The End

"Roar!!!"

The Extremely Cold Snow Ape's roar was filled with seething fury.

Bai Ye charged forward, his fists wrapped in spiritual energy as they relentlessly pounded the ape's head.

The Extremely Cold Snow Ape's skull was incomparably hard. Every recoil left Bai Ye's hands trembling uncontrollably.

The next second, a massive palm came crashing down. Bai Ye neither dodged nor retreated, taking it head-on.

The cold energy within him erupted once more.

The strange cold energy invaded the Extremely Cold Snow Ape's body, making even this Heaven-Rank Spirit Beast born amid ice and snow feel an unbelievable chill.

Ferocious glints flashed in the eyes of both man and ape.

From that moment on, they fought more and more crazily.

Every one of Bai Ye's attacks completely roused the Extremely Cold Snow Ape's savage beast nature. Attacks from the Heaven Merging Realm Late Stage poured down like a torrential storm, endlessly erupting throughout Frozen Ice Valley.

Bai Ye refused to be outdone. Countless Ice Wheels exploded across the sky.

Fight. That was all there was.

With fists, with feet, with everything that could be used to fight, they battled with all their strength.

Though his actions had grown utterly insane, his mind remained exceptionally clear. The cold energy in his head continuously stimulated his brain, allowing him to maintain absolute reason.

He calculated every attack perfectly.

He could perfectly stir up his own emotions, but his rationality would never diminish.

He did not know how long they had been fighting, but by now, both he and the Extremely Cold Snow Ape were covered in wounds.

They were evenly matched.

But a Spirit Beast's body was immensely powerful. If things continued like this and he could not completely break the deadlock, he would undoubtedly be the one to die here in the end.

Hovering in the air, Bai Ye looked down at the snow ape below.

The snow ape roared and shrieked at him.

It was provoking him. Wildly provoking him.

This sort of life-and-death battle was truly thrilling beyond compare.

"The one who falls in the end definitely won't be me."

Bai Ye stood before it and spoke coldly.

The next moment, spiritual energy surged madly through his hand as a peculiar Mark slowly took shape.

The Extremely Cold Snow Ape's fur instantly stood on end. It sensed danger—an intense threat. After the cold energy's third eruption, this was the second time it had experienced such a feeling.

It made its decision without hesitation and let out an enraged roar.

The spiritual energy within Frozen Ice Valley immediately gathered.

As though they shared the same thought, Bai Ye and the Extremely Cold Snow Ape both intended to determine victory and defeat with their next move.

Bai Ye did not know whether, after using this move, the spiritual energy within him would be enough to sustain the repair of his severely injured body.

But...

When it was time for a Desperate Struggle, there could be no hesitation.

"Vast Sea Current."

Bai Ye's voice was ethereal, yet full of majesty.

The sky seemed to press downward, and everything around him was cowed by the powerful spiritual energy.

He raised his palm high, and a blurred Mark gradually became clear.

The Extremely Cold Snow Ape roared at the Mark. The surrounding spiritual energy gradually solidified, and behind it rose an enormous Light Shadow, like another Extremely Cold Snow Ape.

This was the greatest amount of spiritual energy it could summon. After this strike, it too would lose all ability to fight.

The Desperate Struggle was now.

Bai Ye's gaze was icy, his smile frenzied.

He looked at the Extremely Cold Snow Ape below and gently pressed his palm down.

"Sea Overturning Seal."

Boom!!!

That enormous Mark crashed down directly upon the Light Shadow behind the Extremely Cold Snow Ape.

At that moment, the might of the Quasi-Divine Skill was revealed in full.

Bai Ye felt the spiritual energy in his body drain completely, leaving not even half a drop behind.

Yet he paid no attention to that. He only watched the descending Mark with fascination.

Piercing gusts swept across his face, opening wound after wound.

The enormous Mark collided with the Light Shadow.

The Extremely Cold Snow Ape roared madly as it controlled the Light Shadow to strike back.

But the Sea Overturning Seal's force was unstoppable. In their stalemate, the Light Shadow shattered inch by inch.

Until it dispersed completely.

The Extremely Cold Snow Ape seemed to have been struck by lightning. Its body trembled, and its previously powerful aura instantly withered.

At that moment, it suddenly realized something. Its enormous body spun around, trying to flee out of Frozen Ice Valley.

"How could I possibly let you slip away?"

Spiritual energy had long ceased to be Bai Ye's only reliance.

The cold energy around his body condensed bit by bit. After erupting so many times, this was already its final limit.

An Ice Spear took shape.

Bai Ye lightly tapped with a finger.

The next moment, the Ice Spear shot forth, streaking toward the Extremely Cold Snow Ape.

The Extremely Cold Snow Ape sensed that the Ice Spear was formed from that same strange cold energy.

It turned its head, trying to evade the strike.

But Bai Ye had long calculated exactly where it would turn.

Before the Extremely Cold Snow Ape's terrified eyes, the Ice Spear pierced through the section of its skull that Bai Ye had damaged earlier.

A thumb-thick hole appeared in its forehead.

The Extremely Cold Snow Ape's life force vanished in an instant.

Bai Ye's body fell from the sky as well.

He had exhausted every means at his disposal, but he had barely managed to survive.

Leaning against a rock, he looked at the Extremely Cold Snow Ape's corpse before him and involuntarily covered his face with his right hand.

"Hahaha, hahahahaha... That was satisfying. So satisfying. It's been a long time since I've had that much fun. Sure enough, this world isn't so boring after all. There are still so many interesting things here."

