The biting wind and snow cut like knives against their faces.
The two crouched low, using the surrounding rocks as cover, and cautiously approached the direction from which the sounds and spiritual energy fluctuations came.
As they drew closer, the aura sensed by Chen Yuyang’s spiritual perception became clearer.
That fiend beast’s aura was powerful and ferocious.
The other aura carried a familiar burning sensation.
This spiritual fluctuation…
Could it be that the one fighting that fiend beast was…
Chen Yuyang’s pupils slightly contracted, and he quickened his pace.
Xuan Ke followed close behind, her expression also turning grave.
As they drew a bit closer and rounded a rock wall, the scene unfolded before them.
What they saw confirmed Chen Yuyang’s guess.
It was indeed her.
Yan Luo!
At this moment, Yan Luo was half-kneeling in the snow, her face as pale as paper, her lips drained of all color.
Her right arm was twisted at an unnatural angle, clearly broken.
Blood soaked through her sleeve, staining a small patch of snow a glaring crimson.
Obviously, Yan Luo’s condition was bad, very bad.
“Tsk, why her? How did she provoke this Nascent Soul stage fiend beast?”
At this moment, Xuan Ke also saw the situation clearly, clicked her tongue in exasperation, and furrowed her brows.
“Let’s just watch the show, Yuyang.”
Xuan Ke blinked, her eyes rolling as she quickly weighed the pros and cons before speaking.
“Is it because of the conflict between you two?”
Chen Yuyang turned his head, his gaze landing on Xuan Ke’s face.
He knew that the relationship between Xuan Ke and Yan Luo was not very good.
“Ahem.”
Xuan Ke quickly cleared her throat, her expression unchanged.
As if she knew Chen Yuyang would ask that, she answered frankly, “The poor relationship is one aspect; no need to hide that, you know it too.”
“On the other hand, if we intervene now, we will face the wrath of that Nascent Soul fiend beast.”
She paused, then continued her analysis: “A Nascent Soul fiend beast is already a notch stronger than a human cultivator of the same rank, and moreover, we are only at the peak of the Golden Core stage.”
“Coupled with the fact that our spiritual power is hindered by the Hanpo Snowfield and the unique laws of this secret realm, many of our spells and means are unusable. Our combat strength is heavily diminished. I don’t think we stand a chance.”
“Although Yan Luo’s situation is dire, she still has a teleportation talisman on her. If it comes down to a life-or-death moment, she’ll be teleported out immediately. Outside the secret realm, her grandfather and countless elders from our Xuan Clan are protecting her. There’s absolutely no danger to her life.”
“Let’s not even talk about whether the two of us in our current state can defeat this enraged Nascent Soul beast. Even if we somehow win, dealing with the badly wounded Yan Luo would be troublesome.”
Xuan Ke glanced at the tottering Yan Luo in the distance and continued, “I’ve already tried here—even if we take pills, they can’t be absorbed and used due to the secret realm’s laws. With her injuries, even if we save her, she’ll only become a burden to us.”
Chen Yuyang remained silent, his gaze once again fixed on the scene.
Xuan Ke’s words were all perfectly logical.
From a rational standpoint, her judgment was indeed the most correct choice: protecting oneself and avoiding unnecessary risks.
Moreover, her relationship with Yan Luo did not support her taking risks to help.
But…
That was Xuan Ke’s rationality, based on her assessment that the two of them might not be a match for the Nascent Soul fiend beast, along with the various constraints of this place.
When Yan Luo exhausted all her strength in a final attack that also proved futile, the giant ape flew into a rage and swung its massive fist at the girl.
Chen Yuyang moved.
No one saw Chen Yuyang’s movement.
Xuan Ke only knew that in that instant, the young man vanished from her sight.
Only the snow dust kicked up around where he had been standing remained.
So fast!
Extreme speed.
She couldn’t see it at all.
This made Xuan Ke even suspect—was he truly at the same cultivation level as her?
Chen Yuyang held his sword, still sheathed, yet it steadily blocked the fist.
The impact of the heavy punch scattered the ring of snow at Chen Yuyang’s feet.
However, the fist, larger than Chen Yuyang’s entire upper body, was now firmly stopped by the unassuming sword scabbard in the young man’s hand, unable to advance even an inch.
Seeing this, Xuan Ke couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
He really did make a move after all.
So strong!
He withstood a furious blow from a Nascent Soul beast with such ease.
Would he despise her earlier coldness?
Thinking to herself, Xuan Ke hesitated no longer.
Her figure moved.
Both swords came out at once, crimson thunderfire leaping and crackling along the blades, emitting a sizzling sound.
Taking advantage of the giant ape’s full attention being drawn to Chen Yuyang, Xuan Ke struck with a full-power sword stroke.
This strike exploded forth like lightning, tearing through the air, and slashed viciously at the giant ape’s back!
Pfft!
The blade, wrapped in raging thunderfire, cut deep into the giant ape’s body, tearing open a massive, bone-deep wound on its back.
Blood splattered everywhere.
Ooowoo—
The giant ape howled in pain, its massive body stumbling sideways.
Forgetting to attack Chen Yuyang and Yan Luo, it quickly leaped to the side, staring warily at Chen Yuyang and Xuan Ke.
Xuan Ke landed beside Chen Yuyang.
