45: Chapter 45 The Mantis Fights, Unaware of the Oriole Behind

Inside the ice cavern, the cold air was biting, yet the atmosphere was like a volcano on the verge of eruption.

Murong Bai of Xuanbing Pavilion, at the Qi Refining Stage 9, held an ice crystal longsword that spat out cold light. Behind him, two fellow Disciples had their Auras connected, faintly forming a formation.

Miss Liu of the Cold Moon Sect, at the Peak of the Qi Refining Stage 8, stood shoulder-to-shoulder with her Junior Sister. The moon wheel Magical Artifact in her hand emitted a cold, clear radiance, refusing to give an inch.

The fragrance of the ice soul snow lotus overflowed, and the pitch-black fragment at the bottom of the pool made the ancient ring yuan sha throb wildly.

But Lin Ye knew deeply that if he made a move rashly now, he would surely become the target of everyone. At Qi Refining Stage 5, in front of two Late Stage Qi Refining cultivators and several Middle Stage ones, he was nothing but an ant.

Only patience, only waiting.

He pushed his Qi Concealment Technique to the limit, to the point where even his heartbeat and blood flow were almost at a standstill. His entire person merged with the shadows of the ice wall, like a lifeless piece of black ice in the ice cavern.

His gaze, however, was like that of the calmest hunter, firmly locked onto the two opposing sides, as well as the treasure in the pool.

"Junior Sister Liu, why damage our harmony over a few snow lotuses?" Murong Bai's tone remained indifferent, but the cold air on the ice crystal longsword in his hand intensified by three points. "In this Cold Abyss, there are countless Opportunities; why be so obsessed with this one?"

"Senior Brother Murong speaks lightly." Miss Liu sneered. "This ice soul snow lotus is the main ingredient for refining 'Ice Soul Pill', which is vital to the Disciples of our Cold Moon Sect. You of Xuanbing Pavilion Cultivate the 'Xuanbing Art'; this item is merely icing on the cake for you. Yield two stalks, and we will retreat immediately; otherwise..."

Before she could finish her sentence, the moon wheel in her hand had already transformed into a cold arc of light, slashing towards a Qi Refining Stage 7 Xuanbing Pavilion Disciple beside Murong Bai! It was a feint to the east to attack in the west, aiming to eliminate his wings first!

"Presumptuous!" Murong Bai's face sank. The ice crystal longsword arrived after the start, its tip pointing at the side of the moon wheel, while he shouted sharply: "Form the formation!"

The three Xuanbing Pavilion Disciples shifted positions instantly, forming a simple Three Talents formation. Their cold spiritual power connected, and their Aura surged, faintly suppressing the two Cold Moon Sect Junior Sisters.

The great battle erupted instantly!

Ice crystal sword light collided with the cold moon wheel, scattering cold air and ice shards.

Both sides were clearly wary of the environment here, fearing that they might trigger a riot of true water or a collapse of the ice cavern. They did not use large-scale Spells but instead engaged in close-quarters combat with Magical Artifacts. However, every move was ruthless and extremely dangerous.

Murong Bai's strength was outstanding. Fighting two opponents alone, his sword technique was exquisite, and his cold Sword Qi rampaged, firmly suppressing Miss Liu and her Junior Sister. But the two Junior Sisters cooperated tacitly, and the moon wheel was both offensive and defensive, making it hard to determine a winner for a time.

The other two Xuanbing Pavilion Disciples joined forces to deal with the remaining Cold Moon Sect Junior Sister, and they were also locked in an inseparable battle.

Spiritual power surged within the ice cavern, and the sounds of Magic Treasure clashing were incessant.

Lin Ye, like the most patient viper, lay quietly in wait. He noticed that although both sides were fighting fiercely, they subconsciously avoided the ice soul snow lotus and the mysterious fragment in the center of the pool, seemingly afraid of damaging the treasure.

Time passed second by second.

The battle reached a fever pitch. Murong Bai's cultivation was ultimately a cut above, and his sword technique became increasingly fierce. A streak of ice crystal Sword Qi penetrated Miss Liu's defense, leaving a wound deep enough to see bone on her shoulder, and the fresh blood was instantly frozen.

"Senior Sister!" The other Junior Sister exclaimed, and the offensive slowed.

Murong Bai seized the Opportunity to launch a fierce attack, his ice crystal longsword striking directly at Miss Liu's throat!

At this critical moment of life and death, a flash of determination crossed Miss Liu's eyes. She bit her tongue hard and sprayed a mouthful of essence blood onto the moon wheel!

The moon wheel's radiance flared, and the cold moonlight surged, temporarily forcing back Murong Bai's sword momentum.

But because of this, her Aura withered, and her face turned deathly pale.

"At the end of your rope!" Murong Bai sneered, preparing to take her down in one stroke.

Just then, a sudden change occurred!

In the pool, beside those few stalks of ice soul snow lotus, the originally calm, deep blue pool water suddenly churned violently!

It was as if something had been awakened from the bottom of the pool, disturbed by the fluctuations of the battle above and the scent of essence blood!

