Mount Fengbo is a towering mountain located in the northeast corner of Yinming Land. From a distance, only the upper half of its mountain slope is visible, while the rest pierces straight into the dense Yinming clouds. The mountain is entirely composed of bare black stone, with no vegetation able to survive upon its slopes. Starting from a height of over a thousand zhang, powerful Yinming winds blow fiercely across the mountain. For ordinary people, merely stepping inside is enough to turn them into black ice sculptures—let alone attempting to climb further. Under such harsh conditions, the area around the mountain is notably gloomier and more terrifying than other regions, with constant flashes and thunderous bursts of lightning in the sky and howling, gusty winds on the ground that whip up sand and stones, creating an atmosphere as if one had entered the realm of the spirits. Despite this dense concentration of Yinming energy—long considered the favored habitat of powerful Yin beasts—several fierce and formidable Yin beasts have been permanently stationed in this region. Yet on this particular day, Mount Fengbo welcomed an unexpected visitor. A colossal beast, towering thirty to forty zhang high, crashed to the ground amidst a shimmering silver glow. Its body quickly shriveled and contracted, and within moments, it became lifeless. Only then did the silver light envelop a dense mass of black vapor and carry it swiftly away. Distantly, a thunderous roar echoed through the heavens, resonating with deep, reverberating power. Then, the sound of heavy objects settling came—gradually, a towering silver ape, ten zhang in height, rose from the ground, staggering several times before appearing beside the shadowed beast. This great ape was fierce and imposing, exuding an undeniable aura of majestic strength. Sitting upon its shoulders were a man and a woman—none other than Han Li and Mei Ning. Han Li swept his gaze over the shadowed corpse, then gently raised his hand and drifted down to the ground with ease. A flash of cold light split the head of the shadowed beast, yet the interior was hollow and empty. Han Li briefly expressed a touch of disappointment, but quickly regained his composure. At present, he held over a hundred fragments of Yinming beasts in his hands. Although he knew that there must still be some Yin Ming兽 crystals among the lower-tier Yin beasts, he didn't have the time to eliminate them one by one. He had to reach the Storm Mountain before the next crack opened. At that moment, Mei Ning leapt down from the giant ape's shoulder. Instantly, the ape shimmered with silver light and shrunk into a compact form only a few inches tall—exactly the Ti Huo Beast, though its fur remained its original silvery-white hue. Han Li turned and witnessed the Ti Huo Beast's transformation, a gentle smile forming on his face. Recently, while traveling with this Ti Huo Beast to defeat powerful Yin beasts, it had unexpectedly developed the ability to transform into a giant ape after absorbing vast amounts of Yin beast essences, and soon its fur had also changed to this striking color. Han Li himself was quite surprised by this development. Because, according to the jade scroll Yuan Yao provided him detailing the cultivation of the Ti-Hun Beast, the true Ti-Hun Beast was not capable of such transformations, and upon its advancement, its fur should have turned into a deep, lustrous black. However, this beast itself was originally only a half-finished product, never fully cultivated. Moreover, the refined essences of the阴-ming creatures from this shadowy realm seemed distinctly different from those of ordinary living beings in the outside world. With these two circumstances coinciding, this unique evolutionary path emerged. It was not a typical "mutated spiritual beast," yet undeniably a completely unprecedented form of evolution. Although it remained uncertain whether this evolution would ultimately prove superior to the genuine Ti-Hun Beast, Han Li was delighted to see it continue. After all, the cultivation method for the true Ti-Hun Beast was exceptionally bloody. Even if Han Li were not inherently a kind-hearted person, he would find it extremely difficult to follow the prescribed process of further cultivation as described. Now that the Ti-Hun beast has shrunk, a flash of silver light shoots into the sleeve of Han Li, where it begins to snooze deeply. Han Li smiles gently and lifts his head to gaze toward the distant Feng-Song Mountain, his expression becoming serious. The few remaining powerful Yin beasts near Feng-Song Mountain are utterly helpless against the Ti-Hun beast now. The Yin beast that just fell earlier was the last one in this region. From now on, they can proceed up the mountain with confidence. "Let's go! We