Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
—
Snow began pouring down on the world of white crystals. In just a few minutes, the ground that was as clean as glass was covered in a soft layer of snow, crunching when people stepped on it.
The storm kept growing, and the whole Desolate Ice Field was drowned in whiteness. The previously clear blue sky was now full of snow. The mountains in the distance gradually disappeared into the whiteness.
“Damn it, it’s so difficult to see! How are we supposed to find the Ice Witch?” Zhao Kang grumbled.
The snow was like a thick fog. It was hard to see anyone clearly beyond twenty meters, and they could not even tell if it was a human or a demon creature beyond fifty meters. They were subconsciously shouting at one another in the storm. Even their voices would soon be devoured by the sudden snowstorm!
“We can’t keep going around aimlessly like this. It’s too easy to fall into the rifts in the storm, and we won’t be able to support one another if we stumble into any dangerous creatures,” Yassen advised.
“Let’s gather the people first. It’s too dangerous!” Klope agreed.
Yassen began signaling with his Light Element to gather the people at different spots, but not that many people showed up, even after he cast Brilliant Light a dozen times.
“Talk about perfect timing!” Judicator Maule snapped.
They were already struggling to find Qin Yu’er when the weather was clear, let alone now that the storm had come!
“Judicator, I don’t think we should worry about apprehending the Ice Witch now,” Yassen said with a grim face.
“Arresting heretics is our most important duty. Anything else can wait!” Judicator Maule responded instantly.
“I’m afraid this snowstorm will seal Tianshan Mountain off. It’s a sign that winter has come. We should leave Tianshan Mountain as soon as possible, especially the Valley of Glaciers. Otherwise, it will trap us all here,” Yassen went on as if he’d said nothing.
The snowstorm that he worried about the most had still happened in the end.
Yassen was more concerned about his life than he was about the rewards. He believed even the powerful Judicators would struggle to leave the mountain after the storm sealed it off.
“Don’t we still have some time left? We must find her at all costs!” Judicator Maule said desperately.
The truth was that the Judicators were fully aware of the deadliness of the snowstorm, or they would not have asked unauthorized personnel to help with the search. No one below the level of a Forbidden Mage could survive the storm, unless they were blessed by Tianshan Mountain!
Even the Frosty Ancient Eagles residing in the Valley of Glaciers had to store a lot of food before the snowstorms. They had to curl up in their nests during winter to keep one another warm and pray they would wake up when spring came.
“This storm is a warning signal from Tianshan Mountain. We can make it if we leave now,” Yassen stated.
“Enough, we know it better than you!” Maule snapped impatiently.
“Then let us leave first,” Yassen replied.
Yassen had already sent someone to get the Tianshan Sacred Lotus. They might not find one that had been around for seven hundred years, but they would have no problem finding some that were a few hundred years old. They had already profited from the adventure. They could live luxuriously for the rest of their lives if they could make it out alive!
“Are you kidding me? We won’t take down the Nine Lights Formation before we arrest the Ice Witch. I suggest you focus on the search. Otherwise, you won’t be able to leave this mountain!” Judicator Maule said coldly.
Yassen, Klope, Zhao Kang, and the others were stunned.
The Nine Lights Formation had trapped them all in the area too? In other words, it was up to the Judicators whether they could leave or not?
No one knew where the Ice Witch was hiding, or if she had died in one of the rifts. Were they all going to die here if they could not find her?
“Judicator, we agreed to help, but we aren’t obliged to…” Yassen emphasized.
“If you have time to utter such nonsense here, why don’t you hurry up and find the Ice Witch? We are done here once we get our hands on the Ice Witch. You will get your Tianshan Sacred Lotus too! We all leave the mountain together… the Nine Lights Formation will only be removed after we find her!” Maule declared.
Yassen’s face darkened following those words. He had lost all his respect for the Heresy Judgment Court. He had long heard about the Heresy Judgment Court’s ruthlessness, but he did not expect it to be this bad.
They were going to force so many Mages to die on Tianshan Mountain!
—
The news was spread to everyone via the old-fashion way of passing the message verbally. The members of the alliance began to curse under their breaths.
“It might be favorable to us. The snow is limiting everyone’s vision. The others won’t know if we take out the Judicators,” Mo Fan grinned. The storm had come at the perfect time. It even helped to cover up his little offense of taking out Xing Hui.
They were all trapped in the heavy storm, so it was not a surprise if someone was lost in it or killed by the demon creatures. There was also the possibility of falling into the rifts and being trapped in them forever. When the snow fell, every death was erased by the whiteness!
“I believe we have a reason to destroy the Nine Lights Formation now,” Zhao Manyan said.
“The alliance has many great talents. They might know how to destroy the magic formation. We just need to exaggerate how deadly the storm is. I bet the people will destroy the magic formation without our involvement,” Mo Fan agreed.
Who would want to risk their lives for others for no reason?
The Heresy Judgment Mages were only asking for trouble. They would never be able to tell who had destroyed the Nine Lights Formation because of the snow. Mo Fan and his crew did not have to do anything. They just needed to wait for the ‘technicians’ of the alliance to make their moves. The alliance would only give their all and work together at a time like this.
The storm had provided Qin Yu’er with the perfect cover. Mu Ningxue let out a relieved sigh when she saw the whole mountain was covered in snow.
“By the way, she hasn’t left the mountain either, right? Will she fall into an eternal slumber if she stays on the mountain?” Zhao Manyan asked suddenly.
Mu Ningxue shook her head and said, “She can survive the winter here!”
“Even Tianshan Mountain is being more merciful to her than us humans are!” Mo Fan sighed.
