After the ten-thousand-year profound ice disappeared from the cave, the Immortal Spiritual Qi there grew noticeably thinner. That extreme, biting cold seemed to have vanished as well.
Right up until then, nothing unexpected had happened. He had collected three priceless treasures without a hitch.
Li Dalong finally let out a secret sigh of relief, losing interest in exploring the small holes in the cave walls. Contentment brought lasting happiness; with the treasures in hand, it was time to withdraw.
Just as Li Dalong turned to leave, a sudden sense of extreme danger rose in his heart.
Without thinking, he rolled on the spot, but he was half a beat too slow. A tremendous force struck his right shoulder, followed by the crack of breaking bone in his ears. Agonizing pain instantly shot through his shoulder.
The tremendous impact sent his body crashing into the cave wall on his left, shaking ice crystals loose throughout the cave in a rattling shower.
The pain in his shoulder and the collision with the cave wall left Li Dalong seeing stars. Paying no heed to it, he kicked off with both legs as he rebounded from the wall and landed, sending his body sliding along the ground toward the exit.
Once inside the Magic Formation he had prepared earlier, he cast a spell gesture and urgently activated it. A transparent Protective Barrier enclosed him. Only then did he have time to see what had attacked him.
Just as he looked for his attacker, he heard a sharp smack. At the same time, a tremendous vibration ran through the formation's protective barrier. The barrier visibly thinned, and the pale blue Supreme-Grade Spirit Stones placed in the Formation Core faded before his eyes.
An ice-crystal-like Immortal Beast, its entire body translucent and covered in faintly blue