Chapter 158 - 141: Yu Mengdie Is Being Hunted? That’s... Ji Zhixing!

Chapter 158: Chapter 141: Yu Mengdie Is Being Hunted? That’s... Ji Zhixing!

One step. Two steps. Three steps.

Yu Mengdie watched helplessly as Ji Zhixing and Xiao Mingyue surpassed her step by step, drawing closer to the ice mountain. Her expression shifted rapidly.

"How is this possible? How can they walk so far?" she wondered. She never expected that after Ji Zhixing’s Cultivation broke through to the third tier, he would actually be able to withstand the biting chill of this ice field. Furthermore, Xiao Mingyue was actually able to walk this far alongside him.

"Treasures! They must have some sort of treasure on them!" she concluded. "Otherwise, relying solely on their talent from fusing a Tier-Three Gene, their spiritual and mental resistance couldn’t possibly be stronger than mine!"

Yu Mengdie took a deep breath. She had fused with the Tier-Five Six Desires Nightmare Beast Gene, which inherently specialized in the Spiritual Domain. In terms of the strength and quality of her Spiritual Power, she believed she was second to none. Yet, on this ice field, she had been surpassed by two Cultivators who had only fused Tier-Three Genes.

"There must be a treasure capable of enhancing spiritual resistance." Yu Mengdie’s eyes flashed, but ultimately, she abandoned the idea of intervening to stop them. This was a Spirit Ruins Treasure Land. Even if she stopped Ji Zhixing and Xiao Mingyue now, they could always return later. And she obviously couldn’t wait here forever.

"I’d like to see if you can actually obtain the treasure here," she mused, staring intently at their retreating backs.

Ahead, the further Ji Zhixing and Xiao Mingyue walked, the more terrifying the cold acting upon their bodies and spirits became. It was a chill that felt as though it could freeze everything in existence. Ji Zhixing had already manifested the Five-Colored Spiritual Light outside his body and even formed his petrified armor, but he still felt his limbs stiffening.

Even more terrifying was the cold on the spiritual level. It acted like an invisible ice blade, slicing into his mind and consciousness cut by cut, seeking to entirely disintegrate his will.

"Hundred Generations Stone Heart!" Ji Zhixing channeled the Hundred Generations Stone Heart Ability with all his might.

At the same time, Xiao Mingyue’s spirit resonated closely with his, and together they resisted the chill invading the depths of their consciousness. Faint flickers of firelight danced across her body, helping her fend off the biting cold of the ice field.

Finally, the two arrived at the foot of the ice mountain ahead.

"Where is the treasure nurtured here?" Ji Zhixing quickly scanned the area the moment he arrived. The surface of the mountain was incredibly smooth, offering almost no footholds. However, upon closer inspection, he noticed faint, subtle lines etched into the ice wall, resembling natural runes.

"There!" A moment later, Ji Zhixing’s eyes lit up. He spotted an Ice Pearl embedded in the ice mountain about a dozen meters above ground.

The Ice Pearl was only the size of a fist, entirely crystalline and completely transparent, almost perfectly matching the color of the mountain itself. Had it not been for the faint light swirling on its surface, it would have been impossible to detect. Embedded deep within the wall, only a small portion of its spherical surface was exposed. The surrounding ice featured tight concentric circles of fine lines—like the veins of the mountain—all converging upon the Ice Pearl.

"That’s it!" Ji Zhixing and Xiao Mingyue exchanged a glance and nodded.

He took a deep breath, bent his knees slightly, and then exploded with upward force.

BOOM!

He shot up from the ground, activating the Fallen Feather Moon-Treading Boots on his feet. Illusory black crow feathers fluttered from the soles of his boots, lifting his body and allowing him to easily leap to a height of over a dozen meters. Reaching out, he grabbed the Ice Pearl, tightened his fingers around it, and pulled it outward with all his might.

"It’s so cold!" he realized. The moment he grasped the Ice Pearl, a piercing, bone-chilling sensation shot through his palm, traveling up his arm and spreading throughout his entire body. This chill was vastly stronger than the ambient cold of the ice field, feeling as though it would completely freeze his entire arm.

Ji Zhixing clenched his jaw. The veins on his arm bulged as his Genetic Source Power surged wildly, flooding into his limb. Simultaneously, the Five-Colored Spiritual Light and his petrified armor operated at full capacity, fending off the encroaching frost.

"Come out!" With a violent tug, he finally wrenched the Ice Pearl free from the ice wall.

The instant the Ice Pearl left its icy socket, the entire mountain trembled slightly. But very quickly, everything returned to normal. The chilling aura of the ice field didn’t diminish in the slightest due to the pearl’s removal.

"Got it!" Overjoyed, Ji Zhixing prepared to store the Ice Pearl into his Genetic Melting Furnace.

"Six Desires Celestial Demon!"

Right at that moment, a sudden anomaly occurred. Several illusory, twisted shadows abruptly materialized within his spiritual sea and lunged at him.

These phantoms had hideously contorted faces and bared their fangs and claws, stirring up the myriad emotions and base desires buried deep within his heart. Greed, lust, wrath, envy... various desires crashed over him like a tidal wave, attempting to drag his consciousness down into a bottomless abyss. Concurrently, a surge of telekinetic Spiritual Power enveloped the Ice Pearl in his hand, trying to snatch it away.

"Yu Mengdie!" Ji Zhixing instantly realized that she had made her move against him. She had clearly been watching him from behind this entire time, waiting to strike the exact moment he secured the treasure.

"Hundred Generations Stone Heart!" Ji Zhixing immediately pushed the Hundred Generations Stone Heart Ability to its absolute limit. Fostering a spiritual resonance with Xiao Mingyue, he transformed his mind into a stubborn boulder that had weathered a hundred generations of reincarnation, remaining entirely unyielding.

The illusory, twisted shadows crashed against the unyielding boulder, letting out silent shrieks of agony as they shattered and dissipated one by one.

At the same time, he exerted force in his hand. His five fingers clamped down like an iron vise, firmly gripping the Ice Pearl. Although the telekinetic Spiritual Power trying to yank the treasure away was by no means weak, it fundamentally failed to pry the Ice Pearl from his grasp.