Ice Crystal Demon Lion

Xue Chengsong read the information aloud in a low voice. "There are also the Ice Crystal Demon Lion's weaknesses. When it moves, the ice crystal magic around its body makes noise, so it can be detected in advance. Its body is covered in ice crystals, so it is not especially agile, though its running speed still surpasses ours. Escaping is impossible. At the same time, its ice-element power is not limitless. That Ice Crystal Demon Lion just used ice-element magic energy, so it likely does not have much left. Ice Crystal Demon Lions hate fire and heat. In areas that are not cold, they become irritable..."

"The Blood-Circulating Stage hunting level for an Ice Crystal Demon Lion is Level Two. Two Blood-Circulating Stage experts are enough, but its Qi-Nourishing Stage hunting level is Level Twelve. That means twelve experienced Qi-Nourishing Stage veterans are needed to defeat it..."

"Fortunately, we have enchanted bows and arrows. They are worth five or six veterans..."

As they circled around, everyone discussed methods of dealing with the Ice Crystal Demon Lion.

Even after walking for fifteen minutes, they had not found the Ice Crystal Demon Lion.

Everyone let out a sigh of relief.

"Speed up again. We have to leave this place."

Everyone accelerated once more.

"The Red-Spotted Leaf Forest is up ahead. At most, after another hour of running, we'll be safe..."

Jingle, jingle...

A sound like wind chimes rang out.

"Get down!" Everyone abruptly stopped and dropped into the grass.

Zhou Leng braced his arms against the ground, staring into the grass, but he could see nothing.

After quite a while, the chimes did not ring again.

"False alarm. That scared me to death," Ding Yan said.

"My legs almost cramped up. If we really run into the Ice Crystal Demon Lion, we can't outrun it at all. We can only fight while retreating, or risk our lives," Feng Wenhao said.

Xue Chengsong said in a low voice, "The thermal imager can't see it. Don't let your guard down. Keep moving slowly while bent over."

Everyone nodded and proceeded slowly.

Jingle, jingle, jingle...

The wind chimes suddenly rang.

In the darkness, everyone stopped, looked at one another, and fell silent.

Jingle, jingle, jingle...

The sound suddenly drew closer.

Xue Chengsong gestured for everyone to stay spread out but not too far apart. Then he pointed at the enchanted bow and crossbow in Cao Jiajia and Ding Yan's hands, then at the others, signaling them to distract the Ice Crystal Demon Lion and ensure the magic bow and crossbow could hit it.

They had discussed this tactic before. Everyone nodded.

Jingle, jingle, jingle...

The wind chimes drew closer still.

The seven of them no longer held any hope of luck.

Xue Chengsong held out three fingers, lowered one, then another, and suddenly swung his index finger.

Everyone scattered.

Roar...

A black lion covered from head to toe in frost descended from the sky, pouncing on where everyone had been standing.

"I'm sorry. I don't want to die!" After saying that, Ding Yan threw his enchanted crossbow and quiver to Xue Chengsong, tossed aside his backpack, circulated his true qi to its limit, and fled toward the Pioneer Base like a shadow in the dead of night.

The remaining six froze. Even the Ice Crystal Demon Lion looked at Ding Yan in confusion.

"The ice crystals on its body are damaged. It must have been wounded by the people before us. We still have a chance! Act according to the tactic we discussed!" Zhou Leng shouted, jolting the others awake.

After speaking, Zhou Leng grabbed a backpack in each hand to use as shields.

Zhou Leng waved the backpacks, drawing the Ice Crystal Demon Lion's attention.

The others moved according to the plan.

Zhou Leng stood side by side with Cui Mingcong, while the other four stood behind them and slowly retreated.

Holding up his backpack, Cui Mingcong shouted, "We know Tong Tianxia! Do you know Tong Tianxia? He won't let you kill us!"

Everyone had nearly forgotten about that.

The Ice Crystal Demon Lion slowly approached without any reaction.

Xue Chengsong said, "Looks like it truly can't understand. Jiajia, you and I will shoot when the time is right."

"Okay."

Zhou Leng and Cui Mingcong exchanged glances and nodded lightly.

Cui Mingcong spat at the Ice Crystal Demon Lion. Moving sideways, he cursed, "Fuck your grandfather! Come on!"

Zhou Leng shook his backpack and moved sideways to the left.

The Ice Crystal Demon Lion looked puzzled, but then it leaped high into the air and pounced toward Cui Mingcong, who was making the most noise.

