Destruction and construction, these two terms seemed to be opposite, but in fact, they complemented each other. For example, if you don't destroy the chastity of young girls, how can you build a new child? Or if you don't destroy the old society, how can you build a new China …. Let's not talk about national affairs.
In the past, when Saruman's doppelganger failed to carve out a path on this terrifying icy peak, he ordered the Orcs to collect snow from afar and boil water nearby. The water would reach the destination as soon as possible before it froze. Then, he poured the water on the mountain and froze it into a layer of ice, thus forming a path leading to the peak.
Although it was very costly to do so, and countless Half-Beastmen had died from frostbite, the most difficult task was to transport firewood and build a windproof stove. As for snowflakes, they were everywhere, so it was better to gnaw out a path on the icy peak bit by bit.
However, this method of road construction also buried a great hidden danger. That was, the ice layer that was poured out later on would obviously be much weaker. It couldn't be compared to the main body of the icy peak that had been frozen for thousands of years. It could even be said to be quite fragile.
Usually, even if this path wasn't used, there would be Orcs sweeping away the snowflakes and rolling rocks from time to time to prevent it from collapsing. At this moment, millions of tons of snow and ice rolled down like a giant waterfall, stirring up thousands of feet of snow and dust below. Thunderous rumbles resounded through the sky, deeply injecting into the deep ravine below.
The mountain path was unavoidably impacted. Faint cracks first appeared on the thick layer of ice, then gradually became clear. Finally, the cracks densely covered the entire path like a spider web. Finally, it couldn't bear the heavy load and collapsed with a loud bang! It stirred up a cloud of snow and dust!
*****
On both sides of this desolate valley were ten thousand feet high ice walls. They were as smooth as mirrors and could even reflect one's reflection. The bottom of the valley was filled with white snow. The avalanche's momentum lingered on the mountain walls. From time to time, sporadic collapses could be seen. Crashing sounds could be heard from time to time.
Apart from that, there was a deathly silence everywhere. Only the occasional howling of the cold wind could be heard, carrying with it a chilling sound like the cries of ghosts and howls of gods.
All of a sudden, the ice and snow at the bottom of the valley churned a few times. A hand that was red from the cold stretched out from within. This hand constantly pulled left and right, loosening the surrounding snow. Then, it clenched its teeth and forcefully pulled a rock that it could use as leverage to climb up. This was Sheyan who had been swept into the valley by the avalanche.
Because this exertion of strength had exhausted the last of his strength, his head buzzed, and his mind went blank for a moment. His body was also exhausted, and he fell onto the soft snow, gasping for breath.
At that time, the mountain path was destroyed by the avalanche, and Sheyan's entire body involuntarily plummeted downwards. Fortunately, the huge ice boulder above his head was also a part of the mountain, and was incomparably tough. It didn't crumble along with the avalanche, otherwise even if Sheyan had 9 lives, he would've died here.
At the bottom of the ice valley, the soft snow had accumulated for an unknown number of years. After the broken ice and rock plank fell, a large cloud of snow and dust was stirred up and sunk to the bottom of the valley. During the process of Sheyan's fall, he received quite a bit of shock, but only suffered a few scratches, and was similarly buried under the snow.
Being buried under the snow sounded terrifying, but in reality, it was a completely different matter from being buried under the soil. As long as one's chest was buried under the soil, in a few minutes one would suffocate to death due to suffocation. Similarly, falling into the water was the same.
Furthermore, the texture of the snow was soft, even if one was completely buried, there would still be many air pockets left, allowing one to breathe for a considerable period of time. As long as one calmed down after being buried, and acted courageous and meticulous, the chances of survival would be very high.
Furthermore, Sheyan's fall wasn't too deep, and after regaining his senses, he exerted himself to dig upwards. Thus, he was able to return to the surface of the snow in time. He lay face down on the snowy ground, gasping for breath and spitting out large clouds of white mist. Although there were still bursts of pain coming from his chest, it had already become less intense. It was just a dull pain.
After panting for a while, Sheyan crawled up, following his memory of the location, he frantically dug out with both his hands and feet. Not long later, Sheyan managed to dig out the half unconscious Melody from the snow. At this moment, Reef also broke out of the snow, similarly wiping his face with snow as he panted heavily.
After pondering a little, Sheyan decided to continue digging towards the side to rescue the dwarf, because he really wanted to know what the claw of Thorondor's son was holding. Instead, the panting Reef stopped him, shaking his head faintly.
