Chapter 358: Chapter 357 A Whole New World
Just like that, Ye Fan followed the Grassland Bear into a snow-covered ice cave. After a moment of hesitation, he stepped inside.
Upon entering, he realized the ice cave was a world unto itself. What looked like an insignificant opening from the outside revealed a cavern of shocking vastness, filled with towering ice pillars that resembled a Crystal Palace.
That was not all. Deeper inside, Ye Fan found piles of ice diamonds. If taken to the outside world, they would undoubtedly fetch an astronomical price. Every single one was dazzlingly beautiful and worth a fortune. Even I, a man, am tempted. However, the gems were carelessly discarded here. In the Grassland Bear’s eyes, they were nothing more than useless pebbles.
At first, Ye Fan had only seen their monetary value, but he now realized they held an even greater worth—they were filled with Spiritual Power. This time, he had set his sights on these ice diamonds but immediately felt awkward. After all, this spiritually aware Grassland Bear was the master of this place, not him.
Ye Fan hesitated for a moment before trying to pick up a few thumb-sized ice diamonds. The Grassland Bear showed no displeasure; in fact, it even seemed happy. Seeing this, Ye Fan picked up nearly twenty more. Even though many still littered the ground, he started to feel a bit embarrassed.
Just then, the Grassland Bear led him to another part of the cave. When they arrived, the bear’s mood suddenly plummeted, and it began to whimper sorrowfully.
Puzzled, Ye Fan approached the bear and immediately understood. Before them, four or five Grassland Bear corpses were frozen in the ice—presumably the cub’s parents and siblings. They had all died here. The poor thing must be so lonely.
He quickly stroked the cub’s head as it curled up, and he sat beside it. What a spiritually aware, yet pitiful, little thing.
For this reason, Ye Fan said, "From today on, I’ll be your family!"
The Grassland Bear grew ecstatic, affectionately licking his head.
Ye Fan was breaking down inside, but he didn’t resist. Whatever. As long as you’re happy, Laozi can endure it.
Of course, Ye Fan knew in his heart that this special young Grassland Bear was no ordinary creature. Its spiritual awareness was far beyond that of any common beast. He even suspected it possessed some kind of unique bloodline.
However, as he looked at the frozen bodies again, a shocking and horrifying detail caught his eye: their hearts had all been gouged out.
At that moment, another apex predator of the Ice Glacier Grassland came to mind—the Grassland Hyena.
An individual Grassland Hyena was no match for a Grassland Bear, but hyenas were pack animals, extremely adept at hunting in groups. Their collective combat strength was easily on par with that of the bears. It seemed likely that the cub’s family had fallen to the claws of a hyena pack.
The Grassland Bear continued to lead Ye Fan through its den. A short while later, it trotted back to him, carrying a large pile of Frost Grass in its mouth.
Frost Grass was a rare Spirit Grass native to the Ice Glacier Grassland. Every summer, when the ice thawed, countless Martial Artists would venture here, intent on finding it. The allure of Frost Grass was immense, but the herb was exceedingly scarce, and most seekers ended up dying on the vast plains. Many searched for it each year, but few ever succeeded. Not only was Frost Grass a supreme Spiritual Medicine for Martial Arts, but it was also considered an invaluable treasure for Martial Artists who cultivated ice-attribute True Qi.
This is a huge pile! There must be dozens of stalks here!
He had no idea how the Grassland Bear had managed to find so much Frost Grass. The cub pushed the pile in front of him, and Ye Fan, just to be polite, took a few stalks and put them in his pocket. Then, the Grassland Bear proceeded to eat the rest of the Frost Grass itself. It seemed wholly unimpressed, as if it were merely eating a fallback meal.
Now this is what you call extravagantly wealthy. Living in the finest ice cave, eating the best Spiritual Medicine, and treading on the most expensive ice diamonds... Who else could compare? If I could just talk to this bear, I’d be hugging its big leg right now and saying, ’Brother Bear, let’s be friends!’
Suddenly, a roar echoed from outside the cave.
Ye Fan realized with a jolt. Grassland Hyenas!
The normally gentle Grassland Bear instantly became enraged and charged out of the cave.
"Little guy, wait for me!" Ye Fan shouted, immediately chasing after it.
Outside, he got a clear view of the situation. The Grassland Bear was in a standoff with seven hyenas. These Ice Glacier Grassland hyenas weren’t large—it would take about three of them to match the bear’s size—but they had surrounded the cub in a very orderly fashion. Hyenas are not only ferocious and strong, but more importantly, they are crafty.
They all shared a unique trait of their home on the Ice Glacier Grassland: their bodies were covered in spiky frost. Their claws were especially sharp, each one over half a meter long. No wonder they can tear apart the frozen plains so easily. Those claws could probably rip through the flesh of any beast. Truly terrifying.
Just then, at the screeching command of the Hyena King, several Grassland Hyenas charged at the bear cub. The Grassland Bear bared its long, sharp fangs and met them head-on. It instantly snapped one hyena’s neck but was heavily wounded in the exchange, its body now covered in bloody marks. It wasn’t that the cub was clumsy—far from it. It knew how to seize an opportunity. Unfortunately, the hyenas were simply too cunning.
The Grassland Bear fought on amidst the ice. It soon killed three more of the hyenas. Although it had sustained more injuries, they seemed to be a mere trifle to the cub.
Suddenly, two more hyenas charged down from atop the glacier, aiming straight for the cub’s head. They were trying to completely annihilate the Grassland Bear’s bloodline.
At this critical moment, Ye Fan, who had been hiding, finally sprang into action. "Hundred-step Flying Sword!" he roared, slashing out an indestructible beam of Sword Qi.
The Sword Qi descended and exploded, seriously wounding the two hyenas. But at that same moment, the Hyena King abandoned the Grassland Bear and charged toward him instead.
Ye Fan slashed out two more swift, agile streams of Sword Qi. The attacks flew true, but the Grassland Hyena King was incredibly nimble and dodged them both. A sense of dread washed over Ye Fan as he saw the Hyena King’s gaping, bloody maw closing in.
Just then, however, the Grassland Bear charged in and sank its teeth into the Grassland Hyena King. The cost was steep; another hyena slashed its claws across the cub’s back, tearing its flesh open.
Enraged, Ye Fan swung his sword, and the offending hyena’s head tumbled to the ground.
The Hyena King and the last remaining hyena let out furious, bestial roars. At that moment, Ye Fan and the Grassland Bear stood together, fighting with all their might.
