Destruction and construction, seemingly opposite, are in fact mutually reinforcing. For instance, how can the construction of a new life, a child, occur without the destruction of a maiden’s virginity? Or how could the New [Zhong] Kingdom be built without first demolishing the old society? I digress; discussing state affairs is a sin, a grave sin indeed.

Back then, when Saruman’s clone failed to carve a path up the terrifying ice peak, he ordered the Orcs to fetch snow from afar, melt it nearby, and ensure the water didn't freeze during transport to the destination. There, it would be poured onto the mountain to solidify into layers of ice, eventually forming a road leading to the summit.

Although this method demanded immense cost and countless Orcs froze or were injured, the bulk of the labor involved transporting firewood up and erecting windbreaks for the cooking fires. As for the ubiquitous snow, it was certainly better than physically gnawing a path into the ice peak piece by agonizing piece.

However, this method of road construction harbored a massive hidden danger: the resulting ice roadbed, poured into place, was inherently far more fragile than the millennia-old, solidified material forming the main body of the ice peak itself; it could even be described as terribly brittle.

Even when the road winding up the mountain was not in use, Orcs constantly swept the snow, cleared fallen rocks, and prevented landslides. But now, millions of tons of ice and snow thundered down, "like a giant waterfall unleashed," churning up towering plumes of snow dust below, the thunderous roar echoing across the heavens and plunging deep into the ravines beneath.

That winding mountain road was inevitably impacted. The thick ice roadbed first showed subtle cracks, which gradually became distinct, finally spreading like a dense spiderweb until, completely unable to bear the load, it violently collapsed! Erupting into a pillar of snow dust that reached the sky!

…………

This desolate valley was flanked by sheer ice walls, soaring ten thousand ren high, smooth as mirrors, capable of reflecting a person’s image. The valley floor was piled high with glistening white snow. The aftershock of the avalanche still lingered on the cliffs, with sporadic collapses occurring from time to time, punctuated by the occasional huala-huala sound.

Aside from that, an absolute silence reigned, broken only by the occasional howl of the cold wind, carrying with it sounds that resembled the wailing of ghosts and the howling of demons.

Suddenly, the ice and snow at the valley floor stirred a few times, and a hand, red from the cold, emerged. This hand frantically clawed left and right, loosening the surrounding snow, then, gritting its teeth, it used a rock for leverage to pull itself up. This was Fang Senyan, swept into the valley bottom by the avalanche.

The exertion cost him the last of his strength. His head buzzed; a moment of blankness overtook him, and his body went limp. He collapsed onto the soft snow, gasping in great draughts of air.

When the mountain path was destroyed by the avalanche, Fang Senyan was swept downward helplessly. Fortunately, the massive ice block above him was part of the mountain structure, incredibly hard, and did not collapse with the avalanche; otherwise, even with nine lives, Fang Senyan would have perished here.

The soft accumulated snow at the bottom of the ice valley had likely lain there for ages. When the fractured ice road platform plummeted down, it violently kicked up huge clouds of snow dust, sinking into the valley floor. Although frightened during the fall, Fang Senyan only sustained superficial scrapes and was also buried beneath the snow.

Being buried in snow sounds terrifying, but it is entirely different from being buried in earth. If dirt covers you past the chest, you will suffocate to death within minutes due to lack of breath, the same applying to drowning.

But snow is soft; even when completely burying a person, it retains many air pockets capable of supporting respiration for a considerable time. As long as one calms down after being buried and acts with calculated bravery, the chances of survival are quite high.

Furthermore, Fang Senyan was not buried too deeply after the fall. Once he regained his senses, he desperately dug upward, managing to claw his way back to the surface in time. He lay prone on the snow, drawing huge breaths that puffed out thick clouds of white mist. Though his chest still felt throbbing pain intermittently, it was no longer intense, just dull aches.

After panting for a moment, Fang Senyan climbed up and, relying on his memory of the location, began digging frantically with hands and feet. Soon after, Fang Senyan dug the semi-conscious Mist-Singer maiden out of the snow. At this moment, Reef also broke through the surface, wiped snow from his face, and began panting heavily.

