Chapter 145: The Unyielding Wall and a Glimmer of Hope

Bai Yu gasped, her eyes wide with disbelief as she stared at the ice wall before her. Its pristine, unblemished surface seemed to mock her efforts. Even if her Heaven’s Fire could melt it, the rate of melting couldn’t match the wall’s astonishing repair capabilities. Indeed, this damned ice wall could actually repair itself, leaving Bai Yu no chance to slowly wear it down over time.

“Damn it!” Bai Yu cried, striking the ice wall with her delicate fist. Yet, all she felt was excruciating pain. She quickly retracted her hand. It stung terribly, but to avoid embarrassing herself in front of Ellie Roth, she swallowed her tears. Now, Bai Yu felt utterly wronged, on the verge of shedding tiny pearls. ‘Why am I so unlucky?’ she thought.

“Never mind,” Ellie Roth said, patting Bai Yu’s shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. “Let’s think of other ways. Perhaps there’s a gap in this wall somewhere. We can walk around it again.”

Although she considered Bai Yu her fated rival, seeing her so sorrowful still made Ellie Roth feel uneasy.

“I suppose there’s no other choice…” Bai Yu sighed helplessly. In the end, that old woman had been right; they truly couldn’t get past this wall.

Bai Yu and Ellie Roth returned to the ground, intending to rest there for the night before continuing their search for a breach in the wall the next day. Bai Yu casually lit a small fire and leaned against the imposing ice. Her spirit felt utterly spent. She had no appetite; what was the point of eating if they couldn’t escape? After offering some food to Ellie Roth, Bai Yu simply leaned against the icy barrier, lost in thought.

Seeing Bai Yu’s despondent state, Ellie Roth didn’t know what to say. After all, they had painstakingly found a potential exit, only to be trapped from passing through it. Anyone would be in a foul mood under such circumstances.

[This wall contains divinity, though not particularly potent. Still, it’s beyond your current capabilities to breach it—] Moweila, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly interjected. She had been observing this place for days, and the divinity within the ice wall, in particular, had struck her as profoundly amiss.

“Divinity,” Bai Yu murmured. ‘As expected, it’s related to the gods again.’ She truly felt her own insignificance this time. Against an enemy imbued with divinity, they seemed utterly incapable of victory.

“Wait… divinity…” Bai Yu suddenly recalled that she had indeed obtained a wisp of divinity during Lili’s dream. Could she use that to break through this ice wall? However, she also remembered the price of detonating divinity; Moweila had warned it was a punishment far more severe than death itself.

[Indeed, if you have no desire to return alive, detonating the divinity would certainly be an option. However, I absolutely will not allow you to do so.] Moweila’s voice was stern. Her purpose was to restore the glory of witches, and she would never permit Bai Yu, the world’s only witch, to perish in such a manner.

Bai Yu, for her part, felt a bit speechless. ‘How could I do something so idiotic?’ she thought. ‘What good would breaking the ice wall do if I were dead?’

[Actually, there are two other ways you could detonate the divinity and survive. Would you like to hear them?] Moweila’s tone shifted, instantly offering Bai Yu a glimmer of hope.

“Spit it out, spit it out! Why are you playing coy now?” Bai Yu was slightly exasperated. While it was good that Moweila had developed a more human touch, she always seemed to crack jokes at inappropriate times. It left Bai Yu feeling utterly helpless, on the verge of tears.

[The first method is for you to break through to Tier 4. At that point, your physical constitution, total spiritual power, and soul strength will all undergo a qualitative leap, truly ushering you into the realm of the strong.]

…Bai Yu felt a wave of despair. She wanted to break through, of course, but under their current circumstances, the conditions simply weren’t met.

For Bai Yu to break through to Tier 4, she would first need to elevate her ‘Evernight’ spiritual core to Tier 3. This wasn’t difficult, given her current location on the Antarctic continent where the nights were exceptionally long and growing longer, providing ample convenience. Moreover, she had brought all the necessary ritual materials for that particular breakthrough, so that wasn’t an issue.

However, the crucial hurdle remained the Tier 4 breakthrough itself. Before, her problem had been reaching the Antarctic continent; now she was here, but she lacked the ritual materials required for Tier 4. Who could have foreseen her being randomly teleported to this place? She was filled with regret now, vowing to make a habit of carrying breakthrough materials with her at all times. This time, she had truly learned her lesson.

As for the ‘Stars’ spiritual core, its breakthroughs were entirely passive, and even Moweila wasn’t fully privy to its mysteries. After all, ‘Evernight’ was the spiritual core she awakened upon becoming a witch, whereas ‘Stars’ was an inherent part of her from the beginning. Consequently, even the ritual materials for its breakthrough had to be experimented with little by little, requiring far more extensive preparation. It was certainly not something that could be achieved under their current circumstances.

“What about the other way?” Bai Yu asked timidly, remembering that Moweila had mentioned two methods.

[The other method is for you to find another weapon made from Reverse Metal, similar to that scythe, and absorb the Reverse Metal again. This would allow your physical constitution to barely withstand a short burst of divinity.]

Hearing Moweila’s words, Bai Yu simply said, “Let’s eat a good meal first.”

‘Where am I supposed to find something like that?’ she wondered. ‘That scythe was already a unique item, brought out of the Hunter Guild by Mother. I’m still worried about the Hunter Guild retaliating; finding another one is simply out of the question.’

After pondering for a while, Bai Yu decided to abandon her worries. Tomorrow’s problems could wait until tomorrow. She pulled several packs of vacuum-sealed pre-cooked barbecue from her wondrous item storage.

“Tonight, we feast on barbecue!” Bai Yu declared, even producing skewers. ‘Since life is so miserable, at least I can eat something good, right?’

Ellie Roth watched Bai Yu pull out all the barbecue ingredients, complete with seasonings. She truly felt that Bai Yu was here on vacation. ‘Who carries all this stuff with them at all times, seriously?’ she wondered.

Bai Yu, meanwhile, paid no mind to Ellie Roth’s gaze. She began grilling over the fire, even humming a cheerful tune. The aroma immediately wafted into Ellie Roth’s nostrils, causing her stomach to rumble uncontrollably. At that moment, Ellie Roth wished she could find a hole to crawl into. Was she truly that embarrassed? She was practically disgracing the Charlotte Family. As the next head of the family, her stomach was grumbling at the smell of barbecue, even after she had already eaten! ‘It must be due to excessive spiritual energy consumption; that’s the only explanation. It definitely isn’t, absolutely not, because I’m greedy!’ Ellie Roth closed her eyes, unable to resist the delicious scent of the roasting meat. Just as Ellie Roth was engaged in this internal struggle, something was suddenly popped into her mouth.

“Mmph, mmph…” Ellie Roth opened her eyes to find Bai Yu using a fork to shove barbecue into her mouth.