Ice Poison Scorpion (Part 1)

Inside a ruined temple within the valley, over a dozen burly men sat with dejected expressions. Each carried a medicine basket, evidently having come here to forage. One man in black remarked, "Senior Brother Xuan Ming, you must think of a way. With that beast around, how are we to harvest the Snow Soul Essence? If we fail to turn it in, that little vixen Ru Shuang will certainly not spare us."

The man addressed as Senior Brother Xuan Ming had a face full of jowls and looked like anything but a good man. Yet, upon hearing this, he replied listlessly, "What way could I possibly have? Not to mention that we are all poisoned by her, even if we were in perfect health, we are no match for her, let alone the person behind her. That beast is formidable, but it is already severely wounded. Now that we have the advantage of numbers, we must slay it to harvest the Snow Soul Essence and fulfill our quota."

The black-clad man from before said, "Senior Brother Xuan Ming, that beast is truly extraordinary. Even if we manage to eliminate this scourge, I fear we will suffer heavy casualties."

Xuan Ming replied, "There is no other choice. If we fail to harvest the Snow Soul Essence, the suffering that follows would be worse than death."

Hearing this, the black-clad man seemed to recall something and said, "Indeed, that suffering is truly worse than death."

Just then, a voice drifted from outside the door, "The wind is strong out there; may this humble one rest here for a moment?"

The group was slightly startled. Someone had arrived without them noticing, suggesting they had been far too careless. The black-clad man snapped, "Can't you see—" He was in a foul mood and prepared to drive the intruder away.

However, Xuan Ming suddenly interjected, "This temple is ownerless, and the wind outside is biting. Come in and take shelter from the cold, brother." Ordinary people could never reach this Ice Snow Valley; since this person dared to come alone, he was likely no simple character, and Xuan Ming did not wish to offend him.

Seeing Xuan Ming speak, the black-clad man fell silent. The temple door creaked open, and a youth of sixteen or seventeen walked in, a long sword strapped to his back. Seeing so many fierce-looking men, he showed no trace of fear, merely offering a "Thank you" before finding a corner to sit and rest.

Xuan Ming could not immediately discern the newcomer's background, but then heard him ask, "Brother, I heard you mention some monster nearby. Might you tell me about it?"

The group's expressions changed; clearly, the newcomer had been listening for some time, yet they had been completely oblivious. That aside, they had just discussed secrets that were not meant for outsiders to hear.

Xuan Ming felt the other party was unfathomable. He brushed his right hand across his lapel—a secret signal to hold off on any action. He did not answer the question, instead asking, "Little brother, what brings you to the Ice Snow Valley all by yourself?"

The youth replied, "Searching for someone."

Xuan Ming laughed heartily and said, "Little brother, you certainly know how to joke. This Ice Snow Valley is rarely visited; you came here to search for someone?"

The youth frowned slightly and said, "You have yet to answer my question. If you are willing to tell me, this Snow Soul Essence shall be yours." With that, he reached into his robe and produced a snow-white fruit the size of a hen's egg. The fruit was crystalline and translucent—it was precisely the Snow Soul Essence they were seeking.

The group's eyes lit up instantly, and Xuan Ming asked, "Where did you obtain this Snow Soul Essence?"

The youth grew impatient and said, "Why do you ask so many questions? What exactly is that monster?"

Xuan Ming gave a sinister grin, and the group stood up in unison, drawing their weapons and surrounding the youth. The youth seemed startled and said, "Are you planning to attack?"

Xuan Ming replied, "Since ancient times, one should not flaunt their wealth, don't you know? Tell us the location of the Snow Soul Essence and leave behind everything you have, and we might grant you a quick death."

The youth shook his head. The black-clad man let out a roar and slashed his blade toward the youth. The youth did not move his feet or shift his body; he simply tapped the blade with two fingers. The black-clad man felt a sharp pain in the web of his hand, and the steel blade flew from his grasp.

Xuan Ming remarked, "You do have some skills." With a flick of his wrist, he lunged at the youth with his sword. Before the blade even drew near, an intensely sharp killing intent surged forth.

The youth let out an "Oh," and said, "It is actually a Talisman Artifact." He drew the long sword from his back and with a single strike, deflected the sword qi, pointing his blade directly at the other's throat.

While the sword was still in mid-air, Xuan Ming felt a massive force bearing down on him, leaving him unable to breathe. Terrified, he pushed off with his toes and retreated several yards, but in his haste, he collided with a large pillar, looking utterly disheveled.

Fearing the other would seize the opportunity to strike, he shifted sideways by another yard before looking up, only to see the newcomer standing there, completely unbothered.

Xuan Ming's face flushed red as he shouted, "Ignorant brat, I will let you see the power of your grandfather!" He began chanting an incantation, and his long sword began to glow. A moment later, he thrust forward, and a chilling aura erupted from the tip of his blade, swirling toward the youth.

The youth merely shook his head, twisted his body to evade the cold aura, and extended his right arm, pinning his sword against the other's neck. Xuan Ming felt a tremendous force pressing down, threatening to shatter his bones, and he cried out, "Senior, spare me!" He realized then that the other was also a cultivator, and one far stronger than himself.

This youth was none other than Yan Chihuo. He had traveled to the Ice Snow Valley with great difficulty but had failed to find the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon. Upon arriving here and hearing their conversation, he had felt a spark of interest, hoping to learn what the monster was and perhaps glean information about the Heavenly Evil Blood Demon from these men.

He observed that only Xuan Ming possessed the cultivation of the early Body Tempering stage, while the others had only dabbled in the Daoist magic of the cultivation world, barely crossing the threshold and only slightly more advanced than mortals like Qu Wuxing. He had not taken them seriously at all.

The Snow Soul Essence was something he had picked up by chance on the road. It was his only one, and being useless to him, he had intended to trade it for information. He was puzzled that they would attempt to rob him; did they not see his cultivation level?

In truth, high-level cultivators could indeed hide their presence from those weaker than them, but among cultivators of the same level, it was impossible without special concealment techniques. Yan Chihuo had not expected these men to be so reckless. He did not realize that while he was using a standard concealment technique from the Cloud Soaring Sect, to these rogue cultivators, it was a rare secret art, and they had no way of gauging his true strength.

His skirmish with Xuan Ming was, in reality, a test to see how much his strength had improved recently. However, Xuan Ming was too weak; although he could cast the low-level ice-attribute Mystic Ice Technique, his mastery was clearly lacking, and Yan Chihuo's heightened senses allowed him to spot numerous flaws in the man's swordsmanship. Thus, he had managed to subdue him easily without even needing to use his own Daoist magic.