Master of Nine Stars

But as the snow stopped being flat and began to surge like a river, several Bandit Snow Monkeys were instantly swallowed by the tide.

”HYAH!” Shi Lan didn’t hesitate, swinging her right arm again and again. Sharp, thin blades sprouted from her forearm, and she flung them at the Bandit Snow Monkeys struggling for their lives in the river of snow.

At the same time, the others, their bodies rising and falling with the snowy current, all hurled the snow-crafted weapons in their hands, viciously stabbing at the detestable Bandit Snow Monkeys.

Sun Xingyu and Li Ziyi each swept a hand in front of them. Amidst the swirling snow mist, a volley of ice needles sprayed forward.

”SQUEAK~ SQUEAK~!”

”WHIMPER~” Caught in the rolling river of snow, the Bandit Snow Monkeys were already struggling to survive. Now under heavy assault from the Little Souls, their Iron Snow Forearm Soul Skill could only shield a small part of their bodies. Against the dense barrage of ice needles, they were completely defenseless.

”SQUEAK!!!” A small hand burst through the snow. With astonishing flexibility, a Bandit Snow Monkey swam its way to the surface, its head popping out of the torrent.

A sickening squelch was drowned out by the roaring torrent as a Heaven-piercing Halberd instantly skewered the Bandit Snow Monkey’s tiny head.

Gao Lingwei narrowed her eyes, standing guard in front of Rong Taotao. She watched as some of the Bandit Snow Monkeys scrambled away, swiftly retreating into the dense forest.

With one leap, they were in the trees; with another, they were far from the battlefield. They shrieked angrily at the Little Souls, who had formed a protective circle, and scrambled frantically through the branches.

’So fast... Unbelievably fast!’

Their retreat may have been a pathetic sight, but to Rong Taotao, it was utterly shocking!

’Now *that* is speed! *That* is agility!’

In that moment, Rong Taotao suddenly felt a surge of gratitude toward Xia Fangran for not killing him back then!

’The Snow Ghosts and Snow Corpses in Gorge 0?’

’They were terrifying, sure, but at least their speed was manageable!’

’If Xia Fangran had thrown a few hundred Bandit Snow Monkeys into the bottom of that gorge, he and Gao Lingwei would’ve been torn to shreds!’

Jiao Tengda shouted, ”Stop... stop!”

Rong Taotao immediately reined in his power. Jiao Tengda yelled, ”Watch your surroundings! Kill any that pop out. If they can’t escape, burying them alive is even better!”

The words had barely left Jiao Tengda’s mouth when several Bandit Snow Monkeys squirmed their way out of the snow.

”These fucking things are practically demons!” Li Ziyi couldn’t help but curse.

If he’d been buried alive by that river of snow, Li Ziyi knew he’d never be able to crawl out without using a Soul Skill.

First, the surging river of snow would crush its target’s body, meaning any creature caught inside needed to be incredibly durable. Second, once buried, a complete loss of direction would be a major impediment to survival.

Moreover, the moment you were submerged, your mouth and nose would be packed with snow. You could easily choke or suffocate to death on the spot.

’And yet, these Bandit Snow Monkeys...’

Instantly, the Little Souls scattered, thrusting their assorted weapons into the ground.

”SQUEAK~ SQUEAK!!!”

”WHIMPER~ WHIMPER!!!” In the surrounding Snow Forest, the other Bandit Snow Monkeys flew into a rage, shrieking furiously.

But after just experiencing A Snowy Ocean, not a single Bandit Snow Monkey dared to charge forward. They could only watch helplessly as the Little Souls picked off their kin.

Jiao Tengda: ”Behind you, Tang!”

Sun Xingyu: ”Another one on the left, Ziyi!”

Lu Mang: ”At your feet, Wei!”

Shi Lan was equally ferocious. Every time a Bandit Snow Monkey’s head or hand poked out of the snow, she brought her blade down decisively. ”Kill! Kill! Kill!”

The young Ten Little Souls!

AKA the Pine Soul Exterminators, playing a deadly game of whack-a-mole!

Most of the Bandit Snow Monkeys that managed to escape were already in bad shape, having barely clawed their way out. The Little Souls finished them off cleanly and efficiently. Many more, however, remained buried under the thick snow, never to emerge again.

’A Snowy Ocean... truly a Divine Skill!’

Watching the Bandit Snow Monkeys screeching and raging in the surrounding forest, Jiao Tengda felt a wave of residual fear.

It was all thanks to Rong Taotao. Otherwise, the Little Souls could never have cleared an open area this quickly. If they were still in the dense forest, they would have been toyed with and humiliated by the Bandit Snow Monkeys until they died of exhaustion and frustration.

”ROAR!!!”

