Ice Jade Scorpion! Thousand Ice Spears! (5.2k) (Wishing You a Peaceful Dragon Boat Festival!)

After obtaining Vielvi's second soul ring, Qin Xu's group rested for another day before setting out again to find suitable soul beasts for Xue Zhao and Ye Guyi.

They decided to start with Xue Zhao.

Xue Zhao needed an ice-attribute soul beast. Since the northern foothills of the Heaven Dou Mountains were close to the Far North Ice Plains, ice-attribute soul beasts were widespread and exceptionally numerous there.

The group headed north and soon left Tianxing Commandery, entering Cold Mountain Commandery in the Black Dragon Duchy. It was the duchy's northernmost commandery. With the Heaven Dou Mountains running through it, most of its terrain was mountainous, with flat land only in the south.

After they entered Cold Mountain Commandery, the temperature plummeted, and snowfall became commonplace.

However, the weather did little to hinder Qin Xu's group. It even helped them, since many ice-attribute soul beasts liked to come out and roam during snowy weather.

"An Arctic Snow Leopard around seventeen hundred years old?"

"No. It overlaps with my first soul ring."

"A twenty-nine-hundred-year-old ice silkworm?"

"No. The species is too weak. It would affect the soul skill."

"How about a Two-Headed Snow Ape that's exactly two thousand years old?"

"No. Its cultivation is too low."

Although Xue Zhao had said she wasn't picky and that any ice-attribute beast would do, none of the ice-attribute soul beasts they encountered along the way met her expectations. She rejected them without hesitation.

Qin Xu had no choice but to ask her for more specific requirements.

"At least three thousand years old, and a powerful species. Those are my only two requirements," Xue Zhao said.

Qin Xu relayed her requirements to the three elders. Qin Feng looked thoughtful, then finally spoke after a long silence. "There aren't many soul beasts in the Heaven Dou Mountains that meet both conditions. The requirement for a powerful species alone rules out ninety percent of soul beast species."

"As far as powerful ice-attribute soul beasts in the Heaven Dou Mountains go, aside from Snow Apes, there are only Snow God Eagles," Bai Jian said.

Qin Feng began rummaging through a pile of intelligence reports.

"Four locations with Snow Ape sightings, and one with a Snow God Eagle," he said. "We've already visited one of the four Snow Ape locations—the one with that Two-Headed Snow Ape. The other three aren't too far away. As for the Snow God Eagle, we'd have to return to Tianxing Commandery."

"In that case, we'll check those three Snow Ape locations first. If none of them suit little A Liang, we'll go back to Tianxing Commandery," Bai Jian decided.

Qin Xu leaned over and asked, "What if the Snow God Eagle in Tianxing Commandery isn't suitable either?"

"Then I'll head north myself and catch an Ice Jade Scorpion for her!" Bai Jian declared boldly.

Following the reports, the group began their search. They found the Snow Apes at the second and third locations, but one was ten thousand years old and the other five thousand. They immediately ruled out the ten-thousand-year-old Snow Ape. Xue Zhao wanted to absorb the five-thousand-year-old one's soul ring, but Qin Xu and the three elders stopped her.

They arrived at the fourth area where Snow Ape tracks had been reported.

"It seems we're too late," Ya Yun said with a strange expression. As a spiritual-type Titled Douluo, her spiritual power reached farther than Bai Jian's or Qin Feng's, so she discovered the situation first.

"A three-thousand-year-old Two-Headed Snow Ape?!" Bai Jian and Qin Feng noticed what Ya Yun meant a moment later. Both looked as miserable as if they were constipated. "Why is it dead?"

They approached a spot a hundred meters away.

The fresh corpse of a Two-Headed Snow Ape lay alone in the snow, surrounded by crimson. There were few signs of a struggle; it had clearly been a one-sided slaughter. The ape's abdomen had been hollowed out, its innards entirely gone, with scraps of organs scattered nearby. Something had preyed on it.

Qin Xu couldn't bear to look at the gruesome sight. Vielvi and Ye Guyi both began to gag, while Xue Zhao remained calm, staring expressionlessly at the soul beast that should have become her second soul ring. Her eyes were deep and unreadable, giving no hint of her thoughts.

"How strange. There's actually a soul beast in this area capable of preying on a Two-Headed Snow Ape?" Qin Feng scratched his head, thoroughly puzzled.

"Maybe it came out of the Far North?" Bai Jian speculated. "Judging by how fresh the corpse is, it's been dead no more than two days. That beast might still be around here. If we didn't have important business, I'd really like to see just what that vicious creature is."

