Beast Fighting

"Yuan Cheng and Lin Kai, go put out the stove. Xia Chuan and Yue Feng, the five of you come with me to the cave entrance. Everyone else, retreat inside, quickly!"

In the face of the sudden crisis, Xia Hong quickly made his arrangements.

The Frost Beasts were already very close to the cave entrance; running outside was not a realistic option.

Besides, it was daytime. If they ran out, even those with Lumbering Realm cultivation like themselves couldn't withstand the extreme cold outside, let alone the others in the camp.

The cave wasn't large, but it was no problem for the crowd to move about ten meters further inside.

"It's daytime now. If we extinguish the fire, they won't last long..."

Yuan Cheng had been confused when he first heard the order, but the situation was critical, and he didn't have time to ask. After putting out the fire, he finally asked.

"Don't you remember? The small torches we used when the Leader went out hunting came from this stove."

Hearing Lin Kai's answer, Yuan Cheng's expression immediately changed.

They had all witnessed firsthand how crazed the Frost Beasts became over the small torches.

If this blazing stove were discovered by the Frost Beasts, it would be disastrous.

"Fortunately, the Leader reminded us, otherwise it would have been terrible. I remember those torches could not only heal Frost Beasts but also enhance their strength."

"Yuan Cheng, Lin Kai, hurry over here to help once the fire is out!"

Hearing Xia Chuan's voice, the two of them quickly rushed towards the cave entrance.

"Quick, bring some wood over to block the entrance, just in case."

The ground was still shaking. Xia Hong had everyone move all the wood stored inside the cave to the very center of the entrance. He himself walked to the side of the entrance and gently dug a small hole, wanting to get a clear look at what was happening outside.

The moment the small hole was opened, a beam of light immediately shot in.

There was no firelight illuminating the cave anymore; it was pitch black.

It was daytime outside now, so sunlight shining through the small hole was normal.

However, along with that beam of sunlight, a bone-chilling cold also entered the cave.

Xia Hong, who was closest to the small hole, could even see with his naked eye the dust and particles in the sunlight condensing at an incredibly terrifying speed. In just three to four breaths, snowflakes formed out of thin air and drifted down.

Xia Hong's pupils trembled slightly. He tentatively extended his palm into the sunlight.

Hiss...

The instant the sunlight hit his palm, an agonizing cold shot straight from his palm to his forehead. The area on his palm quickly turned blue, and even the blood within stopped flowing.

Sensing his palm going numb and the numbness spreading to other parts of his body, Xia Hong's expression changed slightly. He quickly retracted his hand and rubbed it dozens of times before the numbness gradually subsided.

"The daytime temperature can actually drop to this extent. No wonder they say humans can only live in the shadows. Even with Earth Excavation Realm cultivation, one probably couldn't walk freely under the sun."

Xia Hong shook his hand. After it had fully recovered, he aimed his eyes at the small hole and looked outside.

If the sunlight on his skin was like this, how much worse would it be directly on his eyeballs? The moment his eyes met the small hole, a sharp pain shot up to his forehead. Xia Hong endured the pain and quickly checked the situation outside.

Upon seeing it, Xia Hong's heart sank to the bottom.

A colossal beast, six-legged, four-limbed, about five to six meters long, resembling a goat, seemed to be startled and was charging frantically towards the hillside.

The behemoth was at least two meters tall at the shoulder. Under its fierce charge, it plowed through not just trees but even small dirt slopes along its path.

"It's that goat-like Frost Beast, charging this way!"

Xia Hong's eyes reached their limit. He quickly pulled back and sealed the small hole.

Hearing this, Xia Chuan and the others' faces all changed.

They had all seen that goat-like Frost Beast before.

But it was always at night, when they saw it sleeping on the Golden Scale Tree.

The goat-like Frost Beast was too large, and they didn't understand it, so Xia Hong always avoided it during hunts.

"Don't worry. Although the direction is towards the dirt slope, it might not be able to find our cave. Let's assess the situation first."

The Frost Beast was already very close to the cave entrance. Fearing discovery, Xia Hong didn't open the small hole again. He simply stood with the others by the sides of the cave entrance.

Everyone hoped the Frost Beast wouldn't find the cave and would leave on its own.

Bang... bang... bang...

Perhaps their prayers had worked, but the Frost Beast's footsteps suddenly slowed. Not only were they no longer as ferocious as before, but the sound indicated it was moving further away from the cave entrance.

Everyone's hearts finally settled a little.

"It must have been an accident. This Frost Beast didn't find the cave; it went back."

Only Xia Hong frowned, a sense of unease growing within him.

Thinking of something, Xia Hong suddenly crouched down, placing his ear to the ground.

After listening for less than three breaths, Xia Hong's expression changed drastically. He sprang up from the ground and shouted sternly at everyone:

"Quick, scatter to the sides!"

Everyone jolted and moved swiftly, retreating to the sides of the cave entrance.

Bang...

The moment the eight people retreated to the sides, six sharp horns instantly broke through the cave entrance. Not only were the branches and sod that originally blocked the entrance pierced, but even the logs the group had just moved were penetrated in an instant, turning into countless wood chips that flew everywhere.

Under the violent impact, the entire cave entrance was destroyed.

A deadly chill seeped into the cave along with a large amount of sunlight. Xia Hong and the other eight, who were closest to the entrance, felt a layer of frost instantly form on their animal skin skirts.

"You guys retreat further inside. We can't fight it at the entrance!"

Xia Hong urged the others to retreat, but he gritted his teeth and charged forward first, grabbing the Frost Beast's horns.

After grabbing the horns, Xia Hong was almost tossed away by the beast. Even though he forcefully stabilized himself, the Frost Beast's violent charge sent him staggering backward continuously.

Despite this, Xia Hong used his footing to constantly adjust the direction of the Frost Beast's charge. He retreated twenty to thirty meters, and the direction of the Frost Beast's charge changed from the inside of the cave to the left wall.

Of course, he didn't charge forward to wrestle with the Frost Beast.

Judging by its size alone, this sheep-like Frost Beast was much stronger than the Snow Mane. With his current strength, which could at best rival an adult Snow Mane, he definitely couldn't block it.

He just wanted to change the direction of the Frost Beast's charge.

If everyone retreated inside and the Frost Beast continued to charge inward, no one would be able to withstand that kind of impact.

Just as it was about to hit the left wall, Xia Hong braced his legs and pushed hard against the wall. He let go with his right hand, drew a Stone Axe from his waist, and seizing the moment the Frost Beast was charging towards the right wall, he swung down fiercely at its head.

Clang...

However, the Frost Beast, with horns on its head, didn't even move much.

It merely tilted its head slightly and used its horns to block Xia Hong's Stone Axe.

Not only did it block it, but it also shattered the Stone Axe in Xia Hong's hand.

Looking at the Stone Axe in his hand, which was now just a wooden handle, Xia Hong was dumbfounded.

"Leader, catch the axe!"

Xia Hong raised his hand and caught the axe thrown by Xia Chuan, finally feeling a sense of relief.

Xia Chuan, Yuan Cheng, and the others had already surrounded them. Holding ropes, three on one side and four on the other, they threw ropes from the left and right sides to bind the Frost Beast. Then, they pulled back with all their might.

Although all seven of them were only in the Lumbering Realm, their combined strength was still astonishing. Once the Frost Beast's main body was bound and they pulled, it stumbled unexpectedly, almost falling over.

Roar...

The Frost Beast forcefully stabilized itself and let out a roar that echoed throughout the cave. Realizing it couldn't break free from the ropes, it could only maintain a stalemate with its opponents. Its anger was clearly escalating rapidly.