Chapter 371. The Xuexue Tribe (1)

The vanguard dismembered the bodies of the yeti.

Since the North Sea was a place where one had to survive off the land, each warrior’s butchery skills were exceptional.

After removing the fur and inedible parts, they stored the rest of the meat in their luggage.

In addition, they buried the dead and prayed for their souls.

Despite all their efforts, more than forty people had died. The yeti had been stronger than expected, and there was nothing they could do.

Still, they had to take comfort in the fact that the casualties were small compared to the enemy.

“Are we just going to bury them and end it without a funeral?” Luo Xiaoyue asked. Her forlorn eyes turned to the warriors of the Ice Palace buried in the snow.

“Is there a problem?” Hawar tilted her head and asked in return.

“No.”

Luo Xiaoyue shook her head with a bitter smile.

As expected, even if they belong to the murim, their culture is different.

There was a reason why there were so few people in the North Sea. This land of extreme cold was called the Land of Death, and it took dozens of lives every day.

Death was a familiar thing.

In the Central Plains, they cremated or buried people deep underground because of the smell of rotting corpses, corpse poisoning, and other diseases, but there was no need to worry about that in this frozen land.

Blood, flesh, diseases, and poisons would all freeze in less than an hour in this extreme cold.

Luo Xiaoyue stared at the snow-covered graves for a long time, then put her hands together and prayed for the souls to rest in peace.

Meanwhile, the vanguard spent about a day treating the injured and making winter clothing.

No matter how good their skills and techniques were, they had to make more clothing for about four hundred and sixty people, so it took some time.

Thankfully, although they had only been able to get a hundred and fifty pelts from the yeti, since each yeti was so large, there was enough leather to clothe everyone.

Zhou Xuchuan, Luo Xiaoyue, Little Ghost, and others who weren't good at making clothes were busy cooking the meat.

“It smells a bit strong, but... it’s edible.”

“Bear meat?”

The yeti’s meat was similar to that of a bear. It had the distinct smell of a carnivore and a firm, slightly chewy texture.

Still, it was more than passable.

"I wish I could get the taste of a bear's palm..."

Zhou Xuchuan licked his lips with regret.

Bear palms, the soles of a bear's paws, were a delicacy that was only served on the table of emperors. However, the yeti’s hands and feet resembled those of humans or monkeys more than bears, so they weren't edible.

After finishing their preparations, the vanguard filled their bellies and put on the new winter clothes before crossing the peak of the mountain.

Although the weather wasn't very good, since they couldn't wait any longer, they passed through the ice and snow storm.

"It's not as cold as I thought, huh?"

"I was wondering how the yeti were fine in this cold, I guess this is why."

The winter clothing made from yeti fur was well received. The fur was thick and blocked all the sharp winds. The inside was also very warm, which was nice. The only downside was that it was heavy.

***

As the vanguard crossed the Southern Mountains and arrived at the East Mountain, the rear party led by Leng Yuefei headed to the West Mountain.

Since they were weaker warriors and were also a large army, their advance speed was slow. Still, they advanced without much damage.

Moreover, they used a different route than the actual mountain so that the vanguard's presence wouldn't be discovered.

Unfortunately, since they were also part of the large army in the North Sea, they were noticed by the Sakha’s watchmen and their movements were relayed to the enemy.

"The Palace Master of the Ice Palace has finally emerged."

The Sakha's leader, Nar, stood up as if she had been waiting. As was typical of the powers of the North Sea, the Sakha society was matriarchal, and its leader was a woman.

Her face was covered in wrinkles, and her eyes were fierce. Her tightly closed lips were filled with stubbornness.

As if to prove that she was the leader, she wore a golden crown on her head.

"I let you escape last time, but this time, I'm going to take your life. I will make it clear to all that I am the true leader of the North Sea."

After the Ice Palace’s investigation team discovered the Ten Thousand Year Ice Essence, Leng Yuefei had gone in person to destroy it.

Unfortunately, however, the news had already been reported to Sahka and Xuexue, and Leng Yuefei was attacked by both armies the moment she reached the Ten Thousand Year Ice Essence. Eventually, she had to retreat.

“How many troops do they have?”

“That’s... only about two thousand.”

The Sahka's guard captain looked skeptical. Given the Ice Palace’s strength, it seemed odd that only two thousand of their three thousand warriors had been mobilized.

It felt like a small number, especially with the stakes so high.

"Hmph, if the Ice Palace has three thousand warriors and only sent two thousand, the answer is obvious. Five hundred would be left behind to defend the palace, and the remaining five hundred would have been sent to those native savages as an elite unit. That’s not surprising."

Since this was a three-way battle, no faction could afford to concentrate all its forces in one place.

From the perspective of the North Sea Ice Palace, which had the most power, it was better to divide their forces and keep both enemies in check rather than risking a surprise attack.

“The Ten Thousand Year Ice Essence will belong to Sahka.”

***

The large army of two thousand, the rearguard and the main force, climbed the West Mountain.

Sometimes they climbed ice walls that seemed to have been carved by the gods, and sometimes they climbed hills that required constant looking up. Just like the vanguard, they were greeted by an ice storm, and even warriors of the North Sea frowned under the bitter cold.

“Ugh, it’s so cold..."

“Is it because we're near the Ten Thousand Year Ice Essence?”

"This is a hellish place even within the North Sea."

The northernmost part of the North Sea, the Yishan Ice Valley, was considered cold even within the North Sea. The current conditions made it worse than ever.

“I wonder if the vanguard is okay...”

The Captain of the North Sea's Combat Squadron, the North Wind Squadron, Xue Yong, muttered worriedly.

