Chapter 198: Treasure Hunt
Deep in the rear mountains of Jia Nan Academy, on a lofty peak, Zi Yan—her violet Dou Qi wings flaring—descended slowly alongside Xiao Yuan, whose black ice wings shimmered with frosty aura.
"This is the place!"
Zi Yan tugged Xiao Yuan's sleeve and whispered.
Xiao Yuan scanned the area.
If not for Zi Yan's guidance, he would never have guessed that a thousand li south of the valley once occupied by the Snow Demon Ape, such a strange place would exist.
From a distance, this peak was hidden among overlapping ridges and appeared quite unremarkable.
But up close, its peculiarity was immediately evident.
On one side of the mountain, the foliage was veined with glowing white fire-like lines. On the other, it shimmered with flowing black water-like patterns.
The sight left Xiao Yuan briefly stunned.
It was the first time he had seen such a dual-element natural phenomenon. Even without Zi Yan explaining, he could tell that some rare treasure was concealed here.
At minimum, this must be the main ingredient of a sixth-grade pill!
Naturally, such a treasure would attract the coveting eyes of even sixth-rank magical beasts—comparable in strength to Dou Huang experts. It seemed today's venture was destined for a tough battle.
"Explain the situation."
Xiao Yuan came to his senses, glanced at the eager-looking Zi Yan, and asked.
"I remember the guardian was a peak fifth-rank magical beast... but it looked strange. I'm not really sure what species it was."
Zi Yan tilted her head, frowning in thought.
Xiao Yuan nearly blacked out.
A peak fifth-rank beast? Basically a peak Dou Wang?! He'd only just advanced to Dou Wang, and already the difficulty had scaled up?
"When was your last visit here?"
He asked, feeling the mounting pressure.
"About half a year ago—just before you new students entered the Inner Academy."
Zi Yan answered promptly this time.
That made Xiao Yuan pause in thought.
Half a year wasn't long for a magical beast. There likely hadn't been enough time for it to evolve from peak Dou Wang to Dou Huang.
"Zi Yan, even if we encounter a Dou Wang peak beast... you can protect yourself, right?"
Zi Yan nodded proudly.
"Even if it advanced to sixth-rank, it couldn't stop me from leaving."
Reassured, Xiao Yuan signaled for her to stay quiet as he activated Whispering Wind.
Now that he was a Dou Wang, the technique had grown significantly stronger. Fused with his immense soul force and wind-type Dou Qi, it spread across the entire mountain.
A detailed mental image of the terrain formed in his mind. The most intense energy was concentrated inside a cave halfway up the mountain. Yet oddly, even Whispering Wind couldn't fully penetrate that space—only faint readings could be sensed.
The treasure must be in that cave.
Xiao Yuan pulled his mind back and looked to Zi Yan.
"Lure it out. If it's sixth-rank, I'll hold it off—grab the treasure. If it's still fifth-rank, we take it down together."
"Okay!"
Zi Yan nodded, then disappeared stealthily down the slope toward the cave.
With her innate mastery of space, concealing her aura was child's play. Even a Dou Huang would be hard-pressed to detect her.
Xiao Yuan, confident now, formed an ice-elemental spear with gathered Dou Qi and then entered the cave.
To his surprise, the interior wasn't dark or oppressive but clear and even slightly refreshing.
That, however, made him more cautious. Magical beasts, especially fifth-rank and higher, didn't usually maintain such clean environments.
He kept his senses razor-sharp. Though Whispering Wind couldn't fully scan the inner cave, he could still detect movement within a hundred meters.
Hidden in his sleeve, Zi Yan—currently in snake form—also flicked her tongue, instinctively sensing danger.
As he ventured deeper, the walls lit up with white flame runes and black water symbols, forming a hypnotic pattern that grew more vibrant with every step. The brightness became almost daylight-like.
The scene stirred something in his memory—familiar, yet just out of reach.
Shii!
Suddenly, a bone-deep chill surged from his feet to his crown. Zi Yan tensed, coiling tightly around his wrist.
Something was wrong!
A burst of thunderous green lightning erupted from Xiao Yuan's body, and he vanished—appearing instantly 150 meters behind.
"INTRUDERS. DIE!"
An eerie voice shrieked from within the cave, sending a psychic shock that nearly made Xiao Yuan faint.
But with a powerful soul, he steadied quickly, using Three Thousand Lightning Movement to dodge as a wave of terrifying force crushed his previous position.
He'd taken five minutes to enter the cave—but less than twenty seconds to escape it.
As he shot into the air, a bizarre beast emerged from the cave—a snake-bodied, humanoid-faced creature with two thick, muscled forearms. It had no wings, but its tail lashed, propelling it into the sky.
Its face was hauntingly human—feminine, even—but distorted with snake-like traits.
Xiao Yuan couldn't identify the species, even with his master's teachings.
"It really is peak Dou Wang."
He exhaled in relief.
As long as it hadn't reached Dou Huang, the fight was winnable.
"A lowly one-star Dou Wang dares enter my domain? Die!"
Its voice was a dissonant fusion of male and female tones—enough to rattle the soul. Xiao Yuan winced, again on the verge of losing consciousness.
Quickly, he covered his ears with Dou Qi and shielded his soul sea with his Heavenly Flame. A surge of draconic pressure followed.
"COME! KILL ME IF YOU DARE!"
Xiao Yuan roared, his Dragon Aura flaring, startling the beast into momentary hesitation.
Below, Zi Yan blinked up at him, suddenly understanding why he had felt familiar—his aura was like hers.
The snake beast, enraged, twisted its body and charged. But Xiao Yuan vanished again, reappearing behind it with his spear thrusting.
The beast managed an impossible twist mid-air to punch the spearhead directly.
Boom!
The ice spear cracked. The beast roared and lashed its tail, launching itself after Xiao Yuan, fists pounding like a thunderstorm.
Xiao Yuan was driven back. His spear shattered after a flurry of blows.
A final punch came for his brow. Xiao Yuan crossed his arms in defense—but the beast's tail swept toward his ribs.
"Ten Thousand Flower Ice Mirror!"
He activated his best defensive skill.
Crash!
The mirror shattered almost instantly.
But it bought him time. Activating his black ice and purple wings, his speed exploded, dodging the next barrage.
The beast, missing its strike, faltered mid-air.
Above it, Xiao Yuan floated, his expression focused. He activated:
Heavenly Flame Trinity—Yin Yang Shift!
Black and white flames surged, boosting his power to three-star Dou Wang. Yet it wasn't enough. He frowned.
Even with Heavenly Flames, as his rank grew, their enhancement waned.
Then he concentrated all five Qi Palaces' energy into one—the blackwater palace. His aura skyrocketed to six-star Dou Wang!
Flames surged into a black-and-white spear.
For magical beasts, fire was far more effective than ice.
"Hyaah!"
Xiao Yuan roared, flashing behind the beast again, spear aimed straight for its back.
It twisted instinctively to counter—but Xiao Yuan had anticipated that.
Exploiting its twisting motion, which reduced combat efficiency, he surged forward.
Against a higher-level opponent, only constant disruption could tilt the fight in your favor.
(END CHAPTER)
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