Extremely Cold Snow Ape

Roar!!!

Within Frozen Ice Valley, a massive roar echoed continuously through the falling snow.

A streak of flowing light shot toward its depths at top speed.

Almost there, almost there.

In this environment, he felt as though he had returned home. Everything around him felt intimately familiar.

The spiritual energy and cold energy within him surged rapidly, quickly restoring the strength he had expended in fighting two opponents alone.

Those two were not weak, but in the Northern Azure Realm, unless there was some deep-seated grudge, battles like that would only go so far.

Thus, whether it was Yu Xiaoyin, Mo Canghai, or himself, none of them had suffered such great spiritual energy depletion.

He could quickly return to his peak condition.

He drew closer and closer to the source of the roar. The ape's cries became increasingly clear—painful, yet filled with boundless joy.

It seemed the transformation process had already begun.

Bai Ye found a foothold and stood atop a towering mountain peak, looking down at the distinctly massive figure below.

Snow-white fur, an ugly red ape face. That was right—it was the Extremely Cold Snow Ape, ranked fifty-third on the Earth Ranking of the Myriad Beasts Record.

"Grow up quickly, little fellow."

Bai Ye stood on the mountain peak and watched it. The transformation would take a long time, but judging from the situation, it had already been underway for some time.

During this period, spirit beasts were exceptionally weak. That was why Xu Wenshan and Mo Canghai were confident they could take it down.

Heaven Merging Realm Late Stage... even Bai Ye himself did not know whether he was confident of winning.

Other than that battle with Zhao Mingya, he rarely went all out.

But how could something he was certain of be more interesting than something uncertain?

In battle, he never considered whether he would fail. He only considered whether he could enjoy himself.

If one fought with the mindset of expecting failure, then even victory would bring only relief, not joy.

Ying Longcheng had once told him that the strong remained strong.

Boom!!!

A tremendous sound rang out. Before Bai Ye's eyes, the snow-white fur fell away in great swaths, scattering through the sky and blending with the equally white snowflakes until they became impossible to distinguish.

Out with the old, in with the new.

The instant the fur shed, layer after layer of pale gold ape fur sprouted from its bare body like wild grass emerging in early spring, growing rapidly in wave after wave.

Before long, brand-new fur covered the Extremely Cold Snow Ape's entire body.

Roar!!!

The violent roar shook the entire valley. The thick snow within Frozen Ice Valley seemed ready to collapse completely in the next instant.

Bai Ye adjusted his condition. He could feel the spiritual energy fluctuations around the Extremely Cold Snow Ape rapidly multiplying severalfold. That surge broke through the Heaven Merging Realm Initial Stage, then the middle stage, and was striding toward the late stage.

This was it. This was exactly how it should be.

The boiling spiritual energy and cold energy throughout his body warned him what kind of monster stood below. If he did not leave now, there was a real chance he would be buried here in the coming battle.

But... but...

Flowing light revolved in Bai Ye's eyes.

That was precisely why he was standing here.

"Come."

He murmured to himself and lightly stepped forward, the corners of his mouth curving upward wildly.

"Let's begin."

Boom!!!!

A powerful burst of spiritual energy erupted directly within the valley, crushing toward the Extremely Cold Snow Ape's spiritual energy.

"It has begun."

Outside, Hong Lingyue and Su Ling'er saw the pillar of light shooting into the heavens and both turned toward it.

They could sense that it was Bai Ye's spiritual energy.

And opposing it...

"So it really is Heaven Merging Realm Late Stage."

Hong Lingyue's gaze flickered as she spoke softly.

Su Ling'er's eyes were filled with worry. Thinking back now, Bai Ye, who had suggested this plan, was truly out of his mind. He actually intended to challenge a Heaven-Rank Spirit Beast two realms above him by himself.

He was truly courting death.

"We'll guard this place and wait for the result."

Hong Lingyue withdrew her gaze. She did not say they would wait for Bai Ye to "come out," because even in her own view, the odds of Bai Ye making it out safely were slim.

But in the face of enormous profit, even the slightest chance was worth betting on.

Since childhood, Hong Lingyue had known eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling better than anyone.

Su Ling'er nodded and also withdrew her gaze, vigilantly scanning their surroundings.

All they could do now was guard this place well.

Within Frozen Ice Valley, Bai Ye and the Extremely Cold Snow Ape locked eyes.

Like Bai Ye, the Extremely Cold Snow Ape had long known that a human at the Heaven Merging Realm was watching its transformation. But because it was at a critical juncture, it had chosen to ignore him.

What puzzled it was that until it entered maturity, this human had not attacked it.

If that was the case...

Then it could not blame the ape for crushing his head.

