A Tier Eight Spirit Beast?
Chu Shaoye was somewhat surprised. The Crimson Firmament Sect and Zhuyu City were both situated in the remote southwestern corner of the Southern Continent, a desolate area sparse in Spiritual Qi.
Even the city lord of Zhuyu City and the Sect Leader of the Crimson Firmament Sect were merely Tier Six Mid-Tier Spirit Masters. Were it not for the isolation of this region, strength of that level would hardly suffice to command a major faction.
He had not expected the Crimson Firmament Sect to harbor a Tier Eight Spirit Beast.
Curious, Chu Shaoye asked, “Brother Ren, do you know what kind of Spirit Beast it is?”
Ren Shengping sighed. “I only heard it from the older Menial Disciples. Whether one truly exists, I haven’t the faintest idea.”
With a glutton like Ren Shengping present, what remained of the roasted Ironhide Lizard—nearly half of it—was devoured clean in no time. Ren Shengping yawned and said, “Brother Chu, that’s about all worth telling regarding Hou San. Now that you’ve advanced to Tier Two, there’s no need to fret too much. Get some rest early.”
Chu Shaoye gave an acknowledging nod. After washing up, he blew out the candle and lay down to rest.
Hands pillowed behind his head, he stared up at the pitch-black ceiling. Shuangyue had once been a Tier Eight Spirit Beast as well. He wondered how the wolf was faring now, and whether his old injuries had improved at all.
According to Shuangyue, he had bonded with Chu Shaoye’s father while still a nursing wolf pup, journeying alongside him across the Myriad Spirits Continent. Before his injuries, Shuangyue had already touched the threshold of Tier Nine—a Quasi-Sacred Beast.
Regrettably, his rank had plummeted drastically after being wounded. When he first arrived at Chu Family Village, his strength had dropped all the way to Tier Four. Even after all these years of recuperation, he had only recovered to Tier Five.
Tier Five was already an awe-inspiring realm to Chu Shaoye at present. In his eyes, Shuangyue had always seemed omnipotent, not only possessing vast knowledge, but also commanding immense power.
He could scarcely fathom how majestic and fearsome Shuangyue must have been at the height of his power.
He only hoped Shuangyue was safe and well, looking forward to the day they would meet again.
The Southern Continent’s climate was generally warm and humid, offering little hospitable ground for ice-attributed Spirit Beasts or Spirit Plants to thrive.
At that moment, within an underground cavern, beads of condensed moisture slipped from overhanging stalactites, dripping like pearls into the freezing pool below.
A clear, tinkling cadence echoed through the cavern. At the very center of the frigid pool, an Azureglow Frost Lotus stood tall and graceful, emitting a faint blue-green glow.
The Azureglow Frost Lotus was a Tier Six Spirit Plant, crystalline and translucent as colored glass throughout. It favored dim, cold, damp environments and served as an exceptional tonic for ice-attributed Spirit Beasts.
This was none other than Shuangyue, the very wolf occupying Chu Shaoye’s thoughts. He lowered his snout to sniff the ground, catching no trace of any other Spirit Beast’s scent.
High-tier Spirit Plants were almost always guarded by Spirit Beasts, but the freezing pool could easily mask a beast’s aura.
Shuangyue did not let down his guard. Mindful of his surroundings, he stepped onto the water with measured strides.
Frost crystallized beneath his paws, paving an unbroken path of ice across the surface as he moved forward.
Just as Shuangyue reached halfway, a massive dark shadow glided beneath the ice. Shuangyue snapped his head down to look.
The moment he looked down, a dark silhouette burst through the water to the left of the ice bridge, throwing up a surge of waves over five meters high.
Shuangyue’s instincts were sharp. He conjured an ice wall in an instant, halting the incoming strike.
Illuminated by the luminescence of the Azureglow Frost Lotus, the shadow’s true form was laid bare: a slender, elongated body with gills on both cheeks, smooth and scaleless skin, and four limbs bearing sharp, webbed claws.
It was a Tier Five Dragonlike Cave Salamander.
The Dragonlike Cave Salamander closely resembled a flood dragon in shape, though it bore no horns. Its skin was an ashen white, capable of secreting mucus laden with a paralyzing toxin.
