The Regressor of Mount Hua
Chapter 368. Encountering a Snowman (2)

Chapter 368. Encountering a Snowman (2)

"Please forgive my rudeness."

That was what Dong Xuelian said as soon as she regained consciousness.

"I was rude because of my lack of insight."

She bowed her head in apology. Her voice and gestures were sincere.

"I think there is one more person you should apologize to."

"I also rudely committed an offense against you, Lady Plum Blossom Sword Phoenix," Dong Xuelian admitted readily and bowed again.

"You're much more upfront about this than I thought..." Luo Xiaoyue muttered with a dispirited expression.

"That is because she hadn’t acknowledged the Sword God's cultivation. So this is a natural result. As a true warrior, she acknowledges and respects a strong opponent after exchanging blows," Hawar answered.

"Then why did you stop her earlier? Did you think that you would suffer?"

"No. That was because her actions ultimately amounted to ignoring the Palace Master's orders."

Hawar was loyal. The reason she had tried to stop Dong Xuelian was because of her words, which were indirectly ignoring the Palace Master's order.

"Good. Then I'll forgive you, too. From this point on, I hope you'll help me as the tip of the vanguard."

"Of course. But, before that, may I ask you a few questions?"

"About what?"

"I don't know much about the Central Plains, but I heard that the Mount Hua Sect is a famous sect of swordsmanship... Are the fist and footwork techniques that defeated me with a single blow also part of the Mount Hua Sect's martial arts?"

Zhou Xuchuan was silent for a moment at Dong Xuelian's question before answering.

"...I just moved moderately."

"Hmm, how strange. Even if we call how you ran over the snow the Traversing Snow, Traceless Steps... The palm technique or the fist force you struck me with, Sword God..."

Dong Xuelian was a master of the Harmony Realm. She was also a natural warrior. Although she didn't know much about the martial arts of the Central Plains, she was well-versed in many things regarding battle and knew a lot.

Zhou Xuchuan evaded her sharp questions.

"Dong Xuelian. Are you an Empyrean Overlord?"

"That's... no."

"Then you're inferior to me."

"Yes."

"Then, can the lower level martial artists of the North Sea perfectly understand the principles and realms of a higher level master's movements?"

"No."

"That's what happened."

Dong Xuelian had more to say, but Zhou Xuchuan’s logic left her with no room to protest.

"More importantly, since the snowstorm has stopped, let's prepare to depart."

"Understood."

The fight with Dong Xuelian brought about a change in the command structure.

The five hundred warriors who had been following him but had been reluctant to do so now began to follow him without complaint. The coordinated movements satisfied Zhou Xuchuan.

While the Ice Palace warriors made preparations, Zhou Xuchuan summoned the key figures and clarified their mission again.

"Before you visited the North Sea, Sword God, our palace had already advanced to the Yishan Ice Valley. However, there were more North Sea forces than expected, so we were forced to retreat. The one most knowledgeable about them is our Scout Captain, Myagmar, who will now describe them."[1]

Myagmar was a young man from the North Sea, likely in his early twenties, with short hair long enough in front to cover his left eye. His visible right eye was blue.

The North Sea Ice Palace was made up of people ethnically from the Central Plains, the people of the Tatars, and the North Sea natives, meaning that his exotic appearance was not strange. However, the reason Zhou Xuchuan was surprised to see Myagmar was that while he was more beautiful than most women in the Central Plains, he was a man.

"Among the tribes stationed in the Ice Valley, the ones to watch out for are the Sakha Tribe, formed of wanderers, and the indigenous Xuexue Tribe."

His voice was neither low nor high, having a neutral feel.

"The Sakha Tribe is a loose coalition of immigrants who had scattered after the Ice Palace established itself on the North Sea, separating themselves from us after our opinions diverged over time. They are numerous. The Xuexue Tribe are the original inhabitants of the North Sea, living here since ancient times. Long before the Ice Palace or the Sakha, they built homes of ice and trained as warriors. Though small in number, they are known for their spirit, able to stand one against a thousand."