must reach the summit before the next crack opens, or we'll have to wait another several months." Han Li gazes steadily at the towering mountain in the distance and speaks slowly. "Yes, Brother Han! While the duration of each crack varies, the people here have learned to anticipate its timing. The next one will open in about fifteen to twenty days. If we miss this opportunity, we may have to wait another half year." The beautiful lady beside him drew her snow-white neck slightly closer, her delicate lips parting slightly in agreement. Upon hearing this, Han Li offered a quiet smile and led her steadily toward the great mountain. After one hour, they stood at the foot of Fengbo Mountain. From afar, it had seemed ordinary, but now, close up, its grandeur was truly astonishing—standing alone, bare and unadorned, with a straight, imposing peak stretching over ten miles in width. Han Li did not immediately set out to climb the mountain; instead, he took her around for a while before selecting a more accessible route and began ascending. Not long afterward, their silhouettes became two dark dots on the mountain's face, gradually fading into the lofty rock face above. For the first several thousand feet, Han Li and Mei Ning found the climb effortless, requiring little exertion. But at a distance of a thousand zhang, a cold, bone-chilling wind of the阴冥 (mortal realm's) nature began to rise on the mountain, growing progressively stronger as altitude increased. At this point, Han Li and Mei Ning each donned several layers of fire-elemental furred garments from mythical beasts. Yet even thus, their faces turned pale and their skin stung with discomfort. An ordinary mortal would likely have frozen to death within moments of exposure. After advancing only several dozen zhang through this cold wind, Han Li paused, frowning. He pondered seriously, then felt inside his cloak, where a white, fist-sized orb appeared in his hands. This orb emitted a gentle, luminous glow, enveloping both of them. Remarkably, the previously roaring wind instantly weakened upon touching this light, becoming soft and feeble—proving to be an exceptionally rare wind-shielding orb. While the wind remained cold, the two were now able to endure thanks to the warmth of their furred garments. The two of them moved forward slowly once more. After walking for a long time, the surrounding rocks had begun to freeze, and the ground beneath them grew smooth and slippery, causing Han Li and Mei Ning to take cautious, hesitant steps—sometimes pausing and then resuming. With each breath, they exhaled thick plumes of white vapor, finding it increasingly difficult to breathe; Mei Ning, in particular, her face flushed and gasping for air. After enduring such difficulty for an indeterminate length of time, they found themselves completely immersed in a vast expanse of shimmering, translucent ice. All the mountain rocks were now encased in thick layers of black ice, and the mountain slopes grew steeper and steeper, so that a single misstep could send them tumbling over the cliff. Han Li and Mei Ning had already wrapped their feet in rough, scaled leather, otherwise they would have been unable to advance at all. Even so, they still frequently slipped and stumbled, finding the journey extremely arduous. "Let us rest briefly beneath that great rock," Han Li said, "and recover our strength before we continue forward." Han Li raised his head and gazed at the shimmering distance, sighed, and spoke to the lady beside him, whose face had grown pale. Though she said nothing, Han Li had clearly sensed that her strength was now nearly depleted—continuing forward might prove dangerous. Upon hearing this, Mei Ning exhaled in relief, quickly forcing a smile and nodding vigorously. The massive rock Han Li referred to was actually a towering, sloping stone formation over ten zhang high, forming an ideal shelter. The two hurried toward it. "Without Brother Han's these Boraju, we would have barely made it past the gale, let alone these strange mists!" Mei Ning glanced at the gray vapors and sighed softly. Upon hearing this, Han smiled slightly, about to speak when suddenly his expression changed, and he stopped, then focused intently, listening carefully. Mei Ning was momentarily startled and promptly closed her lips, remaining silent. "Be cautious—the mist carries others approaching us," Han said calmly. At the same time, a flash of emerald light revealed several small green swords, which he caught firmly in his hands. Then he fixed his gaze on a particular direction, remaining silent. Upon hearing Han's words, Mei Ning looked visibly surprised. Yet now fully trusting Han, she moved silently two steps back, also fixing her gaze on that direction, her face now showing a touch of tension.