Draconic Soul Beasts were already rare. If he missed this one, he would probably have to spend a great deal of effort finding another suitable target.
He could not remain in the Extreme North for long. Who knew, he might even have to make the long trip to the Star Dou Great Forest.
Having considered this, Yan Jingchuan immediately decided to intercept it.
He did not need to kill it, only hold it back until Jing Hongchen arrived.
He first sent Xiao Hongchen a signal through a communication Soul Tool, then equipped a basic Soul Tool cannon and aimed it at the Icefang Dragon.
The Soul Tool beam struck with precision, catching the Icefang Dragon completely off guard.
Basic Soul Tool cannons worked reasonably well against hundred-year Soul Beasts, but their effects against thousand-year Soul Beasts were mediocre, especially against a draconic Soul Beast with such powerful bloodline.
The heat ray merely broke through the Icefang Dragon's defenses and grazed its hide, but it successfully drew its hatred.
A low roar intermingled with the howling wind and snow as the Icefang Dragon beat its wings and charged toward him at tremendous speed.
Its speed made Yan Jingchuan's pupils constrict, and he immediately activated his Martial Soul Possession.
"Dark Sky-Splitting Claw!"
What Yan Jingchuan had not expected was for the Icefang Dragon to twist sideways, easily dodging with its speed advantage. It did not slow down in the slightest as it rammed straight at him.
He instinctively revealed his Darkgolden Terrorclaw to block it, but the defensive Soul Tools on his body activated on their own before he could.
Two Class 8 Soul Tools formed barriers across Yan Jingchuan's body and around him.
"Boom!"
Snow flew everywhere as Yan Jingchuan was shoved five or six meters back.
The effects of Class 8 Soul Tools were astonishing, just as expected. Yan Jingchuan only suffered some impact, while everything else was completely fine.
The Icefang Dragon, however, had rammed straight into the defensive barrier and became dizzy, continuously shaking its head where it stood.
Yan Jingchuan could not help secretly rejoicing at the power of Soul Tools. With high-level Soul Tools, fighting opponents above his level was no longer difficult.
The era of Soul Tools truly lived up to its reputation. This was the power of technology.
It seemed that a thousand-year Soul Beast could not break through a Class 8 Soul Tool's defenses at all. With the Soul Tools on him, he could drag this out for a long time. It might even be possible to hunt it alone.
The moment that thought arose, Yan Jingchuan could no longer smile.
The Icefang Dragon fixed its dragon eyes on Yan Jingchuan. Rather than pouncing again, it opened its jaws and spewed a stream of icy-blue frost.
The frost surged against the wind and snow, instantly swallowing Yan Jingchuan.
In the Extreme North, the home field of ice-attributed Soul Beasts, the Icefang Dragon's actual combat ability received a considerable boost.
The defensive barrier began to be coated in frost. Although it still held firm, Yan Jingchuan could feel an obvious chill, and ice was already gradually forming across his body.
"Damn, I forgot it had this move!"
The Giant-Jawed Icefang Dragon's signature ability: Freezing Breath.
Its raw power was not particularly great, but it could restrict movement and was extremely difficult to remove. Once it attached itself to someone's body, their temperature would rapidly drop until they froze to death alive.
He wanted to take off using his flying Soul Tool, but Yan Jingchuan's hands had already been frozen to the point of nearly losing all feeling.
The Icefang Dragon continued breathing frost, intending to freeze Yan Jingchuan solid.
Just then, several Soul Tool beams descended from the sky, blasting the Icefang Dragon away on the spot.
Xiao Hongchen landed beside Yan Jingchuan and took out a Soul Tool capable of generating heat to thaw him out.
With his face stiff, Yan Jingchuan exhaled a cloud of white vapor and finally felt somewhat better.
"Is Meng still not done absorbing her Soul Ring?"
"She should be soon. Let's deal with the trouble in front of us first."
The Icefang Dragon was wounded in many places. The scent of blood caused the beast's instinctive rage to grow wildly as it faced the two of them. Right now, it wanted nothing more than to tear these two humans apart.
Xiao Hongchen activated his Martial Soul Possession. Another leg extended from his waist and abdomen, and his three legs firmly anchored him to the ground.
Metal spheres floated through the air, swiftly transforming under Xiao Hongchen's control into cannon barrels. In no time, more than a dozen Class 3 Soul Tool cannons took shape.