"The Sakha and the Xuexue..."

"The enemy we have to fight among them will be the latter, the Xuexue."

"So it's a fight between a small number of elites."

"That's right."

The rearguard led by Leng Yuefei would be competing with numbers, not elites. Their opponent would definitely be the Sakha.

"Technically, the Yishan Ice Valley is surrounded by three mountain ranges, but the cliffs to the east and west are especially imposing. That is why it’s known as the Yishan Ice Valley. The Sakha are positioned on the West Mountain, and the Xuexue on the East Mountain."

"The advance vanguard will travel along the southern mountain range and attack the East Mountain."

"Both the Sakha and the Xuexue are very hostile to outsiders, so there will be no alliance between them, meaning that we don't have to worry about support from outside forces. As the Palace Master will take charge of Sakha in the West Mountain, we can attack the Xuexue in the East Mountain confidently," Dong Xuelian added, explaining,

"The problem is traveling through the southern mountain range. It's already known for being rugged, but the abnormal climate has made it even more unpredictable. People often step on what looks like solid ground, thinking it's earth, but it turns out to be only snow. They fall off cliffs, or worse, get struck and killed instantly by falling chunks of ice."

Myagmar's beautiful eyebrows furrowed.

The journey ahead was concerning in many ways.

***

The vanguard entered the southern mountain range of the Yishan Ice Valley.

The ice storm had temporarily subsided, but the extreme cold remained relentless. Every time the cold wind brushed against their cheeks, it felt like a knife cutting them. Of course, this only applied to those with weak cultivations.

"So, how are you going to explain that martial art?" Luo Xiaoyue asked, her gaze sharp as she walked beside Zhou Xuchuan. Her breath came out in white steam as she spoke clearly despite the cold.

This isn't something that I necessarily have to hide from her, but...

She was the person he trusted most in the world. She already knew he had mastered the Divine Phantom Art.

It wouldn’t matter if he told her he had learned several martial arts of different natures.

However, if she hears that I've mastered the martial arts of the Evil Faction, she might get shocked in more ways than one...

Even if Luo Xiaoyue didn't have the stubbornness or the uptight characteristic of the Righteous Faction, she still wouldn't have been able to accept 'that' calmly.

Zhou Xuchuan was worried about that point. Of course, since she was Luo Xiaoyue, she wouldn't treat him as a traitor just because he learned the martial arts of the Evil Faction, but he was worried that she would be mentally shocked. He didn't want his beloved junior sister to experience internal conflict because of him.

"Junior Sister."

After thinking for a while, Zhou Xuchuan gently placed his hands on Luo Xiaoyue’s shoulders and looked into her eyes.

"Ye-yes?"

Luo Xiaoyue was startled as Zhou Xuchuan came closer to her.

Even in the biting cold, heat rose to her cheeks. Something passed between them as their eyes met.

"I'll tell you this in advance. It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s just that there are things I can’t speak of right now. I hope you understand."

"Y-you're so close, Senior Brother."

Luo Xiaoyue's pupils trembled. Her voice was small, barely a whisper.

"I'm sorry. But... I promise to tell you when everything is over."

Zhou Xuchuan didn't want to lie to Luo Xiaoyue.

Since she was more precious to him than anyone else, he didn't avoid her and faced her directly.

"Senior Brother..."

Luo Xiaoyue faltered, caught off guard by his serious expression.

"I'm sorry, but something has come up."

The Scout Captain, Myagmar, approached and spoke to them.

Only then did Luo Xiaoyue realize others were watching. Flustered, she stepped back quickly and pulled her sleeves over her face in embarrassment.

"...something? Oh, it's the enemy."

Zhou Xuchuan's keen senses detected bloodlust.

"We haven't left the Southern Mountains yet... Who are they? Sakha? Xuexue?"

"It's neither."

Myagmar pointed to a spot in the distance.

"It's a yeti."[2]

ROAR—!

As soon as Myagmar finished speaking, a roar echoed through the snow-covered mountain.

