"Yay! It's a popsicle!"
"It should be called ice leg."
Anyone want to try some?
"Forget it, I'm not interested in any ice legs except yours."
Me too.
"Ew~ Even I, a pervert, think you guys are perverts."
"..."
The clones were shouting and yelling on the Local Area Network.
In this icy and snowy landscape, at least we could see something else besides snow.
Lu Tongtong was startled and took two steps back.
Qin Ze Blue Flame Release, which condensed into a fire dragon that slowly coiled in the empty valley ahead.
The blazing flames instantly melted the surrounding ice and snow, and wisps of white mist rose into the air.
Before long, it quickly condensed into tiny ice crystals, which then fluttered down.
As the ice and snow on the ground melted, corpses appeared one by one.
The corpses lay scattered on the ground, numbering at least seventy or eighty.
Lu Tongtong covered her mouth in surprise, staring at the scene before her in disbelief.
Qin Ze put away the fire dragon and quickly stepped forward to examine the corpse.
Just like the girl at the entrance to the Ring Mountains.
These corpses also showed no fatal external injuries and were all ordinary people.
But the heads of each corpse were deeply sunken.
The head and brain melted together.
After examining the body, Qin Ze said calmly, "Looks like someone's up to something."
The bodies were all lying on the road leading towards the central lake.
It was as if they had received some kind of guidance.
"Should we notify the others?" Lu Tongtong asked.
Qin Ze looked ahead. "It's not too late to inform them after we reach the central lake and find the answer."
The Dharma King sneered in the Local Area Network: "So you want to enjoy the experience all to yourself, huh?"
Qin Ze ignored them and led Lu Tongtong past the corpses to continue forward.
The two were currently in a narrow valley.
The valley winds and twists, seemingly leading directly to the central lake.
Scattered corpses could still be seen on the ground ahead.
Most of them were half-covered by snow.
The condition was the same as the previous corpse.
All of them had collapsed heads.
The difference is that the collapse was not as severe.
"Wait for me here."
Qin Ze instructed Lu Tongtong to stay where she was, and went forward alone to examine the body.
He unleashed a blue fire dragon that rushed towards the valley ahead, melting most of the snow in the valley.
One by one, the bodies buried in the snow came to light.
It's not as dense as before.
They were at least ten meters apart.
"He is a martial artist."
After examining the first corpse, Qin Ze immediately frowned.
This is the corpse of a level Level One Martial Artist.
His brain wasn't melted to that extent.
My brain is mostly melted.
Only a small section of the upper right side of the skull melted.
Qin Ze then began examining the remaining bodies.
Without exception, they were all martial artists.
The further forward you go, the higher the level of the martial artist who dies, and the less their brains are melted.
Qin Ze narrowed his eyes slightly. "Things are starting to get interesting."
Lu Tongtong, who was not far behind, asked, "Do you need my help?"
Qin Ze replied, "Follow me, and keep a distance of thirty meters."
Lu Tongtong nodded, kept her distance, and obediently followed behind him.
Qin Ze cautiously moved forward, using flames to melt the surrounding snow.
Corpses kept emerging from the snow, though their numbers were decreasing, but their levels were getting higher and higher. Soon, the corpses of Level Two Martial Artist appeared.
Qin Ze squatted down to examine the body, but unexpectedly made a discovery.
Besides the brain being more completely preserved, Qin Ze discovered a faint trace of spiritual energy remaining in the corpse's brain.
He was all too familiar with this phenomenon.
These are the traces left behind by the Ghost Type after it finished possessing the body and left.
However, what Qin Ze couldn't understand was...
Ghost Type has already come all this way, why don't they eat its brains before leaving?
The melting of the corpse's brain was not caused by the Ghost Type devouring it, but rather by some kind of energy erosion.
Qin Ze frowned. "What exactly are they up to?"
"We've made a new discovery," Thousand Faces reported via the Local Area Network.
At this moment, Thousand Faces was in the office, with stacks of neatly categorized files on the table in front of him.
Qin Ze stood up and said, "Speak."
Thousand Faces said calmly, "I have categorized these missing persons in detail according to their age, gender, and whether they are martial artists."
"On the first day, all the people who went missing were ordinary people, and most of them were older."
"Starting from the second day, the missing people turned out to be martial artists, ranging from level one to level three."
"The majority of them are first- or second-level martial artists."
"Furthermore, numerous witnesses have claimed to have seen the missing persons outside Snow City."
"All the sightings were concentrated in the same area..."
Qin Ze said, "Near the Ring Mountains."
The Dharma King snapped his fingers, "Congratulations, you've even managed to answer first!"
Qin Ze stared at the scattered corpses on the ground, lost in thought.
These missing people were all summoned to the central lake of the Ring Mountains by some kind of guidance.
The guidance seemed to be through a kind of Ghost Type possession ability, parasitizing the human brain.
The first group of ordinary people who were Spiritual Sea of Consciousness were too fragile to bear this power, and their brains were overwhelmed and quickly melted, causing them to collapse halfway.
The "Guide" seems to have noticed this as well.
After that, he selected only martial artists, starting with Level One Martial Artist.
However, the vast majority of Level One Martial Artist don't have particularly strong Spiritual Sea of Consciousness either.
Those with weaker mental strength only went a little further than ordinary people, but they still failed to reach the central lake.
Even at the second or third level, martial artists possess superior mental strength, allowing them to go further.
This explains why Qin Ze initially saw only corpses of ordinary people gathered together, followed by scattered martial artists.
Qin Ze murmured to himself, "Who exactly is guiding them...?"
On a high mountain not far ahead.
The four Fairy stood in mid-air, hidden in the heavy snow.
Capricorn stared at Qin Ze and said in a sinister tone, "These two brats seem to have figured things out. Should I take care of them?"
The Fairy said coldly, "Are you afraid you haven't been exposed?"
Capricorn frowned. "I'm just afraid they'll cause trouble."
Aries crosses his arms. "What trouble can two kids cause? You're being a little too cautious."
Having said that, he glanced at the Fairy as if seeking praise.
The Fairy ignored them and said in a deep voice, "Don't worry about them, someone will take care of it."
"We just need to wait until the very end to pick the peaches."
Capricorn, unwilling to accept defeat, scratched his face, leaving two deep, bloody marks.
"Fine."
"Let them jump around a little longer."
Just then, Qin Ze suddenly looked over.
Because of the great distance and the vast expanse of white, Qin Ze saw nothing.
Capricorn scoffed, "Quite perceptive."
Qin Ze gazed at the distant mountains for a while, then looked away.
Just now, he sensed a faint killing intent coming from afar, but he saw nothing.
"What's wrong?"
Lu Tongtong asked from the side.
Qin Ze shook his head. "It's nothing, let's keep going, but be careful."
After walking about a hundred meters further, no more corpses appeared on the ground.
As we got closer to the central lake, the temperature began to rise gradually, and a light mist appeared in our field of vision.
Lu Tongtong suddenly tugged at Qin Ze's sleeve and whispered, "Someone's there."