Chapter 174: Welcome, Guests from Afar!

After crossing the Snow Mountain, their food supplies were nearly exhausted.

Instead of pushing the group further, Luo Wushuang decided they would halt and recuperate for a few days.

This break wasn’t just to let everyone’s nerves—which had been frayed since they first stepped onto the island—finally relax; it also provided an opportunity to hunt for fresh game and replenish their dwindling rations.

They had been on this island for over two months now. They had faced poisonous mists, swarms of vipers, and the treacherous peaks of the Snow Mountain.

The journey thus far could only be described as a series of heart-stopping perils. No one had enjoyed a single night of peaceful sleep, and none could predict what new dangers lay in wait further ahead. They needed to return to peak condition to better handle any sudden crises.

The danger arrived silently, striking in the dead of night while they rested.

A sharp, piercing alarm suddenly shattered the silence of the night sky.

Luo Wushuang bolted upright from her sleep. After barking orders for Yueying and Qingdai to protect her sister, she grabbed her weapon and stormed out of the tent.

By the time she emerged, the Secret Guards were already standing in a battle-ready formation.

Luo Wushuang’s gaze swept across the perimeter before landing on the Secret Guard Commander. “What is the situation?” she asked, her voice low and cold.

“Your Majesty, an enemy raid! They’re coming from the woods in great numbers.”

As the guard spoke, dark shadows began to leap out from the forest.

They were a pack of massive, grotesque humanoid beasts. With bared claws and gnashing teeth, they lunged toward the campsite.

The Secret Guards quickly tightened their defensive array, engaging the lead monsters in a brutal struggle.

Luo Wushuang narrowed her eyes to get a better look. These creatures were abominations—some were human heads grafted onto beast bodies, while others were twisted amalgamations of two different predators.

They were either preternaturally agile, possessed of Herculean strength, or protected by thick, terrifying hides.

Though the Secret Guards fought with everything they had, they were gradually being overwhelmed by the sheer ferocity of the pack.

Luo Wushuang’s brow furrowed as she calculated how to exterminate these monsters. Just then, a fully dressed Shangguan Liqian was pushed out of the tent by Qingdai.

Seeing her sister come out, Luo Wushuang instinctively moved to shield her. “It’s dangerous here. Why did you come out, Sister?”

Shangguan Liqian was visibly shaken by the sight of the monsters.

What on earth are these things?

There were creatures with the wizened, pointed faces of monkeys attached to the lean bodies of wolves; others had lion heads on tiger bodies. There were even those horrific hybrids of man and beast.

Even though she had known this journey would be fraught with danger, she was still stunned by the nightmare unfolding before her.

As the number of beasts increased, the Secret Guards began to falter. They considered leaving a rearguard behind to allow their two masters to escape.

Luo Wushuang was about to agree, but as she reached for her sister’s wheelchair to turn it around, Shangguan Liqian’s hand pressed down on hers.

“Wait a moment, Wushuang.”

Luo Wushuang frowned, but before she could speak, Liqian continued.

“Tell the men to try attacking the points where the bodies are joined.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Luo Wushuang relayed the command. “All units, hear my order! Aim for the seams where the creatures’ bodies are joined!”

The Secret Guards obeyed. Sure enough, the defenses of the hybrid monsters shattered instantly. Their momentum crumbled as the guards struck the weak points of their unnatural construction.

Taking the initiative, Luo Wushuang commanded a counter-attack. For a moment, the air was filled with the deafening roars of battle.

Shangguan Liqian breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Truthfully, she hadn’t been certain the method would work. It had been a sudden flash of inspiration—a desperate “dead horse as a living horse” gamble—but fortunately, it had paid off.

Watching the battlefield with a calm, analytical eye, Liqian noticed that this strategy was primarily effective against the beast-on-beast chimeras.

As for the human-beast hybrids, they seemed to fall into a frenzied bloodlust the moment they were wounded, becoming even more destructive.

Luo Wushuang noticed this as well. After a brief thought, she shouted to the guards, “For the human-beasts, take their heads!”

The guards didn’t have the breath to respond. Instead, they swung their weapons in unison, targeting the monsters’ vital weaknesses and necks.

After a night of grueling combat, the monsters were finally wiped out.

With the crisis temporarily averted, the group let out a long, collective breath of relief.

They hurriedly ate to restore their strength, planning to rest for a short while.

Suddenly, a melodious flute tune drifted through the air. The sound was ethereal and haunting, sounding as if it came from somewhere very far away.

Having survived several brushes with death, the group instinctively tensed up.

Yet, despite their mental defenses, their movements began to slow as the music played. Expressions of dazed intoxication appeared on their faces.

Just as everyone’s footsteps grew unsteady and their eyes turned glassy, another group of eerie monsters surged from the forest.

Their eyes glowed with a malevolent red light as they pounced toward the camp.

The Secret Guard Commander, struggling to break free from the flute’s hypnotic control, snapped his eyes open. Seeing his comrades surrounded, he channeled his internal energy and let out a thunderous roar.

“Look out!”

A small portion of the Secret Guards were jolted awake by the shout. Fighting through the vertigo induced by the flute, they drew their blades and began to fight back.

However, the majority of the guards remained under the spell. The monsters tore through the defensive line in an instant.

Luo Wushuang fought back the attackers while carefully shielding the person behind her.

When one monster prepared to pounce on Shangguan Liqian’s wheelchair, Luo Wushuang was too far to parry it. Just as she was about to throw herself in the way, Liqian acted. Thinking quickly, she pulled a specialized satchel from her sleeve and threw it into the air.

It was an Explosion Bead Wushuang had given her for self-defense. It was the perfect moment to use it.

Right before the bead detonated for its indiscriminate attack, it emitted a piercing, high-pitched screech. That jarring sound instantly disrupted the rhythm of the distant flute music.

With the control broken, the remaining guards regained their senses.

The newly awakened guards immediately joined the fray, engaging the monsters in a desperate melee.

Soon, the ethereal flute melody rose again, but as Liqian prepared to repeat her trick, she realized the tune had changed.

As the melody became more rhythmic and gentle, the crimson glow in the monsters’ eyes faded. Their aggression dissipated.

Just as the Secret Guards were about to finish them off, the flute stopped. The monsters seemed to lose all direction, turning tail and fleeing into the woods.

“Tee-hee-hee…”

The sound of silvery, bell-like laughter made everyone tense up again.

Following the sound, they saw a woman dressed in plain white clothes sitting by a stream, idly playing with a flute.

The woman had an otherworldly aura, looking as if she were perfectly integrated into the surrounding scenery.

Shangguan Liqian and Luo Wushuang exchanged a look, both seeing the deep suspicion in each other’s eyes.

When did this person appear? The flute music had sounded distant only moments ago. How had she appeared right under their noses in the blink of an eye?

The woman slowly raised her head. Her gaze swept over the group before she offered a gentle smile.

“Welcome, guests from afar!”