Her silver hair, which reached her collarbone, sparkled whenever the wind blew.

"Unlike our main force, they probably have less food..."

They were eating until their bellies were about to burst. They were even considering the taste.

"They weren't even able to get proper coats due to the speed of the advance..."

Thanks to the fur of the yeti, they were warm enough to get sleepy.

"Captain, I don't think this is the time to worry about that," Davaa said. He was a man of the North Sea with a fox-like appearance, squinted eyes, and was one of the new male experts of the North Sea.

"Growl!!!"

"Huff, huff!!"

"Awooooooo!"

A beast’s howl was heard from beyond the hill.

“Wolves...”

Xue Yong furrowed her delicate eyebrows and moved her hands to her waist. The atmosphere of the rearguard also grew tense.

After pushing through snowdrifts that reached her ankles and climbing the hill, a wide plain finally came into view.

If it hadn’t been a battlefield, she might have gasped in awe.

The mountain visible beyond the plains was a stunning display of nature, and its majesty was enough to make one feel overwhelmed. Its vast slopes, covered in pure white snow, were beyond words, and the clouds above looked so mysterious it felt like fairies or nymphs could descend at any moment.

At the end of this basin, the ice valley containing the Ten Thousand Year Ice Essence was visible. But the real problem lay in the land before it.

“The Sakha Tribe!”

Across the plain, tents and igloos dotted the snow-covered ground. And in front of them stood the enemy army, brimming with hostility and accompanied by gray wolves.

When Xue Yong heard the wolves howl, she grew wary not because she was afraid of the wolves, but because the owners of the wolves were the Sahka Tribe.

“North Wind Captain, sound the call," said Leng Yuefei, standing at the center of the main force. Her voice was calm and expressionless.

“Understood.”

Xue Yong placed her hand on her left chest in salute, bowed to Leng Yuefei, then turned to face the troops.

“All troops!”

The North Wind Captain shouted at the top of her lungs.

“Show them the power of the Ice Palace!”

***

Between the East and West Mountains, there was a basin surrounding the valley of ice.

Moreover, if one crossed through the basin and reached its center, a steep cliff would appear, and at its base lay the valley in question.

Although the landscape was mountainous, the presence of the valley between them meant that a shout from one side could be clearly heard on the other.

The Basin, East Mountain side.

On the ground stood round homes made from snow stacked like bricks.

RAH!

As the cries of the Ice Palace echoed from the West Mountain, warriors jumped out from the Xuexue tribe's camp.

It was a dazzling reaction, as if they had been waiting for it.

"So they've arrived."

A thin voice rang out.

The warriors bowed the instant they heard it, their gestures full of respect.

Thud, thud, thud.

A small figure stepped forward from among them.

They wore a wooden mask painted in strange colors, concealing their face. Their body was wrapped in thick, fur-lined winter garments typical of the North Sea, making it impossible to determine anything about their appearance.

As North Sea people were known for their beauty, and many men resembled women, it was difficult to guess the gender of the Xuexue tribespeople.

“Elder Shaman.”

The person was the leader of the Xuexue Tribe, and a ritual sorcerer, Shaman.[1]

Unlike the Southern Jungles, which was known as the birthplace of sorcery, there were very few sorcerers in the North Sea.

Perhaps because of this, the status of sorcerers in the North Sea was very high, and they were revered almost as if they were gods.

"So the cursed plunderers of the garden have started fighting, blinded by greed.”

A mocking sound came out of Shaman’s mouth as if they were pleased.

“Children, prepare to leave the basin. While those women fight, blinded by greed, we must go to the source of the sea, to greet our mother. We are heading to the valley.”

“Leader. Pardon my insolence, but may I speak?”

“Permitted.”

“I’m concerned that they left us alone while they attacked the Sahka Tribe. Could it be some kind of trap?”

“That’s a good point. You’re right. They must have sent people to this mountain to keep us in check. But don’t worry about that.”

“What is that?”

“I knew that would happen and prepared accordingly.”

A dark smile formed beneath the mask.

“Keuhehehe..."

The yeti, spiritual beasts hidden in the southern mountain range, residing on the East Mountain, had been moved by sorcery.

“The yeti!”

The warrior who asked the question exclaimed.

“Ohhh...”

“Moving the yeti...”

“As expected of Elder Shaman!”

The yeti, legendary monsters of the North Sea.

The Xuexue tribe also knew how strong they were.

While they hadn't been able to see the yeti recently either, in the old days, they would fight the yeti to prove their abilities as warriors.

“Even if they sent their elite from the Ice Palace, it would be difficult to deal with the yeti, the masters of the mountains, in this climate. They must be having a hard time right now.”

Shaman walked forward with light steps, as if taking a walk, and spread their arms wide proudly.

“Now, use the snow as your shoes and walk! Take the power of the mother who sleeps beneath the ice valley, and show them who the leader of the North Sea is!”[2]

“Woooooooo!”

“Tell those greedy plunderers who have defiled the land given to us by the ancestors, who the master of the North Sea is!”

Shaman’s ominous and majestic voice echoed throughout the North Sea.

“We who were born in the North Sea, who are friends with nature and control even the yeti, are the true leaders!”

The eyes behind the wooden mask shone brightly.

“Hohohoho!”

***

“Hmm...”

Myagmar, wearing the fur of a yeti, licked his lips and glanced back.

"So that's what they said, what should we do?"

"It seems they’ve said everything they wanted to. Let’s go," Zhou Xuchuan replied, swinging his sword as if to urge everyone forward.

1. This person name is literally Shaman (Sha + Man). ☜

2. Xuexue means snowshoes. ☜