210: Chapter 210: The Appearance of a Perfect-Level Beast

The wind and snow were heavy. Shen Xiaochuan stood on the edge of the cliff. He had just come out of the altar, holding the newly obtained scabbard in his hand. The ninety-one Snow Monster corpses in his space were gone, replaced by a more difficult task—to kill fifty perfect grade strange beasts, and it had to be done by him or someone he designated.

He didn't return to the city.

Once a task was accepted, it couldn't be abandoned.

He had already posted a bounty in the System. Starting at one thousand faith points, the more accurate the information, the greater the reward. Now he could only wait for someone to provide useful news.

But he couldn't wait too long.

He opened the Faith Mall and scrolled to the reconnaissance items. The Cold Domain Perception Scroll could scan for life within ten kilometers and was particularly sensitive to Yin-attribute creatures. One scroll cost three thousand faith points, which wasn't cheap. He bought twenty scrolls in one go.

These would be enough.

He sent the scrolls to the Frontline Supply Point and ordered all teams to set out from the north gate of Skydome City and advance toward the ice plains. Each team was equipped with one scroll; they were to report any anomalies immediately and were not allowed to attack on their own initiative.

He set out as well.

He walked along the frozen ridge for over an hour. The stones beneath his feet began to heat up, indicating he was nearing an active energy zone. He set up a temporary command post at a cliff, assembled a shelter using steel plates, and set up a communicator. The positions of the various teams lit up on the screen.

"Area Three is clear."

"Point Five scan complete, no strong energy detected."

"Team Seven reporting, found large claw marks, thirty centimeters deep, heading north."

Shen Xiaochuan frowned. He pulled up the image. There was a long scratch on the ice with very neat edges, as if left by sharp claws. He zoomed in and saw a shallow pit at the end containing a bit of pale blue mist.

He activated the System comparison. The result came out quickly: "Match rate 78%, likely a Frost Giant Wolf. Rank: perfect grade."

That was it.

He immediately contacted Team Seven: "Don't go near the marks, stand by where you are."

Before he could finish, Recon Team Two sent an emergency signal. The screen shook, filled with flying snow.

"Target spotted! It's a perfect grade strange beast!" someone shouted over the comms. "Silver-white fur, about six meters tall, charging straight at us!"

"Retreat!" Shen Xiaochuan roared. "Everyone fall back, do not engage!"

It was too late.

A white shadow flashed across the screen, moving so fast it was just a blur. Then came the sound of an explosion, the camera flipped, and finally stopped on the frozen ground, showing a frozen, severed arm.

The communication was cut off.

Shen Xiaochuan stood up and quickly checked the positions of each team. Team Two had six members; three were missing, two were heavily injured, and one was moving.

He clicked on the information of the survivor—Li Meng, a veteran of the Azure Dragon Legion, three years of service, B-rank Defensive Talent.

He was truly tough.

He switched to the backup channel and pulled up the combat records. The footage was fragmented but clear.

The wolf charged out from the snow, covering thirty meters in a single step, surrounded by a blizzard. It opened its mouth and spat out cold air, the temperature dropping to minus two hundred degrees instantly, freezing three people on the spot. Then its tail swept across, the ground exploded, two people's armor shattered, and their internal organs were injured. Li Meng used his shield to block a strike and used the force to roll away, barely surviving.

The most crucial frame was: after moving at high speed, the wolf's right hind leg paused for a moment, and its front claws dug into the ground to steady its body, stopping for about two seconds.

Shen Xiaochuan identified the issue: "It needs to adjust its center of gravity after exerting force; this might be the cost of controlling the ice and snow."

He noted this point and immediately ordered: "All teams retreat three kilometers and regroup. Evil God Guards, move forward to scout; report any traces found, but do not pursue."

After sending the order, he leaned against the steel plate, panting.

In the first encounter, three died and two were injured. The opponent had only cleared the obstacles in passing and hadn't even been serious.

perfect grade really was different.

He touched the copper gear pendant around his neck; it felt slightly warm.

But he wouldn't retreat.

He glanced at his faith points. They were increasing by three points every second, very stable. They were spent quickly, but as long as he didn't die, he could earn more.

The real difficulty was how to kill it.

Ordinary weapons couldn't break its defense. The current equipment of the teams could only handle elite-grade Snow Monsters; using them against a perfect grade was like using a kitchen knife to hack at a tank.

He had to find another way.