She glanced at Yan Luo, who had completely fainted and lay limp on the ground, then at Chen Yuyang’s expressionless face.
Chen Yuyang sheathed his sword and stood, his gaze calmly fixed on the giant ape in the distance, but he asked Xuan Ke, “Weren’t you on bad terms with her? Why did you make a move?”
Xuan Ke maintained her combat stance and slowly explained, “I am indeed on bad terms with her, but right now, we are cooperation partners. Since you made a move, I naturally can’t sit by and let you take the risk alone.”
“I ended up forcing you to do something you weren’t willing to do.”
Chen Yuyang looked at Xuan Ke and gave a slight smile.
“I wouldn’t say I was forced.”
Xuan Ke shook her head, then her expression turned serious: “But do you really have confidence to defeat it? That sword strike of mine, when all its attention was on you and I used full power, only managed to cut through its flesh and muscle without breaking its bones. This beast’s physical toughness is… extraordinary.”
Recalling the immense resistance she felt when her blade cut into the giant ape’s body, Xuan Ke couldn’t help but feel wary.
Chen Yuyang shook his head and turned his gaze back to the giant ape not far away: “In that case, you should withdraw.”
“What, you think I’m in the way?”
Xuan Ke raised an eyebrow, half-jokingly retorting.
However, Chen Yuyang did not hesitate for a moment.
He nodded and answered seriously, “That’s right.”
Xuan Ke: “……”
The girl was choked by these words.
This guy—even if it was true, why did he have to say it so bluntly!
Opening her mouth, Xuan Ke ultimately said nothing.
She rolled her eyes inwardly, silently mocking him as a steel straight man, then said no more.
She bent down and scooped up the unconscious Yan Luo in a princess carry.
Xuan Ke held Yan Luo, silently lamenting that even you had your day, then quickly retreated, putting enough distance between them, leaving the battlefield entirely to Chen Yuyang.
However, Xuan Ke didn’t really go too far.
She wanted to see what confidence and methods Chen Yuyang had to deal with the giant ape.
Chen Yuyang stood amidst the wind and snow, facing alone the colossal giant ape, unmoving.
The wind billowed his robes, making them snap loudly.
Seeing that only this seemingly frail human cultivator remained as his opponent, the pain from the wound and the anger from being ambushed instantly overcame the giant ape’s earlier caution.
It let out a roar and charged at Chen Yuyang on all fours like a runaway carriage.
The ground trembled under its stomps, sending a vast cloud of snow dust billowing.
Chen Yuyang still stood in place, not moving an inch.
He looked calmly at the charging ape, his lips moving slightly as he muttered quietly: “To survive in this frozen wasteland, your hide must be very warm… I bet it makes excellent insulation…”
His voice was so soft that it was instantly swallowed by the howling wind.
As he spoke, a few faint, dark-golden scales quietly emerged on Chen Yuyang’s cheeks.
The edges of the scales were sharp, exuding an ancient and majestic aura.
Dragon Transformation.
Of course, only a partial transformation.
An intangible draconic might radiated from him, pressing down on the giant ape like a solid force.
The charging ape suddenly froze.
Its massive body trembled uncontrollably.
The anger and madness in its blood-red eyes were instantly replaced by extreme terror.
It was the absolute suppression from the depths of its bloodline, the instinctive fear of a lower being facing a higher existence.
It wanted to stop, to retreat, to prostrate itself, but its body was unresponsive due to overwhelming fear.
Chen Yuyang moved.
There was no earth-shattering burst of momentum, no dazzling flash of spiritual brilliance.
Only a sword strike that surpassed Xuan Ke’s perception.
Xuan Ke stood in the distance, instinctively holding her breath.
She could not sense the draconic might, for that pressure was not directed at her.
She also could not see the dragon scales on Chen Yuyang’s face, as the wind and snow obscured them.
She only felt that the giant ape’s movements suddenly became unnatural.
Then, Chen Yuyang turned into a blurry afterimage.
Indeed, even with her full concentration, she could only see a blurry silhouette, unable to make out his movements.
Chii—
A faint cutting sound flashed by amidst the roaring wind and snow.
The next moment.
Thud!
That massive, ferocious ape head rolled off its neck and landed heavily in the snow.
The huge body stood in place for two breaths, until a geyser of blood spurted from the neck wound, before finally crashing to the ground.
Xuan Ke clenched her fists, her pupils dilated.
Such a fast sword!
Such a powerful sword!
A huge storm surged in Xuan Ke’s heart.
She remembered that her own full-power strike earlier had only cut through the giant ape’s flesh and muscle, but Chen Yuyang’s sword easily severed its head like slicing through a melon or vegetable.
What terrified her most was that throughout the whole process, she had not sensed any particularly strong spiritual power fluctuation from that sword.
It was as if Chen Yuyang had simply swung his sword casually.
And with this sword strike came a vast, desolate sword intent that seemed to merge with the wind and snow of this world.
This sword intent made Xuan Ke, standing far away and not even being the target, feel a bone-deep coldness so intense that she couldn’t help but shiver.
Chen Yuyang sheathed his sword; there was not a trace of blood on the blade.
Without looking at the head that still had its eyes wide open, the young man walked straight to the ape’s corpse and reached out to touch its fur.
Feeling the thick texture, a satisfied curve finally appeared on the corner of Chen Yuyang’s mouth.