Ice Marrow Worm

The campfire cast a fiery red glow through the darkness, driving away the cold and loneliness from this small patch of land.

When Shen Hanyu had first arrived in this world, life had been difficult at the start due to the lack of the internet and mobile phones.

No one could understand what would happen to a moderately seasoned internet user after being cut off from the internet.

It was not until Shen Hanyu first began cultivating at the age of six and discovered its joy and meaning that things gradually improved.

That was also one reason he had set out to explore the world.

As he watched the warmth brought by the pair of fiercely burning flames, a trace of sorrow and nostalgia flashed through Shen Hanyu's eyes. It was both regret for his previous life and all the insights he had gained from starting over in this one.

Before going to sleep, they had discussed their arrangements. Shen Hanyu would keep watch during the first half of the night, while Shui Bing'er and Shen Liuyu would take turns during the latter half. As for Shui Yue'er, whose Soul Power was the lowest, they had told her to get some proper rest. Otherwise, who knew what might happen to her little body.

Shen Hanyu sat on a fallen tree, occasionally tossing dry branches into the fire. His gaze was somewhat unfocused, as though his mind had drifted far away.

Around midnight, the wind gradually grew stronger, carrying a light snowfall. It did not have much effect, but it added a peculiar atmosphere to the night.

With a soft sound, Shui Bing'er slowly lifted the thick tent flap and walked out. She sat on a log opposite Shen Hanyu and said quietly, "Go get some rest. I'll keep watch."

Shen Hanyu came back to himself and said flatly, "The Soul Beasts here are all quite powerful. I won't feel at ease letting you keep watch. Go back and rest. Get yourselves ready; we may need to absorb Soul Rings tomorrow."

Shui Bing'er wanted to argue, but after thinking it over, she realized Shen Hanyu was completely right and could only let the matter drop.

Ten Thousand Year Soul Beasts had already appeared here. With her strength as a prospective Soul Grandmaster and Shen Liuyu's as a prospective Soul Elder, they might not even be able to handle a somewhat stronger Thousand Year Soul Beast, much less the more powerful Soul Beasts lurking in the shadows.

Shen Hanyu glanced at Shui Bing'er and stopped caring whether she had returned to rest. He simply closed his eyes and began to rest his mind.

Shui Bing'er poked at the fire. Several times, she wanted to say something, but whenever she opened her mouth, no words came out.

She truly wanted to chat with Shen Hanyu for a while, but when the words reached her lips, she could not bring herself to say them.

Shen Liuyu also crept out of the tent and sat beside Shui Bing'er, yawning sleepily.

Only then did Shen Hanyu open his eyes. A trace of helplessness flashed through them as he said, "Both of you, go back to sleep! Be good. My Mental Power is strong enough that going two or three days without rest won't affect me at all."

After a pause, he added, "Besides, it makes no difference whether you're here or not."

Shen Liuyu rolled her eyes, made a face at Shen Hanyu, and said, "We'll keep watch if we want to. Don't meddle, stupid brother. Right, Bing'er?"

Shui Bing'er nodded. She truly felt bad about making Shen Hanyu keep watch alone.

Shen Hanyu could not be bothered to say anything else. It would not affect anything anyway. He had only tossed out a few polite remarks, but saying such things too often had become a habit—an unhealthy one.

As Shen Hanyu closed his eyes again, Shui Bing'er and Shen Liuyu began chatting softly, one sentence here and another there.

Girls always seemed to have endless things to talk about. Shen Hanyu found that curious. In his previous life, he and his two good friends had had each other on WeChat for five or six years, yet they had exchanged fewer than five or six hundred messages in total. He was very interested in this ability to never run out of things to say.

Time passed second by second. Near dawn, Shen Hanyu suddenly opened his eyes.

This was undoubtedly one of the times when humans were most likely to become drowsy. Shen Liuyu and Shui Bing'er leaned against each other, both clearly exhausted and barely alert.

"What a clever beast. I actually failed to notice it last night," Shen Hanyu muttered to himself.

He then swiftly left the campsite and headed into the forest beside it.

Following a loud crash, Shen Liuyu and Shui Bing'er were jolted awake. Yet they found that Shen Hanyu had long since left the campsite and was nowhere to be seen.

Shui Bing'er and Shen Liuyu exchanged a look, each seeing confusion and helplessness in the other's eyes.

But in the next moment, a massive shelled Soul Beast was thrown directly into the bushes beside the campsite, crushing a large patch of vegetation.

The shelled Soul Beast was a little over three meters long, its entire body icy blue. It had a pair of sharp mouthparts and a cluster of hidden wings on its back. The scales covering its body were as translucent as crystal, making it look like a creature carved from real crystal.

Shen Hanyu slowly walked out from the side as well. Pointing at the Ice Marrow Worm that was still struggling in agony, he said to Shen Liuyu, "Ayu, this is an Ice Marrow Worm, a peculiar Soul Beast born within Profound Ice Marrow mineral veins. It feeds on Profound Ice Marrow. Once it consumes all the Profound Ice Marrow in a vein, it will target any living or nonliving thing that can provide a large amount of energy. Its scales can reflect Mental Power to a certain extent. I didn't inspect the area carefully last night, so this thing slipped past me. But instead of hiding in its cave, it actually set its sights on us. I suppose that counts as fate..."

After giving a brief introduction, Shen Hanyu continued, "The inside of this type of Soul Beast is practically pure energy, and their combat strength is exceptionally formidable. They can even break through Profound Ice Marrow mineral veins with sheer strength alone, and their defenses are top-tier as well. This one has cultivation of around three thousand two hundred years. It is fully qualified to become your perfect third Soul Ring."

Shen Liuyu stepped forward and hugged Shen Hanyu, saying emotionally, "Brother, you really are the best..."

Shen Hanyu curled his lip and said speechlessly, "I only happened to notice that it was suitable for you. Otherwise, it wouldn't be this intact right now."

The emotion on Shen Liuyu's face instantly froze. She then punched Shen Hanyu lightly in the chest, gave a huff, and hurriedly ended the Ice Marrow Worm's life before beginning to absorb its Soul Ring.

This process would probably take quite some time. Shen Hanyu looked at Shui Bing'er and said somewhat helplessly, "Sorry. We may have to wait a while longer before getting your Soul Ring."

Shui Bing'er nodded understandingly. "No rush. Let's wait for Liuyu to finish absorbing her Soul Ring first. We've already traveled this far, so a little more time won't matter."

Shen Hanyu nodded, then suddenly realized something. "Where's Yue'er? There was such a huge commotion just now. Why haven't we seen her?"

Shui Bing'er froze as well, then looked toward the tent. "Maybe... maybe she hasn't woken up yet...?"

Shen Hanyu was stunned for a moment before sighing from the bottom of his heart, "I really am a little envious of that kind of sleep quality."