Chapter 8
·
Feb 16
Chapter 8 The Flowing Silver Ice Python, the Awakening of the Thousand-Machine Umbrella
The Ice Mystic Realm has no distinction between day and night, only the three eerie purple moons that hang eternally overhead.
Ye Feng and Ye Shaotian had been exploring this place for about ten hours. During that time, they encountered four or five attacks from soul beasts. Fortunately, most of them had a cultivation level of around a hundred years. Thanks to their teamwork and the results of their special training, although they suffered some minor injuries, they managed to get through each attack without serious harm.
In-depth understanding
umbrella
ice
"Boss, what kind of soul beast are we looking for?" Ye Shaotian asked, sitting behind a sheltered ice rock and munching on dry rations. "Wasn't that Ice Armor Bear pretty good? It had strong defense and was ice-attribute."
Ye Feng shook his head, his gaze firm: "The Ice Armor Bear is suitable for defensive or offensive types, but not for my Thousand Manifestations Umbrella. Teacher Mingyue said that the Thousand Manifestations Umbrella is the 'source of all manifestations,' and its first spirit ring must have extremely strong plasticity and extensibility. It would be best if it had some special metallic properties to support the future changes of the Thousand Manifestations Umbrella."
"A metallic ice-type soul beast?" Ye Shaotian scratched his head. "Where are we supposed to find that?"
"Shh!"
Ye Feng suddenly grabbed Ye Shaotian's shoulder, his eyes instantly sharpening as he stared intently at a frozen lake in front of him.
The frozen lake looked unremarkable, but in Ye Feng's perception, the air flow there was somewhat abnormal, as if something was breathing there.
"Look there," Ye Feng said, pointing to the center of the frozen lake.
Suddenly, a ripple appeared on the smooth, mirror-like ice surface. Then, a silvery-white snake's head slowly emerged from the water.
The snake had an eerie, liquid metallic sheen, as if its body were not flesh and blood, but flowing mercury. It had no scales and its surface was incredibly smooth, but as it swam, its flowing body would occasionally solidify into sharp spikes.
"This is..." Ye Feng quickly searched his mind for the soul beast illustrations Mingyue had shown him, his pupils suddenly contracting, "The Flowing Silver Ice Python! It possesses both gold and ice attributes, and its body can freely switch between liquid and solid states, making it extremely difficult to kill!"
"How many years old is it?" Ye Shaotian swallowed.
Ye Feng carefully observed the snake's length and its silvery luster: "Its body is nearly four meters long, and its silver light is restrained... This is a Silver Ice Python with a cultivation level of nearly four hundred years! It's practically the limit of the first soul ring!"
The master's theory is that the limit for the first spirit ring is 423 years, but the combat power of this Silver Ice Python definitely exceeds that of an ordinary 500-year spirit beast.
"To do it or not?" Ye Shaotian gripped his sword tightly.
"Go for it!" Ye Feng's eyes burned with ambition. "There's no better soul ring for the Thousand Manifestations Umbrella than this . If I miss it, I'll regret it for the rest of my life."
"Okay, boss, you tell me how to fight."
Ye Feng quickly analyzed the battle situation: "It has dual attributes of gold and ice, extremely high physical defense, and its body can transform, making it difficult to inflict fatal damage. Its only weakness is its 'core,' which is usually located at its seven-inch mark, but it moves when it transforms. We must restrict its movement and force it to expose its core."
"Little Fatty, you're in charge of freezing its escape routes. Don't try to attack its body directly. Use the cold air to reduce its activity; metal becomes brittle at low temperatures!"
"clear!"
"Let's do it!"
With a low shout, Ye Feng shot out like an arrow, the Thousand Chance Umbrella drawing a silver arc in the air.
The Silver Ice Python's senses were extremely sharp; the moment Ye Feng charged out, its silver vertical pupils locked onto its target.
"hiss!"
It let out a sharp screech, and its body instantly transformed from a liquid to a solid state, like a giant silver javelin, shooting towards Ye Feng with a whooshing sound.
"Good timing!"
Ye Feng did not dodge. The Thousand Chance Umbrella suddenly opened, its surface spinning to form a silver shield.
"Bang!"
The enormous impact reverberated across the frozen lake. Ye Feng felt a terrifying force surge through him, and he was thrown backward for more than ten meters, his feet carving two deep furrows into the ice.
"What strength!" Ye Feng's arm went numb, but instead of backing down, he used the force against him, flipped his body in the air, closed the Thousand Chance Umbrella, and brought it down on his head.
The Silver Ice Python reacted extremely quickly, its body instantly softening. Ye Feng's strike felt like hitting a ball of cotton, the force completely neutralized. Then, the Silver Ice Python's body coiled around the staff, instantly transforming into hard steel chains, attempting to crush Ye Feng's arm.