A human-like vicious grin appeared on its blood-red ape face. Staring at Bai Ye on the mountain peak, the Extremely Cold Snow Ape suddenly swung its iron fists toward his position.

Bai Ye smiled faintly. Spiritual energy instantly gathered in his hand, and with all his strength, dozens of Ice Wheels appeared around him in an instant.

"Frost Shattering Wheel."

With a light tap of his finger, dozens of Ice Wheels shot toward the incoming iron fists at once.

The iron fists collided with the Ice Wheels midair. Every Ice Wheel exploded in an instant, and icy mist shrouded the battlefield, halting the fists' advance.

The next moment, Bai Ye burst out of the icy mist and charged directly toward the Extremely Cold Snow Ape's head.

The Extremely Cold Snow Ape swayed, then threw another punch.

Then came one punch, two punches, three punches.

The Extremely Cold Snow Ape's fists smashed madly toward Bai Ye's position, one after another.

Whether in speed or strength, they completely surpassed the Heaven Merging Realm Initial Stage.

Bai Ye was struck by a punch and sent flying back to his original position. He circulated all his spiritual energy and resisted with all his might.

"Bang, bang, bang."

The fists attacked without mercy. Savage light flashed through the Extremely Cold Snow Ape's blood-red eyes. Between the barrage of punches, it suddenly opened its enormous mouth.

A ball of light gradually condensed beside its mouth. It contained immense spiritual energy fluctuations—an attack of tremendous power.

Bai Ye noticed it, and his expression sharpened.

He could not hesitate any longer.

Boom!!!

Cold energy erupted in a first burst.

The sudden cold energy made the Extremely Cold Snow Ape, born amid ice and snow, pause. Its descending fists were interrupted for an instant. Seizing that fleeting moment, Bai Ye moved, leaving several afterimages behind.

Lingering Mist Shadow.

"Frost Shattering Wheel."

Ice Wheels filled the sky in an instant.

At that moment, the charged ball of light finished condensing. The Extremely Cold Snow Ape spread its arms, and the massive spiritual energy sphere shot straight toward Bai Ye.

Bai Ye's eyes remained calm as he lightly tapped his finger.

The Ice Wheels filling the sky moved accordingly, appearing directly before him.

One layer, two layers, three layers, four layers. A full forty-nine Ice Wheels stood before Bai Ye and collided with the sphere of light.

The sphere's advance was unstoppable, shattering one Ice Wheel after another as it bore down on Bai Ye.

When it reached the final wheel, the sphere vanished. The attack had been stopped.

Forty-nine wheels was the limit of Frost Shattering Wheel.

Bai Ye flicked his right hand. The shattered Ice Wheel fragments rapidly gathered in the air, transforming into countless Ice Prisms that shot directly toward the Extremely Cold Snow Ape.

He lightly clenched his palm.

Boom—

They all exploded, leaving nothing behind.

Awoo!!!

A huge roar came from the Extremely Cold Snow Ape's mouth, blasting away all the ice dust created by the explosion.

As the ice dust dispersed, its pale gold fur showed not the slightest sign of damage.

The first exchange ended in a draw.

But Bai Ye knew that the previous attack had only been a small prelude. The Extremely Cold Snow Ape's true strength was its control over the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

He tilted his neck, his gaze as calm as a cold pool.

"Continue."

Ice-blue spiritual energy swept toward the snow ape like an overwhelming tide. The Extremely Cold Snow Ape furiously pounded its chest.

Provocation. This human was provoking it.

Absolutely... absolutely unforgivable!!!

Awoo!!!

The snow mountains within Frozen Ice Valley trembled as though they would collapse at any moment.

Bai Ye's gaze narrowed, and he grew increasingly serious.

He knew that this Extremely Cold Snow Ape was about to get serious.

Attack first.

The thought flashed through his mind, and Bai Ye's body had already shot across the vast snowy ground like an arrow loosed from its bow. Spiritual energy surged throughout his body, Ice Wheels following at his side.

With Lingering Mist Shadow pushed to its limit, Bai Ye's figure swiftly appeared before the Extremely Cold Snow Ape.

This was the first time he had seen that ugly red face from such close range.

"Get down."

His right hand opened as cold energy surged. Without hesitation, Bai Ye pressed it against the Extremely Cold Snow Ape's face.

The Extremely Cold Snow Ape was somewhat stunned. It had not expected this human to close in and attack its face under such circumstances.

That frost-covered right hand came crashing down, catching the Extremely Cold Snow Ape completely off guard.

Awoo!!

The Extremely Cold Snow Ape's eyes turned vicious. It abruptly opened its huge mouth, and the instant it steadied itself, its sharp fangs lunged toward Bai Ye.

