Chapter 156: Rendezvous, Entering the Witch Forest

"Alright, I understand, Lieutenant Delanke," Cao Xing replied.

Delanke said solemnly, "Thank you again, Great Lord Cao Xing. We must hurry back to Eternal Frost City now to report this matter to the Captain!"

Cao Xing reminded him, "Lieutenant Delanke, before heading to Eternal Frost City, I suggest you first make a trip to Lake Doron City."

A look of confusion appeared in the Lieutenant's eyes, "Lake Doron City?"

"That city is on the way to Eternal Frost City. Is there a problem?"

Cao Xing replied, "According to the information I received earlier, those Hunters are planning to hold a blood sacrifice ritual soon. They intend to sacrifice all living beings in Lake Doron City."

"I suspect this is related to the Light Church plan you mentioned."

Upon hearing this news, the Lieutenant also realized the gravity of the situation.

"So that's it! This is the ritual those Hunters were talking about!"

He nodded solemnly, "I understand, Lord Cao Xing. I will head to Lake Doron City at top speed and report this to their City Lord!"

Then, Lieutenant Delanke and his squad quickly disappeared into the snow.

Cao Xing nodded. The message had been delivered; he couldn't concern himself with what happened next.

After all, both Lake Doron City and Eternal Frost City were too far away for him.

Then, Cao Xing glanced at the pile of corpses and ordered, "Andrew, cast Moonfire and burn these bodies."

The druid nodded. He immediately shifted into Moonkin form and hurled a ball of fire down.

Sizzle!

In no time, a raging fire rose up, sending thick black smoke billowing into the air.

…

"Let's go, keep moving." After seeing the Hunters' corpses completely ignited, Cao Xing led his team and quickly left the village.

Then, following the coordinates sent by Qiu Yating, they continued on their way.

On the road, Cao Xing pondered to himself, "Those Hunters are unlucky to have run into me."

"I've only been in this world for a few days, yet I've already destroyed several of their camps, and now I've exposed their plan in the Gale Snowfield."

"If those crazy cultists found out, they'd probably want to kill me."

Thinking of this, Cao Xing's eyes flickered slightly.

"No, given the scale of this cult, they might have already noticed me."

"Or perhaps, they have long since noticed us, the Survivors from another world!"

You have to know, the Light Church is not comparable to those level 7 or 8 monsters in the Ice Nest.

Those Hunters are an existence that even the Ice Crystal Kingdom finds troublesome.

The White-Robed High Priest has the strength of a Tier 4 Leader, and the higher-ranking Red-Robed Bishops are likely even more formidable.

However, such powerful beings shouldn't bother getting their own hands dirty to deal with a small fry like Cao Xing.

But this reminded Cao Xing, "It seems that besides defending against the Ice Nest, I must also find a way to guard against these Hunters."

"Even if I haven't been exposed yet, I must take precautions."

"Lest the truth comes out one day and these guys bring people to attack my territory, catching me off guard."

With this thought, Cao Xing became even more determined to rapidly develop his territory and enhance his strength.

…

The team continued forward. Ten minutes later, they had arrived near the coordinates.

Ahead, a forest covered in ice and snow faintly appeared. This forest was immense and occupied a large area on the map.

After walking another kilometer or two, Cao Xing, sitting on the back of a Mammoth, saw a group of human Survivors appear in the snow ahead.

That must be Qiu Yating and the others.

This time, because Cao Xing encountered that group of soldiers on the road, he was delayed by nearly an hour, so Qiu Yating and her group had arrived early.

At this moment, a squad of over a dozen Survivors who looked quite young were gathered together.

Their levels were all around 7 to 9. They were young, with fresh faces, brimming with the vitality of youth.

Several young girls were gathered together, some still wearing their Xinzhou High School uniforms. On the other side, a few boys were gathered together.

At this time, a Survivor named Xu Haocheng had an impatient look on his face, "Why hasn't this Cao Xing arrived yet? Does he think he's all that?"

"Even if he is number one on the leaderboard, making so many of us wait this long is too much!"

Hearing this, the other boys nodded, "Indeed, in this freezing weather, just waiting a few minutes is enough to freeze you numb. We've been waiting here for almost an hour."

A boy wearing a Green Water Ghost watch said with a look of contempt, "I think he's doing it on purpose."

"This Cao Xing was probably just a bottom-feeder in Blue Star society."

"Now that he's finally managed to be number one after coming to this world, he wants to show off. I've seen plenty of people like that."

Hearing this, the others didn't dare to agree.

At this moment, a young woman with delicate features and a dignified air stood up and said, "Alright, stop talking. Great Lord Cao Xing has already messaged me; he'll be here soon."

"You can say those things behind his back, but when Great Lord Cao Xing arrives in a moment, don't say it to his face. If something happens, I won't be responsible for you."

The others nodded one after another. Only Xu Haocheng and the male with the Green Water Ghost watch still had dissatisfied looks on their faces.

Just then, a young girl wrapped in a cotton coat with two ponytails pointed at the snow in the distance and said, "Sister Yating, there seems to be a group of figures over there. Can you see if it's them?"

