After a long period of contemplation, Li Yan's eyes flashed several times. He had finally made a decision. With a sweep of his great sleeve, the massive ice throne vanished from the cave. The next moment, Li Yan dispatched a wisp of his Divine Sense into the Earth-Spot. In a cavern at the summit of the mountain there, the huge ice throne would reappear.
Ever since Li Yan had cast his arts upon the mountain in the Earth-Spot, its upper half had become a glacier, while the temperature of the lower half gradually increased, such that its base was now a scene of spring blossoms.
When Li Yan's Divine Sense arrived at the cavern on the mountaintop, he was surprised to find that the number of Snow Mosquitoes seemed to have increased significantly in just a few days. Many of them danced in the snow outside, while the inner walls of the cavern were densely covered with them. Instead of being unsettling, it made the cavern appear even more crystalline and translucent. The Snow Mosquitoes themselves were nearly transparent, each one resembling a rhombus of ice. With so many of them inside, the entire cavern glittered with reflected icy light.
Li Yan marveled at the reproductive ability of the Snow Mosquitoes. Their numbers had multiplied so much in just a few days. No wonder they could become the overlords of the demonic beasts on the Snowy Plains of the pagoda. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a plague of locusts. Li Yan began to worry if the Earth-Spot would one day be overrun, but he quickly shook his head. Unless he used his arts to expand the icy region, the Snow Mosquitoes would be confined to this mountaintop.
The Snow Mosquitoes clearly sensed the appearance of an unfamiliar aura. Many of them vibrated their wings and took flight, quickly forming into an ice sword and viciously stabbing towards the location of Li Yan's Divine Sense. Unfortunately for them, they could only harm physical objects. Against an intangible entity, they passed straight through.
Confused, their ferocity was further aroused. They flew back and forth around the location of Li Yan's Divine Sense, but to no avail.
When a giant ice throne suddenly appeared out of thin air inside the cavern, the Snow Mosquitoes were visibly stunned. The countless insects flying in mid-air all stopped. After a few breaths, sharp screeches erupted from their pointed mouthparts, and they shot like snowy arrows towards the ice throne. To Li Yan's surprise, even the Snow Mosquitoes that had been clinging to the cavern walls, as if awakened, all swarmed towards the ice throne. Shortly after the throne's appearance, even more Snow Mosquitoes began to fly in from other parts of the mountaintop, pouring into the cavern.
Although surprised by the overwhelming swarm, Li Yan was mentally prepared. The ice throne originated from the first level of the Northern Abyss Demon-Suppressing Pagoda and could be said to be of the same origin as the Snow Mosquitoes. The aura it emitted and its frigid chill were not something he could replicate with the arts he used on the Earth-Spot space.
Just like that, Li Yan's Divine Sense remained in the Earth-Spot space for the time it takes to burn an incense stick. He observed as layers upon layers of ice rhombuses covered the throne, yet nothing unusual happened. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief. Even so, Li Yan decided that for a while, he would send a wisp of his Divine Sense into the Earth-Spot every hour to check, until he was absolutely certain this strange ice throne would bring him no trouble. Only then would he gradually let his guard down.
But just as his Divine Sense was about to leave the Earth-Spot space, he suddenly let out a soft "Huh?" Before leaving, he had taken one last, uneasy look at the entire ice throne. But when his gaze finally rested on an area of the backrest, he paused. It was the position of the ice phoenix's claws, poised as if to take flight. The number of Snow Mosquitoes there was several times greater than anywhere else. Layer after layer of Snow Mosquitoes, like transparent ice rhombuses, covered the spot. Because their bodies were transparent, one would not have noticed any difference without careful observation.
That spot was originally carved to look like the phoenix was about to launch into the air, its claws pushing off a branch of a phoenix tree. The branch seemed to extend into the frame from the outside, a perch for the phoenix to rest on.
This was a common motif in ordinary paintings, so Li Yan hadn't paid it much attention. But now, his Divine Sense began to fluctuate violently. As it did, many of the Snow Mosquitoes that had settled peacefully on the throne suddenly raised their heads, pointed their sharp mouthparts in the direction of his Divine Sense, and let out piercing screeches, though they showed no sign of wanting to leave the throne.
The reason for Li Yan's agitation was that the phoenix tree branch, covered by so many Snow Mosquitoes in such an orderly, layered fashion, now looked like a bas-relief, with distinct contours. And because the Snow Mosquitoes' bodies were transparent, their staggered arrangement meant that what Li Yan now saw was no longer a branch of a phoenix tree, but a section of a "bamboo shoot."
'Melting Bamboo Shoot!' The thought instantly arose in Li Yan's Divine Sense. He then formed his Divine Sense into an ethereal silhouette in the air, his eyes shining with a brilliant light. He pointed a finger at the ice throne. The throne immediately began to shrink at an incredible speed. When it had shrunk to the size of a dust mote, Li Yan snatched it from the air. With a grasp of his hand, both his ethereal form and the giant ice throne vanished from the Earth-Spot.
He left behind only a large swarm of initially stunned Snow Mosquitoes, which then exploded into a frenzy, flying everywhere in search of the ice throne. Piercing shrieks filled the air at the summit of the great mountain in the Earth-Spot, but Li Yan was already oblivious to it all.
Back in the Snow Sprite Lord's cave residence, the giant ice throne reappeared in its original position. Li Yan stepped onto it and walked quickly to the backrest. His eyes were fixed on the phoenix tree branch extending from the very bottom. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he then released his Divine Sense and carefully scanned the branch. A moment later, Li Yan immediately crouched down, his right hand wreathed in Spirit Qi, and placed it on the phoenix tree branch.
