Chapter 121 - 108 Long-tailed Rodent [3-in-1 Mega Chapter]_4

Chapter 121: Chapter 108 Long-tailed Rodent [3-in-1 Mega Chapter]_4

Xia Hong leaped to block on Luo Yuan’s left side, only exchanging a glance with him, storing energy in his great blade. He took advantage of the moment when the rodent on the left had yet to attack, and slashed down preemptively where it was about to bite.

Luo Yuan, on his side, wielded his blade to fend off another rodent attacking his chest.

The speed of the two rodents was similar, almost simultaneously confronting the two in front.

Clang...

The situation was exactly the same as their first clash.

But this time, the sparks flying from the collision of the great blade and the rodent’s teeth were only a single burst.

Luo Yuan, who had just blocked the rodent attacking his chest, suddenly turned at the critical moment, blocking horizontally towards the teeth of the rodent on the left, ignoring the one attacking his chest.

Originally, Xia Hong had completed storing energy. As Luo Yuan turned, Xia Hong slashed with his blade, and then withdrew it, swinging it around again, changing his stance with the momentum, and completing a second energy charge.

Xia Hong’s pupils suddenly constricted, and he slashed decisively at the rodent that had just arrived.

From the moment the two switched positions to Xia Hong’s second energy charge and his slash towards the rodent,

the whole process was as smooth as flowing water.

Most critically, they communicated the entire time with just one glance.

"No matter how well you cooperate, can you be more synchronized than humans?"

Xia Hong slashed down, his gaze fierce, and his expression a bit ferocious.

The strength of these two rodents, when it comes down to it, wasn’t that strong.

He and Luo Yuan suffered in their first encounter because they were unfamiliar.

Luo Yuan didn’t expect that the opponent could so silently dig from the ground to before him; Xia Hong was surprised by the opponent’s speed, not expecting its tail to be so agile.

With Luo Yuan’s sudden positional switch in the battle, with a calculated move against an unprepared opponent, the rodent facing them couldn’t react in time. Because of their speed, responding in such a short time was impossible.

Additionally, Xia Hong and Luo Yuan were in a state of rest waiting for action. They switched positions at the last moment, sealing the fate of the rodent head-on.

The rodent that initially attacked Luo Yuan, upon seeing Xia Hong coming over, had a flicker of panic flash through its eyes, clearly realizing it couldn’t react in time.

Whish...

Xia Hong’s slash aimed at the rodent’s head seized the timing precisely. The blade cut through the air with a whistling sound, as if the surrounding air had paused for a moment.

But just as the great blade was about to strike, the rodent suddenly lifted its head mid-air.

Its pair of scarlet eyes shot out two beams of red light about an inch long, seemingly solidified into substance, like two sharp arrows meeting Xia Hong’s blade like needle points.

Sss...

The eye beams collided with the great blade, sending a strong recoil force that caused Xia Hong’s hands holding the blade to tremble incessantly. The blade that was initially aimed at the rodent’s head was deflected over half a meter by the recoil.

"These Cold Beasts indeed each have their trump cards; this inch of light must be the rodent’s last-ditch effort to stay alive. But you’re not quite mature enough to rely on this to survive!"

Xia Hong’s ferocious expression didn’t fade in the slightest. He gritted his teeth, steadied his blade, ignoring his cracked tiger’s mouth, and forcibly twisted the half-meter off-course blade back on track.

Crack...

The sound of bones breaking echoed in the night sky as the rodent’s body fell to the ground with a thud. The massive force of impact almost completely buried it in snow, leaving only its back exposed.

"Squeak, squeak..."

Accompanied by the last feeble squeak, its vitality was completely extinguished.

Xia Hong looked down at the rodent’s broken spinal column, taking a deep breath.

"Its teeth may be hard, but the strength of its internal bones is average. The inch of light is powerful, but the attack range seems short and might only be unleashed under mortal danger. So as long as these Long-tailed Rodents aren’t in swarms, the threat shouldn’t be too great!"

Whoosh...

"Leader, it’s trying to run!"

