill gradually began to lose their effectiveness.

That cold front was absolutely terrifying!

It came with the wind, in gusts, almost impossible to avoid. The outer layer of the fire shield quickly froze solid, and the hands and feet of the seven people hiding inside soon turned blue and purple from the cold. The other five were not much better off. Cai Shiyan had quite a few Yang Fire Pills on him, but after taking them for the second time, they were basically ineffective.

In desperation, they came up with the most basic and foolish idea: to find a closed space to escape the cold outside.

And believe it or not, this method actually worked!
However, the effect did not last long. Everything was frozen except for the cold beasts. In addition, the density of cold beasts in this area was extremely high. They found the first cave, but before they could even stay for half an hour, they were discovered by several cold beasts.

The confined space of a cave is already unfavorable for them to maneuver, and since the cold beasts are not afraid of the cold current, their attack disrupts the cave's sealed environment, making their situation even worse.

"These two yellow candles can also be used to deal with ghosts and monsters. In addition, if you encounter anything strange or incomprehensible, lighting them will have a miraculous effect."

Just when their lives hung by a thread, Su Xing'er suddenly remembered the yellow candles that her master had given to the four of them before they left the prefectural government. Although the yellow candles seemed to have no connection with the cold current, she lit them with the mindset of trying anything as a last resort, remembering her master's instructions.

Who would have thought that the moment the yellow candle was lit, the cold front was actually blocked!

Therefore, this terrifying cold wave is the work of some strange force.

Although Su Xing'er had already realized this, the situation was urgent and there was no time for her to investigate further. Yellow candles could ward off the cold current, but they had no effect on cold beasts.

So they had no choice but to run for their lives.

They had just escaped from the cold beasts and fled here.

boom…………

"Seal the entrance!"

The withered branches at the cave entrance were kicked aside, and the twelve people rushed into the cave. Seeing the cold air rushing in from outside, Su Xing'er immediately signaled everyone to reseal the cave entrance. Since their lives were at stake, they naturally did not take it lightly. Under the light of the yellow candle, they quickly resealed the cave entrance with withered branches.

To ensure safety, Cai Shiqin covered the hole with the frozen fire shield, adding another layer of protection.

It was nighttime, and even without sealing the entrance, the interior of the cave was basically visible under the light of the four yellow candles. However, sealing the entrance not only blocked the invasion of the cold air, but also made everyone feel a little more at ease.

"The temperature in this cave seems a bit high!"

Once Su Xing'er calmed down, she immediately noticed that the temperature in the cave was unusually high.

The cave wasn't very wide, only five or six meters, but it was surprisingly deep. It was pitch black inside, and there was clearly another world inside.

boom…………

Su Xing'er hesitated for a moment, just about to suggest that everyone go inside, but before she could open her mouth, a loud bang came from behind.

She turned her head and saw her older brother, Su Jing, being kicked against the cave wall. A look of anxiety immediately appeared on her face, and she rushed over quickly.

"Zizheng, snatch the yellow candles from the hands of those three people and check their bundles to see if they have any more."

Having fled all the way, Cai Shiyan, now that he was sure the environment was safe, finally couldn't help but reveal his true colors.

On the other side, Cai Zizheng and Cai Ziwen didn't even need him to say anything. The moment he kicked Su Jing away, they immediately took action, snatched the yellow candles from Su Xu and Su Zhi's hands, and then slapped the two away with a palm.

"Your Highness, what do you want to do!"

Caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, Cai Shiqin was momentarily stunned, but she quickly recovered. Her expression darkened, and she strode over to Su Xing'er's side, helping Su Jing and the other two to their feet. She then turned and glared angrily at Cai Shiyan and the others.

But upon seeing this, her expression immediately turned extremely gloomy.

Leaving aside Cai Zizheng and Cai Ziwen, the other five members of the Cai family all sided with Cai Shiyan. Even her cousins ​​Cai Qifeng and Cai Yuwan joined her side.

"Shiqin, you are from the prefectural government, you are from our clan. At this critical moment of life and death, are you still going to stand on the side of these four outsiders?"

Cai Shiyan questioned Cai Shiqin sternly, his face full of coldness.

Yellow candles are life-saving items; how could these four good-for-nothings possibly have such a life-saving item in their hands?

From the moment he saw that the yellow candle could withstand the cold, he began to plot to snatch it. He had been running outside all the way, and because he was afraid that if he rashly tried to take it, he would be frozen by the cold, he had held back for half a day.

