Fang Senyan glanced back at Jiao Shi, his expression serious. "We need to get out of here quickly. For some reason, I feel this place is extremely dangerous." Jiao Shi panted slightly. "Those monsters couldn't have caught up so fast. Even if they can track our footprints in the snow, how would they find our escape route in this forest? They'll get tired too."

Fang Senyan shook his head and stated gravely, "Those Uruk-hai were sent as fresh reinforcements specifically to hunt us down. They are numerous, and their stamina is always maintained at peak condition. Moreover, this gorge, lined with pine trees, is long, but only a few miles wide. They can easily spread out horizontally, placing one every so often, like sifting fish out of a ditch with a screen—they could find us without effort."

Fang Senyan, of course, did not know that only three Uruk-hai remained and that they couldn't employ the cumbersome yet highly effective 'sieve' search method he described. Yet, he also didn't know that the Uruk-hai leader possessed a nose as keen as a hound's, capable of tracking their group's direction by scent alone. Thus, his caution was certainly not wasted.

Jiao Shi nodded, pondering for a moment. "Is there any chance we could turn the tables and eliminate the pursuers?"

Fang Senyan thought carefully before slowly replying, "Although that avalanche was terrifying, the survival rate for those Uruk-hai must still be high. More importantly, what we need to escape isn't just potential pursuers—I fear it's a natural disaster."

"A natural disaster?" Jiao Shi was astonished. Fang Senyan nodded seriously. "Yes. Walking through this pine forest until now, we haven't encountered a single living creature. Look at the trees around you, and think about those pinecones we saw earlier! Nothing could have eaten the pine nuts so thoroughly that not even the shells remained. Furthermore, there’s no trace of pine nuts growing inside the cones! What does this indicate? It means some force is affecting the outer trees, stripping them of their ability to reproduce. This force is strong enough to drive away beasts and silence birds!"

"The deeper we go into this pine forest, the more severe the desiccation becomes. This clearly shows we are approaching the core of the contamination. We must leave this cursed place before nightfall, or the danger will be immense!"

Jiao Shi nodded, but the next second he leaped up, eyes fixed on the path they had come from. A black lightsaber instantly materialized in his hand, and he snapped into a battle stance. Seeing Jiao Shi's reaction so close by, Fang Senyan’s pupils constricted immediately. He bent over and lunged forward, executing a forward roll before looking back.

About a hundred meters behind them stood the three pursuing Uruk-hai!

Especially the foremost one, an incomparably burly Uruk-hai chieftain, whose every footfall struck the earth like a heavy hammer. When running, it seemed the very ground vibrated beneath him. Yet, even while sprinting, the Uruk-hai leader bared his fangs in a sinister grin, displaying an unnerving composure, as if treating Fang Senyan and his companions as already captured prey.

"Flee!"

The word tore from Fang Senyan’s teeth. Facing three Uruk-hai at this moment clearly meant certain capture for the trio. More critically, while he and Jiao Shi could potentially return to the Nightmare Space, the Elven maiden Wuge faced the fate of being brutalized—a sight Fang Senyan absolutely could not bear!

Setting aside the fact that the Elven maiden was a powerful potential asset, Fang Senyan could never abandon her simply because of the genuine emotion she showed toward him. Furthermore, the remaining time affected their team ability rewards. Therefore, both publicly and privately, Fang Senyan was resolved to fight to the end!

But under this tight pursuit, for some unknown reason, Fang Senyan and Jiao Shi’s vision began to darken, blood trickling from the corners of their mouths, while the distance to their pursuers rapidly closed. Just as Fang Senyan grit his teeth, preparing to reveal his trump card, they chanced upon a gentle upward slope, and his heart soared with ecstasy!

Before them, the pine forest ended, revealing a vast, immense lake!

At this point, the faint mist in the air seemed to have dissipated considerably, and the sunlight suddenly grew intense. The clouds in the distance were burned a brilliant, fiery red, and ten thousand beams of magnificent light pierced, reflected, and intertwined across the lake’s surface; every wave spoke of intense grandeur. No one could have imagined such a large lake existed within this valley, and this stunningly serene scene was the first of its kind Fang Senyan had ever witnessed.

Undoubtedly, for Fang Senyan, a man who spent his life around ships, the scent of salt and brine permeated his very bones. His swimming skills were so proficient that bringing the Elven girl and Jiao Shi along would be no problem at all. If they plunged into the lake before the Uruk-hai caught up, their chances of escape would dramatically increase!