"Frost Impact!"
Just at this critical moment, a streak of icy blue sword energy swept in and struck precisely the part of the silver ice python that was coiled around it.
The extreme cold slowed the Silver Ice Python's movements for a moment, and Ye Feng took the opportunity to pull out his arm. A sharp blade popped out from the tip of the Thousand Chance Umbrella and stabbed fiercely into the python's body.
"bite!"
Sparks flew everywhere, and the tip of the umbrella could only penetrate an inch before it could not go any deeper. The Silver Ice Python's defense was simply hopeless.
"Its body is too slippery, there's nowhere to put weight on it!" Ye Feng shouted. "Little Fatty, freeze the lake! Don't let it go back in!"
Ye Shaotian had already rushed to the edge of the frozen lake, plunged the Frost Sword into the ice with both hands, and frantically unleashed his soul power: "Freeze for me!"
Click click click—
The lake surface, which was originally just a thin layer of ice, suddenly thickened, forming a thick layer of frozen soil, cutting off the Silver Ice Python's retreat route.
Seeing its retreat blocked, the Silver Ice Python went berserk. Its body began to twist wildly, splitting into more than a dozen sharp silver spikes that shot indiscriminately in all directions.
"careful!"
Ye Feng opened the Thousand Chance Umbrella again , shielding himself and Ye Shaotian, who had run over, behind him.
Ding ding ding ding—
The dense impact sounds were like rain pattering on banana leaves. Although the canopy of the Thousand Chance Umbrella was tough, it began to show fine scratches under such high-intensity puncture.
"This won't do; we can't outlast it." Ye Feng gritted his teeth. "We have to find a way to trap it for even a moment."
Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed in Ye Feng's mind.
The Silver Ice Python's characteristic is that it can transform between liquid and solid states. Since it is a fluid, it is afraid of... centrifugal force!
"Little Fatty, use all your strength to lift it up!"
"Huh? It's so heavy!"
"Trust me! Hurry!" Ye Feng roared and charged out again. This time, he didn't defend himself, but instead used the Thousand Chance Umbrella as a stick, waving it wildly to attract the attention of the Silver Ice Python.
The Silver Ice Python fell for the trap, its massive tail sweeping across the battlefield.
Seizing the opportunity, Ye Shaotian thrust his Frost Sword into the python's path the instant its tail swept across the ground, his hands bulging with veins: "Rise!!!"
With the help of the python's own momentum and Xiao Pang's explosive power, the Silver Ice Python's massive body was actually lifted half a meter off the ground.
Just as he was lifted off the ground, Ye Feng moved.
"Thousand Machines - Spin!"
Ye Feng leaped high into the air, hooking the Thousand Chance Umbrella around the Silver Ice Python's vital spot, and his body began to spin rapidly in the air. Using the "four ounces deflect a thousand pounds" technique from his previous life's Tai Chi, he spun the Silver Ice Python in circles.
The immense centrifugal force caused the liquid metal inside the Silver Ice Python to lose control, and its originally hard defense began to loosen, making it unable to maintain its solid state!
"Now! The core is slowing down!"
Ye Feng's dynamic vision was put to its fullest potential at this moment. He saw that within the silver body of the Silver Ice Python, a ball of deep blue light was being flung to one side due to centrifugal force.
"Break for me!"
Ye Feng released the force of the rotation, and using the inertia, the Thousand Chance Umbrella instantly transformed back into its straight-stab form.
He poured all his soul power into the tip of the umbrella.
"puff!"
This time, there was no sound of metal clashing, only the dull thud of a sharp blade entering flesh.
The Thousand Chance Umbrella pierced the core of the Silver Ice Python with unparalleled precision, a blind spot that its liquid defense could not cover.
"hiss--!!!"
The Silver Ice Python let out an extremely shrill scream, its body convulsing violently as it tried to fight back, but its life force was rapidly draining away as its core shattered.
A few seconds later, the massive silver body finally softened and turned back into a lifeless pool of silver liquid.
A few specks of yellow light began to converge, eventually forming a deep yellow spirit ring above the corpse, its aura swirling and exuding an alluring aura.
"It's done...it's done!" Ye Shaotian collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. "Boss, that mid-air spin you did just now was so cool."
Ye Feng was also exhausted, but he dared not delay.
"Little Fatty, protect me. The smell of blood here is too strong; it might attract other soul beasts, or... people."
Ye Shaotian immediately became alert, struggled to his feet, and stood aside with his sword in hand: "Don't worry, boss, unless I die, no one can bother you."
