Dragonspine, one of Mondstadt's deadliest regions. The perpetual snow and harsh climate mean that only monsters and a few daring Adventurers inhabit this place.
However, it is precisely because of the presence of these Adventurers that a relatively safe path — the Snow-Covered Path — exists within Dragonspine.
By using this path, pioneered by those who came before, later arrivals can avoid many unnecessary troubles and enter the mountain's interior in a better state.
But safety is relative; even on the Snow-Covered Path, the number of deceased Adventurers is not small.
"Why is it so cold here!" Yu Jin shivered, and the ice crystals on him shattered, becoming part of the vast snow.
At this moment, Yu Jin had been walking along the Snow-Covered Path for quite some time. Steep rock walls now surrounded him, and he was passing through the small crevices between these walls.
Looking out, as far as the eye could see, there were only snow-covered rocks. Yet, life is always tenacious; even with Dragonspine's harsh conditions, Yu Jin could still see Hilichurls moving in the distance.
He casually pulled up a Mint from the ground, chewed it in his mouth, and watched the Hilichurls still howling in the distance amidst the wind and snow. Yu Jin felt their vitality might be even stronger than the Mint in his mouth.
Continuing forward, Yu Jin soon came to a fork in the road. He looked at it; one path led into a cave, and the other to an open area.
He checked his map and then turned to the left. Even without considering the commission, the huge, red-glowing tree in the distance to the left was more appealing to Yu Jin.
"Big tree, oh big tree, why are you so big~" Yu Jin ran to the giant Frostbearing Tree, singing a song he had learned from who-knows-where, his voice echoing.
Why sing? Because Yu Jin was very happy. He saw such a large tree striving to grow in such a difficult environment and felt its spirit was truly precious.
Moreover, judging by the conditions around this white tree, it must have suffered a catastrophe before. But it persevered, and new sprouts emerged from its original wreckage.
Yu Jin caressed the Frostbearing Tree; faint, eerie red light vaguely emanated from beneath its pale bark.
"Is it blood?" Yu Jin squatted on the ground, poked at the exposed red crystals beneath the Frostbearing Tree, and sniffed them with his finger.
It seemed so, and this blood also appeared to be Crafted, an artificial life form?
Yu Jin scratched his head, not expecting so many capable people in this world. But creating life has always been synonymous with trouble and danger. He wondered how it was in this world.
Though he himself often created life, that is.
"Bye-bye, big tree!" Yu Jin said to the Frostbearing Tree, then ran deeper into the snowy mountain.
He could sense that this big tree possessed sentience, but unfortunately, it had no intention of greeting him, so Yu Jin didn't linger.
Anyway, trees don't have legs. It wouldn't be too late to bother it once he finished his commission.
Passing the Frostbearing Tree, Yu Jin followed the path upward into the higher reaches of the snowy mountain.
Another fork in the road, but this time he truly didn't know which way to go. Yu Jin looked; one path led to a mountain trail, and the other to the higher parts of the snowy mountain.
Which way to go? Yu Jin fell into contemplation. Of course, he wanted both!
At the fork, Yu Jin's body began to split from the middle, and unsettling tendrils of flesh grew out of the darkness. The pink, tender flesh constantly writhed and grew, as if without end.
However, after growing to a certain length, these tendrils began to knot and differentiate. Soon, two Yu Jins appeared at the crossroads.
"Is this a clone?" Yu Jin 1 touched Yu Jin 2's face, finding it very novel, as this was the first time he had used the cloning ability after subduing the rot.
"What clone! I am you, and you are me," Yu Jin 2 retorted to Yu Jin 1's statement.
"Then why isn't Malenia like that?" Yu Jin 1 asked. He remembered Malenia's five clones; they were all complete individuals.
Yu Jin 2 lowered his head in thought for a moment, then said, "Because we need to be stronger?"
"You're very clever, worthy of being me!" Yu Jin 1 looked at Yu Jin 2 admiringly; they had thought of the same thing.
Then the two smiled at each other and went their separate ways.
Yu Jin 1 walked on the mountain trail, experiencing this unique sensation. His and 2's perspectives were now shared, and their thoughts were also shared, like one person controlling two bodies simultaneously.
But apart from a unified consciousness, the two clones also had their own distinct thoughts. It was truly an unprecedented experience.
Yu Jin looked at the rot chatting and joking within him, sighing with emotion. Indeed, those who could become gods were not simple beings.
But wasn't it still beaten black and blue by him, turning into a docile lamb? Thinking of this, Yu Jin felt he was truly fierce.
First, he punched You Sui and First Flame (???), then he kicked Frenzied Flame and rot. Is this something a human could do?
Apologies, a human really couldn't do these things.
After a long period of rambling thoughts, Yu Jin 1 saw an abandoned Adventurer camp appear before him.
Yu Jin's spirits lifted. Finally, a clue! He had been searching for so long; if there were no more clues, he would have to go inside himself and bother those four guys to pass the time.
"Bang!" A dark shadow descended from the sky; it was Yu Jin 2 returning. After 1 found a clue, he ran from the other path to meet up.
With another squirm of flesh, the two Yu Jins merged back into one.
Twisting his body, Yu Jin felt perfectly fine. So he walked forward and began searching through the camp.
Soon, he saw a journal. Yu Jin sat on the ground and read the journal.
"Heh, looks like he's doing well," Yu Jin said, smiling as he closed the neatly written journal after finishing it. From the entries, Joel's father seemed to be in good condition.
"But why are you such a fast runner!" Yu Jin's smile turned into a gnashing of teeth. Because at the end of the journal, Joel's father said he had already set off for the next camp.
However, this also showed that Joel's father was definitely an experienced Adventurer.
An ordinary Adventurer would probably be exhausted before even crossing the Snow-Covered Path, let alone having the leisure to venture deeper after reaching this point.
"Alright, entrusted by others, loyal to the task," Yu Jin stood up, brushed off the dirt, left some supplies in the camp, and set off again.
Yu Jin remembered Joel saying that his father also wanted to visit the western slope of Dragonspine. So Yu Jin followed the map and headed west of the snowy mountain.
The deeper into Dragonspine, the scarcer human traces became. Even the so-called "road" beneath Yu Jin's feet only looked slightly less snow-covered than other areas.
Not only that, but on this road, Yu Jin saw the long-unseen sight of monsters blocking the way. It seemed that due to the scarcity of people, monsters had occupied this area.
However, none of this stopped Yu Jin's steps. After climbing a cliff and advancing for a while, Yu Jin saw the path ahead suddenly open up.
Looking along the path, he saw a Mitachurl sitting in the center of an open space. Beside it, two or three weasels were playing.
And that Frostarm Mitachurl was watching the weasels play on the ground, its eyes, contrary to the usual ferocity of other Hilichurls, filled with peace and gentleness.
Yu Jin felt curious. Could it be that some Hilichurls truly managed to break free from their curse?
Yu Jin took a step forward, his iron boot crushing frozen grass, the subtle sound piercing through the wind and reaching the weasels' ears.
"Hiss!" The weasels were clearly startled by the sudden sound. And seeing someone approaching from behind, they scattered in fear.
"Roar!" The Mitachurl let out a furious roar, its body instantly covered in armor formed by condensed ice elements.
Yu Jin twitched his mouth, "Alright, it seems I'm the one who has to break this curse."
--+--
T/N: Although I'm an inexperienced Editor, I do have a Patreon account! Although it seems like I don't have many supporters right now, my webnovel will be released in full every day, and the advanced chapters will be uploaded to Patreon.
It may not be worth it now, but who knows, it might be different in the future. Who knows!
patreon.com/Greyhounds
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