"Rein in your curiosity!" Ya Yun reminded him. "Since we haven't found a Snow Ape, let's return to Tianxing Commandery and look for the Snow God Eagle. We can search for light-attribute soul beasts along the way, too. We can't leave both girls waiting around."

"Let's go," Bai Jian agreed, moving to the front to clear the way.

Qin Xu followed immediately, with Vielvi and Ye Guyi close behind. Only Xue Zhao remained rooted to the spot, staring at the Snow Ape's corpse as though reluctant to give up.

"Come along, child." Seeing this, Qin Feng nudged her. "Don't dwell on it. The fact that this Snow Ape couldn't wait until you arrived means it wasn't worth absorbing in the first place. A soul beast that truly wants to become your soul ring will come to you on its own."

"...Mm." Xue Zhao nodded, silently withdrew her gaze, and followed the others.

Was she really mourning the loss of this Snow Ape? Clearly not. She had merely spotted familiar traces on its corpse, and her thoughts had slipped beyond her control.

They had only walked a few hundred meters when Ya Yun, who was scouting from the air, suddenly landed and called them to a halt.

"Wait. I've spotted a soul beast behind us charging this way," she said. "You'll never guess what kind it is!"

"This is no time to keep us guessing!" Bai Jian said with a frown.

"An Ice Jade Scorpion! Judging by its soul power fluctuations, it has a thousand-year cultivation!" Ya Yun said, a trace of surprise in her voice.

"What?" Bai Jian's face also filled with astonishment.

"I'll take a look!" A man of action, Qin Feng flew off without the slightest hesitation.

The four youngsters reacted differently. Vielvi and Ye Guyi were the most straightforward, their pretty faces showing nothing but surprise and curiosity. Though Qin Xu was also startled, he deliberately reserved some attention for Xue Zhao's reaction.

As one of the Far North's dominant species, Ice Jade Scorpions were found almost exclusively deep within the Far North Ice Plains. One appearing in the Heaven Dou Mountains could not be a coincidence. There had to be a reason!

Qin Xu watched Xue Zhao's reaction closely. She didn't seem surprised. Her expression was placid, as though she had known all along. Only in the depths of her eyes was there a trace of melancholy and longing. Though it vanished in a flash, Qin Xu still caught it.

That wasn't a normal reaction. It stood in stark contrast to Vielvi and Ye Guyi beside her, leaving him no choice but to grow suspicious.

Just as I thought! Qin Xu's spirits soared, wild joy flooding his heart. His guess had been right.

Xue Zhao really was the Snow Empress!

Before long, Qin Feng returned carrying a large scorpion, looking rather excited.

"Little Xue Zhao, you've really struck gold! An Ice Jade Scorpion that's exactly three thousand years old!" he called loudly, tossing the giant scorpion he had beaten within an inch of its life beside her. "Isn't it strange? This big scorpion acted like it was possessed. Not only did it fail to run when it saw me, it actually came toward me."

"It really is a three-thousand-year-old Ice Jade Scorpion!" Bai Jian and Ya Yun were surprised as well.

"Wow! So this is an Ice Jade Scorpion? It's so pretty!" Vielvi and Ye Guyi drew closer, their eyes sparkling as though they had found a priceless treasure.

There was no denying that the Ice Jade Scorpion was beautiful. Its carapace resembled pieces of clear, glittering diamond, while its two front pincers and tail hook shone like pure silver. Its most distinctive feature was its tail, which looked as though it had been assembled from segments of jade.

As Qin Xu admired the Ice Jade Scorpion, he kept watching Xue Zhao out of the corner of his eye.

Unfortunately, the Ice Jade Scorpion failed to stir any further emotion in her. A faint smile even appeared on her face, which everyone else took as delight at the prospect of acquiring a soul ring from a top-tier soul beast.

"Unless I'm mistaken, that three-thousand-year-old Two-Headed Snow Ape was eaten by this Ice Jade Scorpion of the same age," Qin Feng said with a sigh. "A dominant species of the Far North, indeed. Its strength is truly impressive."

"It ate the Two-Headed Snow Ape that was supposed to become Xue Zhao's soul ring, only to end up becoming her soul ring itself. I suppose that counts as karmic retribution," Ya Yun said.

"Go ahead, child. Give this beast the final blow," Bai Jian said. "Don't waste this top-tier soul ring."

"All right!" Xue Zhao nodded and immediately finished off the Ice Jade Scorpion.