Rumble.

The mountains rumbled as if an earthquake had occurred. The snowdrifts on the steep slopes even showed signs of moving.

Everyone flinched, thinking it was an avalanche, but fortunately, they avoided the worst. They all breathed a sigh of relief.

Instead, when the source of the roars appeared from different directions, their expressions hardened and they drew their weapons.

"A yeti?"

Zhou Xuchuan muttered with a puzzled expression.

"Don't you know what a yeti is?"

"No, it's not that I don't know them, but aren't they monsters that only appear in legends..."

Zhou Xuchuan trailed off when he saw the scene before his eyes.

Snow-white fur covered everything except for their hands, feet, and face.

With a height of eight chi, they felt intimidating. Moreover, they weren't just big, but also muscular.

Their wrinkled faces were closer to that of a monkey than a human's, and their gaping mouths showed steel-like fangs. It was just like the legends said.

There weren't just one or two, but dozens of yeti blocking the advance party.

"A-are they really yeti?"

Luo Xiaoyue also sounded surprised.

"...Well, considering that even Human-faced Spiders exist, yeti aren't that surprising."

From Zhou Xuchuan's perspective, it wasn't even that surprising. After all, he had even seen an imugi, that the South Sea referred to as a dragon.

"Still, I’m a little surprised that I’ve never heard of anyone actually seeing one before."

"This is our first time seeing yeti, too," Hawar said as she saw the yeti making fierce roars.

"I heard that yeti are very shy and reluctant to make contact with people, and there are only a few sightings in the North Sea."

Hawar frowned.

"It seems that the food shortage in the North Sea has affected not only people but also the yeti."

"And the problem is the result of that isn't good."

Dong Xuelian’s sword glowed white in her hand.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The yeti ran. Despite their heavy bodies, they moved quickly. The muscles in their thighs contracted and then stretched.

A roar filled with hunger erupted from their throats.

BOOM!

The yeti in the lead kicked off the ground and leapt into the air.

"SCRAH!"

The yeti raised both arms as it roared. The muscles in its arms, thicker than a log, swelled and showed incredible strength. Falling down from above, the yeti swung its arms like a sledgehammer.

BOOM!

"Agh!"

The moment the yeti fell, a pillar of snow shot up and then dropped back down. Everyone was terrified by the shock that shook the axis of the planet.

The snow underfoot shot up and then scattered like fog. Because of that, visibility was poor.

"Huff!"

The yeti’s red eyes flashed with excitement as it grinned. It believed someone had been crushed beneath its blow.

However...

"Your brute strength is impressive."

The yeti's eyes widened. The snow mist cleared and Zhou Xuchuan stood before it, unscathed.

"But you chose the wrong landing point."

He had caught the yeti’s fist with his left hand. With his right, he grabbed the beast’s thick wrist and twisted as hard as he could.

Crunch!

The yeti's wrist snapped. Its muscle tore and bones shattered inside.

Before the yeti could scream, Zhou Xuchuan slipped into its chest and delivered a Power Strike Fist.

BANG!

The moment the fist, which was heavy and strong through the foundation of the Heavy Plain Step, plunged into its chest, a hole appeared in the yeti's body.

"They're coming," Zhou Xuchuan said as he looked at the yeti group beyond the empty hole. He didn't even shout, but everyone could hear his voice.

"Their strength is one thing, but they seem to be smart since they were hiding themselves in the snow. You should be careful."

Zhou Xuchuan jumped over the yeti's body.

"Be careful of the vibrations so that an avalanche doesn't occur. As people of the North Sea, you probably know more about the yeti than I, so I'll leave the details up to your own judgment."

He kept his voice as low as possible, afraid of triggering an avalanche.

Zhou Xuchuan clenched his fists and his eyes gleamed.

Its leather isn't bad. While it walks on two legs like a human, it's not human at all. Since it's a monster, can we use it as food?

1. Fun fact, Myagmar means Tuesday. ☜

2. The word for yeti in Korean is literally snowman, hence the title. ☜

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