Wusha, the Blood Demon Empress, leisurely crossed the mountain col. This time, she did not continue on her journey. Instead, she covered her entire exquisitely beautiful face with her thick silver hair, blending her head completely with the surrounding snow.
Then, Wusha slowly flattened herself against the col to quietly wait for her prey to deliver themselves to her, her pair of slender phoenix-like eyebrows and eyes closely monitoring every movement on the snowy expanse opposite her.
Indeed, a magnificent tiger demon was undoubtedly the finest hunter!
Sure enough, after a giant snowball rolled down the snowy slope, it unfolded its limbs and head. Seeing this, Wusha narrowed her phoenix eyes slightly, the corners of her mouth curving upward as an indescribable sense of joy and excitement welled up within her long-suppressed heart.
"Such a huge beast is enough for this Empress to eat for several meals."
That's right—the Snow Ape was in pursuit of happiness, while Wusha was set on filling her stomach, meaning a fierce battle was inevitable.
It remained to be seen who would emerge victorious, but how could Wusha possibly refuse the food she had managed to encounter after half a month of searching? All she could do was rest for a moment to recover a sliver of her stamina for a full-powered strike.
Across the way, after rolling down the valley in a huddled ball, the Snow Ape quickly left the valley floor and made a beeline for the mountain pass Wusha had just crossed. To its dismay, the moment it reached the peak, it was dumbstruck. A strong sense of impending crisis suddenly welled up within the beast, and it even began to harbor thoughts of retreat.
At the same time, killing intent surged within Wusha, her eyes filled with ferocity as she dragged the Blood Demon Spear and slowly approached the dumbfounded behemoth. The Snow Ape stood well over twice Wusha's height; its burly figure covered in thick white fur was enough to make anyone shudder in fear.
Yet, even dragging her heavily wounded body, the Blood Demon Empress Wusha still lost none of her intense fighting spirit.
"Oh, a white ape, harboring improper thoughts about this Empress? How about it—letting you fill my stomach can also be your honor."
Hearing Wusha's crisp, feminine, and charming voice, the Snow Ape snapped out of its stupor. The giant Snow Ape shook its head and beat its chest, drool dripping from its jaws as greed filled its eyes. If not for the long white fur covering its entire body, one would certainly have spotted a very inconspicuous little mushroom standing proudly out.
"Roar, roar, roar!"
"Thud, thud, thud!"
Suddenly, the Snow Ape opened its blood-fed mouth, baring razor-sharp fangs as it roared fiercely. At the same time, its two gigantic, muscular arms clenched into fists and hammered against its chest, each arm roughly the size of Wusha's entire body. Indeed, the Snow Ape was flaunting its strength and status to Wusha, attempting to force her to submit, drop to her knees, and surrender without a fight.
Yet, would the mighty Blood Demon Empress bow to a Snow Ape's intimidation? In Wusha's eyes, the ox-like Snow Ape was nothing more than an oversized toddler. Her snowy tresses danced wildly in the wind as she continued to close in on the Snow Ape step by step.
Seeing this, the massive Snow Ape felt a pang of cowardice in its heart, but it had no intention of backing down easily. This was a female creature of a kind it hadn't seen in many years! Though far leaner and weaker than the female Snow Apes of years past, it would still suffice to take the edge off its urges.
"Boom, boom, boom!"
Suddenly, three bursts of berserk energy erupted around the Snow Ape's body. A white shockwave and spiritual power pressure swept outward, kicking up dust and flying snow all across the surrounding area.
Wusha approached step by step with a placid expression, as if the Snow Ape's berserk spiritual pressure had no effect on her whatsoever. Though she had no idea what realm of strength the Snow Ape possessed, it was far weaker than Li Lanhao's golden energy.
The Snow Ape's eyes widened. It took a step back and halted before taking the initiative to launch an attack—how could it easily give up the happiness it had so painstakingly found? It would just have to beat her into submission and be done with it.
"Hmph, after you die, being able to fill the stomach of the Blood Demon Empress is your honor. Prepare to meet your end, big white monkey."
Staring fixedly at the Snow Ape as it leaped into the air, the Tiger Demon Queen spoke with a chilling, murderous glare.
Gripping its massive fists, the Snow Ape hurtled toward Wusha, carrying a wave of berserk energy. Wusha stood her ground without moving an inch, her right hand tightening around the Blood Demon Spear as she prepared to deliver a fatal blow.
Just as the Snow Ape closed to within two spear-lengths of her, *whoosh*—Wusha raised her spear and thrust directly at its heart.
