Boom!
A giant wave, a hundred meters tall, suddenly surged upward.
Within the sky-piercing water column, a massive, deep-black shadow emerged.
It was as if a demon had crawled up step by step from the abyss of hell.
Separated by a giant curtain of water, separated by thousands of meters of distance...
Even so, Rena Luo and her brothers' faces all turned deathly pale; the murderous aura between heaven and earth surged like a tide, as if it could swallow all three of them whole at any moment.
"Roar!"
That shadow stood at the center of Heavenly Lake, suddenly thrusting out its hand and tearing through the water curtain in front of it. Its massive, broad palm clenched abruptly, grabbing a huge volume of water right into its grasp!
Water that should have been flowing instantly solidified in its hand.
In its grip, each stream of water became like a long javelin.
The next second—
It hurled that massive javelin of water straight toward the lakeshore.
In less than two heartbeats—
The enormous water-formed javelin shot through the silent world, heading straight for the snow wolves on the shore of Heavenly Lake.
The first wolf was pierced clean through, its body carried along by the forceful water javelin, which then skewered several more snow wolves behind it, before finally slamming into the rock wall and blasting out a giant crater.
"With water alone, it skewered ten at once!"
Gavin Luo shouted in astonishment at the sight.
He'd already experienced firsthand how tough those snow wolves were, and knew just how hard their bodies could be.
Especially that water javelin— even with Gavin Luo's fourth-grade Vajra strength, he couldn't possibly pull off something like that.
Shaping matter from form is much harder than shaping it from force.
Not to mention, that gigantic monster was still at the center of the lake, several kilometers from the shore.
Even from that far away, it could shape water into matter and pierce through ten snow wolves at once!
"That must be it. Whatever we're looking for, it has to be at the lake's center!"
Rena Luo took a deep breath, her voice trembling with excitement: "If we can get that thing, it'll be a huge benefit for us—and for the family!"
"More than that, our standing among the other families would rise a ton! We wouldn't have to bow and scrape to anyone anymore!"
Rena Luo's cheeks flushed red with excitement.
She gazed at the frenzied giant beast in the middle of the lake, itching to make a move.
"Play it by ear. No matter what, safety comes first."
Clark Luo frowned, a bit worried.
Awooo!
On the shore, the snow wolves seemed utterly enraged. They howled in unison, then, one after another, charged headlong toward the center of Heavenly Lake—toward the giant beast there.
Waves of snow wolves rushed into Heavenly Lake.
The wind and snow between heaven and earth grew fiercer and fiercer.
"The water's freezing?"
Standing in the shadows to the side, Evan Lin muttered quietly, a bit surprised.
He looked up, face calm, and saw packs of snow wolves dashing straight across the surface of Heavenly Lake.
They didn't sink—instead, they kept sprinting forward at full speed.
Wherever they passed, the liquid water instantly solidified into a thick, sturdy sheet of ice!
Hundreds—maybe thousands—of snow wolves quickly reached the lake's center.
Led by the alpha wolf, the whole pack went berserk, swarming the giant beast.
In that moment, under the faint moonlight, Evan Lin finally got a clear look at the monster at the center of the lake.
It was a colossal snow ape.
Its body was covered in deep blue fur. With its massive fists, it smashed the charging snow wolves, and with no hesitation at all, grabbed injured wolves and stuffed them into its mouth, chewing voraciously.
Blood and flesh flew everywhere.
Calling it a battle between the snow wolves and the mutant snow ape was generous—it was really just a one-sided slaughter!
"Those snow wolves are no match for that beast at all. We should leave now! Report the situation to the family and let them decide!" Clark Luo said, scalp tingling at the sight.
A creature like that was way beyond anything they could handle.
If you got close, one punch would end your life in less than a second.
Even with his fourth-grade Vajra strength and pride, Clark Luo didn't have the guts to risk his neck for a shot at glory!
"There must be some way to get over there. Back then, Mo Yang wouldn't have fought a brute like that head-on."
Rena Luo thought it over, stepped forward to the edge of the cliff, and squinted into the distance. Suddenly, her eyes lit up: "There! That snow ape has chains on its hands and feet!"
As soon as she said it, Clark Luo and Gavin Luo noticed—the snow ape didn't seem able to leave its spot.
It mostly waited for the snow wolves to come close, then finished them off with a single slap.
Whenever it moved, even at a distance, you could see deep black iron chains swinging from its wrists and thighs, clanking and rattling with every motion.
"It can't move—but how do we get over there? Whatever we're after should be right beneath its feet."
"But how could something that huge be chained up here by someone?"
Gavin Luo was utterly stunned, deeply shaken.
"Forget all that! Fortune favors the bold—wait here, I'll go first!"
Rena Luo gritted her teeth, making up her mind.
As soon as she finished speaking, she kicked off hard, leaping straight off the cliff. In a few bounds, she followed the surging pack of snow wolves, heading for the center of the lake.
"Should we follow her?"
Gavin Luo watched Rena Luo get farther and farther away, full of anxiety.
Clark Luo stood to the side, hesitant—the snow ape's oppressive presence was simply overwhelming. Ordinary people before it were no better than ants.
Even though Rena Luo was his sister, going after her now was practically suicide!
As Clark Luo hesitated, he suddenly noticed a shadow slowly emerging not far away.
"Who's there!"
Clark Luo barked, heart pounding in shock.
Gavin Luo turned his head, eyes full of caution.
With their fourth-grade Vajra cultivation, they hadn't even noticed someone hiding nearby!
"Pathetic."
The word drifted over from a distance.
Clark Luo and Gavin Luo's faces both changed dramatically.
They tried to get a better look at the newcomer, but the heavy wind and snow blurred their vision, making it impossible to see clearly from a distance.
But before they could approach the figure—
They suddenly saw the shadow stride forward, and in the next instant, leap straight off the cliff as well.
They rushed to the edge and looked down, just in time to see the figure calmly walking toward Heavenly Lake.
He didn't move quickly—each step was deliberate and steady, with not a hint of hesitation or retreat.
Watching him, Gavin Luo and Clark Luo felt a strange, almost absurd sense of reassurance deep inside.
It was as if, in his eyes, the wind and snow, the endless mountains of Changbai, and even the monster at the lake's center were nothing more than dust—insignificant and fleeting.
It seemed that nothing in the world could stop him from moving forward.
Not even the murderous chill of heaven and earth.
Not even the awakening of a monstrous beast!