"Once the White Ghosts realize that their two leaders are dead, they'll probably slaughter their way back along the same route." Han Jiangxue crushed a Star Pearl and continuously pushed the two of them forward with the Star Skill Barren Wind. "The Guardian Teams that received the distress signal might also arrive here. We don't have much time."
"Those people are very good at tracking the White Ghosts. They won't pay attention to this side for now. They've probably already met up with that greedy person who called for help." Xia Yan's words put Jiang Xiao somewhat at ease.
"Even so, we have to hurry. The faster, the better." As Han Jiangxue spoke, she pushed everyone forward, finally returning to the White Ghost army's marching route.
It was extremely difficult to avoid leaving traces in the snow.
Especially for an army of several hundred White Ghosts. Everywhere they passed was a complete mess.
Footprints covered the Snowy Forest. Trees had toppled, branches lay scattered everywhere, and the traces left by the pursuing White Ghosts were easy to follow.
But then a problem arose. The army was simply too large. Even though the trio had reached the marching route, the path was far too broad.
Jiang Xiao suddenly realized something and said, "Right, do human Awakened leave behind Star Pearls after they die?"
"Of course they do. From the moment you became an Awakened, you were already part of this bizarre and dazzling world. A Star Pearl also formed inside your head." Han Jiangxue carefully searched the surroundings. The place was a complete mess.
Jiang Xiao's eyes lit up. "Then, do the Star Pearls inside an Awakened's head contain Star Skills?"
"Heh." Xia Yan shook her head with a laugh. "In theory, that's how it works. But humans are different from other species. If Different Dimension Creatures are like a cup of pure, natural fruit juice, then humans are mixed drinks filled with countless additives. The possibility of obtaining Star Skills from a human Star Pearl is zero."
Han Jiangxue sighed and nodded. "Humans aren't as pure as other Different Dimension Creatures. From a racial perspective alone, humans don't possess any of the distinct traits of any type of Different Dimension Creature. Humans don't carry innate Star Skills."
Xia Yan returned to the front of the group and ran swiftly along the path as she explained, "To the White Ghosts, we're also Different Dimension Creatures in their eyes. But what Star Skills do we carry?"
"Your sister is right. Strictly speaking, humans have no outstanding racial characteristics when it comes to Star Skills. We don't nurture innate Star Skills. We can only seize other creatures' Star Skills through acquired, human means."
"So even if an Awakened possesses countless Star Skills, absorbing that Awakened's Star Pearl will still yield nothing. This has never happened throughout history." Xia Yan shook her head decisively.
Han Jiangxue said, "But that's also a good thing. To a large extent, it prevents humans from slaughtering one another."
"That makes sense." Xia Yan deliberately tried to curry favor with Han Jiangxue and kept agreeing with her. "If humans could absorb the Star Pearls inside their own kind's heads and obtain Star Skills, then this world would truly descend into chaos."
Jiang Xiao said, "But theoretically, a human Star Pearl should still contain the Star Skills its owner absorbed during life. It's just extremely unlikely that they can be absorbed."
"Not extremely unlikely. Zero." Xia Yan's gaze suddenly stopped on a tree. "Give up on that unrealistic fantasy. That's the conclusion drawn from countless experiments."
Jiang Xiao felt chilled all over. If Han Jiangxue hadn't ordered them to lie down and hide back then, but had instead led the team in an escape, would they have been caught and torn apart too?
Not necessarily. After all, they hadn't attracted as much hatred as this team.
"Bags—Marching Packs!" Xia Yan abruptly stopped her sprinting, sliding several meters across the snow before pointing at the camouflage packs scattered in the distance.
Jiang Xiao came back to himself.
Was it finally time to loot the corpses?
In his view, the camouflage packs were already rather battered, with several slashes across them. Canteens, sleeping bags, and food were scattered all over the ground.
Before Jiang Xiao could step forward to loot the packs, Han Jiangxue walked over, opened the Space Coffin, scooped up the Marching Packs, and tossed them directly inside.