Before he could relax for long, Xia Hong was startled awake by Luo Yuan’s alert. Turning his head, he saw the other rodent had turned into a silver streak heading towards the cliffside, and his expression immediately tensed.

"Can’t let it escape, hurry and chase!"

Xia Hong shouted lowly, leading Luo Yuan to chase swiftly.

The Cold Beasts possess intelligence and can definitely communicate with each other. If this rodent returns to its group, it will definitely be a big problem.

The problem is, this rodent’s speed is too fast, darting dozens of meters away almost instantly. At Redwood Ridge’s perimeter, the cliffside was only seven to eight hundred meters away. If they continued to chase for a few more breaths, getting too close to the cliffside would be very dangerous.

Yet Xia Hong and Luo Yuan did not slow down.

In fact, as they watched the rodent nearing the exit of Redwood Ridge, a hint of anticipation flashed in their eyes.

The rodent was clearly aware that Xia Hong and Luo Yuan were slower than itself. Though a smirk appeared on its face, the gleam of ferocity in its eyes did not diminish as it continued to flee without slowing at all.

Twong...

Suddenly, a sound like a taut string echoed under the rodent’s feet.

Just shy of the final ten meters to escape Redwood Ridge, the rodent stumbled, its body tumbling forward several meters due to its intense inertia.

Whiz... whiz... whiz...

Simultaneously, several arrows shot swiftly from behind, piercing the rodent’s fallen body almost inexorably.

The rodent possessed a strong life force, still struggling towards the cliff after being pierced by several arrows. However, the arrows seemed relentless, their speed and force growing stronger until the last few arrows pierced completely through the rodent’s body and embedded into the snowy ground ahead.

The rodent’s life force rapidly diminished, its blood-red eyes reflecting a fierce and violent glare as it watched Xia Hong and Luo Yuan approaching from a distance. Seeing the two keeping their distance safely over ten meters away, continually shooting arrows at it, its expression grew even more ferocious.

Suddenly, as if realizing something, it raised its head skyward and opened its mouth, emitting a series of rhythmic calls into the air.

"Squeak... squeak... squeak, squeak..."

"It’s summoning its companions, stop it quickly!"

Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak...

To say Xia Hong’s reaction was fast is an understatement, yet the rodent’s communication efficiency clearly surpassed that. With just two or three cries, a rustling sound began to emanate from the ground.

Xia Hong and Luo Yuan turned their heads simultaneously, realizing the sound came from the North Slope of the cliff, and their expressions changed drastically. They quickly drew their bows and fired a series of four to five arrows at the rodent’s head.

As he issued the warning, Xia Chuan, who had been hiding on the other side of a large tree, blocking the rodent with the White Thread, and playing a crucial role, also dashed out. He drove the Black Blade into the rodent’s neck.

"Collect the bodies of the two rodents, pick up all the arrows on the ground, leave no traces, hurry, and run first into Redwood Ridge!"

At Xia Hong’s command, Luo Yuan immediately collected the bodies of the two rodents; Xia Chuan plucked the White Thread, retrieving all the arrows.

Having battled for so long, many traces were left on the ground.

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Xia Hong glanced around, and using his blade, he swept up the snow on the ground. Seeing Luo Yuan had wrapped the rodent bodies in leather, and Xia Chuan had recovered the arrows, he led them and rushed frantically into the depths of Redwood Ridge.

The three had barely fled for a dozen breaths when the ground began to tremble slightly, soon accompanied by countless squeaks.

"Squeak... squeak... squeak, squeak, squeak..."

"Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak..."

...

A large silver rodent head suddenly broke through the earth.

It extended its sharp nose, sniffing the air, then immediately turned towards the interior of Redwood Ridge, its red eyes, several times larger than those of other rodents, filled with ferocity.

After seemingly pondering for a moment, it withdrew back underground.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak..."

A squeak louder than any other rodent’s arose, accompanied by two distinct movements underground, one returning to the North Slope of the cliff, the other pursuing into the interior of Redwood Ridge, the direction where Xia Hong and his companions had fled.