Chapter 353: Eternal Moment

The Fifth‑rank Peak Snow Beast narrowed its beastly eyes and spoke in human words: "Your bloodline power cannot break the sealing barrier. Now the Mountain King gives you two choices: first, leave the Heaven Snow Mountain Range immediately; second, stay and die."

As soon as those words were spoken, everyone present showed varied expressions.

The young disciples of the Heaven One Sect all looked toward the Second Elder.

The elite disciples of the Flower Sect looked at their own young master, waiting for his decision.

They had traveled thousands of miles to the Heaven Snow Mountain Range, overcoming countless obstacles to reach the treasure vault; leaving now would render all their previous efforts useless, wouldn't it?!

"Please give us a little more time," Lu Xiangxiang said at that moment.

But the Fifth‑rank Peak Snow Beast ignored her and asked, "Have you made your choice?"

"Either get out or die!"

At this moment, Ying Wuji was already speculating; he looked at Cang Li and Yuan Yao, about to share some information with them, when he noticed Yuan Yao had her eyes closed…

Hua Chengyan seemed to glance casually at the expressions of those present, lingered briefly on Yuan Yao, and finally shifted his gaze to the Fifth‑rank Peak Snow Beast.

He laughed, "People who came here before were always killed by the Mountain King. Now the Mountain King is so merciful to give us two options; there must be something fishy about it, right?"

Upon hearing that, the crowd's complexion changed slightly.

Nie Bai said with a half‑smile, "The Mountain King never appeared from start to finish; perhaps something has happened to him? If the Mountain King is absent, relying only on you to deal with us would be difficult."

Lu Xiangxiang pressed her lips together; she suddenly thought of someone.

That crazy Xie Yan!

It must be him!

Lu Xiangxiang grew increasingly alarmed; in this life she must never provoke that lunatic, for if he targets her, it would be a hundred times more terrifying than Ying Wuji's pursuit.

Because Xie Yan acts like a madman, ruthless and extremely cruel!

And his identity…

…is even more shocking to the world!

Moreover, there is that endless hatred.

"We will not retreat!" Second Elder Wang Yangbo said gravely.

As soon as those words were spoken, a fierce killing intent flashed in the Fifth‑rank Peak Snow Beast's eyes, and it spoke, "Eliminating you doesn't require the Mountain King's hand at all! Since you want to die, we'll grant it!"

With a single command, all the snow beasts surged to attack the crowd.

At the same time, several Fifth‑rank snow beasts instantly darted toward Hua Chengyan and the others.

Among these beasts, there were about a dozen Fourth‑rank snow beasts, dozens of Third‑rank ones, and the rest were Second‑rank.

Their numbers were astonishingly huge!

In an instant, countless razor‑sharp ice spikes erupted continuously from the beasts' twin horns, roaring straight toward the young disciples with fierce momentum!

For a moment, cold light flashed in the air, ice shards scattered, creating a terrifying scene.

The young disciples moved, each unleashing unique techniques—some brandishing weapons, others invoking spells—to engage the ferocious snow beasts in a fierce battle.

At this moment, Cang Li and Ying Wuji stood protecting Yuan Yao.

Yuan Yao, eyes closed, focused her spiritual energy and awareness to probe the array eye of the sealing barrier.

Bian Chen darted away, confronting the Fifth‑rank Peak Snow Beast.

Bian Chen wielded a wholly white long sword; with a swing, ice splashed, and the blade seemed to have the power to cleave the earth.

Boom—

The powerful sword aura collided with the Fifth‑rank Peak Snow Beast in mid‑air with a thunderous impact!

Bian Chen's posture was upright, his appearance handsome, and his movements extremely agile.

He raised his sword with both hands and swept horizontally with force!

"The wind and snow shall not return; one sword overturns mountains and seas!"

A gale rose suddenly, frost surged with the massive blade, thrusting fiercely toward the Fifth‑rank Peak Snow Beast!

The Fifth‑rank Peak Snow Beast's eyes flickered slightly, and it quickly summoned a defensive spirit shield!

A loud blast rang out!

Almost the entire snowfield's snow swirled and instantly turned into powder!

This scene fell into Cang Li's sight, and he showed a shocked expression,

"How strong is he?"

