Nine Layers of Ice and Fire

On some of the protruding rocks along the surrounding walls hung white silk sacs as well, each containing a corpse. They had not yet been sucked dry into mummies, like rations the Ice Silk Spiders had prepared.

"That unlucky bastard seems to have something on him."

Wei Suo swept his gaze over them and saw that one of the corpses inside a silk sac appeared to be a cultivator. A faint glow seemed to shine from its chest, though he could not tell whether it was a talisman or something else.

"Ice Mist Fruit!" Ye Guowei, the blush still lingering on her face, glanced over and let out an involuntary cry.

Following her gaze, Wei Suo saw a short plant growing from a crack in the stone wall. Its leaves were dark green like fern fronds, but four white fruits, somewhat like tiny tangerines, grew from its stem. Wisps of icy mist drifted from the four white fruits, making them look like four ice spiders.

"It really is Ice Mist Fruit. Looks like there's a huge piece of cold jade hidden within this cliff wall."

Wei Suo's eyes immediately lit up. Ice Mist Fruit was a rare fruit containing frigid spiritual energy, an indispensable ingredient when refining the demon cores of many fire-element demon beasts into pills. A single Ice Mist Fruit cost more than twenty Low-grade Spirit Stones. Ice-element demon beasts of the third level and above could also consume such spirit fruits to strengthen their demon cores.

A demon core was equivalent to the Sea of Consciousness where a demon beast stored its True Essence. The stronger the demon core, the more formidable the demon beast became. However, Ice Mist Fruit could only grow near cold jade. Since such a plant could grow here, there had to be a sizable piece of cold jade within the rock. Cold jade of medium grade or above could be used to refine talismans or magic treasures and was also worth a great deal.

"No wonder three Ice Silk Spiders appeared here," Lin Daoyi said quietly, taking a talisman into his hand. His movements were extremely solemn and cautious, but Wei Suo burst into amusement the moment he saw the talisman in Lin Daoyi's hand. The talisman glowing crimson was actually a Fireball Talisman Wei Suo had refined himself.

"Looks like the Fireball Talismans I refined are quite popular among the Rogue Cultivators of Lingyue City."

"Careful!" Wei Suo was secretly feeling pleased with himself when, without any warning, Nangong Yuqing—whose blush had yet to fade—cried out softly. Palm-sized pale-blue ice flowers rapidly condensed before her, swiftly forming a translucent ice shield covered in delicate, beautiful frost patterns.

With a muffled smack, a rod-like black shadow slammed viciously into the ice shield at the very instant it formed.

"Ice Silk Spider?"

Wei Suo's first reaction was that an Ice Silk Spider had appeared. Yet by the firelight in Lin Daoyi's hand, he saw that what had struck the ice shield was a python as thick as an adult's arm and about a zhang long, its coloring nearly identical to the surrounding rocks.

"Gray Stone Rock Snake!"

As Wei Suo stood there slightly stunned, Lin Daoyi in front of him also cried out in surprise.

"No way, the Ice Silk Spiders have second-level demon beast underlings too?"

Gray Rock Snakes were mid-level second-grade demon beasts. Their scales could change color along with the surrounding rocks and were exceptionally tough. Spells cast by cultivators below the Second Level of Sea of Consciousness Realm generally found it difficult to injure them. Using the strength of their tails and bellies, they could leap several zhang in a single bound.

"Damn, there's more than one?" As Wei Suo rapidly recalled information about this demon beast, another Gray Rock Snake of the same size shot out from a nearby crack in the rocks with a hiss.

"Another one? Wahahaha!"

If another one had appeared before, Wei Suo would definitely have broken out in a cold sweat. But he now had a pile of Fireball Talismans on him, and Nangong Yuqing clearly had more than a few tricks up her sleeve. In his eyes, these Gray Rock Snakes were now nothing more than walking Spirit Stones. He wished a few more would come crawling out.

"The icy energy in her ice shield is actually this strong?" Since he was not the least bit flustered, Wei Suo observed carefully. After being knocked away by the ice shield, the Gray Rock Snake that had struck it was visibly sluggish, and a patch of white frost had formed over its head.

