Hunting the Giant-Jawed Icefang Dragon, the Ice Jade Scorpion Swarm Appears

Draconic soul beasts were already rare. If they missed this one, they would probably have to go to great lengths to find another suitable target.

They could not remain in the Extreme North for long. Who knew, they might even have to make the arduous trip to the Star Dou Great Forest.

Having considered this, Yan Jingchuan decisively chose to intercept it.

He did not need to kill it, only hold it back until Jing Hongchen arrived.

He first sent a signal to Xiao Hongchen through a communication soul tool, then equipped a basic soul cannon and aimed it at the Icefang Dragon.

The soul ray struck with precision, catching the Icefang Dragon completely off guard.

Basic soul cannons worked fairly well against hundred-year soul beasts, but their effects against thousand-year soul beasts were mediocre, especially powerful draconic soul beasts.

The heat ray merely broke through the Icefang Dragon's defenses and grazed its hide, but it successfully drew its hatred.

A low roar intertwined with the howling wind and snow as the Icefang Dragon beat its wings and charged at high speed.

Its speed made Yan Jingchuan's pupils contract, and he immediately summoned his martial soul:

"Dark Sky-Splitting Claw!"

To Yan Jingchuan's surprise, the Icefang Dragon twisted aside and easily evaded the attack with its speed advantage. Without losing momentum, it rammed straight at him.

He instinctively revealed his Darkgolden Terrorclaw to block it, but the defensive soul tool on his body activated on its own first.

Two Class 8 soul tools formed barriers across Yan Jingchuan's body and around him.

"Boom!"

Snow scattered everywhere as Yan Jingchuan was shoved five or six meters back.

The effects of the Class 8 soul tools were as astonishing as expected. Yan Jingchuan only suffered a little shock; otherwise, he was completely fine.

The Icefang Dragon, meanwhile, had slammed headfirst into the defensive barrier and was left dizzy, continuously shaking its head where it stood.

Yan Jingchuan could not help secretly rejoicing over the power of soul tools. With high-level soul tools, fighting above one's level was no longer difficult.

The era of soul tools truly lived up to its reputation. This was the power of technology.

A thousand-year soul beast seemingly could not break through the defenses of a Class 8 soul tool at all. With the soul tools on him, he could hold out for a long time. Killing it alone was not impossible either.

With that thought in mind, Yan Jingchuan immediately stopped smiling.

The Icefang Dragon stared fixedly at Yan Jingchuan with its dragon eyes. Rather than pouncing again, it opened its jaws and spewed out a stream of icy-blue frost.

The frost swelled against the wind and snow, instantly engulfing Yan Jingchuan.

In the Extreme North, the home ground of ice-attributed soul beasts, the Icefang Dragon's actual combat strength was considerably enhanced.

The defensive barrier began to be covered in frost. Though it remained sturdy, Yan Jingchuan still felt a distinct chill, and ice had already begun gradually forming across his body.

"Damn it, I forgot it had this move!"

The Giant-Jawed Icefang Dragon's signature ability: Freezing Breath.

Its raw power was not particularly strong, but it could restrict movement and was extremely difficult to remove. Once it adhered to the body, it rapidly drained heat until its victim froze to death alive.

Yan Jingchuan wanted to use his flying soul tool to take to the air, but his hands were already frozen to the point of nearly losing all feeling.

The Icefang Dragon continued breathing frost, attempting 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.

With a stiff face, Yan Jingchuan exhaled a puff of white vapor and finally felt a little better.

"Meng, haven't you finished absorbing the soul ring yet?"

"Almost. Let's deal with the problem in front of us first."

The Icefang Dragon was injured in many places. The scent of blood caused the beast's innate rage to grow wildly as it faced the two of them. It wanted nothing more than to tear these two humans apart.

Xiao Hongchen summoned his martial soul. 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 into cannon barrels under Xiao Hongchen's control. Before long, more than a dozen Class 3 soul cannons had taken shape.

Together with the several Class 4 soul cannons in Xiao Hongchen's hands, he had practically transformed into a gun emplacement.

Soul power gathered at every cannon muzzle, unleashing a relentless bombardment against the Icefang Dragon.

No matter how fast the Icefang Dragon was, it could not possibly evade every shot from such dense artillery fire. Under the barrage, it could only be firmly suppressed.

"Don't kill it. This soul beast is just right for me."

Watching Xiao Hongchen's ferocious display, Yan Jingchuan was both stunned and speechless.

If Xiao Hongchen grew into a Titled Douluo in the future, he would practically be a mobile war fortress.

On a battlefield, he would absolutely be the kind of existence that made the armies of the original three Douluo nations tremble in fear. If words failed, he would simply carpet-bomb the ground. What army could withstand that kind of assault?

He could provide overwhelming firepower in battle and possessed extraordinary talent in crafting soul tools. Xiao Hongchen truly deserved his reputation as a genius.

He had far more genuine ability than that cheat king Huo Yuhao.

"Got it. It's still pretty 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 nearby with Meng Hongchen.

Upon noticing the Giant-Jawed Icefang Dragon, Jing Hongchen immediately understood. He raised a hand and fired a Class 8 soul cannon, deliberately suppressing much of its power.

As both a Titled Douluo and a Class 9 soul engineer, he reduced the Icefang Dragon to the brink of death with a single strike.

Xiao Hongchen hurriedly ceased firing. Jing Hongchen glanced at the Giant-Jawed Icefang Dragon.

"Its age is a little too high, and the two of you were far too reckless. This is the Extreme North. Making such a huge commotion can easily draw the attention of other powerful soul beasts!"

Jing Hongchen lectured the two of them. Xiao Hongchen wanted to say something, but Yan Jingchuan stopped him and stepped forward.

"Dean, I was the one who acted rashly. It wasn't easy to encounter a suitable soul beast, and I didn't want to let it 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 making 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'll 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's body. Powerful soul power surged wildly through his limbs and bones, and his expression immediately changed.

Jing Hongchen and the other two watched quietly. Meng Hongchen was extremely worried.

"Will he really be okay? Jingchuan looks like he's in a lot of pain."

Xiao Hongchen frowned, equally concerned.

"He was still 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 means his pain will certainly far exceed the permitted limit."

While comforting his granddaughter, Jing Hongchen kept his eyes fixed on Yan Jingchuan.

Time passed second by second when Jing Hongchen suddenly looked toward the depths of the Extreme North.

Several scorpions with ice-blue bodies that seemed to be made of crystal were slowly approaching from there. The most eye-catching thing about them was their tail hooks, which were an intense jade green.

"Ice Jade Scorpions..."

Yan Jingchuan was still absorbing the soul ring. The appearance of Ice Jade Scorpions at this time was not a good thing.

Had the commotion from Xiao and the others' battle been too great and drawn them here?

Ice Jade Scorpions themselves were not frightening. Besides, the few that had come were only thousand-year soul beasts, with the strongest merely ten thousand years old.

What Jing Hongchen truly feared was the chieftain of the Ice Jade Scorpion clan, one of the three great rulers of the Extreme North: the Ice Emperor, the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion.

Yan Jingchuan was still absorbing the soul ring. If they truly attracted the Ice Emperor, Jing Hongchen would be no match for her.