The Bodyguard King’s CEO Wife Chapter 1778: Snow Demon

"Alright, let’s gather our gear and then move out." Ji Tao said indifferently. Among the twenty-eight families present, although most decided to continue forward, there were still eight or nine families choosing to withdraw. Perhaps they thought that even if they ultimately obtained the treasure, the casualties would have already outweighed the reward, making it unnecessary to proceed further. The Kunlun Mountain was fraught with dangers and perils; they had already suffered significant losses. Although the treasures in the Secret Realm were enticing, preserving life seemed even more important.

Among those deciding to leave is also the Gongsun Family from Chang’an. Among the three major families in Chang’an, the Gongsun Family was the weakest, so they chose to ally with the Tang Family against the Li Family. Perhaps they feared further losses if they continued up the mountain. The Gongsun Family Master, playing it safe, was compelled to leave. With this, the Li Family lost a major competitor.

"Miss Li." Ji Qian arrived at the Li Family camp and found Li Yueying.

"Oh, it’s Miss Ji."

"Have you packed your luggage?" Ji Qian continued to ask.

"Almost there. Once packed, the family is ready to depart." Li Yueying nodded slightly. Although the two women didn’t have a good relationship, the relations between the Li Family and Ji Family were quite good. Perhaps they could help each other along the way, and Ji Qian wouldn’t lose the greater picture over trivial matters.

"By the way, I haven’t seen the esteemed Netherworld King; shouldn’t he be by your side?" Li Yueying asked back.

"He’s already left; he went away before crossing the Heavenly Chasm."

"Left? How could that be? Logically, even if he wanted to leave, you wouldn’t want him to go, right?" Li Yueying was curious. From what she understood, Ji Qian had a complicated feeling toward Ye Shikai. When Ye Shikai disappeared two months ago, she had devoted all her efforts to find him. After going through so much trouble to find him, how could she allow Ye Shikai to leave?

"Miss Li, this is between him and me; there’s no need to explain to you." Ji Qian said coldly. Mentioning Ye Shikai made her feel a hint of regret; at that time she had indeed been too angry, driving him away, and it was too late to regret now. She didn’t know where Ye Shikai was at the moment; even if she did know, she couldn’t go to him.

"That’s right. Miss Ji always resents others prying into your emotions and asking too many questions. In that case, I won’t ask anymore." Li Yueying waved her hand. "But he saved me at the foot of the mountain, so I owe him a favor. If you want to find him, the Li Family is willing to help."

Ji Qian said no more. She knew Li Yueying was good at using people and certainly wouldn’t help sincerely. But for now, the Ji Family of Yanjing and the Li Family of Chang’an couldn’t afford to have a falling out.

As the alliances among the families divided, the numbers quickly dwindled, and the camp emptied. Several families decided to stay, sending some members back to bring supplies. They remained in the camp, but the Ji Family had already embarked on their journey. The bitter cold winds gnawed at them, and the temperature continued to drop; the fate of those who continued was uncertain.

.....................

"Soul of the Blade, it’s way too cold here." Ye Shikai walked step by step, but his body was already slightly disobedient. He drank a few sips of wine to warm himself, which was good wine brought from the time of the Qin Dynasty. But with this wine, at least it could prove he had been to the Qin Dynasty, and it wasn’t just a dream.

"You’re almost near the summit now. I could even say that among those cultivators who enter Kunlun Mountain, barely five percent might reach here."

"Yes, a little weakness and they’ll freeze to death on the way." Ye Shikai nodded in agreement.

"Wait a moment, be alert." Soul of the Blade suddenly shouted.

"What’s wrong?"

"There’s movement around."

Upon hearing this from the Soul of the Blade, Ye Shikai tensed up. After all, this was near the top of Kunlun Mountain. Besides the snow, there might be other elements, definitely not as simple.

Hoo, hoo.

"Sounds like the wind." Ye Shikai said, staring intently at the surroundings. In front of him was a vast expanse of white, with the heavy snow greatly affecting his vision. He could primarily see only the snowstorm, and slightly farther objects were not visible.

"No, it’s not just the wind." Soul of the Blade’s sensing ability was far stronger than Ye Shikai’s. Using Divine Sense, one could sense many invisible things...

"Don’t move, be aware of your surroundings."

Ye Shikai drew out the You Xi Sword, sweeping his gaze around. Suddenly, he felt a figure flash across a tree in the distance, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

"There seems to be something on the tree." Ye Shikai said.

"Yes, be wary."

Only Ye Shikai was alone here, without any backup, causing him natural tension. Amidst the howling wind, there seemed to be a peculiar sound interwoven, akin to... wings cutting through the wind.

There’s someone behind.

Ye Shikai felt a tingle at the back of his head and swiftly turned back, swinging his sword.

Bang.

"My goodness, what is this creature?"

Ye Shikai stared at the monster before him, shocked by its sight. Over two meters tall, with fiery red eyes, wings like a bat, and an entirely snow-white body, even the "hair" was pure white. Its ten fingers were akin to two sickles, long and sharp, but now only one remained, the other having been severed by the You Xi Sword.

Aaaaaaaah.

The monster before him emitted a shrill cry, seeming both a scream and a roar of anger. Ye Shikai covered his ears; the sound made his eardrums ache sharply.

"Soul of the Blade, what kind of monster is this?" Ye Shikai asked.

"I can’t tell either. It looks like a Snow Demon, a rumored creature in Kunlun Mountain." Soul of the Blade explained. Ye Shikai observed and thought it resembled the Mothman he’d encountered before, both being winged creatures. But Mothmen were man-made creations, although he still doesn’t know who the mastermind is, Boss Xing is highly suspect. Speaking of which, he hasn’t encountered Boss Xing for a long time; back when he first arrived in Huaxia, Boss Xing had caused him a lot of trouble.

The "Snow Demon" before him flapped its wings and flew into the air. A gust of wind blew, snowflakes hitting Ye Shikai’s eyes, causing him to lose sight.

"Kid, hurry up and go; more Snow Demons are coming." Soul of the Blade reminded. Ye Shikai rubbed his eyes and looked up, indeed, countless Snow Demons flew toward him, numbering in the hundreds. This was their territory; Ye Shikai was alone, with no allies, and if engaged in battle, he stood no chance.

As he prepared to retreat, dozens of Snow Demons blocked his escape route. In desperation, Ye Shikai extracted the Fire Element, channeling his Inner Strength, and unleashed a burst of flame.

To his surprise, these Snow Demons seemed terrified of the high-temperature flames. Upon encountering open fire, they rapidly retreated, allowing Ye Shikai to seize the chance to escape.