Chapter 87: [Seeking First Subscription] Chapter 87 Attempt Moving to this side of the valley expanded not only the hunting range but also introduced a completely different hunting environment. Therefore, as soon as they entered Redwood Ridge, Xia Hong didn’t rashly start searching for prey. Instead, he had Luo Yuan lead the group to familiarize themselves with the environment within a 500-meter perimeter first. While getting familiar with the environment, they quickly figured out the distribution of Cold Beasts within this 500-meter perimeter. "There are seven in total, three of which are less than fifty meters apart and should not be considered for now. The other four include two Snow Manes, one Frost Wolf, and one Golden-eyed Demon Sheep, each over a hundred meters apart. We can consider targeting one of these." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢 After summarizing the reports from everyone, Xia Hong sketched a rough map on the snow, glanced at the animal trap underfoot, his expression slightly moved, and then aimed the branch in his hand toward the southwest. "That Snow Mane is the farthest, let’s target it first!" In the past, Xia Hong would choose targets in the center of multiple Cold Beasts when using torches to lure them into mutual killings. But times have changed, and so must the hunting strategies. The group walked southwest for a while and quickly spotted an unusually robust Golden Frost Tree about thirty meters away. Xia Hong called everyone to a stop and then signaled to Xia Chuan. Xia Chuan nodded, took a Sheep Horn Chisel from behind, found an open area, and cleared the snow to reveal a dark, ice-coated ground. Looking at the dark ground, Xia Chuan’s eyes gleamed with eager excitement. He raised the Sheep Horn Chisel in his hand and struck down forcefully at the ground. Bang... A great rebound force traveled from the ground to the Sheep Horn Chisel, causing Xia Chuan’s arm to flip back a full circle, sending him flying back three or four meters. If Xia Hong hadn’t caught him with quick reflexes, he would have stumbled to the ground. "Don’t try recklessly; the ground here is too hard. Without Earth-digging Realm strength, you won’t be able to break it. Let me do it!" Xia Hong shook his head, took the Sheep Horn Chisel, gripped the handle with both hands, held his breath, and struck down forcefully at the ground. Crack... A crisp sound of shattering ice crystals resounded as the Sheep Horn Chisel successfully penetrated the soil beneath. Upon seeing the breach in the ground, others couldn’t help but be envious. It seemed like merely breaking the ground, but this signified Earth-digging Realm strength. More importantly, Xia Hong was so young. Although Luo Yuan had more than eight thousand pounds of Basic Strength, he was already in his thirties. Not only him, but the Zhao brothers, the Li and Ying families, and Zou Yuankai were all over twenty-five. Compared to the Logging Realm in Great Xia, they were relatively older, so not only when they saw Xia Hong, but sometimes looking at Xia Chuan, Yuan Cheng, and others, they would feel a bit envious. After all, youth meant potential. Xia Hong didn’t know Luo Yuan and the others’ thoughts. He just focused on digging a pit. After an hour, a pit with a diameter of one meter and half a meter deep appeared before everyone. Xia Hong pried open the animal trap, carefully placed it in the pit, tied one end of a rope to the trap, buried the rest of the rope in the snow, and tied the other end tightly to a tree. Only then did he instruct Xia Chuan and others to cover the pit with snow again. After all preparations were complete, Xia Hong pulled out a torch and then looked at everyone, instructing, "Chuan, Luo Yuan, the Zhao trio, you five follow me to attack. The other seven hide in the trees and find opportunities to shoot its weak points with arrows." Xia Chuan, Qiu Peng, and Xu Ning all nodded in response. Qiu and Xu immediately went to hide in nearby trees. Although doubtful, the nine followers of Luo Yuan followed Xia Hong’s instructions and each found their positions. Once Xia Hong saw everyone was ready, he turned to glance at the Golden Frost Tree thirty meters away. There, the Snow Mane still slept soundly. He quickly lit the torch and cautiously placed it on the concealed snow pit. After planting the torch, Xia Hong swiftly retreated, hiding with Luo Yuan and the five others above a large tree to the left of the pit, quietly watching the Golden Frost Tree. Lighting the fire to attract Cold Beasts? Luo Yuan was unaware of the Small Torch’s magic, thinking Xia Hong merely lit it to attract Cold Beasts. His eyes flashed with disappointment. Though Cold Beasts are also light and heat-seeking, they are extremely sleepy at night and hard to awaken unless attacked. A mere small torch was unlikely to... Bang... Luo Yuan’s train of thought broke with a loud crash. He looked up at the Golden Frost Tree, his expression instantly freezing. He had not expected to be proven wrong so quickly. The torch hadn’t burned for five minutes when the Snow Mane, which had been sleeping atop the Golden Frost Tree, awoke. Not only did it wake, but it was truly approaching the torch. This... how could it be... Not only Luo Yuan, but the Zhao siblings and the additional five, all stared wide-eyed, filled with disbelief and incomprehension. The Snow Mane, stretching four meters long with tusks raised high and powerful limbs, crushed the snow with each step, reaching the ground—clearly an adult form. Though it was coming closer, its small eyes glanced warily around, adopting a vigilant stance. However, each time its sight turned to the torch, an intense craving and infatuation shone from its eyes. The torch seemed to have an overwhelming allure for it. Unlike Xia Hong and four others, it was the first time Luo Yuan and the remaining eight witnessed the Small Torch’s magic, their eyes filled with astonishment and anticipation. The Snow Mane was already within three meters of the torch. Just one more step... Clack! The Snow Mane’s right foreleg landed on the pit, the trap underground snapping shut with a violent clash with its bones, sounding a crisp snap. What followed was the Snow Mane’s furious roar of pain. Roar... "Attack!" At Xia Hong’s command, he charged forward, leading the way, with Luo Yuan’s five following, encircling the Snow Mane from different directions. Whoosh... whoosh... whoosh... Meanwhile, from the nearby trees above, the sound of arrows slicing through the air echoed. The Snow Mane’s right foreleg, injured by the trap to the bone, greatly hindered its mobility. Even sensing the threat of the speeding arrows, it couldn’t evade effectively. The foremost two arrows penetrated its eyes directly, one on each side; Among the dozen later arrows, two hit the Snow Mane’s ear canal and mouth; Others, though not striking lethal points, mostly hit the Snow Mane’s neck and face—its vulnerable areas. Roar... With the arrows attacking and five blades slicing from the surroundings, the Snow Mane sensed the breath of death. Enraged after the roar, it unexpectedly lifted the trap from the ground, preparing to leap and flee. But unfortunately, its leg still had the trap tied to a rope, fastened firmly to a tree with a dead knot. The Snow Mane’s leap not only failed to escape but stumbled due to the rope’s pulling force, nearly tumbling down. The Snow Mane quickly flipped over, prepared this time, and tore the rope off with a jerk. But sadly, Xia Hong and Luo Yuan with the five were already there. The Shock Frost Saber, its silver light flashing, matched the snow’s brilliance. Xia Hong held it high above, gathering strength throughout his body, gazed at the Snow Mane’s neck, eyes sharp with chilling intent, and slashed forcefully down. Concurrently, Luo Yuan and the Zhao trio lifted their butcher knives at the Snow Mane’s joints. The Snow Mane, looking at Xia Hong’s falling blade, panic crossed its eyes. It abruptly twisted, abandoning its escape, changing direction towards Xia Chuan—the only unarmed one among the six—raising its tusks to charge. Crunch...