Now that we're in the safe environment of a cave, we can naturally start making our move!

"Young Master, if Xing'er and the others hadn't brought out the yellow candles, we would all be dead by now. Is this how the Cai family repays kindness with enmity?"

Cai Shiqin's stern questioning made Cai Shiyan and the others freeze in shock.

"Qifeng, Yuwan, you both survived the first wave of cold air thanks to my Fire Shield. Now you're going to side with Cai Shiyan and the others and turn against me?"

Upon hearing this, Cai Qifeng and Cai Yuwan's eyes immediately became evasive.

With nearly three hundred years of history, the Cai clan has been passed down for more than a dozen generations, and there are at least several thousand members in the Cai family. Naturally, it is impossible for them to be as harmonious as a small family.

The Cai family split up starting with the second generation, the Qiu generation, into seven branches in four prefectures and three cities. Then, at the prefecture level, they split again. Cai Qiuyang, the prefect of Linchu Prefecture, had many children, but only seven of them achieved success in cultivation. So, naturally, the prefectural government was divided into seven branches.

Cai Shiqin had one more thing she didn't say: unlike Cai Shiyan and the other four who came from the second and third branches of the Linchu County government, the other two, along with Cai Shiqin, were from the sixth branch, and their fathers were brothers born of the same mother.

It was clearly inappropriate for the two of them to side with Cai Shiyan and help him deal with Cai Shiqin, his blood cousin.

“Shiqin, I am from the second branch of the family, and you are from the sixth branch. Although we are from different branches, we are all the same family. In front of these four outsiders, we are family. You have seen the effects of this yellow candle. I estimate that at least 60% or 70% of the disciples who participated in this trial have died. If we don’t keep this yellow candle in our own hands, our chances of survival are slim. You don’t want to die here, do you?”

Hearing Cai Shiyan's words, Cai Qifeng and Cai Yuwan seemed to have gained more confidence, as if they had found a reasonable explanation for their actions, and even began to persuade Cai Shiqin.

"Princess, why take the side of four outsiders?"

"These yellow candles can save lives, so we must keep them in our hands. They might have more in their bags. If we can get them, we'll have a chance to escape this cold front."

Su Xing'er's expression was extremely unpleasant at this moment, especially when she saw Cai Shiqin lower her head and remain silent. She immediately led her three brothers to take a few steps back to the side.

Fortunately, Cai Shiqin did not disappoint her.

"This is sophistry and utter nonsense. To save your own lives, you've concocted such a high-sounding excuse. If word gets out, how will you ever have the face to call yourselves descendants of the Cai family, the lineage of the regional governors?"

Cai Shiqin sneered, her words unusually fierce, clearly angered. After questioning them sharply, she stepped in front of Su Xing'er and the other three, drew her long sword, and said firmly, "Xing'er, don't worry, if they dare to make a move, they'll have to kill me first!"

"Sister Shiqin..."

Seeing Cai Shiqin draw her sword and block in front of her, Su Xing'er was touched. It was clear that the seven people opposite her did not intend to give up and were still walking towards her. She clenched her fists and her pupils showed a deep regret.

In the end, I can only blame myself for being too soft-hearted!
During their escape, they held yellow candles and had countless opportunities to kill Cai Shiyan and the others. In fact, her three elder brothers even gave her meaningful glances along the way.

But in the end, she rejected them all.

She had long seen the greed on Cai Shiyan and the others' faces, but considering that the two sides didn't have any deep-seated hatred, they wouldn't intentionally try to kill them; and given their current dangerous situation, even if Cai Shiyan and the others had designs on Huang Zhu, they probably wouldn't actually take action.

Little did anyone expect that this was all just wishful thinking on her part.

It can only be said that she underestimated the ruthlessness of these wealthy and powerful scions.

My master clearly gave me a way to save my life, but I was unable to turn the danger into safety and ended up in this situation!

Su Xing'er felt increasingly guilty. Seeing Cai Shiyan and his group getting closer and closer, she had no choice but to quickly take out a yellow candle from her pocket and say, "Cai Shiyan, this yellow candle was given to me by my master. It's the only one I have. I can give it to you!"

