Chapter 1646: Unihorn White Bull

The river was so wide and vast that it seemed boundless. It was a meandering snake that stretched on and on without end. It was in no way inferior to Canglan, Weiyin, and other great rivers of Yan or Chu.

It wasn’t rapid or treacherous like those great rivers though. This river was calm, slow, and gentle. Its waters were clear like a mirror, and it tangled around the mountains like a jade ribbon. It added some color to this pure white world.

This was the Ice River Princess Royal Furi spoke of.

The Ice River was exactly what it sounded like. It was so cold that any object that made contact would instantly freeze into ice. Even tough objects such metal or stones would freeze into powder in an hour or two.

Strangely, the Ice River itself was never frozen.

This was why no boat could travel on the Ice River. It was also why no living creature besides a Stranger could survive in the Ice River.

Therefore, there were only two ways to cross the Ice River. One, you flew over it. Two, a Stranger ferried you across the river.

Neither option was easy, of course. For starters, the Ice River was around four hundred kilometers wide.This wasn’t really a problem as warriors past a certain level could travel hundreds of kilometers with ease. The problem was that the air above the Ice River was equally cold.

Moreover, the airspace was plagued by all sorts of fantastical and bizarre phenomena. For example, one might run into a tornado that only existed in the sky, a hailstorm where the hail was the size of a millstone, thick fog created from cold currents and more. It was highly dangerous.

Back in the day, a young and arrogant Princess Royal Furi had tried to fly across the Ice River thinking that her treasures would protect her from all danger. In reality, she suffered greatly and nearly ran out of stamina before she could reach the other side of the river. She only made it because the wisp of consciousness her master, Chakravartin, attached to her person had intervened.

Having learned her lesson, Princess Royal Furi did not try to fly across the Ice River again. Instead, she used the method she learned from Snowa to cross it. She borrowed the strength of a Stranger living in the Ice River to cross the river.

Snowa was located fairly close to the Ice River. Its citizens often hunted the Strangers living in the Ice River for food or cultivation purposes. Naturally, they were extremely familiar with the river and possessed their own methods to navigate it freely.

As a Sage, Ye Qing could have flown across the Ice River without much trouble. But why go through the trouble at all when there was a more effortless and convenient method?

It wasn’t like he was sick in the head.

At the rivershore, Ye Qing produced a jar of wine from Nine Heavens and poured it into the river. The aroma of wine immediately spread in every direction.

A moment later, a ripple appeared on the calm surface of the river. Then, a massive bull surfaced from its waters.

The bull was snow white in color. Its body was covered in scales, and its limbs were long and slender. A transparent, veluriyam-like horn was growing out of its forehead. It looked mighty impressive and handsome.

The white bull swam over to the spot where Ye Qing had poured the wine. It then let out a thunderous moo that stirred up the waters greatly.

The next moment, the white bull opened its mouth and inhaled every drop of water within a hundred meters of it into its belly.

“Is this the Unihorn White Bull?”

Ye Qing looked at the handsome, powerful white bull curiously.

Feng Qingyou said smilingly, “Rumor has it that the Unihorn White Bull enjoys spirit brews and snow lotuses. It looks like it is true.”

A Disaster-class Stranger, the Unihorn White Bull was only found in the Ice River. It was shaped like a bull with scales and a horn. It was extremely handsome and revered as a god by the citizens of Snowa.

The Unihorn White Bull was sapient and capable of human speech. It was mild-tempered and would not attack a human unprovoked. It was fond of delicious wine and snow lotuses. The colder and more aromatic the wine, and the more valuable and rare the snow lotus, the better.

A tribute of wine or snow lotus was all that was needed to summon the Unihorn White Bull. It would ferry the passenger past the river once both parties had arrived at an agreement.

Of course, a citizen of Snowa could skip this step. The Unihorn White Bull was revered as a god by the citizens of Snowa, so they often performed ritual offerings to it. That was why the Unihorn White Bull would ferry them across the river or even aid them in hunting the Strangers residing in the Ice River for free.

Outsiders like Ye Qing were a different story. For starters, the wine that was offered could not be an ordinary wine. It must be a hundred-year-old brew at least. The snow lotus could not be an ordinary snow lotus either. It must be a rare and valuable snow lotus.

The jar of wine Ye Qing poured into the river earlier met both conditions. It was a hundred-year-old wine brewed using a hundred-year-old Buddhist Heart Snow Lotus as the main ingredient. The people called it the Buddhist Heart Brew. It was one of the ten most famous wines of Yan and an imperial brew. It was something the ordinary folk would be hardpressed to obtain.

The Buddhist Heart Brew Ye Qing possessed was gifted to him by Princess Royal Furi, of course.

“Moo...” After swallowing the river water within a hundred meters of it, the Unihorn White Bull let out a long moo and shut its eyes for a moment. Its expression made it clear that it was enjoying this.

A moment later, the Unihorn White Bull opened its eyes and rose out of the river completely. It stood on the river like it was solid ground before walking toward Ye Qing and Feng Qingyou.

As it turned out, the Unihorn White Bull was much bigger than it seemed. It was over ten meters tall and over thirty meters long. Its white scales were whiter than snow and clearer than jade. When it walked, thin mist and clear light circled around its body. It truly looked like a god.

“Moo... Would you like to cross the river?”

The Unihorn White Bull lowered its head and asked in a warm, genial voice after arriving in front of the duo. Despite its impressive stature, it seemed tame, gentle, and welcoming.

“We greet you, venerable god. And yes, we would like to cross the river. What are your terms?” Since the Unihorn White Bull was worshiped as a god by the citizens of Snowa, Ye Qing decided to emulate their example.

“You’re welcome. Call me Bai Ai (White Mist).” Bai Ai said kindly, “Unfortunately, the Ice River is not peaceful as of late. It is not safe for you to cross it. I would advise you to wait a couple of days before returning.”

Ye Qing asked, “It’s not safe? What happened?”

Bai Ai did not hide the news from them. “A while ago, a vicious, powerful three-eyed ape invaded the Ice River and caused much havoc. It is cruel, bloodthirsty, and extremely fond of eating humans. It has eaten many Snowa citizens and injured some of my people. We are unable to deal with it despite our best efforts.”

“Even you and your kind cannot deal with it? Is it an Ancient-class Stranger?” Ye Qing and Feng Qingyou exchanged a surprised look with each other.

The reason the Unihorn White Bull was worshiped as a god in Snowa wasn’t just because it was friendly toward humans, and it possessed an exceedingly handsome appearance. It was also because it was extremely powerful. Not only was a Unihorn White Bull a Disaster-class Stranger, it wasn’t a singular existence. At least a dozen or so Unihorn White Bulls lived in the Ice River.

The Unihorn White Bulls were a united front as well. If one Unihorn White Bull was bullied or injured, all Unihorn White Bulls would come together to attack the offender. To put it simply, they were extremely protective. Provoke the young, and the elders would show up. Attack one person, and the entire clan would rise up in confrontation. They would not hesitate to abuse their numerical advantage and beat the shit out of the offender.

That was why the Unihorn White Bulls were the undisputed overlords of the Ice River... until now.

Seeing as the three-eyed ape was able to fend off both Snowa and a dozen Unihorn White Bulls, it could only be an Ancient-class Stranger.

The Unihorn White Bull confirmed this. “If we go by human standards, then yes, the three-eyed ape is an Ancient-class Stranger.”