Han Jiangxue listened to the "thud, thud" of footsteps beside her, letting the flying snow spray across her face.
The goggles worked exceptionally well, allowing her to see the situation ahead clearly.
A roar drew Han Jiangxue's attention.
It came from the rear of the group. It was a familiar commanding voice—and even more notably, the howl of a rare White Ghoul Witch.
In terms of physical ability alone, the White Ghoul Witch was far inferior to the White Ghosts charging at the front.
Naturally, the White Ghoul Witch had fallen behind the group.
As the army passed and raced forward, Han Jiangxue slowly extended her palm, creating a Space Coffin to her left.
Golden Star Technique: Shattered Space! After finishing her preparations, Han Jiangxue remained calm, lying steadily in the snow and waiting for the protagonist to arrive.
Or rather, the protagonists.
Sure enough, ten seconds later, the protagonists made their entrance, surrounded by several White Ghosts.
They were moving quickly too, but limited by the White Ghoul Witches' speed, the several White Ghost bodyguards couldn't run at full speed.
"Six White Ghosts, two White Ghoul Witches." Han Jiangxue spoke in a low voice. "Xia Yan, get ready to cover our retreat. Little Pi, give me a Star Pearl."
"Oh." Jiang Xiao hurriedly pulled two Star Pearls from his pocket and threw one each to Han Jiangxue and Xia Yan.
The two absorbed the Star Pearls without hesitation. Specks of starlight rippled around their bodies before merging into them.
Han Jiangxue rose to her knees, reached out with both hands, and suddenly shouted, "Come here!"
She was incredibly quiet during battle. This shout was a signal for Xia Yan.
With their perfect understanding, Xia Yan said nothing. When she saw the two White Ghoul Witches being blown over and the several bewildered White Ghosts, she immediately swung her greatsword.
From back to front,
from bottom to top!
The enormous blade traced an almost 360-degree circle. A crimson blade arc cleaved through the snow, wind, and trees along its path, blazing with raging flames as it charged toward the six White Ghosts.
"Hiss, hiss, hiss..."
"Roar!" The two White Ghoul Witches' bodies were completely out of their control. In theory, one should have been male and the other female. The White Ghoul Witch mother had probably just given birth to a baby, right?
Their bodies really were far stronger than humans'. They could run five kilometers cross-country immediately after giving birth. "Little Pi!" Han Jiangxue cried out in alarm when she saw Jiang Xiao charging forward.
"I'm here. I'll help draw their fire." Unexpectedly, Jiang Xiao's voice still came from beside a large tree.
Han Jiangxue froze for a moment before remembering that Jiang Xiao possessed the One Star Double Technique, with another Star Skill called "Decoy."
But the illusion was far too realistic, especially beneath the dim sky. It was enough to pass for the real thing.
Silver light flashed in Han Jiangxue's hands as she continuously urged Barren Wind, adjusting its angle.
The Snowy Forest tornado whipped up by the unusual terrain seemed to carry a trace of offensive power as well. Several White Ghoul Witch illusions appeared silently, only to be swept away and dispersed in an instant.
After Jiang Xiao's actions earlier, Han Jiangxue knew that the other side was using the "Decoy" skill in desperation, attempting to escape.
But once they were trapped by the Snowy Forest tornado, how could they escape so easily?
Even their howls were drowned out by the wind and snow, and Han Jiangxue deprived them of the ability to issue commands.
At that moment, two White Ghosts had already charged toward Jiang Xiao's illusion. The dreamlike figure shattered at a touch, enraging the two White Ghosts so much that their scarlet eyes seemed ready to drip blood.
At the same time, Xia Yan confronted two White Ghosts head-on. Because of the terrain, she only dealt a Severe Injury to one of them. The other nimbly circled around a tree and swung through the air, chasing toward the Snowy Forest tornado along with the two remaining White Ghosts.
"Hiss!" At last, a White Ghoul Witch poked its head out of the Snowy Forest tornado and saw the human figure close at hand. Its sharp claws gleamed as it used the force of the wind and snow to viciously stab toward Han Jiangxue.
Whoosh! The attack was magnificent and ferocious, but it had no ending.
The two White Ghoul Witches vanished one after another before Han Jiangxue, plunging straight into the rippling spatial distortion before her and tumbling into the Space Coffin.
Han Jiangxue sent herself and Jiang Xiao soaring into the sky and shouted toward the alluring figure in the Snowy Forest, "Go."
