"Level ninety-seven." Shui Bing'er stood up and stretched her left leg, stamping lightly on the snow. "The leg bone came with a movement Soul Skill. Stacked with my Ice Phoenix's speed, it's much faster than before. I still don't know what the other Soul Skill is."
Bing Yekong nodded. "Let's go to the next spot. The Ice Snow Giant Ape's territory isn't far from here, in the valley to the northwest. If we keep moving, we'll get there tomorrow afternoon."
The two packed up and headed northwest along the edge of the snowy ridge.
Nights in the Far North were long, but fortunately, moonlight lit the way. The snow's reflection made visibility clearer than expected.
They traveled through the night. At dawn, they rested for two hours in a sheltered mountain hollow, drank some hot water, and ate dry rations before continuing once the sun had fully risen.
The Ice Snow Giant Ape's territory lay in a valley half-surrounded by glaciers.
The valley entrance was narrow, with steep ice cliffs on both sides and only a passage several yards wide left open.
As Bing Yekong and Shui Bing'er entered the valley mouth, a deep roar came from the ice cliff overhead. A huge white-furred ape crouched at the edge of the precipice, its arms hanging at its sides. Its palms were as large as fan leaves, its knuckles pressed against the ice and cracked the layer beneath its feet.
The giant ape was even larger than the wolf king, nearly ninety meters tall. Thick, dense white fur covered its entire body, with a thin layer of ice crusted over the tips.
Its eyes were dark gold, its pupils narrowed into vertical slits as it looked down at the two intruders. Its lips curled back, exposing a mouthful of yellow-white fangs.