While the Ice Crystal Demon Lion was in midair, Cui Mingcong circulated his true qi to its limit and darted more than ten meters away.

The instant the Ice Crystal Demon Lion landed, an arrow and a bolt flew in at once.

At this distance, its enormous body was like a living target.

Pfft! Pfft!

The enchanted projectiles pierced the ice armor and buried themselves in the Ice Crystal Demon Lion's body.

"Roar..."

The Ice Crystal Demon Lion howled in pain and sharply turned toward Cao Jiajia and Xue Chengsong. The two ran in opposite directions.

Blood stained the ice crystals red where it had been struck.

Cui Mingcong cursed again. The Ice Crystal Demon Lion growled and stepped toward Xue Chengsong.

Zhou Leng circled behind the Ice Crystal Demon Lion. After hesitating for an instant, he threw away his backpack, circulated his true qi to its limit, and unleashed Rushing Tide Strikes Shore, slamming it into the Ice Crystal Demon Lion's rear haunch before hurriedly dodging away.

Roar...

The Ice Crystal Demon Lion whipped its head around and glared furiously at Zhou Leng. Then its anger faded, and a trace of confusion appeared in its eyes.

Pfft! Pfft!

Another two arrows struck true.

One was lodged directly in the male lion's neck.

Awoo!

The Ice Crystal Demon Lion's eyes instantly turned crimson. It turned and lunged straight at Cao Jiajia, who had shot its neck.

"Dodge! Keep it up! It won't hold on much longer. The arrows will keep bleeding it out!"

The Ice Crystal Demon Lion pounced at Cao Jiajia from midair, but Cao Jiajia's footwork was excellent. She immediately dodged aside and fled with her qi circulating.

The Ice Crystal Demon Lion's attacks were fierce, but the ice crystals around its body restricted its agility.

The group swarmed around the Ice Crystal Demon Lion like flies in chaotic flight. When the enemy advanced, they retreated; when it retreated, they advanced, harassing it without cease.

Even Feng Wenhao was fired up. He shouted as he joined the battle, though he only dared attack from behind and the sides.

They tried to fight while retreating, but the Ice Crystal Demon Lion kept disrupting their retreat and pursuit.

Before long, all six had been clawed by the Ice Crystal Demon Lion and were wounded.

Zhou Leng's injuries were the lightest.

More than ten arrows were embedded in the Ice Crystal Demon Lion's body. Every time it ran, blood seeped from its wounds. Even the cold aura around it could not freeze them shut completely.

From beginning to end, the demon lion had never retreated.

Xue Chengsong glanced at his scratched left shoulder, which was covered in white frost, and shouted, "Be careful. Even if its ice-element power is exhausted, its claws still retain ice-element aura. The wounds will freeze stiff."

Zhou Leng lowered his head and glanced at the wound on his left arm.

For some reason, the Ice Crystal Demon Lion had never attacked him with full force. The wounds on his body had all come from accidental grazes, and they were normal, without any signs of freezing stiff.

Zhou Leng did not dare let himself be distracted and continued focusing on the Ice Crystal Demon Lion.

Cui Mingcong shouted, "No problem. We can endure this little frostbite. Look, the ground is covered in the Ice Crystal Demon Lion's blood. It's about to collapse."

But Zhou Leng frowned slightly. He could faintly sense that though the Ice Crystal Demon Lion had lost a great deal of blood, it did not seem as badly injured as it looked.

"Don't let your guard down," Zhou Leng said. "The books make it clear. Even if low-level demons are not intelligent, they possess powerful battle instincts. If demon wolves realize they are at a disadvantage, they flee. The Ice Crystal Demon Lion must be the same. If it isn't fleeing, it probably has some trick up its sleeve."

"Mm, everyone be careful. Listen to Zhou Leng. He seems to know demons especially well," Xue Chengsong said.

Feng Wenhao shouted, "Trust Zhou Leng at a time like this. After he was heavily injured by demons, he spent a lot of time studying demon knowledge."

"Okay!" Cui Mingcong said.

The Ice Crystal Demon Lion's movements became increasingly inconvenient, and no new wounds appeared on the group.

After a while, Cao Jiajia said, "Something's wrong. There's a problem with my true qi and blood vessels. A large area around my wound has gone numb. I can't even draw the bow anymore. What about you?"

"Me too!"

