Ice Leopard

Jialan's mental power receded like a tide. The moment his consciousness returned to his body, the wind and snow outside the cave rushed against his face. The ice crystals on his lashes fell away as he opened his eyes.

Facing everyone's burning gazes, he merely nodded almost imperceptibly. "It is indeed an Ice Leopard, but... it can actually sense my Mental Probe."

The plump Tavern Owner was overjoyed at the news and hurriedly ordered everyone to set up around the cave entrance.

"Strange. How could an Ice Leopard that hasn't advanced to Advanced Magical Beast sense my mental power? Could it be a mutation?" Jialan was somewhat puzzled.

He then turned to the two guards beside him and instructed, "Be careful. That Ice Leopard is a little strange. I suspect its strength may be more than that of an Intermediate Magical Beast."

Ike's hand tightened around his sword at once, and his companion's breathing grew noticeably heavier.

More than intermediate? Could it be an Advanced Magical Beast? Although this place lay on the empire's border, near the Misty Forest, Advanced Magical Beasts rarely appeared.

Seeing their expressions, Jialan smiled faintly and reassured them, "There's no need to worry too much. We have so many people. Even if it is an Advanced Magical Beast, even if we can't kill it, retreating shouldn't be difficult."

His voice carried the composure unique to spellcasters, easing the two guards' taut nerves somewhat. Still, they remained at Jialan's side without taking a single step away.

When the Tavern Owner signaled that everything was ready, Jialan's second Mental Probe no longer concealed itself and abruptly pierced into the cave.

This time, he was greeted by a roar that shattered the ice pillars. A snow-white beastly shadow was so fast that it left an afterimage on the retina. Before the foremost mercenary could even raise his shield, a claw mark had already dented the face of the darksteel shield.

"Raise your shields!" The roar of the Intermediate Warrior leading the mercenaries erupted alongside his battle aura, and a silver-white shockwave forced the magical beast half a step back.

The archers lying in ambush atop the surrounding snow cedars seized the chance to attack. Four arrows tore through the air, but the moment they touched its fur, the swirling ice mist slowed them down. In the end, they only sank shallowly into its flesh.

The Ice Leopard roared in pain. Faint streams of light drifted around its body, and it became thirty percent faster than before. Other than the Intermediate Warrior, no one could even catch sight of it.

Jialan frowned at the sight. A few bangs rang out, and two of the shield-bearing mercenaries at the front had already been injured. One of them appeared to be badly wounded.

They could not delay any longer. Jialan took his staff from his Spatial Bag, steadied his mind, and was about to begin chanting when an even more powerful roar came from the distant mountains. A larger Ice Leopard swooped down from the mountaintop, leaving a string of afterimages across the snow.

"Not good!" Everyone's hearts jolted. There was more than one Ice Leopard here. Jialan's expression turned grave as he turned to look for the Tavern Owner, only to find that he had vanished without a trace.

Startled, he hurriedly spread his mental power to search the area. That fat man was actually an assassin, and apparently a fairly high-level one. He had already slipped within thirty feet of the Ice Leopard near the cave.

Jialan relaxed slightly. He cast an odd look toward the Tavern Owner's hiding place, then turned toward the newly appeared Ice Leopard, his lips parting as he prepared a spell.

Ike and the other guard each held a shield in one hand and a sword in the other, firmly protecting Jialan behind them as they nervously stared at the larger Ice Leopard.

The Ice Leopard stopped ten meters from the three of them. Its glowing blue eyes fixed tightly on Jialan, whose body was surging with magical power. It was clearly quite intelligent.

A painful howl came from the other side. Everyone turned toward it and saw that, while the smaller Ice Leopard had been distracted by the warriors, the plump Tavern Owner had already snuck to its side and viciously plunged a dagger into its flank. Blood splattered. The Ice Leopard lashed its tail in pain and sent the Tavern Owner flying. He rolled more than forty feet through the snow, his fat rippling, then scrambled to his feet as if he had not been hurt at all.

Seeing its mate injured, the larger Ice Leopard took advantage of everyone's diverted attention. Its body split into several afterimages, pouncing toward Jialan from different directions.

The aura of the enemy before it posed the greatest threat. As long as it dealt with him first, everything else would be easy.

Most of Jialan's attention had remained on it. The instant it moved, he was already prepared. Runes flickered in his eyes as the Tier 0 Spell, True Sight, activated instantly.

The structure of this spell was extremely simple. It required no chanting time; one only needed to sketch the spell structure within the sea of consciousness and guide it with mental power.

With a hurried glance around, he discovered the Ice Leopard's true body. At some point, a white Magic Spider Gland had appeared in his right hand. He threw it at the Ice Leopard's true form. With a bang, the spider silk gland transformed midair into a giant net five or six meters across, instantly covering it.

Web Spell, a High-Tier 0 Spell infinitely close to a Tier 1 Spell, was a control spell that took only one or two seconds to cast.

However, it required the silk gland of a magic spider as casting material. Magic spiders were Tier 1 Magical Beasts, and their silk glands were not cheap. Just like that, five Jintana were gone. Spellcasters were truly a money-burning profession.

The moment the Ice Leopard was caught in the net, finger-thick, sticky spider silk tightly bound it, and the surrounding afterimages vanished at once.

Ike and the other guard were overjoyed. The Ice Leopard was too fast, but its defenses were not particularly strong. As long as its speed was controlled, it would be much easier to deal with.

Seeing that the opportunity was rare, the two of them leaped forward. Their blades ignited with battle aura of different colors, but at the moment they swung down, they met the Ice Leopard's mocking gaze. The cold light gathered in its throat struck first. It opened its jaws, and a half-meter-long Ice Blade severed the web before exploding together with their battle aura into a sky full of ice crystals, knocking both men back several meters.

Seeing this, Jialan sighed softly. The magical beasts that roamed the wilderness and the aberrations lurking underground did not need to study difficult, profound magical knowledge. They did not even need incantations or gestures to release powerful spells, relying solely on the magic contained within their bloodlines.

It was precisely because the world outside was so dangerous that, aside from mercenaries who made a living through adventure, ordinary people usually did not dare venture deep into the wilderness alone.

After all, these two were not specialized guards for a spellcaster. A mage's close guards would never leave the mage's side. Protection was a guard's duty. After all, on any battlefield, as long as the spellcaster remained standing, there were limitless possibilities.