"Retreat..." At this moment, an ethereal voice drifted down from the back of the colossal Blizzard Tiger King. The sound was steeped in ancient history, resonating with the passage of time, giving the impression that its owner was an ancient relic, perhaps millennia old...

Ye Jingyu started, realizing for the first time that perched upon the White Snow Tiger King's back sat a figure of minuscule stature. It was only called a "person" because it possessed a human shape and spoke human language; yet, it was covered in fine white fur, making it resemble an ape...

Ni Bo, too, seemed to have only just noticed (Read the full novel at .1.m(1.m.literature.net)) the "person" on the Blizzard Tiger King’s back... Black light flickered in its eyes, its thoughts utterly inscrutable...

"My sister requires a ten-thousand-year Snow Lotus to reconstruct her physical form. Once found, we will depart immediately..." Hei Mingyingjie’s demeanor was suddenly deferential, completely lacking her earlier coldness...

This profound change surprised Ye Jingyu. This young woman possessed formidable strength and usually held everyone in contempt. Why was she speaking to that "person" with such utmost respect? Had this "person's" power reached an inconceivable level?

But then again, it made sense. To command a Blizzard Tiger King as a mount, regardless of its race, meant its strength could not possibly be weak...

"Retreat..." The figure spoke no more words, offering only that single command, though this time it carried a slight undertone of anger...

"Senior..." Hei Mingyingjie began to speak, but suddenly an ice spike erupted from the ground right where she stood. Fortunately, her movements were lightning-fast; the moment the spike broke the surface, she was already floating, suspended in the void...

"I must have this Snow Lotus..." Seeing the other party resort to immediate aggression, Hei Mingyingjie’s expression chilled once more...

This sister was all she had. After such a difficult journey to Tianxue Peak, she could not possibly return empty-handed...

"Then die..." The voice snorted, and wind blades materialized in the empty air, instantly sweeping toward Hei Mingyingjie...

"Mere tricks..." Hei Mingyingjie, provoked into action, finally erupted in fury. Veins of violet light pulsed across her body. Her slender, pale hands snatched at the void, and a silver longsword materialized, slicing forward. Torrential sword energy burst forth, immediately locking with the hurtling wind blades...

The terrifying wind blades were swiftly shredded into dust. Witnessing the sheer power of Hei Mingyingjie, Ye Jingyu’s heart filled with shock.

The moment the wind blades and ice spikes appeared, he had known the small white figure was a Soul Master, and certainly one who had reached the Lingxian Realm. Only a Soul Master of that caliber could command the energies of heaven and earth, allowing their Soul Arts to be truly displayed...

A Soul Master of the Lingxian Realm was considered even rarer and more precious in the Shu Yun Kingdom than a Martial Saint. How potent must their strength be? Yet, Hei Mingyingjie had pulverized it all with a single sword strike. How strong was she?

Seeing his wind blades effortlessly shattered by pure sword intent, the small white figure offered no further commentary, only a cold snort. Then, a massive hand appeared in the sky, descending directly upon Hei Mingyingjie...

Beholding the gigantic palm, vast as a small mountain, Ye Jingyu instantly grasped the chasm separating him from this power. He could manage to conjure a large hand himself, but it barely extended ten zhang, and its cohesion was nowhere near the solid density of this hundred-zhang manifestation...

If this blow landed, not only Hei Mingyingjie but also Ye Jingyu and Ni Bo would surely perish...

Yet, there was no fear on Hei Mingyingjie’s face. She shook her longsword; silver light flared along the blade, coating it. The sword grew larger and brighter, the silver radiance condensing until it formed a colossal greatsword hundreds of zhang tall, which it swung fiercely against the giant hand in the sky...

With a sharp chih, the greatsword pierced the giant palm, causing the entire hand to explode into nothingness. However, the silver greatsword also developed cracks and subsequently burst apart, dissolving into scattered silver light...

Puchi... Hei Mingyingjie spat out a mouthful of blood, and the right hand gripping the sword trembled violently. Clearly, that clash had left her wounded...

What truly stunned Ye Jingyu, though, was that the blood she coughed up was not red—it was a faint shade of purple...

"What are you waiting for? Move!" Seeing Ye Jingyu standing stunned, Hei Mingyingjie chided him playfully. Her dark silhouette flashed toward the Blizzard Tiger King, her long purple hair whipping in the wind, a startling contrast in the white landscape...

Ye Jingyu snapped back to reality, dismissing the mystery of her purple blood for the moment. He drew the obsidian iron saber from his back, surging his internal Zhenqi, and sprinted toward the Blizzard Tiger King at full speed...

"Insolent fools..." Hearing Hei Mingyingjie and Ye Jingyu charging toward him, the small white figure spoke coldly. Without moving an apparent muscle, countless ice blades, ice arrows, ice spikes, and ice swords, all shimmering with blue light, materialized from the void, striking toward them like lightning—a deluge so vast it covered the sky...

Hei Mingyingjie snorted in disdain. Her black outer garment billowed, forming a curtain of black light around her, resembling a translucent eggshell that enveloped her securely...

Clang, clang, clang, clang... The incoming ice projectiles struck the shell, emitting crisp sounds, but they shattered harmlessly; they could not inflict the slightest injury...

Ye Jingyu lacked such a formidable defensive artifact. Seeing the overwhelming torrent of ice weaponry, he knew a single hit would perforate him. Still young, he had no desire to meet his end like this...

"Peerless Saber Rip Sky..." His innate Zhenqi surged, and Ye Jingyu vanished from his spot, reappearing instantly atop the Blizzard Tiger King's back, just a single step from the small white figure. His iron saber did not hesitate, striking down at the diminutive being...

The speed of this maneuver was incredible, almost unbelievable even to Ye Jingyu, deepening his understanding of the essential gulf between Houtian and Hou-Houtian Zhenqi...

It was the difference between a bicycle and a Ferrari...

Faintly, the obsidian iron saber now sparked with electrical energy, and a roaring sound echoed through the void, suggesting that under the force of this strike, no being could escape unharmed...