In the flash of a flint, the white-furred Snow Ape grabbed the spear tip with both arms, thwarting the Blood Demon Empress's strike. It attempted to wrench the Blood Demon Spear away from Wusha, but this tug-of-war left the Snow Ape dumbfounded. No matter how savagely it yanked with its massive arms charged with berserk energy, Wusha stood her ground like an unmoving mountain, holding the spear single-handedly.
Not only did the Snow Ape fail to pull the spear away, but Wusha swept her arm in a hundred-and-eighty-degree arc and slammed the beast down behind her.
*Boom!*
The Snow Ape's massive body smashed a huge crater into the ground right where Wusha had been standing a moment before. Shaking its head in a daze, the Snow Ape clearly refused to believe what had just happened as it scanned the surrounding debris of shattered stone and ice.
*Thud!*
"Awooo!"
The Blood Demon Empress Wusha was already weakened, with very little combat strength remaining, so how could she possibly let slip even the tiniest opportunity? Taking advantage of the moment the Snow Ape's head was still spinning, she leaped into the air and spun rapidly, leveraging the momentum into a perfectly executed sweeping kick straight at the beast.
Perhaps because her aim was too precise, her foot connected squarely with the Snow Ape's lower abdomen. A deafening crash rang out, and the Snow Ape—several times larger than Wusha—was sent flying backward. Wusha's berserk strike caused the Snow Ape to let out a piercing howl of agony in mid-air.
*Hissss!*
Perhaps Wusha had kicked a bit too accurately! As the Snow Ape soared backward through the upper air, a thin stream of fluid jetted out from beneath its thick fur, instantly freezing into flying shards of ice in the frigid temperature.
Wusha steadied her teetering body, her brow furrowing slightly as dizziness washed over her. She muttered to herself, "Could it be... the big white monkey... was actually scared pissless by this Empress?"
Indeed, Wusha hadn't clearly seen where the liquid came from, nor did she understand the nature of male anatomy.
*Puff, puff!*
The moment she finished muttering to herself, Wusha could no longer suppress the tearing sensation in her chest. A mouthful of blood spewed violently from her lips, aggravating her internal injuries once again.
*Thud.*
*Clang.*
Suddenly, her legs grew weak and she dropped to one knee. Had she not propped herself up with the Blood Demon Spear just in time, Wusha would surely have tumbled down the mountain col. Hunger, hypoxia, severe internal injuries, and a weakened body meant that sustaining that single berserk blow had already pushed her to her absolute limit.
She watched helplessly as her meal vanished from sight, plummeting into the opposite mountain col and kicking up a cloud of debris and dust. Then, clutching a broken arm and dragging its heavily wounded body, the Snow Ape scaled the col and disappeared from view. The Blood Demon Empress's eyes were filled with despair and lingering resentment.
"Cough, cough... Could it be... did I... did this Empress use... too much force? I never expected... such a big bulk... wouldn't be able to take a single kick from me. How on earth... does one master the use of force in this strange... Tianwu Continent?"
Wusha struggled to her feet, wanting to continue the pursuit, but she was simply far too weak, and deep down she knew her current state made catching the big white monkey impossible.
*Thud.*
With that, Wusha simply sat down hard on the ground, threw her head back, and lay flat. Stretched out on her back at the snowy mountain pass, she drifted off to sleep to rest. Time slowly ticked away, relentlessly wearing down her formidable and unyielding resolve.
Until the edge of the sky turned a pale fish-belly white, Wusha groggily opened her eyes and squirmed. Leaning on the Blood Demon Spear, she slowly pushed herself up, a solitary figure with a lone spear embarking on her journey once again.
...
As dawn approached, inside a military tent, Li Lanhao and Han Yue sat facing each other, chatting for the entire night. Han Yue, who was naturally prone to sleepiness, finally reached her limit. Her gaze grew hazy, and her groggy head bobbed up and down.
*Hoo, hoo.*
Finally, Han Yue, the female military commander, could hold on no longer. She slumped across the table and fell fast asleep. Li Lanhao awkwardly scratched the back of his head, looking somewhat embarrassed as he muttered to himself:
"Sister Han Yue, you should have just told me you were sleepy."
The boy briefly considered carrying Han Yue to the bed, but considering she was an older sister figure whose dignity and purity must not be violated, Li Lanhao instead walked over to Han Yue's cot, picked up the comforter rolled up like a pigsty, and draped it over her.