436 Chapter 436: The Desperate Knight

...

The man in the heavy silver armor collapsed weakly onto the snowy ground. The blood that spilled out congealed, mingling with the snow. The enormous heavy sword he wielded vanished into dots of light, and his life dissipated along with it.

"A truly loyal dog, huh?" One person looked at the lifeless corpse, a contemptuous smirk on their lips.

"What a waste of my time!"

The desperate resistance of this Spirit Saint had indeed wasted some of their pursuit time.

The blizzard grew increasingly fierce, making it difficult to see anything within ten meters.

In such treacherous weather, in the icy forest teeming with spirit beasts, it was easy to lose one's way and become trapped, endangering one's life.

But they couldn't give up now.

Their conspiracy had been discovered, so they absolutely could not let these people leave alive. Otherwise, their more than ten years of preparation would be in vain, and they might even face the cleansing of the Spirit Hall.

The leader's eyes swept coldly over the dozen or so subordinates around him as he gave them strict orders, "Those few can't run far. Their only Spirit Saint is already dead, and the rest are just some ants at the Spirit Ancestor and Spirit King levels. Split into two teams and conduct a thorough search! We must find them!"

The howling wind swept through the forest, emitting a chilling cry. The snowflakes floating in the air, like blades, mixed with the biting wind, lashed against their cheeks, causing a bone-piercing pain.

These people were already covered in injuries, big and small, and their spirit power had been greatly depleted.

Add to that the harsh blizzard, and the situation of venturing into the spirit beast-infested frozen forest was nearly a matter of life and death.

Even so, there was still a glimmer of hope.

But these people had to die!

Only the dead could preserve all the secrets!

A sinister gleam flashed in the leader's eyes on his gloomy face as he coldly spoke to his subordinates.

"Remember, the living must see people, and the dead must see corpses! Otherwise, you know what awaits you!"

Feeling the chill in his words, the others couldn't help but tremble.

"Now, go!"

As soon as the words fell, the figures around him vanished in an instant.

...

In the stormy snow, a group of people was desperately fleeing.

The temperature below zero degrees caused the white breath they exhaled to turn into ice crystals instantly.

Although they could use their spirit power to ward off the cold, after the previous battle and their escape, the spirit power within their bodies was almost completely depleted.

Their continued running now was the result of their bodies tapping into their last reserves of potential.

But they could already feel their stamina waning, and their speed slowly decreasing.

Plomp~

Finally, someone couldn't hold on any longer and fell onto the snowy ground.

"Marl!"

Seeing their companion fall, the others immediately stopped and hurried over to help him up.

"Sorry! Leave me behind! I no longer have the strength, and my spirit power is almost depleted. It will only burden everyone else," Marl weakly looked at his companions, an apologetic expression in his eyes.

But at this moment, his eyes had become hollow, filled with despair.

Marl felt as though his eyelids were as heavy as lead, irresistibly tempting him to shut them.

In this frigid environment, the heat generated from their life-or-death escape quickly dissipated when they paused for even a moment, replaced by the piercing cold.

"Hey! Marl! Don't fall asleep! Open your eyes for me! Don't give up!" The knight clad in exquisite silver armor shouted desperately, shaking Marl's body vigorously. She knew that once he fell asleep, he would never wake up again.

Feeling the warmth nourishing his body, Marl opened his eyes and saw his companion in front of him.

In an instant, he shouted in astonishment, "Ruonan! What are you doing! Stop your actions immediately!"

With a touch of anger, he pushed away the companion supporting him, forcibly interrupting the flow of spirit power being channeled to him.

"Run! Don't waste time on me, or no one will escape!" Marl seemed to have used up his last bit of strength, tears streaming down his face as he pleaded with his companions before collapsing onto the snow.

The silver knight didn't give up and walked over, saying as she walked, "My father never gave up until the end, sacrificing his life to buy us time to escape."

She helped Marl up, and within her silver helmet, her eyes flickered with sadness and determination.

"So please, don't let our father's final wish go to waste."

"We must survive!"

As she said this, she practically shouted, her voice filled with a hint of tears.

The sound faded quickly with the howling wind, and everyone fell silent under the weight of her determination.

But after experiencing such events, everyone had reached their limit.

"Ruonan, that's enough."

At this moment, a soft voice sounded from behind.

She turned, seeing a comrade leaning against a tree trunk, head lowered, and arms drooping. They had an appearance of resigned acceptance.

"What are you saying!"

"I'm saying that there is no hope left!" The knight who was being questioned seemed to have mentally collapsed, their gaze already starting to scatter.

"We're all going to die! We can't survive! Even if we manage to escape from those pursuers, what's the point? We're already exhausted, and coupled with this sudden blizzard! There's no chance of survival in this frozen forest!"

"We might freeze to death, or die under the claws of spirit beasts, becoming their food! We're beyond saving! We're all going to die! Hahaha~"

As they spoke, they laughed manically.

Hearing their words, everyone fell into silence.

Although they didn't want to admit it, what they said was true. The reality was just as they had described.

Helpless, despairing, and fearful emotions began to cloud their minds in this icy snowy landscape.

"That bastard, Roman."

Zhang Ruonan let go of Marl and walked towards the person, grabbing their collar in anger and pulling them close to her eyes, glaring at them.

"Is this what you call being a knight?"

"Hahaha~"

Roman, who was questioned, didn't respond, just continuing to chuckle, appearing to have gone mad.

Luo Xue, the princess, watched her despairing comrades and herself become hopeless and helpless.

"Sob, sob, sob~ I'm sorry~ It's all because of me that we ended up like this. It's all because of me that Uncle Zhang... Sob, sob, sob!"

She knelt on the snowy ground, sobbing helplessly. To protect herself, she had helplessly watched the knights of her escorting team, those who had cared for her since childhood, die one by one, even her Uncle Zhang.

In the frigid wind, mixed with cries of despair, an overwhelming sense of hopelessness enveloped everyone.

"Do you need a handkerchief?"

At this moment, a sudden voice sounded in the ears of the desperate individuals.

Luo Xue involuntarily lifted her head, seeing an unfamiliar figure standing in front of her.

Bending down, extending their hand, they held a soft handkerchief and handed it to her.