At that moment, the Ice Crystal Demon Lion stopped. The rage in its eyes vanished, replaced by a trace of indifference.

"This is bad... Look at the ground."

Everyone looked down. The Ice Crystal Demon Lion's blood was scattered everywhere, like dark red ice, giving off faint white cold air.

"My... my legs..." The tall Cui Mingcong suddenly swayed and fell to the ground. His legs were stiff as he used both hands to support himself and crawl backward.

A thin layer of white frost clung to his legs.

Zhou Leng said, "It must have used this blood and its own power to create an ice field."

"What a pity." Xue Chengsong's hands went limp, and his enchanted crossbow fell to the ground.

Other than Zhou Leng, every team member completely lost the will to fight.

"Even my dantian has been affected by the cold aura. I can't run anymore." Cao Jiajia threw down her enchanted bow, her face filled with dead despair.

Behind the bewildered gazes of these recent high school graduates, thick terror had accumulated.

Suddenly, the Ice Crystal Demon Lion's body swayed. Its arrow-struck left leg buckled, then it barely managed to stand and swept its gaze across the six of them.

Arrows covered its body, yet its domineering aura remained.

"Ah, I never thought I'd die here," Feng Wenhao sighed.

"As expected, we still underestimated demons, even if the Ice Crystal Demon Lion is only a servant raised by demons."

"Awoo..."

The Ice Crystal Demon Lion raised its head and roared at the sky, as if declaring victory, then slowly walked toward Xue Chengsong, who was closest.

Xue Chengsong closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.

The Ice Crystal Demon Lion opened its jaws, and faint cold air drifted out.

Suddenly, Zhou Leng rushed to the Ice Crystal Demon Lion's side. His foot drove into the earth, his waist twisted, and his arm cracked like a whip. Qi and force merged as the Mystic Tide True Qi he had been brewing for so long surged into his right palm, which struck downward from above.

The Ice Crystal Demon Lion hurriedly turned its head.

Zhou Leng's right hand was like a towering mountain, crashing down upon the back of the Ice Crystal Demon Lion's head.

Wave-Stacking Palm, Island Descends into the Sea.

Bang!

The ice crystals on the back of the Ice Crystal Demon Lion's head exploded. Its head tilted, its body toppled, and its head struck the ground.

The Ice Crystal Demon Lion roared furiously and tried to flip itself upright.

Bang!

The second Island Descends into the Sea fell.

The ice crystals on the back of the Ice Crystal Demon Lion's head shattered, and Zhou Leng's hand struck its skull solidly.

The Ice Crystal Demon Lion's head was smashed into the ground. As it struggled again, Zhou Leng swung his arm like a long-armed ape. A black blur flashed, and another palm descended!

Bang!

Zhou Leng drove his Mystic Tide True Qi in layers upon layers, each palm fiercer than the last, each palm faster than the last.

Bang! Bang! Bang...

Blood flowed from the Ice Crystal Demon Lion's seven orifices.

Smack...

The fourteenth palm fell. The Ice Crystal Demon Lion's skull cracked apart, exposing its brains.

Zhou Leng changed his palm into a fist and smashed three punches straight into the brains.

Brains splattered everywhere.

Zhou Leng stood there, panting heavily. His body swayed, and he took half a step back with his right foot to steady himself.

The Ice Crystal Demon Lion did not move.

Zhou Leng let out a long breath and flung the brains from his hand.

"Hah..."

The five others stared blankly at Zhou Leng, still unable to understand what had happened.

"Dead?" Xue Chengsong asked.

"Dead," Zhou Leng said.

"How did it die?"

"Palm strike by palm strike," Zhou Leng said.

Xue Chengsong froze for a moment, then said with a laugh that was almost a cry, "I'm asking why you're fine. How could you still use such a ferocious palm technique at the end?"

Zhou Leng glanced at the frozen ground. "Let's leave here first."

Zhou Leng dragged his five teammates out of the frozen area, and their bodies gradually began to recover.

"You... how did you do it?" Feng Wenhao asked cautiously.

Zhou Leng said, "To be honest, I don't know either. My true qi probably withstood the cold aura."

Everyone fell silent and did not press further.

Just then, the sound of spinning propellers came from the direction of the Red-Spotted Leaf Forest.

Rumble, rumble, rumble...

A helicopter hovered in midair, and a figure dropped from high above.

Bang!

The figure landed, making the earth tremble as dust and smoke billowed.