Chapter 877: A Step Away, Yet a World Apart
Black Wind Ridge bordered the Cloud Sea Mountain Range, stretching endlessly vast. In the Snow Moon Kingdom, no one truly dared to claim they understood Black Wind Ridge, for no one had ever entered its deepest reaches. And those who had, never walked out alive. Thus, no one knew what terrifying demonic creatures lurked within.
At this moment, above the border between the Cloud Sea Mountain Range and Black Wind Ridge, a terrifying hurricane howled. A powerful current of air rolled violently, and dark clouds shrouded the land. It was a fearsome demonic beast, its demonic aura billowing. With every flap of its massive wings, it stirred up a gale, and the demonic energy that inadvertently leaked out was extremely terrifying.
Many people in Black Wind Ridge looked up at the void, their hearts trembling uncontrollably. Such terrifying demonic aura! This Roc demonic beast had definitely surpassed the Profound Demon level; it was a fearsome Heavenly Demon.
"There's someone!" At that moment, they saw that atop the Heavenly Demon Roc stood a proud figure, his body straight and unyielding, as if the raging hurricane before him could not shake him in the slightest.
That figure was Lin Feng. He glanced down at the Cloud Sea Mountain Range below. This was where he had first set foot on the path of martial arts.
"Hmm?" At that moment, Lin Feng's brow furrowed slightly. So hot! From within the Cloud Sea Mountain Range, a wave of scorching heat seemed to rush up into the sky, making the entire space feel as if it were being steamed.
After all, Lin Feng was a thousand meters up in the air, and he could still feel the heat. This meant the mountain range below was likely blazing like a furnace.
"What's going on?" Lin Feng muttered to himself, his brow tightening before relaxing again. He would first go to Black Wind Ridge to find Meng Qing. After coming out, he would investigate what was happening with this flame.
Lin Feng did not know where Meng Qing lived, but the Heavenly Demon Roc did. So Lin Feng had the Roc carry him as it flew, charging wildly deeper into Black Wind Ridge.
The terrifying aura of a Heavenly Demon was immensely powerful. Wherever the Heavenly Demon Roc passed, the lesser demons of Black Wind Ridge prostrated themselves on the ground, looking up at the fearsome figure in the void. That was the terrifying presence of a Heavenly Demon from the demon realm—an existence they regarded as a king.
Lin Feng stood quietly on the back of the Heavenly Demon Roc, his gaze calm as he looked ahead. Finally, he had reached Black Wind Ridge. He wondered if that powerful middle-aged woman would allow Meng Qing to leave with him. She had once promised him that after he broke through to the Heavenly Martial Realm, he could come to Black Wind Ridge to find her.
Endless forests, vegetation, and demonic beasts flashed past his eyes. Following the Heavenly Demon Roc, Lin Feng deeply felt the vastness of Black Wind Ridge. The deeper they went, the fewer demonic beasts there were, but those that remained were all extremely powerful. Many formidable Profound Demons had their own territories. The stronger the demon, the larger the territory it occupied, and it would not tolerate any other demon encroaching.
The beast tides that had erupted at the edge of Black Wind Ridge in the past were nothing more than minor ripples. They were likely caused by some powerful Profound Demon being disturbed, triggering the tide. If it had been a true Black Wind Ridge beast tide, with those demonic beasts charging out, it would not have been just the mere Cloud Sea Sect that suffered—the entire Snow Moon Kingdom would have been plunged into devastation.
Finally, after a long time, Lin Feng felt a trace of cold air. He looked into the distance ahead and saw a vast expanse of white snow, constantly drifting through the air. Even before he arrived, he could already feel the chill of that snowy land. It was different from the cold of the outside world—this was an eerie cold, capable of freezing a person to death.
"Whoosh!" The Heavenly Demon Roc saw the eerie white snow ahead and flapped its wings wildly. Soon, it arrived above that snowy expanse and slowly descended. This place was a forbidden zone of Black Wind Ridge, a forbidden zone for demonic beasts. Even a fearsome Heavenly Demon only had the right to walk on this snowfield. If the mistress was willing, she might take that Heavenly Demon into the forbidden zone. If not, the Heavenly Demon would have to scram.
In the distance, some demonic oxen glanced this way, their massive eyes filled with shock. A human! A Roc Heavenly Demon was actually bringing a human into the forbidden zone.