Having traveled together for over ten days, she had a good understanding of everyone's strength. Although Cai Shiqin possessed the strength of 52 hairs, the four siblings were simply too weak to be of any use.
On the other hand, the seven people on the other side have strengths of 53 for Cai Shiyan, 45 for Cai Zizheng, and even the weakest of the remaining five, Cai Yuwan, has a strength of 35 for Cai Shiyan.

If a real fight broke out, none of the five of them would stand a chance.

So we have no choice but to compromise!
Su Xing'er's intention was clear: to hand over a yellow candle and mention her master's name, hoping to threaten Cai Shiyan and the others.

Unfortunately, she underestimated Cai Shiyan's ruthlessness and domineering nature.

"I don't believe you only have one. Hand over the whole package so we can search it first. Besides, at this crucial juncture..."

Cai Shiyan paused here, a cold smile first appearing on his face, then continued in a stern voice: "Your master Hong Yu, even if he has extraordinary abilities, can't scare this young master right now!"

Having learned a harsh lesson, Su Xing'er gripped the yellow candle tightly, her face alternating between pale and flushed. Finally, a ruthless glint rose in her eyes, and she extinguished the candle, then said sharply, "Then let's all perish together! If you dare to make a move, we'll fight to the death to break open the cave entrance. Once the cold current enters, we'll all..."

Squeak squeak squeak...

Before Su Xing'er could finish speaking, a faint squeaking sound suddenly came from underground. Upon hearing this sound, the twelve people present turned pale instantly.

"Those silverback rats are catching up..."

boom!
No sooner had Cai Shiyan finished speaking than the ground where he was standing suddenly burst open, and a colossal creature over five meters long emerged from it.

It was a rodent-like cold beast with two small red eyes, two long and sharp teeth that extended all the way to its lower jaw, two strong hind legs gripping the ground, and sharp front claws that stretched slightly forward. Its back was covered with a layer of fine silver down, and behind it trailed a flesh-colored tail that was almost twice the length of its body, which swayed slightly and looked quite disgusting.

If there were people from the Great Xia here, they would definitely recognize it at a glance. It is clearly a type of cold beast that is very common near Shuanglong Mountain Wall, the long-tailed gnawing rat.

boom…………

After the first gnawing rat burrowed through the ground, two more gnawing rats, each only a little over a meter long, emerged from underground.

"They managed to catch up from this far away? We're doomed!"

Su Xing'er was instantly filled with despair. Of course, she wasn't the only one; the other eleven people had similar expressions.

The reason they escaped from the previous cave was because of these three gnawing rats. They had run for so long in the cold current with the help of yellow candles, but unexpectedly, these three gnawing rats actually followed them all the way.

It's really over now!

The largest gnawing rat opened its blood-red pupils wide, scanned the cave, and finally fixed its gaze on the entrance area, making two soft squeaks.

Upon hearing the sound, the two smaller gnawing rats immediately rushed towards the hole.

"Block them!"

Unwilling to sit idly by and wait for their doom, Cai Shiqin immediately signaled for everyone to take action.

These three gnawing rats, one of medium level and two of low level, should not have caused such a panic under normal circumstances, even if they were Bloodfrost Beasts and stronger than normal Frost Beasts.

The biggest problem is the cold air outside the cave.

These cold beasts clearly knew they were afraid of the cold air. It was the same at the last cave entrance; after fighting for a short while, the gnawing rats went to destroy the entrance. This time they were even smarter; they knew to destroy the entrance before they even fought.

Cai Shiqin's decision was certainly correct. The most important thing right now was to prevent the gnawing rats from destroying the entrance to the cave. Once the cold air from outside came in, they would have to stay in the area illuminated by the yellow candles, which would make it even more impossible for them to fight the gnawing rats.

Su Xing'er had already extinguished the yellow candle in her hand. Su Jing and the other two originally intended to extinguish theirs as well, but before they could do so, the gnawing rat came in.

Seeing the two gnawing rats rushing towards the cave entrance, Su Jing's heart skipped a beat, and he dared not extinguish the yellow candle again.

He had witnessed the terror of that cold wave firsthand; any human body that came into contact with it would be instantly frozen. If the cave entrance were to be breached, the cold wave would surely rush in, and there would be no time for them to relight the yellow candles.

Cai Shiqin had already drawn her longsword to fend off the two low-level gnawing rats. She was strong enough to hold off the two low-level gnawing rats even though the cave was small. Su Xing'er also went to help immediately.

