The icy winds of the tundra howled as they always did every night.
But here, it felt different.
On the ground, several massive dark figures struggled or gasped for breath, surrounded by congealed blood and the faint remnants of a dissipating metallic scent.
Yangos, the Icebird, the Undead Dragon-fish, and the female guardsâall had lost their combat strength. Given time, they might have recovered somewhat, but the battle had raged at its fiercest without pause. From the moment Yangos was first struck down until now, not much time had actually passed.
It wasnât that the people of Cloud Peak didnât want to drag things outâthey simply couldnât. Facing a fully enraged level-nine lifeform, staying alive was already an achievement.
If they wanted to leaveâor rather, if they wanted to liveâthere was only one possibility left: defeat this level-nine lifeform.
Stalling for time or attempting escape was no longer an option.
The only ones still capable of fighting were Yellow Ball, Ye Zhongming, and that hellish lifeform.
Red Hair and Nine Treasures had already expended their last reserves of strength.
The price they paid for this temporary immobilization of the terrifying Bear King was staggering.
Yet everyone knew this restraint might shatter in the next second.
In Ye Zhongmingâs hand appeared a yellow talismanâhis ultimate trump card.
Something he had possessed for a long time but never had the chanceâor the heartâto use.
If this card was played successfully, victory was guaranteed.
But the prerequisites were brutally strict, and Ye Zhongming wasnât certain. He was gambling.
Win, and it would be a legendary battleâCloud Peakâs elites slaying two level-nine lifeforms.
Lose, and it would mean deathâa second life, cut short once more.
This talisman was called "Fateâs End."
Forget its ability momentarilyâjust activating it was nearly impossible under normal circumstances.
First, the evolution gap between user and target couldnât exceed two levels, and at the moment of use, their mental energy reserves couldnât differ by more than two tiers.
Second, the target had to be relatively motionless when used.
Third, the target had to be under at least one negative status effect.
Fourth, neither the user nor the target could be in perfect conditionâboth had to be injured.
Fifth, activating the talisman consumed two-thirds of the userâs total mental energy.
Finally, the distance between the user and targetâs head couldnât exceed three meters.
At first glance, these conditions might not seem extreme. But considering this talisman was meant for high-tier lifeforms, keeping the target still was nearly impossible.
Think about itâif you could immobilize a target, even temporarily, wouldnât you have other ways to kill it? Why rely on this talisman?
Additionally, the requirement that both must be injured and the target must be debuffed meant this couldnât be used at the start of battleâonly mid-fight, when both sides were worn down.
And inflicting a negative status on a high-level target? For example, right now, what kind of skill would it take to debuff a level-nine lifeform? Even if achieved, could the talisman be activated in that fleeting moment?
Worse, the first and fifth conditions combined made its use highly unpredictable.
A two-level evolution gap was easy to understandâbut what did a two-level mental energy gap mean?
Ye Zhongming himself wasnât sure. He could only estimate based on the Bear Kingâs strength, but his guesses were unreliable.
The only certainty was that, even as a level-nine, the Bear Kingâs mental energy reserves were inferior to his.
But the condition compared their current mental energy, and right now, Ye Zhongmingâs reserves were nearly depleted. The gap was far beyond two levels. So what then?
And activating the talisman required two-thirds of his total mental energyâwhere would that come from?
Every single condition had to be met perfectly. Just thinking about it made success seem impossible.
Yet, at this moment, this was the best solution Ye Zhongming could think ofâor rather, the only solution.
1. The evolution gap between Ye Zhongming and the Bear King was one levelâsatisfied.
2. The Bear King was temporarily immobilized by Yellow Ball, Red Hair, the Icebird, and the hell creatures, while its other paw was crippled by Nine Treasuresârelatively motionless, satisfied.
3. Both Ye Zhongming and the Bear King were injured, not in perfect condition, satisfied.
4. Using the chains, Ye Zhongming had risen into the air, head within three meters of the Bear Kingâs, satisfied.
5. As he drew the talisman, Ye Zhongming downed a fluorescent blue potionâa top-tier mental energy potion, instantly refilling his reserves.
During his ascent, he saw the Bear Kingâs expression flickerâit was now under a "Confusion" debuff.
At that moment, he activated the talisman, consuming two-thirds of his mental energy. Simultaneously, Wind and Thunder appeared in his hand.
The King of Cloud Peak stared intently at the talisman. He knewâvictory or defeat hinged on this instant.
If it failedâif their mental energy gap exceeded two levelsâthen⊠There would be no "then."
He had obtained this talisman long ago from the Gate of Sacrifice, with Xia Bai, Xiao Min, and Red Hair present. They knew what it wasâand what he intended to do with it.
Now, lying on the ground, they watched just as intently as Ye Zhongming did. Their lives, his life, Cloud Peakâs futureâeverything rested on this talisman.