Chapter 2623: Chapter 2623
The Ice Bear’s swipe wasn’t just powerful—it carried a bone-chilling frost. These two puny humans weren’t even worth its attention; even if they died, their bodies wouldn’t provide much meat. Better to finish them off quickly and deal with Thunderclap and the Dragon Maiden.
Yet, to its surprise, Ye Liuyun and his doppelganger struck together, mustering all their strength to deflect the Ice Bear’s massive paw. The freezing energy was instantly absorbed by both of them.
Without hesitation, they unleashed fiery power from their golden pupils, sending flames roaring toward the Ice Bear. But the beast erupted with an even fiercer wave of frost, extinguishing the fire in an instant.
"ROAR!"
Thunderclap bellowed in response, a bolt of lightning shooting from his horn straight at the Ice Bear’s head, jolting it with a sharp crack.
The Dragon Maiden whipped her tail against the beast, but it didn’t even flinch. Instead, a layer of frost spread across her scales.
Realizing brute force wouldn’t work, she swiftly changed tactics, summoning the Trident of the Sea King to unleash a torrent of water. Her plan was to let the Ice Bear’s own freezing power work against it, trapping itself in ice and slowing its movements.
The Ice Bear instantly froze the water, encasing itself in a thick layer of ice. Seizing the opportunity, Ye Liuyun and his doppelganger absorbed the chilling energy.
But the next moment, the Ice Bear shattered its icy prison, sending razor-sharp shards flying like a storm of blades. Fortunately, the group’s hardened bodies could withstand the impact—though painful, the shards didn’t draw blood.
With a thunderous stomp, the Ice Bear unleashed a ring of freezing energy, expanding outward in a deadly wave. It intended to encase everyone in ice.
Yet, Ye Liuyun, his doppelganger, and Thunderclap immediately shielded the Dragon Maiden, enduring the frost’s assault. All three had trained in ice-based techniques—though none matched the Ice Bear’s raw power, their combined strength was enough to block its attack.
By now, Wu Qingcheng, Manshu, and Little Lanbing had also been drawn by the surge of icy energy. They joined the battle, forming a team of six ice-wielders against the beast.
The Dragon Maiden retreated to a safe distance, continuing to douse the Ice Bear with water while channeling her draconic power of bloodline to disrupt its attacks.
Frustrated that its frost attacks kept getting countered, the Ice Bear grew increasingly enraged. Just as it was about to unleash a frenzied assault, Wu Qingcheng’s illusions finally took hold.
Though Wu Qingcheng’s strength paled in comparison to the Ice Bear, her illusionary arts were nothing to scoff at. The beast’s vision was now completely ensnared—where once stood its adversaries now fluttered a mesmerizing snow butterfly, its iridescent wings painting the air with ethereal beauty.
Suddenly, the butterfly faltered, its form beginning to melt away. The Ice Bear, utterly captivated, watched in alarm as the creature’s shimmering hues faded. Without hesitation, it exhaled a surge of frigid energy toward the butterfly, reviving its colors instantly. The illusionary insect took flight once more.
In reality, however, the Ice Bear’s icy essence was being siphoned away by the group. Each time the beast replenished the "fading" butterfly, its power was swiftly absorbed by the six of them. After over a dozen such bursts, the Ice Bear grew reluctant, its reserves dwindling.
Then, the butterfly shrank and morphed into a tiny Ice Bear cub, gazing up at its larger counterpart with pleading eyes. Heartstrings tugged, the Ice Bear poured out its energy without restraint, desperate to keep the cub alive. The illusionary cub nuzzled against it affectionately—only to weaken again moments later.
Trapped in the illusion, the Ice Bear, like many beasts of low cunning, fell deeper under Wu Qingcheng’s spell. Its relentless expenditure of energy left it increasingly exhausted, soon rendering it powerless against Ye Liuyun and his companions.
Just then, a middle-aged martial artist descended from the sky astride a hunting falcon.
"Who are you?" Ye Liuyun demanded, eyeing the two newcomers—both at the second level of Dominance—and readying the Demon Vine.
"That Ice Bear is *our* prey. I’ve been tracking it for days," the man declared.
"Tracking means nothing if you didn’t act. *We’re* the ones fighting it now," Ye Liuyun shot back.
But the martial artist’s gaze soon locked onto Wu Qingcheng and Manshu, his eyes gleaming with greed. "Hand those women over," he sneered, "and I’ll let you have the bear."
Ye Liuyun’s patience snapped. Without another word, Wu Qingcheng twisted the illusion—now, the Ice Bear watched in horror as the man’s arrow struck down the cub.
A thunderous roar erupted as the enraged beast reared up, blasting the falcon and its rider with a wave of freezing energy. Simultaneously, Ye Liuyun and his doppelgänger wielded spatial power, attempting to lock the intruders in place.
However, their spatial defenses were effortlessly shattered by the falcon, which swiftly dodged with its warrior rider, narrowly evading the ice bear’s attack.
The man brandished a long spear, thrusting toward Ye Liuyun and his doppelganger. Meanwhile, his falcon shot toward the ice bear with astonishing speed, raking its claws across the beast’s head, leaving deep, bloody gashes.
Undeterred, the falcon continued its assault, swooping toward Lei Ming. But a surge of lightning erupted from Lei Ming’s forehead, forcing the bird to retract its talons and veer away.
The warrior’s spear thrust was swift, yet Ye Liuyun and his doppelganger reacted in time. Their Demon-Slaying Blade and Heaven-Devouring Sword slashed out in unison, unleashing a storm of blade energy—hundreds of spirit-forged sabers—forcing the man back on the defensive.
Yet the warrior produced a shield, effortlessly blocking every spiritual blade.
"Not bad," the warrior sneered. "But you’re still no match for me!" With a cold laugh, he thrust his spear again, the sheer force of his true essence piercing through the void itself.
At the same moment, Ye Liuyun and his doppelganger sensed a ripple in space rapidly closing in from behind—likely the falcon attempting a sneak attack. Reacting instantly, they summoned their Golden Bell Shields, deflecting the combined assault from man and bird.
Seizing the moment, Ye Liuyun activated his temporal power, freezing time itself.
The falcon was too fast, too deadly—he couldn’t risk it harming Wu Qingcheng or Lei Ming.
His divine consciousness surged into the falcon’s mind, branding it with a slave seal while erasing its prior soul contract. Then, releasing his hold on time, he let the falcon redirect its attack toward its former master.
As time resumed, the falcon continued its forward momentum, unnoticed by the warrior—until its talons suddenly lashed out at his head. Caught off guard, the man jerked aside, barely avoiding a fatal blow. But his shoulder wasn’t so lucky. The falcon’s claws tore through flesh and bone, ripping off his spear-wielding arm—weapon and all.