Seeing the shimmering lake, both Fang Senyan and Jiao Shi felt their spirits lift. Their pace quickened instinctively; they were completely confident they could jump into the water and escape before the enemy closed in!

But at this moment of impending salvation, the Uruk-hai leader in the rear burst into maniacal laughter, his mirth filled with sarcasm and triumph. Fang Senyan couldn't help but look back and saw that the three grim pursuers had actually stopped running and were now advancing slowly, as if the two were already caught in a jar.

"Could there be some great danger in the lake?"

This thought flashed through Fang Senyan’s mind, but his resolve immediately hardened: "Whatever danger lies ahead, compared to being caught by the Uruk-hai, it's a gamble worth taking. Falling into the hands of the Uruk-hai means certain death. Even if there is some vicious beast in the lake, either Jiao Shi or I can lure it away—there is still a slim chance of survival!" But in the very next second, Fang Senyan, who had been closely watching the lake surface, suddenly saw everything go black, followed by searing pain, and he plummeted into endless darkness! Amidst this, he heard a roar filled with shock and rage—Jiao Shi’s voice.

Both of them had gone instantly blind!

The terror a normal person feels upon suddenly losing sight is unimaginable, let alone in such a critical, nail-biting situation. Both lost their balance while running and fell to the ground in disarray. In these few short hours, the bizarre experiences and perilous encounters they had endured were more than most ordinary people would face in a lifetime. They had cycled repeatedly from the brink of death to safety, and back to doom from safety, yet only now did the despair in their hearts become the most intense, their dejection absolute.

"How could this happen? When did they strike?" Fang Senyan frantically searched his mind, yet found no answer. His facial muscles twisted, but he refused to give up, wildly groping and crawling forward until he was pinned beneath the snarling foot of the Uruk-hai leader.

"You fools, not washing your eyes with the holy water when climbing the snow mountain—you naturally suffered divine punishment, and your dog eyes went blind."

It turned out that sunlight contains a large amount of ultraviolet radiation, and snow surfaces strongly reflect UV rays, sometimes achieving a reflectance of up to 95% or more. Thus, newcomers to the snow mountains who take no protective measures can easily suffer severe UV burns to their eyes in a short time—symptoms include seeing numerous dark spots, severely impairing vision. This condition is thus misidentified as 'blindness' and is also known as snow blindness. Fortunately, the symptoms disappear once the eyes stop swelling after rest.

Fang Senyan and Jiao Shi had never been to a snow mountain before. They had been exposed to the sun’s UV rays for a prolonged period in the snow, but because the duration wasn't long enough, the quantitative change hadn't yet accumulated into a qualitative shift. After escaping here, encountering the shimmering lake surface subjected them to concentrated, intense UV rays again, causing the snow blindness to abruptly reach its critical threshold and manifest violently. In their panic and confusion, believing they were permanently blind was not surprising.

The Uruk-hai, naturally, knew nothing of snow blindness or ultraviolet rays, but having occupied the snow mountain for a long time, they were long accustomed to this condition. Furthermore, Saruman's avatar had specially formulated potions. These Orcs and Uruk-hai already possessed some resistance from prolonged exposure on the mountain; after rinsing their eyes with the potion before setting out, they naturally were unaffected by snow blindness.

In this primitive, wild world, the Uruk-hai and Orcs attributed the cause of this strange affliction to the punishment of their god, "Saruman," which was understandable.

The Uruk-hai leader frequently captured prisoners and had extensive experience observing when a captive's snow blindness would strike. Thus, he was completely confident that Fang Senyan and Jiao Shi, seeing the large lake in this immediate situation, would inevitably suffer temporary blindness. This is why his pursuit had always been so leisurely.

In the preceding avalanche, these Uruk-hai suffered losses exceeding five or six members—a blood debt that was rightfully attributed to Fang Senyan and Jiao Shi.

Consequently, these Uruk-hai showed them no mercy. However, Fang Senyan and Jiao Shi were only kicked fiercely a few times and slapped a couple of times before the Uruk-hai leader ordered a halt: "Take the prisoners back first. Whether you skin them or eat them is up to you. The sun is about to set; we must leave quickly before any other abnormalities appear!" The Uruk-hai leader’s mention of "abnormalities" caused the other two Uruk-hai to shudder simultaneously, as if remembering something terrible. Without another word, they grabbed Fang Senyan and the other two and hurried away!