Puff! Puff! Puff!

The incendiary bomb struck the Yeti Guardian's wound with pinpoint accuracy, penetrating deep into the wound and the thin ice armor behind his ear, where it exploded with a deafening roar!

Instant flames ignited from the inside!

The skin, flesh, hair, and even bones at the other person's wound sizzled and burned under the high temperature!

The snowman guard's screams turned into painful whimpers. Its massive body convulsed and struggled violently in the icy water, but it was stuck and unable to get free, and could only endure the mad burning of the flames from the inside out!

The interplay of ice and fire brings even more extreme pain!

Xiao Jin landed lightly, her icy wings dissipating. She didn't approach again, but coldly watched the giant beast burning, convulsing, and rapidly losing its life force in the ice cave.

"The Key to the Moon!" she murmured to herself.

Three phantoms, almost identical to her original form and formed from hazy light, instantly appeared around the Snowman Guardian!

The phantom moved swiftly, conjuring a long sword in its hand as well, and launched a continuous barrage of slashes at the exposed head, shoulders, and neck of the snowman guard!

Although its attack power is not as strong as the main body, it is excellent at harassing and aggravating wounds!

The snowman's struggles grew weaker and weaker, and the burning flames gradually died down, leaving only wisps of smoke and the smell of burning in the cold air.

Finally, its massive body stopped convulsing completely, its cloudy yellow eyes lost all luster, and it drooped limply at the edge of the ice cave.

[Ding—Congratulations to the player for defeating the Frost Snowman Guardian. You have obtained 1 Energy Crystal.]

A cold system notification rang in Xiao Jin's mind.

She walked to the edge of the ice cave, her long knife piercing precisely into the back of the snowman guard's neck. With a flick of her wrist, she pulled out a fist-sized, ice-blue, rhomboid crystal that seemed to have a slowly rotating liquid inside, and placed it in her hand.

The crystalline tentacles were icy cold to the touch, and seemed to contain pure ice-attribute energy.

Indeed, they're quite troublesome...

Xiao Jin felt the considerable energy depletion in his body and couldn't help but think to himself that if it weren't for the sharp armor-piercing effect of Shattered Shadow and the restraint of several items and skills in his hand, even if he wanted to kill this tough guy, it would not be "easy".

Having learned from the first experience, Xiao Jin had a clearer understanding of the Yeti Guard's attack patterns, defensive characteristics, and potential weaknesses.

Ice Crystal Wings provide crucial airtime and evasion capabilities, the Wheel of Fate's freezing bullets are excellent at creating terrain traps, the incendiary bullets are highly effective against its thick fur and internal weaknesses, and the Soul Eater Slash is the trump card to break through its abnormal defenses.

She didn't linger; her figure disappeared into the pervasive cold mist and drifting snow, searching for her next target.

Time slowly passed amidst the extreme cold and carnage of the icy plains.

About an hour later, near another glacial crevice, the massive body of the second Yeti Guardian collapsed with a thud, its charred wounds emitting wisps of smoke, and a deep hole torn open at the back of its neck by the Soul-Devouring Slash.

Xiao Jin skillfully picked out the second ice-blue crystal.

This time her movements were clean and efficient, but she spent most of her time searching for the Yeti Guard.

Finding a target amidst a blizzard is indeed quite difficult.

And there's even worse news...

Although Amo's bloodline is no longer special, the cold Howling Icefield still has some influence on it.

Although Amo did not immediately enter hibernation, the snake was listless, and after shrinking, it kept trying to burrow its cold body into Xiao Jin's mouth.

Eight hours passed in the blink of an eye.

The location of the totem pole of country Z.

The furnace, which was emitting a thin mist of restoration, still emitted a faint milky white mist, but the range seemed to have shrunk, indicating that its energy was being consumed.

Some of the players who stayed behind had recovered from their injuries after a long period of rest, but the fatigue between their brows still lingered.

Luo Feiyu and his ten-man squad returned earlier than expected. There was no other way; almost everyone in the squad was injured and exhausted, looking even more disheveled than when they left.

Given their current condition, they are unable to continue the hunting mission.

Immediately afterwards, the burly man slammed the bag to the ground again, untied the bag, and four ice-blue crystals rolled out.

"Only four... Damn it, we almost died at the hands of a snowman guard outside." Luo Feiyu gasped for breath, wiping the ice shards and blood off his face, his voice hoarse.

Ten of them worked for eight hours, risking their lives, but they only managed to bring back four.

Next came another hunting team led by Bai Zhi, who were equally battered and bruised, bringing back only four energy crystals.

"There are four of us here too. We encountered two groups of guards at opposite ends, which took quite a bit of effort." Bai Zhi's expression was also not good.

Then she looked at her props, walked over and added something to the stove, and the surrounding fog expanded.

Afterwards, the group, who were preparing to rest, sat around the totem pole.

The atmosphere was somewhat oppressive.

The efficiency was too low, and the consumption was too great. The harsh cold and ever-present dangers of the icy plains constantly eroded their physical strength and willpower.

Because of the loss of many players, Luo Feiyu was only able to cobble together ten teams this time.

More than fifty people remain here, mainly because of the totem pole.

Since the big boss with the knife wasn't around, Luo Feiyu decided to leave more people to guard the house, just to be on the safe side.

However... thinking of this, a hint of surprise appeared in Luo Feiyu's heart.

Because in the previous eight hours, there had been no further casualties on the player side. This also indicates that the remaining players are not easy to deal with.

Just then, a figure silently returned to the edge of the camp, braving the wind and snow.

It's Xiao Jin.

Her black coat was still neat, with only a few ice chips and faint scorch marks on the hem.

His complexion was normal, his breathing was steady, and his eyes were cold, as if he had just gone for a short walk. He stood in stark contrast to the other players around him, who were covered in blood and exhausted.

Upon seeing this, Luo Feiyu's lips twitched. This was just too infuriating!

Then, under everyone's gaze, Xiao Jin walked up to Luo Feiyu. She didn't say anything, but calmly opened her palm.

Five ice-blue crystals lay quietly in her palm.

Each one emanated a pure, cold energy fluctuation, and its size and luster were exactly the same as those brought back by other teams.

Five!

The area around the campsite fell into a deathly silence; you could hear a pin drop. The only sounds were the howling of the cold wind sweeping across the icy plain and the crackling of the campfire.

Bai Zhi raised an eyebrow, while the burly man staggered to the side, staring wide-eyed in disbelief.

The weariness and heaviness on Luo Feiyu's face froze instantly. His eyes widened as he stared intently at the five crystals in Xiao Jin's palm, his mouth slightly open as if someone had grabbed his throat.

Dong Yang and the other players, whether they were newly returned hunters or those who stayed behind to rest, all seemed to be frozen in place.

His gaze lingered between Xiao Jin's calm, expressionless face and the five alluring crystals in her palm.