Roars echoed one after another as the earth trembled and snow flew everywhere. Ji Meng and Zhu Yingyue were fleeing for their lives, bearing no resemblance to the composure they'd shown when Yang Kai had last seen them. Their clothes were torn and stained with blood, exposing large swaths of pale skin as they ran.
The biting wind cut through, making Zhu Yingyue shiver involuntarily.
"Hurry!" Ji Meng shouted as she ran.
"Senior Brother Qi, he..." Zhu Yingyue turned her head to look back as she spoke, but when she saw the savage demon beast, her face drained of color and fear flooded her eyes.
"He's dead. Don't look back." Ji Meng's expression was calm, but her heart was in utter turmoil. She had never expected to encounter an Ice Crystal Wolf in this place.
The Ice Crystal Wolf was a seventh-rank demon beast—its body was harder than steel, and even the power of Artifacts and martial techniques could only leave shallow scratches on its hide.
Its speed was terrifyingly fast, and its four razor-sharp claws and fangs were utterly unmatched.
All three of them had been completely overwhelmed at first contact. Qi Chao, right before the two women's very eyes, had been disemboweled by the Ice Crystal Wolf—a miserable death.
They had come to this area many times before without incident, but this time, something had gone wrong.
Compared to Ji Meng's composure, Zhu Yingyue was far more panicked and frantic. Under the threat of death, her seventh-layer Shenyou Realm cultivation couldn't even bring half its power to bear—all she could do was run for her life. If not for Ji Meng intermittently unleashing her Artifact's power to slow the Ice Crystal Wolf, Zhu Yingyue would have been caught long ago.
"Sister Ji!" Zhu Yingyue called out in a tearful voice.
"If you don't want to die, then stop crying!" Ji Meng's expression was grave, her voice low and stern.
Zhu Yingyue nodded hurriedly.
Through the wind and snow ahead, a figure stood unmoving. Ji Meng's eyes lit up and she called out urgently, "Who's that up ahead? Can you help us?"
In that moment, she seemed to see a glimmer of hope.
The fact that this person was waiting here so fearlessly meant they clearly weren't afraid of the Ice Crystal Wolf. Perhaps it was some senior or fellow disciple from the Divine Cult—and if so, she and Zhu Yingyue would be saved.
The moment the words left her mouth, a burst of force came hurtling toward them.
It struck precisely at her feet. Sensing the hostility, Ji Meng quickly grabbed Zhu Yingyue and halted.
"Well, what a coincidence!" A mocking voice came from ahead as the figure slowly approached.
Ji Meng immediately grew wary, her dark brows furrowing tightly as she stared ahead.
A moment later, her expression froze. She stared at Yang Kai in utter astonishment. Zhu Yingyue couldn't help covering her small mouth, exclaiming, "You're all right!"
"Would you prefer I wasn't?" Yang Kai said with a faint, cold smile.
"No, no, that's not what we meant..." Zhu Yingyue waved her hands frantically, her face full of anxiety.
"Where's that man?" Yang Kai turned to look around but couldn't spot Qi Chao anywhere.
"Dead," Ji Meng replied coldly, shielding Zhu Yingyue. "Killed by the Ice Crystal Wolf."
"Dead?" Yang Kai's expression paused for a beat.
"I admit, we were wrong before. Qi Chao shouldn't have led you in the wrong direction, and I should have warned you. But can we discuss this later?" Ji Meng said urgently. "If we don't leave now, it'll be too late. The Ice Crystal Wolf chasing us is a seventh-rank demon beast—no one can stand against it!"
Yang Kai furrowed his brows and shook his head. "It's already too late."
As he spoke, a series of sharp whistling sounds suddenly rang out.
A chilling killing intent filled the air. Ji Meng's expression changed. She quickly spun around, her ten fingers dancing as threads shot forth to meet the incoming ice shards from behind.
Boom, boom, boom...
Countless ice shards shattered, filling the air with white mist. Ji Meng let out a muffled groan as an ice shard grazed her fair shoulder, immediately drawing blood.
A massive figure suddenly landed in front of the three. The Ice Crystal Wolf, its face twisted in a savage grimace, bared its fangs and snarled, foul breath gusting from its maw. Its bell-sized eyes fixed on Ji Meng and Zhu Yingyue, drool streaming from the corners of its mouth—a picture of pure ferocity.
The instant the Ice Crystal Wolf lunged, Yang Kai had already shot up into the air. Looking down, he was surprised to find that this demon beast was completely crystalline and translucent, as if carved from jade—quite striking, with fur that appeared remarkably smooth and soft, yet radiating an overwhelming aura of violent ferocity.
Ji Meng and Zhu Yingyue's faces changed drastically. They knew that with Yang Kai's delay, they could no longer escape the Ice Crystal Wolf's attack range. Unwilling to simply wait for death, Ji Meng quickly produced an Artifact crackling with electric arcs, poured her true yuan into it, and launched it ferociously at the Ice Crystal Wolf.
At the same time, Zhu Yingyue, hands trembling, summoned her own Artifact—a fan. With each wave, visible wind blades swept across the sky, blanketing the Ice Crystal Wolf in a devastating barrage.
The two of them attacked together, and their combined power was quite formidable.
But for the thick-skinned and rugged Ice Crystal Wolf, these attacks were no different from a tickle.
Sparks burst across its massive body, but the Ice Crystal Wolf remained completely unharmed. It opened its maw and roared, as countless ice shards rapidly formed and shot straight toward Ji Meng and Zhu Yingyue.