The others didn't understand why this Ice Jade Scorpion had appeared here, but she knew perfectly well. Bing'er must have discovered her disappearance and sent members of her species out to search for her. This Ice Jade Scorpion had most likely come to the Heaven Dou Mountains on Bing'er's orders, hoping to find news of her.

I've been away for seven years. It seems I need to return to the Far North, Xue Zhao thought.

Through this twist of fate, the Ice Jade Scorpion had effectively completed its mission. Its appearance had successfully awakened Xue Zhao's longing for the Far North.

Clearing away her distracting thoughts, Xue Zhao sat cross-legged on the Ice Jade Scorpion's corpse and began merging with its soul ring.

The process of merging with her second soul ring went exceptionally smoothly. It took less than three hours—even faster than Qin Xu.

At this, Qin Feng sighed and said, "This Ice Jade Scorpion's soul ring is so compatible with little Xue Zhao that it's practically tailor-made. Could it really be karmic retribution? This Ice Jade Scorpion ate the Snow Ape that should have become Xue Zhao's soul ring, so it had no choice but to become her soul ring itself?"

Xue Zhao's soul power also shot straight to level twenty-three, putting her on equal footing with Qin Xu.

Qin Xu no longer found it strange at all. She had taken human form to cultivate anew, with nearly seven hundred thousand years of accumulation behind her. Wasn't rapid advancement only natural? Viewed that way, he was the one who seemed to be cheating.

Xue Zhao's second soul skill was called Thousand Ice Spears!

It was an area-attack soul skill capable of instantly forming dozens of ice spears, unleashing a powerful assault like ten thousand arrows loosed at once. In Xue Zhao's words, it could work in conjunction with Snowfall in the Freezing Heavens to suppress enemies with sheer firepower. As her cultivation rose, she would truly be able to become a one-woman army.

It was absurd. This wasn't a soul skill a Soul Grandmaster should possess.

But once Qin Xu remembered Xue Zhao's true identity, he accepted it.

His desire to conquer and possess her grew even stronger.

A day later.

Loki Mountain.

They had returned to their starting point.

"There are no light-attribute soul beasts in these reports. If we want to find one, we'll have to head south," Qin Feng said. "Most light-attribute soul beasts in the Heaven Dou Mountains live south of Tianxing Commandery. At the very least, there aren't any around Tianxing Commandery itself."

"In that case, what are we waiting for? Let's set off," Bai Jian said. With a wave of his hand, a carriage appeared out of thin air and slammed heavily onto the ground, compressing the snow beneath it.

"Children, get in," Ya Yun said.

Qin Xu and the other three climbed into the carriage.

"Let's establish little Ye's requirements first," Qin Feng said. "That way, we can pinpoint a soul beast suitable for her."

"Fifteen hundred years of cultivation, a light attribute, and preferably some association with the sun," Ye Guyi said immediately.

An association with the sun could come through a sun-related name or a sun-like appearance. For soul beasts, such traits did not arise out of nowhere without any connection.

"All right." Qin Feng nodded, then took the driver's seat and urged the four Hornscale Horses south.

On the road.

"Little Ye, why did you specifically emphasize an association with the sun?" Bai Jian asked curiously. "As far as I know, most soul beasts associated with the sun have a fire attribute. Don't you have an angel martial soul? Wouldn't a sacred-attribute soul beast suit you better?"

"It was Brother Xu's suggestion," Ye Guyi said, turning to Qin Xu.

"Oh?" Bai Jian also looked at Qin Xu. "Xu, tell your Third Great-Grandfather what you have in mind."

Vielvi and Xue Zhao quietly pricked up their ears. They were very curious about this as well. Over the past three months, Qin Xu and Ye Guyi had frequently spent time together, but whenever the two girls asked about it, they received only vague answers. The pair claimed they didn't know how to explain it either and told them to wait and see.

They were displeased and had even secretly followed them to peek. They discovered that Qin Xu was helping Ye Guyi bathe using a concoction called Blazing Sun Spiritual Liquid, but doing nothing else.

Qin Xu hadn't concealed the Blazing Sun Spiritual Liquid from them either and had shown it to them. Vielvi touched it once, and her hand burned painfully. Xue Zhao simply refused to touch it; her body felt an instinctive aversion.

Yet Ye Guyi seemed to enjoy it, which bothered them and made them even more curious about what she and Qin Xu were up to.

"Well..." Qin Xu glanced at the two girls. "It's nothing much, really. I just thought of the angel martial souls recorded in history and wanted to test a theory. Third Great-Grandfather, don't worry about it for now. Once I have results, I'll tell you right away."