The intermediate-level gnawing rat was clearly quite intelligent. It originally rushed towards Su Jing and his companions, but seeing that its two helpers were blocked by Cai Shiqin, it realized that it would have no chance of winning if it didn't break through the hole, so it changed course and went to help them.

Logically, if Cai Shiyan and the other six had gone to the cave entrance to help, the chances of them escaping danger would have been much higher.

"Zizheng, take those five with you and go help!"

However, driven by greed, Cai Shiyan only called Cai Zizheng and six others to help, and then, holding a long sword, slowly walked towards Su Jing and the other two.

"I don't want to repeat myself. I'll give you three breaths to hand over the three yellow candles and the bundle you're carrying!"

Cai Shiyan's pupils were filled with ruthlessness, and he slightly raised the long sword in his hand, clearly indicating that he would take action if the item was not handed over in three breaths.

Despite their anger, Su Jing and the other two were too weak and under Cai Shiyan's intimidating aura, they couldn't think of any solutions. After exchanging glances, they quickly gathered the yellow candles into the hands of Su Jing, who was at the front.

But just as Su Jing was about to hand over the yellow candle, a sudden and shocking change occurred!
call…………

A flash of cold light suddenly shot out from the depths of the cave, its target none other than Cai Shiyan, who was reaching out to Su Jing.

Cai Shiyan was quite strong. He noticed the danger before Su Jing and the other two. He probably didn't expect there to be someone in the cave. A look of surprise appeared on his face. He quickly raised his sword to defend himself while turning to the side and fleeing.

Clang...

A tremendous clanging sound rang out, and not only Cai Shiyan, but also Su Jing and the other two could finally see clearly what the cold light flying from the depths of the cave was.

That was an incredibly swift blade!
The blade was extremely narrow, only two fingers wide, and a little over a meter long. Although it was made of silver, it was clearly not in Cai Qiu's style of knife making.

Behind the blade was a young man in his early twenties, dressed in black with a cold and stern face. His lips were slightly pursed, and not only was his face cold, but he also had an unusually indifferent pair of pupils. Combined with the three rather strange vertical blood-red cloud patterns between his eyebrows, he gave people a strange sense of distance and unease.

"Who dares to speak to this young master..."

In the instant the swords clashed, Cai Shiyan's pupils dilated violently, because his tiger's mouth had been completely ruptured, and he sensed that the black-clad youth's strike had nearly reached 70 points in power.

What does 70 mane mean? With his strength of 53 mane, even at his peak, even with a 30% increase from martial arts, he couldn't reach that level, let alone now, after he just escaped from the cold wave.

So he immediately revealed his identity, attempting to threaten the other party.

Unfortunately, just like Su Xing'er couldn't threaten him just now, his status as the heir apparent couldn't intimidate her at all.

Not only did they fail to scare them, but the other party even became more ruthless!
After the young man in black slashed Cai Shiyan back with his first strike, he paused for only a moment before launching his second strike. This strike was not only higher, but also seemed to have increased in power.

"Brother, you..."

During that brief pause, Cai Shiyan thought the other party was hesitating. Just as he was about to continue speaking, he saw the second blade coming straight at his face, so he immediately shut his mouth and hurriedly raised his blade to defend.

Clang... Click...

Cai Shiyan's tiger's mouth was already cracked. He barely managed to catch the second blow, but his tiger's mouth and palm bones shattered, the longsword slipped from his hand, and his body was slammed to the ground.

Driven by an intense will to survive, he abandoned the longsword that had slipped from his grasp and frantically rolled backward, trying to escape.

call…………

To his despair, the young man in black actually had a third stab!

This third strike was half a meter higher than the previous one, and the black-clad youth's body seemed to be floating in mid-air.

The fierce blade suddenly cleaved down, and Cai Shiyan, the fifth-ranked young master of the Linchu County Prefectural Government, had his head split open, his life instantly extinguished.

"The Wave Blade is a wide-ranging sword technique. When practiced alone, it can only be up to three strikes. Even if you reach the highest level, the third strike will only increase your power by 30%. But once you combine it with the fully mastered Long Fist Tai Zhan Style, it will be completely different. The power increase of the third strike can reach up to 40%."

My base strength is already 42 manes. With the 30% increase from the Holy Rune and the 40% increase from martial arts, my strongest strength is already 71.5 manes.

