137: Chapter 137 The Strength of a Quasi-Third-Tier Monster

It was Xu Changsheng who had acted.

It wasn't that he was being tender towards the fairer sex, but rather that he might need this woman to deal with the Frost Macropod Crab.

Originally, he thought the Macruran Crab had just molted and should be in hibernation or simply half-dead.

Then he could measure the terrain and, using Star Patterns as the Formation core, barely set up a quasi-Tier 3 cold-attribute Formation to suppress it.

But given the current situation, resolving this crab would likely take some effort.

Moreover, because he had intended to sneak attack the Macruran Crab, he hadn't dared to expand his Divine Sense too far, resulting in him running into a woman and a beast just as he stepped out of the narrow passage.

There was no time at all to put on Lu Yuanze's painted skin.

"Forget it. If this female Cultivator has any other ill intentions, it won't be too late to kill her then."

Although this icy female Cultivator's aura was currently weak, she was, after all, someone who dared to face the Macruran Crab alone.

Given some time to recover, she could provide him with information or assistance.

The woman felt a warmth seeping through her dress and opened her eyes dazed, only to find herself being held by that strange man from before.

A surge of shame and annoyance rose in her heart, and her tone was icy: "Put me down. Go away."

Xu Changsheng stopped, took out an unranked Yao Beast fur blanket from his Storage Pouch, spread it out, and slowly set the woman down.

He shook his head. "Why should I go? Don't think I didn't see the profound yin cold iron behind that crab. I came specifically for it."

The soft fur immediately made the female Cultivator feel much better, though she was still unable to move.

"Go. You are no match for it. Leave me, and I will help you hold it back."

Xu Changsheng chuckled. "Well, you're surprisingly kind. Your mouth was so foul earlier that I almost didn't want to save you."

"I... don't know you."

"If the Fairy is truly so capable, then focus on recovering from your injuries first. Just give me a hand at the right moment later."

"Fine."

The female Cultivator took out a medicine bottle, poured out various Medicinal Pills, and swallowed them one by one. She turned her head to the side, looking at the strange man's back with a complex expression.

Xu Changsheng pulled out the poison scorpion sword and, manipulating it, tentatively slashed at the Macruran Crab.

The Frost Macropod Crab, lurking in the depression of the ice wall, also moved.

Its eight walking legs propped up its body as it moved three feet sideways, blocking the cave entrance completely.

Its two massive pincers opened slightly, the serrations inside the pincers glinting with a ghostly blue light.

"Interesting. I was worried you might run away, but I didn't expect you to block the door first."

He drew the poison scorpion sword, its tip quenched in a touch of deep purple.

The Green-Winged Bat rose from his shoulder, circled half a turn in the air, and lunged at the crab's back.

The bat's claws scratched against the carapace, leaving four white marks, but not even a proper indentation.

Sensing the attack, the Frost Macropod Crab's right pincer suddenly swept backward.

The Green-Winged Bat tried to gain altitude quickly, but it was too late; the tip of its wing was caught, and it was violently flung away.

Xu Changsheng took the opportunity to dash forward, thrusting his sword with all his might toward the crab's eye.

When the sword tip was still half a foot from the eyeball, the crab's head suddenly retracted, and the sword struck the hard shell at the edge of the eye socket.

The poison scorpion sword slid off, leaving only a shallow green mark on the carapace; the venom couldn't penetrate at all.

At that moment, the Frost Macropod Crab's left pincer swept across.

"Hah!"

With a low growl and a surge of blood-qi, his forearm blocked the blow, but he was sent flying.

*Screech!*

Two calf-deep furrows were carved into the ice as he barely managed to steady himself.

Relentless, the crab's body had completely turned around, and both pincers opened simultaneously, snapping toward his waist and abdomen.

Retreating rapidly, his left hand formed a seal, and he threw out a stack of crimson flame spreading over prairie talismans.

The Talisman Paper exploded in mid-air, and a wave of fire reaching the ceiling engulfed the Yao crab. The ten-thousand-year-old ice melted under the heat, turning the entire ice cave into a cave of water curtains.

