Chapter Five Hundred Ninety-Six: Drawing

December 4th, severe cold.

The once lush forests were now covered by heavy snow, transforming the once bird-filled woods into a silent panorama. The landscape was blanketed by a pervasive whiteness, even the trickling streams in the valley had frozen from their source. Icicles hung from every cliff, signifying the coldest time of the year.

Tang Luo had left enough food for the civilians of Red Cloud Mountain, but he still wasn't sure whether they could survive the winter. Construction of Unparalleled City, east of here, had halted because of the heavy snow. The people who used to wander around Red Cloud Mountain collecting firewood and hunting small animals were now nowhere to be seen, everyone retreated into the caves, huddling up against the cold.

Not only the civilians, but even North Mountain seemed a lot quieter. Except for the still heated battlegrounds to the west and the south, the rest of the world seemed to have taken a pause.