Chapter 475
It’s Sliding Off
The blizzard worsened. It was snowing more than before.
Compared to the salt flats, the blizzard was not as bad at the village. The warriors who had lived through the storm at the salt mines were a lot calmer.
Shao Xuan rested for several days. When he was completely healed, he walked out of his house in the snow to his designated training grounds.
No one lived here and the soil was not suitable for agriculture. It was just an empty piece of land where children hung around sometimes. Previously, it was for the younger once to practice archery and chopping. In winter, even the advanced totemic warriors didn’t want to get out of their houses, let alone the kids. Shao Xuan was alone in this vast piece of land.
Since no one came here, the tribesmen did not clear the snow in this area to conserve labour. The layer of snow here was taller than Shao Xuan and growing.
Shao Xuan followed the path that had been cleared until the end. He saw the white wall of snow and took a deep breath.
He focused on the totemic power within, though it did not surge manically like when he had an enemy ahead. He did not need to unleash it with so much explosiveness either, or exceed his own limits.
He was not in a hurry now.
Totemic power flowed through his body, the power of inheritance extended from totemic flames and concentrated at the bone ornament on his chest. Just like how he had been borrowing his ancestor’s powers- right now, it was more gradual.
In the past, he practised to familiarise with the process. Right now, he practised to improve his control. He did not need it to be too strong, just focusing on every detail so everything would go according to his will.
WHoosh…
Flames rose out of the bone ornament and slowly grew until they engulfed Shao Xuan. Energy poured out of his every pore and came into contact with the wild winds outside. Air currents whistled, then grew more powerful into roars in his ears.
The thin layer of snow beneath his feet looked like they had been swept away to reveal a circle of soil.
Half an arm away from Shao Xuan, there was a three-meter thick layer of snow. However, it disappeared at a speed identifiable by the naked eye. It looked like an invisible hand was pushing out a dent in the snow wall right before Shao Xuan.
As wind and snow billowed around the flame-engulfed Shao Xuan, he took one step forward.
Boom!
One step sounded like a stomp from the hoof of a giant beast. This action generated a blast radius that collided with the thick snow. The dent in the wall deepened quickly, forming a huge semicircle. Pieces of snow flew in the air and were tossed far away.
One piece of rock was shaken into the air, then shot into the snow like a bullet.
A moment of pause after the first step. Then, the second step came.
Just like the first, a boom sounded as he stomped on the ground. The snow was pushed back further, a lot of it flying in the air. The dent in the snow wall grew larger.
These two steps were nothing compared to when he hit the Linlu chief at King City, compared to the power he wielded against the king beast, probably nothing compared to the two steps he took at Gongjia Mountain. Although this was loud, it was not powerful. The energy surge was a lot calmer and controlled. It was not of an explosive nature like before.
This was the result of Shao Xuan’s control over it.
He could control his powers better now, as he familiarised with it. This way, energy would not be wasted when not necessary. He focused his efforts only on a target.
But this wasn’t enough! This level of control wasn’t enough!
Third step…
Fourth step…
Step-by-step, he slowly strode forward. The booming noise softened and the ground shook less. Rocks no longer flew. Snow stopped flying off the wall.
Everything was more stable now.
Compared to external phenomena, the internal energy surge was more active than ever. He unleashed more and more totemic power so his body could withstand the bone ornament’s strength. His body changed too. Totemic patterns were as red as lava, ablaze as they covered almost his entire body.
Within the totemic flames, blue flames flooded to concentrate at his chest. At this moment, Shao Xuan did not hear anything from the outside world. His blood roared in his ears, supplemented by the loud thump-thump of his heartbeats.
The air currents on the surface of his skin looked like rolling steam. Air continued to whistle around him but after a while, this faded away.
In the past, his muscles would be completely stiffened when he activated the ornaments. Right now, he could take more than one step, and his movements were more smooth than stiff. Every step became easier too.
Amongst the vast white lands, he looked like a red fish, swimming happily in the sea of snow.
Zheng Luo was watching Shao Xuan from the peak of his hill, as if Shao Xuan was some alien. No one understood the power of the ornaments more than him. When Shao Xuan used the ornaments against the king beast, Zheng Luo had been the closest. That was just one encounter and the blast was enough to throw him into the air. He could not even walk after that and was mostly carried by Duo Kang. He had just begun to walk for a bit after resting for several days. Running was still difficult.
Shao Xuan was making huge progress. In the beginning, every step he took created a deafening boom and unleashed a lot of energy. Right now, he had a lot more control. Zheng Luo couldn’t believe this.
Was it really possible to command such a powerful force so gracefully? If it were that easy, there must have been more than one Shao Xuan in the past centuries.
The shamaness, clad in thick fur, watched with pride in her eyes. Her face was already numb from the cold. She turned to Zheng Luo. “Have you made the arrangements?”
“Yeah, they left this morning.” Zheng Luo looked hopeful but worried. “I hope they can arrive successfully.”
“We can only hope.” The shamaness looked at Shao Xuan, then turned to walk down the hill with Zheng Luo. Shao Xuan could walk easily in the snow but here, one was injured and the other very old. They could not withstand such cold.
After walking a while, Shao Xuan was already sweating. He rested to catch his breath and then continued.
There was already a three-meter wide path where he passed. All the snow had been pushed aside to reveal the dirt underneath. However, since it was snowing, a thin layer of white soon formed again.
Poof—
In front, due to the constant pushing, the snow had been packed solid and arched upwards.
The more he walked forward, the harder the snow wall was compressed. Every step grew more difficult.
The snow crunched as they were compared with every step.
At the foot of the hill, the patrol team carried shovels used for shoveling snow. They rested at a temporary resting area
This was actually a three-meter wide square. They first dug a narrow walkway by the road, then shoveled away a square.
All twenty warriors squeezed into this square, leaning against the compact snow walls.
The wind didn’t reach them as much here, and it was not as cold.
“When will this weird weather stop?” complained one.
“I don’t know. After sweeping this part, I’ve gotta go home to shovel my roof or my house is going to collapse soon.”
“I heard this is a disaster they hadn’t seen for hundreds and thousands of years. No one knows how the other areas are doing either.”
“Not just thousands, maybe tens of thousands!”
The patrol team debated within their temporary shelter.
As he spoke, a chunk of snow fell on the warrior sitting against a snow wall.
“Aargh!” He quickly brushed off the snow on his head. It didn’t hurt but it was very, very cold.
Everyone else looked up at the wall. Why did it fall so suddenly? Was it blown by the wind?
“Be careful, more of it is falling!”
Little lumps of snow gathered around the walls as if someone was pushing.
Everyone quickly avoided it.
“What’s that sound?!”
Poof—- Crunch crunch—
The sounds grew clearer.
Everyone forgot about the cold, merely staring in the same direction.
Rumble!
The snow wall cracked. They saw snow flowing down the hill.
“This is bad! Run!”
Some of them had seen avalanches when they travelled further to the snowy mountains. They heard that a strong impact or loud noise could trigger this. Did something similar happen at the tribe?
That’s not supposed to happen. The hill wasn’t that tall, its slope wasn’t too steep. An avalanche was not likely.
No matter what, they had to run.
All twenty ran along the path they cleared. After a distance away, they turned to look.
The square they previously rested in was already filled with snow. They saw a large, white worm wriggling down the hill. It squirmed over little by little, there was even a rhythm.
All of them watched with widened eyes. What was going on? They stood for a while until they sensed Shao Xuan’s presence.
“E-Elder?!”