Chapter 114: The Ghost Ape of the Snow Mountain

Guided by Bai Naizhao, Chu Feng and his three companions continued their trek across the vast, snow-covered wasteland.

Although there were no towering, sky-piercing peaks surrounding them in this immediate area, the colossal blizzard that had erupted a thousand miles away was relentlessly driving the deep, ancient chill of the Great Snow Mountains toward them in wave after wave, enveloping the region in an intense, biting cold.

"Here, take this wineskin of Snow Scorpion Fire Wine and divide it among the three of you," Chu Feng said, handing the container to A-Yan.

He carried two skins of the potent spirit; he kept one for himself, while Bai Naizhao, A-Yan, and A-Ying were to share the other.

"Many thanks, Young Master Chu!" A-Yan and A-Ying thanked him immediately.

Chu Feng had already consumed two large bowls of the fire wine, and the heat radiating from his body was sufficient to shield him from the encroaching cold as they traversed the blizzard. Bai Naizhao, a martial artist at the seventh stage of the Body Refining Realm—the Respiration stage—could also resist the frost without much trouble. However, A-Yan and A-Ying were struggling immensely.

This was no ordinary cold; it was the accumulated frigidity of the Great Snow Mountains, unleashed by the sudden explosion of the blizzard. If caught directly by such a chill, even an eighth-stage Body Refining martial artist would be unable to withstand it, freezing solid where they stood and meeting a certain death. Thus, the fire wine Chu Feng offered was nothing short of a life-saving elixir. A-Yan and A-Ying bowed repeatedly, expressing their gratitude with earnest gestures.

Seeing the two women taking sips of the wine, Bai Naizhao paused and turned to look at them.

"Haha, Hall Master Bai, you cannot gain the warmth just by watching. Have some yourself! You are the guide for the four of us; we cannot afford any mishaps," Chu Feng said with a smile.

A-Yan and A-Ying hurried to take a few sips before passing the nearly full wineskin to Bai Naizhao. "Hall Master Bai, please, have some. This Snow Scorpion Fire Wine is truly excellent! Once it hits your dantian, a ball of heat rises, warming your entire body and making your inner energy flow much more smoothly," A-Yan said, offering Chu Feng a grateful smile.

Bai Naizhao remained expressionless, taking the wineskin with an air of hesitation, as if he were unsure whether he should drink it. Observing his conflicted state, Chu Feng smiled; it was entirely up to him—no one would force the liquor down his throat.

"Hall Master Bai, if you aren't going to drink, you should put the stopper back in. Once a wineskin is opened, the fire wine should be consumed quickly; if the biting cold air gets inside, its potency will diminish," Chu Feng teased.

At these words, Bai Naizhao frowned and immediately plugged the wineskin. "This is bad! We should not be drinking the Snow Scorpion Fire Wine right now!"

"Oh? Why is that?" Chu Feng asked, surprised by his sudden alarm.

"Because we cannot determine our current location! Are we closer to the Wuhan Female Clan in the west of the snowfields, or the Wuhan Male Clan in the east? If we are in the west, most of the snow monsters fear the heat of the wine, so it acts as a deterrent. But if we are in the east, the creatures there are specialized in hunting sources of heat. Large monsters like the Snow Mountain Ghost Apes are a prime example!"

Bai Naizhao spoke with great gravity. Upon hearing this, the faces of A-Yan and A-Ying drained of color.

"Bai Naizhao, why didn't you say so sooner? If you had spoken up earlier, I wouldn't have let A-Yan and A-Ying drink this wine!" Chu Feng scolded, clearly displeased. According to Bai Naizhao, consuming the wine might not only fail to deter monsters but could actually attract them, with consequences too dire to contemplate.

"I only just realized it myself," Bai Naizhao retorted, though he knew he had been a step too slow.

"Sigh! Bai Naizhao, you really are..." Chu Feng shook his head, too tired to argue. He turned to the two women and said, "Do not be afraid, Junior Sisters. With me here, I will ensure your absolute safety!"

"Thank you, Young Master Chu!" Both women bowed deeply. They were unfamiliar with the Wuhan Snow Mountains and the various monsters that inhabited them, and their practical combat skills were average at best; their only true expertise lay in the study of the Ice Nether Mother Shell. Consequently, before reaching the Wuhan Snow Clan, they had felt like the weak links of the group, and they were deeply grateful for Chu Feng’s protection.

Without further delay, Bai Naizhao resumed his role as the guide, leading the way. A-Yan and A-Ying followed, one on each side of Chu Feng. To an outside observer, the group might have looked like a young nobleman being escorted by two graceful handmaidens, while the man in front appeared to be nothing more than a servant or attendant. The women stayed close to Chu Feng not only because they owed him so much, but also because his presence gave them a profound sense of security.

They continued to march. Time seemed to lose its meaning in the vast, featureless white expanse, where the cold remained unrelenting. Walking through such a landscape without any landmarks created the illusion that they were merely treading in place, even after hundreds of miles.

"Bai Naizhao, how much further must we go? Is it still likely that those heat-seeking monsters will appear? Give us an estimate so the two junior sisters can be at ease," Chu Feng called out. He estimated they had traveled at least five hundred miles, yet they had seen neither hide nor hair of any monsters, let alone the fabled Snow Mountain Ghost Apes. It was as if they were trekking through a desolate, lifeless exclusion zone.

"It is hard to say," Bai Naizhao replied, offering nothing more.

Chu Feng sighed with a wry smile. Whenever something could be predicted, Bai Naizhao only seemed to realize it after the fact; whenever asked for an estimate, he could never provide one. Chu Feng briefly wondered if they might have been better off splitting up.

Suddenly, a glimmer appeared in Chu Feng’s eyes. He caught a glimpse of a shadow moving at incredible speed in the distance!

"Hmm?" Chu Feng’s heart skipped a beat. "I just saw something streak past ahead. Did you notice?"

At his words, A-Yan and A-Ying became instantly tense, drawing their swords and scanning the surroundings. Bai Naizhao stopped in his tracks, observed the area intently, and then dropped to his knees, pressing his ear against the thick, packed snow to listen.

A martial artist at the seventh stage of the Body Refining Realm could use his ears to see. By pressing against the ground, they could amplify their hearing through the vibration of inner energy within their dantian. It was a rudimentary form of the "Earth-Listening Technique"—the stronger the inner energy, the wider the range of perception.

After listening for a few heartbeats, Bai Naizhao’s face shifted dramatically. He stood up and declared, "This is bad. The Snow Mountain Ghost Apes have arrived, and there is more than one!"

"What? Where?" A-Yan and A-Ying asked, their voices trembling as they stood back-to-back, swords raised.

"Hehehehe!"

A bizarre, mocking laughter suddenly echoed through the air. The sound was strange: the first two "hehe"s seemed to come from a distance of dozens of yards, but the final ones sounded as if they were right in front of them.