Shuangyue pressed down firmly with his paws, sending sheets of ice rippling outward across the water. He was unsuited for underwater combat; being dragged to the pool’s depths by the Dragonlike Cave Salamander would prove troublesome.
Instantly, the subterranean cold sharpened. Falling droplets froze into snowflakes, drifting down through the cavern air.
The Dragonlike Cave Salamander clambered onto the ice, releasing a harsh hiss toward Shuangyue while loosing a barrage of water arrows.
Shuangyue bounded aside. Despite his massive build, he moved with remarkable grace and agility. Kicking off the cavern’s stone wall, he circled swiftly behind his foe.
The Dragonlike Cave Salamander lashed its long tail, whipping up a tempestuous gale. An Iron Tail unleashed by a Tier Five Spirit Beast was leagues beyond that of a Tier Two Ironhide Lizard. Its slender tail cracked with a sonic boom, moving at speeds that left afterimages in its wake.
The tail swept across with thunderous momentum, but Shuangyue was already prepared. Five or six snowflakes, each as broad as a millstone, materialized in midair, suspended like steps. New chapters come out on g.com first.
Shuangyue activated his skill—Snowstep. With a nimble bound, he trod upon the snowflakes and vaulted into midair, dodging the Dragonlike Cave Salamander’s Iron Tail.
The Iron Tail hit nothing but the ice, crashing down with a deafening boom that scattered shards and spray. A rapid cacophony of cracking followed as the ice sheet Shuangyue had just formed shattered like porcelain.
Leaping across the snowflakes with swift, measured bounds, Shuangyue hung briefly aloft. Slashing out with both forepaws, he unleashed six cutting claw streaks laced with biting frost.
The Claw Strike struck the Dragonlike Cave Salamander squarely. Blood sprayed as two bone-deep gashes tore open, the wounds immediately icing over as frost crept across the beast’s flesh.
The Dragonlike Cave Salamander let out an agonized wail and tumbled into the pool, leaving a broad bloom of blood on the water.
Twisting midair, Shuangyue landed gracefully on an unbroken patch of ice. He reformed the ice path, extending it directly before the Azureglow Frost Lotus.
Though the Dragonlike Cave Salamander was not yet dead, it had suffered grievous injuries. If it valued its life, it would remain obediently at the pool’s bottom, daring not rise again to bar his way.
The Azureglow Frost Lotus had been untouched by the fray. The single lotus blossom swayed gently, releasing a faint fragrance.
Shuangyue did not linger to admire it. Opening his jaws, he snapped off the blossom and swallowed it down with scarcely any chewing.
The medicinal efficacy of the Azureglow Frost Lotus would not take effect at once; he needed to locate a secure retreat to absorb its power.
Shuangyue turned to leave the cavern. Just as he was about to step off the pool, the ice beneath his paws suddenly splintered, and a long tail surged upward, coiling tightly around his waist and abdomen.
The Dragonlike Cave Salamander’s upper body rose from the water, wrapping several loops around Shuangyue in utter disregard of its own bleeding wounds.
Shuangyue was briefly trapped, yet showed no hint of panic. Circulating his Spiritual Energy, he coated his body in a crystalline layer of frost, which rapidly encased the slime-coated salamander in a thick shell of solid ice.
Within a few minutes, the Dragonlike Cave Salamander was frozen stiff as an icicle. With a slight surge of strength from Shuangyue, the frozen beast shattered into chunks, and a pale-blue Spirit Core rolled out.
Shuangyue picked up the Spirit Core and swallowed it. The salamander’s mucus was toxic, and having inevitably touched some of it, he could already feel numbness creeping through his limbs.
He had intended to find another refuge, but with the Dragonlike Cave Salamander dead, this cavern was safe enough. Shuangyue simply sought out a flat spot and lay down.
The energies of the Azureglow Frost Lotus and the Tier Five Spirit Core slowly diffused into his flesh, mending his lingering internal injuries bit by bit.
The giant wolf half closed his eyes, Chu Shaoye’s figure once again surfacing in his mind. He wondered how the young master was faring now, and how life was treating him in the Crimson Firmament Sect.