There was a clatter behind him. Wei Suo spun around and saw Ye Xiaozheng remove the weapon from his back. It was an alarmingly broad and thick black heavy sword, like a door panel. The moment Wei Suo saw Ye Xiaozheng gripping the heavy sword and preparing to step forward, he knew the man was truly honest and simple. Anyone shrewder would never have been the first to rush to the front.

"Ye Xiaozheng, don't come forward yet. This place is narrow, so the Gray Rock Snakes can only attack us from the front. The two of us can deal with these two Gray Rock Snakes first."

But Lin Daoyi immediately stopped Ye Xiaozheng, who was preparing to squeeze his way forward.

Smack! At that instant, the other Gray Rock Snake also slammed into Nangong Yuqing's ice shield blocking the front. From where Wei Suo stood, he could clearly see several of the snake's sharp teeth sink deeply into the ice shield. Long cracks immediately spread across the entire shield. Yet at the same time, the second Gray Rock Snake was frozen stiff by the icy aura on the shield, its front half covered in white frost. At that moment, a Flame Blade rapidly condensed in Nangong Yuqing's hand. With a whoosh, it slashed down upon the Gray Rock Snake's head. The Flame Blade did not directly cut through the scales on its head, but the burst of fire that followed poured straight into the snake's mouth before it could close it, flooding down its throat.

"Good heavens, Nine Layers of Ice and Fire. That's simply too cruel."

Wei Suo shook his head sympathetically. The Gray Rock Snake had not even recovered from its frozen paralysis before flames were poured down its throat. Its eyes bulged at once, and it thrashed madly as though it wanted to clutch its own throat, only to regret having no claws with which to do so.

"Wei Suo, could you step back a little..."

Nangong Yuqing, who had unleashed that Flame Blade, turned her head slightly at this moment. Her ears burning red, she spoke softly to Wei Suo.

Since Wei Suo was directly behind her, and though the Gray Rock Snake had failed to shatter the Frost Shield she had cast, the strength of a second-grade exotic beast was still astonishing. Each impact forced her a step backward, so every time the Gray Rock Snake rammed the shield, she and Wei Suo had an intimate encounter.

Wei Suo was enjoying himself to the point of bliss, but upon hearing Nangong Yuqing's words, he still put on a righteous and dignified expression, nodded, and leaned back slightly.

Boom! Just as Wei Suo's Azure Water Blade struck one Gray Rock Snake, Lin Daoyi activated the Fireball Talisman in his hand. A dazzling fireball smashed into the other Gray Rock Snake as well.

"Now even its mother won't recognize it."

The Gray Rock Snake struck head-on by the fireball was in even worse shape. Its entire head had practically become a charred black stick. It was clearly beyond saving.

That Fireball Talisman had been refined by Wei Suo himself. Seeing such power, he was instantly immensely pleased with himself. But when he caught sight of the other Gray Rock Snake, he began to view the Tie Ce beauty in front of him, whose advantages he had been taking, with newfound respect. The Gray Rock Snake struck by her Flame Blade was already lying on the ground, breathing out but unable to breathe in.

From this, Nangong Yuqing's Flame Blade seemed to possess firepower comparable to Wei Suo's Fireball Talisman. A first-grade Fireball Talisman was at least equivalent to the spell power of a cultivator at the Fifth Level of Sea of Consciousness Realm. That meant this long-legged beauty should also be at the Fifth Level of Sea of Consciousness Realm.

"I need to work harder. Having a lower cultivation than this beauty is truly humiliating." Wei Suo shook his head, then took the opportunity to glance a few more times at Nangong Yuqing's slim waist, long legs, and the firm, springy rear that had just pressed against him. If it had been that Silver-robed Little Beauty, it would definitely have been even more soul-stirring just now, wouldn't it? Wei Suo compared them in his heart. Nangong Yuqing's legs were hotter, after all—straight and slender—but the Silver-robed Little Beauty's little rear seemed even rounder and perkier than Nangong Yuqing's.

(Another update is here! If today's red votes pass 5,000, once I return to Wuxi, I'll add another 5,000 words!)