"How could this happen?"
Heart Tethering Maiden held a limp woman in her arms.
"Maiden, what happened to Dawn?"
"I don't know, Silver... That Spirit struck her, I just don't know what exactly it did to her...!"
Maiden lifted Dawn's body as she replied to Silver Extreme.
He was far from the site where this incident occurred, by was surveilling the area through Immersion.
"It couldn't have been a mere physical blow. She was just fine a moment ago. Why did she suddenly collapse?!"
"We can not say for certain... but if we can not resolve this issue immediately, we will have to deviate from our original path."
Gritting her teeth, Maiden retreated to the frontmost carriage, which was where Silver Extreme resided.
"I will leave her to you, Silver, but we must figure out our next course of action. We can not idle for too long."
"Yes... I understand... but the only likely option is for us to escape the valley by retreating back or up one of the valley walls..."
"It can't be... Is there no way to push through? You understand what retreating means, and scaling those walls with this convoy is borderline impossible!"
"I know, I know, but we have no other choice. If we push through without Dawn, we are not likely to reach the other end. Don't forget, there is also that spirit that we must mind as well."
"Tch..."
Looking outside, the people of the carriage that Dawn had crashed into were being removed from the wreckage.
Multiple people were being moved, as well.
Due to the number of beasts falling, those responsible for drawing the carriages, the voncoy was in the process of reorganising their carriages.
"At this rate, we will have to retreat. If we turn back now, we can at least make it to Cold Flake Valley's edge before Four Corners Defensive Array ceases."
"...Hah," With a heavy sigh, Heart Tethering Maiden refuted, "So there is no other way to move forward? I refuse to go back. You know what lies behind us; we can not take the risk of retreating."
"I would agree if not for that Spirit. Maiden, you are the only one who could maintain the Dao Art—Four Corners Defensive Array and battle that Spirit, whilst enduring the howling winds. I can't let you take that burden alone!"
"You do not understand what I mean."
"Maiden?!"
Leaving the carriage, Heart Teathering Maiden shut the door and conjured her red strings.
Wrapping itself around the carriage, Maiden lifted herself onto the roof and turned to face the rest of the convoy.
"What is she doing...?!"
Waving her hands, countless strings flew out from her sleeve.
'Dragon, Phoenix, Tiger... and Tortoise.'
She wrapped her strings around the Dao Art Mediums, upholding the bubble-like veil.
Heart Tethering Maiden retracted her strings. As she had done so, the Dao Art Mediums neared one another and were gradually approaching Maiden herself.
Consequently, the bubble-like veil shrank.
Carriages left the protective shield that was 'Four Corners Defensive Array', revealed bare to the howling winds.
"What is happening?!"
"The veil!"
"Ahh—!"
As the voices scream, so, too, where the winds howl.
The sounds of panic and fear drowned in the whirlwinds of cold, as the people outside of the carriages were embraced by the outside world.
Wisps of Qi, expressing cold, brittle, winter, and so on, tore the people apart.
There was no blood, nor scent of iron in the air.
Bodies were riddled with holes, countless holes, revealing the innards of the people.
The beasts were not spared.
Horses, oxen, tigers and bears groaned as their hair and fur disintegrated with the wind.
Carriage stood defiantly against the winds, protected by their own Dao Art Mediums.
And yet...
"No, No! The li—!"
"Moth—!"
"Someone plea—!"
In due time, the other carriages met their end.
The people of Iron Mountain Settlement were swept away by the winds, reduced to nothing but flakes of skin, fabric, blood, and desperation.
One lone man, a Cultivator of the Second Foundation, was splayed on the ground.
Before him, he saw a bubble, the bubble-like veil with protected the convoy, and watched as it moved away.
"Salvation... Sal—!"
The convoy, with sixteen carriages left, was reduced to one.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Silence ensued, besides the howling winds, but within the bubble-like veil, pounding could be heard.
"M—...!"
"Mai—...!"
"Maiden!"
Silver Extreme slammed his hand against the carriage's door.
His muffled calls were barely heard through the wood.
Heart Tethering Maiden sat atop the lone carriage, unbothered.
She whipped the tiger into motion, the last of the beasts.
Besides her were the four Dao Art Mediums, which comprised 'Four Corners Defensive Array'.
"Without the convoy behind us, the protective veil has shrunk, and its efficiency has increased."
"The Dao Art can resist the howling winds for up to two hours, reducing the number of times the veil will fall. I will only have to brace myself and endure the winds four times."
"..."
"This is the only way we could move forward."
Having discarded the lives of the people and beasts, Heart Tethering Maiden moves forward.
"Even if that Spirit will return, I can assuredly resist it."
"Maiden!"
"Oh?"
Silver Extreme's voice suddenly reached Maiden's ears, or rather, her mind.
"It took you a while to address me through Immersion. I guess you were just too shocked, hmm?"
"How... How could you! Why have you thrown away the lives of those people?!"
"How could we proceed? If we spared those people, they would only hinder us."
"But that does not mean that you could kill them all!"
"I did no such thing~." Heart Tethering Maiden's tease was only replied to by what sounded like gnashing teeth, "Truly, we were unfortunate to have encountered such a Spirit. If Dawn had not fallen to this mysterious condition, we may have been able to proceed as normally intended."
"..."
"You must overlook this, Silver. I hope you will understand just why I did this."
"Selfish..."
"Very."
"How selfish can you be...!"
"Very. Very, indeed."
Holding down his transmitted voice, Silver Extreme knelt on the floor of the carriage.
Helplessly clawing at the door as wood splintered into his fingernails. Blood stained the newly carved wood.
Silver Extreme gritted his teeth to the point it felt they would explode.
"I... I have failed...!"
"Again..."
"Again, I have failed!"