The vast snowy plains.
The cold wind howled.
A middle-aged man, dressed in thin clothing, with a calm expression, walked slowly forward on the snow, his hands clasped behind his back.
A petite young woman, wearing a white mink coat, followed closely by his side.
They had walked for a while.
They had encountered at least thirty mercenaries armed with firearms.
As this man passed, all the bloodthirsty and cruel mercenaries instinctively placed their right hands on their chests and bowed deeply to him.
Even though they were a pack of utter beasts!
Beasts, however, deeply admired absolute strength!!
The group of people, who had been driven back like livestock, when they met Li Xiao and the other person, were still trembling all over, their eyes glazed over, mechanically moving forward like lifeless puppets.
Li Xiao did not stop.
He didn't even glance at them, treating them as if they were air.
To call them air would be an understatement.
Li Xiao truly wanted to call them fat pigs!
If it weren't for their misguided attempt to "pick up scraps," with the bloody storm stirred up by the white-bellied bird, the siege of Blackwater Forest would have been lifted within a week at most.
Li Xiao harbored no goodwill towards this group of people whatsoever.
After more than ten minutes.
Li Xiao stopped.
Here, more than a dozen corpses hung upside down.
All the bodies were frozen, making it impossible to discern their original appearance.
Thirty-seven in total.
Li Xiao counted carefully, knowing that among them were 13 people sent by the major families, who had died here, and 22 others.
A hint of sorrow finally appeared on his previously composed face.
Inside Emperor's Valley, Hua Ye Shen's eldest grandson should be among these corpses.
Hoo!
Li Xiao exhaled softly, his expression returning to calm. He raised his hand and beckoned to someone dozens of meters away.
Over there, a mercenary was responsible for monitoring the movements within Blackwater Forest.
Seeing Li Xiao beckoning, this mercenary named Jason suddenly felt his nerves tighten almost to the breaking point.
In simple terms, he was terrified out of his wits!
Because he had remotely witnessed Li Xiao’s punch that had directly removed Luna's head.
"Is he going to take my head too?"
Jason didn't know how he ended up obediently standing before Li Xiao.
"He must have some kind of magic on him that makes me unable to control myself."
As Jason trembled, Li Xiao asked kindly, "What is your name?"
"I, I'm Jason."
Jason replied tremblingly, "Lord Li Long, hello."
"Mr. Jason, hello."
Li Xiao extended his right hand, shook Jason’s hand, and asked, "Can you do me a favor?"
Jason was flattered, "You, you speak."
"Please, help me bring these people down."
Li Xiao looked up at the corpses and said softly, "When I leave, I want to take them home. They must have missed home terribly."
Starlight and the others—
They must have missed home terribly!!
Jason instinctively nodded, "Yes, yes."
"Thank you."
Li Xiao placed his right hand on his chest and bowed slightly to Jason in thanks.
Xiao Bai bowed as well.
Jason's eyes suddenly sparkled with a brilliance he had never experienced in his life.
The legendary Lord of Dragon Ruins had bowed to him in thanks!
Instantly.
Jason's blood boiled, and he said loudly, "I will bring them down and find something to wrap them up in! Lord Li Long, I did not participate in the action of humiliating your countrymen! But I did participate in hunting them. Because it was my job! In the future, if I am also hung upside down here by the people of the Eastern Land, please ask them to be polite to my corpse."
"Alright, I promise you, Jason."
Li Xiao raised his hand, patted Jason on the shoulder, and quickly walked into the forest.
Forest.
Blackwater Forest!!
Ooooooh—
Faintly, a piercing scream echoed from afar, startling Gao Lingwang, who had been dozing by the entrance of the pit.
This scream came from a wild boar.
Moreover, Gao Lingwang could quickly ascertain that this was likely the adult wild boar that he, Hammer, and the other two had attempted to hunt several times without success.
The scream of this wild boar signified that its life had ended at this moment.
Not ended by a bullet.
Because if a bullet were to hit the boar's vital spot (like its eye), it wouldn't have time to let out a scream.
It must have encountered a predator far stronger than itself, which delivered an unstoppable fatal blow!
So, who could be the wild boar's unstoppable predator—
"Everyone wake up!"
Gao Lingwang, with a scruffy beard, drew his pistol and sprang out of the pit: "Most likely, that fierce tiger has appeared. The tiger has killed the adult wild boar less than three hundred meters from us. We must try to see if we can snatch food from the tiger's mouth."
