# Chapter 737: The Matriarch
Black Wind Ridge was a territory where demon beasts roamed rampant, each one active within its own range, following the jungle law of demon beasts. Very few beasts dared to venture deeper, for that was where powerful demon beasts dwelled.
In the deepest part of Black Wind Ridge, specks of snow drifted down all year round. That vast territory was a pure white expanse, entirely covered in cold snow. If a person stepped into it, the accumulated snow beneath their feet would be enough to submerge their knees.
Yet, that thick, pure white snow was so pristine that not even a single footprint marred its surface—almost none at all.
This was a territory no one dared to set foot in, neither humans nor demon beasts.
At this moment, on the outskirts of that snowy domain, a demon beast with a human head and an ox's body slowly passed by. This was a bull demon that had cultivated for several hundred years. It could already half-transform into human form, only one step away from evolving into a powerful Heavenly Demon. At that time, it would take human shape and go out to see the human world.
This bull demon's head turned to glance at the snowy land. It walked up to the edge of the snow but did not step into it. To step into the snow would be to step into the deepest territory of Black Wind Ridge. It did not dare. The bull demon looked at that white snow, its eyes filled with reverence and wariness. In Black Wind Ridge, no demon beast or human had ever set foot in this territory and come out alive. This was what the bull demon's grandfather had told him. In other words, since his grandfather's generation, this place had been a forbidden ground for both demon beasts and humans—the forbidden ground of Black Wind Ridge.
Countless times, it had wanted to go in and take a look, but every time it remembered the old bull's words, it suppressed that urge.
The bull demon lay quietly there, absorbing the essence of heaven and earth and demonic qi that seeped out from within, peacefully enjoying itself. Its gaze occasionally drifted toward the depths of this snowy land. It very much wanted to know what was there.
In that snowy territory, thick snowflakes still fell from the sky. Following the bull demon's gaze, penetrating several thousand li of land, one would probably reach the deepest part of this snowy domain.
Here, there was a huge pit. This pit seemed to take the shape of a demon beast. However, when snowflakes fell into the pit, they instantly melted. The snow in the pit was whiter than the snow around it.
Around this enormous pit stood several demon beasts carved from white snow, all made of ice. Some of these statues were massive bear demons, others were powerful roc demons. Their forms were extremely huge; just one glance from afar was enough to make one's heart tremble.
Just then, a faint sound seemed to come from the huge pit. The next moment, the snowflakes drifting in the sky actually froze solid, all stopping in midair, motionless—so eerie.
The snow on the ground slowly began to writhe. Or rather, the huge pit shaped like a demon beast began to writhe. Accompanied by a faint rumbling sound, a terrifying aura seemed to freeze everything around it completely. No, that was not a pit—it was a real demon beast, lying there... At this moment, that demon beast moved.
Its massive body, over ten meters long and five or six meters tall, had fur whiter than snow. Its watery eyes were so brilliant. This was an extremely beautiful demon beast. If it could be a little smaller, it would surely be very beloved.
"Rumble..." Faint sounds echoed. The demon beast statues standing in the snow all began to move at this moment. They were not statues—they were real demon beasts, each one enormous.
"Boom!"
"Boom!" All these statues prostrated themselves on the ground, lowering their proud heads toward the demon beast in the center, respectfully calling out: "Matriarch!"
Though they had the forms of demon beasts, what came from their mouths was human speech.
The massive snow-colored demon beast in the center swept its beautiful eyes over its surroundings, then fixed its gaze on the roc demon and asked: "Roc, how long have I slept?"
"Matriarch, it has been ten years," the roc replied, gently shaking its wings to dislodge the accumulated snow, answering respectfully. In the world of demon beasts, the law of the jungle was even more naked. If a powerful demon beast wanted to enslave a weaker one, the weak one could only submit to humiliation or be torn apart.
"Ten years. That long." That beautiful snow demon murmured softly. Its terrifying consciousness spread over the entire snowy domain. Instantly, an overwhelming pressure descended, causing those powerful demon beasts to prostrate themselves lower and lower. Throughout the vast icy territory, the snowflakes stopped falling. And that bull demon near the snow domain suddenly raised its head, revealing a look of shock.
Then, the bull demon lowered its head, prostrating itself even more respectfully. It finally understood the old bull's warning.
At the center of the snow domain, that massive snow demon suddenly frowned. Instantly, an even more terrifying demonic aura descended. The surrounding powerful demon beasts did not even dare to breathe, silent as cicadas in winter.
"Where is the young miss?" The snow-colored great demon spoke in an icy voice. Those demon beasts trembled, their bodies shaking.
"Roc, you speak."
The roc silently cursed its bad luck in its heart. It raised its head and met those sharp, cold eyes. It felt as if it were suffocating.
"Matriarch, the young miss did not listen to our advice a few years ago. She left on her own... She has... she has already gone to the human domain," the roc said, trembling and stammering. As it spoke, its massive body quivered slightly. The Matriarch was not as gentle as the young miss. The Matriarch's authority could not be offended by any demon.
Hearing the roc's words, the snow demon's eyes flashed with intense cold light. It swept its gaze over the assembled demons and spoke in a voice cold to the extreme: "You all, pray that nothing has happened to the young miss."
As its words fell, a strand of snow-white fur floated from the snow demon's body into the void, merging with the snowflakes to form a mirror.
"Linglong, you have no idea how high the heavens are," the snow demon said with a stern expression. Then, a holy light surged from its body. It raised a finger and pointed directly at that mirror. Holy light bloomed with snow-colored radiance. In that mirror, scenes and images actually began to appear.
In the images, an extremely beautiful woman appeared, holy as an immortal. If Lin Feng were here, he would surely be shocked. The woman in the image was none other than Meng Qing.
The images changed extremely quickly. One breath was a day. One hour was like several years. The scenes of ten years all rapidly presented themselves in the images. When it saw the final scene of Meng Qing being blasted into her demon beast form, a loud crash sounded, and the image shattered directly. The snow demon's face sank completely.
As for the other demon beasts, they had been watching the images, but now they immediately prostrated themselves on the ground again, their bodies trembling uncontrollably, as if shivering from cold. It was over. It was all over...
Slowly turning around, the snow demon looked at those prostrate demon beasts, its gaze cold to the extreme.
The snow demon's massive body gradually transformed into human form—a middle-aged woman, a very beautiful middle-aged woman, draped in a snow-white robe. And her eyes were colder than snow.
Her sleeve swept out. Instantly, on the ground before her, a snow tower appeared. This snow tower rapidly expanded, becoming as large as a prison. The snow tower's gate opened before them.
"Enter on your own," the beautiful woman who had taken human form said slowly. Those demon beasts trembled even more violently, staring at the snow tower with terror in their eyes.
"Do I need to invite you?" The woman's voice grew even colder. A pressure enveloped those demon beasts. Low, deep roars sounded. Those massive demon beasts all transformed into human forms at the same time, then slowly walked into the snow tower. When they had all entered, the snow tower's gate closed directly.
"Pray that nothing has happened to the young miss. Otherwise, you will never come out again," the beautiful middle-aged woman said. Her sleeve swept again, and the snow tower gradually shrank, turning into a tuft of snow-white fur that returned directly to her body.
Her foot stepped directly into the void, heading toward the direction of the Snow Moon Kingdom. With each step she took, she crossed an unknown distance.
The bull demon had been lying prostrate there the whole time. Only when that terrifying demonic aura in the sky had gradually faded into the distance did it dare to raise its head, stealing a glance at the distant figure, revealing deep reverence.
PS: Thanks to brother 15855070801 for the generous tip. Begging for support from all brothers!