Chapter 730 - 348: Snow Mastiff Hero! (Part 2)

However, surviving on the Arctic Snowfield is far more difficult than imagined, especially for them who are now ordinary humans with their cultivation abolished. Fortunately, even the malevolent beings abhor the Arctic’s severe cold, or perhaps they haven’t discovered a breach here yet. In any case, few malevolent beings have landed here, and most are truly blocked by the blizzards on this side of the snowfield.

Malevolent beings are not interested in ordinary humans, but occasionally they will offer a little to those who make offerings, though they require some compensation. In the tribe, there is an unwritten rule that those nearing death can offer their blood and flesh in exchange for some precious food from the malevolent beings.

Their obsession with cleansing their sins made them exceptionally determined, and these malevolent beings could not shake their faith. Thus, relying on hunting and occasional unexpected gains, they persisted until today.

"And what about Little Deer? If I’m not mistaken, on that day under the snow mountain, Little Deer was the offering you prepared for it, wasn’t she?"

You Su’s voice was cold and eerie, as if at the slightest deception from the old man, he would raise his sword and strike.

Little Deer stared blankly at the old man and You Su, then turned her head to look at her mother and father crouching on the ground.

Both her mother and father were shedding tears, hot tears quickly turning dry in the cold wind. Little Deer didn’t know why, just felt a wrenching pain in her heart, yet her mind was blank.

"Little Deer... actually should have died long ago..."

The old man lowered his head, his voice aged and guilt-ridden.

As his words fell, Little Deer’s small body trembled as if frozen in place.

"Little Deer was a premature child; she was almost dead when she was born. She definitely wouldn’t have survived that polar night. We prayed to the Evil God, only in exchange for food. But Little Deer’s grandmother and grandfather broke the rule; those two used their lives to exchange from the malevolent beings, giving Little Deer a chance to live. Then those two elders became malevolent followers, following the malevolent being away from here. Before they left, they blamed themselves for their incompetence, only managing to exchange thirteen years of life for Little Deer..."

"We always hoped to give Little Deer a happy time, so we kept it as an unspoken secret. Seeing that the thirteen years were about to be up, Little Deer’s parents were expecting a new child..."

At this point, the old man could no longer continue, and amidst the silent crowd came waves of sobbing, which were the cries of Little Deer’s parents.

The emotions conveyed through the cries were complex and obscure, deeply saddening.

Little Deer stood dazed as if she’d lost her soul, the snow and wind seemingly about to blow her away at any moment.

The reason left unfinished could be guessed by You Su; sending the dying to exchange resources was just the norm for these people’s survival. The elderly, the young adults, and even the children, all under this rule had no exceptions. Moreover, Little Deer’s sacrifice could bring a glimmer of hope for survival to the unborn child.

You Su felt he couldn’t judge the rights and wrongs of these events; everything had its reasons.

The snow is clearly such a pure thing, but upon closer inspection, each snowflake has a complex structure, much like this intricate world born on the snow.

He looked around, the tattered tents, the ragged clansmen, with eyes flickering with hope and despair, forming a desolate and tragic scene.

The north wind carrying snowflakes howled across this bitterly cold land, as if mocking the fate of these exiles.

The old man took a deep breath, seemingly gathering courage, "The Divine Radiance Stone has great significance to us, it represents the mistakes we made, and we want to atone..." he paused, his voice choking, "As long as we can return the Divine Radiance Stone to its original place, we will die without regret..."

Little Deer regained her consciousness, but the series of complex events almost broke the young girl’s psychological defenses. She covered her face and ran away in an instant.

Little Deer’s parents hurriedly got up to chase after their sensible daughter, with the husband constantly reminding his wife to be careful of the baby in her belly.

The sad and helpless atmosphere affected others; a young woman holding a child wept quietly. The child, too young to understand what was happening, simply clung tightly to his mother’s coat.

You Su watched them, feeling a mix of emotions. He originally just wanted to leave this desolate place as quickly as possible but found himself unexpectedly entangled in the fate of these exiles.

"I can help you retrieve the Divine Radiance Stone," You Su’s voice was especially clear amidst the wind and snow, "but in exchange, you must help me cross the blizzard."

The old man suddenly raised his head, a glimmer of delight flashing in his eyes, "Really? Immortal Master, you really are willing to help us?"

"Why are you so certain I can help you?" You Su asked curiously, still harboring resentment over their attempt to assassinate him.

The old man had evidently thought of this aspect as well. He crawled forward, burying his head deeply in the snow.

"You didn’t come from Beiao Continent; you came from... from the sea without the Divine Radiance Stone’s barrier..."

Upon hearing this, You Su silently tightened his grip on the bowl in his hand, but quickly relaxed it again.

Clearly, only monsters could crawl out of the sea.

Before killing a monster, the old man chose to believe him.

"I said, I am not a god," You Su’s tone remained cool, but his gaze softened slightly, "My name is You Su."

"You Su... Immortal Master!" The old man was so excited that he became somewhat incoherent.

"Then first tell me how to cross the blizzard."

You Su walked to the fire, sat cross-legged, and gestured for the old man to sit over, "I can’t finish such a big pot of deer soup by myself, drink while it’s hot, don’t let it go to waste."

The Clan Leader raised his head tremulously, his gaze no longer cloudy, nor just fervent and earnest, but much softer, revealing a genuine gratitude for the young man before him.

The clansmen also gathered around. They were originally fellow disciples of the same sect, but thirty years of acquaintance and coexistence had turned them into clansmen.

The Clan Leader gathered his thoughts, went to You Su, and pointed to the distant white expanse, saying, "That blizzard is no ordinary snowstorm; it’s more like a barrier blocking all creatures trying to cross it."

The distant white expanse was like a giant beast that devoured everything, awe-inspiring and intimidating.

"In the era when our ancestors lived, the entire Beiao Continent was filled with such rough blizzards. They researched for hundreds of years before discovering a breathing technique that allowed survival within it, called ’Snow Breathing’."

The old man explained while demonstrating.

He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, but the breath he exhaled didn’t turn into white mist; instead, it quickly dissipated into the air.

"The key to Snow Breathing is to draw air from the gaps between the snowflakes. This air is thinner than ordinary air but purer, able to resist the erosion of the blizzard."

He slowly exhaled a breath, pointing to the breath he exhaled to indicate to You Su.

As if to convince You Su, he even made an exaggerated move—

"Immortal Master You Su! Please eat first!"

After greeting, the old man bent down and buried his entire head in the snow at his feet.

You Su almost thought he couldn’t think straight and was seeking death, but seeing the surrounding clansmen seemingly uninterested in saving the old man, he could only watch quietly.

The old man was like an ostrich in the snow, motionless until the soup in You Su’s bowl cooled, and You Su finally couldn’t bear to pull him out for fear his body had gone cold too.

But unexpectedly, the old man hadn’t died frozen there; he was really breathing under the snow.

During the Clan Leader’s explanation, the expressions of the surrounding clansmen varied. Some were filled with caution towards You Su, the mysterious youth, whispering among themselves with suspicion in their eyes. Others were full of hope, longing for You Su to help them retrieve the Divine Radiance Stone, so they could atone and go home.

You Su drank the venison soup in one gulp and looked up at the sky obscured by the wind and snow.

He knew that behind this snowfield, more secrets were hidden, and he was about to step into this unknown realm.