If one can master the Tai Zhan Style to its highest level, one can unleash the fourth strike, increasing the power boost by another 50%. If one can fully integrate the Die Lang Blade with the Tai Zhan Style and comprehend the fifth strike, the power boost can even reach 50%.

Unfortunately, only the lord in the entire Great Xia Dynasty could do that.

No, it's not something a lord can do. This Wave Blade technique was originally his own creation. It's perfectly normal for the founder to have integrated the two techniques.

"I wonder when I'll be able to do that too..." Countless thoughts flashed through the black-clad youth's mind in an instant. He looked down at Cai Shiyan's corpse on the ground, sneered, and then turned to look towards the cave entrance.

The three Su brothers were stunned. Cai Shiyan, with a strength of 53, had died right before their eyes. They looked at the young man in black, their hearts filled with unease.

"Gentlemen, these yellow candles are extremely attractive to cold beasts, extinguish them quickly!"

The young man in black left a message and rushed straight towards the cave entrance.

Upon hearing this, the three Su brothers stood still and looked at each other in bewilderment.

"This person doesn't seem to have any ill intentions towards us?"

"It seems that's true. Those three-headed gnawing rats shouldn't be able to keep up with us from this far away. Brother, let's listen to him and put out the yellow candles first!"

What is he going to do?

Su Jing followed the advice of his third brother, Su Zhi, and extinguished the yellow candle.

The entire cave was plunged into darkness, but having the Cold Resistance level of cultivation, although his vision was limited, he could still barely see the flashing swords and shadows inside the cave.

Everyone at the cave entrance clearly noticed Cai Shiyan's murder.

So when they saw the young man in black rushing over, they immediately scattered, clearly worried that he would launch a sneak attack.

But with them scattered, the path for the three gnawing rats to rush towards the cave entrance was completely opened.

boom…………

The withered branches at the cave entrance were suddenly broken open, and several streams of cold air rushed in instantly.

"idiot!"

Before the cave entrance was breached, the young man in black cursed angrily. He then quickly took out a piece of yellow candle from his pocket, lit it, and with the candle in his left hand and the narrow knife in his right, he rushed towards the face of the intermediate-level gnawing rat.

Crack...

The young man in black was extremely strong and clearly had a lot of hunting experience. He rushed to the gap in the rat's face, dodged the red light shooting out of the rat's pupils, and then gripped the knife in his backhand and stabbed it straight through the rat's pupils.

He was incredibly fast. After dealing with the intermediate-level gnawing rats, he saw two other low-level gnawing rats trying to escape. He chased them straight out of the cave and killed the two severely injured gnawing rats in less than three or four breaths.

He swiftly threw the three dead rats back into the hole, then quickly sealed the entrance before turning to look inside.

Inside the cave, only eight people and two candles remained.

The three Su brothers huddled together in a single candlelight; Cai Shiqin and three others squeezed around Su Xing'er, who was holding a yellow candle.

The cold front swept in so fast that three people didn't even have time to squeeze into the candlelight.

Of course, it's not always too late.

The young man in black turned his head and saw two people frozen into ice sculptures not far from the three Su brothers, and a smile immediately appeared on his face.

Clearly, the two of them originally had a chance to run into the candlelight, but Su Jing and the other two must have retreated with the candlelight.

As the young man in black sized up the group, everyone's expressions instantly became wary, especially Cai Shiqin and her companions Cai Qifeng, Cai Yuwan, and another member of the Cai family. When the four of them caught a glimpse of Cai Shiyan's frozen corpse on the ground, they felt as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

"It's Chen Cang's attire..."

Cai Shiqin was filled with utter despair. The black-clad youth's attire was clearly in the style of Chen Cang. Judging from his actions in killing Cai Shiyan, she was likely in grave danger this time.

call…………

As Cai Shiqin expected, the young man in black only paused for a moment before suddenly charging towards her with his knife raised.

The cave had been sealed off again. Although the cold air was still affecting them, they no longer needed to stay near the candlelight, so Cai Shiqin and Cai Qifeng quickly scattered and fled.

"May I ask which family you belong to in Chencang? We have no grudge against each other..."

puff...

Cai Shiqin tried to ask about the young man's identity, but before he could finish speaking, the young man in black had already killed Cai Qifeng and another member of the Cai family.

Only Cai Yuwan remained, standing beside Cai Shiqin. She was instantly terrified, crying out, "Spare me! Spare me! Please, don't kill me! Don't kill me..."