Ever since the ox demon had seen terrifying demonic aura surge from the forbidden zone last time, it had been filled with endless curiosity about this place. It had wandered here countless times, hoping to see what fearsome Heavenly Demon lay within. Today, it finally saw another demonic beast enter the forbidden zone, but what horrified it was that besides the Heavenly Demon, there was also a human.
Lin Feng stepped onto the ground, and a bone-chilling cold crept up his legs through the snow. The snow seemed to carry a demonic chill, somewhat similar to the terrifying cold emanating from Meng Qing. This made Lin Feng realize that the place he was stepping on was likely where Meng Qing lived. Soon, he would see her.
Treading on the freezing white snow, Lin Feng walked forward slowly. The Roc followed behind him. Their footsteps left imprints in the snow, but those imprints vanished without a trace in an instant.
After walking for a long time, Lin Feng saw a massive snow pool ahead. In it seemed to coil an incredibly terrifying demonic beast. If that beast were to emerge from the deep pool, it would likely be as massive as a palace.
"Fox demon, Snow Fox!" Lin Feng glanced at the enormous beast. Its snow-white fur seemed to merge with the snow on the ground. Just as Lin Feng looked at it, its huge eyes also turned toward him. One glance was enough to make Lin Feng's heart tremble.
"It's her." Lin Feng's expression tightened. This massive, pure-white fox demon was the middle-aged woman he had seen that day.
"Swish!"
At that moment, a small figure shot up from the ground, also pure white, causing Lin Feng's body to stiffen. This snow-white figure, with its lively eyes fixed on him, immediately had several streams of clear tears flowing down. Her body, stepping on the white snow, rushed toward Lin Feng at lightning speed.
"Meng Qing!"
Lin Feng took a step forward and flashed toward the small figure, his movement technique carefree and swift, incredibly fast.
"Boom!" The space trembled violently. The enormous snow fox transformed into a middle-aged woman draped in a white robe, cold and aloof, as if she ruled over everything.
Lin Feng's steps continued to flicker, and Meng Qing's small body was also rushing madly toward him. But that short distance seemed impossible to cross. They could never get close to each other—so close, yet seemingly worlds apart.
"What's going on?" Lin Feng's pupils contracted sharply, and he stopped. Meng Qing was still running, but she had not come any closer to him.
At that moment, the cold woman waved her sleeve, and a long snowy path appeared on the ground. On either side were endless trees, leaving only the snow-covered path in the middle.
Meng Qing's body not only failed to approach Lin Feng, but he even felt she was getting farther away.
A step away, yet a world apart. That was the feeling—a step away, yet a world apart. This was a terrifying power of essence. She was clearly right before his eyes, yet she seemed to be at an infinitely distant horizon, forever unreachable.
That woman was too terrifying.
"You said that as long as I stepped into the Heavenly Martial Realm, I could come to Black Wind Ridge. Now, I have broken through to the Heavenly Martial Realm," Lin Feng said to the middle-aged woman. He knew the gap between them was too vast. Without her permission, he could never get close to Meng Qing.
"I only said that after you broke through to the Heavenly Martial Realm, you could come to Black Wind Ridge to find me. That's all." The middle-aged woman's voice was proud and cold. Even stepping into the Heavenly Martial Realm was nothing to be proud of in her eyes.
If it had not been for Linglong's impulsiveness and her union with Lin Feng, she would have killed him without hesitation. The Snow Immortal, Xue Linglong—she knew very well what that represented. Linglong was the king of her bloodline race. She herself only possessed a thread of that bloodline power, while Linglong had the purest bloodline, the king's bloodline.
"What do you want me to do?" Lin Feng looked at the middle-aged woman and asked solemnly.
"From this moment on, in your world, there is only one snowy path. If you want to take Linglong away, then walk this path to the end," the middle-aged woman said coldly. She waved her hand again, and Lin Feng felt cut off from the outside world. All sound vanished, as if he had fallen into another world—a world of snow.
Before him was still that snowy path, short yet seemingly endless. The middle-aged woman and Meng Qing stood at the end of the path, clearly visible, as if he only needed to take a few steps to reach them.
PS: As usual, one more chapter coming. I've been slacking lately—time to step it up!