Chapter 337: The Ice Jade Scorpion
Swish!
Qi Han's first spirit ring, a deep black, flared to life. A blade light thirty meters long slashed out in an instant, and the century-old Snow Wolf that had leapt toward him was cleaved cleanly in two. A soft yellow glow rose from the corpse, quickly coalescing into a yellow spirit ring.
Qi Han didn't even glance at the wolf's body. His eyes swept over the rest of the Snow Wolves encircling him and he spoke calmly, "Scram."
Under the pressure of his ten-thousand-year spirit ring—and the cold, merciless way he had instantly dispatched their comrade—the wolves' initial arrogance was long gone. Fear filled their eyes. As soon as Qi Han spoke, they turned tail and fled with their tails tucked between their legs.
Qi Han shook his head, his expression laced with mild exasperation.
At this point, he was still some distance from the hunting grounds of the Snowfield Ice Pheasants. Most of the spirit beasts in this outer region were only at the ten- or hundred-year level. Here, the mere display of his ten-thousand-year spirit ring was usually enough to frighten them off.
But this pack of Snow Wolves had been especially stubborn—refusing to give up until he dealt with them.
Still…
After mastering "Wensi Tofu" and reaching perfection in blade technique, his first spirit skill One Cut, Two Breaks had evolved into a ten-thousand-year spirit skill. This was his first time activating it in its upgraded form—and the results were a pleasant surprise.
The blade's reach had grown from ten meters to thirty, and the power behind it had increased significantly.
Combined with the passive boost from Refining Power to Silk and his recently improved spirit power, this single skill now packed as much punch as his previous one-two combo of first and second spirit skills.
He glanced at the wolf's cooling body—its blood already soaking into the snow beneath, turning the ground a startling red—and sighed.
It's a shame that a snow Wolf meat tastes terrible.
Otherwise, he would've just tossed the carcass into his storage space and roasted it later.
Shaking off the thought, Qi Han turned and pressed deeper into the Extreme North Snowfield.
Dusk had already set in when he arrived. Now, the sky grew ever darker. It would be impossible to hunt a Snowfield Ice Pheasant before nightfall.
Still… He should at least reach their hunting grounds.
He had no desire to wake up tomorrow and keep traveling.
With that in mind, his pace quickened.
About an hour later, without further incident and guided by Ru Yi, he reached the Snowfield Ice Pheasant's territory just before full nightfall. Before him stretched a rare flat expanse on the otherwise rugged terrain of the Extreme North Snowfield.
Qi Han nodded with satisfaction.
A flat plain like this…
It's the perfect hunting ground for the Snowfield Ice Pheasant.
'Let's stop here. I'll get to know those adorable pheasants better in the morning.'
With that, Qi Han's figure flickered and vanished. He, along with Pururu, entered the system space.
…
When Qi Han reappeared from the system space, it was already the next morning.
One night—about twelve hours—had passed. But with a 120x time acceleration in the system, it had felt like a full two months inside.
Two months was plenty of time to accomplish a lot.
For instance, finishing his training in Dinghu Shangsu.
That culinary training had been delayed repeatedly due to various reasons, but now it was finally complete.
Though… this wasn't the right time to attempt it.
Much as he wanted to witness what mystical phenomena might occur from preparing Dinghu Shangsu, that curiosity would have to wait.
Once he'd completed the food material collection and intermediate rank advancement tasks, he would try it back at Hanshi.
For now—
It's time to play with the adorable Snowfield Ice Pheasants.
But… How was he supposed to find them?
Qi Han frowned slightly.
He looked out at the endless white expanse. Finding a specific beast here would be ridiculously difficult.
Most of the creatures in the Extreme North Snowfield were white. Their natural camouflage allowed them to blend in perfectly with the snowy environment.
He had suffered for it during yesterday's journey. More than once, spirit beasts had ambushed him from mere meters away before he even noticed them. Luckily, they hadn't been strong.
But now that he was the one actively searching for a specific spirit beast, the challenge had increased dramatically.