Using the recoil from that palm strike, Bai Ye's body hung suspended in midair.

Spiritual energy circulated, and his eyes flashed.

The index and middle fingers of his right hand extended together, ice-blue spiritual energy gathering at their tips.

"Ice Spirit Art."

His voice was ethereal, seeming to echo throughout the valley.

"Sealing Cold Finger."

Whoosh!

The instant his words fell, all the spiritual energy around them surged madly toward Bai Ye's fingertips.

At that moment, the already bone-piercing temperature within Frozen Ice Valley dropped once again. Bai Ye gently thrust his fingers forward, and his two fingers collided with the sharp fangs.

A trace of frost instantly climbed over the Extremely Cold Snow Ape's fangs.

The frost spread at an astonishing speed, covering the Extremely Cold Snow Ape's entire body the instant they made contact.

The frost solidified, and a massive block of ice appeared in Frozen Ice Valley.

The secret art of the Ice Spirit Art—Sealing Cold Finger.

Bai Ye landed atop the Extremely Cold Snow Ape's forehead. Strike while it was down and press the advantage.

But at that moment, Bai Ye's eyes widened slightly. Within the ice, a broad smile had appeared on the Extremely Cold Snow Ape's ugly red face, as though it were mocking Bai Ye's overestimation of himself.

Bai Ye's heart skipped a beat, and an ominous feeling rose within him.

Boom!!!

The next second, a giant palm appeared directly behind Bai Ye. He desperately twisted his body, but he was ultimately one step too late.

That palm, which blocked out the sky, came crashing down with a biting gale and struck Bai Ye directly.

Bai Ye's body hurtled toward the mountain peaks ahead at incredible speed.

In an instant, Bai Ye smashed through several mountain peaks.

At that moment, a white figure closed in, arriving directly where Bai Ye was.

Clasping its hands together, it smashed down with all its strength at Bai Ye, who was embedded in the mountainside.

That attack carried the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Its power had completely reached Heaven Merging Realm Late Stage.

Bai Ye had only just coughed up a mouthful of blood when he sensed that supreme strike.

No. There was no time to dodge now.

What should he do?

Bai Ye stared straight ahead and gritted his teeth. The injuries to his internal organs completely ignited the ruthlessness he had been suppressing in his mind.

This was how it had to be. This was what made it interesting!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three successive explosions rang out as the cold energy within Bai Ye was released with all his might.

Burst, burst, burst.

Third burst.

From cold energy to icy mist, and then to the frost that appeared.

The cold energy around Bai Ye had reached an unimaginable level.

And at that moment, the Extremely Cold Snow Ape's fist also attacked in his direction.

Boom—

The fist collided with the condensed cold energy, creating a massive surge of air.

Within Bai Ye's sensing range, several mountain peaks collapsed, and avalanches spread everywhere.

The Extremely Cold Snow Ape's fists were also stopped from advancing at that moment.

In the second round, Bai Ye had lost.

Feeling the injuries within his body, Bai Ye realized that a smile had appeared on his face at some point.

Heaven Merging Realm Late Stage—truly powerful.

Now this was getting interesting. Interesting.

"Heh... hehehehe..."

He shook off the rubble on his body, covered his face with one hand, and his laughter echoed through the valley.

This was the feeling. This was exactly the feeling.

Very strong, very strong. But I had to become stronger than anyone.

Come on. Keep going. Keep going.

The expression on Bai Ye's face gradually turned crazed. His body suddenly shot out from the mountain peak and charged toward the Extremely Cold Snow Ape ahead.

Give me more fun.

Outside Frozen Ice Valley, Hong Lingyue and Su Ling'er's hearts trembled when they saw the collapsing mountain peaks.

A full hour had passed since Bai Ye entered, yet the sounds of battle inside had never ceased.

What did this count as?

An evenly matched fight?

"That's incredible."

Su Ling'er said with emotion. With such a record, Bai Ye had already surpassed the vast majority of Heaven Merging Realm Initial Stage cultivators in the Great Thousand World.

Even within the Northern Azure Realm, Su Ling'er could not think of anyone whose strength could reach such a level.

Hong Lingyue's gaze flickered slightly, but she said nothing.

She merely sincerely hoped that Bai Ye could walk out of Frozen Ice Valley.

Only then would the wager she had placed hold any meaning.

And within the valley, Bai Ye's upper garment had been shattered at some point, exposing his bare torso.

His body was covered in red blood—some his own, some the Extremely Cold Snow Ape's.

His smile was wild, and his eyes brimmed with intense ruthlessness.

Without madness, there was no survival.

No death, no rest.

Wasn't that the very meaning of a bloody battle?