Chapter 843 - 831: Decision
No one knows how many mountains have been crossed, nor how many days have passed.
Su Muyao was so cold that she felt she could barely hold onto Xiao Jihan.
Yet she felt the fox fur on Da Bao in her arms seemed to be emitting warmth.
It felt just like holding a furnace, gradually warming her body.
Su Muyao realized something, and her heart was overwhelmed with emotion, "Da Bao, did you use the Fire Ability? Isn’t it exhausting?"
This child is so young yet so sensible.
Clearly, she should be the one taking care of Zaizai.
"Mother, it’s not exhausting. I didn’t use the Fire Ability."
He probably feels the cold outside, and his body automatically warms up.
Su Muyao felt that Da Bao’s talent might even surpass Hua Linye.
In winter, hugging such a fire-like warmth indeed feels comforting.
"Is Mother still cold now?"
Su Muyao’s heart was filled with warmth, and she softly said, "Not cold anymore."
Su Muyao also wanted to ask the system why she couldn’t transform into her original form here.
If she could transform into her original form, she could carry Xiao Jihan and Da Bao through the sky.
Xiao Jihan seemed to sense Su Muyao’s emotions and softly comforted her, "Wife, don’t worry. After crossing two more mountains, we’ll reach Black Rock City."
Upon hearing this, Su Muyao instantly became spirited.
"Jihan, aren’t you exhausted? Shall we stop and rest for a while?"
Su Muyao thought it must be tiring for Xiao Jihan to constantly carry them through the storm.
Suddenly, a sharp eagle’s cry resounded in the sky.
The piercing sound was discomforting.
Su Muyao quickly looked up and saw several giant Black Eagles circling in the snowy sky.
"Those are?"
Xiao Jihan’s expression changed at the sound.
"They’re Black Eagle Beastmen."
Realizing this, Xiao Jihan didn’t dare delay, "Quick, hide."
Xiao Jihan quickly carried Su Muyao to a hidden spot.
As soon as they found a cave and before putting Su Muyao and Da Bao inside, the Black Eagle Beastmen charged at them.
They brought a howling storm, seemingly ready to tear the sky apart.
There were three giant Eagle Beastmen, with hooked beaks and wings glistening with a dark golden light, diving down fiercely, aiming their sharp eagle claws at Su Muyao.
"I didn’t expect such a beautiful female, perfect to offer to the Clan Leader."
The Eagle Beastmen looked at Su Muyao, seemingly very pleased with her appearance, confident the Clan Leader would like her.
Su Muyao instinctively wanted to fight back, but her current Wood Element Ability was too weak, lacking combat strength.
"Be careful."
Xiao Jihan shouted sharply, swiftly pushing Su Muyao into the cave, guarding her and Da Bao behind him.
At the same time, a biting cold surged in his palm, pale blue icy mist swirling at his fingertips, forming several ice blades that shot towards the diving Eagle Beastmen with a sharp sound.
His Ice Ability was pushed to the limit, freezing the air into tiny ice particles, pattering on his clothes.
The Eagle Beastmen remained unfazed, the leader fiercely flapping its wings, whipping up a violent storm, a powerful Wind Ability forcefully blowing Xiao Jihan’s ice blades off course, crashing into the cave walls, shattering into scattered ice shards.
Xiao Jihan’s pupils constricted. He clearly sensed that two of them were Level 5 and one was Level 4.
And he was only Level 5 in strength.
The three Eagle Beastmen surrounded him in a triangular formation, their wings flapping, weaving countless wind blades into a net, both pushing him back and closing in on Su Muyao behind him.
Su Muyao stayed in the cave, trying not to burden Xiao Jihan.
Seeing the relentless wind blades and the chilling eagle claws, her heart tightened, "Jihan, be careful!"
Da Bao looked serious, "Mother, they’re Eagle Beastmen. The Eagle Clan loves capturing females for their tribe."
"They dare to harm females!"
Da Bao said, "It’s not to harm, they capture females for Contracts. Without the Beast God here, there’s no Beast God Power to restrain them, nor will there be repercussions, so the Eagle Beastmen act like this."
"Their strength is said to be formidable."
"Those two Eagle Beastmen look to be Level 5, and the other is Level 4."
Da Bao remained vigilant, determined to protect his mother.
Should they dare approach, he’d use the Fire Ability to burn them.
But being only Level 1 here, even using the Fire Ability might not truly harm them.
Da Bao was also very anxious.
He was still worried that Xiao’s father might get hurt.
"Mom, if my dad were here, would he be able to protect you?"
