The extreme cold even froze the tears.
Everyone just gathered silently together, quietly awaiting the verdict of fate.
Zhao Ya once again blew a whistle towards the sky.
And to make the sound travel farther, he used his True Power.
The sharp whistle pierced through the barrier of snow and wind, echoing in the wilderness.
Moments later, a cry came from the sky, and then the Free-Loading Bird leader appeared in the blizzard.
Upon seeing this massive figure, the group stirred.
Many whose hope had dimmed now had their eyes rekindled with hope.
Zhao Ya laughed heartily and patted the giant bird beside him.
"Lead the way!"
The Free-Loading Bird leader did not hesitate.
Even though the violent snowstorm was a great pressure to it, since Zhao Ya ordered it, it would follow unconditionally.
The enormous body struggled to fly up, circled once in the air, and then headed in one direction.
"Follow up!"
Actually, Zhao Ya didn’t need to say it; everyone followed obediently.
By now, the snow on the ground had piled up past the knees, making every step incredibly difficult.
Yet, even the weakest women gritted their teeth and persevered, not daring to fall behind.
Because falling behind meant death.
Sweat soaked the inside of the cotton clothes and then formed a thin layer of ice on the outside.
The immense physical exertion made many bodies tremble.
Yet the path under foot seemed endless.
Finally, someone could no longer hold on.
A woman, as she walked, suddenly felt her vision go black and was about to fall.
At that moment, a hand steadied her shoulder.
"Still holding on?" Zhao Ya asked softly.
The woman, pale, showed gratitude in her eyes and kept nodding, indicating she could make it.
In such moments, it’s hard to even save oneself, let alone help others.
So, even though Zhao Ya only supported her lightly, the woman was still deeply grateful.
Zhao Ya sighed inwardly, knowing the woman was actually lying.
She feared that if she said she couldn’t hold on, people would abandon her.
Many in the group were already near their physical limits.
Zhao Ya quickly moved to the front of the group, opened Yang Zhan’s caravan luggage, and took out the wine inside.
Fortunately, Yang Zhan’s tavern sold strong spirits; otherwise, at these low temperatures, weaker alcohol would freeze solid.
Zhao Ya passed the wine jars to the people one by one.
They eagerly opened the stoppers, gulped down a few swigs, and then passed them on.
The strong spirit, like fire, quickly dispelled the cold from their bodies.
Faces finally showed a hint of color.
Moreover, Zhao Ya took out a whole jar of good wine, leaped into the air, and landed on the back of the giant bird.
He opened the jar and poured it directly down the giant bird’s throat.
Even the native Free-Loading Bird was shivering in this harsh weather.
After all, in normal circumstances, it would be in its warm nest, not out here.
But after gulping down the jar, the giant bird enjoyed a satisfied burp, shaking off its previous shivering, and flew more steadily.
Only then did Zhao Ya land, patrolling the front and back of the group to prevent anyone from falling behind.
In truth, this matter didn’t relate to Zhao Ya.
But he had a principle in doing things.
Within his capability and without hindering himself, he would lend a hand when he could.
This wasn’t about being saintly, just a belief in his heart.
Zhao Ya had also received much help in rising from a poor boy in a small city.
If not for Chief of the Escort Meng Lei’s shelter, Zhao Ya wouldn’t have stepped on the Martial Dao path so smoothly.
The group’s people were deeply grateful for Zhao Ya’s help.
Even if Zhao Ya simply helped them up briefly.
In such extreme conditions, any help was precious.
As everyone trudged on, Zhao Ya suddenly felt something in the wind and snow behind.
He immediately turned to look but found nothing.
"What’s wrong?" Kong Xiangdong noticed Zhao Ya’s strange behavior and gestured to ask.
Zhao Ya shook his head without explaining.
Though he was sure it wasn’t an illusion.
But at this time, saying it would only add to stress without serving any purpose.
Kong Xiangdong understood Zhao Ya’s meaning and left without further questions.
At this moment, all he could do was not add to Zhao Ya’s burden.
Zhao Ya quietly went to the back of the group.
His Perception Ability was significantly weakened by the snowstorm.
But Zhao Ya noticed something strange.
When he focused fully on a matter, his brain’s processing speed seemed to level up.
Not only could he shut out distractions, but his thought agility and associative ability far exceeded normal.
This feeling was as if his brain was overclocked.
Zhao Ya speculated this was the effect of unlocking his brain.
This ability was perfectly timed.
Zhao Ya took a slow breath, shut out extraneous thoughts, and widened his perception range.
The wind and snow were like countless noises, disturbing Zhao Ya’s perception.
But now, his overclocked brain demonstrated its robust processing ability.
The noise was quickly shielded and filtered out...
Soon, Zhao Ya’s perception adapted to the surrounding environment.
Finally.
He once again detected something strange.
This aura was clearly not human and felt very familiar!
It was the Human-faced Bear!
Zhao Ya quickly realized.
And not just one; there was at least a group of Human-faced Bears.
This discovery made Zhao Ya’s expression serious.
He certainly didn’t fear such Exotic Beasts.
But at this moment, in this environment, if the Human-faced Bears attacked, these fleeing people would likely all perish.
Zhao Ya quietly gripped the hilt of his knife, ready for action.
The snowstorm prevented him from employing many of his methods.
Especially his Poison Dao techniques, which were heavily restricted.
In such strong winds, any Poisonous Powder released would immediately be blown away.
Otherwise, he could test his newly developed Poisonous Powder on the Human-faced Bears.
But after waiting, Zhao Ya found the Human-faced Bears seemed disinterested in attacking, simply following behind.
Moreover, as his brain filtered the environmental noise, Zhao Ya discovered several other Exotic Beasts.
For instance, the pack of Snow Wolves behind the Human-faced Bears.
These Exotic Beasts, typically mortal enemies, now cooperatively moved without attacking.
Zhao Ya had an epiphany.
The Exotic Beasts weren’t attempting a sneak attack but were using the path.
Given the group leading in front, it made their journey easier.
Realizing this, Zhao Ya relaxed significantly.
Though still vigilant, the immediate danger had passed temporarily.
He quickly moved to the front and gestured "all clear" to Kong Xiangdong.
Finally, Kong Xiangdong’s worry subsided.
Thus, as people trudged arduously, they warmed themselves with sips of alcohol.
No one knew how much time had passed.
People were dazed and numb, feeling as if the blizzard would never end.
Suddenly.
As if a giant hand pressed the pause button, the howling wind vanished.
Along with it, the snowflakes also disappeared.
Starlight shone down, reflected in everyone’s eyes.