Combined with the several Class 4 Soul Tool cannons in Xiao Hongchen's hands, he had practically transformed into a turret.
Soul Power gathered within every cannon muzzle as they aimed at the Icefang Dragon and unleashed a relentless bombardment.
No matter how fast the Icefang Dragon was, it could not possibly dodge every blast in such dense cannon fire. Under the barrage, it could only be completely suppressed.
"Don't kill it. This Soul Beast is perfectly suited for me."
Watching Xiao Hongchen's savage operation, Yan Jingchuan was both shocked and speechless.
If Xiao Hongchen grew into a Titled Douluo in the future, he would practically become a mobile war fortress.
On a battlefield, he would absolutely be a presence that made the armies of the Original Douluo Three Kingdoms tremble in fear. If a word displeased him, he would carpet-bomb the ground. What army could withstand that?
He could blanket an area with firepower in battle and possessed extraordinary talent for making Soul Tools. Xiao Hongchen truly deserved his title as a genius.
He had far more real ability than that cheat king Huo Yuhao.
"Got it. It's still very tough. I can't kill it that quickly."
Xiao Hongchen's answer made Yan Jingchuan's mouth twitch.
At that moment, Jing Hongchen arrived from the distance with Meng Hongchen.
The instant Jing Hongchen noticed the Giant-Jawed Icefang Dragon, he understood. He raised his hand and fired a Class 8 Soul Tool cannon, deliberately holding back much of its power.
A Titled Douluo and a Class 9 Soul Engineer, he reduced the Icefang Dragon to the brink of death with a single attack.
Xiao Hongchen hurriedly stopped firing. Jing Hongchen glanced at the Giant-Jawed Icefang Dragon.
"Its age is rather high, and the two of you were far too reckless. This is the Extreme North. Making such a huge commotion could easily draw the attention of other powerful Soul Beasts!"
Jing Hongchen lectured the two of them. Xiao Hongchen still wanted to say something, but Yan Jingchuan stopped him and stepped forward.
"Dean, I was the one who acted rashly. It was hard enough to encounter a suitable Soul Beast, and I did not want it to escape, so I attacked to hold it back. Xiao only helped because he saw that I was in trouble."
Yan Jingchuan had never been in the habit of letting others take responsibility for his own mistakes.
Jing Hongchen sighed and did not reprimand him further.
"Be more careful next time. Hurry and absorb the Soul Ring. I will stand guard for you."
Yan Jingchuan stepped forward and ended the Giant-Jawed Icefang Dragon's life. A purple thousand-year Soul Ring emerged.
Sitting cross-legged in the snow, Yan Jingchuan officially began absorbing it.
The Soul Ring settled around Yan Jingchuan, and its fierce Soul Power ran rampant through his limbs and bones. His expression changed at once.
Jing Hongchen and the others watched quietly. Meng Hongchen was deeply worried.
"Will he really be alright? Jingchuan looks like he's in a lot of pain."
Xiao Hongchen frowned, equally concerned.
"He's still being too overconfident..."
Yan Jingchuan's features twisted slightly. In the freezing environment of the Extreme North, a bead of cold sweat appeared on his face.
"Absorbing a Soul Ring above his level, the pain he suffers will certainly far exceed the normal limit."
While speaking to reassure his granddaughter, Jing Hongchen stared at Yan Jingchuan without blinking.
Time passed second by second, and Jing Hongchen suddenly looked toward the depths of the Extreme North.
Several scorpions with icy-blue bodies that seemed to be made of crystal slowly approached from that direction. The most eye-catching thing about them was their tail stingers, which were a rich jade green.
"Ice Jade Scorpions..."
Yan Jingchuan was still absorbing the Soul Ring. The appearance of Ice Jade Scorpions at this time was hardly a good thing.
Had the commotion from Xiao and the others' battle just now been too great and drawn them here?
Ice Jade Scorpions themselves were not frightening. Besides, these few were only thousand-year Soul Beasts, with the strongest one merely ten thousand years old.
What Jing Hongchen truly feared was the leader of the Ice Jade Scorpion Clan, one of the three great rulers of the Extreme North: the Ice Empress, the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion.
Yan Jingchuan was still absorbing his Soul Ring. If they truly drew the Ice Empress here, Jing Hongchen would be no match for her.
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