Just then, Mo Qing's gaze suddenly turned to He Xiao, "Are there still people of yours nearby?" His voice revealed a hint of doubt.

He Xiao shook his head. "It's just the three of us!" he said. "If possible, please cremate my companion!"

"Cremation?" Lin Mo subconsciously looked at He Xiao. "In the high mountains, fire is the source of life, but also a path to death!"

"The firelight will attract enemies. You're trying to lure the disciples of Xuanhua Palace here, aren't you?" he thought to himself.

“This little fire isn’t enough, and adding more firewood would give us away.” Mo Qing turned her head and looked into the dark distance, searching for any trace of light. “There are still your men nearby, aren’t there?”

Clearly, Mo Qing was no fool.

"My companions shouldn't be left to rot in the wilderness!" He Xiao insisted. "Please burn them!"

Mo Qing gave a cold snort, her eyes flashing with a ruthless light, "Today, I'll show you what a sky burial is!"

He crouched down and skillfully searched the victim's body, removing his cloak, boots, belt, and vest one by one. Then, he stood up, hoisted the corpse onto his strong arms, and strode towards the edge of the cliff.

At the edge of the cliff, Mo Qing chanted some kind of mysterious incantation in a low voice, then suddenly threw the corpse off. In the distance, a dull thud echoed through the empty valley.

Lin Mo witnessed all of this and cursed inwardly, "This guy is really ruthless!"

Immediately afterwards, the servant Mo Qing did the same thing again, stripping the second victim naked and dragging him to the edge of the cliff. Then he gave Lin Mo a look!

Helpless, Lin Mo had no choice but to come over and lift the Xuanhua Palace disciple by the foot, and the two of them together threw him into the endless darkness.

During this time, He Xiao remained silent and observed coldly.

"Speak, who exactly are you people? Why have you come here?" Mo Qing asked He Xiao.

"I'm here to see a friend!" He Xiao replied.

Mo Qing warmed her hands by the campfire. "How many of you came in total? More than three, right?"

“Eleven people!” He Xiao said, “but they have all met with misfortune…”

"Oh? Did you find your friend?" Mo Qing asked again.

"We've found him!" He Xiao said. "He..."

Who is it?

"The one you threw off the cliff!"

"Hahaha, this is interesting!" Mo Qing laughed loudly.

At that moment, a deep roar echoed leisurely among the rocks, like an ancient call. Lin Mo's heart stirred; Moon Shadow Tiger—he instantly understood.

Just as he was about to get up, another roar reached his ears, seemingly very close. Lin Mo turned around, his sword instantly drawn, and he listened intently to the sounds around him.

"They won't come," Mo Qing's voice was calm and firm. "These polar tigers are only interested in corpses. They can smell blood from six miles away. Tonight, they'll linger around the carcass, devouring it completely, leaving not even the marrow."

Lin Mo could clearly hear the echoes of them eating, which made him very uncomfortable.

"It's getting late, let's spend the night here!" Mo Qing suggested.

No one objected.

As night fell, the warmth of the campfire gently swayed around Lin Mo, bringing a touch of drowsiness. However, Lin Mo dared not relax for a moment.

He captured the "prisoner," which meant he had taken on the responsibility of protecting him.

"Are they your relatives?" Lin Mo asked He Xiao in a low voice, his tone revealing respect for the two deceased lives.

He Xiao was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "They are my friends who have been with me for more than ten years."

Lin Mo frowned upon hearing this. A flood of doubt surged within him: "How are you so sure the person you're looking for is here?"

“Someone saw him set foot here!” He Xiao said.

"Is this friend so important to you?" Lin Mo asked. "You're willing to travel to such extreme places to find him?"

“We’re taking him back!” He Xiao corrected, “It’s just a pity…”

At this point in the conversation, both of them fell silent.

"He Xiao came to save me!" Lin Mo knew. "The disciples of Xuanhua Palace saw me being taken away by these divine servants and wanted to come and rescue me!"

"But they don't know just how powerful the servants of the gods truly are!"

“You shouldn’t have come to see this friend!” Lin Mo said.

“I never regret any of my decisions!” He Xiao told him. “I can only say that this is the promise I make to my friends. Perhaps it’s different from the promise you have in mind. But, you are you, and I am me!”

He turned his head away from Lin Mo, closed his eyes, and seemed to be going to sleep.

Such remarks left Lin Mo with mixed feelings!

"A promise...to friends..."

~~~

As dawn broke, all the servants of the gods rushed to the scene.

The eastern sky gradually changed from deep blue to indigo, and the dark mountain rocks also shimmered with a blue luster. Mo Qing, with her sharp eyes, was the first to spot her companions who had trudged along the way.

Lin Mo then woke up the captured man, grasped his arm tightly, and went down the mountain together to greet him.

"Thank goodness!" Lin Mo thought to himself with relief. "There are other roads leading to the north and west of the mountains, and they are all much easier to travel than the treacherous path we took to get here."

After traveling some distance, they chose to wait at a narrow pass.

Soon, the other servants of the gods appeared one after another, leading their horses.

The others made no comment on the new prisoners. "There were three up there," Mo Qing told him, "We killed two!"

There's no need to say anything more.

“We just saw the first two on the road,” Yin Ban said. “At least we saw the remains left by the Moonshadow Tiger.” He gave He Xiao a strange look, his suspicion clearly written on his face.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!