Divine Wilderness Dragon Emperor

Chapter 59: Chapter 59: A Close Call

By the Glacial Lake, Ling Fei and the others walked forward together.

The ice layer was thick, enough to bear their weight.

Soon, they arrived at the edge of the water.

Here, a patch of Ice Lotuses could be seen.

”In this area, there are a total of two hundred twenty-eight Ice Lotuses!”

Everyone’s gaze shifted, locking onto the Ice Lotuses.

”The farthest ones are over sixty meters away. It’ll be a bit tricky to pick them,” Ling Fei said. ”Besides, there might be Ice Bears lurking there.”

”If that’s the case, rushing in to pick them would be very dangerous!”

Ever since Ling Fei began cultivating the True Dragon Visualization Image, his Soul Perception Power had far surpassed that of an ordinary person.

At this moment, he could detect faint ripples in the distant lake water.

The fluctuations were subtle, but they were definitely there.

”This is indeed very dangerous.” Zhou Qingshui’s eyes blinked as she looked ahead and said, ”With my Body Technique, I can definitely reach that area, but if an Ice Bear attacks, it will be difficult for me to fight at full capacity. That would be a huge problem.” This was precisely the risk of this mission.

”How about this: I’ll ride a Profound Eagle and stand guard nearby. That way, I can watch your back,” Ling Fei said, his gaze hardening.

”That could work!” Zhou Qingshui nodded slightly.

With a Profound Eagle providing support from the air, it would at least eliminate a lot of trouble.

”I’ll go too!” said Shangguan Moyu.

”In that case, the two of us will go pick the Ice Lotuses!” Shangguan Piaoyu said, looking at Zhou Qingshui.

With two people picking the Ice Lotuses, their efficiency would naturally be higher than just one person’s.

Thus, the risk was also slightly reduced.

After all, every extra second they delayed there would increase the danger.

”That’s a workable plan,” Zhou Qingshui nodded.

Immediately, they all mounted the Profound Eagles and flew off.

Upon reaching the Ice Lotuses, Zhou Qingshui and Shangguan Piaoyu moved like swallows, leaping from the Profound Eagles’ backs and landing on the lotus leaves.

Then, they bent at the waist, their delicate hands reaching out to pluck the Ice Lotuses.

”I have a Sodium Ring!” Ling Fei said.

So, the two women tossed the Ice Lotuses toward Ling Fei.

Ling Fei reached out, caught them, and then stored them in his Sodium Ring.

Meanwhile, Shangguan Moyu held his Long Sword, keeping watch in all directions.

And so, the two Profound Eagles circled in the sky above the lake, while Zhou Qingshui and Shangguan Piaoyu moved like dragonflies skimming the water, shifting positions and continuously picking Ice Lotuses.

First, they picked the ones in the outer region.

Only then did they move toward the Ice Lotuses in the center of the patch.

”That’s two hundred and twelve!” A happy expression appeared on Shangguan Moyu’s face as he watched the Ice Lotuses being picked one by one.

Fifty points per stalk.

Two hundred stalks would be ten thousand points.

With this, they could each get two thousand five hundred points.

Those points were enough to exchange for a good sword.

From the beginning until now, everything had been calm and uneventful.

Zhou Qingshui and Shangguan Piaoyu were also happily picking Ice Lotuses, their faces full of joy.

VMM!

Suddenly, an almost imperceptible ripple spread across the distant lake surface.

The disturbance was tiny, almost like a fish swimming by.

But Ling Fei was watching closely.

He extended his Heart Spirit Sensing, and the fluctuations in the water were perceived with perfect clarity.

It was as if his eyes could see the ripples within the water itself.

’An Ice Bear is coming!’ Ling Fei’s eyes flashed. He kept sensing, trying to get a clear picture of the situation.

”Not good! There’s a Water Python swimming over from the other side! Retreat!” Ling Fei immediately shouted to Zhou Qingshui and Shangguan Piaoyu.

Aboard the other Profound Eagle, Shangguan Moyu was startled.

He tried to sense it carefully but discovered no fluctuations.

Shangguan Piaoyu, who was still joyfully picking Ice Lotuses, also looked astonished.

”The Water Python is speeding up!” Ling Fei shouted again.

It seemed as if Ling Fei’s voice had startled the Demon Pythons below, and they all began to accelerate.

”There really are Demon Beasts lurking!” At this point, Zhou Qingshui also sensed the fluctuations.