His manic laughter echoed throughout Frozen Ice Valley, echoing, then echoing again.

His voice grew louder and louder.

Bai Ye did not stop. He continued laughing.

But the more he laughed, the joy on his face gradually faded away.

Looking at the fallen snow ape, he did not know why, but an intense chill crept over his body. He knew that this was loneliness.

Ying Longcheng had once said that if one wished to walk the path of the strong, loneliness would always follow like a shadow.

He looked at Frozen Ice Valley, where not a single living creature remained, and his gaze gradually became desolate.

Whenever this happened, he always thought of that graceful figure who did not like to talk much.

She and Aunt Jing had accompanied him for six years, and those six years had been the happiest part of his childhood.

For some reason, looking at the Extremely Cold Snow Ape on the ground, Bai Ye suddenly felt uninterested and listless.

During the battle, he had been filled with boundless exhilaration. Yet now that it was over, it was as though all that unrestrained pleasure had vanished without a trace.

"Ling Xi Sister..."

Bai Ye thought that if Ling Xi were here, perhaps he would not feel so lonely.

Making faces, telling jokes, trying every possible way to make her laugh—those things were quite interesting too.

During those six years, what frustrated him most was that every time Ling Xi's expression cracked, it had never been because of his little tricks.

Even now, he had made Ling Xi laugh fewer than ten times.

"Forget it. Time to leave."

With a calm expression, Bai Ye rose from the ground, patted his clothes that had been ruined beyond recognition, and walked over to the Extremely Cold Snow Ape.

A stream of spiritual energy flew out from its body. The enormous amount of spiritual energy poured into the Mark on Bai Ye's forehead.

The Mark that had originally been at level seven broke through to level eight in one go.

It had even nearly reached level nine.

But that was not the most important thing. The most important reward this time was this.

Bai Ye turned his palm over and used the last trace of his spiritual energy to crack open the Extremely Cold Snow Ape's skull.

A Spirit Beast Essence Soul appeared in his hand. The Essence Soul of a mature Heaven-Rank Spirit Beast was highly valuable.

Together with this corpse, this trip had not been a losing deal after all.

Whoosh!

But at that moment, the Essence Soul suddenly vanished from Bai Ye's hand and drilled directly into his body.

What was going on?

Bai Ye was utterly bewildered. He had not done anything.

What was this? It had absorbed itself voluntarily?

Bai Ye's divine soul stirred slightly, and he caught sight of the Extremely Cold Snow Ape's Essence Soul within his body. He discovered that it was flying purposefully in a certain direction.

His divine soul rose from the Qi Sea and followed it directly.

The Essence Soul twisted and turned, arriving at an especially remote place within his body.

Bai Ye himself had never even noticed that such a place existed inside him.

Then, the Essence Soul directly transformed into a special force and flew forward.

Bai Ye followed curiously, but after taking only a few steps, he stopped, his expression slightly stunned.

What came into view there was a blue bird egg.

The instant he saw it, Bai Ye understood.

The slight gloom in his expression gradually eased. The corners of his lips lifted into a gentle smile.

"So you were here."

Bing Yu.

He had searched for her for a long time.

He had always believed she had disappeared in that battle, but he had never expected that she had been so close to him all along.

Upon hearing his words, the blue bird egg trembled slightly, as though responding.

"You mean you need Spirit Beast Essence Souls like this?"

For some reason, Bai Ye felt that he could understand the egg's vague meaning. It was not through interpretation; rather, it was as though a voice had directly sounded in his mind.

"Only ones with an ice attribute?"

The bird egg trembled again in affirmation.

"You still need to sleep for a while longer? You need these things as nourishment?"

The bird egg gradually stopped trembling, and the familiar voice in Bai Ye's mind vanished without a trace.

Bai Ye stood where he was, the corners of his lips raised in a gentle smile.

"All right. Good night. Sweet dreams."

Outside Frozen Ice Valley, Hong Lingyue and Su Ling'er listened as the earth-shaking sounds of battle gradually subsided.

They suddenly realized that the battle, which had lasted twenty-two hours, might have finally come to an end.

They stood where they were, unsure whether they should go inside.

"Who won?"

That was the most important question now.

Faced with Su Ling'er's question, Hong Lingyue remained silent. Even she did not dare make a rash conclusion at this moment.

Defeating a Heaven-Rank Spirit Beast at the Heaven Merging Realm Late Stage with the strength of the Heaven Merging Realm Initial Stage—she had never encountered such an absurd achievement.

Was that not precisely why she had described her decision as a gamble? Because the entire matter was absurd to the extreme.

The atmosphere in midair fell silent. Neither girl spoke again, their eyes fixed tightly on the exit of Frozen Ice Valley.

Then, beneath the tense gazes of the two girls—

A figure drenched in blood slowly walked out, dragging a massive ape corpse behind him.

Unbelievable!

Su Ling'er and Hong Lingyue were shaken to the core. They had never expected Bai Ye to truly succeed.

"So amazing."

Su Ling'er could not help murmuring softly.

Hong Lingyue shook her head, dazzling light bursting from her beautiful eyes.

Don't be ridiculous, girl. How was this merely amazing? Hadn't she realized it yet? The person before her might be the most monstrous genius she would ever see in her life.

If he did not die young, the Great Thousand World would certainly one day know his name.

"Hey!"

Just as Su Ling'er and Hong Lingyue were overwhelmed with shock, Bai Ye's weak voice drifted up from below.

"Do either of your Mustard Seed Bracelets have room? Help me store this thing."

"Oh, okay."

Only then did the two women come back to their senses and fly down toward him.