Hearing these words, Su Muyao’s heart trembled. She looked at Da Bao excitedly and asked, "You...are you saying your dad is on this continent too?"
If so, that would be wonderful.
She could also find Hua Linye.
She thought different Ascension Road paths led to different places.
Da Bao wasn’t very sure either, and he said, "When Xiao’s father opened the Ascension Road, I vaguely sensed dad’s presence, so I followed along."
"But after arriving here, for some reason, I can’t sense dad’s presence."
So he wasn’t very sure either.
Su Muyao said excitedly, "Even if there’s the slightest hope, we have to find your dad."
"Your sensing can’t be wrong. There is always a bloodline connection between father and son; he must be somewhere, and we have to find him."
Su Muyao thought, once they reached Black Rock City, she would inquire about the Fox Clan’s news.
At this moment, outside the cave, Xiao Jihan’s battle with the three Eagle Beastmen was becoming more intense.
Feeling the trio’s power, a determined look flashed in Xiao Jihan’s eyes. The cold air around him surged dramatically, and he directly transformed into his true form.
Fighting in his true form, Xiao Jihan could better exert the full power of his Ice Ability.
He quickly activated his Ice Ability, using the Inheritance Secret Technique.
At this moment, the wind and snow in heaven and earth seemed to be infused with life, howling as they gathered around Xiao Jihan, with countless fine ice particles condensing in the air, quickly transforming into dense ice arrows.
Their tips glimmered with a cold, eerie light, blotting out the sky as they rained down on the three Eagle Beastmen.
The speed of these ice arrows was incredibly fast, carrying the penetrating chill of the Ice Ability, even making the air emit a "sizzling" sound as it froze.
The three Eagle Beastmen’s faces changed dramatically, and they hurriedly flapped their wings together, activating their full Wind Ability, creating a huge wind wall out of thin air. The howling wind tried to block the overwhelming ice arrows outside.
The ice arrows collided with the wind wall, producing earsplitting roars. Ice fragments and wind blades scattered everywhere, riddling the surrounding rock walls with pits, stones tumbling down, and dust swirling, enveloping the front of the cave in the fierce breath of battle.
Su Muyao watched Xiao Jihan battling to protect her outside the cave, her eyes reddening.
He was really fighting desperately to protect her.
But at this moment, she could do nothing.
Su Muyao was too anxious to stay still.
At this moment, Xiao Jihan’s fingers broke open, and rings of light appeared around him, spreading outward.
In the distance, two wild beasts, driven by Xiao Jihan using the Beast Taming Technique, quickly ran towards them.
These were two Level 3 wild beasts, useless against the Eagle Beastmen, but they could stand in front of the cave and hold back the three Eagle Beastmen.
In the end, Xiao Jihan managed to deal with the three Eagle Beastmen, but the two contract beasts also died.
Xiao Jihan was heavily injured.
"Jihan!"
Su Muyao hurriedly ran out, holding Xiao Jihan, looking at his wounds, tears uncontrollably streaming down.
Xiao Jihan was very weak at this moment, but he still transformed into human form and gently wiped away her tears, "Don’t cry, I’m fine, it’s just a superficial wound."
Weary from fighting two Level 5 and one Level 4 opponents, plus using the Beast Taming Technique, Xiao Jihan had expended too much energy.
He was also suffering internal injuries.
He endured the pain, not uttering a sound.
Fear gnawed at his heart; he was afraid he couldn’t protect his wife and she would fall into those Eagle Beastmen’s hands.
The Eagle Beastmen here were extremely brutal, often attacking and harming Beastmen tribes.
Su Muyao cried while using her Wood Element Ability to heal Xiao Jihan’s injuries.
She harbored resentment in her heart, hating how unknown rules here suppressed her and Xiao Jihan’s powers.
They caused Xiao Jihan to keep getting injured.
Seeing him bleed and hurt pained her heart fiercely.
"It’s my fault, if only I could fight, if only I could help, it wouldn’t be like this."
Xiao Jihan looked at Su Muyao tenderly and said, "Don’t say that, it’s my fault for not protecting you well."
"My wife, there are no constraints here; Beastmen feel abandoned by the Beast God and act recklessly."
"If we can’t find Hua Linye and the others here, I...I’m afraid I can’t protect you."
His wife is so wonderful, he really worried that his Level 5 strength couldn’t protect her.
He could die for her but couldn’t stand her getting a single injury.
"And those Eagle Beastmen might come again, I want to..."
Xiao Jihan couldn’t finish his words because the ache in his chest was overwhelming.