Qiu Yating frowned slightly and shook her head, "I'm not sure either. Let's wait until they get closer to see."

Not long after, they saw a group of figures slowly approaching.

Thump! Thump-thump! Heavy footsteps could be heard.

Then, a behemoth five meters tall with two curved tusks suddenly appeared!

And next to this Mammoth, a group of terrifying creatures followed.

At this moment, the Survivors, who were all below Tier 1, were immediately stunned by these terrifying creatures, their faces turning pale.

Qiu Yating and the other young girls hugged each other, looking at these creatures with terrified expressions.

Even the boys were so scared they didn't dare to breathe.

Then, they saw a man on the back of the Mammoth sweep his sharp gaze over them.

Everyone present, including the two boys who had so many complaints, instinctively lowered their heads when they met his gaze.

Because they all had a feeling that the aura on this man was terrifyingly powerful. He could easily slaughter them all!

Fortunately, the other party did not make a move, but slowly spoke, "I am Cao Xing. Which one of you is Qiu Yating?"

Hearing this, a young woman with a dignified appearance and outstanding temperament slowly stepped forward. She replied with a trembling voice, "It… it's me… Great Lord Cao Xing, hello…"

Cao Xing looked intently. Qiu Yating still had a look of fear on her delicate face. She was tall, about 1.7 meters. She wore a rabbit fur coat over her student uniform.

He glanced at her information. [Qiu Yating lv9]

Cao Xing nodded. This Qiu Yating had already reached level 9; that speed was quite fast. It wouldn't be long before she reached level 10 and advanced to a Tier 2 creature.

He glanced at the others. [Chen Huisu lv8], [Xu Haocheng lv9], [Han Juan lv7]…

Their levels were all between 7 and 9, which was not bad. This also indicated that most Survivors had reached this level.

Cao Xing said, "Sorry, I ran into some trouble on the road, which delayed me for a while."

Hearing Cao Xing's apology, the group of high school students exchanged glances, looks of surprise appearing in their eyes. Because he was not at all like what that boy said about being arrogant after success; instead, his attitude toward them was very peaceful.

The fear on everyone's faces gradually dissipated. A gentle smile also appeared on Qiu Yating's face, "You are too polite, Great Lord Cao Xing. We only just arrived not long ago."

The other Survivors were also very curious about the legendary Cao Xing, and one after another, they chimed in, "That's right, Great Lord Cao Xing is so humble."

"Great Lord Cao Xing, you are so amazing, to be able to have such a powerful Mammoth as a mount."

"Being able to see the legendary Great Lord Cao Xing, it's nothing to wait a little longer."

Only those two boys stood there looking somewhat stifled.

For Cao Xing, he was indeed at the bottom of society back on Blue Star, but he earned his living with his own two hands.

Years of social experience made Cao Xing deeply understand the principle that the higher you jump, the faster you die, so there was no need to appear overly sharp or aggressive.

In fact, most people at the bottom of society, after gaining power or wealth, would not go around flaunting it as those people claimed; instead, they would first think about how to keep a low profile.

Cao Xing smiled, then got straight to the point: "According to the intelligence you obtained, the Ice Phoenix Flower grows in this forest, right?"

"Yes." Qiu Yating replied softly.

Cao Xing nodded and continued asking: "This forest looks quite large. Do you know the specific location where the Ice Phoenix Flower grows?"

Qiu Yating's expression stiffened instantly.

Then, she shook her head and said: "I… I don't know…"

She seemed somewhat fearful, afraid that Cao Xing might suddenly make an issue of this.

If he got unhappy, this Mammoth alone could wipe them all out!

Cao Xing fell into thought upon hearing this.

As mentioned before, this forest is at least dozens of kilometers deep, with an area reaching tens of thousands of square kilometers.

Searching for the Ice Phoenix Flower in such a large area is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

However, if the Ice Phoenix Flower grows in large enough quantities in this area, the difficulty of the search would be greatly reduced.

While Cao Xing was thinking, his subordinates stood silently to the side waiting, and the other Survivors dared not speak.

Although Cao Xing appeared very calm, the aura they radiated invisibly still placed immense pressure on these Survivors.

A moment later, Cao Xing nodded and said: "Alright, I understand."

"Then, according to our agreement, I just need to take you into the forest, is that correct?"

Even without a specific location, Cao Xing was prepared to enter the forest to explore.

After all, he was also very interested in the legend of this witch.

Qiu Yating breathed a sigh of relief and then nodded, "Yes… Great Lord Cao Xing."

Cao Xing continued to ask: "I want to know, why don't you go in yourselves? Or is it that there is some danger if one forces their way into this Witch Forest?"

Qiu Yating nodded and said: "Those villagers told me that there is a terrifying monster inside the Witch Forest that attacks all creatures that enter…"

"They also said that even powerful Tier 2 knights would be devoured by the monsters inside after entering."

"So… I don't know what the danger inside is…"

Speaking of this, Qiu Yating glanced at Cao Xing with some trepidation.

Cao Xing didn't say much, but nodded again.

"Fine, I understand. You follow behind me, and I'll take you in."