Xia Yan dragged her greatsword forward in a horse stance. Green light swirled around her elbow as she lightly struck, knocking the White Ghost in front of her back two steps. She turned her wrist, gripped the greatsword tightly, and swept it upward.
Cold light flashed past. One slash, two pieces!
"Ugh..." A streak of white light suddenly descended. Xia Yan let out a satisfied hum and tilted her head from side to side, her chestnut-brown, slightly curled short hair dancing in the wind. She looked beautiful and wild.
Han Jiangxue's icy face suddenly surfaced in her mind, jolting Xia Yan awake. She hurriedly slung the greatsword behind her and, without sparing a thought for the Star Pearl, turned and sprinted away.
"Wahoo!" Xia Yan sprinted for more than three minutes when a gale suddenly swept up behind her, pushing her forward dozens of meters.
If it had been her first time experiencing this, Xia Yan would have gone sprawling face-first into the mud.
But they had coordinated countless times already. Xia Yan stabilized her body as it was pushed forward, hurriedly drew the greatsword from behind her with one hand, and held it horizontally at her side. After landing, she rolled with the momentum and performed a movement resembling a forward dive.
After dissipating the force, Xia Yan quickly sheathed her weapon and continued forward at top speed. The howls of the several White Ghosts behind her grew increasingly distant, clearly blown away by Barren Wind.
The trio gradually widened the distance between themselves and the pursuing White Ghosts.
At that moment, Jiang Xiao, running beside Han Jiangxue, worshipped this aloof young lady from the bottom of his heart.
They had not only stolen two kills, but had even managed to retreat unharmed.
Jiang Xiao was practically about to shout, "666!"
Jiang Xiao had always felt that his ambitions were lofty and his aspirations great. But at that moment, he was genuinely willing to turn into a salted fish and spam a wave of "666" for Han Jiangxue.
Han Jiangxue's series of commands had perfectly explained what "wisdom" and "composure" meant. More importantly, they had shown Jiang Xiao the mental fortitude a true commander should possess.
Even when Mount Tai collapsed before her, her expression did not change; even when a deer sprang up beside her, her gaze did not waver.
Through a single phrase—"White Ghoul Witch cub"—Han Jiangxue had analyzed the greedy human and the army of White Ghosts whose hatred had been raised to its peak.
At that moment, facing an army of thousands, she had not chosen to order the group to retreat immediately. Instead, she had made the three of them hide where they were, even giving the order, "Bear it even if they step on you."
Was it a gamble? It counted, but it was even more the conclusion drawn from rational analysis.
Then, by taking advantage of the White Ghoul Witch's species-specific traits, Han Jiangxue had used combined Star Skills to hunt two White Ghoul Witches ingeniously and without shedding blood.
Relying on Xia Yan's combat power and the Barren Wind Star Skill, she had driven off the few pursuing White Ghosts. She had not grown greedy for their Star Pearls, instead swiftly relocating the group.
Before the White Ghost army could react, she had arranged everything with absolute clarity.
Jiang Xiao was truly enlightened.
Compared with Han Jiangxue, Jiang Xiao was far too lacking. In any world, the small group standing at the summit would always be people with wisdom and courage.
Han Jiangxue seemed to sense Jiang Xiao's burning gaze. While running, she turned her head and asked, "Are you cold?"
Jiang Xiao wanted to appear a little braver, but his body was exceptionally honest.
Cold! How could he not be cold?
"Use your Star Power. Don't be afraid of wasting Star Pearls. We may still have to fight again soon." As Han Jiangxue spoke, her running route gradually began to change.
More fighting?
Hadn't they already shaken off their pursuers?
What other battle could there be? "Little Pi, give me two Star Pearls, and cast Blessing on us while you're at it." Xia Yan's physical abilities were much stronger than Jiang Xiao's, and she was far faster. She quickly caught up.
"Shouldn't we rest for a while?" Jiang Xiao asked. At the same time, he cast Blessing on the two women, restoring their vitality and warming everyone's bodies.
"Can't you tell what your sister wants to do from this direction?" Xia Yan chuckled, a hint of excitement showing in her eyes. "Your sister's going to collect some spoils from the dead."
Spoils from the dead?
Oh, right. That male Awakened couldn't possibly have ventured deep into the Snowy Forest along the Southeast Route alone. He must have brought teammates, and his teammates had very likely died along the way.
Han Jiangxue was going to... loot the bodies?
Before you continue