A Terrifying Moment—Please Comment!

Monsters?

Although Xia Hong and Xia Chuan were both hearing the term "monster" for the first time, the fear on their father's and everyone else's faces filled them with an inexplicable heaviness.

Their father, Xia Ding, seemed too panicked to address their confusion. Instead, he swiftly ordered the twelve Lumber Team members to carry six large trees into the cave.

Then, without a moment's hesitation, he led the camp residents in sealing the cave entrance completely.

After the entrance had been sealed, Xia Ding looked at the bonfire in the middle of the camp, hesitation flashing across his face.

But he quickly made his decision.

"Put out the bonfire. Everyone, put on every piece of clothing you can. Huddle together for warmth. Only if someone truly can't endure it anymore may we light the fire once—and it can only burn for ten minutes!"

"What? Put out the bonfire?"

"We'll freeze to death."

"Chief, no! My son is still young. He won't survive it."

One sentence stirred up a thousand waves. Nearly sixty percent of the camp immediately spoke out in opposition.

Of the remaining forty percent, aside from the Lumber Team members who knew the details, those who stayed silent were clearly the calmer sort, waiting for Xia Ding to continue.

Xia Ding raised a hand. Only after everyone fell silent did he speak in a grave voice.

"The monster of Redwood Ridge has come out. Everyone from Iron Peak Camp and Shenju Camp is already dead. If we put out the bonfire, we still have a chance to live. If that monster finds us, we'll all die."

At the mere mention of the word "monster," most people in the camp had no particular reaction.

Clearly, they knew nothing about monsters either.

But upon hearing that everyone in Iron Peak Camp and Shenju Camp had died, every person in the camp, Xia Hong included, was instantly struck dumb with horror.

Both camps had populations of over three hundred.

There were nine camps in total around Redwood Ridge. Of them, only Rogue Camp was a medium-sized camp; the other eight, like Great Xia, were small camps.

Even among small camps, some were stronger and some weaker.

Both of those camps were stronger than Great Xia.

Iron Peak Camp's chief, Tie Ying, was even an Earth-Piercer Level powerhouse.

And Xia Ding had just said that more than six hundred people from those two camps were all dead?

What kind of strength did that monster possess?

"Hurry and put on your clothes. Extinguish the fire. Dawn will be here soon. We only need to endure four hours. If anyone truly can't hold on, I'll decide whether to light it. Don't worry."

Everyone was dazed for a moment, then quickly followed Xia Ding's orders.

Xia Hong hurried back to his family's section of the cave, gathered every piece of clothing he could wear, and directly tossed the thickest beast-fur coat to his younger brother, Xia Chuan.

"Brother, you wear it yourself. I have enough clothes."

"I'm stronger than you, and sturdier too. I'll be fine."

Blocking Xia Chuan from returning the coat, Xia Hong immediately ran back toward where his father, Xia Ding, was standing.

The camp residents moved quickly. In less than two minutes, everyone had dressed and gathered in the very center of the cave.

Once everyone had assembled, Xia Ding nodded to the four people beside the bonfire who were holding beast hides, ready to smother it.

The four rushed forward, and the flames more than two meters high were extinguished in a few strokes.

The cave entrance had already been sealed. Without firelight, the inside of the cave was immediately swallowed by darkness.

And with the darkness came the cold.

The instant the firelight was snuffed out, the temperature throughout the cave began dropping rapidly, at a rate the human body could actually feel.

The more than two hundred people in the camp were not huddled together at random.

The youngest children were in the center, surrounded by women. Adult men formed the next outer ring, while the thirteen Lumber Team members stood at the very edge.

The elderly?

There were no elderly people. Not just in Great Xia—almost none of the camps had any elderly.

In this apocalyptic winter, ordinary old people could not survive.

As the chief's sons, Xia Hong and Xia Chuan received no special treatment and were placed toward the outer ring.

Time slowly passed. In just one hour, the temperature had fallen to less than half of what it had been with the bonfire.

The children in the inner circle began chattering their teeth from the cold.

The women in the middle started shivering as well.

The adult men on the outside fared somewhat better, trembling only slightly.

The steadiest were still the thirteen Lumber Team members at the very edge.

