18: Chapter 18 Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion

Bai Qi slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of turbid air. After finishing his cultivation, he had advanced by one level.

Seeing him wake up, Zi Ji immediately approached him and stretched out her hand, as assertive as ever.

“Bai Qi, I'm hungry. Food.”

Amused and helpless by Zi Ji's gesture, Bai Qi took out some jerky and dry rations from his spirit tool ring and distributed them to everyone.

After Ah Yin took the food, she ate a few bites in silence. Her eyes would occasionally drift toward Bai Qi before she quickly looked away.

Noticing this, Bai Qi could only give a helpless smile.

Bi Ji took a few bites of her rations, glanced at the sky outside the cave, and said calmly,

“Let's set off as soon as we finish eating. The Ice Sky Snow Lady's Ice Palace is at the very core of the Far North. If we want to arrive today, we can't leave too late.”

Hearing this, Bai Qi nodded and looked toward the north, saying seriously,

“Ice Sky Snow Lady... I hope we can convince the Snow Empress this time to obtain the power of faith from the Far North.”

Listening to his words, Ah Yin gently patted Bai Qi's hand and said,

“We will. Don't worry too much.”

After the group hurriedly filled their stomachs, they walked out of the cave and continued deeper into the Far North.

The further they went, the lower the temperature dropped. Even the air they exhaled would instantly freeze into frost.

Bi Ji, who was walking in the lead, suddenly stopped. She raised her hand to signal everyone to halt, then sensed the surroundings carefully with her Soul Power before saying,

“There's movement ahead. It doesn't seem like an ordinary Spirit Beast.”

Zi Ji became alert upon hearing this. She also used her Soul Power to sense the area. Being extremely sensitive to ice-attribute Soul Power—especially Ultimate Ice—she said,

“It's an Ice Jade Scorpion, and there's likely more than one.”

Hearing Zi Ji's words, Bai Qi asked,

“An Ice Jade Scorpion? Is it the Ice Empress?”

Zi Ji replied,

“No, the Ice Empress isn't this weak.”

Using a snow dune for cover, the group quietly crept up the back slope. When they looked down from the top, the scene before them made Bai Qi gasp.

On an open patch of snowy ground, two massive Ice Jade Scorpions were facing off, the air around them thick with cold.

One of them was slightly smaller, with Soul Power fluctuations around the fifty-thousand-year level. It was watching its opponent warily.

The other was much larger, around the seventy-thousand-year level. However, it didn't look like a normal Ice Jade Scorpion. Parts of its emerald-green body had turned blackish-red, and its eyes were blood-red, revealing a hint of madness.

Bi Ji's pupils constricted slightly upon seeing this, and she explained in a low voice,

“That larger Ice Jade Scorpion has become corrupted. It wants to absorb the smaller one.”

Just as Bi Ji finished speaking, the corrupted Ice Jade Scorpion lunged forward, its tail hook slamming violently toward its kin.

The fifty-thousand-year Ice Jade Scorpion struggled to defend itself, but the gap in strength was too large. After a few exchanges, it was struck in the head and fell unconscious onto the snow.

The seventy-thousand-year corrupted Ice Jade Scorpion actually extended its tail hook, preparing to absorb its fellow scorpion.

Seeing this, the group could no longer hold back.

Bi Ji barked in a low voice,

“Move! Don't let it succeed.”

The moment Zi Ji heard the order, her Soul Power erupted. She condensed dragon claws with her Soul Power and knocked the corrupted Ice Jade Scorpion back with a single strike, with Bi Ji providing support from behind.

Bai Qi wanted to step forward as well, but Ah Yin grabbed him and shook her head, saying,

“You can't participate in a battle like this yet. Just stay here obediently.”

After saying that, Ah Yin also ran forward, using her Blue Silver Emperor to entwine the corrupted Ice Jade Scorpion from the side, restricting its movements.

The corrupted Ice Jade Scorpion hissed in pain and thrashed its tail wildly, as blackish-red evil energy surged out like a tide.

Not to be outdone, Bi Ji increased her Soul Power output, easily suppressing the creature's evil energy.

From the distant snow dune, Bai Qi watched and nodded in approval.