"Move." Han Jiangxue spoke as she and Xia Yan quickly ran onward.
Jiang Xiao: "."
After traveling three hundred meters, Xia Yan once again spotted bloodstains.
Jiang Xiao's expression became extremely strange. What exactly have these two women been through?
Was picking up corpses already a routine activity for them?
"Anyone confident enough to enter the Southeast Route is definitely no weakling. Although their Star Pearls can't yield Star Skills, the Star Power contained within them is genuine. It can help Xia Yan break through to the middle phase of the Star Cloud Stage." Han Jiangxue was ultimately more concerned about Jiang Xiao. Though her voice was cold, her effort to explain was warm.
So that was it.
Come to think of it, both of them had been stuck at the middle phase of the Star Cloud Stage for quite some time. They needed a Star Pearl containing tremendous Star Power to break through the bottleneck. No wonder they were so excited.
"There's definitely a Star Pearl!" Xia Yan ran over, grabbed the Awakened's head, and tossed it directly at Han Jiangxue.
His eyes were wide open, and his terrified expression seemed to show what he had gone through in the final moments of his life.
Han Jiangxue casually waved her hand. The Space Coffin opened again, and the mangled corpse, still attached to scraps of skin and flesh, instantly vanished as it was tossed inside.
"We're so lucky. He hadn't been completely eaten!" Xia Yan said excitedly before sprinting along the route again.
You could know a person's face but not their heart.
The more Jiang Xiao interacted with the two of them, the more he discovered how terrifying this world was.
In their daily lives, both Xia Yan and Han Jiangxue could be considered normal people.
Moreover, the two of them had cared for and looked after Jiang Xiao. Although Han Jiangxue was somewhat cold and Xia Yan had a fiery temper, both still fell within the range of normal people.
However, their actions and behavior at that moment made Jiang Xiao truly understand what the profession of Awakened was really like.
Or rather, what this bizarre and dazzling world was really like.
After all, Jiang Xiao hadn't been in this world for long, and he had come into contact with even less of this strange world. As an ordinary man who had crossed over from a normal world, his awareness and values had yet to align with this world.
"Are you disappointed in me?" Han Jiangxue's distant voice suddenly came from behind him.
Jiang Xiao shuddered. He had just seen the corpse's horrifying face.
Jiang Xiao kept walking. After thinking for a while, he said, "Even if we didn't take them, the Guardian Team would. The White Ghosts would eat him too."
"That's a decent excuse for comforting yourself." Han Jiangxue sped up, running alongside Jiang Xiao through the snow. "But fundamentally, we're scavenging the corpses of our own kind to strengthen ourselves."
"It's still better than leaving him exposed in the wilderness." Jiang Xiao seemed to have come to terms with it. "We can't let the White Ghosts benefit."
"Heh." Han Jiangxue chuckled and said nothing more.
"Han Jiangxue, what exactly are you trying to say?" Jiang Xiao couldn't help asking.
"For an Awakened, a good beginning and a good end are luxuries." Han Jiangxue turned to look at Jiang Xiao. "I only want to tell you this: don't die. Otherwise, people will cut open your head too, and your Star Pearl will be taken away."
"This world isn't beautiful, or at least not as beautiful as you imagine. Awakened only look glamorous on the surface. Anyone with great strength has climbed up over mountains of corpses." Han Jiangxue's voice was heavy.
"The country is doing everything it can to protect Awakened and maintain social stability." Han Jiangxue spoke softly. "But in Other Dimension Spaces, even with Guardian Teams, they can't supervise and control everything. This is the lowest-level Different Dimension World, so it's relatively safe. In the future, we'll enter all kinds of Different Dimension Worlds. I only hope that you'll remain vigilant. Letting you encounter these things earlier is also a good thing."
Jiang Xiao licked his lips and silently nodded.
Today, he had seen another side of Han Jiangxue and learned about another side of this world.
This lesson was painfully realistic.
Only after this lesson did Jiang Xiao truly feel that he had begun to integrate into this fascinating world.
Before you continue