Chapter 404: Chapter 195 Jade Bone, Conclusion, Cultivation Dilemma_2 Hiss... An astonishing scene unfolded. After Snow Mane’s bone was severed, a thick smoke billowed out, but this smoke was neither white nor black; it was cyan, just like the bone. Whoosh... Once the bone was cut, Snow Mane’s right forelimb was connected to its body by only a half of flesh, almost hanging from its chest. With just this bit of blurred flesh, how could it stop Xia Hong’s blade? Xia Hong’s gaze was fierce. He suddenly leapt up, coming down from high in the air, and the broken blade in his hand cleaved a fierce edge, cutting through the circle of flesh around the freshly fractured bone. Bang... Snow Mane’s right forelimb was torn from its body, crashing to the ground with a thunderous sound, the cyan smoke dissipating as Snow Mane wailed sorrowfully after its arm was severed. "Roar..." This roar no longer carried any of the arrogance from before. At this moment, Snow Mane looked at Xia Hong with eyes full of fear and panic. Its gaze began to flicker, and an obvious desire to retreat emerged. "Thinking of running away, it’s not that easy!" The intention to retreat was clear in Snow Mane’s eyes, which could not hide from Xia Hong. Ignoring the broken blade in his hand, he suddenly charged toward Snow Mane’s left forelimb. The intention to repeat his previous tactic was obvious! This time, Snow Mane dared not act recklessly. Not only did it swiftly retract its nine long tongues, but its body also frantically retreated, giving Xia Hong no chance to get close. Hiss... At the same time, an eerie sound came from Snow Mane’s body, as its head, limbs, and torso began to shrink wildly. In just three or four breaths, its massive body was reduced back to its original length of just over a meter, though the severed right forelimb was still missing. Xia Hong’s attack missed; seeing Snow Mane shrink back to a meter in size, his pupils slightly contracted as he turned to look at the severed limb on the ground. As expected, the severed limb had also shrunk to just a few dozen centimeters, matching Snow Mane’s current size. "The miniature form is its normal state; expansion is its combat state!" As this thought flashed through Xia Hong’s mind, Snow Mane had already transformed into a streak of black light, sprinting toward the southern Arrow Bamboo Forest. Xia Hong quickly got up to give chase, but after only a hundred meters, he looked ahead, his expression immediately tensing, and after hesitating for a moment, he decided to stop. The beast horde in the Arrow Bamboo Forest to the south had subsided, but a few Cold Beasts still wandered through. Earlier, he had taken advantage of the thinning beast horde to cross the forest and reach Jing Valley. Even then, at his peak, he felt a little uneasy, and now, his luck might not be so favorable. "Leader!" "Leader." ... Seeing Snow Mane escape, Yuwen Dao, Yue Feng, and others gathered around, looking at the blood-soaked Xia Hong with some concern. Crack... Xia Hong turned around, just about to speak, when the Yi Blade in his hand, now only a third of its original length, shattered, falling to the ground in pieces, leaving only the hilt in his grip. "Whew..." Xia Hong threw the hilt away, turned to the group, and waved slightly, saying: "I’m fine, gather to check on the wounded. Don’t wander before the beast horde passes; I’ll stay here for the next few days." Having said this, Xia Hong walked to the log cabin, picked up the severed limb of Snow Mane from the ground, and leapt onto the rooftop. Yuwen Dao and the others exchanged glances. Watching Xia Hong jump onto the roof and apply Golden Healing Powder to his wounds, they finally breathed a sigh of relief. "The leader seems fine; let’s count the wounded. Some might still be alive, let’s hurry and save them." "I’ll lead the team to treat the wounded; I entrust the Director with counting the casualties." "Alright." Yuwen Dao and Yue Feng divided the tasks, each leading a group to start the post-battle work. ... "Not only is its strength equivalent to Ten-maned, it can also expand its body twofold. Whether it’s the spines on its back, the nine long tongues, or even its intelligence, its combat talent surpasses both intermediate and low levels. This is the Advanced Snowman. No wonder, no wonder even He Yuanhun needs to team up with others to qualify to hunt it!" On the rooftop, Xia Hong lifted his clothes, looking at all the wounds on his body, a look of shock crossed his face, his eyes filled with indelible fear. This battle, although he won, he did not win gloriously! His current physical strength already reached Twelve Manes, surpassing this Advanced Snowman. Despite having an advantage in strength, he ended up with so many injuries and couldn’t even leave that Snow Mane behind. Xia Hong had some confidence in his combat skills. Having lived two lives, the four styles of long fist had almost fused into his bones. Twelve Manes was merely his basic strength. With his power-exerting techniques, he was well aware his momentary explosive power could exceed his body’s limit by twenty percent. Which means, effectively, he was combating with Fourteen Mane strength against this Snow Mane. Surpassing Snow Mane’s strength by over forty percent, yet the outcome was as it was. This meant that if they had equal strength, he would likely lose to this Snow Mane, perhaps even get killed... "No, that’s not right. Without a handy weapon, facing a High-level Cold Beast for the first time, unfamiliar with its traits, these were decisive factors. Moreover, its speed wasn’t that fast. Had it not retreated towards Arrow Bamboo Forest, if I continued chasing, the final result would be uncertain!" After summarizing the battle in his heart, Xia Hong’s brow slightly relaxed. Though he had acquired many wounds, most were superficial. With his current physique, applying Golden Healing Powder, he estimated it would take just over ten days to fully recover.