Fang Senyan paused, then considered digging further to rescue the Dwarf, as he desperately wanted to know what the claw of that Son of Sauron had been grasping. But the gasping Reef stopped him, shaking his head slightly: "That fellow is beyond saving. I saw this Dwarf running wildly in panic when the avalanche hit, and he was crushed under a chunk of ice rock..."

Fang Senyan took a few deep breaths and then rasped, "Did you see those few Uruk-hai?"

Reef started, "I only survived the avalanche by imitating those very creatures."

The two suddenly met each other's eyes, seeing caution and defense there... If imitating the movements of those Uruk-hai allowed them to survive the avalanche, then the survival rate for those Uruk-hai was extremely high! Under the current circumstances, exhausted, freezing, and starving, the two of them absolutely could not withstand a fierce battle.

As soon as they realized this, they noticed the snow surface not far away beginning to tremble slightly, as if something was about to burst through. Fang Senyan immediately picked up the semi-conscious Elf maiden, casually patted her pert little backside, called out to Reef, and turned to flee without looking back. Although moving in the soft snow was awkward and difficult, they quickly managed to leave the valley.

However, barely ten minutes later, the distant snow began to heave again, and three Uruk-hai gradually broke through the surface, including their particularly stout and savage leader. Against the elemental might of an avalanche, experience is certainly important, but luck is the deciding factor. Although the Uruk-hai had taken the most correct countermeasures, more than half of them perished beneath the wildly surging ice chunks and snow dust.

The three Uruk-hai were tightly bound with sturdy animal hides, which they had not lost even in the avalanche. The packages contained essential supplies for surviving in the cold, clearly showing they had prepared in advance for a prolonged pursuit of escapees in low temperatures.

Staring at the two distinct trails of footprints Fang Senyan and Reef left on the snow, the Orc captain stood still and gave a sinister, mysteriously confident grin. He did not rush to pursue. Instead, he vigorously rubbed his body with snow until his entire body was flushed red, then threw his head back and let out a ferocious roar. The roar struck the deep valley walls, echoing back and forth for a long time before fading away………………

Trekking across snow may look poetic, but it is by no means easy. With every step, the snow engulfs your thighs, and you must strain to pull your leg out just to move forward laboriously, consuming immense energy.

The deep snow covering the ground also cleverly concealed the original terrain. Dangerous pits and deep ravines were hidden beneath the white blanket. A spot that appears flat could lead to a pitfall, risking being buried alive.

Fortunately, after traveling for some time, Fang Senyan and Reef noticed the valley ahead growing narrower, and the snow underfoot gradually thinned, finally revealing the grey rock floor, with only scattered patches of snow piled here and there. The rock surface here emitted a faint metallic sheen, giving an impression of immense hardness. The wind had also noticeably increased, forcing them to bend over while walking to reduce air resistance.

Upon reaching this area, the speed of Fang Senyan and Reef clearly increased. Although they were extremely exhausted, they knew the tracks left on the snow were perilous. If those Uruk-hai had indeed survived, they could easily track them.

So, upon reaching this point, the two gritted their teeth and pressed on, feeling the valley walls drawing closer until they could barely allow two or three people to walk abreast. But when they rounded the next bottleneck, the scene before them suddenly opened up dramatically.

The valley ahead widened abruptly, like an unfurled scroll. Although the sides remained steep cliffs, the open space between them seemed as broad as a plain, dotted with large pine forests. Many pine tops still bore snow, making them look exceptionally hardy and vigorous.

Having trudged through white snow for so long, finally seeing the long-lost green brought a huge sigh of relief to Fang Senyan and Reef. The forest meant they no longer had to leave obvious tracks on the ground. Beyond that, for two people unable to access their storage spaces and thus lacking supplies, this place meant prey, a campfire, concealment, and a chance to shake off their pursuers.

Once in the woods, the primary task for the pair was carefully examining the ground, searching for fallen pinecones from which they could extract pine nuts for food. In this frigid environment, pine nuts, high in oil content, not only effectively curbed hunger but also provided the body with a large amount of heat after consumption.

A full half hour passed. The two had penetrated about seven or eight li into the forest, finding many pinecones but not a single pine nut had passed their lips.

For some unknown reason, every single pinecone Fang Senyan and Reef found was empty; not even a moldy kernel remained inside.

As they ventured deeper into the pine forest, the initial joy and excitement vanished, replaced by an indescribable, eerie feeling that enveloped their hearts.