Ye Feng sat down cross-legged, took a deep breath, adjusted his state, and then raised his hand to summon the deep yellow soul ring that was slowly flying towards him with his soul power.
The moment the spirit ring was attached to the Thousand Manifestations Umbrella , an extremely domineering, sharp, and icy energy surged into Ye Feng's body.
pain!
It felt as if countless steel needles were coursing through his veins, or as if scalding mercury was being poured into his meridians. This was the soul power impact of the nearly four-hundred-year-old Flowing Silver Ice Python!
Ye Feng gritted his teeth, cold sweat instantly soaking his clothes. He felt his Thousand Manifestations Umbrella undergoing drastic changes; its originally simple mechanical structure began to automatically reorganize, split, and evolve under the influence of the Soul Ring's power.
That was the joyful sound of metal.
In Ye Feng's sea of consciousness, he seemed to see countless intricate gears turning, and liquid metal taking shape in a mold. The "ever-changing" nature of the Flowing Silver Ice Python was perfectly merging into the martial soul essence of the Thousand Manifestations Umbrella.
After an unknown amount of time, the tearing pain gradually subsided, replaced by a feeling of fullness and power.
Ye Feng suddenly opened his eyes, a flash of silver light passing through them.
"It's done!"
He stood up, and with a thought, the Thousand Chance Umbrella floating in front of him emitted a crisp mechanical meshing sound.
The first yellow spirit ring lit up.
"First Soul Skill - Thousand Transformations: Spear Form!"
With Ye Feng's low shout, the Thousand Manifestations Umbrella instantly transformed. The canopy rapidly closed and folded inward, fitting perfectly against the ribs. The tip extended and became a sharp spearhead, while the handle springed back to protect the hand. The overall length doubled, transforming into a gleaming silver spear with a streamlined aesthetic!
This is no longer the "stick" that Ye Feng simply created by physical folding, but a true transformation! This spear possesses the toughness and penetrating power of the Flowing Silver Ice Python, forming a seamless whole.
"So handsome!" Ye Shaotian's eyes widened in admiration.
Ye Feng gripped the spear, finding it incredibly comfortable, as if it were an extension of his own arm.
"It's not just a change in form." Ye Feng's lips curled up slightly, and he thrust his spear forward with a sudden burst, leaving a trail of afterimages and even creating a brief sonic boom in the air.
"The first soul skill comes with the skill—Dragon Fang!"
As the spear thrust out, a strange shockwave was generated at the tip, piercing through a giant ice rock in front of it and causing cracks to appear all around the rock.
"It possesses extremely strong penetrating power, and those hit will be briefly stunned due to the shockwave," Ye Feng commented with satisfaction. "This is the low-level divine skill of the Battle Mage in The King's Avatar, Dragon Fang."
With this soul skill, Ye Feng's attack power instantly increased by a level, and he finally possessed a true means of killing.
"Slap, slap, slap."
Just then, a round of applause came from behind the icicles not far away.
"Wonderful, truly wonderful. I never expected that a mere level 10 brat could absorb the nearly four-hundred-year-old Silver Ice Python and even obtain such a unique soul skill."
Ye Feng and Ye Shaotian's expressions changed, and they turned around instantly.
The three disciples of the Snow Demon Sect emerged from the shadows. The young man in the lead had a greedy smile on his face, his eyes fixed on the spear in Ye Feng's hand.
"Such a good martial soul, what a pity, he followed the wrong person."
"What do you want to do?" Ye Shaotian stood in front of Ye Feng, his sword held horizontally.
"What are you doing?" The Snow Demon Sect youth sneered, and his two companions behind him also revealed their martial souls, both of which were poison-attribute weapon martial souls. "We had our eye on this Flowing Silver Ice Python first, but you beat us to it. Now, we're going to collect some interest."
"Not only do we want your equipment, but we also want to... destroy your martial spirits, so that Northern Academy will completely give up any hope of you!"
Ye Feng gently pushed Ye Shaotian away, his spear pointing diagonally at the ground, his eyes as cold as knives.
Having just obtained his first spirit ring, he was worried about not having an opponent to test his skills against.
"Perfect, I'll use you guys to test my new weapon." Ye Feng said calmly. "Shao Tian, the one on the left is yours, the other two are mine."
"Arrogant!" the Snow Demon Sect youth roared in fury. "First Soul Skill—Poisonous Ivy Entanglement!"
Several purplish-black vines sprouted from the ground and attacked Ye Feng.
Instead of retreating, Ye Feng advanced, exerting force with his feet, his entire body like a silver lightning bolt.
"A spear is not for defense."
The first form of the Thousand Chance Umbrella will make its debut amidst bloodshed.