"That guy is hopeless. When I saw the avalanche, the dwarf was frightened and ran around randomly. In the end, he was crushed by an ice boulder ….."
Sheyan took several deep breaths, suddenly asking bitterly.
"Then did you see those uruk-hais?"
Reef was startled.
"I was only able to avoid the avalanche because I learned from these guys …"
Both of them glanced at each other, seeing the vigilance and caution in each other's eyes. If he could survive the avalanche by mimicking the uruk-hais, then the chances of those uruk-hais surviving was extremely high! Under such circumstances, both of them were suffering from the cold and hunger, and were extremely fatigued. They definitely wouldn't be able to endure another intense battle.
After the two of them understood this point, they quickly discovered a slight tremor in the nearby snow, as though something was about to break out from the snow. Sheyan immediately carried the unconscious elf maiden, and stroked her perky little butt. He then called out to Reef, and immediately turned to flee without turning back. Even though they weren't used to treading on the soft snow, they still swiftly left the valley.
But after a short 10 minutes, the distant snow surface started to tremble again. Following that, 3 uruk-hais broke out from the snow. Shockingly, the burly and malevolent uruk-hai leader was among them. In the face of such a devastating avalanche, experience was important, but luck was the deciding factor. Even though the uruk-hais had made the most appropriate response, half of them still perished under the frenzied avalanche of ice and snow.
The three uruk-hais were tightly bound with a sturdy animal skin bag. Even in the midst of the avalanche, they didn't lose it. Inside the bag were some essential survival necessities. Obviously, they had already made preparations to pursue the escaped captives for a long period of time in this cold weather.
Looking at the two clear footprints left behind by Sheyan and Reef, the orc leader stood still and laughed maliciously. His laughter was mysterious and full of confidence. He wasn't in a hurry to pursue, instead, he used the snow to violently wash his body, until his entire body was red. Then, he faced the sky and released a frenzied roar. That roar reverberated throughout the valley, not dissipating for a long time.
*****
Although trekking on the snowy ground looked very poetic, it was by no means an easy task. Every time one stepped on the ground, the snow would reach their thighs, and they would have to use a lot of effort to pull it out before they could move forward. It was extremely exhausting.
The snow that covered the ground had cleverly concealed the original terrain. Those dangerous potholes and deep valleys were all covered by snow. It was very likely that one would fall into a snow pit and be buried alive if one stepped into what appeared to be flat ground.
Fortunately, after advancing for a period of time, they realized the valley ahead had become narrower. The snow beneath their feet had gradually thinned, finally revealing a grey rocky ground. Only a few scattered snowflakes were scattered here and there. The rocky surface here was suffused with a faint metallic luster, giving off an incomparably solid feeling. The wind had also become much stronger. When they walked, they even had to bend down to reduce the wind resistance.
After reaching this place, the duo's advancing speed was evidently faster. Even though they were exhausted, they knew the footprints they left behind on the snow weren't appropriate. If those uruk-hais weren't dead, they could easily find them.
Thus, after reaching this place, the duo gritted their teeth and continued advancing. The valley on both sides became increasingly narrower, and finally could only accommodate 2-3 people walking side by side. But after they turned into a mountain pass, their eyes suddenly opened up.
The valley ahead abruptly widened, like a scroll being unfurled. Although the two sides of the valley were precipitous cliffs, the empty space between was now as wide as a plain. Large patches of pine trees grew within, and many pine trees were still covered in snow, looking exceptionally vigorous and hale.
After trekking through the pure white snow for so long, they finally saw the greenery they hadn't seen for a long time. The duo naturally heaved a sigh of relief. With the forest, they wouldn't leave any obvious footprints on the ground. Apart from that, to the duo who couldn't open their interspatial realm and lacked supplies, this place also provided them with prey, a bonfire, concealment, and an opportunity to shake off their pursuers.
After entering the forest, the most important thing they did was to carefully inspect the ground, searching for pine trees that might have fallen on the ground. From there, they could peel pine nuts for food. In such a cold environment, the high oil content of pine nuts could not only effectively reduce hunger, but also provide a large amount of heat to the body.
After half an hour, the duo had already entered 7-8 li into the pine forest. They had found plenty of pine trees, but not a single pine nut had entered their stomachs. For some unknown reason, the pine pines they found were all empty. Not even a single moldy pine nut could be found.
As they ventured deeper into the pine forest, the joy and excitement in their hearts had long faded away. An indescribable sense of mystery replaced it, enveloping their hearts. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to qidian.com to vote for me. Your support is my biggest motivation.)
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