286: Chapter 286 White Ape

Ye Jing looked at this white ape that had suddenly appeared, feeling slightly startled.

This white ape was clearly much smaller than the ones in the previous cave, only about the size of an adult human, but it was a Middle Stage Second Rank Yao Beast, on par with Hei Feng.

Furthermore, this white ape was a native Yao Beast of the Ice Abyss, known as a White Ice Ape.

It relied on the Spiritual Qi of the Cold Marrow Spring to Cultivate. It had a violent temperament; anyone who approached the Cold Marrow would be treated as a mortal enemy to be fought to the death.

Just now, it had been hiding among the icicles. Had Hei Feng's keen spiritual sense not detected the movement in advance, Ye Jing might have suffered a major loss from being caught off guard.

"Roar!"

The white ape charged forward, launching a flurry of attacks at Ye Jing. Sharp ice crystals suddenly protruded from the ground, aiming to kill him.

Hei Feng lunged forward with a roar, beginning to Bite the white ape.

"Hei Feng, hold it off! I'm going to pluck the dan-nurturing spirit lingzhi!" Ye Jing shouted.

His body suddenly moved. Utilizing the mysteries of the Azure Feather Wind-Riding Art, he turned into a pale green afterimage, circling to the white ape's side. The green light between his fingers surged, condensing into sharp Qi blades that slashed directly at the white ape's vital points.

He knew he couldn't afford a prolonged battle. The dan-nurturing spirit lingzhi was right before him; as long as he secured this Spirit Medicine, he could immediately withdraw. He must not waste too much mental and physical energy here.

Receiving the order, Hei Feng leapt into the air, crashing against the white ape's massive claws. Hei Feng's body was enveloped in dark winds carrying gravel and ice shards, which slammed hard into the ape's claws.

Two muffled sounds echoed as the cave shook. Ye Jing looked up and saw the ice cracking above. He quickly thought to himself: *This won't do. The fluctuations of spiritual power during the battle are too great. This place is all ice; it could easily collapse.*

He immediately took out a defensive Talisman and used it in conjunction with the golden light bowl to trap the white ape inside.

Seeing this, the white ape let out a series of roars. Its white fur lit up, and by drawing upon the cold air, it actually condensed a Crescent Moon Spade.

With a "clang," the Crescent Moon Spade proved extremely sharp, shattering both the golden light of the golden light bowl and the defensive Talisman in one blow.

Then, the white ape raised the Crescent Moon Spade and attacked Ye Jing.

Ye Jing immediately swung his meteor hammer, which was burning with blue flames, to meet the attack. The ghostly blue light suddenly flared up, accompanied by a piercing gale, forcefully blocking the chilling Crescent Moon Spade.

In an instant, the frigid air and the scorching spiritual fire collided violently. Fine ice shards melted into a freezing mist upon contact with the fire.

The entire cave was filled with white mist, and visibility was suddenly thrown into chaos.

The White Ice Ape possessed immense strength. With a sudden burst of power from its arms, it pressed the Crescent Moon Spade down with bone-chilling ice energy, its strength surpassing Ye Jing's.

A surge of frigid power traveled up the handle of the hammer, numbing his arm.

He knew the ice-attribute spiritual power of this Yao Beast was domineering. If the cold air invaded his Meridians, it would surely affect his movement techniques. He immediately circulated the spiritual power within his body, channeling it through his arm into the meteor hammer. The ghostly blue flames grew even more intense, forcefully resisting the opponent's brute force.

"Hei Feng! Go! Attack its lower body!" Ye Jing felt as if the ape had ten thousand tons of strength. Staying in a deadlock wasn't an option, so he immediately ordered Hei Feng to assist.

Hearing this, the dark winds around Hei Feng surged. He shot out like an arrow from a bow, baring his sharp teeth and biting hard into the White Ice Ape's hind leg joint.

Although this Yao Beast, which had occupied the Cold Marrow Spring for years, had tough limbs and bones, it still feared this lethal Bite. It roared in pain and kicked back hard at Hei Feng, its grip on the Crescent Moon Spade loosening slightly.

Ye Jing seized this fleeting opening. His left hand formed a seal as the green light on his fingertips flared again. A sharp wind blade slashed directly at the white ape's wrist holding the weapon. Simultaneously, he exerted force with his right hand, and the meteor hammer, wreathed in roaring flames, smashed heavily into the white ape's shoulder.

The white ape cried out in pain and staggered back. The white fur on its shoulder was scorched by the blue fire, emitting a burnt smell and revealing mangled flesh.