To snatch food from the tiger's mouth—
How to put it?
Who would do this unless they were starving to death?
There were many wild animals in Blackwater Forest.
Deer, squirrels, snakes, and so on, were all present.
But these small prey, easily hunted by humans, had hidden themselves so well after the forest was covered by snow that they couldn't be found.
Even the black bears had long since gone to find some tree hollow to sleep soundly.
Only wild boars, or the more difficult-to-hunt elk, ventured out undeterred by the cold.
And the tigers that didn't hibernate!!
The fierce tigers with staring eyes were undoubtedly the kings and masters of this forest.
Now, Gao Lingwang and his group were trying to compete with the tiger for food in its territory. Would it agree?
Heroes like Wu Song, who wrestled with a tiger, only existed in novels.
In reality.
Anyone who attempted to duel a fierce tiger that stood over two meters tall was out of their mind.
However.
They could take advantage of the tiger killing the wild boar to make a move.
Wangzhe and the others immediately got up, those with guns took their guns, and those without took their knives.
Hammer, on the other hand, picked up a log as thick as a bowl.
Sometimes, this thing was more useful than guns or knives.
Among the six people, two were recovering from high fever but were seriously injured and could only lie there.
"Hammer, you stay here and look after the injured."
Gao Lingwang quickly made arrangements: "Wangzhe, Tractor, the three of us will go over there to see. Everyone, be alert! This time, we must snatch food from the tiger's mouth. Otherwise, we will eventually be too weak to even crawl and become prey for the fierce tiger."
Everyone nodded—
"Wait!"
Just as they were about to set off, Gao Lingwang suddenly looked up at the sky and sniffed forcefully.
He certainly didn't have Shen Chongchong's amazing super-olfactory senses.
But based on the wind blowing from outside the forest, he could accurately judge whether there was the unique musky smell of fierce tigers in the air.
There wasn't!
Since there was no musky smell of fierce tigers—
Then, who had hunted the adult wild boar that had escaped their combined efforts several times?
Humans.
It could only be humans!!
"The enemy has entered the forest, searching and killing us."
Gao Lingwang quickly deduced, his face changing greatly: "Quick, proceed according to plan."
Defense plan.
When the enemy entered to search and kill them, Gao Lingwang and the others had already discussed their countermeasures, and based on the surrounding environment, they had set up heavy traps and mechanisms around their hiding pit, utilizing the cover of trees and snow.
If enemies or beasts dared to rush in front of them, they would have to pay a heavy price.
Following Gao Lingwang's instructions, the able-bodied individuals quickly moved to their assigned positions according to the defense plan.
After a brief period of panic, their hiding place quickly returned to calm.
Hiding on a tree, camouflaged by wild grass and leaves, Gao Lingwang stared intently ahead.
His mind raced—
"Logically, the enemy wouldn't have come in to search and kill us."
"Because if we were truly being hunted, even if they could keep the news extremely secret, there would be flaws in the details revealing that we had been completely annihilated. Then their action of surrounding the forest would have lost its meaning entirely."
"But if the people who came in weren't the enemy, then who could it be?"
"Could it be—"
Upon thinking this, Gao Lingwang's blood instantly boiled.
If the arrivals were not enemies, then they could only be their own people!
Because this area had already become the focus of the entire world. Besides the opposing forces determined to destroy each other, there would be no third party appearing.
However—
Gao Lingwang then remembered the enemy situation he had observed stealthily by the forest edge last night.
The enemy surrounding the forest showed no intention of retreating.
On the contrary, those beasts were tormenting the poor women in the snow to provoke them.
Laughter, cries, and screams!
Mixed together, they were like steel needles, piercing Gao Lingwang's heart.
Even now.
Gao Lingwang still couldn't figure out how the enemy had captured so many women.
And so many men.
"I am Li Xiao of Dragon Ruins!"
Suddenly, a man's roar echoed from afar: "Are there any living people here!?"
Who?
Dragon Ruins Li Xiao!?
Gao Lingwang froze, suspecting his ears had betrayed him.
He hurriedly raised his hand and pulled his ear hard.
"I am Li Xiao of Dragon Ruins!"
From hundreds of meters away, the man's roar became even clearer: "Are there any living people here!?"