The branch was about a foot long. Li Yan placed his hand at its lowest point, where the backrest connected to the throne's base. Amidst the crisp sound of cracking ice, Li Yan's right hand clenched fiercely, and he pulled out an object just over two inches long.
Then, Li Yan slowly brought the object before his eyes. The thing in his right palm was strikingly similar to the fake "Melting Bamboo Shoot" he had resealed and buried deep underground. This section of Melting Bamboo Shoot was also a faint, milky white. It currently radiated an extremely cold aura, yet within the yin coldness was a gentle quality. The sheaths of the shoot seemed to bear some sort of ancient runes, and as Li Yan stared at them, he felt himself being drawn in, as if his Divine Sense had already walked into another world.
Li Yan's hand trembled slightly. He slowly stood up straight, his eyes flashing with a brilliant light. Without hesitation, he used the Spirit Qi on his left index finger to gently scrape off a thin, milky-white flake. This time, his left hand was not circulating any Spirit Qi; it made direct contact. He then brought the flake before his eyes and observed it carefully.
The milky-white substance did not melt on his fingertip. Apart from a comfortable coolness, there was no corrosion or absorption into his skin. Next, Li Yan's Divine Sense stirred and once again traveled to the mountaintop in the Earth-Spot. A sky full of Snow Mosquitoes was flying about manically, as if caught in a swirling blizzard.
With a casual sweep of his Divine Sense, Li Yan brought two Snow Mosquitoes out of the Earth-Spot and into the Snow Sprite Lord's cave residence. At this point, he fully released the Spirit Power in his right hand, firmly protecting the object and preventing any aura from leaking out. His left index finger remained in place, also using Spirit Power to temporarily shield the aura of the milky-white substance on it.
Upon returning to the Snow Sprite Lord's cave residence, the two Snow Mosquitoes appeared dazed. Then, like swallows returning to their nest in spring, they flew about excitedly. The aura here was all too familiar to them. They soon spotted Li Yan standing there, and the two insects immediately let out sharp screeches and charged at him fearlessly.
Just as the two Snow Mosquitoes were less than three feet from him, Li Yan suddenly dispersed the Spirit Power in his left hand. With a flick of his index finger, the sliver of milky-white substance fell downwards. His movements were extremely fast. The two Snow Mosquitoes were about to attack him, but the moment he released the Spirit Power on his left index finger, they became even more agitated and excited.
The two insects abruptly changed direction and pounced on the falling sliver of milky-white substance. They quickly caught up to it, and their sharp mouthparts pierced it from two directions. In a single gulp, they sucked the milky-white substance into their abdomens. After ingesting it, the two Snow Mosquitoes instantly became exceptionally highly agitated, and their speed increased dramatically. Having lost their target, they refocused on Li Yan, their bodies turning into two afterimages as they shot towards him.
Li Yan watched, his eyes growing brighter and brighter. Seeing the two Snow Mosquitoes attacking him like arrows loosed from a bowstring, he waved his left hand. The two insects were sent tumbling away. After flying back several dozen zhang, they charged at him again with even greater speed.
'Their speed and strength are about three times greater than before. These two were at the initial-stage of level one, and now they've faintly reached the peak of the mid-stage of level one.'
Just like that, Li Yan continuously fended off the two Snow Mosquitoes' attacks. After twenty breaths, their auras and speeds began to slowly decline, but they showed no signs of weakness. He observed them for another half-incense stick's time, and the two Snow Mosquitoes remained full of vitality, showing no abnormalities. They simply stopped attacking Li Yan. After all, they were level one demonic beasts with awakened intelligence. When their attacks proved fruitless, they gave up. In the end, they found the damaged part of the phoenix tree branch on the ice throne's backrest and settled down on it.
"Melting Bamboo Shoot! This is the Melting Bamboo Shoot!" Li Yan's heart began to race with wild joy. This time, he quickly brushed his left index finger against his right hand again. Another thin, milky-white flake appeared on his fingertip. The moment the substance appeared, the two Snow Mosquitoes that had settled down instantly took to the air again and lunged at Li Yan.
Without even looking, Li Yan's Spirit Power shield flashed, blocking the two insects. He let them crash against it as they pleased. He had already placed the milky-white substance from his left index finger into his mouth. The moment it entered his mouth, it transformed into a stream of extreme, icy cold that shot down his throat and into his stomach. The icy stream moved like lightning, giving Li Yan no time to react.
There was no panic on Li Yan's face. He allowed the extremely cold stream to invade his abdomen. With the power of his Fragmented Poison Body, he believed no poison existed that could kill him instantly, at least not in the Mortal Realm. Although the potency of his Fragmented Poison Body was related to his cultivation level, it was, more importantly, his very physical body, long since integrated into his blood and bones.
After the extreme cold entered his stomach, it did not corrode his organs. Though he had expected this, it was still a relief. Next, the icy coldness traveled through his meridians. It did not freeze them. The chill, far from causing discomfort, gave him a feeling of extreme well-being.
Tracking it with his Divine Sense, he saw that wherever the icy stream passed, it was as if it plated his meridians with a milky-white protective layer. The Spirit Qi in his meridians, like startled deer, suddenly accelerated its circulation, turning into a thundering stampede of ten thousand horses. Standing on the ice throne, Li Yan's body erupted in a brilliant spiritual light. His aura began to surge uncontrollably: mid-stage Foundation Establishment, peak mid-stage Foundation Establishment, late-stage Foundation Establishment, peak late-stage Foundation Establishment...