After speaking, he steered Dabai and walked straight into the forest.

Braum, Assam, and the other melee units had already begun clearing the path ahead.

Their movements were quite decisive and swift.

That group of Survivors stood there, still a bit dazed.

Qiu Yating said, "Let's keep up with them."

Thump! Thump-thump!

Dabai carried Cao Xing and Liu Muxue forward.

Behind them, these dozen or so high school students had eyes filled with intense curiosity.

The group of young girls whispered behind them.

"Wow! I didn't expect this to be Great Lord Cao Xing. I've been hearing his name in the chat channel, and now I've finally seen him in person!"

"Yeah, Great Lord Cao Xing seems quite easy to talk to. Those people from the Three Heroes Association kept saying he was vicious and murderous; I actually thought it was true…"

"Exactly, exactly! As expected, the words of those people from the Three Heroes Association cannot be trusted!"

Just then, a male student said in the chat channel: "Have you noticed that we can't seem to see Great Lord Cao Xing's level or the strength of his recruited creatures?"

Hearing this, the other Survivors also cast their gazes over.

However, all they got was a bunch of question marks.

Question marks where even the names and levels couldn't be seen!

The group of young girls had looks of surprise on their faces.

"It's actually true, I can't see their information either."

"So strange… I can't even see their names!"

"Could it be that Great Lord Cao Xing is already more than twenty levels ahead of us?"

Beside them, a male student shook his head: "It shouldn't… be that fast, right? Great Lord Cao Xing only just reached level 10 four days ago."

"It's impossible for him to have reached level 30 in just four days, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, that's simply impossible."

The group of girls asked again in the chat: "Then what's going on?"

The chat channel was silent; no one could answer this question.

They, of course, didn't know what was going on.

Because Cao Xing had equipped himself and his subordinates with [Shadow Cloaks].

As long as these Survivors' levels hadn't reached level 30, they couldn't see through his strength.

And this was precisely Cao Xing's goal.

To avoid these Survivors spreading rumors about his level and the levels of his subordinates.

However, although they couldn't see Cao Xing's attributes, some of the Survivors still used the camera function that came with the system.

They kept taking pictures of Cao Xing's back and the group of recruited creatures beside him.

At this time, those few boys used the team chat privately.

"Did you see? The woman on the Mammoth's back really is Goddess Muxue."

"Of course I saw her! Goddess Muxue is so beautiful; I noticed her as soon as she came over."

"I'm so envious! I've never heard of this Cao Xing before; I didn't expect him to be able to sit with Goddess Muxue."

"Goddess Muxue seems quite close to Great Lord Cao Xing. Do you think they might have already…"

Those boys quickly shook their heads: "Impossible! Goddess Muxue is not that kind of person!"

"Wuwuwu… I won't admit it!"

At this time, that Xu Haocheng said: "Right, You Shengwu, didn't you say you had eaten with Goddess Muxue before? Why does it seem like she doesn't know you?"

You Shengwu was the boy wearing the Green Water Ghost watch.

Hearing this question, his face stiffened, and then he answered with a straight face: "Maybe it's because Goddess Muxue saw there were too many people here and was embarrassed."

The other boys all looked at this You Shengwu with strange expressions.

As they chatted, the team had already arrived at the edge of the forest.

Just as they were about to step in, Cao Xing, sitting on the Mammoth's back, ordered: "Braum, switch to defensive stance."

"Assam, Putana, follow Braum."

Hearing Cao Xing's voice, the three replied simultaneously: "Yes, My Lord!"

After speaking, Braum raised his shield and walked at the very front of the team.

Assam and Putana followed on his left and right sides.

As everyone gradually went deeper into the forest, the temperature began to drop gradually.

He glanced at the temperature overhead.

[- 49 ℃] [- 50 ℃] [- 51 ℃]

They looked around and found themselves as if they had broken into a dreamy white forest.

The dense branches and leaves overhead were frozen into frost, shattering like glass at the slightest touch.

It decorated this forest like a crystal forest from a fairy tale, full of desolate beauty.

Even the branches and fallen leaves on the ground were frozen stiff.

Stepping on them produced a 'crack, crack' shattering sound.

Everyone remained vigilant.

After going about two hundred meters deep, they had not suffered any attacks from monsters.

In the team behind, that Xu Hao said in the team channel: "Class Monitor Yating, did you get something wrong?"

"Is it possible that there are actually no monsters in this forest at all, and that group of natives made it sound too terrifying, making us afraid to come in?"

That other person, You Shengwu, also chimed in: "Yeah, actually we didn't need to ask for this Cao Xing's help at all to enter the forest…"

And just as they were speaking, one of the trees that looked plain and unremarkable suddenly moved.

"Swish!"

A branch, carrying a whistling sound, attacked a male student at the back of the team at an extremely terrifying speed.

At this moment, the male student only felt a terrifying sense of crisis!

Having been in this world for nearly ten days, the cruel experiences during this time had given them decent combat awareness.

His body subconsciously shifted half a step, and then a sharp pain came from his shoulder!

"Pfft!"

The sound of flesh being pierced came through…