Xu Changsheng held several purple Talismans between his fingers, looking at the center of the explosion with anticipation.

Before long, his brow furrowed again.

As the firelight dissipated, the Frost Macropod Crab stood where it was, steam rising from its carapace. It had only quietly taken half a step back against the ice wall, showing no signs of injury at all.

It exhaled a mouthful of cold mist. The mist collided with the residual heat from the flames, sending up a large amount of water vapor in the cave, which then condensed back into ice.

The Green-Winged Bat, largely unharmed by the previous blow, darted out of the mist again, but was once more forced back by a pincer.

With a cold snort, he threw out all the purple lightning startling thunder talismans in his hand.

Electricity crackled and boomed as several arcs of lightning landed on the crab's back. The Frost Macropod Crab's eight legs buckled simultaneously, momentarily paralyzed by the shock.

But it was only paralyzed for a breath before it propped itself up again.

Frustrated after being thwarted repeatedly, the Macruran Crab swung its pincers angrily and charged toward Xu Changsheng.

In its perception, this Cultivator was only at the Early Stage of the second tier. In the past, it could have spat him to death, yet it hadn't expected to be entangled for so long today.

Even if it was in its weakened state from molting, this was a great humiliation!

Seeing the Macruran Crab's attack, Xu Changsheng remained calm and raised the Black Tortoise Bone Shield.

With a bang, he was knocked back three steps, his arm feeling numb. A shallow crack appeared on the surface of the shield.

The Frost Macropod Crab's second pincer smashed down immediately after. He blocked it again, and the crack deepened.

He pulled back the shield and shifted his body to the side, narrowly avoiding the third strike.

As he stood up, he found that the Frost Macropod Crab wasn't pursuing him—it was blocking the cave entrance again, its eight legs slightly crouched and its two pincers half-open, quietly staring at him.

Its carapace was covered in scorch marks and electrical burns left by the Talismans, but its breathing was steady, and it was largely unharmed.

The Green-Winged Bat landed back on his shoulder, squeaking a couple of times, not daring to attack again.

He gripped his sword tightly and did not move forward again.

The cold mist rolled in, making the Frost Macropod Crab's figure flicker in and out of sight, its two massive pincers always pointed in his direction.

He sighed inwardly. Whether it was in terms of cultivation or Body Refining, he was currently no match for this Frost Macropod Crab. He had to use some real measures.

While he was considering his options...

An icy voice came from behind: "Fellow Daoist, it's been hard on you. Let me."

The next moment, a massive aura surged from behind.

Xu Changsheng turned back in surprise to find the surrounding ice-attribute Spiritual Qi rushing into a spirit sword in mid-air like wine being poured into a funnel.

It was none other than the female Cultivator's top-grade spirit sword.

*Sizzle sizzle sizzle.*

Foam kept bubbling from the Macruran Crab's mouthparts, and with its pincers flared, it also condensed a massive ice spike in the air.

The female Cultivator's hands moved like spinning wheels as she formed seals. Her brows and eyes were covered in frost, and her lips were a purplish-blue.

Her voice was weak but firm: "Die."

The Ice Soul Cold Light Sword let out a hum, and the hazy frost-light on its surface solidified. Carrying an overwhelming amount of ice and snow, it slashed fiercely toward the Macruran Crab.

The ice spike condensed by the Yao Beast also arrived as expected.

*Bang!*

The massive ice spike was sliced in half the moment it touched the spirit sword, and then it was shattered into countless pieces by the thousands of snowflakes, turning into a flurry of ice shards.

Seeing this, the Macruran Crab hurriedly blocked with its left pincer.

*Crack!*

The layers of ice-blue hard shell failed to block the blow. The female Cultivator's spirit sword severed the giant pincer as easily as cutting vegetables.

The Macruran Crab was stunned for half a breath, its ghostly blue carapace turning deep red.

It was completely enraged!

Meanwhile, the female Cultivator seemed to have exhausted all her strength. Her legs gave way, and she collapsed back onto the blanket.