"Same realm as me," Ying Wuji said coolly, looking at Bian Chen.

Bian Chen, from the First Continent's Wushuang Sect, is the great‑grandson of the sect's Supreme Elder, twenty‑two years old, with cultivation at the mid‑stage of the Spirit Transformation Realm.

Nie Bai, from the Eighth Continent's Nie family, is the family's young master, seventeen years old, cultivated to the mid‑stage of the Nascent Soul Realm.

Hua Chengyan, from the Eighth Continent's Flower Sect, is its young master, twenty‑three years old, with an unknown cultivation realm.

The Flower Sect's Grand Elder cultivates at the mid‑stage of the Spirit Transformation Realm, while Uncle Jiu's cultivation is at the peak of the late Nascent Soul Realm.

As for the Heaven One Sect's Second Elder, his cultivation is at the late Spirit Transformation Realm; the Seventh Elder is at the mid‑stage of the Spirit Transformation Realm; Master Qu's cultivation is at the late Nascent Soul Realm.

Most elite disciples of the Flower Sect are at the Golden Core Realm.

The outer‑gate disciples of the Heaven One Sect are also mostly at the Golden Core Realm.

Elite disciples of the Eighth Continent's Flower Sect, when they reach the First Continent's Heaven One Sect, can only meet the threshold of outer‑gate disciples.

Currently, Lu Xiangxiang and Yuan Yao are in the same realm, both at the Initial Golden Core.

"The Mountain King's absence must be linked to that ghost‑faced youth from that day," Cang Li whispered, "Do you know how strong that ghost‑faced youth is?"

"Very strong."

"Stronger than you?"

Ying Wuji's expression darkened; he said, "I'm not sure."

At that moment, Cang Li took a deep breath inwardly.

He glanced at Yuan Yao again.

This journey made him realize that he was still too weak.

His current cultivation is only the late‑stage peak of the Golden Core Realm.

If he had no contract with Mo Yang, he might not only be unable to defeat that Qu Mentor, but also be brutally beaten by the Qu Mentor.

His desire to become stronger grew even more intense.

At this moment, the battle here grew increasingly fierce.

Soon, the Second Elder and Seventh Elder of the Tianyi Sect and the Grand Elder of the Flower Sect each slayed a fifth‑rank Snow Beast and extracted its beast elixir.

The young disciples also hurriedly killed many Snow Beasts.

Snow Beast blood stained the ground everywhere.

The fifth‑rank Peak Snow Beast's pupils trembled as it lifted its head and emitted an extremely mournful wail.

That sound seemed like the final roar of the fifth‑rank Peak Snow Beast.

It suddenly veered away from the edge and surged into the center of the crowd.

Its body expanded rapidly.

"Not good, it's about to self‑detonate!" Uncle Jiu shouted.

"Get back quickly!"

Just before the fifth‑rank Peak Snow Beast could self‑detonate, an extremely terrifying beast force instantly enveloped the entire area, sending a bone‑chilling shiver through everyone.

"Buzz," a sound rang out, and the expanding body of the fifth‑rank Peak Snow Beast began to shrink continuously.

A sound almost like a thunderous roar thundered, deafening the ears.

"You all are courting death!"

The crowd's faces turned pale; following the voice, they saw a gold‑eyed little Snow Beast appear nearby. It shifted its form and instantly teleported before the Qu Mentor, flashing a few cold glints.

In an instant, the Qu Mentor and over a dozen young disciples were all slain, crashing to the ground with a thud.

The gold‑eyed little Snow Beast stomped the ground hard, and in an instant the spatial currents twisted.

"Not good! It's trying to disperse us!" Lu Xiangxiang exclaimed.

At that moment, fierce winds rose over the entire Heaven‑Snow Mountain Range, the snow atop the peaks swirling wildly, and within an instant it blurred everyone's vision.

"Stop it quickly!" Second Elder Wang Yangbo said.

At that time, a slightly sharp male voice was heard.

"Violet—"

"Bloom!"

A young man clad in a violet robe formed a hand seal with both hands, and in an instant a massive violet totem seal blossomed like a flower, dazzlingly unfurling from the sky.

"Eternal instant."