Immediately, her delicate feet tapped on a lotus leaf as she prepared to leap toward the Profound Eagle.

WHOOSH!

Just then, a huge wave surged up from under the water.

The wave rose ten meters high and crashed down on Zhou Qingshui and Shangguan Piaoyu.

The two women’s bodies were struck by the wave. They trembled slightly, and the momentum of their leap was broken.

Fortunately, their Body Techniques were excellent. They slapped the water’s surface with their delicate hands, using the force to launch themselves back into the air.

However, the Demon Python had already surfaced behind them. Its massive tail coiled, about to whip toward Zhou Qingshui and Shangguan Piaoyu.

In addition, the distant Ice Bears were also closing in, now only twenty meters away.

Zhou Qingshui and Shangguan Piaoyu’s situation had become extremely dangerous.

A single misstep could mean their death here.

At this moment, they too began to panic.

”Go!” By now, Ling Fei was already piloting his Profound Eagle toward Zhou Qingshui.

Shangguan Moyu also directed his Profound Eagle toward Shangguan Piaoyu.

WHOOSH!

There, the giant python’s tail was already swinging at them.

”If we want to retreat safely, we have to deal with this python first,” Ling Fei said to Shangguan Moyu.

Then, he steered his Profound Eagle forward, and with a flash of his Long Sword, he slashed directly at the python’s tail.

SWISH!

As the Long Sword swung, a sharp aura burst forth.

The Sword Momentum pressed down, causing the waves stirred up by the giant python to collapse.

Then, with a flash of light from the sword, the python’s tail was sliced clean off.

This Demon Python was very strong, having reached the Nine Layers of Body Tempering. Its Scale Armor was formidable and couldn’t be injured by ordinary blades.

However, Ling Fei had comprehended Sword Momentum. His strike was incomparably sharp, enough to cut through metal and shatter stone.

SPLASH!

The severed tail fell into the lake, sending up a spray of water.

It could be seen that it was completely covered in ice crystals.

Not a single drop of blood dripped from the wound after his sword strike.

This was the power of the Cold Chi True Qi.

HISSS!

The giant python shrieked in pain, hastily retracting its barrel-thick body.

However, on closer inspection, ice crystals were spreading from the wound, a sign that the residual Cold Chi True Qi was still wreaking havoc.

At this, the giant python’s eyes showed fear, and it quickly retreated back into the water.

It seemed to have realized just how terrifying Ling Fei was.

SWISH!

On the other side, Shangguan Moyu also made his move.

His Long Sword flashed, striking the tail of another python.

The strike was fierce, breaking through the tough Scale Armor. The giant python’s flesh was mangled, and fresh blood flowed out.

However, its tail was not severed.

This was the difference in their strength.

But due to the severe injury, the giant python also whipped its tail back, its blood staining the lake surface below red.

”Get on!” At that moment, Ling Fei extended his left hand and reached for Zhou Qingshui.

”Okay!” Zhou Qingshui skimmed across the water like a dragonfly. With a single leap, she was beside the Profound Eagle, where she stretched out a delicate hand and tightly grasped Ling Fei’s.

Ling Fei took the chance to pull her up onto the Profound Eagle’s back.

At the same time, Shangguan Moyu also acted, pulling Shangguan Piaoyu onto his Profound Eagle’s back.

ROAR!

Just then, an Ice Bear roared.

One of the Ice Bears even swiped its giant claw at Ling Fei.

WHOOSH WHOOSH!

The claw swipe was ferocious, carrying a frigid gale that stirred up waves.

This was an Ice Bear at the Nine Layers of Body Tempering. It had already produced Cold Dao True Qi in its body. Getting hit by it would certainly result in serious injury.

”Perfect timing!” Seeing this, Ling Fei’s eyes flashed. He brandished his Long Sword, carving an arc through the air as he slashed at the bear’s paw.

The Profound Eagle was trying to fly away, so there was some distance between them.

But as the Long Sword slashed out, a three-inch-long stream of Sword Qi erupted from its tip.

This Sword Qi was made of Cold Chi True Qi.

It was as sharp as a sword itself, and it struck the bear’s paw.

Then, the paw’s advance halted, and it was severed.

Likewise, the rampaging Cold Qi sealed the stump in ice.

ROAR!

The great bear roared in anger.