"Not good! There is still a Guardian Yao Beast!" Murong Bai's face changed, and he retreated rapidly.

Miss Liu also hurriedly retreated.

Splash!

Water splashed everywhere. An ice-blue, dragon-like Yao Beast, thicker than the previous Cold Drake and with two small bumps faintly bulging on its head, suddenly thrust its upper body out of the pool water. Its lantern-sized, deep blue slit pupils coldly scanned the intruders who had disturbed its slumber!

A Tier 2 Yao Beast! Equivalent to the Foundation Establishment Stage! And it was a variant of the Cold Drake, on the verge of evolving into a Dragon!

A terrifying pressure instantly permeated the entire ice cavern. Everyone felt their breathing become difficult, and their spiritual power circulation sluggish.

"Run!" Murong Bai made a prompt decision. Ignoring the snow lotus and his fellow Disciples, he turned and dashed towards the entrance of the ice cavern!

The Cold Moon Sect Junior Sisters were even more pale with fright, following closely behind.

But that Cold Drake (perhaps it should be called a Cold Flood Dragon) seemed to be thoroughly enraged. Its giant mouth opened, and a deep blue cold breath, condensed to the extreme, spewed out. Like a reversing glacier, it instantly sealed the entrance of the ice cavern, also freezing the last Xuanbing Pavilion Disciple and one Cold Moon Sect Junior Sister into ice sculptures!

Murong Bai and Miss Liu reacted extremely quickly, narrowly avoiding the cold breath, but they were still hit by the aftermath. Their protective spiritual light shattered, and they spat blood, in a wretched state.

The Cold Flood Dragon did not pursue, as if guarding the pool was its primary task. It scanned the two frozen ice sculptures with its cold gaze, then slowly sank back into the pool, leaving only its huge head floating on the water, monitoring the entrance.

The entrance sealed by the cold breath had condensed into thick black ice emitting terrifying cold air, which would be impossible to break open for a while.

Murong Bai and Miss Liu retreated to the corner of the ice cavern, backs against the ice wall, their faces extremely ugly. They were severely injured and trapped here, with a terrifying Tier 2 Cold Flood Dragon outside and a dead end inside.

And Lin Ye, still lurking in the shadows, his heart beating like a drum.

An Opportunity! A once-in-a-lifetime Opportunity!

The Cold Flood Dragon had been disturbed, sealed the entrance, and its attention was on Murong Bai and Miss Liu.

And the ice soul snow lotus and the mysterious fragment in the pool were currently exposed beside the Cold Flood Dragon, but the Cold Flood Dragon didn't seem to care too much (perhaps it was useless to it?).

Murong Bai and Miss Liu were severely injured and could barely look after themselves.

Right now, it was the best time for the fisherman to profit!

But how to bypass the Cold Flood Dragon and obtain the treasure?

Grabbing it by force was suicide.

He had to use his wits.

His gaze fell on the two "corpses" frozen into ice sculptures, then looked at the Cold Flood Dragon, and a bold plan emerged in his mind.

Lin Ye took a deep breath, adjusting his state to the best.

He first took out the black "Shadow" token he had obtained from Liu Xiong of the Yinkui Sect from his Storage Pouch.

This token was made of a special material, capable of carrying spiritual power, and carried a cold Aura. He injected a trace of cold spiritual power into it, causing a layer of thin ice to condense on the surface of the token, and then carefully flicked the token towards the ice wall behind the side of the Cold Flood Dragon.

The token hit the ice wall, making a slight sound, and rolled into the shadows.

The Cold Flood Dragon's head turned sharply, its deep blue slit pupils looking towards the sound, but it only saw an icy "stone" (token). Not detecting anything unusual, it turned its head back to monitor Murong Bai and the other.

The first step, the "pebble" to attract attention, was in place.

Next, Lin Ye restrained his Aura to the limit, like a real piece of ice, and silently slid into the cold pool water.

The pool water was bone-chilling, but for him, who Cultivated the "Ice Soul Sword Art", it was like a fish in water. He was like the most flexible water snake, sticking to the ice wall by the pool, slowly sneaking towards the position behind the Cold Flood Dragon where the snow lotus and fragments were located.

Most of the Cold Flood Dragon's body was submerged in the water, revealing only its head and part of its neck, and it did not notice the slight movement underwater.

Closer, even closer.

The ice soul snow lotus was within reach, the fragrance filling his nose. The mysterious pitch-black fragment was sunk at the roots of the snow lotus, emitting deep starlight, and the desire of the ancient ring yuan sha was almost bursting out of his body.

Lin Ye reached out his hand, aiming directly at the fragment!

However, at the very moment his fingertips were about to touch the fragment—

A sudden change occurred again!

The pitch-black fragment seemed to sense the approach of the ancient ring yuan sha and actually vibrated slightly on its own, emitting a circle of invisible fluctuations!

This fluctuation was extremely weak, but...

The Cold Flood Dragon's deep blue slit pupils turned again sharply, its cold gaze, like substance, instantly locking onto one thing—the source of the fluctuation, Lin Ye underwater!

He had been discovered!