Its eyes widened in rage as the cold air around it surged frantically. The surrounding icicles exploded, and countless ice needles shot toward Ye Jing and Hei Feng in an increasingly violent offensive.

Ye Jing frowned slightly. Seeing the cracks in the ice above growing larger and debris constantly falling, he knew the cave would completely collapse if the stalemate continued.

At that time, not only would he fail to pluck the dan-nurturing spirit lingzhi, but it would also be difficult to escape.

He no longer held back. A faint light flashed from the Storage Pouch at his waist, and a crimson Talisman fell into his palm. Under the infusion of spiritual power, the Talisman instantly ignited.

"Explosive Flame Talisman, go!"

Ye Jing flicked his finger, and the crimson Talisman turned into a streak of fire, heading straight for the white ape's face.

Meanwhile, he didn't stop moving. Using the flames as cover, he rushed toward the dan-nurturing spirit lingzhi beside the Cold Marrow Spring.

The lingzhi was translucent white, its cap shimmering with a faint spiritual light. Rooted beside the Cold Marrow, it was exactly his target for this trip.

He wanted to control the surrounding cold air to wrap around the lingzhi.

This dan-nurturing spirit lingzhi had to be harvested while being nurtured by cold air; otherwise, once it left the ground, it would instantly turn into a puddle of liquid, and the entire plant would be ruined.

Seeing this, the white ape's eyes turned red with desperation. It abandoned the fight with Hei Feng and swung its ice Crescent Moon Spade, recklessly trying to stop Ye Jing.

Its roars made the cave hum. It clearly viewed this lingzhi as its life's Foundation, and would never allow anyone else to touch it.

Staring with its crimson eyes, it instantly shot a beam of cold light, hitting Ye Jing's arm just as he was about to touch the lingzhi.

Ye Jing felt a sudden chill in his arm. He immediately spun back, mounted Hei Feng, and fled toward the cave exit.

The white ape tried to give chase, but Ye Jing swung his blue flame hammer at the ice hole above, completely burying the cave.

He then rode Hei Feng, drifting hundreds of miles away from the Ice Abyss.

Once safe, he found a sheltered spot to sit down. Ye Jing felt a piercing pain in his right arm as numerous ice crystals began to emerge from it.

His entire right arm had been completely frozen solid.

Ye Jing hurriedly circulated the Thunderbolt Flame Art. As he operated this fire-attribute body-refining Cultivation Technique, the encroaching ice crystals on his arm began to gradually melt and recede.

After a good while, Ye Jing exhaled a breath of cold air. He panted, feeling incredibly fortunate that he had already reached Foundation Establishment and practiced a Cultivation Technique like the Thunderbolt Flame Art; otherwise, his right arm would have been ruined.

Beside him, Hei Feng drooped his head and whimpered softly, seemingly remorseful for failing to completely hold back the Yao Beast and causing his master to be injured.

Ye Jing reached out and rubbed the top of Hei Feng's head, comforting him softly, "It's not your fault. That White Ice Ape was guarding the Cold Marrow Spring, enjoying the advantage of the terrain, and its cultivation was on par with yours. Being able to stall it for a moment was already a great help to me."

After saying that, Ye Jing closed his eyes and began to meticulously review the battle.

Although the White Ice Ape was a Middle Stage Second Rank Yao Beast, because it had consumed the Cold Marrow Spiritual Qi for years, its ice-attribute spiritual power was far purer than that of other Yao Beasts of the same rank.

Furthermore, the cave was narrow and prone to collapse. Restricted in his movements, he couldn't fully utilize his methods, which was why he had fallen into a disadvantage.

Moreover, that white ape could use weapons like a human and had even developed its own Divine Ability; it was indeed a promising specimen.

Ye Jing couldn't help but feel a desire to subdue it.

"It relies on the cold air of the Cold Marrow to Cultivate and fears intense fire the most. I have fire-attribute Magical Artifacts in my hand, as well as several Explosive Flame Talismans. Combined with the fire energy of the Thunderbolt Flame Art, it should be enough to counter its ice power."

He stood up, brushed the ice shavings off his robes, looked at Hei Feng, and said in a heavy voice, "The dan-nurturing spirit lingzhi must be obtained. This time, we will fight it in the cave again and let that stealthy Yao Beast go pluck the Spirit Medicine while we're at it, giving that ape a good lesson in the process."

Hearing this, Hei Feng roared in agreement.