Qi Han directed his spirit power through the meridians around his eyes, enhancing his vision further. But even with this, he still couldn't detect the slightest movement in the swirling snow.
'Man… I really envy the Snowfield Ice Pheasant's eyesight…'
As he walked deeper into the snowfield, scanning every direction carefully, his steps suddenly slowed.
Something had caught his attention.
That seemed… like a different color just now?
In the vast stretch of pure white snow, any trace of color would stand out like a beacon. Qi Han's interest was immediately piqued, and he moved in the direction of that fleeting hue.
It was the first time he had seen any color other than white on the snowfield.
A spirit beast? Or something else?
He had barely taken a few steps when his expression turned a little strange.
Damn!
The moment that faint greenish hue entered his vision, the outline of a creature emerged, and Qi Han instantly understood what it was—what that distant streak of color really signified.
One of the apex spirit beast species of the Extreme North Snowfield—the Ice Jade Scorpion.
A sovereign born with mastery over the Ultimate Ice element.
But… this wasn't supposed to be part of their territory. What was an Ice Jade Scorpion doing out here?
Qi Han crouched slightly, intending to observe it longer without startling it.
Once he settled down and focused, he noticed more details.
The Ice Jade Scorpion in front of him was about a meter in size. Its entire body was adorned with exquisite hexagonal crystalline protrusions. Each of its six long, slender legs and massive pincers was also lined with the same icy crystals, like a beautifully sculpted piece of art formed from frozen gems.
Behind it, a long, high-arching tail shimmered with a greenish hue. The tail's stinger sparkled like a diamond at its tip—this striking color was the origin of the "Jade" in Ice Jade Scorpion.
Though non-venomous, that powerful tail remained the scorpion's primary weapon.
This particular scorpion's tail had twelve segments. While not especially large, it radiated a sense of threat and viciousness.
Qi Han let out a slow breath, slightly relieved.
Because of Bing'er, he had once studied the Douluo Continent Ingredient Encyclopedia entries on Ice Jade Scorpions in detail.
These spirit beasts didn't grow significantly in size as they advanced in age— even the mighty Ice Empress at nearly 400,000 years old was only around 1.5 meters in body length.
However, their tail segments were a key marker of age and power: the longer they lived, the fewer segments they had, and the deeper the green hue became.
10-year Ice Jade Scorpions had over 13 segments.
100-year ones typically had 12–13 segments.
1,000-year variants had 10–11 segments.
10,000-year ones had 8–9 segments.
Above 100,000 years, they had fewer than 7 segments.
An Ice Jade Scorpion that surpassed 200,000 years, like Bing'er, would have 4–5 segments, and once it reached 500,000 years, only 3 segments would remain.
Legend had it that when an Ice Jade Scorpion's tail condensed into a single unified segment, it would break through to the million-year realm, transcending into a divine beast. Its tail would become as mighty as a divine weapon.
So, with twelve segments, this one was only at the hundred-year level, likely around 500 years old—not insignificant, and still a threat.
Especially given its lineage as a wielder of Ultimate Ice, its combat strength far exceeded typical beasts of the same age.
Still, Qi Han assessed that if it came down to a fight, he would probably be able to win.
That was why he allowed himself to relax—just a little.
But… best not to fight if it's avoidable.
Still, what was this Ice Jade Scorpion doing here?
Qi Han stared at it for a while. It lay motionless on the ground, so still it might have been dead—if not for the faint but constant swaying of its jade-green tail.
Wait… green… swaying?
A sudden unease crept into Qi Han's chest.
Then, he heard a faint whoosh—the sound of air being cut through.
Qi Han tilted his head slightly—and then he saw it.
An ice-blue pheasant with a wingspan of six or seven meters was diving from above at lightning speed, talons extended and aimed straight at the Ice Jade Scorpion!
The Snowfield Ice Pheasant had arrived!
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Tn: Bing'er
Bing'er is the Ice Jade Scorpion Empress, she's a 399,900 year old spirit beast who possesses the rare Ultimate Ice element. She is the second strongest out of the three Arctic kings of the Extreme North and is ranked 7th amongst the continent's top 10 Great Beasts.
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