"Do not look at me like that. While I cannot claim to foresee every eventuality, I can certainly surmise that if your young master were so easily killed, my Zhuge family would have no need to emerge into the world..." Seeing Lin Xiaoyi's bewildered gaze, Zhuge Yishi offered a faint smile.

Faced with the confident smile on Zhuge Yishi's face, Lin Xiaoyi suppressed the worry churning in his heart, turned, and strode toward a nearby spot. He grabbed a military knife and began maniacally hacking at the trees. In that moment, he was consumed by self-reproach for his meager strength; if only he were stronger, he could have stayed by his young master's side.

Gazing at Lin Xiaoyi's lean silhouette, a profound look settled in Zhuge Yishi's eyes.

Tianxue Peak, within the Tian Gang Mountain Range, was the southernmost peak of the entire range. If the Tian Gang Mountains were conceptualized as a massive dragon, then Tianxue Peak represented its head.

Despite its proximity to the Southern Desolate Forest, Tianxue Peak was intensely cold—colder, even, than the winters in the northern regions of the Dou Hun Continent.

Ye Jingyu drifted with Hei Mingyingjie for a day and a night, and then walked on foot for another day and night before finally entering the Di Jing (Earth Realm) of Tianxue Peak.

Ni Bo had long since awakened and now stood beside Ye Jingyu, alert and spirited, his pair of black eyes fixed upon the cloud-piercing Tianxue Peak.

Ye Jingyu stared blankly ahead at the expanse of white. There were no trees, no flowers or grass, no birds, no rabbits—as if nothing existed besides snow. The entire world was a sheet of pure white.

The ground was covered in a thick blanket of snow, and large, feather-like flakes continued to drift down from the sky. Yet, he was wearing only an extremely thin martial artist's uniform, the chest of which was torn open with a large hole. If not for his formidable constitution, he would have been completely frozen; even so, his body still trembled slightly.

"Don't you feel the cold at all?" Gazing at Hei Mingyingjie walking ahead, clad only in a thin, black gauze skirt whose hem fluttered in the biting wind, Ye Jingyu managed to speak with some difficulty.

"If you cannot endure even this slight chill, how can you possibly face the temperatures at the summit? Are you giving up?" Hei Mingyingjie turned back, casting a disdainful look toward Ye Jingyu.

"Joking! I'm in excellent spirits, how could I be giving up?" As if stung by Hei Mingyingjie's scorn, Ye Jingyu puffed out his chest, circulating his internal Zhenqi ceaselessly through his meridians, which provided some relief to his body.

However, the thought of the summit being even colder caused his heart to clench in worry.

This woman could walk across water, and in this biting cold, she wore only a thin gauze skirt yet showed no reaction whatsoever—she was clearly a monster. Could he possibly compare to her?

"Here is a Nine Flame Pill. Take it; it will help you expel any coldness below the seventh level." Hei Mingyingjie let out a cold laugh, retrieved a fiery red pill, about the size of a fist, from seemingly nowhere, and tossed it directly toward Ye Jingyu.

Hearing Hei Mingyingjie's icy tone, Ye Jingyu felt thoroughly annoyed, but he knew better than to let his pride override his physical comfort. Suppressing his irritation, he snatched the Nine Flame Pill and popped it into his mouth.

Instantly, he felt a warm energy melt and spread rapidly throughout his body. The intense cold vanished, and his entire being felt as if he were soaking in a hot spring—unbelievably comfortable.

"I thought you wouldn't eat it," Hei Mingyingjie said coldly, watching Ye Jingyu swallow the pill whole.

"Why wouldn't I eat it? I don't have a freakish body like yours that allows me to feel nothing in this sort of cold." Ye Jingyu rolled his eyes, thinking, You didn't have to be so sharp-tongued. You gave it to me, yet you still had to mock me?

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Hei Mingyingjie’s ears flushed red, and she mumbled in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz, "Actually, I already took three of them..."

"Uh..." Ye Jingyu was speechless. This woman was too dishonest; she had such a wonderful thing and only thought of consuming it herself without offering it sooner.

However, Hei Mingyingjie gave him no chance to question her. She turned and began walking toward the summit. She continued upward, step by measured step, appearing as if she were strolling through a grove, yet she left no footprints on the snow—truly reaching the highest level of 'Treading on Snow Without Leaving a Trace.' If he hadn't spent several days in her company, he would have truly believed she was a wandering spirit.

Ye Jingyu then stepped forward, but he hadn't anticipated how deep the snow was. After only a few paces, the snow already covered his thighs.

Half his body was nearly swallowed!

"Damn it..." he cursed under his breath, then instantly mobilized his Zhenqi and leaped forward, quickly dashing ahead.

Ni Bo glanced at the two rushing figures ahead, let out a long cry, and his four hooves churned, allowing him to gallop wildly through the thick snow.

But whether it was Ye Jingyu or Ni Bo, they were both running at full speed, relying on velocity to prevent themselves from sinking into the snow. Hei Mingyingjie, however, strolled so leisurely through the snow, yet her pace never lagged behind Ye Jingyu and Ni Bo, always remaining ahead of them. This uncanny movement frustrated Ye Jingyu immensely.

After walking like this for another half-day, they reached the mountainside. Looking up at the summit, which remained invisible, Ye Jingyu felt the urge to give up.

This isn't climbing a mountain; this is ascending to heaven!

How fast was his full-speed dash? While he couldn't claim supersonic speed, it was certainly comparable to an average sports car, yet after running like that for half a day, he had only covered half the distance.

Just how high was this peak?

His internal Zhenqi was nearly depleted—this was only because his reserves were far deeper than others'; any other Innate Martial Master would have already collapsed from exhaustion.

"You should ride your mount, or you might just die of exhaustion before reaching the peak," Hei Mingyingjie’s cold voice drifted over again as she saw Ye Jingyu panting heavily.

"You underestimate me too much! This Young Master is no delicate scholar," Ye Jingyu retorted, leaping up as if his tail had been stepped on.

The reason he hadn't ridden Ni Bo was that he felt it was improper for him to ride while forcing a young lady to walk. Of course, if the purple-haired girl was willing to share the ride, and Ni Bo agreed, he certainly wouldn't object.

"Fine then, let's speed up and continue up the mountain." Hei Mingyingjie snorted, and her dark silhouette floated toward the summit like a phantom.