By now, the Profound Eagle was already carrying Ling Fei and the others toward the shore.

As the Profound Eagle flew back, Zhou Qingshui secretly sighed in relief. Unconsciously, her delicate hands had wrapped around the waist of the young man in front of her.

A smile touched the corners of her lips.

’If it weren’t for his warning just now, I’m afraid I would have been ambushed and injured by that giant python.’

’Falling into the lake would have undoubtedly meant death.’

ROAR! ROAR!

Behind them, the Ice Bears continued to roar.

The Profound Eagles landed on solid ground by the lake.

”What do you think? Should we wait for the Ice Bears to come ashore and fight them?” Shangguan Moyu asked, a fiery glint in his eyes.

Ling Fei glanced at Zhou Qingshui.

’After that terrifying scene, has this girl become afraid?’ he wondered.

”There might be several dozen Ice Bears, but none of them are in the Innate Realm. Now that we’re on solid ground, we can fight with our full strength,” Zhou Qingshui said. ”I think we can take them!” For her, this was a great opportunity to temper herself, and she naturally didn’t want to miss it.

”I think so too,” said Shangguan Piaoyu.

”In that case, let’s fight!” Ling Fei said.

He, of course, had no fear of these Demon Bears.

Then, the Demon Bears charged ashore, each one more ferocious than the last.

KILL!

The four of them held their swords and charged into the fray.

ROAR!

One after another, the Ice Bears lunged at them, all radiating a menacing aura.

These Ice Bears were incredibly strong. Despite not having reached the Innate Realm, they could unleash a terrifying force of twelve thousand catties.

Now, a full eighty-four of these giant bears were charging them, an intimidating sight to behold.

Ling Fei held his Long Sword and charged straight at them.

His Long Sword danced, moving like flowing clouds and water.

Wherever Ling Fei’s Long Sword passed, his Sword Momentum descended, and with a flash of sharp sword-light, a bear’s paw would be severed.

In a mere instant, six of the giant bears were wounded.

Then, he thrust his Long Sword into the giant bears’ hearts.

ROAR!

One by one, the giant bears howled in agony.

Zhou Qingshui also cultivated the Sword Dao, and her Long Sword was incomparably sharp wherever it struck.

Besides them, Shangguan Piaoyu and Shangguan Moyu also fought with imposing momentum.

Although the Ice Bears were strong, their defenses were inferior to the Demon Python’s.

SWISH! SWISH!

Sword-light danced, and one giant bear after another fell to the ground.

In just half an hour, sixty-two of the eighty-four giant bears had been slain.

The rest retreated back into the lake.

And so, the battle was over.

Immediately, the group began to harvest the Bear Galls.

The bear pelts were also valuable and could be sold for a good price.

It took them an hour to finish processing all the pelts and Bear Galls.

Afterward, the spoils were distributed among the four of them.

As there were too many bear pelts, they were all stored in Ling Fei’s Sodium Ring.

At the same time, because Ling Fei had killed the most Ice Bears, he also received a larger share of the pelts.

After everything was taken care of, Zhou Qingshui, Shangguan Piaoyu, and Shangguan Moyu prepared to leave.

”Are you really going to the inner Glacial Lake?” Zhou Qingshui’s long eyelashes fluttered. She stared at Ling Fei, her face full of concern as she spoke.

Her eyes held a hint of worry.

After all, that place was deep within the Glacier Mountain Range, and it was highly likely that Innate Realm Demon Beasts lived there.

She was truly worried about him.

But at only the Body Tempering Realm, she would only drag Ling Fei down if she went there.

”Don’t worry. If there’s any danger, I’ll retreat immediately,” Ling Fei said with a smile.

After the recent battle, he had a better understanding of his own combat prowess.

Although the Demon Bears and Demon Pythons were strong, they lacked the augmentation of Martial Arts Power, so they couldn’t compare to Cultivators of the same level.

After all, these were just ordinary Demon Beasts.

”In that case, take care of yourself,” Zhou Qingshui said, lightly biting her red lips.

”I will!” Ling Fei smiled.

Then, Zhou Qingshui, Shangguan Piaoyu, and Shangguan Moyu mounted a Profound Eagle and departed.

As for Ling Fei, he mounted his Profound Eagle and flew deeper into Beichuan.

’He’s finally on the move?’ Just as Ling Fei entered the Beichuan Mountain Range, the figure of Qin Hui appeared.