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The snow apes' cultivations really were increasing, and if they weren't mistaken, it had something to do with the Thousand Lotus Flowers, or perhaps with the Worry-Alleviating Grass. The plants were nourishing their cultivations.

No wonder the apes who'd shown up later were stronger than those who'd come before. It was all due to the Thousand Lotus Flowers and Worry-Alleviating Grass!

In such a short time, Ye Zichen and his companions couldn't make an objective judgment of which of the two plants was responsible for the apes' extreme growth. But they were clear that destroying the flower patch would prevent them from growing any stronger.

"Destroy it?" Yang Jian seemed not to have quite caught up, but the apes seemed to sense Ye Zichen and Gu Li's intentions.

Their stand-off, which hadn't been easy to come by, broke just like that. Over a dozen vicious apes waved their mighty arms, charging forth like barbarian warriors.

"Again?" Yang Jian still didn't quite understand why Ye Zichen wanted to destroy the lotus patch.

But he did know that these apes were their enemies. When he saw them charge, Yang Jian didn't hold back at all. He raised the Erlang Lance, which split into countless illusory lances and tangled with the snow apes.

It seemed they were correct!

The apes' sudden fury and agitation only confirmed Ye Zichen and Gu Li's hypothesis. That they cared so much about the flowers suggested that the plants really were what was nourishing their cultivation.

"Heavenly Flames, Set the Plain Ablaze!"

Pure white flames descended from the skies. Countless half-meter fireballs rained down in droves. The fireballs didn't threaten the apes at all. Instead, all of them landed amidst the lotuses and Worry-Alleviating Grass.

Heavenly Flames were a level higher than Samadhi True Flames.

Even though this was an icy plain, the flames still blazed as they hit the ground. The flames spread with the powerful winds blowing through the mountains, becoming a massive wildfire. In the blink of an eye, the valley containing the lotuses had become a sea of flames.

When the apes saw this, they roared with renewed ferocity, and their icy blue eyes were bloodshot with fury. Then, they disregarded Yang Jian and Gu Li completely, charging directly into the blaze as if trying to extinguish it with their bodies.

"Hoo! Hoo…!" The wildfire burnt the apes' icy fur completely black, but they didn't seem the least bit concerned. They just strived with all their might to extinguish the flames.

That wasn't all; more and more apes emerged from the valley and gathered here. Ye Zichen even saw a few who they'd fought with before, who were still visibly inured. They, too, threw themselves into the blaze without regard for their own lives.

Ye Zichen, Gu Li, and Yang Jian sighed in relief. The apes no longer had paid them, the three invaders, any heed. All they cared about was stopping the fire.

However, the descending heavenly flames were no ordinary blaze. No matter how much snow they piled on, so long as the wind blue, the apes had no hope of stopping the fire.

The Thousand Lotus Flowers and Worry-Alleviating Grass gradually melted. For some reason, seeing this made Ye Zichen think of Pu Jingwan. If she saw so many such precious ingredients destroyed, given her money-grubbing tendencies, she'd probably collapse.

"Let's hurry up and leave while they're still occupied," said Gu Li. The fires really did solve the problem they were facing; the apes were all amidst the flames, trying to put it out. They weren't paying attention to the three of them at all.

Ye Zichen and Gu Li nodded. They carefully glanced back, while Gu Li surreptitiously activated the Dao of Space to carry them out of the valley.

To tell the truth, even though the apes had ambushed them, they still felt as if everything had gone a little too smoothly.

From beginning to end, they'd yet to see the beast that left those giant footprints.

"I wonder how monkey and the others are doing?" Yang Jian glanced at the pearly white snow. There had been a giant footprint here when they'd arrived, but after all this time, the snow had covered it completely. "Which of you knows the way back?"

Yang Jian certainly hadn't kept track of their route, but the way he saw it, Ye Zichen and Gu Li surely had.

"I know the way." Gu Li rolled his eyes. He knew he couldn't leave that up to the other two, so he made a point of remembering it.

They left the lotus-filled valley without incident, and when they turned around, they saw the heavenly flames, burning all the way into the skies.

"Hoo!" Suddenly, a furious cry many times louder than that of the snow apes emerged from the valley.

From the voice, it was clear that the beast was still far away. Yet even so, it was so loud, it made their eardrums ache. Were it closer, they might very well have ruptured.

"That's definitely the big guy," said Ye Zichen.

"It's not going to chase us in fury because we burnt down its home, right?" Yang Jian gulped. When he first saw that giant footprint, he felt that this big guy was best left unprovoked. Now, hearing that roar, he once more felt that it would be better not to provoke the giant if they didn't have to.

But to their surprise, Gu Li, who'd been leading the way ahead, suddenly stopped.