"Oh, really?" Bai Jian's eyes lit up, as though something had occurred to him. He cooperated readily, chuckling as he said, "All right, then. Your Third Great-Grandfather won't ask any more. But you've promised—you must tell me first when you have results. Haha!"

"Of course," Qin Xu said.

Their hopes dashed, Vielvi and Xue Zhao watched Qin Xu and Bai Jian trade cryptic remarks. After exchanging a glance, they each reached out in unspoken agreement and placed a hand on Qin Xu's thigh. They made no further moves, both wearing kindly smiles, but the threat in their eyes was unmistakable.

Qin Xu could only smile helplessly. A plan involving the sublimation of a martial soul was not something to broadcast.

As the wheels rolled onward, the group entered the depths of the Heaven Dou Mountains.

"Get out," Qin Feng called as the carriage stopped. "There's a fairly large forest at the foot of the mountain ahead. Let's go down and take a look."

Everyone jumped out of the carriage and looked toward the forest Qin Feng had mentioned. It was indeed a forest. From their current position, the lush trees below resembled a green ocean nestled between two enormous mountains, stretching beyond the limits of their sight.

From here, they could appreciate the sheer vastness of the Heaven Dou Mountains. Not long ago, they had been admiring snow swirling across the sky. Now they stood above an emerald sea of trees. The contrast could hardly have been greater.

As they approached the forest nestled in the mountains, Qin Xu felt the mighty power of nature even more keenly. Every tree was thick and sturdy, towering into the clouds. A deep layer of fallen leaves blanketed the ground, while countless nameless wild grasses grew wildly in all directions, displaying nature in its most primal form.

This was a primeval forest, Qin Xu concluded.

"Well now, I didn't expect the Heaven Dou Mountains to have a primeval forest of this quality. It even has a touch of the Star Dou Great Forest about it," Bai Jian said with a smile.

For once, Ya Yun didn't contradict him. Instead, she agreed. "Indeed. These old trees must be at least a thousand years old. They aren't all that different from the vegetation on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest. Hopefully, the soul beasts here are even a fraction as good as those in the Star Dou Great Forest. Then we'll have another place to hunt soul rings in the future."

"Grandma Ya, what is the Star Dou Great Forest like? Is it even bigger and more magnificent than this?" Listening to the two elders' discussion, Vielvi couldn't help yearning to see it.

"Of course," Ya Yun said. "Compared with the Star Dou Great Forest, this forest is a single hair on nine oxen—not worth mentioning. The Star Dou Great Forest is more primal, wilder, and more natural. Ordinary forests are nowhere near its equal. Take the trees, for example. Its trees are taller and thicker than these, and their aura of life is much richer."

"I really want to see it!" Xue Zhao's eyes also filled with longing. Even in the Far North, she had heard of the Star Dou Great Forest's mighty reputation. She had always wanted to visit but had never made the trip. Now that she had taken human form, she simply had to see this sacred land of soul beasts!

"Hahaha, don't be impatient. You'll have a chance to go, and certainly more than once." Bai Jian smiled, a trace of wistfulness in his expression. "When the time comes, you'll understand why the Star Dou Great Forest ranks first among the continent's three great soul beast habitats. You'll also understand why it's called the 'graveyard of soul masters.'"

Naturally, Qin Xu was also endlessly curious about the Star Dou Great Forest. It held not only renowned ferocious beasts such as the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King Di Tian, the Emerald Swan, and the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, but also an unprecedented opportunity in the form of the million-year-old soul beast, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm.

Of course, what concerned and intrigued Qin Xu most were the Emperor Auspicious Beast who carried the fortune of the Soul Beast Clan—the Three-Eyed Golden Lion—and the Silver Dragon King sleeping deep beneath the Lake of Life!

"Do you think there'll be a soul beast suitable for me in this forest?" Though Ye Guyi was also curious about the Star Dou Great Forest, right now she was more interested in whether this nameless forest held any soul beasts, and whether one of them could become her soul ring.

"Maybe there will be, maybe there won't," Qin Feng answered uncertainly.

"Won't we find out once we go in and look?" Bai Jian said, taking the lead into the nameless primeval forest.

"Let's follow him," Qin Xu said, quickening his steps to catch up with Bai Jian.

The others followed as well. Qin Feng brought up the rear, while Ya Yun walked in the middle. They kept all four children safely within their sight, ensuring they could act at a moment's notice.

The forest was quiet and deep. They could clearly hear one another's footsteps, dull thuds against the fallen leaves carpeting the ground.

As the light was gradually swallowed up, the disturbance they created soon faded, and the places they had passed through sank back into darkness.