Cai Yuwan ran while begging for mercy, but she was quickly outmaneuvered by Cai Shiqin. Seeing the black-clad youth's sword already at her back, she cried out in terror to Cai Shiqin, "Princess, save me! Princess, save me!"

Pfft...

The young man in black showed no mercy. As soon as he caught up with Cai Yuwan, he slashed her neck with his long knife. Blood splattered everywhere, and Cai Yuwan, in the prime of her youth, died with a face contorted in terror.

Thump...

The five people remaining in the cave were instantly filled with terror, especially Cai Shiqin, whose expression became extremely flustered when she saw the young man in black holding a yellow candle slowly walking towards her.

"you…………"

At the critical moment, this time it was Su Xing'er who stood in front of her.

Su Xing'er was clearly panicked. After she stepped forward, she only managed to say "you" before stopping. Then she pointed at the yellow candle in the black-clad youth's hand, wanting to say something, but she was too frightened to speak.

The young man in black seemed to understand what Su Xing'er wanted to say, shook his head, and asked first, "You are all people from Cai Qiu who came for the trial, right?"

no offence?

People have tone of voice when they speak. As soon as the young man in black opened his mouth, Su Xing'er sensed that there was no malice in his tone, and her emotions immediately calmed down.

“That’s right, my name is Su Xing’er, those three are my brothers, and this is…”

When Cai Shiqin's name was mentioned, Su Xing'er immediately looked embarrassed.

But the young man in black immediately saw through her intentions and smiled, saying, "No need for that. I heard everything you said when you entered the cave. Her name is Cai Shiqin, and someone just called her Princess. I know all of that..."

Hiding behind Su Xing'er, Cai Shiqin's expression became even more desperate.

"Don't worry! I won't kill her."

However, the young man in black's next sentence left her and her three siblings, including Su Xing'er, completely stunned.

Isn't this young man in black the genius from Chencang who came here specifically to kill members of the Cai family?

"These seven were just about to try and snatch the yellow candles from your hands. I killed them; you should be thanking me..."

The young man in black spoke with a smile, but then, as if remembering something, he quickly extinguished the candle in his hand and walked deeper into the cave, saying as he went, "Quickly put out all the candles. If you keep them lit, the Frost Beasts will be attracted to you soon. Come in with me!"

This was the second time Su Jing had been reminded to extinguish the yellow candle. This time, he obeyed and extinguished the candle immediately. Su Xing'er looked puzzled, but after exchanging glances with Cai Shiqin for a moment, she also put out her candle.

The five people followed the young man in black with some doubt, slowly walking deeper into the cave.

The cave was not only deep, but also winding and twisting. Su Xing'er and her group of five walked more than a hundred meters through various turns before finally spotting a fire. They then followed the firelight to an open space.

But as soon as they got close to the fire, the five of them looked at the campfire and their pupils suddenly contracted, and their scalps tingled with fear.

Behind the campfire, a large number of corpses were piled up.

At a glance, there are at least a hundred.

The eyes of those corpses were filled with horror, and their expressions were all extremely terrified and bewildered, as if they had not expected their deaths.

"They're not very old, all of them are from the Chencang clan, probably here to participate in the trial; their bodies are covered in knife wounds; and their belongings have been completely looted!"

Unlike Su Xing'er and her three siblings, Cai Shiqin glanced at the clothing and some wounds of the corpses, as well as the bundles displayed nearby, and immediately analyzed a lot of useful information.

After realizing all this, and then looking at the black-clad youth's disheveled appearance, his expression instantly became even more confused.

Our own people, killing our own people?
"Where did you get your yellow candles from?"

The young man in black had already sat down by the campfire and asked Su Xing'er his first question.

Upon hearing the question, Su Xing'er suddenly realized that she had wanted to ask the young man about the yellow candle, but she was intimidated by his ruthlessness and had been too frightened to ask.

She thought for a moment before answering, "It was given to us by our master."

"Who is your master?"

"Hong Yu, the Crown Prince of the Great Qin Dynasty."

"really……"

As expected, the young man in black, Ji Hong, who had been in Chencang for almost two years, didn't say it aloud; he thought it to himself.

In May of this year, when he happened to see the name of Hong Yu, the Crown Prince of Qin, on the Heavenly Ranking, he already had some doubts in his heart.

He was an old man from the Tupo era. He knew that when the lord ventured into Longyou alone, he used the alias Hong Yu.

