Chapter Fifty-Two: Snow Leopard

Feng Zimo did not hesitate for a moment; he quickened his pace and plucked the Snow Spirit Flower. Lin Weiyan took me by the arm, lifting us into the air as we left the cliffs behind. That scene just now had been truly perilous—if not for the two of them, I’d likely be nothing more than a bloody smear at the foot of the ravine. Feng Zimo handed me the Snow Spirit Flower. I examined it—a beautiful blossom, its blue petals glowing with a faint, eerie light. Carefully storing it away, I was about to turn and leave when a pack of snow leopards surrounded us.

Were we about to be robbed? Before me, the leopards exuded a ferocious air, each one as burly as a bull. They bared their fangs, inching ever closer, their eyes agleam with menace. Feng Zimo gripped his halberd and let out a resounding shout. I’d thought his strength alone would be enough to frighten off these beasts, but it seemed they hardly cared—Feng Zimo’s face turned livid with anger as he brandished his halberd and charged without reservation.

A miserable howl rang out—a snow leopard fell, pierced through and through. The others, seeing Feng Zimo’s ferocity, retreated a couple of paces, uncertain. But once he struck, Feng Zimo showed no mercy, laying another one low in a swift motion. At that moment, the rest of the snow leopards lunged at him all at once. Feng Zimo was undaunted, dodging with practiced agility. In no time, several more snow leopards were felled, and the survivors, now truly cowed, turned tail and bolted in a flash, vanishing from sight.

Seeing this, Feng Zimo grinned slyly. “Well? Was that impressive or what?” He struck a pose, and I raised my thumb in admiration, just about to nod in agreement, when an enormous snow leopard appeared behind him—at least as tall as a three-story building. For a moment, my mouth dropped open in sheer shock. This had to be the Snow Leopard King.

Feng Zimo caught sight of my stunned expression and seemed to sense danger; instinctively, he glanced back. At that instant, the Snow Leopard King let out a thunderous roar, the force of it hurling Feng Zimo several meters back. I clapped my hands over my ears and face as Lin Weiyan stepped protectively in front of me, sword drawn.

The Snow Leopard King glanced at the fallen leopards, then lunged at Feng Zimo with a snap of its jaws. But with a flash, Feng Zimo dodged, and the beast missed its mark. Seizing the moment, Feng Zimo began his assault. Lin Weiyan, perhaps because she was guarding me, did not move to join him. I urged her to help, but she replied, “There’s no need. For a mere snow leopard, Feng is more than enough.”

Was that truly the case? Doubt gnawed at me. In the next instant, Feng Zimo was sent flying by a swipe of the Snow Leopard King’s massive paw. Before he could recover, the beast swallowed him whole.

What? Was this real? Had Feng just been eaten? This couldn’t be happening! In a panic, I turned to Lin Weiyan. “Did you see that? Feng just got eaten!”

She smiled faintly, saying nothing. I couldn’t fathom how she could still smile at a time like this. “If you won’t help, I’ll go myself!” I said, snatching up the Heaven and Earth Mirror. I unleashed a bolt of lightning, striking the Snow Leopard King squarely in the chest. Yet it had no reaction at all—just as if I’d thrown a dumpling at it. It didn’t even spare me a glance.

It was terrifying. I readied myself for a second attack, but Lin Weiyan stopped me. “Be patient, Brother Chu,” she said. “Let’s just watch for now.”

Watch? If we waited any longer, Feng Zimo would end up as nothing more than a pile of dung! I was frantic. “Forget watching, let’s save him!”

Before I could say more, the Snow Leopard King suddenly let out a shriek and began to convulse on the ground like an epileptic. Watching this, I suddenly understood—it had to be Feng Zimo’s doing. The beast was writhing as if its heart and liver had been gouged out. I never expected Feng Zimo to be so resourceful; he was truly tormenting the beast.

The Snow Leopard King tried to rise, only to collapse again, making the ground shudder beneath my feet. Luckily, we were a safe distance from the cliff’s edge, or things could have gotten ugly. I couldn’t imagine what Feng Zimo was doing inside the beast’s belly to cause this much havoc. Surely, he’d had enough by now—was he planning to stay inside until the new year?

I called out, “Feng, that’s enough! Get out of there already!” I had no idea whether he could hear me.

The Snow Leopard King grew more and more agonized, yet Feng Zimo did not emerge, leaving me anxious. I began to wonder if the beast was digesting him. After a long while, the Snow Leopard King suddenly went still, slumping to the ground as if asleep.

“Feng isn’t… digested, is he?” I asked Lin Weiyan, a little doubtfully.

“Don’t worry,” she replied calmly. “Feng is not so easy to kill. Didn’t I tell you that before?”

Just then, a figure crawled out from the Snow Leopard King’s nostril—it was Feng Zimo himself, clutching a yellow pearl. He strode toward us, beaming with pride. “So, how about that? Impressive, right? See this?” He held out the yellow orb.

I recognized it—I’d seen something like it before, back in the Forest of Ten Thousand Monsters, when Lin Weiyan had taken a similar pearl from a wolf demon. I’d meant to ask about it, but had forgotten.

“What is that, Feng?” I asked.

He chuckled. “This is something special—it’s a demon core.”

A demon core? Was he serious? I’d read about such things in countless tales, but to think they truly existed! Yet in reality, their use differed from what the stories claimed.

Feng Zimo tossed the core to me. “Take this back for Xiao Ling—she needs it most right now.”

“But why?” I pressed.

“There’s no time for questions,” he replied. “I’ll explain later. For now, let’s get back.”

I nodded, summoning the Black Flood Dragon, only to find it still unable to fly after being wounded by the Black Eagle. With no other choice, we looked for a safe place to wait for the dragon to recover. We headed for an ice cave, which had seemed secure before.

But when we arrived, we found it was not as safe as we’d hoped. Before we even entered, I saw a trail of footprints at the cave’s mouth—human footprints. There was no way they could have been ours; the tracks were clearly fresh.

Who could be inside? Could someone else be searching for the Snow Spirit Flower as well? But why would they come alone? There could be only one explanation: this person must be extremely powerful.