At that moment, Jared was still on the arduous journey with the holy maidens, completely unaware that so many people were heading toward the same destination.
Their journey had been quite relaxed so far, and they were getting closer and closer to the polar region.
“Stop!”
Suddenly, Jared, who was leading the way, furrowed his brow.
“Mr. Chance, what’s wrong?”
Bianca stepped forward, voicing her confusion.
Others had already taken this path ahead of time, so there shouldn’t be any danger. She didn’t understand why Jared had decided to stop.
“Do any of you smell the scent of blood?” Jared asked.
Bianca shook her head. “No.”
The other holy maidens also shook their heads as none of them had detected the scent of blood. Jared gently closed his eyes, spreading out his spiritual sense.
In an instant, his spiritual sense enveloped a few kilometers around him.
However, there wasn’t any danger, nor were there any creatures.
“Strange. I keep smelling the scent of blood in the air, yet there’s nothing. How can this be?”
Jared furrowed his brows, surveying his surroundings.
“Mr. Chance, there shouldn’t be any issues, right? After all, someone already scouted ahead yesterday,” Bianca said.
“Perhaps I’m just overly sensitive. Either way, everyone create some distance between yourselves and stay alert!”
After Jared finished speaking, he walked forward once again.
The holy maidens complied with Jared’s order, spreading out and heightening their vigilance.
After they had traveled a few kilometers forward, one of the holy maidens suddenly let out a loud cry.
“Woah!”
A holy maiden had slipped in the snow. Annoyed, she then demanded, “Who tripped me?”
Everyone turned to the holy maiden, only to see a rigid hand sticking out from the snowy ground beneath her feet!
Upon seeing that, everyone instantly tensed. Jared, in particular, leaped swiftly to the side of the holy maiden.
Immediately after, Jared struck out with his palm, unleashing a wave of heat that instantly melted the snow.
Shockingly, the body of a woman was revealed!
Upon seeing the woman’s corpse, a holy maiden couldn’t help but exclaim, “This is an outer circle disciple from Lunarius Palace!”
Jared was staring at the woman’s now stiffened corpse, examining the marks on the body. It was clear that she had died from an attack.
“Mr. Chance, w-what’s going on here?” Bianca asked, her eyebrows furrowed in concern.
Jared remained silent, instead observing his surroundings. Then, without warning, an intense aura erupted from him, setting off gusts of wind that swept through the area.
The surrounding snow was whipped into a blizzard by the fierce winds. Swiftly, the accumulated snow was swept away, revealing the rigid bodies that had been hidden beneath.
Bodies were strewn haphazardly all over the place.
They were outer circle disciples from Lunarius Palace, as well as those cultivators who had passed the assessment.
Gazing at the scene before them, all the holy maidens were left dumbfounded.
The individuals who were initially sent out from Lunarius Palace to scout ahead had shockingly all met their tragic end here!
They were still some distance away from the polar region. Yet, these people met their tragic end even before they could reach there.
“Who was it? Who on earth was responsible for this?”
Anger flared in Bianca’s eyes.
With so many people murdered, Bianca was certain that a particular sect was responsible.
Jared merely glanced at the corpses, then shook his head, remarking, “These people weren’t murdered by someone, but rather, they encountered a demon beast. Are there any powerful demon beasts known to roam this area?”
“Powerful demon beasts?” Bianca furrowed her brows slightly, falling into deep thought.
Suddenly, one of the holy maidens said, “Bianca, aren’t snow-cloud beasts supposed to be in this area?”
“Snow-cloud beasts haven’t been seen in ages. Weren’t they said to be extinct already?” Bianca answered in confusion.
“What exactly is a snow-cloud beast?” Jared asked, unfamiliar with the demon beasts of this region.
Bianca explained, “It’s a beast akin to a cheetah, its movements incredibly swift and its form massive. When it runs across the snow, it kicks up a snow mist that trails behind it like a cloud, so the locals around here used to refer to it as the snow-cloud beast. However, I haven’t heard about this demon beast for many years now!”
