Chapter 23: The Gale of the Snowy Ridge (Conclusion)

Tuanzi’s eyes began to turn blood-red, and cracks appeared on her body, from which blue crystals emerged. Her form grew continuously until the ropes binding her finally snapped. The sky, as if sensing the fury in Tuanzi’s heart, turned incredibly dim.

The Southern Profiteer rubbed his eyes, staring at the scene before him in shock. “This—could the legends be true? Go, Babu and Er Gou, take her down!”

Babu and Er Gou picked up thermal bombs and aimed them at Tuanzi. Seeing the projectiles flying toward her, Tuanzi simply flicked her head and swatted them away.

Seeing such a terrifying Tuanzi, the surrounding crowd began to panic. But it did not stop there; the ice beneath their feet cracked rapidly, and jets of magma erupted from within, scattering the people in every direction.

“No, Tuanzi, calm down!” Briar tried to rush over to stop the enraged creature, but was quickly held back by Bramble.

“Bramble, hurry, it’s too dangerous here!”

“King Tiki, didn’t you say you could bring reinforcements?”

“The one who can call for reinforcements is the Monkey King, not me!”

At this critical moment, Logger Vick flew toward them in a homemade aircraft.

“Bramble, Briar! In a crisis, you still have to rely on me, Vick! Hurry, get on!”

“Coming!” Bramble threw Tiki and Babu aboard, jumped onto the craft himself, and turned to reach out to Briar. Briar ran and leaped, grabbing his brother’s hand.

“Briar, hold on tight! I’ll pull you up!”

But in that instant, Briar hesitated. He looked back at Tuanzi, who was surrounded by erupting magma and attacking everyone around her.

“No, Bramble.”

“Briar, what are you doing? She isn’t Tuanzi anymore!”

“Bramble, I can’t leave her behind. You always told me that a bear must act like a bear.” With that, Briar let go of Bramble’s hand.

“No, Briar!”

Nearby, Su He finally managed to catch his breath. “Damn it, ever since I transmigrated, I’ve either been getting beaten up or on my way to get beaten up. This is so frustrating. By the way, where are those bastards, the Southern Profiteer and his lot?”

“Help! Help! Help!” Three shrill cries drew Su He’s attention.

He turned to see the Southern Profiteer, Babu, and Er Gou falling into an ice crevice. Babu quickly pulled out a mountaineering tool and jammed it into the ice. The Profiteer and Er Gou each grabbed one of Babu’s legs, leaving them dangling in a stalemate.

“Stop pulling! I’m not wearing long johns!”

Seeing the pathetic state of the trio, Su He couldn't be bothered with them. He looked toward Briar, who was flying toward Tuanzi, and ran after him, shouting, “Briar! That stone in your hand is Tuanzi’s tear! Only that stone can restore her kind nature. I’ll provide cover; you place the stone back on her head!”

“Okay, understood!”

Su He rushed toward Tuanzi, channeling all his internal spirit energy. He used his white scales to shield himself from the surrounding magma while releasing a blizzard to distract Tuanzi. Tuanzi finally locked eyes with him and slammed her massive claw down, sending a wave of molten lava surging toward him.

Su He leaped up, dodging the magma to get closer. “Extreme Frost Seal!”

Under the intense cold, the area around Tuanzi was rapidly encased in ice. Tuanzi merely glanced at the frost, then gave her body a shake, shattering the ice into pieces. She looked at Su He, as if asking what other tricks he had.

“Damn, as expected of an enraged Tuanzi, she’s truly powerful.” He then unleashed his strongest technique. “Breath of the Spirit Snake!”

A massive, snow-white spirit serpent appeared behind him, opening its maw to exhale a cold mist capable of freezing all life.

“Roar!” Seeing this, Tuanzi beat her chest and let out a heaven-shaking howl. She slammed her paws into the ice, causing magma to erupt and form a barrier before her, blocking Su He’s icy breath.

Su He stopped immediately; continuing would be a waste of energy. Tuanzi, sensing no movement behind the magma, assumed Su He was exhausted and lowered the barrier—only to be met with another blast of breath.

This was exactly what Su He had been waiting for. He knew that an enraged Tuanzi was like a mindless brute, acting without reason. He poured every ounce of his spirit energy into the attack, pushing the breath to its limit, as if he were burning away not just his energy, but his very life force.

The intense cold encased Tuanzi, leaving only her antlers exposed.

“Briar, I can’t hold this for long! Quickly, put the stone on her head!”

“Okay!”

But things went awry. The frozen Tuanzi seemed to sense his intent, struggling with all her might to free her upper body and swiping a massive claw at Su He.

“Tuanzi, it’s Su He! Don’t!” Briar screamed from the air, but the mindless Tuanzi couldn't hear him, and she struck Su He with full force.

“Su He!” Bramble and Vick, watching from the aircraft, could only look on as Tuanzi’s claw obscured Su He from sight.

Su He was sent flying, coughing up blood as he hit the ground and lost consciousness.

Seeing Su He down, Briar wiped away his tears and flew toward Tuanzi’s head. Tuanzi had no chance to strike at him again.

As the stone in Briar’s hand touched Tuanzi’s head, the patterns on the surrounding giant rocks began to glow. The fish that had vanished earlier reappeared from the ground and flew toward Tuanzi.

Tuanzi clutched her head and roared at the sky. A massive surge of power erupted from her body into the air, and then her form dissipated into light.

Briar’s consciousness drifted back to his childhood. He saw Vick, Bramble, Babu, Er Gou, and the Southern Profiteer who had bullied him in his youth. Finally, he saw his mother. Tears streaming down his face, he ran toward her, but the moment he reached out to touch her, everything vanished.

“Briar!” A familiar voice called out. Briar turned to see Su He and Tuanzi walking toward him.

“Tuanzi! Su He! I thought I’d never see you again!” Briar cried, embracing them both.

“Haha, Briar, look at the state of you.”

Tuanzi nuzzled Briar affectionately. Su He’s face darkened slightly before Tuanzi took the stone from her head, placed it in Briar’s hand, and turned to leave.

“Alright, Briar, it’s time for us to go too.”

“Su He, will we ever see Tuanzi again?”

“We definitely will.”

Suddenly, his consciousness returned. Briar realized he was back to storing food for hibernation.

“Briar? What’s wrong? Why are you just standing there? Everyone is waiting for you.”

“Yeah, Briar, why are you still crying like a little kid?” Su He walked over from the side.

“Su He, what about everything that happened before?”

Su He didn’t answer directly, merely smiling. “Briar, we need to prepare our food. No mistakes this time.”

Hearing this, Briar was filled with excitement. He then noticed he was holding something in his hand. He looked down to see a stone engraved with the images of Tuanzi, Su He, and himself.

“Yeah, I’m coming!”