At that time, he was not sure, and given the title of Crown Prince of Qin, he worried that it might be a coincidence, so he only paid a little attention.

But at this moment, Su Xing'er said that the yellow candle was given by Hong Yu.

He immediately realized that Hong Yu must be Xia Hong.

The lord has also come to Mo'aochuan, but he has been staying in Caiqiu all along!

Ji Hong had been away from Great Xia for almost two years. Now that he confirmed that Xia Hong had also come to Mo Aochuan, a surge of excitement welled up in his heart, and his desire to see the lord instantly reached its peak.

With his extraordinary talent, he has gathered a great deal of information about Chencang during his year-long stay in Yanling County, and even acquired many precious resources. If he could meet Xia Hong and hand over all of these things, it would be of great help to the Great Xia!

Ji Hong suppressed his excitement, took a slight breath, looked at Su Xing'er in front of him, and forced a smile, saying, "I am Ji Hong from Yanling County, Chencang. I greet Miss Su."

This sudden gesture of goodwill left Su Xing'er somewhat at a loss. She forgot that she had already introduced herself and hurriedly cupped her hands, saying, "Cai Qiu Su Xing'er greets Brother Ji..."

Su Jing and the other two, along with Cai Shiqin, quickly spoke up as well.

"Su Jing greets Brother Ji."

"Su Xu greets Brother Ji."

"Su Zhi greets Brother Ji!"

"Cai Qiu, from Lin Chu County, Cai Shiqin, pays respects to Brother Ji...!"

Su Xing'er was still a little confused, but she quickly realized that Ji Hong's sudden show of goodwill was because he had heard his master's name. She subconsciously wanted to ask what the relationship was between Ji Hong and his master.

"The trial area is haunted by powerful monsters. When the first cold wave hit, six or seven out of ten people in Chencang died. Those who had some skills have probably all found somewhere to hide. You can forget about continuing the trial. Just stay here and wait for the cold wave to pass..."

Unfortunately, Ji Hong saw through her intention and interrupted her first. After a pause, he continued, "You probably don't know yet, but this year the monsters of Blood Miasma Plain seem to have started to fight back. Cai Qiu's Zhenyuan camp is in big trouble, and Chen Cang has sent a large army to reinforce it. For a short time, the two vassal states probably won't have time to pay attention to this area."

The monsters of the Blood Miasma Plains launched a counterattack.
A major problem has arisen at Zhenyuan Camp.

Upon hearing Ji Hong's words, Cai Shiqin's face turned pale instantly.

The four siblings were the same, but their concerns differed from Cai Shiqin's.

Su Xing'er exclaimed in alarm, "Then what about Master? Master and the eldest son of the prefecture went to Zhenyuan Camp, it seems they are going to enter the Blood Miasma Plain."

Upon hearing Su Xing'er's words, Ji Hong, who had been calm, suddenly became a little uneasy. However, based on his trust in Xia Hong's strength, he quickly suppressed his anxiety and said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, your master is very strong, he will be fine."

This is, after all, the Mo'ao River. No matter how strong the lord is, he has only just ranked 46th on the Heavenly Ranking. The monsters of the Blood Miasma Plains are launching a full-scale counterattack. Even the prefects of various counties, those experts at the Tribulation Realm, are on high alert. The lord...

Ji Hong said he was fine, but after more than a year in the province, he had come into contact with quite a lot of things, so he couldn't help but feel uneasy.

"Yes, yes, Master is so strong, he'll definitely be fine!"

Su Xing'er, on the other hand, was largely reassured by Xia Hong's words because of her trust in his abilities, and her emotions calmed down immediately.

"If we hide inside, then our trial this year will have been wasted!"

After calming down, Su Xing'er became concerned about the trial.

Upon hearing this, Su Jing and the other two's expressions darkened slightly. They had given the Blood Jade Beads to their younger sister for the past ten days, and now the trial had been inexplicably suspended. It was as if they had come here for nothing, so their mood was naturally not good.

Cai Shiqin was filled with confusion at this moment. Seeing that the four of them were still concerned about the trial, she was both amused and exasperated.

"You want the Blood Jade Bead, right?"

Seeing the expressions on Su Xing'er and the other three's faces, Ji Hong smiled and asked a question. Without waiting for their reply, he casually took a leather bag from beside the campfire and tossed it to Su Xing'er.

Su Xing'er opened the bag and her expression froze instantly.