Just as he was thinking, more news came from the front. Post No. 4 detected a weak energy fluctuation on the east side of the ice valley, eight hundred meters from the last attack site.

He grabbed his coat and left.

The wind was even stronger outside, making it hard to keep his eyes open. He climbed down the frozen rock face while looking at the map. The ice valley was U-shaped, high on both sides and low in the middle, suitable for an ambush. If the wolf was inside, it was either setting a trap or using it as a lair.

When he reached Post No. 4, two Evil God Guards were hiding behind a rock, staring at the valley entrance.

"Any movement?" he asked.

"A cold wind blew out just now, but there's been no movement since," one of them whispered.

Shen Xiaochuan nodded and took out a new scroll, placing it on the ground. The runes lit up, and a yellow light spread outward.

Five seconds later, the alarm went off.

"Detection of a high-energy lifeform, three hundred meters away, currently moving!"

He immediately pressed his earpiece: "Everyone pay attention, target has appeared, prepare to retreat!"

Before he could finish, the wall of snow at the valley entrance exploded.

A giant wolf leaped out, completely silver-white, its fur flowing like moonlight. Its eyes were deep blue with vertical pupils, coldly scanning the surroundings. With every step, a circle of ice patterns formed on the ground, spreading over a dozen meters.

"Is this... the Frost Giant Wolf?" someone whispered.

Shen Xiaochuan stared intently at it.

This thing was even more terrifying than the records suggested. It was four meters tall at the shoulder, and a single flick of its tail stirred up a wild wind, sending all the surrounding snow into the sky. It didn't attack immediately but stopped and tilted its head back to howl.

The sound pierced through the wind and snow, echoing off the distant peaks.

The next second, it charged.

Straight toward Post No. 4.

"Run!" Shen Xiaochuan grabbed the nearest guard and retreated.

A shattering sound came from behind. Looking back, the place where they had just stood was pierced through by ice spikes, and the steel plates were twisted into a ball.

That wolf was too fast.

They scrambled for higher ground, but the opponent was faster. Seeing they were about to be caught, Shen Xiaochuan pulled a concussion grenade from his backpack and threw it.

Boom!

The shockwave exploded, and the flying snow blocked its vision for a moment.

Taking this chance, everyone rushed up the high slope.

They looked back; the wolf stood below, covered in crushed ice, completely unharmed. It glanced at them, then turned toward the depths of the ice plains, slowly disappearing into the wind and snow.

"It... left?" someone asked in disbelief.

"It didn't leave," Shen Xiaochuan said, looking into the distance. "It just couldn't be bothered to fight anymore."

No one spoke.

The atmosphere was heavy.

In the battle just now, the opponent hadn't been serious at all.

Shen Xiaochuan lowered his head to check the recorder. The footage just now was all recorded, especially the wolf's turning motion—its left front claw landed a bit heavily, as if it had an old injury. Every time before it spat cold air, the fur on its neck would bristle, as if energy was gathering.

"There's a flaw," he said.

A guard nearby asked, "God King, what do we do next? Do we pursue?"

"No pursuit," he shook his head. "We can't beat it right now."

"Then... give up?"

"Who said anything about giving up?" Shen Xiaochuan sneered. "Once a task is accepted, it must be finished. Fifty of them, not a single one less."

He looked into the depths of the ice plains, seeing nothing.

"But now we know where it is, how it moves, and when it will stop. Next time we meet, it won't be this miserable."

He took out his communicator and called the Azure Dragon Legion Commander.

"Gather all core members for a meeting at the temporary camp in half an hour. I'm going to reallocate forces and change the equipment list."

He then said to another guard, "Notify logistics to bring out all the Cold-Resistant Alloy in stock; prioritize strengthening the frontline armor. Then go to the Faith Mall and exchange for a batch of High-Explosive Grenades and Traction Nets. I'm going to show it what human wisdom is."

After speaking, he walked to the edge of the cliff, looking in the direction the wolf had disappeared.

The wind was still blowing, and the snow was still falling.

His clothes were soaked, and ice had formed on his face, but his eyes remained wide open.

"Hide if you want, run if you must," he whispered. "As long as you're on these ice plains, I will find you."

He reached out and touched the scabbard in his space, confirming it was still there.

Then he glanced at his faith points—they were still rising, three points every second, steady as a heartbeat.

"Come on," he said. "Let's see if you die first, or if I save up enough faith points first."