"What are you doing? Hurry up and run! If that guy catches us, the three of us combined are barely big enough to serve as appetizers!" Yang Jian stared at him, eyes wide.

"And if we can't run?" Gu Li stared at him coolly.

"Why can't we run? Wait, no way… You didn't forget the way, did you? Yang Jian was speechless. If he'd known Gu Li was this unreliable, he would have taken the time to remember the way. But then, he found the sight of Gu Li distasteful, so he'd left this task up to him.

Yang Jian was frantic. Yes, he'd been a "war god" back in the Heavenly Court, but in truth, they just gave him that title. He actually quite disliked danger, and his biggest dream was flirting with lots of women. Otherwise, he wouldn't have taken it upon himself to search for top beauties back in the Heavenly Court, like the judge at a beauty pageant.

But this big monster was no immortal beauty. Yang Jian was completely unwilling to tangle with it if it were avoidable.

"Ye-zi, do you know the way?" Yang Jian looked at him.

"Somewhat, but if I'm not mistaken, we really can't go back now." Ye Zichen grimaced.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Yang Jian didn't get it.

"That 'big guy' you're referring to is following the same path we took to get here. If we keep forging ahead, we'll most likely bump into it," said Gu Li, his gaze uncharacteristically serious. "This sort of vicious beast is typically quite territorial, while we blatantly invaded its domain. If it discovers us…"

Gu Li said no more, but his meaning was already quite clear. If they went back the way they'd came, they would inevitably encounter that giant beast. Even if it didn't know that they were the ones who'd stolen the Worry-Alleviating Grass it watched over, or that they were the ones who'd burnt the younger, smaller apes until they were bald and naked, just encountering them in its territory would be enough to provoke it. It would crush them in a fit of rage!

Don't even ask what it would do if it found out they'd destroyed the entire lotus patch!

"We can't just stay here either, though!" Yang Jian's eyes were wide. If they stayed here, they'd get discovered sooner or later. Besides, their sick companions were waiting for them to return with Worry-Alleviating Grass and save their lives. When they'd left, the money was in the worst condition. He ought to have the least time left.

Every second they wasted here increased the Great Sage's danger.

"We really can't dilly-dally here." Ye Zichen pursed his lips, then took out the Worry-Alleviating Grass they'd plucked and divided it into thirds. "Here are three portions of Worry-Alleviating Grass. I estimate that one stalk should be enough to cure each patient, so this should be enough to cure all of them. Let's each take a portion. When we run into the beast, whoever can escape should take their grass and run."

"Then don't give it to me!" Yang Jian pushed his portion back. "I don't know the way. Even if you give it to me, and even if I can run, I don't know how to get back to the monkey and the others."

Ye Zichen had almost forgotten! He smacked his forehead in disbelief. Yang Jian smiled awkwardly back.

He really hadn't thought much about this. Had he known it would end like this, he would have remembered the route, no matter what it took.

"Then how about this? Gu Li and I will split it." Ye Zichen took back Yang Jian's portion, then redivided it and slipped his share into his pocket. "Regardless of which of us escapes, we should run with all our might. Don't even think about fighting that giant monster. Even if we can win, we'll waste far too much time. Just run… If we make it back, all we have to do is call on Venerate Spirit Treasure, and everything will be resolved."

……

…..

"Hoo!"

This time, the furious roar was even clearer. The further they went down the way back, the clearer and more deafening the roars.

The snow atop the mountains showed signs of an imminent avalanche, so they didn't just have to be careful of the beast's location; they had to worry about whether or not the snow would give out beneath them or not, too.

It snowed year-round here, so if there really was an avalanche, it would be quite a thrill!

"A footprint! And it looks fresh!" Yang Jian had never closed his celestial eye. Since the winds brought in so much snow, it was hard to tell where they were with the naked eye alone. Only Yang Jian could serve as their scout, and hopefully give them advance notice of what was to come.

They turned toward where he'd pointed and rushed over to the footprint.

It was indeed quite recent, as if the beast had only just stepped there. There was only a faint layer of frost on its surface.

"The big guy's in the area. Be careful! Don't forget what we said earlier. Run if at all possible. Whatever you do, don't hesitate. Even if the beast keeps one of us here, once Xuan Ji and the others are healed, you can come back to save the one left behind," Ye Zichen reminded his companions.

They hid their presences and slowly sought a path forward…

"Skree!" Suddenly, a piercing shriek rang through their ears. It clearly belonged to a different animal than the one that was angrily roaring.

For some reason, Ye Zichen and Gu Li's eyes flashed with delight. Two different organisms…. If they were lucky, they might be able to seize the resulting chaos and flee!