Seeing that the corrupted Ice Jade Scorpion was suppressed, Ah Yin's Blue Silver Emperor suddenly tightened, pulling it flat against the ground and pinning it firmly.

Zi Ji followed up with a punch, beating it into a near-death state.

Just as Zi Ji was about to kill it with a palm strike, Bai Qi hurriedly ran over and shouted,

“Wait, show some mercy!”

Zi Ji looked over with a confused expression, the Soul Power in her hand not yet dissipated. She asked,

“Why?”

Bai Qi came over and explained,

“Sister Ah Yin is only one spirit ring away from becoming a Spirit Douluo, so let her do it.”

Hearing this, Zi Ji withdrew her hand and curled her lip in dissatisfaction.

“You should have said so earlier. But can a plant-type Spirit absorb an animal-type spirit ring?”

Bai Qi replied with a certain tone,

“It can. It might even help Ah Yin evolve some ice-attribute techniques.”

Ah Yin walked over after hearing Bai Qi's words, her voice tinged with a bit of worry,

“But this Ice Jade Scorpion has already been corrupted. Will it really be okay for me to absorb it?”

Bi Ji said calmly,

“It's fine. This Spirit Beast hasn't been corrupted for long, so it still possesses the ice attribute. It won't affect the spirit ring or the essence of your Spirit.”

Ah Yin breathed a sigh of relief and said,

“Is that so? Then thank you, Zi Ji.”

Zi Ji waved her hand dismissively.

Afterward, Ah Yin used her Blue Silver Emperor to pierce through the corrupted Ice Jade Scorpion.

The corrupted Ice Jade Scorpion let out a faint hiss, its massive body twitched once, and then it stopped moving altogether. Although the blackish-red stripes on its body didn't vanish, the blackish-red aura completely dissipated.

As it died completely, a black spirit ring slowly rose from its corpse.

Bai Qi glanced at the spirit ring and said,

“Sister Ah Yin, absorb it quickly. We'll protect you.”

Ah Yin nodded and sat down cross-legged. Just as she was drawing the spirit ring into her body to begin absorption, a sudden change occurred.

A wave of Soul Power pressure, many times stronger than that of the previous Ice Jade Scorpion, descended from the sky. Even Bi Ji and Zi Ji changed their expressions upon sensing this aura.

In the wind and snow, the figure of an Ice Jade Scorpion far larger than the previous two slowly appeared. Its entire body was as green as jade, translucent and sparkling, and the chill it radiated seemed to freeze the very air.

It was the sovereign of the Ice Jade Scorpion clan: the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, the Ice Empress.

The Ice Empress's gaze swept over the two Ice Jade Scorpions behind the group. After looking specifically at the dead one, she transformed into a human form and said in a low, suppressed voice of anger,

“Bi Ji, Demon Queen, it's been a long time. To think you would bring a human here to hunt my clansmen. How bold of you.”

Bi Ji stepped forward and said,

“Ice Empress, wait. This dead Ice Jade Scorpion had already become corrupted. It was trying to absorb this smaller one.”

Hearing this, the Ice Empress merely tilted her head, her aura growing even thicker. She clearly didn't believe Bi Ji's words. After all, it was virtually impossible for a noble creature of Ultimate Ice to become a corrupted Spirit Beast without human interference.

While the group was in a standoff with the Ice Empress, the smaller Ice Jade Scorpion woke up. After shaking its head, it first looked at the high-and-mighty Ice Empress, then at the group confronting her, and finally at the dead Ice Jade Scorpion behind them.

As if understanding something, it scurried into the middle of the group and began gesturing toward the Ice Empress. It let out a roar at her, pointed its tail hook at the dead scorpion, then pointed at its own head, looking at the Ice Empress with a wronged expression.

The Ice Empress fell silent after watching the small scorpion's actions.

She then walked over to the dead Ice Jade Scorpion and touched the blackish-red stripes on its body. Her tone softened considerably as she said,

“If that's the case, then your killing it is beyond reproach.”

Hearing the Ice Empress's voice soften, Bi Ji and Zi Ji finally breathed a sigh of relief. Bi Ji was not skilled in combat, and Zi Ji was suppressed by Ultimate Ice. If a fight had truly broken out, the two of them really might not have been able to defeat the Ice Empress.

At this moment, Bai Qi stepped out from behind the two and said,