Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
“Are there powerful creatures ahead?” Kuma asked.
“It’s a little complicated. You better take a look for yourself,” Senior Hunter Yassen replied.
Kuma was confused. She asked the Mailong Private Military Group to rest near the pine trees and wait patiently so she could observe the reason why the groups were forced to join hands.
—
Mo Fan was a curious man. He had already climbed up a huge pine.
The others wanted to see what was on the frozen lake too, and also climbed up pine trees of their own. The group was able to see about half of the lake, the rest of the area being shrouded by a cold mist. Past the lake were ridges covered in ice.
The mountains beyond the ridges were steep and lofty. They were spectacular from a distance, but they could also see the peak of Tianshan Mountain like the tip of an iceberg poking up further away. In other words, the lofty mountains ahead were just little hills compared to Tianshan Mountain!
“Can you see the shiny dots circling the ridges?” Jiang Yu pointed at the mountains.
“Aren’t those just the ice particles reflecting the sunlight?” Mo Fan speculated. He had no clue what they were.
“Have you ever seen ice particles circling around something!?”
“They must be some kind of living creatures.”
They did not notice any changes after watching the shiny dots for a while, but suddenly they heard loud movements coming from the ridges, as if a huge group was charging at the lake.
“Here they come!” the Mages in their respective camps yelled.
Mo Fan and the others were still up in the pines. They saw a pack of huge creatures covered in spikes charging down the mountains. They raced straight toward the lake and headed across it for the camps.
—
“Demon creatures?” Kuma was disdainful when she saw the beasts that looked like bulls covered in spikes.
The Steel Spike Bulls were a Warrior-level species on Tianshan Mountain. The bigger ones with hard shells full of thorns were Commander-level creatures. However, it was unnecessary for powerful Mages to halt their progress simply because of these Steel Spike Bulls and Icy Thorn Bulls.
The sound of movements grew louder. In just a few minutes, more demon creatures appeared from the icy mists that were shrouding the mountains. Their numbers increased at a terrifying rate. The mountains were calm just a moment ago, but the demon creatures suddenly charged down the mountains like countless drops of sweat, and gathered up by the lake.
“It’s a horde!” Kuma’s expression finally shifted.
The demon creatures were charging down the mountains wildly. They would soon reach the trees where the Mages had set their camps at after crossing the frozen lake.
“Yes, there’s a horde of them,” Yassen agreed.
“Prepare for battle!” Kuma immediately ordered her men.
Yassen stopped Kuma. He said helplessly, “There’s no rush for it. Just wait and see.”
“Their numbers can easily trample an army of Mages to death. Shouldn’t we prepare ourselves in advance?” Kuma asked sternly.
“Don’t you worry,” Yassen replied, unconcerned.
Kuma was doubtful, but she still asked her men to brace themselves.
—
Mo Fan and the others who were up in the pines also saw the horde of demon creatures.
“The frozen lake seems to be a boundary line between the Alpine layer and the Valley of Glaciers,” Lingling said.
“Are the demon creatures rushing down the mountain because they have discovered our presence?” Zhao Manyan said.
“It doesn’t seem like it. If they were charging at us, they would do so in a cone-shaped formation to surround us,” Lingling said.
Many species had come down from the ridges, in addition to the Steel Spike Bulls. They saw many other species moving around quickly, including Freezing Fury Wolves, Ice Mountain Ape Beasts, Tianshan Mountain Howling Bears, Shielded-Horn Ice Demons…
All those creatures were natives of Tianshan Mountain, and made up a great proportion of the species there, being commonly found in the Valley of Glaciers, the Alpine, and the Meadows. They would relocate between the layers depending on the seasons. For example, the resources in the Meadows were sufficient in spring. There were many little creatures and Servant-class demon creatures for them to feed on, so these creatures would move there in huge numbers.
“There are some high-level species. It’s rare to see something like this in other places,” Jiang Shaoxu commented.
“It feels like there are hundreds or even thousands of Summoners casting Beast Tides!” Jiang Yu came up with a perfect analogy.
The Beast Tide was an Advanced Spell of the Summoning Element. The beasts that were Summoned with the Summoning Gate were at least Warrior-level creatures, and were usually species that overwhelmed their enemies with brute force or stampedes.
The demon creatures rushing down the ridges were indeed typical species that were Summoned with the Advanced Summoning Spell. They were either muscular or covered in armor, with ready fangs. They could raze a whole city to the ground, let alone a forest of pine trees.
“If they aren’t attacking us, why are they running down the mountain?” Mo Fan asked with a confused face.
The demon creatures were behaving abnormally. It was unnecessary to make so much noise if they were merely making a trip down the mountain. He had never seen demon creatures in such a rush, like something was chasing them. The creatures that reached the frozen lake were still picking up their pace, like they were in a panic.
“The season is changing,” Lingling glanced at the white mist opposite the lake and added, “These creatures aren’t residents of the Valley of Glaciers. They mainly reside in the Alpine or the Meadows. They move to the Valley of Glaciers in spring and autumn to train themselves in the most sacred and harsh environment. They are also interested in the resources in the Valley of Glaciers, but the place is no longer suitable when winter comes. They have to move from the Valley of Glaciers to the Alpine or the Meadows as soon as possible before winter. There aren’t many paths down the mountain, but this lake is one of them, so they end up gathering here.”