That distinctive ape-like roar echoed once more. This time, the Bandit Snow Monkeys didn’t attack. Instead, they began flipping and jumping through the branches as if their savior had arrived.

”SQUEAK~ SQUEAK!”

”OOH~ OOH~ OOH!” Amidst a chorus of cheers, a massive log shot out from the forest!

”Li Hua, dodge!” Jiao Tengda yelled urgently.

Fan Lihua sprang off her feet, hastily twisting her body aside. Behind her, Zhao Tang and Lu Mang also dodged out of the way.

The log was incredibly fast and powerful. It tore through the Ten Little Souls’ formation and crashed into the Snow Forest behind them.

”The Pirate Leader Snow Ape!” Jiao Tengda analyzed calmly. ”Everyone, stay calm. It won’t dare enter this clearing. It doesn’t have the Snow Step Soul Skill. If it rushes in, Taotao can easily bury it with A Snowy Ocean.”

”The Pirate Leader Snow Ape is extremely heavy and relies on the forest to get around. If it gets stuck in deep snow, it will be virtually immobile.”

As he spoke, Jiao Tengda’s pupils contracted. Two more massive logs came hurtling toward them.

The Little Souls dodged again, but Zhao Tang’s eyes widened. Stationed at the rear, he rarely took action, but now he furiously hurled his great axe into the forest.

Following the path of the axe, everyone caught sight of an enormous figure.

The Pirate Leader Snow Ape was hanging from a giant tree by one hand and one foot, its scarlet beast-like eyes locked onto the group.

The Pirate Leader Snow Ape looked similar to an ordinary chimpanzee, but it was much, much larger—at least three meters tall. Its heavy body was like a small mountain, seemingly containing infinite power. ’Getting hit by one of its punches...’

It was covered in long, snow-white fur, and even its face was white. Only its eyes were a startling, intimidating scarlet.

WHOOSH! The Pirate Leader Snow Ape displayed a speed and agility that defied its size. With a light push of its foot, it swung to another large tree, easily dodging Zhao Tang’s attack.

Fan Lihua spoke up, ”Creatures like the Pirate Leader Snow Ape and the Bandit Snow Monkeys share a trait: they are extremely vengeful and will never leave willingly. We have to find a way to break this stalemate before nightfall.”

No one questioned the information provided by their resident scholar, Little Li Hua.

Lu Mang and Jiao Tengda stood back-to-back, guarding their commander as their eyes darted everywhere, scanning the distant Snow Forest for the rapidly moving shapes of Bandit Snow Monkeys.

He spoke up, ”We’re in the middle of a dense forest. It’s unrealistic to think we can escape to the Snowfield with the Pirate Leader Snow Ape hunting us.”

Sun Xingyu’s voice suddenly cut in, ”Why not have Taotao keep using A Snowy Ocean to clear a path to the Snowfield?”

’Just steamroll our way there?’

Rong Taotao wore a strange expression. ”Actually... I suppose I could. My Soul Power is full right now.”

Everyone was speechless. ”...”

With the help of the Lotus Petal, Rong Taotao absorbed Soul Power at an incredible rate. In fact, the other Little Souls had also noticed how quickly they were all absorbing Soul Power.

’Why are we still absorbing Soul Power so quickly, even though we’re outside the Martial Arts Arena?’ The Little Souls likely had their own theories.

Fan Lihua spoke again. ”The Pirate Leader Snow Ape is a creature with immense physical strength. As such, its weakness is also obvious: a relatively weak Spirit Attribute.”

Jiao Tengda nodded to himself, a decision already made. He grabbed Lu Mang from behind and pulled him to the right, dodging another log. ”Taotao,” he said, ”you mentioned you have the Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon Soul Skill equipped?”

Rong Taotao nodded immediately. ”No matter how much time the Pirate Leader Snow Ape and I spend in the Illusion World, only an instant will pass in the real world. Keep an eye out and be ready to land the finishing blow.”

Jiao Tengda commanded, ”Wei, mask on! Big and Little Pomegranates and Li Zi, get your Wind and Snow Blades ready! Everyone else, stay alert!”

Rong Taotao adjusted his position, searching for the Pirate Leader Snow Ape. ”The Pirate Leader Snow Ape isn’t looking at me!”

Li Ziyi retorted irritably, ”Then go taunt it! Is that smart mouth of yours only good for sassing me?”

Rong Taotao was speechless. ”...”

’Only good for sassing you? Don’t flatter yourself.’

Rong Taotao waved frantically toward the edge of the forest and yelled, ”Xiafang—er, I mean... Pirate Leader Snow Ape!!! Your grandpa’s over here! Hey!”

From within the dense forest, that pair of scarlet eyes snapped toward him.

And in that exact instant, the snow-white world, as seen through the Pirate Leader Snow Ape’s eyes, turned a deep, dark red...

...