"Chief, how about lighting the fi—"

Seeing her child's lips turn blue from the cold, one woman finally could not help speaking to Xia Ding.

Unfortunately, before she could finish, Xia Ding cut her off.

"Let me tell you about the monster of Redwood Ridge!"

Though everyone was freezing, the moment they heard the word "monster," they could not help raising their heads to look at Xia Ding in the darkness.

They knew Xia Ding was trying to divert their attention and make them endure a little longer, but the questions that had long lingered in their hearts were finally about to be answered. Xia Hong pricked up his ears and listened carefully as well.

"I have never seen the monster of Redwood Ridge. I heard about it from an old friend in Rogue Camp. In fact, among all nine camps around Redwood Ridge, only one person who saw that monster is still alive."

"Who?"

Xia Chuan was still young, at an age when curiosity overflowed and words could not be held back. While everyone else listened, he could not help asking.

Of course, he had asked on behalf of everyone.

"Luo Feng of Rogue Camp!"

Whoosh...

At the name Luo Feng, the crowd huddled together instantly erupted.

Even Xia Hong could not help revealing a look of astonishment.

Luo Feng, the previous chief of Rogue Camp, was rumored to have been Redwood Ridge's first Earth-Piercer Level powerhouse.

More than twenty years ago, Rogue Camp had actually been much like Great Xia—a small camp with just over two hundred people. Under Luo Feng's leadership, it steadily grew stronger until it finally became a medium-sized camp.

Everyone was surprised, first, because Luo Feng was famous.

Second, because rumors said that this man had already gone mad.

Fifteen years ago, news suddenly spread through Rogue Camp that Luo Feng had gone berserk during cultivation and lost his mind, even killing his own son with his own hands. The incident had caused an enormous uproar.

Could his madness be related to the monster?

"You're right. Luo Feng went mad because of that monster.

He encountered that monster while leading a Hunting Team.

There were twenty people in the entire team at the time. He was the only one who escaped death by the skin of his teeth.

But after he fled back to Rogue Camp, one night, for some unknown reason, he suddenly went mad and killed his youngest son. After coming to his senses, he became insane.

Before he went mad, he told the people in Rogue Camp's Hunting Team never to venture deep into Redwood Ridge. He also shared some information about that monster.

That was why a small number of people in Rogue Camp knew about it. I heard it from them."

"What exactly does that monster look like?"

Once again, Xia Chuan could not suppress his curiosity and asked.

Xia Ding did not answer immediately. He paused before speaking.

"It has no fixed appearance. I heard that monster can transform into the appearance of anyone."

Transform into anyone?

That had to be immortal magic, right?

The Seventy-Two Transformations?

Though Xia Hong knew this was a world of supernatural power, the ability to alter one's appearance at will still shook him deeply.

"Can't it be identified?"

Xia Hong could not help asking as well.

Xia Ding seemed somewhat surprised by the question. After a moment of silence, he answered.

"It can't be identified. No method works."

"Then what does it do after transforming into someone else?"

Someone else asked the crucial question, and Xia Hong pricked up his ears again.

Xia Ding's tone suddenly turned low and heavy. "I heard it transforms into someone you know and deceives you into trusting it. Once you trust it completely, you immediately become a human stake."

"A human stake?"

"A human stake that stands there without moving."

"Then what?"

"It uses a small knife to slice away every scrap of flesh from your body, one cut at a time. No matter how much it hurts, as long as all your flesh has not been completely cut away, you will not die."

Hiss...

Everyone could not help sucking in a cold breath.

How painful would that be? And the worst part was, the pain would not kill you.

Were monsters really this twisted?

Xia Ding's words frightened everyone, and the entire cave fell into silence.

However, at that moment, a clear voice came from outside the cave.

"Why did you seal the entrance so early? Open up, we're back."

With a shiver, everyone huddled inside the cave trembled almost at the same time when they heard that voice.

Xia Hong included.

"Open the entrance, now. Did you hear me?"

Another call came. In the pitch-black cave, everyone's pupils constricted violently.

As if by unspoken agreement, everyone first looked together toward the cave entrance.

Then they turned to look at Xia Ding, who had been speaking the entire time.

The shock on their faces gradually turned into profound terror.

Because the voice coming from outside the cave—

Was Xia Ding's voice as well...

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