Master of Nine Stars

CLIP-CLOP-CLOP... CLIP-CLOP-CLOP...

The staccato sound of hooves echoed endlessly as seven people on six mounts traversed the vast, snow-swept landscape.

Blizzard nights had become synonymous with the northern Snow Realm. Rong Taotao had been through countless nights like this, but no matter how many he experienced, he would never get used to them.

It was dark, cold, and a little disorienting.

In the blizzard, Rong Taotao’s visibility was terrifyingly low. Although his Soul Power allowed him to keep his eyes open against the frigid wind, he could see no more than five meters ahead.

Riding at high speed in the center of the group, he couldn’t even see the back of Yin Hu, their leader, and could only hear the sound of hooves.

"Is that a forest up ahead, Gao Lingwei?" a voice called out through the wind and snow.

Gao Lingwei was different from everyone else. After the Quality of her Snowball Cat’s Soul Skill had been enhanced, she could see for over a kilometer. The night vision effect made her feel right at home in the blizzard.

"It is a forest," Gao Lingwei replied.

"Attention! All units on alert!" Yin Hu’s words imprinted themselves on Rong Taotao’s mind.

’A Soul Skill from the Soul Pearl on his forehead?’

As Rong Taotao secretly wondered, Yin Hu’s voice surfaced in his mind again: "The Chenlong team has driven the group of poachers into this forest. We will search for the enemy’s tracks from north to south. Report immediately upon discovery. If we don’t find them, we’ll rendezvous with the Chenlong team and decide on our next move."

At that, everyone dismounted.

Gao Lingwei cradled her Snowball Cat and placed it on her shoulder.

"Meow~" The Snowball Cat affectionately nuzzled Gao Lingwei’s cheek, earning a gentle caress in return.

Yin Hu took the lead, flanked by Niu and Ma Mian. The three of them advanced in an arrowhead formation. Xia Fangran and Li Lie fell to the rear, protecting Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei in the center.

’Wu Ma is huge...’ Rong Taotao realized.

’His massive frame is easily on par with Ugly Ox’s. My god, these two are really cut out to be bodyguards...’

The group moved forward in silence. The only sound between heaven and earth was the mournful howl of the biting wind.

Gao Lingwei took Rong Taotao’s hand, gave it a light squeeze, and tilted her head to whisper in his ear, "Tell Yin Hu there’s a Snowflake Wolf Pack ahead, at our eleven o’clock."

Gao Lingwei’s forehead Soul Pearl was a purely offensive Soul Skill; it had no communication abilities.

Rong Taotao connected to Yin Hu’s mind and relayed the message.

It was unclear what Yin Hu said to Wu Ma, but Wu Ma, who was at the front left of the formation, immediately broke away from the group, his massive figure disappearing into the blizzard.

Soon, Wu Ma returned to the team. Silently, the group’s advance never faltered for even a moment.

Suddenly, Rong Taotao’s vision blurred!

To his astonishment, he found himself looking down at the ground.

’This... where is this point of view coming from? I was just looking ahead...’

’Rong Yang is sharing his vision with me?’

Through Rong Yang’s body, Rong Taotao followed his brother’s gaze down to the thorns wrapped around his ankle. His brother’s words also appeared in his mind: "Be careful of traps like this. It’s the one you’ve used before, Frost Cold Thorn."

"Oh, okay," Rong Taotao hastily replied.

Rong Yang: "The Thorny Frost Flower creature doesn’t appear in the First Wall’s territory. This means the trap was set by the enemy. A fight could break out at any moment. Have you entered the forest?"

"We’re in. We’ve gone about..." Rong Taotao hadn’t finished relaying his message when he felt his hand get squeezed again. Gao Lingwei’s voice sounded in his ear, "About 300 meters, twelve people, two o’clock. Snow camouflage."

The Snow Forest obscured Gao Lingwei’s vision. If they were on the Snowfield, she probably would have spotted this group from over a kilometer away.

Rong Yang: "Taotao?"

Rong Taotao: "Something’s come up. I’m hanging up."

Rong Taotao immediately severed his connection with Rong Yang and quickly linked to Yin Hu’s mind up ahead: "300 meters, two o’clock, twelve people, snow camouflage!"

Yin Hu raised his right fist, and the squad came to an instant halt.

Yin Hu quickly took out his radio, his voice low: "Hundred Corps Pass, northwest sector, Forest 23. A group of twelve. State your unit designation."

While making a hand signal to the right for his team, Yin Hu continued, "I repeat, Forest 23, a group of twelve. State your unit designation."

After waiting a few seconds, a murderous aura emanated from Yin Hu’s face, hidden behind his mask. He licked his lips, took a few steps back to the center of the formation, and said, "The Qian Organization has been planning this for a while. This is a large-scale operation they’ve sent in, far more than just twelve people. Be careful. This is likely just one of their groups."

Rong Taotao said, "So we follow them?"

"No," Yin Hu hissed. "In this environment, it’s difficult to wipe them all out in one go. We’ll just kill them as we find them."

The simple words were enough to set Rong Taotao’s blood on fire!

’So decisive! So ruthless!’

’Forget all the schemes and strategies. Just see one, kill one!’

If he were the captain, Rong Taotao would have been more inclined to maximize their gains, perhaps by staying hidden and following that team for a while to locate other poacher groups.

But as a team member... Rong Taotao absolutely loved this Captain Yin Hu!

Gao Lingwei suddenly spoke up, "This is the edge of the Snow Forest. If we let them enter the Snowfield before we engage, my line of sight will be better. Without the cover of the forest, no one can escape my grasp."

"Oh?" Yin Hu looked at Gao Lingwei. As captain, he was used to giving orders and having team members carry them out.

But Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei had clearly not yet been "beaten down" by the real world. Rong Taotao had suggested following the enemy, and now Gao Lingwei was suggesting they wait to kill them on the Snowfield.