C15 The Ice Beauty

Yeh Yulin, as if having taken a solemn oath, was taken aback to see snowflakes beginning to fall.

It was the onset of summer, early June. Why would it be snowing at this time?

Without realizing it, Yeh Yulin's gaze shifted to the ongoing battle between a man and a beast. His face suddenly contorted with shock, as if he had witnessed something inconceivable, and he gasped in disbelief, "A domain? Does she have a domain?"

"How can someone so young possess a domain?"

A domain was a privilege reserved for those experts who had ignited ten Spirit Flames.

But from what Yeh Yulin knew, not even those of such esteemed rank could easily claim a domain.

The ten Spirit Flames signified a Level Ten Battle Soldier. Beyond that, the flames would condense into a liquid, forming a vortex. When the ten Spirit Flames merged into this liquid vortex, it signified Level Eleven.

The Battle General Level!

Yet, a domain might not necessarily manifest at this stage!

Depending on one's talent, it could emerge at Level Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, or even beyond. Some might never attain a domain, even by Level Nineteen, and thus could not advance to the ranks beyond a Battle General.

However, this woman already had a domain, a clear testament to her extraordinary talent.

Could she be one of the Ten Great Heroes of the Yeh Family?

It seemed almost too incredible.

In the Human Clan Empire, Yeh Yulin's homeland, with its billions of inhabitants, fewer than one hundred thousand possessed a domain. To find such a young girl with this power was rare. Her talent was likely unparalleled, not just within the Yeh Family, but across the entire empire.

As Yeh Yulin pondered, the battle between the snow maiden and the tiger-shaped Devil Beast was drawing to a climax.

The tiger-shaped Devil Beast was clearly losing ground. It let out a thunderous roar, and a blood-red aura enveloped it, transforming into a colossal phantom tiger that charged at the snow maiden with a ferocious bellow.

The snow maiden's demeanor turned grave, yet her eyes remained detached and cool. She slowly raised her scepter, aiming it at the tiger-shaped Devil Beast.

In that instant, Yeh Yulin held his breath.

The surrounding air turned piercingly cold, and each breath he took seemed to sting his body.

The snow that had been gently falling around him suddenly halted, suspended in midair.

A suffocating sense of oppression enveloped the atmosphere.

Panic began to set in, edging towards madness.

"Ding!"

The snow maiden extended her jade-like finger and delicately flicked the scepter.

In that instant, the tiger-shaped Devil Beast froze, and Yeh Yulin's heart skipped a beat in tandem with her gesture. The massive tiger-shaped shadow started to fracture and crumble.

"Aooo!" The roar of the tiger-shaped Devil Beast within the phantom was laced with pain, unwillingness, despair, and regret.

The snow maiden held her flicking pose, silently observing the disintegration of the tiger-shaped Devil Beast.

As the phantom shattered, so too did the main body of the tiger-shaped Devil Beast begin to disintegrate. Yet, even as it fell apart, it remained suspended in the air, facing off against the snow maiden, or more accurately, held aloft by her control.

"Roar!"

Ultimately, the tiger-shaped Devil Beast issued a thunderous roar, its tiger eyes flashing with ferocity as it glared at the snow maiden and unleashed a torrent of blood-red flame towards her.

Witnessing the scene, the snow maiden finally stepped back.

Her movements were graceful and elegant, yet her retreat was swift. She had already begun to pull back the moment the tiger-shaped Devil Beast roared, narrowly evading the blood-red flame.

Despite this, Yeh Yulin could sense the previously enclosed space around him dissipate, as if a fog had been pierced and scattered.

"Is she wounded?"

The thought raced through Yeh Yulin's mind, sending a shiver down his spine, nearly causing him to scream.

"I should have known better than to just stand by and watch!"

This realization was Yeh Yulin's last coherent thought before he saw a burst of blood-red light surge from the body of the tiger-shaped Devil Beast, heading straight for him.

"Damn it!"

"Hah!"

With an enraged shout, Yeh Yulin swung his large axe with all his might.

"Boom!"

Spiritual Force rippled outwards, and a colossal force struck Yeh Yulin, making him feel as though he had been rammed by a prehistoric beast. His body seemed on the verge of shattering, most notably his axe.

One side of the double-sided axe caved in upon impact. The blood-red glow, too, hesitated briefly. "Pfft!" A fishy taste spread in his mouth as more blood gushed from Yeh Yulin's lips, and he swiftly lost consciousness. Unbeknownst to him, some of the blood that had sprayed from his mouth landed on the blood-red light. The once swiftly moving glow faltered, dimmed, and eerily paused midair before falling to the ground alongside Yeh Yulin. His blood, initially red, began to shift to shades of purple and gold upon the light, eventually merging into the blood-red glow.

...

"Mom, what kind of person is dad?" A three or four-year-old child gazed up at his mother, his bright eyes brimming with hope. "He," his mother began, a gentle smile gracing her exquisite face as she shifted her gaze from the child to the vacant sky, "would have been a good husband, a good father, if not for his current position..." The child blinked in puzzlement, unsure if his mother was commending his father or expressing resentment towards the man he had never met.

...

"...Hmm?" After an indeterminate amount of time, Yeh Yulin's eyes fluttered open, and he blankly surveyed his surroundings. Towering trees filled his vision. He shuddered and sat up quickly, scanning the area with caution. He recalled that he was still within the No-falling Forest. Fainting here? It was tantamount to a death wish.

"Awake, are you?" A melodious yet icy voice broke the silence, its chilling tone unable to mask its enchanting quality, reminiscent of ice silk capable of stirring the soul with a touch of coolness. Yeh Yulin turned in surprise to see a girl in white standing five meters away, watching him with detached eyes. She was the same girl who had battled the tiger-shaped Devil Beast, her face devoid of emotion, her gaze serene, revealing nothing of her feelings.

"You are..." Yeh Yulin stared at the girl in white, perplexed. Up close, her beauty was even more striking, as if she were a crystal sculpture crafted by the divine, a masterpiece of nature's own making. Yet, why was she here, seemingly waiting for him to regain consciousness?

Yeh Yulin would never arrogantly assume that the girl had waited for him to regain consciousness out of a sense of protection after discovering he had passed out.

In the No-falling Forest, it was all too common for members of the same tribe to turn on each other, let alone to simply ignore someone in need of help.

"What's your name?"

Yeh Yulin's bewilderment deepened. After a moment's thought, he replied, "Yeh Yulin."

The girl in white nodded slightly, her gaze icy as she regarded him. From her rosy lips came words that sent a chill through Yeh Yulin, "You, you've stolen my Devil Beast Egg, a high-level Devil Beast Egg."