Chapter 338: Ice Jade Scorpion vs. Snowfield Ice Pheasant
By this point, if Qi Han still didn't know what was happening, he'd have to be truly stupid.
That Ice Jade Scorpion had been lying completely still in the middle of the Snowfield Ice Pheasant's exclusive hunting ground, its jade-green tail swaying in the open. For a predator with such sharp vision, spotting it would've been effortless.
Was this guy fearless because of its strength—or just plain dumb?
Qi Han still felt a lingering chill of fear.
He had just been wondering how he might go about locating a Snowfield Ice Pheasant.
Turns out… one had been watching him from above all along!
At an altitude of over a thousand meters, the bird's field of view would be enormous. If it could spot the Ice Jade Scorpion, it could certainly spot him too.
Qi Han's windproof and insulated gear was white, sure—but he doubted his earlier movements had gone unnoticed under the terrifying dynamic vision of a Snowfield Ice Pheasant.
The pheasant had attacked the scorpion first, likely because it didn't see Qi Han—a lone human spirit master—as a threat. It prioritized the Ice Jade Scorpion, a spirit beast that possessed Ultimate Ice, over a human.
With no room for wishful thinking, the moment he saw the Snowfield Ice Pheasant dive, Qi Han immediately retreated, quickly putting distance between himself and the two beasts. He had no intention of getting caught in the middle of their fight.
Only after backing off more than a hundred meters did he finally get a clearer view of the battle unfolding between the two spirit beasts.
Under normal circumstances, a Snowfield Ice Pheasant with a wingspan of four meters would already be at the thousand-year level, and if its wingspan reached eight meters, that marked the ten-thousand-year level.
This one had a wingspan of six to seven meters, meaning its cultivation was likely around six thousand years.
Honestly, his original plan had been to find and kill a Snowfield Ice Pheasant around the thousand-year level, just enough to complete his mission.
But after what had just happened, there was no way he'd be stupid enough to go actively looking for one again.
Who knew what might fall from the sky next?
What if it had been a ten-thousand-year beast?
Nope. Forget that idea.
Better to just observe for now. Maybe he could reap the benefits after the battle—play the fisherman in the fable.
With that thought, Qi Han stopped retreating and focused intently on the two beasts' confrontation.
This six-thousand-year Snowfield Ice Pheasant was no pushover. The moment it appeared, it immediately took the upper hand, suppressing the Ice Jade Scorpion.
Although the scorpion wielded the Ultimate Ice element, rendering most of the pheasant's ice-based attacks significantly less effective, the pheasant had sheer physical superiority on its side. Its raw power alone was enough to overwhelm its opponent.
Still, the Ice Jade Scorpion wasn't defenseless. Though clearly disadvantaged, its long tail glowed with a deeper green, and cold radiance pulsed from the stinger at its tip. The terrifying ice energy emanating from it caused layers of frost to form spontaneously in the air nearby.
After observing for a while, Qi Han realized something interesting—the pheasant kept slashing at the scorpion's tough crystalline carapace, leaving shallow marks, yet its gaze never strayed from the scorpion's tail stinger. It was deliberately avoiding getting close to it.
Qi Han couldn't help but whistle under his breath.
Was the Ice Jade Scorpion's tail really that dangerous?
Even a spirit beast ten times its age didn't dare engage it head-on?
The answer came quickly.
Suddenly, the scorpion's giant pincers clamped together and slammed down like hammers, smashing into one of the pheasant's wings. The Snowfield Ice Pheasant screeched in fury as a faint layer of frost spread across the struck wing.
Clearly, it had been invaded by the Ice Jade Scorpion's Ultimate Ice, weakening it even if temporarily.
Though it could likely shake off the frost given time, the wing's flexibility was already compromised.
And the scorpion had no intention of giving it that time.
In the very next moment, just as its pincers struck down, the jade-green tail, long poised for this moment, shot forward like a bolt of lightning, aiming straight for the Snowfield Ice Pheasant's chest—!
Was it about to turn the tables?!
Qi Han stared tensely at the sudden reversal in the fight.
"Screee!"
The Snowfield Ice Pheasant let out a shrill cry. In the face of imminent danger, it twisted its body midair and lashed out with one sharp talon toward the stinger that was aimed at its chest.
A flash of icy light burst from the talon as it collided with the scorpion's tail.
The impact froze the talon almost instantly, a layer of crystalline frost spreading rapidly across it. If one looked closely, they'd even spot a faint green glow pulsing from within the ice—a telltale sign of the Ice Jade Scorpion's venomous Ultimate Ice.
But the scorpion didn't escape unscathed.
The Snowfield Ice Pheasant's razor-sharp claws severed the tail stinger from the rest of the scorpion's body in a single, brutal strike.
The pain sent the scorpion into a frenzy, thrashing wildly on the ground. Its tail, the most vital part of its body—its weapon, its pride, its life—was now gone.
And without its tail stinger, the Ice Jade Scorpion's fate was effectively sealed.
The Snowfield Ice Pheasant's eyes flashed with cold fury. Sensing its opportunity, it struck again—this time with its uninjured talon, plunging it straight into the scorpion's head.
The Ice Jade Scorpion stiffened. Then, it moved no more.
A lethal blow. The spirit beast was dead.
The battle between the two mighty beasts ended with the Snowfield Ice Pheasant's victory.
Qi Han let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Thank goodness.
If the scorpion had won, he would've had to find another Snowfield Ice Pheasant for his mission.
This one, at least, had survived the fight—but it was clearly badly injured. One wing hung limp, and one talon was frozen solid.
Perfect. It's an easier prey.
Seeing this as his chance, Qi Han started walking toward the Snowfield Ice Pheasant, intent on finishing it off.
But what happened next caught him completely off guard.
The Snowfield Ice Pheasant didn't flee—nor did it attack him. Instead, it threw back its head and let out a long, piercing cry.
And in that cry… Qi Han heard despair. Frustration. A spirit beast's unwillingness to accept death.
What's going on?
He was still processing this when Ru Yi's voice suddenly screamed in his mind:
"Get down—now!"
Without hesitation, Qi Han dove to the ground.
Just as he hit the snow, an earth-shaking explosion erupted from where the Snowfield Ice Pheasant stood.
The ground beneath it detonated like a bomb, sending snow and ice blasting outward in a swirling storm. Even from over a hundred meters away, Qi Han felt the shockwave ripple through the ground. His ears rang painfully—he couldn't hear anything at all for a few seconds.
What… was that?!
Even before Ru Yi could explain, Qi Han understood.
Ice Explosion—
The innate skill of the Ice Jade Scorpion clan!
A forbidden technique, rare even among their kind. Rumor had it that even the legendary Ice Empress had never mastered it.
Yet somehow, this mere five-hundred-year-old Ice Jade Scorpion had possessed this terrifying innate skill.
The Ice Explosion's power scaled with the energy of whatever had been frozen—and the scorpion had frozen the Snowfield Ice Pheasant's talon and part of its body before death. When that energy was ignited…
The result was nothing short of catastrophic.
As the explosion's echoes faded, Qi Han's hearing slowly began to return. He looked up, stunned.
A crater over ten meters wide now marred the snowy field. Of the Snowfield Ice Pheasant, not even a feather remained. It had been completely obliterated—reduced to ashes by the Ice Explosion.
All that remained was a single, deep-purple spirit ring slowly rising from the center of the crater.
Qi Han blinked.
Then it hit him.
Wait a second…
That was my target.
And now… it's gone? 😐
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