Su Jing and the other two, along with Cai Shiqin, all looked puzzled. When they came closer to take a look, all four of them were suddenly shocked, their pupils filled with horror.

The bag was filled with countless blood jade beads, and even a rough estimate by sight would put it at least over a thousand.

However, this is not over yet...

"I still have three bags left. My skin is already in perfect condition, so these low-quality blood jade beads are useless to me. I'll give them all to you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Ji Hong threw all three bags to Su Xing'er.

Su Xing'er held four bags, her face full of astonishment.

Ten days ago, she had a disagreement with Cai Zizheng over three blood jade beads, but now she has four or five thousand blood jade beads in a daze.
Looking at the corpses scattered behind the campfire, Cai Shiqin quickly realized the origin of these blood jade beads. A sense of shock rose in her heart, and at the same time, a hint of envy appeared in her eyes as she looked at Su Xing'er.

Ji Hong spoke of this casually, but these Blood Jade Beads were not cheap items. Even if they were not used, they could be sold for a high price of five hundred taels of silver each.

He actually gave it to Su Xing'er so casually...

"Alright, you all stay inside and cultivate for now! I have some things to attend to."

Ji Hong casually gave a brief instruction and immediately walked towards the cave entrance.

Su Xing'er and her two siblings, along with Cai Shiqin and the other three, remained where they were, exchanging glances and whispering among themselves. After a while, they had no choice but to accept Ji Hong's arrangement.

They didn't know how wide the cold wave outside was, nor when it would pass.

Yellow candles have an expiration date and cannot be used casually. If you take a yellow candle out rashly and it burns out, or if, as Ji Hong said, the yellow candle has a strong attraction to cold beasts, then let alone escaping, it is uncertain whether you can even survive until the yellow candle runs out.

Therefore, as Ji Hong suggested, hiding in the cave and waiting for the cold front to pass was undoubtedly the safest option.

Besides, having inexplicably obtained four or five thousand Blood Jade Beads, of course I should seize the time to cultivate and improve my strength!
“They wouldn’t give us so many Blood Jade Beads for no reason. Besides, they killed those people just now to save us. Brother Ji must know Master, and their relationship must be very close…”

After pondering for a moment, Su Xing'er quickly distributed a portion of the Blood Jade Bead to Su Jing and the other two, as well as Cai Shiqin, and then immediately began cultivating.

"Let's seize the time to improve our strength, and repay you when we have the opportunity in the future..."

And so, Su Xing'er and the other three settled down in the cave.

At first, the four of them didn't know what Ji Hong was busy with every day, but after five days, when Ji Hong brought back the bodies of three young men from Chencang in front of them for the first time, and then brought back several more bodies from time to time, they instantly understood.

So Ji Hong was going out every day to lure and kill the disciples undergoing the Chencang trials!
Isn't he from Chencang?
Not to mention Cai Shiqin, even Su Xing'er and her two siblings were completely confused.

But Ji Hong was usually too cold-hearted. Apart from saying a few words to them on the first day, he never communicated with them for the rest of the time. Even when Su Xing'er took the initiative to talk to him, he would just give a few casual replies.

And in most cases, they were inquiring about their master, Hong Yu.

As a result, Su Xing'er was afraid of saying the wrong thing, so she reduced her communication with Ji Hong.

In this way, time passed slowly.

Ten days... twenty days... thirty days... forty days...

After staying in the cave for forty-five days, a month and a half later, Ji Hong returned from outside and finally brought them good news.

"The temperature outside is rising, the cold snap should be over soon, you can get ready to go home..."

Upon hearing the good news brought by Ji Hong, the four of them immediately relaxed.

"32 bristles, and that's still the late stage of the Cold Resistance realm. The skin membrane is already in perfect condition. I can sense that there's still a considerable distance to go before the final round of flesh and blood regeneration. When I finally break through to the peak of the Cold Resistance realm, I should have the strength of over 40 bristles. That's great..."

The happiest person was definitely Su Xing'er.

In these forty-five days, she has made tremendous progress!
Of course, she wasn't the only one.

Su Xing'er turned to look at her three older brothers, her face full of smiles.

"The eldest brother has 22 manes, the second brother has 22 manes, and the three brothers have 21 manes. Their strength has all increased by about 9 to 10 manes. We made the right choice in coming to this trial. When Master sees this, he will definitely be happy for us!"

(End of this chapter)